Build Bush Truck Build

[Alexh85]

I still cant be fecked spending probably 40 hours making my own headers, so ill find some factory Holden commodore stainless ones, and alter them to fit. apparently there should be plenty around, its just a matter of finding them.

But ive got heaps of old pictures of this truck i havnt used

 

[Alexh85]

 

[Alexh85]

I finally found a set of Commodore headers. I though id be better off altering an existing set, but no, i had to cut almost every bend out and completely re arrange it. I don't know why i took advice from a Chevy man whos never worked on a safari haha.

The passenger side was a piece of piss but the drivers side took a bit of yelling and swearing.

Ive got 2 14" resonators, they'll get mounted under the doors and ill have 2 side exit exhausts

 

[clintnz]

Good work! Is she going to be ready for Minginui 1st August?

Cheers
Clint

 

[Alexh85]

Yea mate, all i still need to do is run the exhausts out the sides and tidy up some wiring. And i wanna change the thermostat to get it running a bit cooler. Ive still got 2 weekends, thats heaps of time.
I think ill bring a welder and a gene with me for the maiden voyage just in case.
I'm gunna give it a good thrashing

 

[Alexh85]

Almost the right colour

 

[Alexh85]

I got the exhausts done last weekend, they tuck nicely out of the way.

Ive got a resonator going out each side, **** it sounds awesome

I don't need a roof ive got a $12 tarp from bunnings

 

[Alexh85]

After the first shake down i found a few fu*k ups, the biggest one was the cooling. I had welded up the heater hoses. which stoped the coolant from circulating. So while i had it apart fixing that, i did a few more up grades .
I got a fancy ally radiator ,its no bigger than the cruiser one but the price was right.

So ive looped the heater hoses and ive plumbed the steam vent into the water pump

And ive gotten rid of the electric fan, ive made up an adapter to fit up to the water pump pully, now i just need to find a fan that spins in the opposite direction , because the LS water pump spins the wrong way

The job for next weekend will be making another fancy fan shroud, that will be the 3rd one ive made for this truck.

And ive switched to racing coolant instead of glycol, supposably it cools better, the only problem is it freezes , but that wont be a problem.
It seems to stay cool now, but i wont really know untill i take it for a long drive once ive got a fan
Cheers

 

[Alexh85]

Fan shroud mark 3;

Another square into round , this time offset

Ive never made one with that big of an off set, Its a prick of a job.

Cheers

 

[2fpower]

SKILLZ

 

[clintnz]

Nice! Mine is just a crude-but-effective bodge job with the hacked up original & a few bits of alloy. Actually, since you're well in practice at square-round offset fan shrouds now I should get you to build one for my truck!

When you fit it up give some thought to easy radiator removal, there's always mud to clean out on a bush truck.

Cheers
Clint

 

[Alexh85]

No worries, i can make ya a shroud .Just make a pattern out of ply wood or something. Cut a square the size of ya radiator and a circle the size of ya fan, with clearance. And screw them together at the correct offset. I can work off that.
My weekend charge out rate for mates is a box of piss, Per half a day. From start to finish should only be a day and a half. Theres ya quote.
Cheers

 

[Alexh85]

It even fits

Ill need to make flashings to bridge the gap between the shroud and the core at the top and bottom of the radiator

 

[Alexh85]

The cooling is finally sorted it sits at 77 c all day long no matter how hard i drive it

That fan moves about 100 times as much air as the electric one

 

[Alexh85]

I finally got around to finishing the roll cage today, i welded the cross braces in. Its taken all of the wobble out of it
I dont have to be scared of rolling over now

Sh*t i loved welding that close to 80L of petrol in a leaky fuel tank, It makes ya feel alive.

 

[Alexh85]

F*** YEA . Too much horsepower

Those 90 series's are heaver than you'd think, especially when their wedged on a log.

 

[Alexh85]

The winch

its in place

I still have to gusset and brace every thing. And made guides for the rope

The PTO drive shaft angle is right on the limit, but it doesn't clunk so i think it'll be alright

And ive started on a cable free spool lever, but im not convinced. I reckon once the dogs fill up with gritty sh*t, ill get pissed off with it.


I think i need gruntyer cables too.

Cheers

 

[clintnz]

Looks good. The Nissan PTO winch actually uses a freewheel hub type arrangement for the freespool, Keeps it all a bit more sealed, On Raana's winch truck Mike made a remote actuator for it but I can't remember the details. If you started with an entire hub off something it wouldn't be rocket science to make, would be some time in it though, would probably need to make a steel drum to suit too.

On Klem's truck that had the cruiser style freespool dogs we just used to splat it with WD-40 every few stages to keep it clean & lubed, I do the same with mine.

Cheers
Clint

 

[Alexh85]

Its almost ready for a test run.

I sacrificed a snatch block for the rear pulley. Theres about 1200mm between the winch and the pulley, so i reckon ill fit heaps of rope on with out worrying about it rolling off the drum.

And i need to make an ally fairlead for the back, for when im pulling backwards

Im running the rope out to the front of the truck through a galv tube.

 

[Alexh85]

I welded the last brace in the roll cage, i put this off because it means i cant fold down the windscreen. I was going to make it removable. but f**k it, if i dont hurry up it will never get done.

I made a highlift jack mount