NOTE: THE FOLLOWING IS COPYRIGHT 2011 BY JeepGunner.com.
ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED.
ANY AND ALL LINKS TO THIS PAGE MUST NOT SHOW THIS PAGE IN "FRAMES"
Cobra Electronics
6500 West Cortland Street
Chicago, IL 60707
773-889-3087 VOICE
An inverter is a must-have item in any vehicle used for emergency communications. If your vehicle is setup as an Incident Command post, you might find it handy to run halogen lights, laptops, etc. There are limits to what you can run, you need to find an inverter sized to your requirements. Even one halogen light can be 500 watts. Add a laptop to that, and maybe some Motorola battery chargers, and you are beyond that.
I recommend a minimum of a 1400 Watt inverter. Keep in mind that larger inverters will also power smaller devices with greater efficiency. However, they also require some place to mount them. This was our challenge due to the limited real estate in the Wrangler.
When we got the Jeep, we only had a little bit of time to get ready for some off-road work. One of the things we wanted installed was a Cobra Road Warrior 1400 Watt Inverter - my personal favorite. This is a great inverter, very reliable and very durable. It puts out 1400 Watts normally, with a burst of 2200 Watts possible for a short time.
I regret to say that Cobra has now discontinued this unit. Their new units are really nice, but would have proven a bit more difficult to install as they are now more flat, but have a larger overall footprint. It turned out that the Road Warrior was the best inverter for this job, but the same installation principles could be applied to other makes or models.
Keeping in mind that an inverter provides 110V of AC (Alternating Current) power - the same power that comes out of the outlets in your walls at home - you need to be careful about mounting an inverter. You don't want to mount it where it will end up exposed to water. This rules out mounting it under the seats.
When we first installed the inverter, it was understood that it would be a temporary installation until we could get all of the power stuff for the radio gear re-worked. The main concern was that the grab handle which is just over the glove box needed to be available. It would have fit just right if we removed the glove box and installed it at the top, but it would have stuck out too far and made the handle too hard to use.
With that in consideration, we elected to install it on the passengers side of the center console. This worked fine with only one problem - it prevented the passengers seat from rolling far enough forward to tilt. No one could get into the back seat from that side. This was not too much of an issue, the back seat is hardly ever used anyway, but we did want to resolve that issue when it came time for the permanent installation.
We started by disconnecting the power at the battery, then by disconnecting the wires from the inverter and removing it from the center console.
When we decided to move it, the glove box opening was still an ideal location. We wanted to keep the glove box, but more important was to keep the glove box door so that the grab handle was freely accessible.
It would have fit across the top of the opening, but that would make the grab handle unusable. Then it hit me. Mount the inverter so that it goes IN the glove box opening.
I tested this before we decided to do it.
The solution we identified was to use a Dremel moto-tool and cut the tray off of the glove box. This turned it into nothing more than a flat cover, but allowed it to act as a mounting location and cover for the inverter – which would easily recess into the old glove box space.
Considering that we would be installing the Tuffy Center Security Console – which has a FAR superior locking mechanism and more storage space – we were OK with this. We wouldn't really need the glove box for storage.
The reason that we didn’t just un-screw the glove box tray was to leave the inner plastic that the tray was a part of. This gave us a surface into which we could drill and insert mounting screws for the inverter while preventing them from coming out through the front.
After the tray was cut off, we mounted the inverter to the back of the door. I had to make sure that the Road Warrior inverter was in position where it would not interfere with the MFJ-1126 power unit that we were also installing in the glove box area, and that it had clearance on both sides. We measured this carefully and then mounted the unit in the best position we could find. This turned out to work very well.
.
Note that the connections for the power wiring were moved as far to the center as possible.
In the meantime, the power wires were re-routed up into the area behind the glove box. This was a bit tricky as these are 4 AWG wires and are very stiff. They can be bent into an appropriate shape, it just takes a little patience. We also used split tubing to further protect those wires from abrasion.
The inverter was then screwed down to the back of the glove box cover, the glove box cover was re-attached, and then the power wires were connected. The power wires are flexible to a point, and we added additional insulation to them and any metal they might come into contact with.
Now the inverter can be accessed by simply opening the glove box. You don’t even know it is in there unless you open it. Just reach in and turn it on, and you have 120 VAC where ever you are.
As always, be careful working with an inverter. They put out 110 VAC. Remember - this is the same power that comes out of your wall outlets in your home. It is just as deadly. Treat it with respect.
I have had great luck with Cobra inverters. They hold up under heavy use, and are easy to install. Even under heavy use, I have never had them get hot enough to melt plastic, so I am not worried about mounting it in this position. Under no circumstances should you run an inverter mounted like this with the door shut. They need air for cooling!
The whole key to this installation was just in finding the room, and thinking creatively.
-- James Bell Jr.