Offroad-Express

The plan for my Paj is to have her sorted for the Welly Anniversary weekend bash about.

She's a standard Gen2 with 4D56T motor. Bought of a farmer for $500 it used to be his farm hack. I don't plan at this stage, getting it revinned, it will be purely a toy. I budgeted "in the bush" for under $2K.

It was running when I bought it but it had a blown headgasket probably due to overheating caused by the stuffed thermostat.

Merc and I ripped into it and did the head gasket and had it up and running again in no time being careful to double check things as we went. Things to watch for: Weak Exhaust manifold studs. Hardened oil return line from turbo.

Good things discovered: Getting the injector lines off is not as hard as it first looks. Just remove the four way clamp halfway down first.

Biggest issue for me as far as making these Remuera Tractors bush ready is entry angles



and exit angles



It leads to this sort of thing:



Yep that's a great wad of dirt in there! Went really quiet it did. Exhaust repositioning high on the agenda.

Even with the bumper off

The entry angle still sux so these will cut off and the hooks put on top.

Well the Wellington Anniversary came a went, budget blowouts being the main issue and the next goal became Thames Club's Laurie Sanson Trial.

Maxxis Buckshot Mudders 33 x 12.5 x 15s fitted. These on the standard Paj alloy rims. After the 31x10.5s that were on there there is a definite improvement in grip. I would have liked to put on Mudzillas but the smallest they are available is 13.5 and I'm not sure that they would be good on these rims. Anyone with experience otherwise that would like to put me straight on that call, please feel free. No tubes or rim locks in them(This is a budget machine after all) so I set my bottom limit at 15 psi, however after the experience at the Laurie Sanson I may revise that down to 10

My under 2 grand is close

Purchase $500
Top end set $273
Water pump $150
Timing Belt $135
Tires 4 new $1160
2 Hooks $52
Set of rearshocks $160 or so.. I lost the docket, but that was about right

I haven't factored in the CVs yet. At this stage I'll replace at least the two that have split boots but I seem to be getting death rattles from all four. However at this stage they didn't stop me from getting to Laurie Sanson so they'll be an extra.

There was some discussion about including the tyres, but I figure that if you bought a Remuera tractor to do this then the new tyres have to be a factor because the likliehood is that the tyres that come with it will be totally unsuitable.

I should mention that I made the early decision to buy parts from my local Repco shop and tyres from a local tyre shop. I live in Tokoroa, Repco sees fit to support the local community by having a shop here, so I'm happy to support them and Tyrells are the local Nissan agents who also are BFG Agents. I work on the principle if you want me to support your business then support my community. So middle finger salute to the Mitsubishi agent who closed up shop here a few years back and big Ups to Tyrells who gave me as good a price on tyres as I could get online and I didn't have to factor in freight and fitting.

So $430 over-budget due mainly to the unplanned water pump and Timing Belt. The latter is a good investment in any case if you're going to the trouble of doing the water pump, even more so if you don't know the engine's service history. A broken timing belt on a 4d56 is baaaaaaad news.

Some pics of the work so far. Some things still to be done.

Add nudge bar and brush guard mesh on the front. Bash plate on the back. Set up winch mounts on the front for next batch of chinese winches.

Exit angle without the bloody great bumper and long towbar and extraneous pieces of steel. One weirdness, inside the bumper was a bracket with a solid lump of steel about 100x80x80 rubber mounted inside... I have no idea what it was


Entry angle is now what all Landcruiser owners wish they could aspire to. For Cruisers, thousands toward drastically modded suspension... For a pajero 5 minutes with a disc grinder and cut off disc! Sweet!


Add some 33x12.5x15 Buckshot Mudders


Hooks (Rated of Course) front and rear



and it starts to look the part and becomes a very capable wagon



And just to prove the point, next day take it to the Laurie Sanson and win Second in Class!
And do it in comfort... I left the suspension seat in of course!
Brilliant!

Looks Good,

Your not keeping it legal then I guess.....

Whip the front sway bar off and you'll then be even more impressed with the ride quality from the front.... If leaving it at standard height as it looks there you could do a ball joint flip and get more travel from the front

I could have given ya some rear shocks!

NJV6 wrote:Looks Good,

Your not keeping it legal then I guess.....

It was never an option, the guy who owned it before deregged it and the inspection for revinning is major and expensive. The VTNZ guys said if it had been first rego'd in NZ after 90 then it was a body strip inspection. I may yet get it done but as a Low Volume, although I'm happy with it as a trailer sailer

Whip the front sway bar off and you'll then be even more impressed with the ride quality from the front.... If leaving it at standard height as it looks there you could do a ball joint flip and get more travel from the front

OK I was wondering about the front sway bar I'll do that next, the ball joint flip I'll have to investigate, I may need a tutorial. I'm good with the standard height. One thing I like about the Pajs is the underbody armour, that makes me feel comfortable with keeping the CofG down. With the mods so far the tyres don't rub so no reason to worry about spring or body lifts and she felt as solid as a rock around the sidlings at the Laurie Sanson and that was my first run in anger with her so I was still getting the feel.

I could have given ya some rear shocks!

Bugger! You don't know where I could get some lockers at all? Actually I'm just impressed with the way it performs right now. It would be a cheap toy at twice the price.

No worries, have a look on my project pajero page in mods and there is a good write up on the ball joint flip. It is very simple to do and the extra ride is worth it - I haven't over lifted mine so basically all it means is more travel before hitting stops over undulating ground - where it typically would bottom out.

