"bulletproofs" hilux specs and Videos

[Bulletproof]

The diff in the front of my hilux is out of a 5 cyl 92 landcruiser. All the running Gear including nugget, axles. CVs and stub axles are the same as the KZ prado so there is no shortage of parts.
The prados have a light weight round diff housing where my one is 100x90 box section made of Heavy plate.

The disadvange of welding a gusset under any diff is the loss of ground clearence which is one of the most important things for 4 wheel driving

I have had the diff in 5 years now and crashed it against huge boulders in the Grey and Ahaura rivers and have never done any damage at all.
When I had a hilux diff I was always smashing the housing in against the crown and had to weld a 12mm plate on the front to stop it happening.

The weakest part of the front end now seems to be the ARB locker and I have broken 2 long shafts holding the spider gears.

For any one running the older lockers there are a couple of mods that need to be made.

1 The Cross shaft for the spider gears is only doweled at one end. So when they break they fall out and rub on the pinion.
The replacement ones have a hole at both ends so you need to drill a hole and fit another dowel
2 The short shafts have side play against the locator block in the middle. This causes the short shafts to work loose and flog out the housing.
To fix the problem shims need to be fitted between spider gear and Spacer block on the long shaft to take out the side movement.

I hope Im not confusing you but if you have your lockers out it would pay to check.

I take my diffs out once a year and reset all preloads and back lashes to new and run solid spacers with cruiser adjusting shims.
I was one of the first with the ARBs and they have done 200,000 ks now

Cheers Richard

[turoa]

try finding a cheap landcruiser front end compared to a lux one

he disadvange of welding a gusset under any diff is the loss of ground clearence which is one of the most important things for 4 wheel driving

you put them on top of the housing then???

besides, the gusset doesnt hang below diff height so its not too often you'd actually get hung up on it

[Bulletproof]

besides, the gusset doesnt hang below diff height so its not too often you'd actually get hung up on it

I disagree completely.

anything hanging down, it doesn't matter where it is is a huge disadvantage for real 4 wheel driving.

And a gusset on top of the diff is nowhere near as strong as one under the diff. Look at the army Landrovers they drop from helicopters and where they put the gusset. Its under the diff.

Bulletproof

[toysuzi]

my god, that is awesome, rekkon it would look good BLACK!!!!

Hey you said some of the previous pictures were taken from videos?? got any links to them online so we can see this in real time action??

cheers

Just a small clip of petrol hill at anzac 2008

For anyone that doesnt know about petrol hill. It is a rocky hill climb with solid rock face at the top. In the early days only V8 petrols got up. In the winch challenge last year no modified trucks drove it.

some how the aspect is wrong should have been 16x9




I think you have to double click on picture

Bulletproof

a little bird told me it took you around 20 goes to get up
as the refton challenge goes no one got to look and it was under the clock.
so we attempted it did not make it up winched then towed the others up all in around 6 min

as you know your lux is a hell of a lot more capable than the trucks we had in the nelson team i was co driving in.
we will have to get you in a nelson team for 2009

love the build
so whats next on the to do list

also do you know who was the one first to call you bulletproof but not to your face ?

[Bulletproof]

a little bird told me it took you around 20 goes to get up

Obviously your little bird doesn't know how to count.
In the past I have never failed on petrol hill on the first attempt,and have not even struggled. At anzac weekend it was the first trip up petrol hill with the new suspension.

I had 25 lbs in the tyres and had 4 goes at getting up but it didn't look close.
Looking at the video the front end was bouncing on the rock. An adjustable pair of shocks would probably fix the problem.

Im sure with the leaf springs I would have driven staight up with 25 lbs

I then let the tyres down and drove up without any trouble at all. Easy in fact

With my arithmetic that makes 5 goes

Richard

[cool__bananas]

I disagree with your comment about trial drivers, in my opinion they dont have balls to do real 4 wheel driving. In trials the banks are small ,The water is shallow with no current and every time I challenge them to big stuff they chicken out.

are you serious? have you actually ever seen a real trials truck?

[cool__bananas]

so are you tryna say that that isnt steep?!?

[DaveM]

are you serious? have you actually ever seen a real trials truck?

Of course he is serious, you don't do "real" 4wding!

