Hi All.
So - I've been a member here for over a year now! And I thought it was time I posted up some pix of my truck and some stories on the modifications and things I've completed over that time.
I bought my GU as a new demo car in December 2015. I decided on a Patrol after a lot of research and many failed attempts at buying used V8 Land Cruisers! :tongue:
When I got it there was just on 2400km on the clock. It was a standard ST 7 seater. Nissan had offered me a free alloy bull-bar as a sweetener on what was a pretty good deal anyway. I managed to convince them to install a genuine snorkel instead. He it is a couple of days after I got it. Waiting to have its windows tinted.
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I then immediately removed the 3 row seats. And set about planning a bunch of mods.
Here's a full list of what I have added to it. Not in any particular order.
- EFS 2” Lift with 300KG Constant Comfort Springs - Heavy Duty Damper and Adjustable Panhard
- 5 x Pro Comp 16”x8” Alloys with MT ATZP3s
- 2.75” Beaudesert Exhaust
- Rhino Rack Platform with Roller, Maxtrax brackets and Shovel Brackets
- Custom Aluminium Toolbox / Deflector mounted on Rhino bar
- 120W Solar Panel fixed to lid of roof toolbox (additional 80w portable travels in the box)
- Darche 2m x 2.4m Awning
- Access Ladder on Rear
- TJM Outback Steel Bullbar
- TJM 12000LB Winch
- 65L Custom Water Tank and Pump behind rear seats - plumbed to rear door
- Autosafe Cargo Barrier (Half-Height )
- Home made Custom Drawers with internal illumination (v 2.0)
- Redarc BCDC40 DC-DC Charger and Battery Management
- Redarc Battery Gauge
- Opta Yellow Top 66AH Aux Battery Under Bonnet and KickAss 120AH Aux Battery in Rear
- ARB Air Compressor hardwired in Rear
- 22” Lightbar on Bullbar and 32” Lightbar on rack
- Alpine Stereo and Nav system
- GME TX 3550 UHF and Aerial
- RFI 4GX Aerial and Telstra WiFi Router (hardwired in)
- iPod mini and mount
- 150w Pure Sine Inverter
- Dual Fuse Boxes (one front and one rear)
- Solar Anderson to Roofrack
- Pillar Pod mounted EGT and Boost Gauges
- Waeco CFX 35 Fridge
- Provent 200 Catchcan
- Roo Systems Re-Mapped ECU
- Full Recovery Kit with Winch Strap/ 2 x Snatch Straps/2 x Snatch Blocks and Shackles
- Rated Recovery Points - Front and Rear (Thanks to Threedogs)
- Brown Davis 90L Long Range Sub Tank
I also
- Installed interior lights
- Added a flow gauge so I can see water tank level
- Built a Kitchen Chuck Box to go in the back (nearly finished)
- Moved the Sub Tank Switch (how shit is the factory position!)
- Installed the Light Bars myself (this was a *big* deal for me!)
- Installed my old CTEK 240V charger so the truck can be plugged up to 240v
- Added Sail Track to the back of the Rack and sourced a suitable tarp to make a rear cover
But the bulk of the big stuff was done in one job by TJM here in Brisbane. They were very helpful and gave me a fat discount for both the scale of work and because I name-dropped Threedogs.
The intention for my GU was to build a solid platform for log distance outback touring and camping for my wife an me. I feel like I've got there now. Now I just need her to quit work....
I learn't so much from so many people on here. I think I read every post in the first few months. The forum gave me the courage to try stuff - like my own 12v setup - that I would never have attempted before joining here. I now feel like I know (mostly) what I am doing.
My plan is to expand on this thread with a post about each of the key steps in getting the vehicle to this point. The traps I fell into. And the problems I think I solved. I'd hope that some of that material will be useful to others attempting something similar.
I feel like I have a well set-up truck now. Certainly it performed flawlessly in a 16000km shake down over the Simpson and up and over the Gulf and back home to Brisbane. But also learnt plenty on that trip and refined things accordingly.
Anyway.... time to shut up. Here's some recent pictures.... (ignore the laptop bag - it's because Club4x4 want that for proof the pix are recent!)
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