And another Kiwi with a Ex NZ Army Truck

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Hermanus
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:55 am
Location: New Zealand

And another Kiwi with a Ex NZ Army Truck

Post by Hermanus »

Hi Everyone, thought I'd better join in the fun and post something too. I bought King Arthur The Ugly in December, and most of the summer has been lost trying to get those @#$@ restrictors out of the carbs (turned out the c-ring didn't compress and had come out of the groove, and converting it into a hardtop.
Drove it from Rotorua to Christchurch no problems, didn't miss a beat.
Some other very minor mods like different seats and working on a radio at the moment.
Looking at raising the high range transfer gearing, or something else to decrease fuel consumption, as it is starting to annoy me with the current petrol prices.

Some pictures:

When I got it:
Image

After Hardtop was fitted:
Image

Up on Desert Road:
Image

Will hopefully get some more work done on her slowly. Dual fueltanks system doesn't work, heater doesn't work and want to convert into a ute cab or maybe even back into softtop. Other things include water & soundproofing, taking the play out of the steering, and general 4X4 accesoires.

She's not mint, and I managed to destroy the nice new paint job on it within a month, but she does the job, and that leaves plenty of opportunity for improvements in the future.
disco2hse
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:51 am
Location: Auckland NZ

Post by disco2hse »

Hi Hermanus,

Welcome aboard :)

Pretty straight looking number that one.

What is it about the dual tanks that doesn't work, side or rear? There are two fuel pumps and one may not be working or a blocked filter or something else. They are not hard to sort.

The heater may be a little more complex. Probably the cooling system needs to be pressure flushed but it could be that the heater valve on the rear end of the engine has crapped out, there may be an air lock in the heater matrix, etc. I assume the fan is working?

I can recommend the ute cab option. Great sound levels, easier to get and keep warm, allows the vehicle to be used in more functional ways,... Running sound can be greatly reduced by getting rid of the SATs and replacing with something else.

Water proofing will always be an issue :?

Steering play may be as simple as adjusting the steering box to the correct level of play (there should be a little play, but not more that 15º). It may be as complex as replacing bushes in the steering relay or track rod ball joints. Hopefully it is not the swivel pin.

Looks pretty good with the hard top but I would suppose that it is noisy.

I take it you are based in Rotorua?
Alan

1983 ex-army FFR 109 Stage 1
2005 Disco 2 HSE TD5
Hermanus
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:55 am
Location: New Zealand

Post by Hermanus »

Wow cheers for the help.

Yep she's pretty standard. Nothing fancy, but does the job.

The rear fuel tank isn't working, probably the solenoid valve thing, or just a disconnected wire somewhere. Shouldn't be hard to fix, but just need to get some time.

The heater fan isn't working, not sure if heater itself is ok, can't really test it and couldn't be really bothered up until now when the weather turned cold.

I checked the steering, and the problem is tie rod ends. All of them have play. Steering box is fine though.

Yep I will start keeping an eye on trademe for a decent ute roof, I agree it seems like the best option, and, now you mention it, the ones I drove seemed a lot quieter than my aluminium box :D Also much more functional indeed, I would be able to chuck motorbikes on it and get the dog out of my face. But for now it's handy to be able to 'lock' things into it. And I wouldn't be able to camp in it anymore.

Been thinking about getting rid of the tyres, but it's such a waste to throw out a set of half worn tyres. They're not really worth anything anymore. And if I do replace them, it's still close to NZ$1200 or more for a good set of mudders. Not sure if it is worth it. I'll keep an eye on 2nd hands on ebay / trademe. Does anyone know if late model defender alloy rims fit these trucks? The stud pattern is the same I think, but do the closed centres in those wheels clear the extended hubs?

Yes I used to be based in Rotovegas, have moved to Christchurch in februari, were I am at university in the halls / dorms / boarding (whichever you prefer to call it), so don't have a lot of workshop facilities at the moment, just the carpark basically. Hopefully when I finish uni in November and get a decent place of my own I can get onto some of the bigger issues.
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gary_in_nz
Posts: 138
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:57 am
Location: Gisborne, New Zealand
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Post by gary_in_nz »

good on you mate, like disco said above looks pretty straight for an ex army hahaha. Rotorua to christchurch is one hell of a trip in one of these, how many times did you have to stop and fill the little tank if the big ones not going? had similar issues with the one i had turned out to be the switch for the tank, so easy fix. later on replaced solinoids and things but start with the easy stuff! best of luck with you truck!!
"If it ain't v8, take it back"
disco2hse
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:51 am
Location: Auckland NZ

Post by disco2hse »

Check the wiring to the fan, or it may be the brushes that need replacing. Pretty much everything on the heater is fixable except the matrix.