[Shane]

my god, that is awesome, rekkon it would look good BLACK!!!!

Hey you said some of the previous pictures were taken from videos?? got any links to them online so we can see this in real time action??

cheers

Just a small clip of petrol hill at anzac 2008

For anyone that doesnt know about petrol hill. It is a rocky hill climb with solid rock face at the top. In the early days only V8 petrols got up. In the winch challenge last year no modified trucks drove it.

some how the aspect is wrong should have been 16x9

I think you have to double click on picture

Bulletproof

a little bird told me it took you around 20 goes to get up
as the refton challenge goes no one got to look and it was under the clock.
so we attempted it did not make it up winched then towed the others up all in around 6 min

as you know your lux is a hell of a lot more capable than the trucks we had in the nelson team i was co driving in.
we will have to get you in a nelson team for 2009

love the build
so whats next on the to do list

also do you know who was the one first to call you bulletproof but not to your face ?

driving petrol hill at any time is a pretty good effort,havent had a chance myself,got a trip there in a few months,looking forward to it, probley wont have enough power for the weight of my vehicle,I'll be giving it a crack though

I think the winch challange vehicles only run 33's for that comp?not sure how well the narrow simex work on rock esp when wet?

Good thread Richard,keep the vids coming

[Bulletproof]

A money saving mod very worth while is protection around the front lights. Over the years I've lost count on the number of side lights I have been through.
To solve the problem I went down to the gravel crusher plant and found some off cuts of their screening mesh which is high tensile.
There are many sizes there. I used 18x18x5 mm which seems to work fine.

I have made them quickly detachable so I can take them off to drive at night because they do restrict the amount of light from the headlights. Because I rarely drive at night I leave them on most of the time. Still road legal for WOF for day time driving with them fitted as the flasher still shows through

To take off I undo the 2 bolts on side



Front veiw



Cheers Richard

[Bulletproof]

video clip
Cleaning out the big Moa Bones Bog Xmas 2007. It took 5 mins to do . Then most drove straight through





Have fun Bulletproof

[Bulletproof]

video.

Failed attempt at the big bog holes on the Coppermine Creek Track at Haast. Ended up winching through.
A new track is now cut around them.
No one else attempted them that day. Did alot of damage with the grit in the water.
Stuffed Rear Crankshaft seal , Rear bearing seals , Alternator bearings so cost me about 300 dollars




Cheers Richard

[albundy]

Failed attempt at the big bog holes on the Coppermine Creek Track at Haast. Ended up winching through.
A new track is now cut around them.
No one else attempted them that day. Did alot of damage with the grit in the water.
Stuffed Rear Crankshaft seal , Rear bearing seals , Alternator bearings so cost me about 300 dollars

Good bog holes too. Was in there QB weekend. Spent an hour trying to get out of the first one, then two winchs and maxtrax to get up the steep creek exit. We killed a jeep in the last long one, and agian dead alternators, dizzys, petrol motors etc.
Al

[Bulletproof]

Small clip of rescue at haast June 2004 in the Hope river near Barn Bay.



Bulletproof

[cool__bananas]

besides, the gusset doesnt hang below diff height so its not too often you'd actually get hung up on it

I disagree completely.

anything hanging down, it doesn't matter where it is is a huge disadvantage for real 4 wheel driving.

And a gusset on top of the diff is nowhere near as strong as one under the diff. Look at the army Landrovers they drop from helicopters and where they put the gusset. Its under the diff.

Bulletproof

well i agree with turoa

in "real" 4wding its not just deeps ruts, you dont need much diff clearance at all to go up a steep bank, you need gearbox clearance but even then with enough speed you can get over

[Bulletproof]

well i agree with turoa

in "real" 4wding its not just deeps ruts, you dont need much diff clearance at all to go up a steep bank, you need gearbox clearance but even then with enough speed you can get over

I would like to ask you question. Why do people run 35-39inch tyres if the diff clearance is not important ?

Its not just ruts but rocks, roots, stumps and many other things that stops a 4 wheel drive in its tracks.

I have 300mm under the diff and 480mm under the gear box cross member and that has never been a problem even with the long wheelbase because as you say " with a bit of speed you get over"

I like the photo of your truck on the steep bank. Good photo for the front of a mag.

