2 Door Bobtail Build up

[UNJUST]

Hey Guys

Ive finally joined up after reading so many good threads and i thought id share my project with you all

Sadly its sitting under a tarp in the backyard till i finish a dunnydore project ive got, then sell it to fund the rangie

this is how its was the day i picked it up
it was actually my handbrakes old mans car about 15 years ago
he had done a bit of work to it including a engine rebuild and the motec injection, yes i have motec injection that is atleast 15+ years old!!


The body lift kit i made that the engineer wont let me use

then the bobtail conversion started, being my first rangie and 4wd at that i couldnt believe how easy this thing was to shorten, all up i cut 280mm off it.




Yes i know the wheels arent doing it justice, just picture it with some 35 simex on it
Would love your guys opinions, as it might get me more motivated to get it out from under the tarp.

[PASSNBY]

looks....strange, but good work

[uninformed]

nice work!

keep at it, just looks a bit funny atm because of those stock wheels.

how much body lift did you go.

with 4wd's you want to keep them as low as possible with balanced suspension front and rear.

if you are fitting 35's and the correct suspension to suit, a minimal BL should be needed or even some creative gaurd chopping.

keep it low and stable. you will have good clearence under your diffs with 35,s and your approach,depature and ramp over angles will be good too.

IMO rangies are best on 35's no bigger. 100inch wheelbase starts to limit it.

Serg

[moonhopper]

Nice job i have the same maodel but mine has also been converted to a ute, can i ask where you got the wheel flares from? cheers

[UNJUST]

thanks for the replys guys, yeah it does look weird at the moment.

Body lift wise im actually using a LR Automotive Kit now as thats the only body lift kit my engineer would put his stamp on. "not" the kit i made in the above picture.

With Suspension side of things was going to leave it stock at the moment with new shocks, as im running 33s straight up there wont be an issue with clearance of the tyres

Flares are also from LR Automotive, XL style (suit 35s+)

My engineer will only allow 33s, so for starters ill just be running 33s then if money allows im wanting a second set of rims and 35s

My biggest goal at the moment is to just get it going and on the road.

Cheers

[uninformed]

if you are using an engineer, ask him if he would let you move the chassis mount of the rear trailing arm up to the body outrigger. this will alow you to make a longer rear trailing arm which will:

reduce rear steer
get the mount up out of harms way
and will reduce hopping on hill climbs

you would have to modifiy the outrigger, but this has been done by others.

you should also get hold of some haultech slotted bushes for the front radius arms.

toyota 80 series shocks work well in the front and id look at modding the rear shock mount as they bind the shocks badly because of the mounting angle.

Serg

[shakes]

if you are using an engineer, ask him if he would let you move the chassis mount of the rear trailing arm up to the body outrigger. this will alow you to make a longer rear trailing arm which will:

reduce rear steer
get the mount up out of harms way
and will reduce hopping on hill climbs

you would have to modifiy the outrigger, but this has been done by others.

you should also get hold of some haultech slotted bushes for the front radius arms.

toyota 80 series shocks work well in the front and id look at modding the rear shock mount as they bind the shocks badly because of the mounting angle.

Serg

got any photo's of the moved trailing arm mount?

[uninformed]

i have not done it on mine................yet!

i will in the future, im pretty sure Haultech have done a few of these.

doing the front would be an even greater advantage. using the original bushes and mounts on the front axle, make a new radius arm about 200mm longer would be great, but take alot of engineering not only of the arms but of the chassis mounts etc... can be done though

keep it simple and look at how the factory mounts(outrigger and trailing arm) are done and combine the 2. biggest thing is keep the arm projecting through the same plane as original.

Serg

[UNJUST]

i can see where your coming from "uninformed" i guess my priority is to get the car on the road, as im hanging out big time to get out there.

Thats an interesting point you make about the shocks, had never heard of them binding up before. Any suggestions?

Cheers..

[uninformed]

stick your head under a series 2 disco and have a look at how they have mounted the rears. this angle is much better,

yet again something i must get around to doing on mine!

Serg

[UNJUST]

Just some more photos of the build up for everyone

I Know its gunna get muddy as hell and what not, but im my own worst enemy when it comes to building a car, "Anal" in short

this the LH Inner guard i had to work with, the RH is was much the same,
just more rust where the master cylinder was leaking, the red marks are the amount of holes i have filled, years of self tappers!!