Tie rod bushes are pretty cheap. You can get the bits locally and there are plenty of Landie enthusiasts in the area that I am sure will help you out maybe for some quid pro quo.

I have a large lockable container in the back for storage. In the front I made a cubby box for the little stuff. You can fit 110 door locks into the holes where the locks should go. They just slot straight in.

I sold off a set of used SATs last year on tardme. Got about $100 for them. Fencing contractor wanted them for his dual rear wheels, so you'd be surprised at how quickly they would sell.

New tyres are damned expensive but your choice is a bit limited by the vehicle. Don't go looking at huge muddies. You won't have the offset clearance for very wide tyres, you are limited by the practical diameter of the tyres, and since there is no power steering having tyres that are too wide on the front just becomes annoying.

Some I have seen have been happy with their BGFs. I stayed with 750x16s (as per original specs) but with Bridgestone MT D673. Been happy with them and very good road manners. I would not recommend 2nd hand tyres in any event unless they were ex-comp simex's or something like that. But then you'd be paying as much for those as you would for a new set of Bridgestones.

I doubt late model Defender rims will fit. Newer models have a different size hub with the disk brakes. Earlier brake drum models would fit but the Stage 1 has a different offset to standard series - *Remember this is a series 3, not a Defender.* For example you can stick standard series rims on but they will scrape on the front when turning and on the rear when articulating.

Good wagon for CHCH at the mo' though. Getting you through all that sand and crap. Hope the new semester goes well.
Alan

1983 ex-army FFR 109 Stage 1
2005 Disco 2 HSE TD5
Hermanus
Posts: 5
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2011 5:55 am
Location: New Zealand

Post by Hermanus »

Thanks for all the tips guys! Really appreciate it.

I'll have a look at the heater and dual fuel system in the next few weeks when I hopefully get some more time, tyres will have to wait till they're worn enough to either fail the warrant or continiously get me stuck cause they haven't got any traction left. I had been looking at those bridgestones before. They seem to be the cheapest decent mud tyre around as far as I have heard. I'll stick to the standard rims & size (235/85R16 I believe) just to make things easier and keep it original.

Will get the steering done at the end of the year hopefully in combination with the transfer gear swap. I still stay in my lane and it didn't fail the warrant on it the other day so she'll be alright.

About warrants (or MOTs) by the way; I won't name the garage, but they passed my truck with a leaking brake wheel cylinder and two DIY fitted non officially anchored seatbelts(just drilled a hole through the wall and put a bolt through). Pretty casual aye? Then they failed it because the brakelights weren't working (lose connection on the switch) and warned me because the propshafts had play in them, which I need to replace before the next warrant. Yeah Right.

Rotorua to Christchurch (roughly 800-900km for people from other places) isn't too bad when you take your time. I took a 6 days to do it, was my first time ever travelling south of Taupo, so did some sightseeing on the way. Used to fill up every morning as I left, but it doesn't run too bad, would still do in excess of 250 kms on the front tank. Just about 1L to 7km or 15L to 100km according to my maths. Keep in mind it's just highway driving though. Driving in CHCH is a totally different story, she's alright, although a bit bumpy at the moment as all the leafs are stuck together so she needs some decent offroad (ab)use and a lot of grease. But the fuel they go through in town just isn't funny. And I consider myself a pretty anticipating light-footed driver, so no excessive petrol wastage there...
You can go in comfort, you can go fast...
...But I can go anywhere
disco2hse
Posts: 1637
Joined: Sun Apr 27, 2008 3:51 am
Location: Auckland NZ

Post by disco2hse »

Hermanus wrote:About warrants (or MOTs) by the way; I won't name the garage, but they passed my truck with a leaking brake wheel cylinder and two DIY fitted non officially anchored seatbelts(just drilled a hole through the wall and put a bolt through). Pretty casual aye? Then they failed it because the brakelights weren't working (lose connection on the switch) and warned me because the propshafts had play in them, which I need to replace before the next warrant. Yeah Right.
I wouldn't go back there. Just because you have a warrant doesn't make you road legal, and if it's not up to scratch you're not covered by insurance either.
Hermanus wrote:15L to 100km
Bout the same as mine. Had mine down to 12l when well tuned (not often).
Alan

1983 ex-army FFR 109 Stage 1
2005 Disco 2 HSE TD5
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