STAFF CORNER

EV GROWS UP… WELL, HIS TRUCK DOES ANYWAY

If you saw the Staff Corner last issue, you would have seen the Zook I just picked up, and began modifying with a Uneek 4X4 bullbar. Well, after pottering around in it for the last few weeks, it became apparent that I need something bigger for touring trips. When this GQ Patrol showed up online at the right price, I had to make it mine. Now, the mods begin.

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Deciding on what size tyre you will run is the first step in any build. You then calculate how much weight you will be adding to the vehicle, THEN look at the suspension. More importantly, selecting the required spring rate is critical to having a vehicle that performs in all conditions.

So to get the ball rolling, I decided on a set of 285/75 R16 Kumho MT-51 muddies, mounted on a set of ROH Impact wheels which really suit the GQ (yep, the 33s fit too). Now I have the tyres sorted, it’s time to sink into the rest of the build.

DEX’S COIL-SPRUNG 40 SERIES

I’m a lifelong 40 Series tragic. There, I said it. With that in mind I thought I’d share my build with you guys. Basically it’s a HJ47 cab on an extended 80 Series chassis, diffs and suspension running a 1HZ diesel powerplant that’s bolted to a 75 Series bell housing attached to a 60 Series five-speed and transfer case. So it’s a bunch of different ‘Cruisers rolled into one with the overall aim to have 40 Series looks, 80 Series comfort and mechanical injection reliability – oh yeah, it’s all been done working with an engineer so it’ll be 100% road-legal too.

So far I’ve cut and stretched the frame, mounted the engine and transmission on custom mounts, fabricated new body mounts and got the cab in place after cutting out about an acre of rust. Because I’m a firm believer in the ‘do it once, do it right’ principle (some may say I’m just an idiot – you decide) I’ve also junked the 30-year-old wiring and I’m re-doing it all with an E-Z Wiring harness I bought from the States. It actually has what each wire is for printed on the sheathing so it’s probably as simple as rewiring a 4X4 gets.

I’ve got heaps of cool stuff still to come on this one; I’ll keep you guys up to date as the build progresses.