BS84EO Build

[goodiestgoodman]

Hey lads.
A topic following the build of my 2006 N70 Hilux.
Have a lot to catch up on and will work this thread from the start of build to where I'm up to.
Cheers G

[goodiestgoodman]

So some details about the financial sinkhole.
Make and model: Toyota hilux N70 3 litre
year: 2006
Drink of choice: Diesel
Trans: Auto
colour: silver
body: Dual cab

Bought the ute back in 2018. Was nearly stock as a rock with the exception of a few modifications:
- 40-50mm Old Man Emu Lift (which had been fitted since close to brand new, very sagged, very tired)
- Fitted Tonneau
- Dual batteries with redarc isolator (voltage cutoff)
- Safari snorkel

Other than these few items, as stock as a rock.

//EDIT ADD STOCK PHOTO HERE \\

[goodiestgoodman]

The first modification on the list was to swap out the old tyres for a slightly bigger tyre, and also chuck them on a steel rim with a less positive offset.

From the factory the 2006 SR5 Hilux, as I'm told, comes on a 15 x 7 inch allow rim with a +30 offset. Well and truly hiding any tire well inside the guard.
Upgrading the wheels i wanted to get as much footprint as i could when airing down, as well as as much "poor man's suspension" when airing down.

So starting off small I decided on a 31/10.5r15 Wild Peak all Terrain mounted on a 15 x 7 inch steel sunny with +10 offset.



This combo meant the tyres were perfectly flush with the guard and also gave a bit more clearance under the diffs and a tad more width than the previous tyres.
There was no particular reason I went with the wildpeak all terrain, They were just a good price at the time with decent reviews

[goodiestgoodman]

Basic electronics.
Here I installed a few electrical components that I won't delve into too much detail on.

I installed
- a brake controller (hayman and Reece i believe)
- Uniden UHF - Highly recommended - unsure of model as it was some time ago now, however the model I installed was setup so that the main unit could be hidden behind the dash with all controls and speaker on the handpiece
- Aerpro Aerial - definitely nothing fancy and possibly also would recommend if you are after mind-blowing range and durability

[goodiestgoodman]

Big-ticket item. ARB Deluxe Bullbar

It is quite well known that the ARB deluxe bullbar is a quite popular bar, a durable bar, and very expensive bar that will set you back roughly an arm and a leg.
In saying that, I managed to pick a second hand bar locally in near mint condition which I had colour coded at a local body shop. You wouldn't know it was second hand at all.


note: The image above has the fog light upgrade, at the time they were standard old school lights

This bar was well suited for me due to future plans of mounting a winch, spotties and also had premade mounting locations for a UHF aerial.

[hiluxxury]

Nice mate, keep the pics of the build coming

[AmeriKUN26]

Looks quite similar to mine, I look forward to more pics!

[goodiestgoodman]

Decided to get a locker in the lux and opted for a front locker
Reasoning for this:
- I'm happy with the performance of the LSD in the rear
- Generally there is a lot of natural traction on the rear when going uphill
- A front locker "pulls" while a rear locker "pushes" --> when it comes to steps a front locker, generally not always, will be more useful in pulling the nose of your 4bie up the face, whilst the rear tends to push you into the face.
- I recently had a recondition rear diff centre installed with new fluids and what not
- Money
Due to cash restraints, I opted for a 4wd systems auto lokka. Yes not the preferred choice but you gotta do what you gotta do right?
https://4wdsystems.com.au/
This was a massive reason I opted for a front locker, I didn't want my car to drive like a brick on the road in 2wd if I was to chuck it in the rear.

Honest review on the LOKKA

It has massively increased the capability of the 4wd

It works.
It does what it's supposed to do and your diff is locked.
No airlines, electrical wiring, this install is simple
Normal diff oil is used


HOWEVER

I find that it does not unlock at all. According to information provided about the LOKKA it is meant to unlock around corners, which some experimentation in another blokes 4bie we concluded it only unlocks with no throttle.
It is basically a permanently locked diff, which is ok, I had low expectations from the get-go
At times i will need to go back into 2wd to navigate tight sections and back into 4wd again, which can be frustrating on extended 4wd trips

Because of this, anyone with a hilux that doesn't want to pay for a locker with an arm, 3 fingers and a kidney;
it works
its cheap
BUT ONLY PUT IT IN THE FRONT!

