.....thanks very much mate...!!! I literally saw a post somewhere I made around 9yrs ago and it included a pic of a modified 76 Series like this one, I noted then that when I did finally get around to replacing my 80 Series this (the embedded pic) is what it would look like.....funnily enough it is almost how this truck looks now (once I add the steel side rails and sliders it will be almost identical). I have not re-mapped or tuned the engine (yet anyway ), there ARE some great options for it out here as you know !!! The results are great and still within safe working limits for this engine, for my uses (other than satisfying my inner teenager) it performs more than well enough now though. It does however have a larger stainless exhaust system and I added a throttle controller that makes a HUGE difference to it driving !!!!!! I *may* pony up for the new management chip and tune one day...if that day comes it will be the Steinbauer ... https://www.steinbauer.cc/au/products/passenger/toyota/land-cruiser-70/45l-td-151kw__3ge/9WF/ ...I go for.
This chip looks neat! The one this guy used got him around 650 NM at the engine, he had a dyno test to prove it, as it sounds insane I suspect that the clutch, transmission and axles would not be too happy with 650 newtons slamming them. However going from 430 Nm to 516 Nm sounds much more reasonable as power figure, while keeping the rest stock.
The stock clutch barely contains the engine as it leave the factory !! It i the weakest point in the design of the 70 Series I believe, gearbox and the rest of the drive train hold up well.....and yes, I have a heavy duty clutch already installed
the factory turn and reverse lights were all in the factory bar as well. It's only the stop lights up on the body and the new ones seem to work, I was looking at it the other night and notice how the wheel tends to glow red when the brakes are applied Collected the spare rim and didn't get held as a sex slave (still have mixed feelings about missing out on that)....dropped the rim off to have a tyre spun onto it as well. That's tyres taken care of for a bit ...
Gumtree rim with a new tyre spun on... ......spent some time working on tidying up wiring and adding some waterproof plugs to things. Also receieved a set of custom canvas seat covers I had been waiting a month for (custom as they, at my request, mismatch a set for me, one for the factory passenger side and one for the new driver's seat. Passenger side is fine but the driver's side is a no go....about 10cm short at the back....
Got them fitted up but what a BASTARD of a job. Thought the easiest would be to drop the headlight units out assemble and replace them, got 90% of the way and discovered two bolts that precluded the removal. I could not access those bolts without removing the bullbar and winch.....damn....so the space behind the lights was too damn tight to easily work (because of the heatsinks on the units and because I have large manly man hands - and you know what THAT means ). Ended up removing the battery and battery box on one side and the airbox on the other to give me the space I needed to work. All done and working now. A lesson in this, I would HATE to be doing this job out on the side of the road !!!!!!! That will take some thought about what spares I carry !!
Been quiet (it's winter so working my corner to pay for knives and truck modifications has been slow)... So yesterday not a new accessory but I managed to get the old rack from my 80 Series fitted to this truck. Been putting it off as it is really a three or four person job to do but after a couple of hours with a tape measure, spanner and some cam buckle ties down I managed to get all the bases adjusted to fit this truck. All six of the bases are adjustable for height and width. Height proved easy (as low as it could go) but width was a bit of a pain though I was within a 1/2cm on each one once I lowered it down. I had previously removed all the fittings, cleaned them up and replaced all the bolts/washers etc.......once I thought I was close I lowered it out of the garage roof using the cam buckle tie downs then drove it out and made the final with adjustments prior to bolting it in place.....
Epic! The family has always owed a ford f150. Ive never looked but i suspect someone is making tents etc for the ford car camping over landing crowd.
So one small "issue" was that on the old rear bar the HiLift was attached with a dedicated bracket on the OUTSIDE of the wheel which mean't that I could strap my long handled shovel onto the jack safely for travel (as seen with a different shovel to the one I have now)..... With the new (and in reality better) way the jack attaches there is no place for the shovel there in the back wheel (if I were more skilled there are mounting points on the opposite side of the wheel carrier to where the jack sits for attaching a big HF antenna and some brackets could be fabricated, but that is beyond my skill level and would be too costly to pay for) so with the roof rack being a permanent addition to this truck I did some reading and grabbed some LED lightbar mounts (to attach an LED light bar to the front of the rack) and some rubber holders for the shovel and bolted it all up today..... ....slightly harder than it should be as that shovel does not have a straight handle nor is it round but is an oblong shape. But IT IS a great shovel with which to dig out a truck (yep done it) and to me is almost perfect for the task so I wanted to retain it. I was actually surprised how well it all fitted up. I replaced the hardware that came with the ribber holders and cut some sleeves for where the bolts go through the brackets as they are made for much larger diameter bolts. I will add two large cable ties for extra security (both to make it harder to steal around town and in case of a failure at highway speed). Once I was offroad I wouldn't bother.
A shovel is often overlooked. We use the heck out of ours. Mostly for digging latrines where applicable.
I am always amazed by the "recovery kits" sold out here that include a small folding shovel (e-tool type), other than beach sand you are pretty much never going to dig a vehicle out of a bogging with one.....I have tried...!!!! You need that long handle to get in under the vehicle to clear the axle/diff etc as well as in behind the wheels where you are either going to pack solids or place your recover board (brilliant accessory !!). I spent time trying to dig this out with a Glock folding shovel..... ...the mud at the back started freezing over around 1730hrs so I gave up and retreated to a tent and bottle of port (and good company) and had to see assistance the next day.
