Fish's GU ST Ute

[gubigfish]

Just picked me Ute up from the dealer today 2004 TD42 ST with 150k on the clock. Shes got a Snorkel, Winch Bar, Winch, UHF, 3" Exhaust, Lightforce spotties, BFG All Terrains4881548816488174881848819

[Stropp]

Nice looking ute mate, I would like a ute but it would need to be the right one.

[gubigfish]

Yeah I had a look at another one a couple of weeks ago which was a little be nicer and 2 years newer however the dealer wasn't prepared to negotiate on price. Was gone a few days later.

[gubigfish]

Need to get some Xlr8 steps for her and get some quotes on canopies, EGT Gauge, Turbo upgrade, brace for the coil towers, bigger lift

[Clunk]

And the list goes on ;)........ Nice looking ute there Fish

[threedogs]

Nice looking ute mate, I would like a ute but it would need to be the right one.
Check out Ron Moons dualcab extended chassis 4.2TD GU, that's been around the world I few times. the ultimate expedition machine.
Gotta love a ute though, the back is coming off mine when I get the chance.
Reckon you can have more fun in a ute, lol

[gubigfish]

Well I found out why the dealer wasn't locking the toolbox yesterday and have bent the key. Found the rubber seal to be fucked and thing was rusty as well.

Had some spare locking mechanisms that I had bought at one stage to build my own set of draws that just never happened. So out came the drill and removed the Pop rivets of the existing one. Had bought a pop rivet gun and a set of mixed pop rivets from Bunnings near work however the pop rivets were too small.

Off to bunnings to get the right sized ones. One didn't quite fit right so will have to drill that out and re-do.

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My only pain point now is there is too much play when you pull on the handle when locked. Seems to be a huge spring washer on it compared to the other one i have here. Anyone know if I can just remove the pin and and take the nuts of and replace the washer?

[MuddyTroll]

You should be fine to remove the washer.
Although you can't just tighten the nuts so there is no slop in the spring part of the washer.

[Bogan_dano]

Great red ute

[gubigfish]

Bought a new head unit for the ute today which has bluetooth car kit built in. Also fitted up a flushmount usb and headphone jack. Will post up some pictures later

[gubigfish]

Well heres the photos, main reason for sticking with Pioneer was i thought the plug would fit straight across however I was wrong so I had to rewire with a new plug.
Old wiring below
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Then the plug I bought of ebay
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The new head unit with no CD Player
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Microphone for the Bluetooth car kit built into the head unit. Used some Velcro I had instead of the double sided tape they recommend
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Sounds awesome and now I have a neat bluetooth car kit for my phone that will turn down the volume automatically

[gubigfish]

Been a while since I have done any work on her funds are tight at the moment, had a 160k service done on her the other week and that left me poor.

Just fitted up the reversing light I had purchased from Led Light Co

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[gubigfish]

This arrived today cant wait to get it fitted.
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[Stropp]

starting to come together mate.

[gubigfish]

Cheers mate, should have the 4" Snorkel early next week then just the rest to order

[gubigfish]

4" Snorkel with RAM head finally arrived.

[Stropp]

4" Snorkel with RAM head finally arrived.

yeh mine came today as well :)

[gubigfish]

Nice one mate, have you been running yours of the factory snorkel?

[gubigfish]

Been a big weekend at my mates place getting a few things done. Will take some photos in the daylight tomorrow.

Got the Snorkel in, EGT threaded port in the dump pipe and mounted the CC Intercooler in place, Still need to cut the hole in the bonnet, paint the scoop and fit

[Kimbo63]

Nice truck mate looking sweet

[gubigfish]

The new Cross Country Intercooler just needs the fan wiring done and the bonnet cut and scoop painted
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New 4" snorkel from Millweld, I was a bit zealous trying to remove the flare and then had a problem trying to get the indicator park light in and snapped a plastic clip :mad:

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Also replaced the rope and mast in the aerial

Probe for the Thermoguard EGT Gauge just needs to be wired up to electricity and mount the gauge

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[gubigfish]

EGT gauge is finally wired up properly now thanks to ET for his idea on how to wire it, as well the others that offered advise.