Take both front and rear swaybars off, the rear one you need to hold your tongue the right way and undo the bottom of one of the rear shocks.

Locks, well best bet for yours would be a factory one in the rear but they are dear enough as well. Good lockers though. Air operated.
There are auto lockers available for the front if you have 4.875 ratios. But to get one would be very rare and from Oz. Air lockers are available for the front but you would prob need to change diffs, the 8 inch is the one the locker fits and I'm sure yours would be 7.25.

for a rear locker keep an eye on trade me and turners, look out for a damaged diesel jtop. most have the lockers and will prob have 5.3 ratio. check your transaxle code for your ratio. front locker may be an issue tho. to get a 5.3 locker in the front is a huge pain in the arse, but posible.

Sam

The story continues and gets better. I went to see the local LVVTA inspector and took the Paj around for a check to see what needed certifying after the mods. Answer: Bugger all, wheels and tyres only for speedo recal. The mods I've done are all within allowable parameters! Cert plate will be here Wednesday. Cost $225

I'd talked to the VTNZ guys about revinning to find out what the deal is. The body on the Paj is in really good nick as it was stored undercover pretty much all it's life.(Even if the undercover was shared with chooks much of the time )

The Answer was really pleasing: $350 fee, the interior lining has to be removed to check seat belt mounts and critical welds, the Discs and Pads have to be within manufacturers tolerances for wear! No problem, as I said, it spent most of it's life as a Farm hack and most of that time running at around farm speeds, the discs were probably replaced when it was imported cos they're pristine and the cab lining and carpets and back seatbelts I'd already removed in any case.

The old VIN just gets reactivated then a first registration fee of $380 including new plates and we're in business.

All in all a piece of cake

Brush screen and bars added to the front to protect radiator, Engine and trans oil coolers from stray branches during bush crashing. Give it a bit of bling. I went through the steering and replaced a tie rod end, a ball joint and brake pads. Greased everything that had a grease nipple on it which in tself was interesting.
The L200 that I have that is going to be the basis of My "Twisted Mitzi" project surrendered it's Aisin Free wheeling Hubs seeing as how the Paj is soon going to be a road goer. Looking the part and it steers much nicer now.



Finished the back bumper as well.

This is critical to making a Paj a bush crasher for two reasons.
a) If you're going to leave the tank underneath then you need the bar to protect the fuel tank seam. Back up into a stump and hit that seam you're in deep do-do. The bottom of the tank will take a fair bashing, but that seam won't like a direct hit.
b) The second reason is to reinforce the chassis. With the tow hook mounted center a big snatch has the potential to bend the chassis beam the tow hook is mounted on. A bumper made of 2 inch thick walled pipe bolted to the chasis will help keep the chassis rails at a sensible spacing!

Finally scored a rear locker diff after much patience and keeping a weather eye on trademe.



5.29:1 ratio which is a bonus given the 4D56's neck snapping power! It'll all go in this week just not sure about the wiring and such for the compressor. I'm assuming it's a sprung locker and needs constant pressure to get it to engage. I've got all the bits I think (Compressor, switch and what appears to be a controller) but haven't investigated whether I have wiring in place as yet. We'll see.

Yes it does require pressure to hold it in, but the pump has the pressure switch on it so for your application if you are not worried about it looking factory etc, I'd just put a switch onto the pump and not worry about the pulse relay factory swicth and the ECU.

All the ECU does is stop it from going in unless you are doing less than 5km/h (Pain in the arse) and you have to be in centre diff lock. Only thing - if not using the factory ECU and switch, it might pay to hook a light up to the pump so you know when its locked.

Glen

NJV6 wrote:Yes it does require pressure to hold it in, but the pump has the pressure switch on it so for your application if you are not worried about it looking factory etc, I'd just put a switch onto the pump and not worry about the pulse relay factory swicth and the ECU.

All the ECU does is stop it from going in unless you are doing less than 5km/h (Pain in the arse) and you have to be in centre diff lock. Only thing - if not using the factory ECU and switch, it might pay to hook a light up to the pump so you know when its locked.

Glen

Excellent, cheers for that Glen, a switch it is then. Kicking out at 5k would definitely be not useful.

Don't know how I missed this but anyway - it doesn't kick it out at 5km - once it's in, it'll stay in but it won't go in until you are going v slow.

How is the conversion going?

NJV6 wrote:Don't know how I missed this but anyway - it doesn't kick it out at 5km - once it's in, it'll stay in but it won't go in until you are going v slow.

Yea I figured that out after I posted but couldn't be buggered editing!

How is the conversion going?

All in place, had a minor hiccup in that the spline for the CV joint is a different size on 5.29 front diff to the 4.875. So the 2.8 sacrificed it's front shaft for the greater good. The rest of the shaft is the same so I didn't have to change hubs. I'll mount the compressor this weekend and I have a small injector pump issue to sort and we're in business again.

watching with interest the build. May as well see how its done first.

Poor little 56 died a couple of months back. I have been told by one who knows Pajs, that the 4 cyl 2.6 petrol is a real good repower, so for the last few months I've keeping a weather eye out and lo and behold finally one has turned up for a reasonable price. May be a bit of pissing about because it's out of a front wheel drive Magna, but we'll see.

Now the question is can I get it in and running before Queens Birthday?

here yorrick, a paj to the max at tuff truck think of all the things you could do