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The Urban Escape Vehicle
For urban dwellers, a big truck is not always the answer. Most of us cannot afford to have a bug-out-vehicle in addition to another car, so the other option is to have a smaller dual-purpose vehicle that satisfies both everyday needs and post-apocalyptic demands. Both daily driving and escaping a zombie-infested city benefit from great fuel efficiency and maneuverability in tight areas, and some simple modifications can turn a cute little hatchback into a dirt-flinging ATV.
I started with a 2006 Scion xA four door hatchback. Scion is a subsidiary of Toyota, an automaker renowned for their dependability and longevity. Most of the mechanicals on this car actually have "Toyota" stamped on them.
The car was outfitted with fancy 19" alloy rims and low-hanging front, side, and rear skirts when I got hold of it.
The first step was to see how well she performs in stock configuration. The answer was not very well at all.
I took a "DIP" in the road at 30mph and ripped off part of the front air dam, tangling it in the undercarriage. Then I was navigating a short dirt trail when I caught the rear air dam on a rock and tore it halfway off. Finally, hopping a curb at about 25mph resulted in complete and total destruction of the front passenger rim and wheel.
At this point the next step was to order parts and get busy with the sawzall and angle grinder. I wanted to remove as much of the low-hanging bodywork as possible and clearance the wheel wells to fit bigger tires.
Here you can see the rear with the new 205/60/15 tires, steel rims, tow rope, and removed plastic crap.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/_1SZ9Fbl_kM1rsW8E-UYqg959950/GW521H390 "[Untitled]")
I replaced my stock headlight bulbs with upgraded bulbs that are brighter and whiter. The two lights above the license plate are long range driving lights, and the two below are for fog, dust, and filling in shadows left by the other lights directly in front of the vehicle.
The rear light is controlled from the drivers seat and can be turned on at any time. It is 100 watts, trapezoidal beam pattern, usually called a 'tractor light'. It's about 4" in diameter and lights up behind me MUCH better than the stock reverse lights for loading or backing up at night
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/E8LuNXPzxlB0lJJNbwv7Wg1186136/GW339H255 "[Untitled]")
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/SmWp52hnv5IcGL5xuqN07g1008206/GW342H255 "[Untitled]")
I took a "DIP" in the road at 30mph and ripped off part of the front air dam, tangling it in the undercarriage. Then I was navigating a short dirt trail when I caught the rear air dam on a rock and tore it halfway off. Finally, hopping a curb at about 25mph resulted in complete and total destruction of the front passenger rim and wheel.
At this point the next step was to order parts and get busy with the sawzall and angle grinder. I wanted to remove as much of the low-hanging bodywork as possible and clearance the wheel wells to fit bigger tires.
Here you can see the rear with the new 205/60/15 tires, steel rims, tow rope, and removed plastic crap.
And the front... look at all that clearance! As for suspension, I went with air-adjustable shocks in back and urethane coil spacers in front. I got about an inch and a half lift from these and about an inch or two from the tires.
Here's a shot to try show just how much clearance it has underneath. The concrete in the bottom of the picture is a regular parking berm. The bottom of the skid plate is about 3" above it.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/PBxQIp2C6ZmSw_4YA8_MSg978474/GW706H530 "[Untitled]")
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/S8elolHGdkq_pvaJ9bAiKA1022402/GW468H350 "[Untitled]")
To ensure I can see if running from zombies at night, I bolted up four auxiliary lights on the front and one on the rear. These are controlled by a set of switches I installed in the dash. Here's a shot to try show just how much clearance it has underneath. The concrete in the bottom of the picture is a regular parking berm. The bottom of the skid plate is about 3" above it.
You're going to want to do a little remodeling in the interior too. I removed the plastic panel and carpet that covered the old spare tire area as well as half the rear seat. Quite a bit of weight saved there.
You have to ditch the dinky little doughnut spare tire that comes with the car and get a matching full size rim and tire. No way would I be caught stranded with a rubber-band to make it home on.
