Hi from Australia

[AUSSIE1]

What elevation are you at there Rick?

 

[tdi-rick]

The peak hiding behind that middle tree is a touch over 1000m, most of the range surrounding us on all sides of this little valley is 700m or above, with quite a few bits above 1000m.
The house here is about 460m ASL, right in the floor of the valley. We're about 40-50' above the river, which is about 300m away to the north.

And the distance is a bit screwed up by the camera. Those hills are a lot closer than they appear in the photo.

 

[joe25DA]

Australia is one awesome country. Probably the only country that i want to visit outside the US. There and New Zealand.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Australia is one awesome country. Probably the only country that i want to visit outside the US. There and New Zealand.

Yeah Joe, and New Zealand has some beautiful scenery.

 

[Jacob J.]

Great photos...is that the fires from 2005?

 

[AUSSIE1]

Great photos...is that the fires from 2005?

2006 I think it was Jacob.
A few years down the track I've forgotten which fire where.

Burnt trees from the fires in the distance.

 

[joe25DA]

2006 I think it was Jacob.
A few years down the track I've forgotten which fire where.

Burnt trees from the fires in the distance.

Al is that a Nissan Patrol? Thats the other thing. We dont get the "real" Nissan and Toyota trucks like the Patrol and Hilux. You guys get the solid front axles and diesel engines. Nice truck

 

[AUSSIE1]

Al is that a Nissan Patrol? Thats the other thing. We dont get the "real" Nissan and Toyota trucks like the Patrol and Hilux. You guys get the solid front axles and diesel engines. Nice truck

Yes Joe, the Nissan Patrol. Full beam axles, four coils, four discs, 4.2ltr turbo diesel. Brilliant truck.

The track is the awesome Blue Rag.

 

[harrygrey382]

Al is that a Nissan Patrol? Thats the other thing. We dont get the "real" Nissan and Toyota trucks like the Patrol and Hilux. You guys get the solid front axles and diesel engines. Nice truck

do you (USA) get 70 series landcruisers? ANOTHER reason why the UK can suck...

 

[beanz4brainz]

Yes Joe, the Nissan Patrol. Full beam axles, four coils, four discs, 4.2ltr turbo diesel. Brilliant truck.

The track is the awesome Blue Rag.

Just another reason Australia is called 'The Lucky Country'


b4b.

 

[tdi-rick]

do you (USA) get 70 series landcruisers? ANOTHER reason why the UK can suck...

78/79 series 'Cruisers are overhyped IMO.
The Patrol has a beefier driveline as well.

 

[tomtrees58]

The best was in the middle and you missed it .

nice country tom trees

 

[AUSSIE1]

nice country tom trees

Will be traveling along this track in a couple of weeks Tom.

 

[joe25DA]

do you (USA) get 70 series landcruisers? ANOTHER reason why the UK can suck...

Nope, we get the cush couch rider ones. Still very capable, but no comparison.
I have a Tacoma, kinda built it to suit...

 

[AUSSIE1]

Nope, we get the cush couch rider ones. Still very capable, but no comparison.
I have a Tacoma, kinda built it to suit...

Nice ute Joe.
An extra cab like this would be great for work.
So is it independent front end?
Is it much drama converting over to a solid axle with some of the IS vehicles over there?

 

[joe25DA]

Nice ute Joe.
An extra cab like this would be great for work.
So is it independent front end?
Is it much drama converting over to a solid axle with some of the IS vehicles over there?

Yeah, IFS front end w/coil overs. Its a decent setup as far as IFS goes. A few guys have done solid axles, but its a pretty big job. This truck is lifted 2.5" and add-a-leafs in the rear for extra 500lb payload. Also has a rear electronic diff lock, which is very nice.

 

[AUSSIE1]

Yeah, IFS front end w/coil overs. Its a decent setup as far as IFS goes. A few guys have done solid axles, but its a pretty big job. This truck is lifted 2.5" and add-a-leafs in the rear for extra 500lb payload. Also has a rear electronic diff lock, which is very nice.

Really good lookin ute.

And it's not white, lol.

 

[harrygrey382]

78/79 series 'Cruisers are overhyped IMO.
The Patrol has a beefier driveline as well.

yeah they suck, toyota have sold themselves out for the elctronics. They were I think the last surviving big company to put out a proper traditional NA diesel with no #####ing ECU controlled motor.
Also, I don't think the 75s are/were over-hyped. I tihnk they were all they were cracked up to be. Why else do all the big pastoral companies run them in the outback? And I've never heard patrols stacking up extreme tails of endurance as 40 series 'cruisers.
But I still think HJ47 takes the award of the #1 ever.

 

[tdi-rick]

yeah they suck, toyota have sold themselves out for the elctronics. They were I think the last surviving big company to put out a proper traditional NA diesel with no #####ing ECU controlled motor.
Also, I don't think the 75s are/were over-hyped. I tihnk they were all they were cracked up to be. Why else do all the big pastoral companies run them in the outback? And I've never heard patrols stacking up extreme tails of endurance as 40 series 'cruisers.
But I still think HJ47 takes the award of the #1 ever.

Actually Nissan was the last to use a traditional non ecu engine, theTD42 and TD42T, but that's gone ta ta's now too.

Toyota have the market by the throat here thanks to brilliant marketing and supposed back up with their dealer network, although a mate of mine is a mechanic in the mines at Kalgoorlie and he reckons it's routine to have to wait for parts to come from Japan for the 'Cruisers, yet he can get OE bits overnight for his Defender, and Land Rover's dealer network sucks big time here.

Toyotas diffs have gone backwards since the old 40 Series, although their Achilles heel was the t/case, and to a lesser extent the g/box, although the 4 speed was pretty bullet proof.
They used to crack chassis pretty regularly too, and the ride was abysmal, as was any leaf sprung Japanese four wheel drive unless you ran OME or Ultimate Suspension.

The current GU coil sprung Patrol cab chassis cracks its chassis behind the rear axle in extreme use, although Nissan have beefed it up in that area, and the leaf sprung rear (1300kg payload) cab chassis used to crack rear spring hangers in Telstra use, but the 78/79 Series Cruisers were cracking front diff housings and wrecking gear boxes and t/cases, and Defender 130's were cracking front diffs and pulling axle tubes out of the Salisbury rear axle :jawdrop: Land Rover responded with the UK Army Wolf rear end (just for Telstra use) which is braced to the extreme, but uses the relatively weak Rover centre, as opposed to the Dana 60 based Salisbury....
Telstra techs drive em like they stole em over the worst roads imaginable.

I'm hearing mixed reports on the new V8 turbo diesel Cruiser in the 79 Series.
They do take well to modding, but people forget they are detuned from the factory for a reason, it's still the same g/box, t/case and rear diff as the old six.....

 

[tdi-rick]

[snip]
But I still think HJ47 takes the award of the #1 ever.

That old diesel was a goodun

My stepfather had an HJ47 Troopie that Mum nicknamed 'The Pregnant Duck' as it used to waddle the outback tracks. It was a bloody good old bus.
They finally opted for comfort and upgraded to a 110 wagon, then a 130 Crew Cab Defender, and now a Series II Disco with the TD5.
Surprisingly where they are (Alice Springs) there are a hell of a lot of Landies running around thanks to an excellent dealer there.

Good friends of ours have an FJ47 Troopie in excellent condition that I borrowed a couple of years ago for a week and it really brought back some memories. I wanted to play around with the old 2F, they really take well to exhaust and carbie mods, but Pammy and John wouldn't be in it.