Mighty short cruiser

[Gib009]

Worked great. Hows the track looking? There is a few complaing its too chopped up fo the average driver and people are making chicken trails all over the place through the bush.

I tried sleeping in my 73 but its too short ,I dont how you do it in a 70

I thought about making a plywood table at the end that cantelevered from the floor of the landcruiser.
You could also get some sort of "bag" made that wrapped around the rear doors to keep the wind out

hey rosco, powerlines isnt too bad. Maybe my car is just getting better or im more comfortable taking the harder parts but it doesnt seem too chopped the last few times I have been. Actually some of the parts are inaccessable and some of the harder parts are much easier. Always changing. Lots of chicken tracks all over the place yeah too many rav 4's giving it a go.

Like i said i dont really fit in the back. But i sleep head facing the rear and leave my legs dangling over the seats. I never camp without having a skinfull so i dont really notice this most times But the thought of having a middy would seem almost luxurious!
Ive done the whole tarp over the rear thing but there is so much setting up to do you might as well sleep in a tent. Thats why i like this setup

 

[Gib009]

Picked up a 24v on board ARB air compresser, a swivel hub rebuild kit and wheel bearings at a 4wd show today. Box of bits is slowly growing.... looks like ive got lots of work to do!

 

[Gib009]

Update time guys and girls, I have been very busy working on the truck this weekend but still have got none of the important stuff done.



I decided to start with the steering damper. After 2 hours of chocking the mount various ways and hammering the living crap out of it I decided to go to bunnings and get one of these. 10seconds torching around the mount and it came off sweet.

Steering Damper in, I had to fiddle around with the clamp on the left so it didnt bind up on the steering arm. Because my diff is moved forward and the new damper is a much thicker bore than the stock one this proved very difficult!

I also flipped my bilsteins round the right way. This was quite a job because the bushes are different on each end so I had to press them out and swap them around before I could flip the shock. While i had the wheels off and the torch handy i decided to loosen the spring clamps a bit more and "widen" my shock towers as they were getting a bit close to the shock on full compression.

I also managed to source a fitment for the pyro probe. I went to Couplers and found this BSP fitting and bored the centre out to fit the probe. Now I just need to find a BSP tap to fit it. I think I will go post turbo for ease of fitment and engine safety.

And here is the pyro gauge mounted on the dash

 

[Gib009]

I got another little job out of the way(well i thought it was little job when starting it)


Had these Soundstream 6x9inch 150w speakers lying around from a previous vehicle. I managed to squeeze them in the rear doors, with all the bracing for the spare tyre mount it turns out these are the only available spaces I could fit them in, and it just so happend to let me keep my fold up table

I put the old 6inch speakers in the front doors (again this is the only place i could put them with power windows) and disconnected the old 4inch speakers in the dash. For a setup that cost me pretty much nothing man it sounds good!

.



I grabbed some paint from an auto paint store in Balcatta and they matched up the paint to an Aston Martin "Tempest Blue Effect" colour. I straightened up the panels as much as possible (not very much I am afraid), sanded the damaged areas down and gave it a quick coat of paint. Colour match is pretty much perfect and looks a whole load neater than before.

At least I still have a poser shot side that is pretty much blemish free

And my new bits are here ready to go in. Cant wait to be front locked!

Keep posted!

 

[Clint79]

Nice christmas presz your have your self mate

With your CB bud you can put it on the side where the grren is , i have a simular one and mounted it ther and then your can have your under sterio space back

 

[Clint79]

i was also going to say and hang your cb cord/handpeice on your little front quarter window chrome handle but.... you got cool elec's so you get a full piece glass

 

[Gib009]

Not a bad idea mate but i think it would be too much effort remembering to use the radio with my right hand haha

 

[boogie74]

Where are you going to put your air compressor mate? I have a 24V ARB mounted between the batteries and headlight against the fender. Fits nice and snug in there. Onboard compressors are the way to go.

 

[Gib009]

On a previous vehicle i had it under the seat and really liked how easy it was to grab the hose and switch it on, rather than lifting the bonnet plugging in the hose, going back in the cab switch it on and then pump up the tyres. So i think I will mount it on my drawers so i can just grab the hose from behind my seat

 

[Malahki]

Like i said i dont really fit in the back. But i sleep head facing the rear and leave my legs dangling over the seats. I never camp without having a skinfull so i dont really notice this most times But the thought of having a middy would seem almost luxurious!

I slept in the back of my 71 after my "friend" puked all over inside my camping trailer. I did not have the back seat removed, just flipped up and used the wheel well as a pillow. Your set up looks luxurious to me!

Looking forward to your review on the new front locker

 

[Gib009]

I slept in the back of my 71 after my "friend" puked all over inside my camping trailer. I did not have the back seat removed, just flipped up and used the wheel well as a pillow. Your set up looks luxurious to me!

Looking forward to your review on the new front locker

Hah sounds like a rough night!

 

[Gib009]

Well i finally got the locker in



I also did a swivel Hub rebuild, put in new bendix brake pads and new wheel bearings while i was at it.


It was a relitively simple install. Well its probably the hardest thing i have ever done on a car but relitively straight forward with the instructions and service manual at hand. Massive thanks to blair (blurr1604) who came by inbetween shifts all weekend to lend a hand.



