B34cons 95 Series (small) Build

[B34con]

With great height comes great comfort.

Loving the cruiser.
One thing I have noticed is, being a little bit taller I have lost a large amount of visibility when reversing so I've decided to put in a reversing camera.

Because I like to be difficult, I had the great idea of installing a front camera in addition..

One problem, my head unit only has a single reversing camera input..
The purpose of the front camera is for any tough obstacles off road, so what if I need to turn it on?

I'm going to install a power switch that will let me trick the head unit into thinking I'm in reverse. Once that's done, I have a ona/off/onb switch that will pick between front and rear cameras.

Picking everything up tomorrow, will update with images and wiring diagram

 

[SteveJB]

If you ask the missus to get out and spot for you you can have sound and vision

 

[B34con]

So our country is still locked down.. it's making life bloody difficult at the best of times.
To try and keep myself relatively sane, I have visited most beaches that I'm allowed to drive on.. had a spot of fishing last week

I finished installing my rear camera (still need to get onto the front one) and it's the best thing I've ever done - just to ensure I know what really is behind me, now.
I've picked up a dual battery kit hopefully soon I'll invest in the rest of the setup.

But overall the truck is going great - I'm using it more for what I originally hoped to use it for.

Even got some remote work done!

 

[SteveJB]

Remote day off with a sea view more like
Funny thing is that I'm doing the same sort of build as you picking up a set of drawers at end of month got an intervolt dc2dc charger solar panels turned up yesterday 2x150 amps and have gone for a Durite kit with the monitor in a rear view mirror some of the work I can do myself but due to some physical limitations will have to pay for most of the work to be done
Nice Blue Sky Office

 

[B34con]

Hello hello - a few updates as of late...!

Dual 12v batterie
MCC winch/bull bar
UHF radio
Winch (to be installed)

Life is still relatively locked down, but to make the best of the situation, I finally got to take my truck out for what I've built her for.

I ended up doing around 150km of beach driving (she got a bloody good wash down) over two days, camped out, caught up with a few other Prados and did some wheeling!

 

[Shayne]

Cool bumper and not one i've seen before

 

[B34con]

Thanks, Shane! MCC Rocker bar SQ

So I haven't got too much to update. I finally gave up on my 15" wheels, the thought of running spacers just made me too nervous.
So I got a new set of 16x8 -22 (I think!) With 285/75 M/T. Aside from a typical mud terrain hum, I really rate these tires - even on sand....

I've been racking up the k's the past few weeks, really just enjoying the truck.

Enjoy the picture dump!

It's been a great few weeks of exploring, meeting other prado owners and getting to know the truck more.

Can't wait until our cities borders are lifted - but until then...

 

[Shayne]

Great pics B34con

You might wonder as do i why your thread doesn't attract greater interest, so i should tell you i think its about time zones .

I just click the whats new tab which puts your post , which landed about the time most have left for work in the morning ,on the second page and somewhat buried unless you look for it .

 

[B34con]

I think you may be right there, Shayne! Unfortunately I'm too lazy to figure out the ideal time to post!

So just a teaser update for now... (It's one of those FUN updates we like!)

After spending some time (a lot longer than you'll catch me admit to) looking at the truck in different situations - the rake of the 3" rear and 2" front really began to bug me... Purely aesthetically... It looked off every time I saw the truck..

So I asked around a bit to see what concerns I should have going for a 3"lift in the front (once you've gone up, you simply cannot go down) aside from the LBJs and CV joints... I need to watch out for coil binding... I'll need to extend brake lines and abs sensor... But I've gone for a 3" lift in the front.

Setup is on its way. Will update soon....

 

[SteveJB]

B34con is the 3inch at the rear when you are loaded up for travelling or empty as thinking about the look when you have the 3inch on the front then load up the rear maybe lower than the front then that won't look right A suggestion could be a set of 2inch on the rear with air helper springs for loaded journeys or now that you are going for the 3inch on the front to level up air springs may be a useful addition for the rear for when you are loaded for travelling

 

[Higgy]

Shayne maybe right, This goes back to Aug 1st and its the first iv seen of it..... Anyway Cracking work and Photo's.. I lived in NZ for a few years, Cracking Place Mate.. And they let you drive on the Beach....... Iv said many times The Colorado Is Toyota's most Underrated Truck, Deserves more Praise than it gets..... Crack On

 

[B34con]

SteveJB - It's actually slightly over 3" in the rear unloaded. After doing a dummy run with my overlanding gear/setup - the back is still sitting ~3 Inches higher than stock The airbags are a good idea - however, I do have a bloody stubborn mindset...

Higgy - Thanks for your comments! We sure are lucky to have some gorgeous scenery around us here in NZ - even throughout lockdown, I have seen some incredibly beautiful locations less than 100km away from me!