I'm sure I will cop a lot of flack about buying a cheap lokka and whatnot, but you live and learn, and I do plan on upgrading to a manual locker in the future

[goodiestgoodman]

The first touring (sort of) setup

I purchased, second hand, an as-new condition Kings roof top tent weekender. I'm sure everyone knows what I'm talking about.

The debate from there was how to mount it. On the roof vs tub rack

 

Roof Pros:

- No additional work needed, already had roof racks that could support it

- weight is spread pretty evenly between the two axles

Roof cons:

- Stupidly high, say bye to parking anywhere underground

- Wayyy more body roll

- an absolute mission to put on and take off if needed

- Gonna get some mad calf muscles going up and down that ladder everytime (maybe a pro?)

- lose the ability to use roof racks

- terrible full economy --> heaps of wind resistance quite noisy too

- look like a turtle...

 

Tub rack pros:

- Lower centre of gravity

- will sit perfectly flush with the roof --> no added wind resistance better fuel economy

- can use roof racks

- ladder is way shorter

- easier to pack up for us short blokes

- doesn't get in the way of awning

- can park underground

- easier to mount and unmount

- less sway when camping in the wind

Tub rack cons

- Your ute isn't a ute anymore (will elaborate on this)

- purchase of tub rack

- adds about 70 kg directly over rear axle ( not so much a con but adds up with other camping gear

 

It doesn't take long to work out which option I went with...

To start things off I headed to my local welder and we knocked up a tub rack.

To suit my requirements I did (for once) consider a few things:

a) I live very close to the beach - rust will be a massive problem, beach driving is a very regular thing

b) weight. The tent by itself from memory will already weigh around 65kgs!? (correct me if I'm wrong)

 
Insert IMG

The result is an aluminium tub rack designed so that the tent is flush with the roof, and the ladder on top of the tent is flush with the roof rails.

 

 

[goodiestgoodman]

Tyres - suspension - UCA's
After rocking this setup for over 12 months, I was due for a change

Tyres.
The 31/10.5r15 Wild Peak all terrains, whilst great offroad and great when airing down - from my experience were disgraceful for onroad grip.
I'm not sure why and I'm not a lead foot driver, but I constantly found myself losing traction whenever the road was slightly wet and at times not wet at all
Whilst this could be the case with most tyres on a rear-wheel drive ute, I decided to change it up

I opted for a larger tyre size, a 285/75r16 BFGoodrich all-terrain on a 0 offset rim, which had its success and failures



Positives:
- Noticeable increase in traction on and off-road (I suspect partly due to a larger footprint also)
- increased under diff clearance
- Stability - surprisingly quite notable with the more negative offset
- Little to no loss in power
- Beach driving drastically improved

Negatives:
- The old body mount story (more on this)
- Seemly a more expensive tyre size
- noticeable poke, we'll see if I run into any trouble, some utemart flares might be on the cards


Suspension
Previously installed on the hilux was a 2 inch oldman emu lift all round with what I suspect is some degree of constant load leaves, however still flexed quite well in the rear and was maintaining height in the rear
The front is a different story, which had sagged massively and shocks were shocking (you can laugh it was a good one)

The new:
A controversial decision. I opted for a pair of PSR coilovers 2 - 4 inch adjustable with heavy duty springs. A very new product that had very few reviews and feedback at the time



Regardless, props to PSR they were fantastic to deal with, quick delivery, packed well etc
Took about 6 beers worth of time to install as they were preassembled with new strut tops to male life easier
I put them in set at about 3.5 inches of height which kept CV's at a decent angle due to a custom arm style diff drop that some mates and myself knocked up, mimicking other companies diff drops.




To cater for this I also installed a set of Cal Offroad UCA's which worked a treat and were simple enough to install. This gave heaps of clearance between the UCA and coil eb=ven on full droop. Highly recommend them another high quality product.




After running this setup for a few weeks it became clear my sway bar was touching the strut at times due to a noticeable scrapping clunking sound. so another order from PSR
Sway bar relocation brackets. These bracket from PSR are low profile which means o didn't need to space down my radiator support brackets which is an added bonus

All this combined leaves me with this: