Shamozzles silver 150

[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

Nice build thread you have going there vscorsa, I especially like the neat wiring job.

Just an update.

Installed the erps rust protection module the weekend before last. After downloading the installation instruction from there website and attempting to wire the doors up it got me to thinking. What if I ever need to replace the doors in the event of an accident? I quickly decided not to run the pads into the doors but to mount them in the sills as close to the door hinges as I could get. All up it took around 15 hours to install, start to finish and to achieve the finish that I was after.

While removing the rear drawer system I finally found out why it wasn't sitting quite the way it was meant to, lodged underneath was my 11mm socket that I'd lost all those months ago. Also went underneath the Prado with some ct18 and a hose, cleaning down the chassis and underbody. Also removed door panels and cleaned out the interior. Next I went over the entire care with heavy duty lanolin that was applied using one of those pump up pressure sprayers you get from the hardware store. The long nozzle allowed me to get into every crevice, above the fuel tanks and inside the chassis. I think now she should be ready for almost everything. Still working on suspension and waiting for the new roster to kick in before booking it in for a set of Cooper STmaxx.

Cheers,

Chris.


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[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Nice work Chris.

I notice a couple of posts back you were interested in a lift of more than a couple of inches for the Prado. On another thread here someone has posted that Superior Engineering have now released I think a 4" lift for the 150 Prado. They have posted images on their Facebook page.

[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

G'day madkore,

I may have to check it out just for a look see. However in saying that I'm pretty settled on the monster rides setup that should be ready for the 150 series shortly. The guys seem to know their stuff and the possibilities are almost endless as long as your wallet is too. But still I'll head over and check out this kit from superior and weigh things up. One of the advantages of the 150 over the 120 are the longer drive shafts which allow for a higher lift without stressing the cv's as much couple this with the diff drop bracket from monster rides and the reality of a 4" lift becomes exactly that, in the front end anyway. Again my biggest problem is the height of my carport and I've measured and remeasured, added in the lift factor of larger tyres and I'm going to be cutting it fine but I could safely go around 3" and still maintain around 15mm clearance to the carport beams, more without the roof rack. I guess I'll just have to see how it all turns out and hope my measurements are all correct.

[gregbme Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gregbme]

Gidday shamozzle.

The solution to your clearance problem is quite simple. Buy an electric plane if they're timber beams and customise the profile of 'em!
If they're steel, maybe a jackhammer for the concrete?

[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

Gidday shamozzle.

The solution to your clearance problem is quite simple. Buy an electric plane if they're timber beams and customise the profile of 'em!
If they're steel, maybe a jackhammer for the concrete?

The thought has crossed my mind, getting the jackhammer in and removing some concrete. Was gonna lift the carport but my Overhead mains point of attachment is on the carport.

[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

It's been a while since my last post but then again nothing much has been happening regarding extras on the rig, however I've just received my suspension upgrade curtesy of Monster Rides. Ages has the same setup installed and after lots and lots of research over the past 18 months I was pretty settled on what they had to offer as early as the beginning of this year.

The kit consists of adjustable front coil overs, height adjustable from 3"-6" via c spanner and locking ring. Front sway bar relocators, front diff drop brackets. These are more than just a spacer. Upper control arms with dropped ball joints, rear shock and a set of raised Lovells springs round out the package.

If all goes well the install should be finished tomorrow and I should have some pics up shortly after. I'll be aiming for 3" of lift above standard ride height and also correcting the sag of the standard suspension after fitting dual batteries, winch and bar. All up the front will need to be wound up around 4" and the rear 3". I'll also be correcting the nose heavy look that most IFS vehicles seem to have. Can't wait to have the install done, it's been a long road to get to this point but its been worth it so far


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[Ages Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ages]

Looking forward to seeing the end result mate. I think mine might be due for a little tweak in the front. hopefully your able to get some pictures of the diff drop brackets, so i can have a look. Do you know if the bash plate is ready yet? or will you just be keeping the OE one.

[Madkore Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Madkore]

Sounds awesome Shamozzle! Hope you saved room in the budget for some 33's!

[vxcruiser08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close vxcruiser08]

How did this end up mate?

[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

G'day Bendman,

Yeah mate the Tracklander did replace the roof rails. The Tracklander can be ordered up to fit the factory roof rails or replace them all together. I chose to go the replacement road as it allows more weight to be carried on the rack, I think it allows an extra 20kg or something similar to that.

