fjl40
SILVER Star
I agree with CruiserPilot, very nice garage, when you finish your build you should lose the RR pic and replace it with your Desert Ditch!!
The Desert Ditch 62 (1 Viewer)
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- Thread starter
- #102
So for the wheeling i do out in this part of the world, its disadvantageous to run aggressive tread as i'd just end up digging to china. So its better to float on top of the sand's surface which is what this tire is good at (hence the shallow tread depth). I like to hit the dunes at 15psi and come down to 6-8psi if i get bogged.
- Thread starter
- #103
Lucky thats just the interior shop, the garage that desert ditch lives in has air conditioning and kept underground during the summer months.
- Thread starter
- #104
So after the interior shop, its time for a good shakedown in the dunes to check for any loose ends and unfinished business, so what better way to find out than fully sideways with wide open throttle.
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- #105
So i guess its not down on power after all....
Yeah, sand is something I'm not familiar with that's why I ask. I have watched videos from Australia
of beach trips and I know it's a different way of driving. As far as underground shop in the desert I can
believe it. It would be a real trauma for me to function in your environment, I'd need specific training
and assimilation time to make it there. I'm better in northern colder world.
of beach trips and I know it's a different way of driving. As far as underground shop in the desert I can
believe it. It would be a real trauma for me to function in your environment, I'd need specific training
and assimilation time to make it there. I'm better in northern colder world.
- Thread starter
- #107
Moving forward i scored some more OEM goodness for the Desert Ditch.
A set of Brand New, Boxed and fresh tail lights
A set of Brand New, Boxed and fresh tail lights
- Thread starter
- #108
And adding to the exterior fresh up, some new door handles......i like attention to detail.
- Thread starter
- #109
I just read the previous messages, the pics of my truck in the last page are from the interior shop while it was getting redone. Hako's actual home is the underground garage beneath the family property as seen below:
Good thing to grab those up. One of the sides is now discontinued.
- Thread starter
- #111
Since its been about 2 years from the last update, i thought it would be good to fill in some of the gaps.....
Now that the truck is capable of moving under its own power, it was down to sorting out the interior and other creature comforts. So we head over to the interior shop where dynamat was to be laid on the floors, doors, and roof of the truck to keep the harsh desert sun and heat out of the cabin.
Jason's (@TRAIL TAILOR ) carpet kit was a perfect choice to lay down after the 30 year old worn and torn carpet was pulled out and thrown away.
The next step was interior color choice. I went with a light moquette and tan interior fabric to bring the truck up to date and make the cabin a nicer place to be, while stile retaining the OEM style thread pattern in the seat back and sides. The colors appear far lighter in the sun and match up with the dashboard color nicely.
Now that the truck is capable of moving under its own power, it was down to sorting out the interior and other creature comforts. So we head over to the interior shop where dynamat was to be laid on the floors, doors, and roof of the truck to keep the harsh desert sun and heat out of the cabin.
Jason's (@TRAIL TAILOR ) carpet kit was a perfect choice to lay down after the 30 year old worn and torn carpet was pulled out and thrown away.
The next step was interior color choice. I went with a light moquette and tan interior fabric to bring the truck up to date and make the cabin a nicer place to be, while stile retaining the OEM style thread pattern in the seat back and sides. The colors appear far lighter in the sun and match up with the dashboard color nicely.
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- Thread starter
- #112
Now that the interior is sorted, its time to give this truck its identity with some OEM retro graphics. Some high quality 3M reproductions of the originals were procured, trimmed, and placed on the truck to make it as good as, if not better than factory.
- Thread starter
- #113
Now, a fresh interior and nice graphics is all well and good but you cant enjoy any of that if the AC isn't up to the job....i noticed i wasn't getting as much cold air out of the system as it used to, some tracing found that the incorrect compressor was installed along with some very perished ac fittings and solenoids, all had to be replaced. I wanted the front fridge/cool box to work and rear AC to be usable and powerful enough to chill the back of my neck at the front of the cabin. On top of that, it was a good time to switch out the old (and now illegal) R12 gas to more modern R134 with the right hardware.
Still freakin love your truck bro! Miss you and the other guys...
- Thread starter
- #115
- Thread starter
- #116
After getting the AC sorted, i wasn't happy with my ride height so i decided to re-arch my existing leaf packs until i could source a good new set. The results were alot better than i expected. No more @$$ dragging like a low rider, now i had a "2-inch" lift, nice and level.
Badass truck man! So cool to see those options, can’t believe the back seat AC!
-Ed
-Ed
- Thread starter
- #118
So i was having a good time putting around the desert, getting to know the truck more and more when i heard a really nasty ping. I thought it was a carb related problem but then i noticed the amount of black tar being spit out of the exhaust....I didn't think much of it at the time but it was a sign of bad things to come.....
Soon after this picture was taken, it began to blow white smoke. Bubbles in the radiator too, it was time for a head gasket......dammit.
Soon after this picture was taken, it began to blow white smoke. Bubbles in the radiator too, it was time for a head gasket......dammit.
- Thread starter
- #119
The closer i got to the shop, the truck began to run worse and worse. So the teardown began.
The teardown revealed the following:
Coolant channels clogged with old coolant grime and dirt
Block had already been bored to 1.00 Oversize
Multiple cracks and poor maintenance over the years
i made the executive decision to junk the block and through a good friend, found a nice 90,000km short block out of a Japanese airport vehicle. No pics of that unfortunately as i just wanted to throw it back together and get on the road again.
Nice sneaky picture of @boozewz another mud member's 62 also getting some love.
The teardown revealed the following:
Coolant channels clogged with old coolant grime and dirt
Block had already been bored to 1.00 Oversize
Multiple cracks and poor maintenance over the years
i made the executive decision to junk the block and through a good friend, found a nice 90,000km short block out of a Japanese airport vehicle. No pics of that unfortunately as i just wanted to throw it back together and get on the road again.
Nice sneaky picture of @boozewz another mud member's 62 also getting some love.
- Thread starter
- #120
With the head back from the machine shop, and the engine back together. It was time for a proper shakedown....
and i mean PROPER.......
and i mean PROPER.......
