Terranosaurus Obituary

[sibainmud]

With the recent demise of the gearbag, it is time to lay it to rest.
The decision had to be made to retire it as a WOF is unobtainable due to lots of issues, the main one being large cracks appearing and growing in the floor pan in both front foot wells. Cert is required too, so rather than throw good money after bad it’s time to cut the losses.
What to do now?
Business hasn’t been that good so far this year (pro’s and con’s of the leisure industry), so I have no money in the bank.
Do I save for a month or two and buy another D21, swap all my goodies over, cert it and get another 3 odd years of use/abuse or wipe the slate clean and sell all the D21 specific parts and spares and save for 4 or 5 months and get a 70 or something like that?
Worst part is, by the 3rd week of not getting out there, I become cage crazed and are unbearable to live with (according to my girl-friend).
So which way do I turn at these cross roads?

The reason for putting it in Projects/Mods is that I will document and post the next build (whatever it may be).

Condolences’ and suggestions gratefully accepted (even a cheap donner D21 3dr)

Cheers,
Simon.

[Filthy4x4]

R.I.P Terranosaurus,
You were a soldier, your good looks and the rumble of your voice will be missed dearly



Onwards and upwards aye Simon

I look forward to the next project



I think a 70 has your name all over it

[taz01]

bush truck it dude ........save for a shiny tow wagon

[sibainmud]

bush truck it dude ........save for a shiny tow wagon

Best suggestion so far.
Still need a gearbox ($700 or so) and a trailer.

Forgot to mention, my road car is a 2000 Mazda Bounty 2wd Diesel. Though it has reasonable grunt, it lacks the towing capacity for a trailer queen.

Do I sell that too, to help fund next project?

Cheers,

[juz]

3dr terranos are cheap man, just swap everything over if $$ is a scarce. I picked up a wofd regod 3dr for $700 last yr and a damaged one for $500 couple years ago.

[Lynx]

bush truck it dude ........save for a shiny tow wagon

With all these new lift rules, this is by far the best idea.

Trailer queens are where its at.

Cheers Daniel

[u13turbo]

It is an awesome truck, something for mine to look up2. a shame thats its gotta end..

[taz01]

bush truck it dude ........save for a shiny tow wagon

Best suggestion so far.
Still need a gearbox ($700 or so) and a trailer.

Forgot to mention, my road car is a 2000 Mazda Bounty 2wd Diesel. Though it has reasonable grunt, it lacks the towing capacity for a trailer queen.

Do I sell that too, to help fund next project?

Cheers,

a-frame or dolly as a starter upgrade as funds allow......if i can dolly my 3.5 ton beast with a volvo s/w 2.3 or a mitsi magna 2.4 although stopping was interesting....... your bounty should be fine............

[SP450andLE]

70? Hmmm... YES! You might break less that way. Possibly.

Sad to see the 'rrano go, though...

[Sadam_Husain]

lots of options mate but I guess it sounds like the bank manager will be making the decision for ya, personaly... as much as you like your terrano it sounds like time to move on to something a bit stronger with a solid axle and steering and shit that dosent need strengthening that bends and breaks every time you go out, 70 Cruisers are good but they are still old leaf sprung trucks and most of them are grunty 38hp 3b diesel slugs, Safaris are coiled and have a lot more grunt with their 4.2TDs and I dont think the price difference is a hell of a lot?


anyway when I come back to my sences you know you really want a chevy cruiser

[kiwipete]

Im gutted Simon, watching with interest all the same.

[sibainmud]

I was looking at a 70 with a 1HD manual. Shame about the leaves though.
I'm thinking of not only the purchase price but the cost of up keep and no matter how tough, I'll break stuff for sure!

Still considering options.
Word is from her indoors; we may have to do more things together
HELP

[u13turbo]

If you end up parting her out, first dibs on draglink, exhaust and manual conversion parts, and could be keen on a few other parts Goodluck with whatever you end up doing.

[churchill]

And I thought it would never die . What about a Safari? They're supposed to be tougher than the average truck, and pretty capable. 80 series Cruiser?

[u13turbo]

And I thought it would never die . What about a Safari? They're supposed to be tougher than the average truck, and pretty capable. 80 series Cruiser?

Yeah safari would be good, they bloody heavy though. But they are tough, plenty of grunt, and coiled.

[DieselBoy]

I don't get it, whats wrong with leaves??

Coils ain't the be all and end all. Leaves have their place!!

Coil springs are very simple design compaired to a leaf spring, the leaf is far superier performace wise. You can tune a leaf springs rate at any point in its compression. The only down side to leaf springs is space, long travel means a long spring.

Toyota have the leaf springs sorted in the 70 series. They work well.

[Taz]

Cheap Saf for sale down south at the mo on the forum. Looks a bit rough on the outside but you could probably part it out for what you paid for it if it doesn't work out.

[sibainmud]

I don't get it, whats wrong with leaves??

Coils ain't the be all and end all. Leaves have their place!!

Coil springs are very simple design compaired to a leaf spring, the leaf is far superier performace wise. You can tune a leaf springs rate at any point in its compression. The only down side to leaf springs is space, long travel means a long spring.

Toyota have the leaf springs sorted in the 70 series. They work well.

Was waiting for that post

It an't dead yet, just crippled. Drove home under it's own steam.

