# Extract from article on Gray Man Philosophy on vehicles



## northernraider

Cut this from my Gray Man article as the issue of " profile"was raised in another vehicle thread. (Its written for Brits so sorry for any confusion) 

Grey Man Concept and Vehicles

2012 Northern Raider

We have to accept that most of us don’t have purpose built tricked out bug out vehicle’s, many of us if not the majority of us drive ordinary saloons and estates, but you can still make some simple adaptations to those cars to help fit the low profile aspect of the Grey Man philosophy.

For example the much respected David E Crossley the author of the British post-apocalyptic fiction book THERE FALLS NO SHADOW showed me a fascinating accessory available to many types of estate car owners (station wagons in American) Basically it’s a compartmentalised low profile false floor storage unit for estate cars. At first glance when you lift the boot lid (trunk lid) or tail gate you see only the black carpeted boot floor. But it’s not the original floor it’s a prefabricated container cut to the same shape as your vehicles OE floor shape. It’s about 6 to 8 inches high and can be accessed by lifting the carpeted hinged lid.

You will be surprised just how much EDC or BOB or GOOD kit you can conceal and the floor still looks empty. You can enhance its disguised appearance by leaving a few low value items like an empty water bottle, cheapo pen knife, old map, litter etc on the boot floor that could also divert attention away from the goodies underneath. 

You can actually make some pretty natty DIY versions yourself using some plastic low profile under bed storage containers from B & Q, a piece 10 mm ply wood cut the same shape as your boot space / luggage area, topped off with a piece of black or grey nylon carpeting which itself can often be found in a salvage yard or vehicle breakers.

A lady friend of mine who is a rabid archery fan has twice in the past had some of her equipment stolen from her car, (she has a dog and drives an estate) She improved things by not bothering with false compartments she simply lays her assorted archery kit down on the floor of the estate car, places a few pieces of hardboard over them, then throws and old rug over the hardboard. If she is going away over night she simply deliberately scatters some empty fast food containers, wrappers and drinks containers over the rug. (They have actually been washed out and cleaned so they don’t smell), but to prying eyes the back of her car looks simply appalling and unappealing. The disguise works though.

Similar concealment approaches can be done to things like CB radios for example, fitting your rig on a QR mount so it can be moved out of sight when the vehicle is left unattended, or even mounted in the glove box out of sight will remove it from temptation.

If you take a look around you can often find all sorts of places to hide useful items of kit in a normal car. Very often the spare wheel compartment offers enough space to add a few pounds of kit for example; sometimes you will find nearly 10 to 12 inches high of space about 20 x 20 inches wide / deep under the front seats.

Take a look it may just give you that extra bit of hidden storage space you need.

You can improve the capability of your vehicle by fitting mud and snow tyres that give you more traction when off road compared to standard tyres whilst still being good on ordinary roads. 

You can frequently improve the power output from your vehicle by getting a tuned exhaust system fitted that allows your engine to breath better thus produce more power. 

You can also sometimes get your car ignition module “chipped” or “mapped” by tuning depots, these places can reprogram your engines operating computer to provide more power, often over 15% more BUT at the cost of worse fuel economy.

Some vehicles will benefit from having uprated road springs and shock absorbers fitted to your vehicle which offer better handling when heavily loaded or when towing a trailer.

You can greatly improve your vehicles headlights NOT by fitting huge great spotlights but by fitting new high quality after-market bulbs. Not many people realise that headlight bulbs age and fade over time, often you won’t notice but the deteriation can be by as much as 30% of the bulbs original brightness.

Ensuring your vehicle is well maintained and fitted with high quality service items improves your vehicles reliability and thus YOUR survivability; ALL without making your vehicle look any different.
Think positive but think low profile and the Grey Man concept can help you survive.


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## LincTex

northernraider said:


> It's about 6 to 8 inches high and can be accessed by lifting the carpeted hinged lid..., a piece 10 mm ply wood cut the same shape as your boot space / luggage area, topped off with a piece of black or grey nylon carpeting .... The disguise works though.


This doesn't fool as many people as you think, and wouldn't work in the USA since most custom car audio folks do the same thing. All of the expensive amplifiers and such are under these false floors, and that is the very first place thieves look (in the USA anyway).



northernraider said:


> You can frequently improve the power output from your vehicle by getting a tuned exhaust system .... You can also sometimes get your car ignition module "chipped" or "mapped" by tuning depots,


Seldom is the cost of an exhaust system recovered.... the gains are usually far too small to justify it. I have found modern car exhaust systems are well engineered, and very seldom cost much power. It's better to be quiet for the stealth factor.


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## GrinnanBarrett

You never have to apologize for being from UK. If we cannot adapt our thinking then it is our problem not yours. 

Keep posting it is good to hear from you. GB


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## Tweto

I had a 73 El Camino that had a trick floor in the back that could be tipped up to revel a compartment about 1/2 the size of a normal trunk. I moved the battery there to protect it from the cold weather. I also used it as a secure hiding place for my tools and guns.

The kid up the street asked if I would sell it to him and he made me an offer I couldn't refuse. About a month later he stopped by and asked "where is the battery" he continued to say that his dad couldn't find it ether.

I walked over to the truck and flipped open the trap door. His jaw dropped.

