Catching up.
Picked the car up from Muscat yesterday and covered 550km bringing it back to Dubai. Drove very well with no issues, no concerns, no alarm bells ringing, which was nice in an unknown car in 44º c heat.
I’ll get a full baseline done. Although it drives nice, I’m replacing all suspension bushes with OEM, UCA, rear links, etc. Full fluids change and all filters. Then at least I know what I’m starting with and can repair/replace as needed going forward.
I am planning suspension. I have the Kono Raid 80’s on my 78 along with parabolic springs and it’s good. I love the fact they’re analogue. I cannot see people, unless they’re sending their car regularly, messing with suspension settings on each drive.
That said, I do like the idea of King’s. They’re common here and pretty much a go-to for most off-road trucks. Very well supported by both the dealer and a few solo specialists who can rebuild and valve depending on usage. If I can find a decent second hand set, that’s the route I‘ll go down.
Got a long list of bits with the parts guy to replace. Mainly trim that’s either been cut for the roll cage, switches etc, or just worn out, like the AC controls (all the black has rubbed off) or the air vents, two of which have lost their adjusters.
The workshop the car is in has a friends 78 parked up so they’re going to compare the boxes and, in particular, the transfer case and shifter position to see if the H152 can be easily swapped in before I drop a load of money.
Next up, a trip to the local scrap yards to find some 60/40 rear seats, see if the needed interior parts are available secondhand, just in case my parts guy doesn’t come through, plus any other bits I deem necessary at the time.
I think I’ll do front Recaro’s sooner rather than later also after that drive. I also need to look at what CarPlay stereo fits in the OEM hole on the dash and desperately need to upgrade the speakers.
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