My 2005 GU ST ute

[GUte]

Hello guys, my name is Gary and have just found this site

I just recently bought my first Patrol after 3 good years with a D22. Had been looking for awhile and knew this was the one pretty much straight away

2005 ST travelled 168km and paid 28K which I think is very reasonable.
It already has dual batteries
Alpine bluetooth cd player
Manta 3" exhaust. The muffler they used is a traditional design so I will be swapping this to a straight through unit asap!
Also has standard height pedders coils and shocks so it drives very well but I have no idea why he didnt get a 2 inch lift while he was upgrading them!
Turbo timer


All the usual upgrades planned:

Custom Tray (work vehicle so cut down a touch but still has to be functional)
3-4 inch suspension
Sliders
New rims and tyres
EGT and boost gauge
Turbo upgrade and tune down the track

I have already swapped the cast dump pipe to a mild steel one with a bung installed for the future EGT and had a Lock-right fitted to the front diff.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/P1020327.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/P1020321.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_0392.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_0391.jpg

Thanks for looking

Gary

[Dhuck]

Nice tidy unit Gary. But as you said why not lift it a couple when doing suspension upgrade/replacement.

[Bob]

Welcome to the Forum Gary. Good looking Unit.

[GUte]

Cheers guys.
Im glad I waited as I very nearly put a deposit down on an ex mine site ute but had been advised to stay away from mates that have driven them before!

[YNOT]

Cheers guys.
Im glad I waited as I very nearly put a deposit down on an ex mine site ute but had been advised to stay away from mates that have driven them before!

Good advice.

Tony

[MudRunnerTD]

Nice unit mate, look forward to watching you build her up mate.

The good news is i reckon, that if they did not give it a lift then they were likely towing something with it and it had NEVER seen the bush! Nice job.

[Woof]

Very nice Ute there Gary, I see that you have been giving the Powerlines a bit of a go mate.

[AB]

Love the utes, very nice clean Patrol mate!

[Almost Dun]

Nice looking ute you have there mate , in regards to the exhaust mate i would ditch the muffler altogether , i have 4.2 GU with aftermarket turbo , 3" dump and straight through 3" exhaust , sounds bloody brilliant i reckon

Cheers , Dylan

[Woof]

Nice looking ute you have there mate , in regards to the exhaust mate i would ditch the muffler altogether , i have 4.2 GU with aftermarket turbo , 3" dump and straight through 3" exhaust , sounds bloody brilliant i reckon

Cheers , Dylan

Got to agree with Dylan as I have the same setup but it is a GQ, oh and by the way check this club out Gary: http://www.nissanpatrol.com.au/forums/showthread.php?73-Western-Patrol-Club-Inc

[Finly Owner]

Hi and welcome to Nissans Nut House Gary. Are you going to be any long trips? The drone of straight through may get to you then, but that's only from what I've got from some light talk here.

Tim

[Sir Roofy]

nice ute you have there gary will be watching to see how u progress wit it

cheers roofy

[Almost Dun]

Hi and welcome to Nissans Nut House Gary. Are you going to be any long trips? The drone of straight through may get to you then, but that's only from what I've got from some light talk here.

Tim

Its not too bad to be honest mate , did an 8hr trip to Denham and with wind noise , tyre grumble and a bit of music its hardly noticeable , pick the revs aswell and its fine

Cheers , Dylan

[DX grunt]

G'day Gary.

Welcome to you and your GUtey. Lotsa great people and things to learn about.

Don't forget to have your say and look up the Western Patrol Club Website.

Take care out there.

Ross
DX grunt

[Clunk]

Nice ute Gary, did you happen to be down the Powerlines today by any chance?

[GUte]

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone! Your not wrong Ross, seems a very friendly bunch here and I will defiantly think about joining the club (seen a sticker in the BCF Rockingham car park recently), my mate with the SWB in the 4th pic has showed interest in joining a club in the past so I will mention this to him.

We did the powerline track on Friday (nye) and had an awesome time, stock suspension and tyres restricted me passing through a few sections but that wont be the issue come the cooler months :) Bring on the mud!
The lock-right was able to get me through some sections that the lifted SWB with 33's couldnt pass, he's got one waiting to be installed though so he will have the last laugh!

As for the exhaust, I have been running it with the muffler cut out and it sounds awesome, I was chasing that whistle and have got plenty of it with the exhaust ending about 2 inches from the cab! But the noise it a bit much as it echoes straight through (not bad for when the mrs is in the car haha) I have just bought a hot dog resonator and will be adding this in where the muffler used to be, this should take some of the bark out hopefully. This is my work vehicle so I drive from site to site every day (yet to fit my roof rack and tool box), and plan on doing some longer trips through the year so have to find a happy medium somewhere.

Cheers

Gary

[patch697]

Nice rig mate, love the color.

[DX grunt]

Gary, from memory there's about half a dozen WPC members that live down Rocko/Mandurah way.

[RED]

GU ute mmmmmmmm i wish i had one, my budget cant quite get me one tho LOL nice rige.