RH side after sandblasting, welding, grinding, bog and finally etch primer




And finally some colour, ive used 2k paint. but im unsure on painting the outside silver has its a hard colour to touch up (bent panels!!)
Any comments on this as a colour? Thought it might still look alright painted up silver with black bar work, flares but not sure on colour of the wheels.

[uninformed]

awesome!

great attention to detail. keep up the good work!!!

Serg

[UNJUST]

thanks unimformed,

Just need to find some sparetime to get crackin with it.

Cheers

[uninformed]

another thing i have seen done, is drill a butt load of holes( say 50mm dia) in the door (inside). this was to reduce weight as those long doors are freakin heavy. will help those poor hinges.

a bit of work, but if i was going to the effort you are i would look at every angle to make it better.

make sure you open any drain holes up a little bigger, in the body and chassis...... english holes always to small and get clogged easy.

there is also a upper tail gate frame made from alluiminum.

Serg

[UNJUST]

Thanks again Unimformed

Im going to be pretty conscious of weight, well as much as i can be when most things need to be fairly heavy duty huh.

Less weight = Less Fuel = More Fun

Interesting point you make about the upper tail gate frame being aluminium, and idea what models these came on? which also brings me too the fact while ive been building this truck i have noticed as to how heavy the tailgate and bonnet are.

Has anybody ever made a/any Carbonfibre/Fibreglass Tailgates or Bonnets?

I have seen a one piece Aluminium Tailgate but im guessing these are a only a pommie origin part?

Im preety keen on trying my luck at a Carbon or Fibreglass Tail gate, have never taken on such a ask though, only done bits and pieces with it.
Anyone know their way around Carbon or Fibreglass?

[uninformed]

the alluminium upper tailgates were made by Maxidrive engineering on the gold coast. i will find out if some one has taken over production as Maxidrive has closed down(some of there products have been picked up by others and are still being made)

when you say one peice tailgate how do you mean?

you look pretty handy in a work shop, maybe you could buy and alluminum upper tailgate and fab the bottom up in alloy as well then join it.... its been a few years since i had a rangie so i cant picture whats going on back there.


have you looked at whether or not you could move the negine/gearbow back a little? 4 inches may not be much but i reckon it would make a difference to the balance of the vehicle....

as far as axles id run the rover housings with arbs and Hi Tough Engineering axles and stock rangie cv's unless you can get hold of Maxidrives... or you could run toy centers in rover housings... these can be made farily bullet proof. but keep the rover housings... what you gain in going toy or nissan you loose in clearance and boy that makes a difference.

oh id get an auto elec to advise on a complete rewire. ENGLISH PEOPLE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO HAVE ELECTRICITY, THEY HAVE NO UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO USE IT!!!!!!!!!!

Serg

[UNJUST]

Firstly thanks for your comments about being handy in the shed

okay, i didnt realize maxi-drive made the tailgates, thought that they were drivelines only. The one piece tailgate ive seen, only once and its fitted to, dont hold me too it but mike and wayne smiths? blue rangie. the whole thing lifts up as a commodore tailgate does.

I had too laugh when you made that very clear comment about Pommies and their wiring ability, or lack there of. when was first poking my head around this car i could not believe the truck consisted of only "3" glass fuses

In respect to the wiring though, i have since got rid of the original fuse box, and replaced it with a blade type. i have about 8 relays all up now, Driving lights, High/Low beam, horn, Computer and fuel pump. ive tried to have minimal connections in the engine bay.

Im not 100% on where to mount it all though, i was thinking of have a fully sealed box on the passenger kick panel but im now thinking its not going to high enough if i was to ever drown it in a puddle. Maybe high in the roll cage or in a roof type console or somethng, but still trying too keep weight down low, i know i doesnt weigh much but it all adds up.

Auto elec wise im pretty lucky, my handbrakes Old man (terry) is an auto elec and he is the man that fitted the motec to this very car(he owned it) 15 years ago. He also did another good thing and got rid of the Lucas Starter and Alt(pretty sure thats what they came with) It now has a bosch starter and alternator. and the almost brother in-law used to work up your direction for a company called "competion electrics" i believe its called. basically only built V8 super car looms. absoultly awesome looking looms.

I hadnt made any thoughts about moving the motor and box back but its certainly worth a good think i reckon, id have to speak to my engineer about it.

Ive been tearing my hair out as what to do for diffs, since reading on this site i have noticed a few people had made the same comment as yourself about having alot more clearance with the rover diffs, almost like having 2" bigger boots? and i think what you are suggesting as a complete diff setup would ideal.