Bulletproof

[cool__bananas]

thats not my truck, its nz1 in trialing i attemped that to though, but people run those tyre sizes for clearance in ruts, i do agree with that, but you cant say that "in real 4wding diff height is needed" because thats only somethings, not all types of 4x4ing need it, some people might say that club trips are not real 4wding, it depends

[Bulletproof]

"in real 4wding diff height is needed" because thats only somethings, not all types of 4x4ing need it, some people might say that club trips are not real 4wding, it depends

I agree completely with what you say because it is all relative, and even a grade 1 trip which I also enjoy is real 4 wheel driving to a lot of people .

When I mentioned about people not having balls . It was a very general comment because very few people that do trialing or belong to clubs really do " REAL 4 WHEEL DRIVING " Where a persons life is on the line. It is mainly the Farmers , Hunters and people who work in the bush that push the limits in huge rivers and high country steep tracks and that is why there are quite a few deaths every year.

I dont want to argue about this but statisics speak for themselves.


Richard

[hosehustler]

I've gotta side with Richard,
trials type events are very few and far between down here most probably due to lack of interest.......or more precicely.....more "other" 4wding to enjoy
We are very, very privilaged down here and 4-wheeling is but an hour or 2 away from the main centres, a vehicle down here has to be road legal as well as modified, with winch to get where we want and back, as I can assure you from personal experience over the years there's no one anywhere close, handy or willing with an excavator, 4wd tractor, or skidder (as the trials boys have on tap) to 'help you out of the bog hole'.... or to fix ya truck if you have a break down or a stuck major, it's just the friends/gear you're with and the elements, and that's it
and that's "real 4wding"
It's not how capable your trailer queen is...but what you can achieve by your mods/odds, daring, skill, and ability to return to civlisation.
This shown pic I took on a latest trip of Albundy at Haast queens birthday weekend 2008 (I have 20 years worth of similar pics all over the SI) , he's on 35's huge lift, lockers and every other mod known for a Safari, stuck up to his balls, absolutely pissing down rain, 2 winches in use, artificial tracks being put down, 3 shovels in use, and that's the driver getting to work in the shot, and we'd already been winching for 2-3 hours.
The only fuel or help is many, many miles/hours away (one of the most remote parts of NZ) he's loving it, doing it, and yes we fixed it with an alternator swap on the third day.
To us down here, right or wrong thats what we think is real 4x4 NZ Style.

[DaveM]

The thing that makes me laugh is that a lot of "real" 4wders think that if you don't attempt a hard track/obstacle, you don't have "balls"
A lot of time it comes down to not wanting to do damage, and perhaps a lack of confidence (as apposed to excess cockiness)

And if anyone takes the above personally, don't it's not aimed at anyone on here, it's just what I have observed on trips at times, and it gets a little boring putting up with ego's.

At least the ORE trips I have been on have had guys full of advice and encouragement.

Oh, and that above pic, I'd expect nothing less from Al


Sorry for the O/T

[Bulletproof]

The thing that makes me laugh is that a lot of "real" 4wders think that if you don't attempt a hard track/obstacle, you don't have "balls"
A lot of time it comes down to not wanting to do damage, and perhaps a lack of confidence (as apposed to excess cockiness)

And if anyone takes the above personally, don't it's not aimed at anyone on here, it's just what I have observed on trips at times, and it gets a little boring putting up with ego's.

At least the ORE trips I have been on have had guys full of advice and encouragement.

Oh, and that above pic, I'd expect nothing less from Al


Sorry for the O/T

Yes I have seen what you are talking about on a lot of club trips. I personally dont believe any one should be belittled or pressured into something they are not comfortable with implying they dont have the balls because everyone is different.

Years ago I did competition and competitors are under pressure to perform and as a result of that I nearly ended up in court.

I flagged competition with other vehicles away and now challenge nature which I consider a lot more fulfilling, going somewhere no one has been before. So as Tim says a number of like minded people get together and as a team, with well set up trucks put our trucks up against what the real world can throw against us.

Theres no pressure to out perform each other and as long as we can back home in one piece our mission has been accomplished helping each other to get through .

If you look at Als birthday trip you will see the teams are already made up, and they are not competing against each other.

