What to watch out for

[macca]

I'm looking at buying a 06 4.2 cab chassis in the next week or 2. Will buy one with a work body or fit one later, like DX's for example.

Fairly confident to look for leaks, abnormal wear, maintenance issues.

The stuff I dont really know is vehicle specific like chassis strain due to overloading and acceptable noises that Patrols make.

When we are trravelling we carry a fair bit for isolated locations 1 - 1.3 tonnes is being fair dinkum when the fuel and water supplies are topped up.

So a leaf rear is probably the choice for desert travel loads, then again coils for a off road weekend on rutted tracks are better in that situation as we will be a lot lighter. So your experience and advice would be appreciated.

I will be getting a Patrol and a heads up on what to look for would be great

Thanks
Macca

[YNOT]

The choice of leaf or coil springs could be an interesting one for you. Leaf springs are definatley better for load carrying, but they don't flex very well. Coils on the other hand flex very well, however there is a weakness in the top coil mounts where they connect to the chassis. Coil tower bracing (rear) is common to correct the weakness. If you're looking at coil spring Patrols check the rear upper coil spring mounts for cracking.
A couple of other points, leaf spring rear GU utes have drum rear brakes (coil utes get discs), and leaf ute rear track is narrower than the front track (coil rear has same track front and rear), leaf rear diff is bigger and heavier and has full floating hubs-better for load carrying.

The problem (what to look for)
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx224/tonyh01/10.jpg

The best fix for utes
http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx224/tonyh01/9.jpg

The TD42T is a very strong reliable motor, but not exactly refined or high tech! Some amount of low RPM vibration or gear rollover noise just above idle is normal.

That's all I can think of for now.

Tony

[macca]

Thanks Tony, great info and helped with the decision making. The vibration /roll over was worth knowing.
Bought a 05 CC (leaves) today, lots of work to do but will post up progress reports, need to find a work body or make one, thats what this is all about.
Building them the way you like is all part of the fun.
Didnt intend to get one so quick but thats what happens, and its nice to have a handbrake that actually works.
The fun begins
Thanks mate
Macca

[macca]

Picked up a work body yesterday for a song, now I can start, winch, UHF, HID spots, compressor, 2nd battery, radio head unit, fridge & slide, cooker, storage tubs, water & pump & tap, inverter, shower were all saved from the Hilux and will take a few weekends to install. at least I can get a start.

Once its all loaded the suspension will be on the list. If one of you members can let me know the standard hieght and front & rear axel wieght of a unloaded patrol would be great in working out what springs to get.

I am a fan of King springs and Tough Dog Raplh shocks, seen alot of failures but this combination has been a popular choice by long term 4wheelers, campfire talk in the middle of nowhere ........
Will be reading your experiences here before I go out and buy something though.

6.30am I'm off to the shed, talk later.

Macca

[YNOT]

Congratulations on your purchase.
A build up thread (in members rigs) with heaps of photos would be great.

I can't help with standard heights and weights.

Kings springs are a good choice for coils but I don't know if they do leaves? Also consider Koni shocks. If the standard Koni's don't suit your needs Toperformance can probably modify Koni truck shocks to suit. Koni's are very reliable and rebuildable. Les Sivour used to run modified Koni truck shocks on his racing Patrols. After several years of racing he took them off and sent them back to be checked. They were stripped down and inspected, declared OK and sent straight back.

I have Kings and Koni's in the back of my work van, soon to have Koni's in the front as well.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

Tony, Macca I am told that a worker at Opposite Lock has Coil/Leaf combo set up. Apparently his leaf is detachable on one end when needing to have flex.

I have not been to check out the truth of it yet.
Tim

[YNOT]

Is that Opposite Lock at Underwood?
Sounds like a buggy leaf set up.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

yeah..... apparently on one of the outfits that parks there all sign written has it.

[YNOT]

I like the GU extra cab they have there, very neat cab cut and nicely finished off.

Tony

Oops, thread hi-jacked!