[Leethal]

Hmm.. Ok been here a few years now, time to put up or shut up I guess. I have a GQ that owes me about a million hours, like the rest of you I guess, bought it from an old fella who, I siht you not, still had a grandpa sun visor on A pillars and plastic on rear seats!

Had it about 8 years or so, was in 4wd Monthly about 5 years ago (issue 99!!!), but looks nothing like that now.

The old girl

Rear bar has Jerry can holder on left with small ally storage box, and wheel carrier on right with a vice on a hinge, and holder for gimpy and side cutters, two most commonly used tools when camping (for me anyway). Has had quarter chop, and rear bar made by a mate Brett (a fabrication legend in offroad racing circles) with Kaymar arms.

Ok after eleventy million suspension combinations and heights I have settled, for my current uses, on 3 inch H/D suspension stuff coils (22mm rear, 18mm front), King Smoothies, Superior engineering super flex arms (very tempted by new ones with 80 series style drop boxes), custom A frame rear end (also Brett), snake racing drag link/tie rod, and superior sway bar disconnects. Never had a front sway bar on my model. I have also braced rear coil towers and welded in drop out locators. Prob not best pic of A frame but...

Ok in engine bay I have TD42 silver top, injector pump rebuilt by Matt Craig at United Fuel Injection in Perth, who also fitted and tuned TD05 turbo and new injectors. No wild power, but exactly what I asked for and as reliable as anything, extremely happy with what Matt has done. Prob up for an intercooler sooner rather than later... Also had heat exchanger for Glind shower, pump at rear of car. Shower when camping = happy Missus = more camping for us = happy Lee, easy formulae yes? Also made my own catch can from ally, and rewired all after market stuff with relays, fuses and circuit breakers in ally box with polycarbonate lid. Plus fitted LED light with switch to come on when bonnet opened.

I also wired a switchable 12/24 volt power input for winch, even though I only have one 12 v alternator and two batteries, mainly because a couple of sparkies told me it couldn't be done ;-), funnily enough have done half a dozen cars the same since...

Ok the winch is a twin 6hp motor gigglepin high mount with 40% gears, gigglepin mainshaft and brake linings, all from Smithie Engineering, and a Deltatek free spool from Road Runner Offroad, with all the usual mods, and plasma cable, not interested in cheap siht Chinese rope. I do a lot of travelling without other cars, don't like to be stuck.

To,be continued...

 

[Jamie4800]

Looks insane mate! I need to see this thing in the flesh

 

[Leethal]

Also have air outlet on bullbar with guage, via two max airs at rear of car.

Car has a pair of HID lightforce 170s plus a pair of ten inch LED bars on bullbar, plus a pair of 20inch LED bars on roof. Don't drive enough at night to justify it but hey... Recently went from 35s to 33s, fourth set of Mickey T claws, love them. Going smaller as I'm getting older, growing up, don't need to climb mountains and more into touring. Mid June we're off to Ayer's rock, Simpson desert, cape York, Lorella springs, Kakadu, Litchfield, Kimberley, then home. Don't need the paranoia of 5" and 35s for 9 weeks!

In the rear I made my own drawers from steel frame and ally drawers and fridge slide, for ease of tool access I made a frame next to fridge, and made a stainless table to slide from under top left drawer. Water pump for shower and tap is under left hand side panel, and tap is inside left barn door. To left of drawers are switches for pump, work lights and interior lights, to right is switch and outlet for compressors.

Inside car I have Recaro seats which, on longer trips, are bloody awesome.

I also made a panel for boost, temp and pyro gauges above instrument binnacle, and Brett made switch panel that I used rocket launcher switches for. At work I made a bracket for iPad in front of passenger

Depending on what I'm doing and where I'm going, the roof sometimes just has three rhino bars with solar panels, a shovel, and a five foot (1500mm) high lift jack, or a 2 metre full rhino ally rack with an 1100x550x225 space case, shovel,and high lift, and awning. Or nothing at all!!!

Car has couple of amps, alpine splits, rockford fosgate subwoofer between fridge and water tank. Need quality music for long drives. Went to Kimberley for a month in 2009, Simpson in 2011, can't recommend big road trips enough.

Also has roof console with 10000 year old AM SSB unit and volt guage for both batteries.

Next weekend hope to replace centre console with 11 litre Waeco fridge to supplement 40 litre engel in the back, which is indestructible.

Also, just after Easter should receive our new Pioneer camper which we ordered in December, so modifying that will take my time.

I have a GU steering box, and a HD Road Runner drag link with GU end and GQ end, may get off arse and fit that in the next couple of weeks, we'll see!

Never ending mission, will try to find some pics of it on trips and stuff...

 

[Leethal]

Oh, I have front and rear air lockers. I only got the rear because my mate Ashley Delich who very kindly changed my diff ratios (4.6) refused to do it unless I got a rear locker (already had a front) so he wouldn't have to fit it in six months haha! In retrospect would be very happy with mighty Nissan LSD and front locker, but hey who's complaining?

I got the beadlocks as a consolation for going down to 33s, couldn't get anyone to justify why I should pay extra for alloys so got allied steel 16x8s. Recently got tyre pressure/temp monitors, not long enough to have an opinion though.

Ok this was crossing the Pentacost River, east Kimberley, between El Questro and Home Valley on the Gibb River Road.

With camper trailer I built for Kimberley trip, on Bungle Bungles track.

Ok a couple of pics from a track called the Camel Trophy Hill, south west WA, before some farktard made chicken tracks around it, it was winch only.

And a track called Cowbones by us older folk... pics don't do justice, mate standing on corner of car for a reason lol

Simpson Desert 2011

At Warren River mouth with roof top tent

At Carrarang Station, far west Shark Bay

In a rude spot even Simexes and lockers couldn't get me out of!