Blade Fuse Adapter in Cigarette Lighter Fuse
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No Power
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Car Running
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The probe wiring has been fed through a grommet on the passenger side of the firewall and then fed through split tubing up and through the dash and brought out above the steering wheel in a gap, the case is fixed using double sided tape to the top of the steering wheel.

[gubigfish]

Well the GU is in at the panel beaters getting the bonnet cut, scoop painted and fitted and there going to fix up the left front panel as well

[gubigfish]

Looking like thursday I can pick her up, hopefully their work is worth the wait.

Had some copper washers arrive today, thanks to Threedogs for the find on ebay, oil change time as soon as I get her back

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[gubigfish]

Picked her up this morning, big thanks to the lads at T & R Prestige in Welshpool for the work

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[threedogs]

Very nice indeed I absolutely love full size utes, yours is no exception.
As I have trouble with my left leg they were out of the question.
Who knows one day I may have an auto one in the carport.
Did you do before after figures for your EGTs etc.
What differences have you noticed??
Again very nice, they say red ones go faster too.

[gubigfish]

Hey mate EGT gauge was fitted same time as the intercooler but initially was using the factory scoop, shes much smoother now with the new scoop, haven't taken her for a long enough drive yet to be able to see how much of a difference its made. Debating whether to get it tuned or just wait till I get the UFI 18G turbo fitted and 4" Airbox.

[threedogs]

If its lot to far away Id leave it and dyno it when all the mods are finished

[gubigfish]

Yep that is the plan hopefully get the airbox soon and then save up for the turbo

[gubigfish]

Finally fixed the snorkel tonight I would love to know why Millweld didn't supply the 4" RAM Head with the snorkel. Its made a massive difference actually put your foot into her and she responds :thumbup:

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ECUTalk also arrived so will fit that tomorrow

[Kimbo63]

Hey mate EGT gauge was fitted same time as the intercooler but initially was using the factory scoop, shes much smoother now with the new scoop, haven't taken her for a long enough drive yet to be able to see how much of a difference its made. Debating whether to get it tuned or just wait till I get the UFI 18G turbo fitted and 4" Airbox.
Hey mate I have a brand new millweld 4" air box up for grabs only been trail fitted but was a no go as the chev radiator was way too big pm me if interested

[gubigfish]

Thanks for the offer Kimbo but after my experience with the Millweld snorkel, I'm not keen to go with any of their other products

[gubigfish]

Got the ECUtalk connected up and took her for a spin, this is once I got back. The warning indicators behind here seemed less critical than those on the right and wanted to be able to see the ODO reading.

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[gubigfish]

Intercooler fan now wired in to the relay, shes loud so I guess that's a good thing, be Interesting to know what if any difference it makes.

[Kimbo63]

Thanks for the offer Kimbo but after my experience with the Millweld snorkel, I'm not keen to go with any of their other products
No problem mate what was the drama with your snorkel ?

[gubigfish]

The template they supplied was dodgy which lead to me cutting out more of the guard than was required, luckily my mate had some bigger pinch weld than what was supplied which makes it look better. Also them not supplying a 4" RAM Head with the 4" Snorkel. See the comparison photo in posts above and even though its powder coated black you can clearly see the welds in the pipe.

[Absolute4WD]

I find it strange that they would not supply a 4"snorkel head with a 4"snorkel. You dont often hear a bad word about any of their gear so I wonder whether others are having similar issues?

[gubigfish]

I find it strange that they would not supply a 4"snorkel head with a 4"snorkel. You dont often hear a bad word about any of their gear so I wonder whether others are having similar issues?

