must have upgrades

[jord070]

Hi all, New to the forum, so let me introduce myself.

My name is jordan, 18years old, Grew up in the pilbra doing alot of offroading and camping, but as times changed we moved to perth as a family and these things went away. Now that i have my licence and am approaching the end of my degree i decide im going to go and do the things i loved wile growing up. So for april in 2010 im going on a trip around and through WA/NT heading north and going all the way round... about 12,000 kms in 3 months.

So i have just over a year to get everything in order.

First thing is my car.

I have a 1991 toyota landcruiser 80series, 4.2 diesel relatively stock, already got my roo bar with flood lights, and snorkel, 4" lift kit, full roofrack but need alot more than this.

Things that i have decided on is:

*Heavy duty offroad clutch
*Upgrade the 15" wheels to 16" with AT tyres
*Upgrade the breaks, fronts get replaced with the same that is on the 100 series, and the backs try and find a suitable conversion to disks, maybe that of the 100 series again.

Things that i would love to have,But wouldnt be untill later when i can afford them is front and rear air lockers from ARB (already have hubs on front so not needed all that much)


Anyway, Lets here your opinions, if you can keep it to a system of 1. essential, and than 2. good things to have and than 3. luxuries

Thanks alot
Jordan

[BlueSuzy]

1.2. and 3. Cupholders.

[jord070]

1.2. and 3. Cupholders.

how could i forget cupholders

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

I drove an 80 to WA and back from nsw heres what i would be wanting.

2the outback draws in the back. keeps all your junk sorted and you can put a bed ontop.
1fridge.you cant get ice everywhere.
1dual batteries to run your fridge and other goodies lights etc.
1.5 a locker for sure? i dont know what you mean by hubs but if your going off the beaten track a locker will help no end. your rear LSD will only last about 4000kms then its back to a standard open style diff. toyotas are bad for this.
1a winch if you are by yourself.
1decent UHF or better.

why worry about the brakes? 80 brakes are fine? you didnt say you were towing a 30foot caravan with you. so 80 standard brakes are fine. your wasting your time and $$ on an upgrade?

I have an 80 91 DX. and it stops fine. it even stops "ok" when towing my comp rig. and it has the later 80 brakes on it. they are better but not worth worrying about for your application.

I wouldnt worry about changing your rims to 16inch? whats the benefit there?

If your clutch is fine why put in a super expensive one?

oh and check your radiators condition. they are plastic tanked pieces of crap. for a trip like that make sure its like new or get a metal one that can be fixed.

thats my 2c.

[chimpboy]

I agree with DRS... the three things you've decided on don't sound all that essential. The exception might be the clutch IF you happen to be in need of a new clutch anyway. No way would I pull out a good clutch for the upgrade to a "heavy duty" one unless I had a specific problem actually occurring.

15" rims are fine, overall probably better for you since your tyre choices are a little bit cheaper and just as good.

I would spend a while thinking about tyres, not all ATs are created equal.

And again agreeing with DRS, drawers in the back are veeeeery useful when you're touring. Dual batteries not just for accessories but for some redundancy in starting.

I wouldn't say a fridge is vital, depends on what food/drink you want to carry with you. I did a lot of the NT with no fridge and it didn't worry me.

As said elsewhere, my policy would be to replace all hoses and belts before leaving Perth, and keep the current ones as your spares. Hoses that survive thousands of kms of short trips can suddenly blow on one long trip. Same with wheel bearings btw - if you are only doing short trips they never get a chance to heat up and shiat themselves. Something to check.

I'd consider the rear locker if you can afford it, not necessarily an air locker but some kind of locker anyway.

Get a good camera and consider doing a photography short course. Seriously.

[RoldIT]

Winch would be more useful than a locker.

[bogged]

I'd be going HF radio and Sat Phone before I worried bout lockers or a 4inch lift too...

[jord070]

hey guys, thanks for the reply's

bit of feed back...

Clutch. Yeah if the clutch was fine, i would leave it, but it needs replacing anyway. So im just gonna spend the extra bob and get a good clutch.

I know the 80breaks are fine for stopping, But the ones that are on there are completly ruined, as is only one front one is still operational and the drums at the back work, But are about as efficient as well... cant think of a good metaphore but they are terrible.

i could replace them with the 80's But for the added bit of stopping power for not too much price difference im thinking i will go that bit better, That being said im still not 100% decided on that.

Draws, fridge, dual battery, locker, allready got all these sorted, i also have a false floor that the materss sits on real well, so got that bit sorted all ready.

The 15" rims, thats also a good question, im not really sure why i would opt for 16" if 15" but its just something that is in my mind, always thought that they 80's came with 16's as stock, But if im wrong i will leave them be, and get the current ones cleened up/painted.

the wintch wich is usfull, Yep got one of them too, But my bumper isnt winch compadible, its steel so i could in theory support it, But there is no mounts and i want to consult someone on fitting or leaving it be.

Chimpboy, great idea with replacing all hoses and belts, i would have done this, but not kept the old for spares, so thanks for that.

with the photography course, im actually studing Multimedia/Electronic arts, wich has coverd alot on photography so i will be taking lots of photos.