[Patrica]

Nice and muddy the way it should be...can't wait to see what you've got install for it...

[Bigrig]

ahhhh ... a Patrol neatly coated in a light spray of mud ... just looks at home to me!!!! Thanks for the shots mate!!!

[GUte]

Thanks guys!

Have another pic of the ute from that day and seeing that you guys like things dirty, ill put it up. Also have a video :)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_0390.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=258To0X7NfE

Sliders have been ordered and cant wait to have them on the ute, hopefully on the weekend

[Bigrig]

Time to invest into some muddies mate!!!! Thanks again!!

[GUte]

They're high on the list! Prob do the 3 inch lift first so I can get them in, will probably just go with 33's as it is my daily

[Bigrig]

They're high on the list! Prob do the 3 inch lift first so I can get them in, will probably just go with 33's as it is my daily

Sweet - look forward to the build photos.

[GUte]

Picked up the sliders from Mike at XLR8 Fabrications, he did a great job with them and very happy with how they fit on the vehicle!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/c0192bdd.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/fcae0355.jpg

[NissanGQ4.2]

lookin good :)

[GUte]

Nice rig mate, love the color.

Its a weird colour, in full sun its almost gold, but in overcast conditions its grey! Work that one out for me!

[Dhuck]

Good to see the pin stripping etched into the door.

[GUte]

its not a 4b unless it has some bush graphics!

[Bigrig]

Yep, love the lantana linework ... no one ever needs more proof that you get out and use it for what it was built for!! The bar work on the sliders is neat, but question (as I don't have them), is the piping a bit on the small side?? Might just be the shots, but the sliders I've seen seem to be fatter piping? Might also be a small inside diameter measurement on the pipework you have also, making the actual steel 'thick' which gives it strength ... so many questions!! LOL Thanks again for the happy snaps!!!

[GUte]

I havent really paid too much attention to the sizing of pipe used for sliders (in the pics ive seen), the OD of these are about 42mm, not sure what the thickness is? They do look quite small in the pics though and I dont think there would be any need to go any larger because as you say, the strength is in the thickness of the material.
Cant wait to test them out!

[jace75]

mate nice ute one day i hope to buy a 4.2 GU ute

[GUte]

Got my roof rack and toolbox on just before I started back at work after christmas holidays, dual purpose beast now!
Also came across a set of 285 75 16 MTZs fitted to black steel rims,12mm of tread left (anyone know what they measure new?) and a Cooper ST with about 50% used for a spare for $1200

Looks way better now with the weels, pity about the roof rack and tool box! I wish this was a play truck only!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/aa89e81c.jpg

[Dhuck]

Still can be mate. Just a little safer with the bar work.

[Almost Dun]

Looks sweet mate , good pickup with the wheels and tyres , i think from new they are about 14mm deep

[Clunk]

luvin the look of those new sliders mate. Might have to see how much he charges for for mine.

[GUte]

Go for it clunk, went wheeling through a quarry on aust day and they hardly got caught on the things that the factory sidesteps usually get hung up on.

Have added a couple more mods to the list of things I want to do.

43% transfer case reduction gears
4.3 diff ratios
And while the rear diff is out, may as well put a Detroit locker in

Anyone have any experience with the Detroit rear? Are they smooth on the road? If they are clunky on the road, I may reconsider

[patch697]

Go for it clunk, went wheeling through a quarry on aust day and they hardly got caught on the things that the factory sidesteps usually get hung up on.

Have added a couple more mods to the list of things I want to do.

43% transfer case reduction gears
4.3 diff ratios
And while the rear diff is out, may as well put a Detroit locker in

Anyone have any experience with the Detroit rear? Are they smooth on the road? If they are clunky on the road, I may reconsider

For the cost I would be looking at a Diff lock setup.

[GUte]

Thats exactly what the detroit is, an auto locker? I dont want permanently locked axles because its my daily, or an air locker as I dont want open diff. Or am I missing the point completely?

[patch697]

Thats exactly what the detroit is, an auto locker? I dont want permanently locked axles because its my daily, or an air locker as I dont want open diff. Or am I missing the point completely?

Well it really each to there own on mods cos it as to suit your style & purpose but for the purpose of 4WDriving a air locker gives you the best of both worlds IMO

I ran a Detroit locker in a 9" under a LH tori I had some time back & it did it job well but it would have been useless in a daily driver but thats just IMO

[GUte]

Cheers, well I think im out of luck anyway because the detroits are now only made to suit the front 31 spline diffs, the rears are 33 correct?
The diff specialist who installed my lock-right in the front said he found a detroit for the rear and could fit it for 1400, may have to talk to him again and find out more info

[GUte]

While having a look around for a place to install a boost sensor, I found some oil had been weeping from the hose between the intercooler and intake manifold.
I have degreased the engine bay a couple of times in the 3 months I have owned the ute and this is the first time I have noticed it.

Is this something I should be worried about? What causes oil to blow past the turbo and into the intercooler?

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/32ec413e.jpg

[GUte]

Time for a bit of an update.

