A vision...at least 12v wise
A note upfront: I'm going to assume the engine and mechanical aspects of the car (I still need a name!) are in order. Daryl assured me of this, I did enough due diligence myself, and ultimately I trust him. The fact is that I can't deal with too many fronts at the same time, and I want to get some of the basics of a new 12v system in place.
For a bit of context here, the mission is that, aside from the necessary parts, I'm going to rebuild the accessory 12v system myself - take it to a 'showcase' level - at least, that's the dream. We'll see in reality.
Here's my shopping list in terms of outcomes:
A Lithium (I think 100 Amp Hour) battery in the rear to run all the accessories, which will make it the third battery in the car. I've got two upfront now that crank the car and provide battery for the winch.
Remote (i.e. 433 Hz) switching for exterior lighting so you can lie in your swag and turn stuff off when it's dark and cold. I want physical switching for all this stuff too.
An oven (pie warmer) hard-wired and ready for a tasty snack night or day and to lure in your mates for the next trip :-)
Integrated compressor and compressor hose connector so you can grab the hose, plug it in, flick and switch and start pumping.
Fridge switch and thermometer - I don't want to have too much around on the fridge itself but instead flick a switch and then read from a gauge in the back.
Lights under an awning. Now the question of which awning or whether to get one at all is necessary, but in any event, I want lights under the awning.
Kids stuff - we all know this means USB charging for devices (lots) in the back.
240V AC, although I'm not so sure where... perhaps available to passengers in the back or alternatively via a switch in the boot - not sure yet. And in terms of output (wattage) - not sure on that either.
Front spot lights on the bull bar.... and for that matter, front fog lights integrated into the bull bar
A winch isolator (there's not one there now) and winch controllers in the cab (drivers side). I loved this in the patrol and want to replicate it again in the 200.
An Anderson plug connector for a solar charger that integrates directly to the Lithium battery for charging on sunny days.
USB and cigarette lighter sockets at logical places in the back for other accessories (kettles, etc.)
Internal lights (there's none there now! - sux) in the boot for cooking, getting stuff from the fridge etc. I reckon a small, flush 4 LED lights on either side of the boot columns would suffice.
Roof lights - assuming the platform roof rack works, then the question will be what I want on top aside from lights under the awning. I really liked the idea of a mobile light (I used that alot) with a very long stretchy cable with a magnetic base that you can then attach to any panel on the car - had that on the Patrol, and I think I'll do that again.
Ultimately, I want to make sure everything is neatly switched - by that, I mean I want it all to look and feel like it was done in the factory - at least close. And further, I want to get the size of cable much more fit for purpose in this 200 series. In the Patrol, I stuffed up and had cable that was way too big for basic switching - made it hard to manage, wire and install the respective panels.
So, timeline-wise, I really don't know - perhaps three months of tinkering. The fact is, following lots of purchases online, ~80% of the above parts I need will be here in the next fortnight. I reckon there is 120 hours of work in the above, but that may vary massively depending on my approach.
The first job, though, is to check out the cable situation running from the engine bay to the rear (boot/doors) - stay tuned!