I'm not sure, I have sent them an email giving them feedback regarding it basically stating that exact fact why supply a 4" snorkel with a RAM head that is not 4"

[gubigfish]

Took the old girl to UFI to get a Dyno done and got them to fit a boost controller at the same time, major difference in my opinion compared to pre-dyno, can't wait to get an 18G etc

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[threedogs]

Got the ECUtalk connected up and took her for a spin, this is once I got back. The warning indicators behind here seemed less critical than those on the right and wanted to be able to see the ODO reading.

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can you do a photo of your EcU talk from the front

[gubigfish]

can you do a photo of your EcU talk from the front

Do you mean front on looking at the screen rather than the angle?

[gubigfish]

Fitted up my dual power socket in the toolbox, one engel plug the other standard cigarette lighter socket.

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[gubigfish]

Engel socket wiring lasted my trip to Condignup the other side of esperance across some rough tracks so hopefully means it'll be good for a while now. The tune worked wonders and I was easily able to overtake cars, caravaners, and road trains not so sure on the fuel economy or lack there off but loving the new power.

[threedogs]

Yeah just wanted to see your values from the front, good news on the tune.lol
I brought a grab kit of grommets from ebay $10ish comes in very handy for
routing wires.

[hi-psi-patrol]

Nice ute fish,love the mods you've done TUFF😈😈😈😈

[threedogs]

Do you mean front on looking at the screen rather than the angle?

Yeah I was going to compare values to mine

[gubigfish]

Yeah I was going to compare values to mine

Best I can do, its only idling to

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[gubigfish]

With the help of a mate modified the exhaust on me ute. Cut out the muffler and replaced it with a 3" Hotdog. Re routed the exhaust from the first flange back only issue now is the hotdog is touching the gearbox cross member so during engine start and stop it makes a bit of a noise.

I love the note from the exhaust and shes got a bit more up and go as well. More of a smile on my face now.

[Stropp]

I just cut the muffler out and put a straight pipe in, no knocking 😀

[bsteveo]

Nice truck mate

Sent from my HTC_0PKV1 using Tapatalk

[gubigfish]

Thanks bsteveo its only gonna get better :)

Well bit of maintenance finally got the new alternator fitted so I can drive it now without worrying if the battery is flat.

Then bought some steps and had them fitted, big thanks to Mike from XLR8 Fabrications over here in Perth.

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Then re-connected my dual battery solenoid so both batteries are being charged.

[gubigfish]

Can't forget the sticker looks so much better than the snorkel manufacturer one that I peeled off when I got the snorkel

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[gubigfish]

So fitted my new ICOM UHF today, bit of messing about trying to find the right power adapters for the old power plug so I didn't end up having to cut the nice new cable ICOM supplied. Jaycar have them for both the old and new in case anyone else has the same problem

Old Uniden style
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ICOM and I'm guessing most new UHF have this style of power plug as I saw a no name brand in jaycar with the same sort
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Hand piece and external speaker I picked up while at Jaycar
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extension chord plug
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Mounted behind the centre console
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[gubigfish]

New wheels on when for the Dynamic Steel Black Round in a -13 offset

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Only issue is they seem to stick out further on one side than the other, thought I read a post on here where there's something you need to do if you have lifted your suspension, if anyone knows what it is or stumbles across the post let me know.

[Clunk]

New wheels on when for the Dynamic Steel Black Round in a -13 offset

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Only issue is they seem to stick out further on one side than the other, thought I read a post on here where there's something you need to do if you have lifted your suspension, if anyone knows what it is or stumbles across the post let me know.
Adjustable panhards

[Baby Daddy]

Is this fish who had a triton??? Well modded? Monster rides or dms coil overs etc

[gubigfish]

Nope I've never owned a Triton and its quite a common nickname.

Silly question time, is this my front panhard and is it adjustable? I want to assume so because of the threaded bits on both ends but assumption are the mother of all f!@#ups

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If so I take it I need to wind the thread in or out the direction the tyre needs to go? Got major death wobbles over 80 km/hr now and didn't have them prior.

[Clunk]

the panhard is the other bar shown in the second photo, the adjustable bar you have there is the draglink, that adjusts your toe in/toe out.