BTW I wish that I had kept it.


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## ZangLussuria

My 2002 CRV has a rear mounted spare tire and there is still a spare tire compartment in the trunk. The lid of the spare tire compartment has foldable legs underneath and can be used as a table. I found it cool that they included that.
I have 2 places to put a spare tire and a picnic table which came with the vehicle as stock features.

add: Like mike_dippert mentioned, good lights are a must. No real need for HID and the premium cost. Since I assumed that it gets foggy in your area, the high temp of the HIDs don't penetrate as much.
What I did with my headlights, I changed the sockets to ceramic ones to handle heat because I put in high wattage Philips rally bulbs. Instead of stock 55/60W bulbs, I have 100/130W installed. Powerful and it cost less than half of an HID set and that already includes the bulbs, the sockets and the shop labor.

My interior lights, map lights and trunk light are already LED. For gadget power, I have a 2.1A USB socket in the lighter socket. I also bring a Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel which charges portable battery banks.

I increased the tire size and width as well. Going as big as what can fit in the wheel wells in stock setup for the meantime. Am studying lift kits now.


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## northernraider

mike_dippert said:


> Re: adding power. 99% of the time, our right (your left?) foot is the biggest power restriction on a car. Specifically, the butterfly valve in the throttle body.Power adders USUALLY only work at or near full throttle..


Hi Mike, do American cars still use carburetters??? most Euro cars like mine are fully fuel injected these days so there is no butterfly valves, veturis, .

Chipping does work best on sportier cars with larger engines of that I definately agree, mine would only be improved by 4 lousy HP in return for spending £XXXX pounds getting it chipped.


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## northernraider

ZangLussuria said:


> My 2002 CRV has a rear mounted spare tire and there is still a spare tire compartment in the trunk. The lid of the spare tire compartment has foldable legs underneath and can be used as a table. I found it cool that they included that.
> I have 2 places to put a spare tire and a picnic table which came with the vehicle as stock features.
> 
> add: Like mike_dippert mentioned, good lights are a must. No real need for HID and the premium cost. Since I assumed that it gets foggy in your area, the high temp of the HIDs don't penetrate as much.
> What I did with my headlights, I changed the sockets to ceramic ones to handle heat because I put in high wattage Philips rally bulbs. Instead of stock 55/60W bulbs, I have 100/130W installed. Powerful and it cost less than half of an HID set and that already includes the bulbs, the sockets and the shop labor.
> 
> My interior lights, map lights and trunk light are already LED. For gadget power, I have a 2.1A USB socket in the lighter socket. I also bring a Goal Zero Nomad 7 solar panel which charges portable battery banks.
> 
> I increased the tire size and width as well. Going as big as what can fit in the wheel wells in stock setup for the meantime. Am studying lift kits now.


Yup I've got the same Philips QIV bulbs in mine plus halogen driving lights, I really must get a USB adapter for my Notepad sooner than later.


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## Navajo

Good tune up, K&N cold air intake really helps,was worth a couple extra miles at highway speed to gas. Plus save on filters in the future...had them on cars that lasted 300+K miles current suburban is at 200K on the original engine and transmission.

Bug out vehicle? Get a 4x4 Suburban, and a 4x4 1 ton pickup and trailer, setup for outdoor use, not city soccer mom crap. Oh and where to put BOB's and guns, back seat, and on the gun rack in the rear window.

Can't do that then you are not living in Free ( mostly Free) America and you need to move. case you live where they can scan a moving vehicle and can see you high carbon dense steel gun barrels and will take them from you after you drive by the scanners .


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## Boomy

The irony is that I drive a Jeep JK (Unlimited) with a 2" lift and 285X17's. For my area to blend in with I would need to go up another 2"s , blackout rims, heavy duty bumpers, and put on 315's. Live in a very dense JK area. 

And contrary to the Yankees, Brits, and Aussies this is one of the most common vehicles around here. Texans can greyman with power.


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## Jimthewagontraveler

The best way to hide the under bed hiding trunk in my area is to throw a dead goat on it. 
For some reason no one wants to be around a rotting carcass.


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## Tirediron

Here if it isn't a dually with a fuel tank or pulling a stock trailer you are suspect, or this time of year, a tandem grain truck


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## NaeKid

Tirediron said:


> Here if it isn't a dually with a fuel tank or pulling a stock trailer you are suspect, or this time of year, a tandem grain truck


Yuppers ... we live in rancher / farmer country. Even the "city-folk" want to blend in with the Albertan-******** :2thumb:


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## HamiltonFelix

When it comes to storage, I've definitely used spare tire compartments. I have a LOT in the spare compartment of our lifted Grand Cherokee, since the present spare doesn't fit into that compartment.

For pickups and SUV type vehicles (and the good old Crown Vic the police use), you might check out TruckVault. They are in Sedro-Woolley, Washington, USA, near my home. http://www.truckvault.com/ I haven't checked their product line in a while; it looks like they've branched out a lot. They appear to have dropped their less expensive line of flat plastic containers - sort of "automotive Tupperware," but more affordable for the average person. They offer some nice solutions if you can afford them.

As far as preparing your "Gray Man" BOV, I'm in favor of beefing up bumpers, looking into self-sealing tires, and just generally assuming it might be used roughly while bugging out.


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