Cheers

[uninformed]

it looks to me that you are taking a professional approach to me mate. good on you.

Wayne Smith is on this board, i think his user name is Smithyjr??? and thats the tailgate i thought you were talking about try and get hold of him and ask about it.

RE the auto elecs, anything you do will be an improvement. keep it as simple as possible, use good quaility wire and fittings. if you ar having a rollbar and a gargo barrier the box could be mounted between the seats up high on the barrier, facing the front windscreen so you have access from the drivers and passengers seats..... just throwing ideas out there, the other thing is batteries, if 2, maybe one each side behind the seats in those plastic marine type boxes you can get. batteries weigh a bit and getting that weight behind the front axle and low would help.

sounds as you have the right people to help you with all that lucky bastard haha

Re the diffs, you will get a million opinions on what is the best way to go. the way i see it is, anything you build can break! keep it simple and strong for its size and drive accordingly and you will have fun. you could laminate or truss the housing to stop it flexing, this will help no matter what you use, but worth it on a rover housing IMO. if you run ARB's and HI TOUGH Engeneering axles, you can use stock R066605 range rover cv's (what you have in there now) these have a weak stub shaft, but that becomes your "fuse" and will the right tools can be quite quick to change.
there are options like Rovertracks to fitt really good cv's in the rover set up as well. or go to the Toy center and run custom axles and cv's...HSVRangie knows all the stuff on this one and is very helpfull. i have a def110 with a sals rear, its a great diff, really strong but you soon get over ifs hilux's going further because im dragging that thing around like a plow!!! bigger isnt always better, if you install a diff thats 1 1/2 inches lower than a rover you need 3 inch taller tyres to get the same clearence. so a 35 becomes a 38..... alot more stress can be put through the drive line/steering components on 38's. you will need lower gears to have the same ratio, and your COG will be higher.....

IMO 100inch wheel base and 35/36 is about the biggest(yres) you want to go. its worked well for alot of OBC events and just seems to be a good compromise. remeber when you increase your tire size it changes your suspension geomerty, simply draw a line from your radius arm or trailing arm chassis mount to the center of the tyre contact patch, as the car is at its finished height on level ground, the bigger the tyre the steeper these become..... not good at all!

im sure what ever you choose will turn out great, just from what you have done so far....make sure you make up some rock sliders as well!

Serg

[uninformed]

Ps, british racing green and black/wheels and bar work etc might look ok

for wheels id go for Eastern Wheel works steel rim, they are a 5 spoke steel rim in 16 inch, 6 7 or 8 i believe... bloody strong and look gooooooood

Serg

[UNJUST]

thanks, Im pretty fussy in what i do, and it can get me in trouble. extra costs and time but if ive got a good reliable truck at the end of the day its all worth it.

ill try to track down Smithyjr to quiz him on the tail gate.

I had noticed a couple of trucks built with their electrics mounted where you mentioned on the cage. good point you make about having it easily accsessed. I was going to be running two batteries for sure, and as there will be quite bit of room left behind the seats it could be as good a place as any. by the time i have a bar and winch up front id think it will add quite a bit of weight over the front axle. not a option for me but i see some people are now mid mounting their winch. Yeah im very lucky in the auto elec department.

I have a mate that has just finished navagating in the ironman cliffhanger, and he spoke to a some people in a rangie up there and they were running, rover diffs, arbs, maxidrive axles but unsure of the cv's they were running. and said they never had any issues. The cv's seem the best to have as weak link, easy to change, easy to carry a spare/s.
I reckon by the time i buy my axles, arbs, diff gears and what not it will nearly gobble up best part of 4-5k yeah?

Nothing wrong with the "KISS" princable.

And the clearance i would gain/keep with the rover diffs is worth its weight in gold. Sounds like u dont the same luxury with diff clearance, least everyone behind you would be greatful for a freshly graded track!

in regards to the wheels it took me ages to find out who made the "Eastern Wheel Works" wheels. never advertised anywhere, and wasnt almost untill Glenn from 4wd Monthly fitted them to his truck i got the info i needed. They seem to be the best choice of wheel for the rangies, not well looked after in the Aftermarket Wheel selection, im guessing you would be in the same boat with a def110?

British Racing Green would look pretty classy, keeping in theme with its origin, and rock sliders are a must

Cheers, Jarrod

[uninformed]

what gearbox are you running?

serg

[UNJUST]

still not to sure about that department, ive only got the 4 speed it came with. for the short drive i did with it i wasnt a big fan in the shifting quality.