Heres a few photos from the install

I tested it out a bit before on a vacant lot and two wheels in the front are definatley spinning Ill probably give it a good workout this weekend

 

[Gib009]

Oh and I also managed to get the pyro probe installed. My ghetto probe fitting worked like a charm

Anybody got any advice for turning up the fuel a bit on a 13bt?

 

[Hulsty]

what boost you running in yours and how do your EGT's look?

Mines stock fuel at the moment on about 8.5-9psi goes well.

 

[Gib009]

what boost you running in yours and how do your EGT's look?

Mines stock fuel at the moment on about 8.5-9psi goes well.

Yeah mine is the same. It goes ok maybe slightly better with the added boost on stock amount of fuel but i hope to get a significant increase by adding fuel.

 

[boogie74]

What temps are you getting from the pyro? round town, highway and under load/uphill?

I've got mine in the same spot with about 12 or 13 psi boost.
Be interesting to compare readings on the same engine.
Here is a good link on playing with the fuel.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tec...-fuel-adjustment-power-increase-answered.html

Cheers

 

[Gib009]

What temps are you getting from the pyro? round town, highway and under load/uphill?

I've got mine in the same spot with about 12 or 13 psi boost.
Be interesting to compare readings on the same engine.
Here is a good link on playing with the fuel.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tec...-fuel-adjustment-power-increase-answered.html

Cheers

I have only driven it a little bit since doing the pyro. My brakes arent 100% so ill have to sort them out before going for a decent run. On my short little drives to the shops temps didnt go past 300 but i will give a full list of temps when i go for a proper run on sunday.

Thanks for the link thats exactly what i was looking for.

 

[Gib009]

What a day!!



I was planning to hit up the powerlines this afternoon but heres what happend instead.



-I went to bleed my brakes, and while under the car the hose fell off and squirted brake fluid in my face. Washed off, all good.



-After rebleeding the brakes I went to start the car, battery absolutley dead, jump start, no problem.



-Finally off we went to the powerlines, once on gnangara road the speed increased and I am getting major wobbles, this has never happend before either its my alignment severly out or ive blown a seal in my power steering, so we pull over along gnagara rd and decide to test the locker out there.



- I put it in 4 low, start driving, BANG BANG BANG CRASH CRASH CRASH noise, at this point im thinking oh crap I have set the front diff up wrong and my locker is being ripped out of the centre and ive stuffed my whole diff up... then i stop put it in 2wd, same noise at high rpm, i pull over ask blair to rev the engine while the bonnet is open to see what i can spot, at that point a piece of fan blade is hurtled towards me and slaps me straight in the face. Turns out a spray can INOX must have fell in the radiator shroud and is being beaten to a pulp by the fan blades. Ok, this is pretty bad but i sigh a sigh of relief that it wasnt my diff and carry on. Keeping a close eye on temperatures because of the slightly mangled fan blade.



The whole point of the trip was to measure EGT's and to test the front locker. As for the locker you can barely tell it was there, you can hear it clicking slightly during tight turns on firm surfaces, and steering is only affected slightly when dong tight turns really slow- otherwise you cant tell it was there.



EGT's were as follows

50-100C warm idle

150C cruising around town

250C working it around town

350C pushing it up a long hill on road

400C pushing it up a long boggy sand hill with 35psi in the tyres



I could see it starting to creep over 400 after about 1 or 2 minutes hard on the gas but at this point the water temp started to nudge past halfway so we stopped in the shade for a drink and a cool down and to let our tyres down so the engine wasnt working so hard. We set off again and it didnt go past halfway again for the remainder of the trip.



Now it was blairs turn for some carnage. We found a good little spot with some ruts and holes we could drive through. While not looking where he was going, he rolled barely above idle into a tree stump. His entire bullbar is mangled with a massive stump shaped dent.



Devastated, he decides we are going home, and then takes a short route out of this spot between a stump and a tree. Keeping a close eye on the stump on his right, he knocks clean off his brand new passenger side electric mirror on the tree. He pretty much declares this is the worst trip ever...



How can a simple scenery run through the pines leave us with so much damage! Well that was my christmas eve, how was everyone elses?

 

[Clint79]

HAHAHAHa you poor fellas ,i hate them days they are the ones that your ment to just sit at home and get pi$$ed as
This whole story is funny i bet now its over you can laugh about it
i seen a clip were these fellas in a 45 series flattened there beer cans and stuck them to bits of there left over shreaded fan as blades but no hard reving they said
electric mirrow OUCH thats gotta hurt maybe i should be thankful i have the typical ute mirrors i do as trees just push them in and no breakige
must be so happy having a front lokka your rig will go anywere specially on the big tyres , some people winge about front lockers make there steering all over the place and snot but i have found no probs either

 

[Gib009]

HAHAHAHa you poor fellas ,i hate them days they are the ones that your ment to just sit at home and get pi$$ed as
This whole story is funny i bet now its over you can laugh about it
i seen a clip were these fellas in a 45 series flattened there beer cans and stuck them to bits of there left over shreaded fan as blades but no hard reving they said
electric mirrow OUCH thats gotta hurt maybe i should be thankful i have the typical ute mirrors i do as trees just push them in and no breakige
must be so happy having a front lokka your rig will go anywere specially on the big tyres , some people winge about front lockers make there steering all over the place and snot but i have found no probs either

Too right mate wishing i had a lazy day now. Yeah i can feel an instant improvement with the locker even in sand which is saying alot