I got an old army footlocker and bolted it where the spare tire went, and then cut some plywood to hold the new larger spare and a fire extinguisher where the seat used to be. The footlocker holds the lug wrench, jack, warning triangle, raincoat, searchlight, jumper cables, spare parts, tool kit, and emergency food, and water (along with other junk).
I replaced my stock headlight bulbs with upgraded bulbs that are brighter and whiter. The two lights above the license plate are long range driving lights, and the two below are for fog, dust, and filling in shadows left by the other lights directly in front of the vehicle.
The rear light is controlled from the drivers seat and can be turned on at any time. It is 100 watts, trapezoidal beam pattern, usually called a 'tractor light'. It's about 4" in diameter and lights up behind me MUCH better than the stock reverse lights for loading or backing up at night
Also a view of the switch panel. The green and blue LEDs indicate if the lights are on. I think the switches match the car well and look nice.
In the area of performance, I kept it simple because I need reliability, not power. I used a variable resistor soldered in line with the signal feed wire from the intake air temperature sensor to trick the engine management computer into enriching the fuel/air mixture and advancing the spark slightly. I picked up about 10 horsepower and LOTS of low end torque.
In the image on the left you can see part of the custom exhaust. I removed the heavy and low-hanging stock mufflers and installed a Cherry Bomb glass-pack silencer and a short turn-down exit in front of the axle. It is definitely louder than stock, but who cares. I'm running from zombies, not hiding.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/gdrAA7ZxITT9mB5Eb8jUPA1144995/GW337H253 "[Untitled]")
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/JOvJnJZ0zH4lFcfP1fN3Lw1037732/GW337H253 "[Untitled]")
In the image on the right you can see the K&N cotton gauze air filter. These filters flow nearly twice as well as stock paper filters and have a 1,000,000 mile warranty. They can be cleaned and never need replacement. I am keeping the stock air filter housing as it seals well enough to serve as part of my water intrusion snorkel. Removing the internal baffling from the air box improves flow but increases noise.
The stock air intake hole is down in the engine compartment, above the transmission. Even a foot of standing water or driving through a puddle at speed could flood the engine. To remedy this, I used a length of RV sewer hose and matching flange to create a snorkel. The engine now sucks air through a small hood scoop on the drivers side. The added bulk and complexity of a roof-top snorkel was not necessary. How many 5 foot deep rivers are in an urban area?
The hood scoop I used is made of durable plastic printed with fake carbon fiber but probably was never meant to be functional. The double sided sticky tape supplied for fastening it wasn't enough, so I used sheet metal screws.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/EOUB3mwinK43ZGSKXaHWPA1136633/GW631H472 "[Untitled]")
In the area of performance, I kept it simple because I need reliability, not power. I used a variable resistor soldered in line with the signal feed wire from the intake air temperature sensor to trick the engine management computer into enriching the fuel/air mixture and advancing the spark slightly. I picked up about 10 horsepower and LOTS of low end torque.
In the image on the left you can see part of the custom exhaust. I removed the heavy and low-hanging stock mufflers and installed a Cherry Bomb glass-pack silencer and a short turn-down exit in front of the axle. It is definitely louder than stock, but who cares. I'm running from zombies, not hiding.
In the image on the right you can see the K&N cotton gauze air filter. These filters flow nearly twice as well as stock paper filters and have a 1,000,000 mile warranty. They can be cleaned and never need replacement. I am keeping the stock air filter housing as it seals well enough to serve as part of my water intrusion snorkel. Removing the internal baffling from the air box improves flow but increases noise.
The stock air intake hole is down in the engine compartment, above the transmission. Even a foot of standing water or driving through a puddle at speed could flood the engine. To remedy this, I used a length of RV sewer hose and matching flange to create a snorkel. The engine now sucks air through a small hood scoop on the drivers side. The added bulk and complexity of a roof-top snorkel was not necessary. How many 5 foot deep rivers are in an urban area?
