Console Cooler Conversion

[JMT]

I just suggested that because @JMT was contemplating a drain at all and was worried about rust. I think a drain is a good idea as he would have to bail out the water without one.

I agree with simple being better, but they had reservations, So I was just adding suggestions to help with their concerns.

My suggestion is to feed the drain to the rear bumper as to alleviate the worry for rust. Then you said don't drain it where it can get onto other cars so I suggested putting a valve on it so he could drain where it is safe to not spray other cars. I thought my thinking was ingenious. I am curious to how all of this works out regardless.

Sealed ice blocks remove the need to dump Ice in or deal with sloshing water or draining. A constant drain is a viable option though.

 

[JMT]

JMT if you insulate the outside of the console, flip it upside down that might work.

Also you took your sub out, so if you cut the liner out of the console and mage a piece to glass in there you could potentially have a decent amount of space.

I’m definitely going to flip it and insulate. I’m guessing a spray foam will work well in that application. Good call

 

[jjvw]

Why make it more complex than it needs to be? ...Simple.

Speaking of adding complexity, I wonder if a heat exchanger could be inserted into the AC coils in order steal some cold. Plumb a sealed water line that pumps cooled water into the console cooler with a return line. ...Simple.

 

[Chris]

I'd say put this idea on Kickstarter, but there's not enough TJ people to care I imagine! :risas3:

I look forward to seeing what you come up with though!

 

[Drizit]

Got an easy idea for the drain. Run a small hose from the console through an existing drain plug. If you punch a hole in the center and push the hose through then you eliminate any compromising of the factory galvanizing and paint.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.

 

[sgtjdgelinas]

I've removed my center console and put in an se shorty, but this idea might make me bring it back. Spray foam the inside, some insulating mat under the console, a rubber grommet with a hose like what you find on lawnmower gas tanks siliconed in. I think it's a boss idea.

 

[RWTJ9798]

Only problem I see it’s filled with cola not beer...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[PCO6]

Why not go a step further and install a freezer! This guy installed a Dometic CDF-11 console freezer in his Cherokee. The fridge is in the back. He completely removed the console. He also removed the emergency brake and replaced it with a foot brake out of a Comanche.

Pretty neat build overall ... (console work starts at post #258)
https://expeditionportal.com/forum/...-my-first-rodeo-video-included.149468/page-18

 

[JMT]

I noticed a lot of heat coming through from the transmission at the shifter. As you move back toward teh console there is less heat, which is a positive, but it does warm up after awhile. That’s our TJ’s. These are great ideas. Keep’em coming! Some of them I’ll incorporate...The console is a strange shape, so some insulation on the outside of the console added from underneath after removal will be important.

 

[YonderNorthwest]

Did you ever get around to attempting this mod @JMT? I'm thinking about trying something like this.

 

[Apparition]

Wedge an F150 console in

https://www.dometic.com/en-us/profe...X0TZyH4-OnJ9prpmh-eI0-9FGGG9daLxoC6XgQAvD_BwE

 

[JMT]

Did you ever get around to attempting this mod @JMT? I'm thinking about trying something like this.

No, I did not . I still think it's a good idea, but the amount of heat in that area is substantial. You want to heat shield outside the tub and inside the tub and insulate the console well. You can do it.

 

[4BY4ADV]

I've removed my center console and put in an se shorty, but this idea might make me bring it back. Spray foam the inside, some insulating mat under the console, a rubber grommet with a hose like what you find on lawnmower gas tanks siliconed in. I think it's a boss idea.

I was going to suggest something similar... move to the shorty console and build a new console made specifically to be a cooler.

I swapped to the shorty to clear space and I'd never go back.

 

[Ryan Radtke]

I've done this. It worked. Held ice for hours. Pulled plug at the end of the day and it drained. You just refill the console with another stocked cooler as needed. No insulation, no whatever dorks fight about, just a hole. Don't be jerks, if it works it works, no need to engineer a half as cooler.

 

[jjvw]

I've done this. It worked. Held ice for hours. Pulled plug at the end of the day and it drained. You just refill the console with another stocked cooler as needed. No insulation, no whatever dorks fight about, just a hole. Don't be jerks, if it works it works, no need to engineer a half as cooler.

I was so nice back then!

 

[hear]

I've done this. It worked. Held ice for hours. Pulled plug at the end of the day and it drained. You just refill the console with another stocked cooler as needed. No insulation, no whatever dorks fight about, just a hole. Don't be jerks, if it works it works, no need to engineer a half as cooler.

One time when I was like 8 we stopped in Peru, IL at some random mall. I got a pair of sunglasses.

/coolstorybro

 

[JMT]

Since I’ve been on here and made a lot of modifications to my rig, I’ve learned a few things about keeping the transmission area cool. The first, and most important, is to get a gauge and understand what’s happening. The second is getting a good transmission cooler. The entire cab will be cooler along the central portion, including the console area. If you want to actually build a cooler in that area, you better have a very good transmission cooler.

The inside cab temps are probably 80% related to the cooler. The last best thing you can do is some kind of insulation/barrier, but this really minimal compared to the transmission cooler. Think before you $$$$

 

[L J]

I've done this. It worked. Held ice for hours. Pulled plug at the end of the day and it drained. You just refill the console with another stocked cooler as needed. No insulation, no whatever dorks fight about, just a hole. Don't be jerks, if it works it works, no need to engineer a half as cooler.

One time when I was like 8 we stopped in Peru, IL at some random mall. I got a pair of sunglasses.

/coolstorybro

 

[lBasket]

Since I’ve been on here and made a lot of modifications to my rig, I’ve learned a few things about keeping the transmission area cool. The first, and most important, is to get a gauge and understand what’s happening. The second is getting a good transmission cooler. The entire cab will be cooler along the central portion, including the console area. If you wanna actually build a cooler in that area, you better have a very good transmission cooler.

The inside cab temps are 80% related to the cooler. The last best thing you can do is some kind of insulation/barrier, but this really minimal compared to the transmission cooler. Think before you $$$$

Are you saying to cool the transmission with the runoff from the console cooler?

 

[John Cooper]

Dang and all this time, I have been carrying my cooler in the back with the seat removed............

Who would have thunk it....