Ok heaps to do to car.... Never ever finished are they????

 

[Heavensent]

Awesome build mate, love your truck.
How do you find the 3" flexy kit.
Been told they have a bit of body roll onroad, and not the nicest to drive with on road.
Plus not 100% with weight carrying ability.
But then again heard heaps of great reveiws too.
Looks like you pack your right up to test it good.

Also would be great to see this thing in the flesh, 3" lift and 33's, same set up I'm looking at.

 

[faulco]

Extremely impressive build pal. Love the drawer build.

 

[Dirty Dub]

Must say, that's a hell of a nice gq.

 

[eighty8]

Great set up you have there. Built and used for its purpose, great stuff.

cheers.

 

[BraydenJ]

This thing is awesome mate, pretty much exactly how I want my GQ to turn out.

Wondering how you find the 33s and 4.6s with the 4.2? Seems like it would be revving pretty hard on the highway? What's it like fuel economy wise when touring with this setup?

 

[shanfab]

I must say , the BEST Mod I've seen to date on this forum is the 4 little bottles of mothers milk you have stashed away with the " Break glass in case of emergency " on the RHS of your fridge .

It's an absolute pissa . and I'm sorry . but I am going to copy
The Rest looks pretty bloody good too .

 

[Jamie4800]

I must say , the BEST Mod I've seen to date on this forum is the 4 little bottles of mothers milk you have stashed away with the " Break glass in case of emergency " on the RHS of your fridge .

It's an absolute pissa . and I'm sorry . but I am going to copy
The Rest looks pretty bloody good too .

Hahaaaa x 2

 

[Leethal]

Haha! Yep had a small space to fill, was one of those moments of inspiration us blokes have on the thunderbox!

Heavensent it drives great, I have a GU rear sway bar (22mm vs GQ 16mm) which helps, but I've gone for ultra heavy 22mm rear flexies as previous dobinsons in a 21mm wire needed 20mm spacers to sit flat when loaded.

I use 18mm fronts but have some 20mm flexies too, may use them when I get superior's new arms with 80 series style drop boxes. If you get the springs stiff enough to match your weight you don't compromise body roll or ride much at all. I do long kms in it at times so if it wasn't right I'd try something else until I was happy, but currently I love it the way it is

 

[Leethal]

Oh the 4.6s and 33s... Ok not ideal, they were perfect with 35s, but yes now a little revy. When I first put 33s on a couple of times I subconsciously tried to change up a gear but was already in fifth. Really it's only about 150 to 200 revs and you're used to it very soon.

Fuel economy... Revving higher should use more, but less labouring should use less.. Going fishing to Steep Point in couple of weeks, I'll let you know then. But it's definately more spritely at take off!

Not sure if I'll stay with 33s after cape York trip, so won't change diffs just yet, too big a job. But I don't really notice it now and I'll see exact fuel difference one way or the other in a couple of weeks and let you know.

 

[Leethal]

There ya go ShaneFab ;-)

 

[John86]

Awesome rig!!!!! Like the fuse box alot and the winch. Im guessing it winches pretty quick with that set up.

 

[shanfab]

There ya go ShaneFab ;-)

Cheers mate .

I'll be all over making one of them when I get home thats for sure .

Just need it to be tamper proof from the Misses .

 

[Trollol]

Youve got one beast of a GQ!! Im guessing the winch goes off like a frog in a sock?

 

[ozzypatrol]

Even seeing this car in the flesh doesn't do it justice, you can look at it for hours and not see everything it has to offer. Love it lee

 

[Leethal]

Cheers guys glad you like it, thankyou.

Yeah the winch is a monster, especially on 24v it just feels like nothing can slow it down. Funnily enough, when I first built the winch I had one 6hp motor, but never had to use it in anger. Then when ozzypatrol bought a pile of gigglepin stuff for his winch, he got us a good price for a few items I thought bugger it I'll have a gigglepin and an extra motor, as well as mainshaft, brake linings etc. Then, before the gear showed up, I got to use it with the one motor, had to skull drag a mate up a rutted hill at a rude angle on his diffs, even at 12v I was impressed, at 24v I was gobsmacked. I promptly decided one motor was enough for my uses but the gear was already ordered... So I could have saved a couple of grand on the gigglepin and extra motor, but there ya go.

In retrospect, due to weight of my car, I should have got 25% gears instead of 40, as you are compromising torque for speed, and it's not a comp truck so torque is arguably more important than speed. This is why I chose Deltatek free spool instead of gigglepin, the Deltatek has a narrower drum, so provided you resist the temptation to add more rope you gain some torque back.

To be honest I haven't used it in the real world with the twin motors, looking forward to it. Theoretically should kick some arse! But under minor load (just tensioning rope) it pulls in faster than walking speed, you have to be careful near the end!

 

[Leethal]

Ok this weekend's mission... Not going away for Easter now, mate I normally race with has had to have an operation so can't do national round at Hyden.

Have measured up some brackets to mount 11 litre Waeco fridge in place of console. Also making a small box in front of it for wallet and stuff. Think I'll make a bracket to mount on driver's door to hold two kincrome plastic storage boxes, for bits and pieces.

Fridge will be on an on/off/on switch, to run either with ignition, or permanent. That way if it's just for drinks on road trips it doesn't use bulk battery capacity that should be kept for the engel in the back if I leave it on with ignition only, or leave turned on if using it as a freezer for bait, for instance.

I'll see what I can figure out. Must be far enough forward to allow rear seats to fold forward too.

Also might put another air tank under car, or replace existing one with bigger one. Will look into it.