We are not trying to make out we are any better than anyone else, Its our version of "Real 4 wheel Driving"

Cheers richard

[rokhound]

Well said Richard. and I agree with you totaly.

I also agree with what DaveM is saying. And that is a large issue with running on club trips. The "I can go harder than you" mentality comes into it far too often.

A lot of people think they have the ultimate rig, and I guess that is why the 4x4 thing appeals to such a cross section of people.

Where i think there is a large break down is when relative newcomers to 4x4ing go straight from an average suv (or shiney if you like), into a hell monster rig. I know that I started out with a 60 series cruiser on 31" at's, and thought you could not do much better. Then along came 33" muds, these were huge tyres in the NZ in 90's. The mods kept happening, and the trips grew more adventurous, as my skill and truck grew better. What we are seeing now is a lot of people who build the ultimate rigs, with out letting their experience and skills grow.
I don't know if any of that makes any sense, but I think those whose experience, skills, and off road rigs have all grown concurrently, will know exactly what I mean.

[albundy]

What we are seeing now is a lot of people who build the ultimate rigs, with out letting their experience and skills grow.

Yep, remeber last years birthday trip. This was why it happened. No experience with a mega rig=potential death and alot of hard work for the others, it sobered me up none the less. I like all types of 4wdriving. I love clubs trips watching guys egos compete with each other, then I just sit there and tow them all out, lake daniels last year was a classic for that. I like the feeling of competeing in events but the most thing I like is as what has been said before, I like the man vs nature shit. Days of 4wdriving just you against the elements, taking everything you need. When we came out of Lake Wakatipu in the Xmas central trip a few years ago I had about 5 litres of fuel left in my tank, that's what I call good estimating of fuel needs. That's the sort of challeges I like with a trip as well as the driving. Now get this thread back on topic.
Al

[Bulletproof]

Now get this thread back on topic.
Al

To get the thread back on topic I have taken a photo of another simple mod.

For any one who does deep water for prolonged periods ,it is very worth while fitting a glass bowel before the filter.
They are a dime a dozen as all the old landrovers and tractors have them

The advantage is at a glance you can see how much water is coming through and get rid of it easily




Richard

[Bulletproof]

Most embarrassing stuck video at anzac 08.

Paul Delis and Albundy had just driven out and I fell in a hole 20 metres from main Rd



Cheers Richard

[hosehustler]

'Bastard' nissan huge front diff the problem I think....

[Bulletproof]

'Bastard' nissan huge front diff the problem I think....

The embarrassing thing about it Tim, is that I cant even blame it on a nissan diff because I have an 8 inch cruiser diff. Just my own bad driving.

Richard

[hosehustler]

you've lost me Richard, you have a Toyota prado front housing or a Nissan???
what is nissan on your beast??

[haynzy]

"in real 4wding diff height is needed" because thats only somethings, not all types of 4x4ing need it, some people might say that club trips are not real 4wding, it depends

I agree completely with what you say because it is all relative, and even a grade 1 trip which I also enjoy is real 4 wheel driving to a lot of people .

When I mentioned about people not having balls . It was a very general comment because very few people that do trialing or belong to clubs really do " REAL 4 WHEEL DRIVING " Where a persons life is on the line. It is mainly the Farmers , Hunters and people who work in the bush that push the limits in huge rivers and high country steep tracks and that is why there are quite a few deaths every year.

I dont want to argue about this but statisics speak for themselves.


Richard

and the ironic thing is the biggest mod the average farmer has done is tie a spade on the back with some bailing twine, no lockers, big tyres or expensive lift kits just driving skill and the fact that its a job that has to be done.
I watched my father drive down a hill some years back in a 2.2lt petrol hilux on sat tyres with a full load of strainer posts on the back that your average joe blogs wouldn't walk down, stupid yes but it had to be done. driver skill will get you alot further than what any arb bolt gadget ever will

[Bulletproof]

you've lost me Richard, you have a Toyota prado front housing or a Nissan???
what is nissan on your beast??

The front diff is out of a 1992 70 series 5 cyl landcruiser and all the suspension is Y60 nissan safari . The steering is out of the landcruiser as well apart from the tie rod which is prado.


Hope this clears up the confusion

Cheers Richard