As far as wheel wobble, if you didn't have it prior to the new wheels, then I presume they haven't managed to balance them correctly

[nissannewby]

the panhard is the other bar shown in the second photo, the adjustable bar you have there is the draglink, that adjusts your toe in/toe out.

As far as wheel wobble, if you didn't have it prior to the new wheels, then I presume they haven't managed to balance them correctly

Drag link wont adjust toe.

Tie tod will which is on the back of the diff.

[Clunk]

Drag link wont adjust toe.

Tie tod will which is on the back of the diff.

ahhh righteo, forgot about the tie rod. So what does the drag link adjust then?

[nissannewby]

ahhh righteo, forgot about the tie rod. So what does the drag link adjust then?

Not much. Just the steering centralisation. So if any adjustments are made to the height or toe then you can adjust the steering wheel/box back to centre.

[gubigfish]

Not much. Just the steering centralisation. So if any adjustments are made to the height or toe then you can adjust the steering wheel/box back to centre.

So do you think I need to adjust these to sort the issue out? On the drivers side the wheel and tyre sits inside the guard and on the passenger side its sitting just outside the guard. I'll take it to another tyre shop and get them to check the balance as well.

[Clunk]

So do you think I need to adjust these to sort the issue out? On the drivers side the wheel and tyre sits inside the guard and on the passenger side its sitting just outside the guard. I'll take it to another tyre shop and get them to check the balance as well.

you'll need the adjustable panhards to sort out your issue

[nissannewby]

you'll need the adjustable panhards to sort out your issue

This bloke has been making way to much sense lately...

He is correct. Adjustable panhard required.

[Clunk]

This bloke has been making way to much sense lately...

He is correct. Adjustable panhard required.
I've been sick, it's put me off my game

[gubigfish]

Tyre shop has actually balanced the wheels now and its drive able, still some minor wheel wobble around 80km/hr but goes away and have a Superior engineering adjustable front panhard on order

[gubigfish]

Had some stickers and custom wheel cover made up with my business details on it

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[gubigfish]

So had the front adjustable panhard fitted and the front wheels on both sides are within the guards, the rear now sticks out on both sides. Just confirming an adjustable panhard for the rear is now required?

Mechanic thought that a wheel alignment is also a next step as the wheel wobble is still there.

[Stropp]

So had the front adjustable panhard fitted and the front wheels on both sides are within the guards, the rear now sticks out on both sides. Just confirming an adjustable panhard for the rear is now required?

Mechanic thought that a wheel alignment is also a next step as the wheel wobble is still there.

to centre the back wheels so they are even yes adjustable rear, the wheel wobble will be the front bushes or get perth city tyres mobile guy to do a balance as he has a new finger wheel balancer and was able to sort mine out but i would do the bushes first.

[nissannewby]

Did I reply to your pm mate?

[Avo]

I've been sick, it's put me off my game

NO excuse,thats twice now.....

[gubigfish]

Did I reply to your pm mate?

Not to the second lot of questions I sent ya

[nissannewby]

Not to the second lot of questions I sent ya

Pm sent mate.

[Ryanbaxwar]

Very tidy looking bus

[gubigfish]

Fitted up a tough dog adjustable steering damper

[NissanGQ4.2]

How's the canopy coming along????

[gubigfish]

Not good need funds for it first

[gubigfish]

So a few pics of the removing and fitting, learnt a few things and for anyone else you'll need an adjustable spanner or vice grips and 15mm ring spanner preferable of the ratchet variety. My attempts were using a socket which will only allow you to loosen the nut so far as you have to use the adjustable spanner or vice grips to hold the outer edge of the bolt, you will see a flat tapered section on the top end of the bolt.

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New vs Old Steering Damper
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[gubigfish]

Photo of the flush mount RJ45 install, is to connect into the extension lead from the ICOM uhf on a flush mount.

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Also installed an iPad mount will get photos of that later.

[gubigfish]

So here is the whole setup in the car plus the iPad mount

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