Bogged:
The 4" lift is already on the car, was on there before i got it. but i will deffinatly be looking into a radio and maybe sat phone

thanks guys
Jordan

[hammey]

maybe look into hiring a sat phone for the trip while your pricing them to buy.

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

the compartment where the jack is near teh fuel filler is handy for the hoses and belts too mate.
a compressor would be handy if you havent got one now.

early 80s came with 15inch rims. later ones went to 16inch.
so you have the correct size as per factory spec.

keep an eye out for a winch bar on here or perth4x4. then sell your current one.

or just buy a turfor winch for the trip. just as long as you have something just incase.
maybe look into a 2nd spare on the roof but depends on how far and what roads you are looking at?

[ddr]

I'd be going HF radio and Sat Phone before I worried bout lockers or a 4inch lift too...

No need for both, but can do things with HF you cant do with Sat phone, ie contact people you dont know nearby if in need of help, weather & road updates free, message & travel tips free & many others.

HF is high initial cost & lower ongoing cost.
Sat phone is lower initial cost especially if you get it before the govt rebate runs out, but ongoing costs are higher.

Dad hired sat phone 2 years ago, was $700 for 6 weeks.

[lay80n]

Did 80's have drum rear, i thought they were 4 wheel disc (i know the handbrake is technically a drum break as it works on the inside of the rear disc).


Layto....

[Ruffy]

Did 80's have drum rear, i thought they were 4 wheel disc (i know the handbrake is technically a drum break as it works on the inside of the rear disc).


Layto....

I second this... If you've got an 80 with a drum brake rear end it would be the first one i've known of.

[jord070]

yeah it has drums, I wasn't aware that they came with drums either, but i has just amused that it was normal... be interesting to see when i replace them

[+dj_hansen+]

Very early models had drum brakes, specifically i think they were only on the base and DX models somewhere up to 91.

[cookiesmonsta]

Did 80's have drum rear, i thought they were 4 wheel disc (i know the handbrake is technically a drum break as it works on the inside of the rear disc).


Layto....

I second this... If you've got an 80 with a drum brake rear end it would be the first one i've known of.

My 80 is a 90 model dx and has drum rear end.

[sheriff]

go HF radio or Sat Phone they are a must i lived on a station in the middle of NT you might not need them but u never know sat phones are around $2000 at the moment when i was at the station back in june last year they got one 2 tanks for diesel and something to hold water at least 20ltr's i would go with 2 spares as well

[Coogs]

cargo barrier to keep everything out of the front seat,

good spares box with-
bearing and grease(gun), hose clamps(various sizes), gaffa tape,fuses,wheel stud and nut,petrol tank repair putty,wd 40(or similar),puncture repair kit,pressure guage,compressor,tarp(water xing/laying on/under),ratchet straps,2m electrical wire,assorted conectors,spare length heater hose & fuel hose,

vehicle specific tool kit

good attitude

[kirstyandgrace]

I may see you on the road, my thread is in the general chit chat area.

I'm going further in much less car though

Nothing to really add to the above advice apart from the obvious, plenty of fuel, water etc.

Enjoy it, I can't wait to get started

[-Scott-]

15" rims are fine, overall probably better for you since your tyre choices are a little bit cheaper and just as good.

Sorry, I've got to take exception with this.

15" tyres are cheaper - yes. Just as good? I will never agree.

The most common sizes you can expect to find in outback Australia are (15") 31x10.5 and (16") 265/75. Curiously enough, both tyres have the same cross section width and sidewall height, so the 16" tyre is 1" taller.

The difference is in load ratings. I have yet to see a 31x10.5R15 which is not rated 109 - that's 1030kg per tyre, which is arguably more than enough. 265/75R16 go up to 123, which is 1550kg per tyre.

But these load ratings are maximum loads under ideal conditions - typically, high pressures. When touring in a 4wd, we normally want to run lower pressures (and typically lower speeds) on rough roads, which reduces the load carrying ability of the tyre. That's eroding the tyre's "margin".

Which margin would you rather be eroding as you lower your tyre pressures? 1030kg per tyre, or 1550 kg per tyre?

I firmly believe that a good (operative word) 265/75R16 tyre is a much better touring proposition than any 15" tyre. The last few trips I've been on have been primarily vehicles shod with 16s, with one 80 series on 15s. Only one vehicle routinely has tyre troubles - can you guess which one?

Yes, 16s cost more, but I believe the cost is worth it. Presuming the vehicle is mechanically sound and well serviced, I would make 16" tyres my number 1 priority before such a trip.

I would spend a while thinking about tyres, not all ATs are created equal.

I agree. But I wouldn't choose "AT" tyres either. I think the traditional lines between A/T and M/T have been obliterated, and there's a class of tyre in between - it started with the MT/R, and is now populated by tyres like STT, MT/Z, Toyo (whatever) and probably others I haven't kept up with (new BFG M/T? - the AT/Z is probably entering the group too). Better traction than "traditional" A/Ts, but nowhere near as noisey as traditional M/Ts.

[Eff]

Jerry Cans for extra fuel and water. First Aid Kit.

Eff