The hood scoop I used is made of durable plastic printed with fake carbon fiber but probably was never meant to be functional. The double sided sticky tape supplied for fastening it wasn't enough, so I used sheet metal screws.
Modern cars are equipped with anti-lock braking systems (ABS). While ABS is quite helpful when traffic comes to a stop on a wet freeway at 65mph, it is detrimental off-road. Experienced drivers rely on locking up their tires to execute turns at speed. Furthermore, the ABS sensors cannot understand the lack of traction on dirt, and engage the ABS actuator at the slightest brake pressure. This is not only annoying, it is dangerous because ABS only works properly on pavement... not dirt, where it actually reduces your stopping ability.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/Pf_y2R6gsvKJuTv10PHfSg932409/GW316H421 "[Untitled]")
So I installed an ABS Interlock Switch. I used a military-style safety cover over a 30 amp toggle switch that controls the main power feed to the ABS actuator. It is located in the center console under the handbrake; really easy to flip while driving. When the cover is down and the switch off, (interlock off) the ABS works normally. Flip the protective cover up and then the switch on to disable the ABS.
The cargo capacity of this thing is not impressive. Sure, as small cars go, it is pretty roomy. But four people and our gear and this thing gets tiny quick.
The answer was to install a roof rack. I could mount the bulky (and dirty) spare tire and tool box with jack, lug wrench, and tie downs on the roof, freeing space inside for gear and supplies. The rack also has additional room for a trunk or case to be strapped down, as well as the ability to strap long or odd loads on top.
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/MeNnUzcI986QqCILeICjCw264403/GW335H252 "[Untitled]")
![[Untitled]](http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/1T1sDLlaDwZcZvBBMDKoJA213770/GW338H255 "[Untitled]")
Mocking up the rack to check fit and alignment. It needed to sit a little higher in the rear, as the roof slopes backward. The picture on the right shows the custom brackets in progress.
The finished product, sitting at Home Depot with some trucks. I think it wants to be a Tundra when it grows up.
BEING DIRTY!
THREAD! http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/thread/4521146/Urban+Escape+Vehicle
StrykerPez |
Latest page update: made by StrykerPez
, Jan 24 2012, 8:45 PM EST
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| Started By | Thread Subject | Replies | Last Post | ||
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| StrykerPez | Urban Escape Vehicle (page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... last page) | 147 | May 15 2012, 10:01 AM EDT by White76Knight | ||
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Thread started: Mar 20 2011, 4:28 PM EDT
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UPDATED!
There have been many vehicle modification threads on here, from the realistic to the fantastic. However, for the first time ever, this thread will detail the ACTUAL progression of a stock Scion xA into a zombie-evading UEV (Urban Escape Vehicle). Don't laugh... 80,000 miles in and still going strong! During this exercise, I will put the Scion through the paces both on and off road, and post progress pics of the mechanical modifications, as well as evaluation of the vehicle's performance. The idea behind this project is to provide a true 'dual-sport' vehicle: one that meets my needs as a fuel-efficient daily driver, and that also delivers actual 'sport / utility' abilities. That being said, the UEV was never intended as a 'Resident Evil: Apocalypse' convoy truck. It is far too small and vulnerable to last very long once the zombies rise. It is merely to get me and whoever is with me out of the city to my BOL, and do it quickly... that's it. In military terms... this equipment is expendable. In the UEV, speed, maneuverability, and ability to squeeze through tight spaces is key. Tons of armor or zombie plows are only going to slow it down and guzzle fuel. Instead, expect to see modifications that increase the durability, capacity, and capability of the vehicle, and provide flexibility for use in any situation. ************************************************** LATEST UPDATE: Muddy! http://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/lN6PZhklzZxBWk8aFf7T0w1023339 COMING SOON: Surplus M1 Abrams dome light http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/photo/13241421/Parts+of+Military+Dome+Light *************************************************** There is a page too! http://www.zombiesurvivalwiki.com/page/The+Urban+Escape+Vehicle UPDATE: TEST VIDEO! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ycVeGs-P0Y |
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