At the time I was pretty convinced I wanted a endless air system for my Tourer GU Patrol. It just made sense.., it would never overheat, pump up the tyres super quick, and even let me run air tools if I ever wanted to. Perfect!…..right ?
Well, it seems that the people that make the endless air system havent really updated their brackets etc in a while. You see, my Gu is a 2003 model 4.2 Diesel, which means it has a extra cross member at the front of the engine for some reason. So if I was to buy a endless air compressor and the brackets for a TD42 (my engine), it would foul on the cross member…. The advised solution ? Bash it with a big hammer until it fits….. Im sorry but I dont really feel like bashing in a cross member on the newest car ive ever owned!
So my solution ? Get a smaller electric compressor for now. I already have one of those 100% duty cycle BOSS air compressors in the Ute, and it works great….but again WAY to big for the space i had spare.
So what did I go for ? Well the new compressor from ARB. I have had the older style ones in a previous car, and althought they werent exactly fast, they always did the job. I ended up installing it under the washer bottle, seems to be a perfect fit. I have to say….geez they are quiet compared to the older style / boss compressor. I haven’t really had a chance to really ‘use’ it yet, but from what i have seen…it does give me confidence that it will do the job just fine.
I still think that eventually once there is either a bracket or compressor that fits my car without having to bash anything…I will go endless air for sure!
Well….after a LONG drawn out process of trying to figure out what suspension I wanted to put in the GU, I ended up with the following options…
Springs.
EFS
King
Dobisons
Shocks
Bilstiens
Koni
Tough Dogs
Airbags ??
Well, as far as springs go, I ended up not bothering with airbags…after talking with a couple of people that supply airbags, and they basicly admited it was reasonably easy for a stick etc to puncture an one… I didnt really think they were ‘bushable’ enough for a tourer, nor did I feel that just getting some super heavy duty springs was going to suit me because it would ride way to hard when unladen.
The solution ? Helper bags… So I ended up choosing some medium rate king springs, and putting some Polyairs in them…so far its worked a treat…and the worst that happens if a bag blows ? The Patrol doesnt sit level…I can handle that…
Now Shocks…I was ‘very’ tempted by the bilsteins until I relised they are mono tube design…sure great for disapating heat and such….but what happens when they cop a dent from a rock etc ? Well…they stop working…. Not something I want to have happen in the middle of the desert!
So….Koni’s was the choice….but which Koni ? there was 3 models to choose from… 82, 88 or the BIG 90’s….
We obviously my first thought was the bigger the better …..Right ? …Well seems i was wrong…After chatting to few ppl, the 90 series is a race shock, so might have been to harse for want I wanted…..So i ended up with the 88 series… Saying that, I still have a nagging doubt in my mind that the 90 series would have been better suited….oh well, time will tell!
Went to the Springs 4×4 Park for Easter…I must say… I had a ball!
A bunch of us left from Brisbane and drive up there on the Friday, and then left on the Sunday morning. Apart from a few ppl having cold showers the camp grounds were excellent.
Friday and Sat morning was nice and dry, with the rain starting on Sat arvo…made for some interesting driving
Well, on my mission to setup the Gu for touring, I need some draws for the back….but ran into the dilemma that the missus wouldn’t be able to reach into the fridge once it was mounted on the slide, which will be ontop of what ever draws I get. (Probably Black Widow at this stage)
So….I got this
Its a fridge slide that drops down by about 300mm so the missus can reach the beer!! Hows awesome’s that!
Well….after a LONG time…I finally managed to install my reconditioned high mount winch. I didnt really have to mod the Bullbar at all, just chop the grill up a bit.
I used the 7.8hp motor I got from NZ, and after doing some testing, im very happy with it. Me and Mate measured some amps / voltages at different points in the system, and found some interesting data.
* At near stall the motor draws over 470 amps!
* Im seeing over 2 volts being dropped between the solenoid (Titan)
* Theres is another 1 volt drop between the battery and the solenoid.
* My alternator is doing very well (Producing 76ish amps, from a 80 amp alternator)
The answer is….
a) some bigger cable (currently using 2 gauge)
b) either another Titan solenoid pack to run in parallel, or swap out to a different system.
Heres a pitiful photo or the current setup, that I will try and replace asap.
1 Nissan Patrol was manufactured at Japan by Nissan in 1951 and stands to be one of the good cars for power and durability.
2 Nissan Patrol has its direct competitor as the Toyota Land Cruiser which is a Japanese car manufactured by Toyota Motor Corporation.
3 The Nissan’s 4.8-litre Patrol ST wagon collected the prestigious 4×4 of the Year award in 2002 after beating giants competitors like Mercedes-Benz ML500, Jeep Cherokee Sport, Toyota 78 Series LandCruiser RV cab chassis and Mazda Tribute.
4 Nissan Patrol is rugged and tough with its latest model having seats redesigned to provide greater comfort and support.
5 Nissan Patrol is produced in almost major countries like Iran, Australia, New Zealand, Central America, South America, South Africa, Western Europe, Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, and the rest of the Middle East.
6 Nissan Patrol is fitted with Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) which detects what sort of surface it is on, and automatically adjusts itself to best handle the situation.
7 The Nissan Patrol has 15000km service intervals for both the diesel and petrol models with no intermediate oil change for the diesel model.
8 Nissan Patrol was updated in 2003 with the intercooled version of the 4.2 litre turbo diesel engine and an electronic timing control for the fuel pump which improved the efficiency of the engine and reduced the emissions that it produced.
9 The maximum torque by Nissan Patrol is 360 Nm at 2000 rpm with fuel tank capacity of 95 litres.
10 Nissan Patrol has mass of 2440 kg and gives a robust feel on the road fitted with rear axle set-up front and rear, with coil springs.
When I was talking to my partner Oddie about our impending cape trip in July, one of the first questions was. “Where will I shower ?” …Well I kinda didnt know…and talking to a few friends, it seems the creeks etc are the best place. Oddie didnt really like that idea…so the obvious solution was to get a camping shower of some sort. I had looked at the portable ones, but generally like the idea of just having one installed under the bonnet.
After a bit more research, I decided on the Helton Hot Water system.
Full Kit
Just the heat exchanger
It looks the goods, 100% copper etc….Will see how it goes when I install it.
Well, since im updating the blog…I should tell you about the purchase of the IC-400pro for my new Gu Patrol
As the series 3 (and before) GU’s seem to have bugger all room on the dash to install stuff. I had previously purchased and installed an Outback interiors roof console. I then did the research on which UHF I should get, and the IC-400Pro came out on top. It was Military grade kit and was reprogrammable to push out 25watts (the norm being 5w). The install was easy and a mate of mine already had the cable and software to reproramme. (Thanks Izy) So now I have the option of using just standard 5 watt to transmit. Or if Im in the middle of no where in serious trouble, I can now push a button and send at 25w. All in all, very happy with the IC-400Pro.