The first rack I had there was a problem with the powder coat flaking off. After contacting Jaram and sending pictures of the flaking they replace the rack under warranty. The cause was that the rack hadn't been cleaned properly prior to powder coating. The rack has a cut out on the rear right hand side approximately 400mm wide to allow an oztent to be slide on/off the rack. The price is a little more expensive, but overall I'm happy with the service, regarding warranty, and also happy with the quality of the rack and the finish. It definitely is a case of you get what you pay for.

Apologies for the late reply, its been a while since I've been on to check this thread. Hope this helps with your choice.

Cheers,

Chris.


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[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

For those enquiring re: the 3" lift. The lift is bloody awesome, I really need to get some pics up of it in action after I get stiff sorted out after the holiday.

The lift is a Monster Rides Rekon lift as fitted to Ages Prado. It has the fully adjustable front coil over shocks designed in conjunction with Drummond Motor Sport and feature adjustable height and dampening. The rears are Monster Rides Rekon shocks with heavy duty Lovells springs giving 3" of lift all round.

Currently from bottom of rim to centre of arch is 845mm for the rear and 840mm for the front. I also opted for the MR upper control arms to replace the stock items. These are greaseable and also feature a dropped ball joint to take advantage of the front end flex you get from this setup.

The diff drop brackets that come with the kit are a fantastic piece of work and a heap better than the diff drop spacers offered by some other companies out there. in saying that they are a work in progress as the company redesigns them. The company has been great to deal with and are constantly in a state of development, they are extremely open to customer feedback and really do have great after sales service, just keep in mind that they are a small business, they are quite busy and may take some time getting back to you.

Off road it flexes really well, some noise from the front shocks on extension and compression, but nothing to worry about. The rubber boots for the ball joints do pop out of their recess and it's something I'll be addressing with Matt from MR as soon as I can. Recently I've been speaking with Matt regarding swaybar disconnects. I used a similar setup on the old Surf I used to own. Pulling the pin on the disconnects allowed a heap more flex on the old girl and the extra suspension travel was noticeable. I'll try and keep this thread updated more regularly as time permits, so keep an eye out.

I've still got my catch can install to finish off, will require a conduit bender to bend up some stainless pipe at work, the Cooper ST Maxx have been fitted and I've just returned from a 4 day trip out to Gregory's Gorge inland of Karratha. Pretty bloody happy with the tyres considering the huge variations in terrain encountered over the last 4 days, everything from blacktop, sand river bed, gravel road, to bouncing along rock covered creek beds in low range and a few water crossings to boot. Again very happy and another case of getting what you pay for. I'll try and get a few photos up from the trip and perhaps a few videos as well. Hope everyone had a great Easter and a safe one if you were out on the roads.

Cheers,

Chris.


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[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

Hi Shamozzle,

Great build! Did your Tracklander replace the roof rails? If yes, any chance I could trouble you for a height measurement from the roof to the top of the rack at it's highest point please? I am looking for a rack myself and happy to replace the rails but am hoping to still get the car into the garage but it will be tight.

Thank you
Simon

I'll grab some measurements for you if they're still required, just pop me a pm so the notification comes through my email address.

Cheers,

Chris.


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[shamozzle Find all posts View Profile Close shamozzle]

Long time between drinks and a lot has been done to the Prado since the last post a few years back. We've been spending as much time as we can enjoying our surroundings in the Pilbara during the winter months when the weathers great for getting about. Anyway. Since last time we've sorted out the teething problems with stiffer rear springs for towing our Ttackabout Dakar which arrived a few months back. Also have fitted the electronic brake controller and also Kaymar dual wheel carrier.

The front section of the exhaust was replaced by Manta Pro after some cracks around the turbo flange appeared. The biggest upgrade to the vehicle has been the upgraded turbo fitted by Graham of Gturbo in Balcatta. After towing the Trackabout around in a Broome/Cape Leveque trip it was booked in to up the ante in the power stakes, especially for overtaking those road trains up in this part of the world. The stage 2 Grunter was installed and the Unichip fitted and custom tuned by Graham. The job was perfect and the difference to the vehicle is astounding, especially in the pickup and overtaking with and without the camper. Fuel economy is pretty much the same, better when taking it easy and much less when towing, however wen using the extra power available it's worse of by 1/2-1 litre per 100.

I won't know true power figures until it sits on a dyno, time permitting, however we're aiming for 200 series like torque and power which should be reliably achievable.

All in all very happy with the Prado still as it creeps up on
70,000km. Have a great holiday season.