Preparing for a 4600km (one way) solo trip (1 Viewer)

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I got up early and drove about 200km to go for a fish today.. the Northern Territory is all about the Barramundi. The NT Governemnt has tagged a heap with $10000 tags, and a few with $1 million tags. This is a tourism promotion and gets a lot of people trying for the ‘million dollar fish’… I didn’t get a tagged one today (didn’t even get a sized one) but caught about 20 Barramundi over a few hours…
I spent a lot of $$ on the suggested lures, but got them all on old lures that have been sitting in my tackle box for years!!

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Sometimes fish will hit the strangest things. I’ve had fish eat a plain gold hook before. Looks like a good time!
 
Amazing journey! Makes me want to do an Oregon Outback trip real bad. When you have time, which Sony head unit is that? Thanks for including us in your travels!
 
Well the kids have flown home now and are getting looked after by their Grandparents, so it is just my wife and I travelling… We have been out of phone range for most of the time, but have so far crossed back into Western Australia, camped at ElQuestro Station on the Gibb River Road and the Bungle Bungles, and are now starting a few nights at Cape Leveque…. Since the last post, we have travelled about 2700km!!
The ambient temperature for a lot of yesterday’s drive was over 42 degrees, and the 60 felt it… I am re-thinking the big front-mount Intercooler as I think it blocks off too much cooling… When the trip is over I might remove it and de-tune the engine a bit to run it without the cooler….
Here are some pics!! (I caught more Barra too!!!)
These are from ElQuestro

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If things get too crazy out there you can easily disappear in the bush and nobody will ever come bother you. Do it. I would.
 
A bit of a damage report…
My mechanical diagnostic skills are obviously off as I thought I had a dodgy starter battery, so I bought a new one. At the next town (200km away) I fitted it. The next morning (I didn’t test it…) the car wouldn’t start!! Click, click, click… so at the next town I bought a new starter motor and fitted it in the parking lot… today I noticed the power steering is leaking and I have blown the front axle seal (maybe both)..
So… here is the list - after the 16000km I have driven over the past 5 or so weeks - with some horrid roads!
Cracked windscreen (a truck going too fast through roadworks)
Front diff pinion seal
1 (or both) front axle seals
Starter motor
Leaking power steering box
2 exhaust hangers have snapped (one tearing a hole in the exhaust)
Still got about 1200km to get home - in the next few days - which we are a bit sad about!

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Well, I am in the road!!
I left home 4pm Friday and now (5:30pm Sunday) have driven about 2400km and am staying the night in Broome!
The 60 is running great - cruise control set to 102km/hr. The last 600km I got 9.4L/100!
Just over 1000km to do tomorrow, so it is going to be a long one!
Here are a few pics…

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What a great truck and even better time. Curious to know more about the cruise control you added. Would be great to have that option on my 60
 
It is a ‘Command’ brand cruise control (with magnets on the drive shaft). I am not sure of the model, but I got it with the stalk instead of the pad. I had to move the stalk as they installed it in a stupid position (couldn’t turn the key to start the car!!!)
It has been invaluable, and I would have struggled to do the trip without it! It works better than a lot of others I have used in automatics - obviously does t kick down a gear or 3 on hills!
 
It is a ‘Command’ brand cruise control (with magnets on the drive shaft). I am not sure of the model, but I got it with the stalk instead of the pad. I had to move the stalk as they installed it in a stupid position (couldn’t turn the key to start the car!!!)
It has been invaluable, and I would have struggled to do the trip without it! It works better than a lot of others I have used in automatics - obviously does t kick down a gear or 3 on hills!
When you get back from your trip would be great to get some pictures of the system. Especially interested how/where you mounted the actuator on the 12HT. I'm in no rush and will spend some time researching the brand online. Thank you for your response/feedback.
 
Here is our last camping spot for the trip - Coral Bay (in a Caravan Park…)
I went on a fishing charter and the other few days were spent exploring the coast a hundred or so k’s to the north and south of where we stayed. The corrugating were terrible in parts - and I might have got a bit bogged for a while (got out myself though)…

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