Im more a fan of a manual, but more and more are going the auto direction. are a rangie or disco 5 speed an option?

Les richmond Automotive used to do a GQ 5 speed with a rover tranfer, but have since stopped making the conversion.

Suggestions??

Jarrod

[awright]

Gearbox-wise if you like the manual, there is a mob is SA who does celica 5spd conversions to the rover box and aparently a lot better than the rover 5 spd but dont know anyone who has done it yet.

The zf 4spd is good and you can get the clutch packs upgraded for the earlier models.

Re: diffs, I know a bloke who is selling a set of Maxis-upgraded rover diffs disc to disc with lockers front and rear and strengthened axles for around $3,000.

The best bit is that they bolt straight in- lockers and all. No engineering, fabbing or retro fitting lockers.

Price some arb lockers and the compressor and then compare the pricing...

[UNJUST]

thanks awright

it think a nice 5 speed would be much easier in the bush for grabbing quick gears or maybe having to rock between 1st and reverse, i had never heard of the celica conversion.

does anyone on here run an auto in an older classic rangie?

i will price up all the parts i would need to for lockers, axles, diff gears and such.

Awright, the diffs you speak of, are they in good condition and do they have lower gears? my concern now about maxidrive centres are chance of repairs/spares if it were to ever break..

my other option i have but it would end up being costly(and maybe to many electrics) is i have lexus v8 and auto sitting in my shed with no home.

i sure most know about these motors, but have heard thay my not have the torque for a good 4wd motor? More and more of them are poping up, like the one in latest 4wd monthly.

Cheers Jarrod

[ADEM]

hey mate, love wat uve done with the bobtail, it is gonna look awesome with some bigger rubber under it!

i can certainly say from my own experience that silver paint is shiet on the bodywork, my navara is scratched up everywhere and it sticks out like dogs balls

looking forward to seeing more pics soon mate!

[UNJUST]

yeah it should scrub up alright with some big tyres on it.
i thought silver might be a shitty colour. not sure what colour ill paint it now, but maybe a light straight colour, no metalic.

ive got some photos there, but since posting this thread im pretty to dig it out from under the tarp. then ill have some newer photos of progress.

Cheers Jarrod

for now though here is my other toy that sucks up some of my time.

[uninformed]

updates????

hows it going?

Serg

[UNJUST]

hey there,

Yes there is some progress and it only happened yesterday,

Ive finally dug the truck from out under the tarp in the backyard, blew it off and put it in the shed. Started fitting my LR Automotive body lift straight away, which to my disapointment they have sent me some wrong size bolts. other than that just sat there looking at it for probably an hour just nutting things out, in particular the rear bar.

Now that the chassis is 30 odd cm shorter, the chassis is now to low to mount the bar too, so im now having to mount on the body. Much in the same way most, if not all rock sliders are mounted on range rovers. I.E. bolt thru body with some crush tubes and such. I feel as though the way im planning it, it will be plenty strong enough. Just now ill have to mount recovery points directly to the chassis, no big deal though.

Im hoping to find out this week some rough idea of the cost of a rollcage, and find the closest person capable of building me one, but im pretty sure ill have to go to melbourne to have it done, its only two hours away but i dont have the best of tow cars (petrol 4x2 triton)!!! Fuel economy is pretty bad, at about 250kms a tank

Im thinking ill be best to have the cage built to CCDA rules and obviously for Vic Roads Regs, That way if i do race it, i know it will pass regs. Vic Roads for registraton and for my engineer to pass.

So first things on the job list is to

*finish chassis mods off to be able finish body lift, need to weld new rear member in. to pick up the rear body mounts.
*buy some seats that are harness friendly, need seats mounted to know where to put the cage
*Then have (hopefully) cage fitted

And heaps more jobs after that, ill put some fresh photos up this week if i get a chance, bit busy at work. then going away for a week, so thats another week i wont be on the spanners.

Cheers, Jarrod

[uninformed]

good to hear,

i understand how the rear of the chassis archs down then up, and you have cut it short so its just down now.

could you mod the chassis from behind the spring mounts so its level or sweeps back up for your rear bar.... just remember you may want to tow with this rig.....

why not have a go at building a cage yourself? buy a good bender and have at it. will come in handy for your front bar and other projects down the road.....

keep at it mate,this will be one of the good ones

Serg

[tna racing]

looking really good mate