I know this has been covered in other threads;
What's the rules on dollying or frameing?
Can I put it on farm reg if i live in the city?
Then I can keep the plates, and it won't get pinged by some over-active parking warden at 2am while parked on the road outside my house.
I'm thinking of replacing box and building a braked dolly to get it around on.
Keep them coming.
Cheers,

[crazyclark31]

Cheap Saf for sale down south at the mo on the forum. Looks a bit rough on the outside but you could probably part it out for what you paid for it if it doesn't work out.

Yeh is bit ruff panel wise but rest of it is sound.
Is a function over form thing.(we have tight tracks down here .

The cruisers are a good choice to though

[turoa]

I don't get it, whats wrong with leaves??

Coils ain't the be all and end all. Leaves have their place!!

Coil springs are very simple design compaired to a leaf spring, the leaf is far superier performace wise. You can tune a leaf springs rate at any point in its compression. The only down side to leaf springs is space, long travel means a long spring.

Toyota have the leaf springs sorted in the 70 series. They work well.

I dont wanna wank on about it but my personal experience with leaves is that they are shithouse.

Ive run various combinations over the years. Leaves all round, leaf front coil rear, airshock front leaf rear and leaf all round and can honestly say i have had it with leaf sub par performance. Ive played with leaf packs and added and subtracted leaves and swapped packs.

Leaf front - flexed up mint and was stable as, but try and hit anything with speed and ##### fucked. All it did was bounce in a random direction.

Leaf rear - goin up hill climbs at full blat the front end was gliding gracefully over the terrain and it felt like the rear end was just hangin on for the ride. Suspension seats actually made it bearable to ride in.

Leaf all round - just a general shit ride. can flex ok if played with.

Coil all round - my only truck with coils all round has been a bog standard rangie and it shat all over any leafspring setup in terms of ride. Not great flex though cause it was bog standard and a thrasher. Driven and ridden in plenty of trucks with coils allround. Awesome ride and flex.

New truck going coilovers all round. Easy to calculate spring rate, comfy as hell ride, nothing to get hung up on, and mega flex availible on tap. And the best part is that its a hell of a lot cheaper to get the parts as opposed to spending mega bucks on cart springs, just needs alot more research.

If leaves are so epic then why doesnt every truck that get built come with them.

And yes if you are a muppet then please dont try build a coil setup cause you'll fawk it up big time

[sibainmud]

I was hoping the word muppet wouldn't come up
Cheers,

[meatc]

keep it, A frame it, perhaps auto trans swap with manual shift mod to take some of the shock loads out of the driveline. TO much money in having a road legal toy IMHO. Oh and weld the foor cracks up once the mud starts getting in, in mean tion they let the water out.

as for you q's
A frame = towing, so must be safe to be towed that is nothing falling off, lights on back if vehicle lights can't be seen.

dolly = trailer, wof and reg and dont particularly tow any better and brakes would be interesting to say the least.

farm reg - Na but put it on exemption 12 months at a time.

Your bounty will tow it now worries. I tow my zuk based winch truck on unbraked tadem trailer with my 4x4 courier (2006) and my braked 25ft caravan

for my money a frame and save pennies to maintain front end.

[Drurban]

Yes quite unfortunate about that Simon you really do live up to the saying drive it like you stole it, I have very good memories of being passenger, it was deffiently an awesome truck even tho you got Shyte for it some times.

Even tho the gearbox went it still kept on going which amazed me no reverse so what, but still what ever you decide you will make it better and strong with what you have learnt from the ranno.

R.I.P Terranosaurus you will be missed.

[CRAZYBUSTARD]

by a jeep

[taz01]

a-frame no need for any reg/wof in fact you dont even need lights!!! but they keep mr plod away......
down side is veh has to be in rolling condition

dolly same as trailer reg/wof/lights etc pays to have lights on back of truck too.... braked ones (like stinkys) work great less push on the tow veh unbraked (like mine) tend to push ya round in corners
upside only need one end rolling ie: rear or front broken end goes on dolly
as for her indoors......buy her a dog good company and she can kick it when shes pissed at you when your out 4wheeling

[muddyhilux]

hey mate,cant say ive ever meet you or seen your truck in the flesh but ive heard your good at fixing things

to me this sounds like a perfect platform to keep as a bush truck,only needs basic repairs to body if you don't like the breeze from the floor pans.change out the gear box.ok expensive but how longs your current one lasted (also take into account it wont be daily driver any more).and SAS it,you'll brake a lot less then you are now and then braked dolly it to and from areas.as said you only need one end rolling and your away,and id be very surprised if your other vehicle didn't pull it

one thing with going to a new vehicle is you have to start learning all over again (not a bad thing) but with what you know its easier and usually cheaper

my thoughts anyway,take what you will

[sibainmud]

Ok. Thanks for all the wonderful replies.
After thinking about it, a different truck would be good, but I have been spoilt with a cheap never ending supply of spares, so this is what I have got.


And a good HEAVY DUTY gearbox as well.
Now to swap the goodies over
Cheers,

[taz01]

was looking at your avatar.........bigger tyres huh.............http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/Forums/ ... 15&t=25538

[ice4x4]

Ok. Thanks for all the wonderful replies.
After thinking about it, a different truck would be good, but I have been spoilt with a cheap never ending supply of spares, so this is what I have got.


And a good HEAVY DUTY gearbox as well.
Now to swap the goodies over
Cheers,

poor unsuspecting Terrano sitting there. It has no idea what you have in store for it...

[sibainmud]

was looking at your avatar.........bigger tyres huh.............http://www.offroadexpress.co.nz/Forums/ ... 15&t=25538

Ha Ha, yeah 150mm body lift needed. Might need one of those cards signed by the club..........oh, that's right, I can do my own
Cheers,