Figured out the above problem was a loose intake hose and the oil coming from the tapper cover breather. Provent catch can fitted

Installed a 4 inch lift. It already had HD pedders coils which im sure were 2" over standard rears and standard height front.

Before and after
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/aa89e81c.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1228.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1229.jpg

May have to fit some spacers to the rear, opinions wanted?

Problems faced were rusted cross member bolts, 5 of them broke and was not fun drilling them out. Also had to flip the tailshaft as it rubbed on the chassis.

Have ordered a snorkel so I hope to have that installed this weekend

[Dhuck]

Lookin good GU

[growler2058]

Mate lookin reeeeel nice ready to rock n roll!!

[DX grunt]

It's a GUtey!! lol. Nice one bro.

[big_fletch]

Looks a ripper mate, and is a good height

[DX grunt]

Don't you lose that stubby holder. lolol

[GUte]

Don't you lose that stubby holder. lolol

haha not even sure how it ended up there, fitted the drop boxes at a mates while a few beers were being sunk and it ended up with cocks drawn on used adhesive sanding discs and stuck all over the ute haha

Thanks fellas

Boost and pyro gauges installed, had the pyro in for a few weeks now and the boost showed up today. Turbotech controller installed and set to 13.5 psi

Its bloody hard getting a decent pic while driving haha
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1244.jpg

[DX grunt]

Time for a bit of an update.
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1229.jpg
opinions wanted?



Learn how to reverse. lol

[Boagie]

nice nice---got me a bit jealous mate-----how much does she owe you now--if you dont mind me asking???

[GUte]

Well Ive only paid about 4 payments so $7500!!

haha purchase price was 28K and about $5500 in mods since then (dont tell the mrs!!), pretty reasonable I think. Still got a fair bit I want to do, reduction gears, intercooler and turbo upgrade, about $6500 right there :(

I look at this as being a keeper so dont mind spending the coin

Couple more pics taken today while playing in a drain at the site I was working on:


http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1260.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1263.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1266.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1261.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/IMG_1259.jpg

[Boagie]

nice flex mate----that truck looks shit hot-----mine is its poor cousin

[GUte]

Cheers boagie!

Flex looks good in the pics mate but for me its about using these for what they were build for and getting them dirty.
I got mine pretty much stock as and after 4 months the mods I have done will probably only assist me getting deeper in the shit haha!
These things are pretty capable from the factory and only need a few tweaks here and there (locker, lift, tyres and winch for peace of mind!)

[blake_gq4.2]

gotta love the gu coil cabs mate top job, awesome flex, i now want another one lol

[GUte]

This pic makes me happy!

Pulling the transfer case out on Thursday and organised for a local transmission workshop to install the gears for me on Friday. 3 hours once the case is on the bench, would be 3 times that if I did it myself!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/75f1d6eb.jpg

[Sir Roofy]

Looking good mate lets hope your misses dont go snooping into your affairs

[GUte]

I tell her everything,, except the actual cost!!

I need her to be home on Friday to I can use her Subaru to get to the workshop!

[timbar]

Looking good comming along nicely Good work !!!!!

[timbar]

whoops also nice Flexing !!

[Dark 1]

Great shots mate & great ride, keep the pics coming.

[Bigrig]

This pic makes me happy!

Pulling the transfer case out on Thursday and organised for a local transmission workshop to install the gears for me on Friday. 3 hours once the case is on the bench, would be 3 times that if I did it myself!

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/75f1d6eb.jpg

How'd it go for you mate??

[GUte]

Moved house and had no internet for the last week :(

Removed the transfer case on Thursday night and dropped it into Rockingham Auto and Manual Trans and they installed the gears for $350, thats a bargain in my books!
Installed on Saturday morning and has made a huge difference, top speed in first is 3-5 kmh. Second gear is about where first used to be, top speed in 5th is 45-50 kmh so still good for sand work

Cant wait to test it out on some big hills, thats when I will feel the biggest improvement. Almost certain I made the right choice with the 43% reduction

Didnt take many pictures, but here is a couple of it going back in. Its a heavy sob and my mates atv lift stand was perfect for the job

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/0b0ca9aa.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/3808fff6.jpg
http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f253/In_Elysium/4x4/b5bd3b88.jpg

[big_fletch]

Thanks for the pics mate, looks like was a fun job lol..
Good to hear the reduction gears work well, something I should invest in

[GUte]

Cheers, you could say that!

Did it all on my own and took about 3 hours to get it out and maybe a little more to get it back in

[big_fletch]

Yer but think about the labour cost you have saved lol..
What are the reduction gears worth if ya don't mind me asking?

[GUte]

Paid $1215 plus 65 freight. I contacted a few local marks 4wd dealers and their prices were the same so went direct.

[GUte]

Quick vid of me in 3 wheel drive going up the first hill in mundaring around new years eve, man it looks plain without any of the changes I have made :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tJlNXiDlWY

[big_fletch]

Thanks for sharing mate, awesome vid..
Looks like abit of fun