General questions about GU's

[mudnut]

One well known failure point is the rear spring towers stretching and cracking at the chassis weld. It may not stop you from getting home, but it is a difficult thing to fix. There are kits available to prevent or repair it. It is common in Patrols used for towing, especially over rough or corrugated tracks.

[mudski]

Some other things I would like to know -

What is a drop box and what does it do.

when you raise the suspension, the front diff starts to roll on its axis forward. As state by Craig, a drop box is, in a nut shell, another chassis point for the radius arms to bolt into, under where they would normally bolt into. The other way around not using drop boxes are offset radius arm bushes. This will correct the "roll" in the front diff. The drawback of offset bushes? There not an even amount of bush surrounding the centre part of the bush. They will wear out faster.

What benefit do reduction gears offer?

slower, more control low range, better for steep down hill runs where you are constantly on the brakes. Also more controlled and slower uphill climbing.

Does getting a bigger scoop help EGT's?

Yes. More air= better cooling

Any experience with cheaper but TIG welded intercoolers (around $260 on ebay)

Is it worth fitting a kill switch or some type of anti-theft

Thats up to you...

What EGT should I stay below

Depending on motor, mods etc, and conditions you are driving in. the lower the better

Any good small interior mods that makes the Patrol better. Like bigger cup holders.

That list will never end

Enjoy.......

[mudski]

I have to get my head around tyre sizing. A 265/75 R16 is almost Identical to a 265/65 R18 except the 16" actually has a higher side wall height. Without looking it up I would have assumed the 18" was a bigger tyre.

This is a good website to explain tyre sizes...
https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

[Truckus]

If going offroad on some tougher tracks but staying within 200km of Brisbane what would you consider to be must have spares? Are there anything that are common failures points for Patrols that can stop you getting home. Are things like spare CV's necessary or can you make do until you get home.

WOW..that is a fair radius...and also includes the Glasshouse, and certain Bastard bog holes there, not to mention that bastard Big red (or even his little mate) or Ballbearing track that is uphill, steps but all on marbles, Plus you got the Islands (Frazer and Morton), thats soft stuff at Inskip and DI point and beach tracks as well with powder sand...so what to recommend..OK...4WD Action on Youtube with Shaun and Graham...they go there lots, and sure, its scripted, set up and staged a lot for camera and flogs the gear from their sponsors, but generally it will give you an idea of what you could be getting into, and what breaks can...and generally will happen.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-...2ky3oImX83S_2Q

For myself..(even with a heavily modded rig...now up in the mountains with the engine in pieces for the time being) My recommend is to take a leaf from my tree...I am captain chicken line, I don't go for bounce up , send it , bonus line heroics, I crawl and let the rig and its torque and suspension flex and traction lock do the work (until I got to send it...LOL) as smart lines and great throttle control will save way more dollars than mad mods do...and leaves a great powerhouse rig in good nick to do the recoveries of the superhero wheelers...and that gets beers!

As for track ratings and grading, mate weather and season can change these week to week, so you may find this helpful https://tracks.4x4earth.com/ as a guide for what you are safe to pick vs what you are likely to break.

[VK2FMIA]

what would you consider to be must have spares?.

Only problem I have had with mine in 10 years & 200,000 km`s is the Belt Tensioner. Might pay to carry a spare.

[mudski]

Only problem I have had with mine in 10 years & 200,000 km`s is the Belt Tensioner. Might pay to carry a spare.

With a ZD. Always carry a spare belt and tensioner, minimum. As if either one goes, you won't be going anywhere if you don't keep a spare. Also a spare air flow meter....

[paulyg]

If at some stage you want airbags in the rear, consider the Boss or similar airbags, that mount outboard of the spring, it will reduce the load on the spring towers.

[stricky]

I have heard that sometimes Patrols can flex so much that the coil springs fall out. Is this true and if so how common is it? Are Retainers and cones needed?

[MB]

G’day Stricky Mate!
From factory OEM design I nuffy believe it’s nearly impossible.
Aftermarket springs and longer shock absorbers is definitely possible!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[stricky]

Well my son took the Patrol out for it's first offroad test. Besides now being covered in mud some issues have appeared. The Airbag light is now flashing, disconnected the batteries overnight but it is stilll flashing. Is there any reason beside an airbag fault that would cause the light to flash? Also he cannot change gear out of Park without pressing the Shift Lock Release button. He also has very low Boost, I will check intercooler for leaks later today.

Also general question about replacement intercoolers, is there a general way to tell how good they are. I am not talking the high end version like HPD. I am interested in the low to mid price range. They look to appear very similar but there is a considerable difference in price. Some talk about core thickness but I am unsure what this means.