Troopy’s mods

27 January 2013

It’s a bit overdue, I know, well it’s only been a year but here’s a list of the mods since I bought the car.

September 2008 I bought this : Toyota Landcruiser HZJ75 “Troop carrier”. 1998 model, straight 6cyl, 4.2L. 299.338km. I bought it from CFA (Country Fire Authority, the fire department in Victoria), needless to say they took good care of Troopy. It was fitted with
– UHF radio
– Bullbar
– Snorkel
– 2 inches lift kit
– Eleven seats
– Two additional headlights

I took it for a spin on the Oodnadatta track for two weeks and I bought
– Bushranger MaxAirII air compressor
– A shovel
– Two jerry-cans and a military canteen as an eski.
– And that’s it.

Over the years I replaced or repaired
– Timing belt
– Four tyres.
– Wheel hub seals
– Front axle
– Power steering pump
– Gearbox
– Transfer case
– Various filters, joints, bearings, etc

Then I left it in SCS 4WD‘s competent hands and this is the result :
– Heavy duty clutch
– Eleven seats out, two sports seats in (the two benches at the back got sent to the tip, and the three seats in the front are for sale).
– Dual battery system
– Long range fuel tank (150L) (added to the original 90L tank, that’s a total of 240L, excluding the two jerry-cans)
– Rear differential air locker (to block the diff when I get bogged)
– Ironman 12000lb winch (to pull us out of the ditch)
– Two Kaymar rear wheel carriers (to hold the two spare wheels at the back)
– New interior LED lighting (to minimize the impact on the batteries while I have bright light inside the car)
– Second hand storage system (two drawers below, and five cabinets under the roof)
– Some clever insulation (for the cold Siberian nights)
– Rhino roof rack (which will eventually have to be replaced to accommodate the rooftop tent)
– Four LightForce headlights (for extra light while driving at night)
– Old Man Emu suspension kit (heavy duty shock absorbers plus three extra inches in height, so a few extra suspension blades)
– Second hand water tank (60L of fresh water)
– Second hand centre console (nothing like an armrest, plus some storage underneath)
– Second hand Waeco 50L fridge (runs on the second battery, and keeps my beer cool)
– Six BFGoodrich AllTerrain tyres (for extra grip)
– Six white rims (I should have bought black rims though)

Then I went and blew the radiator in the Nullarbor, ripped a tyre in the Tanami desert, killed a battery in Kakadu, accidentally unplugged something in the air-conditioning system in Timor, killed the starter dynamo in southern Thailand, blew a tyre in northern Thailand, and detached the winch cable in Cambodia. All that in 40.000km. I wonder if YOUR car is any better 🙂

There is of course a long long list of tools, camping equipment, survival gear, cooking stuff, clothes, books and stuff onboard, but that’s just my way of traveling. Some will take a toothbrush and three pairs of underwear and that’s it, I like to pack a bit more things. Granted, a lot of what I brought hasn’t been used in a year (such as a few too many pair of boots, or my cheffing clothes, for instance) but a lot of it was essential. Or was it ?