So... I put my 3" fronts in today... Oh I am so bloody happy with the result! Yes, a lot of my reasoning for the 3 inch fronts was purely aesthetic - but hey, at least I'm honest about it!

Besides, I now have bragging rights that I am taller than most other Prados ;P

So slight downside - turns out the wheel & tire shop torqued my wheels up using a rattle gun.. So I need to replace a stud - but shit happens! Enjoy the pics

 

[Shayne]

Might be as tall as my swb90

Mind telling us where you got the parts because bolt on goodies for the 90 series are not easy to find outside of Australia .

 

[B34con]

Who would've thought getting high would be so addictive!? Oh.. right...

I have to say, finding parts for the 90 has been a bloody mission. I'm in New Zealand, and I've been using;
Trundles automotive - front suspension (great selection for the 90!)
The rear shocks were raw 4x4 predators - pretty readily available
NZ off road - these guys sourced my bull bar - I'm still in love with the bar (even if I need to wire the lights up still...)

The rest of the parts I've brought for the car have been primarily second hand and butchered within inches of their life for my needs (embarrassing picture of my roof rack mounts that I need to redo (it cost less than $20 for the rack!))

 

[B34con]

Sorry for a double post in one day...

Went off for a wheel alignment today following the install of the 3" fronts...
Since I first brought her home, I've had a sneaking suspicion that my steering rack has been due to be rebuilt... Today my suspicions were sadly confirmed....

So, time to address the issue... Can I have some input/advice here... Would I be best to get my existing rack rebuilt/reconditioned? Or could I opt for a cheaper aftermarket rack?

 

[Shayne]

I bought a new one from Roughtrax thinking I will rebuild the old one and keep it spare because I have a pair of 90's .

I haven't seen the old one since it must be buried in the back of the shed somewhere

A drop of leakstop in the steering should be in the used buyers guide , its probably too late but it might buy you some time .

 

[B34con]

Thanks mate.

So apparently, just like wheel studs, steering racks are bloody difficult to find!

I've finally found a new aftermarket rack that I can drop in. However, I've been thinking about it, and figured, it's time to replace the tie rod ends as well, they aren't in need of replacement, but if I'm doing a new rack, may as well!

If all goes well I should be picking it all up tomorrow, hopefully get cracking either tomorrow afternoon or Sunday (wheel alignment shops aren't open weekends!)

 

[B34con]

So I still need to install the steering rack... It's one of those jobs that's really hard to get started on!

In the meantime. I have replaced all of my sway bar end links. While I was at it, I decided to install front links in the rear as they are just a little bit longer!

I cannot stress this enough. Use penetrating oil before cracking the lower bolt.

After lifting the rear I noticed the sway bar was pulled quite tightly upwards, and driving around corners she tended to "snap" while straightening up. With the longer links and the sway bar dropped, she feels a lot more confident through corners.

Pics of the front for old vs new

 

[B34con]

A very happy new year to you all!

I hope you celebrated it in style - we sure did!

In the lead up to new years, I didn't get too much done on the truck. After installing 3" front suspension, I picked up a cheapo roof cage, and chucked a few work LED lights around the cage to provide some nice nighttime lighting which worked an absolute treat!

So with the above picture.. it's time for a bit of a photo dump/story time!

On the 29th of December, my partner asked me to find a campsite for us to go to for new years. I was over the moon she wanted to join me camping, however with two days before new years, finding a typical camping site was out of the question.. But I had been building my truck up for this exact moment..

So, on the 30th I started packing the truck up with everything we will need, I had decided on a campsite and while I had told my partner where we were going, I didn't quite explain that we were going to be camping in the bush.. alone..

On the morning of the 31st, we left Auckland, and headed north for a small town in Northland called Poutu. Poutu is somewhere I have wanted to travel to for about a year now, there is a huge amount of beach you can drive on, a lighthouse that was built in the late 1800's and some bush to go exploring in.
Poutu really is an adventurers oasis.

We arrived at Poutu around 3pm - just in time for low tide. The second I left the main road and hit the beach, I knew we were in for some epic adventures. The sand on the beach was softer than any sand I had driven on previously, there was quicksand everywhere (Topo maps were horrifying!) and to make things worse, it was so isolated - we saw two other vehicles on our first day, that was it.

This was my first time coming to Poutu, and I had done a hell of a lot of google mapping/topo mapping before heading off. I spent a lot of time on these maps, just so that I could have some sort of idea as to where we were going to camp. I am so thankful that I spent hours on mapping before leaving..
Once we got to the beach, I pulled out my tablet that I (thought) had my topo maps on... Doh! I forgot to download them for offline use!

We drove for maybe an hour north on the beach, until I saw the bush begin to dense up a little bit, we headed into the dunes, and begun hunting for entrances to the bush.

We found a little entrance, and headed on into the bush, a couple of kilometers into the bush, and we came across the best campsite in Northland! from here, it's just a picture dump. Enjoy!

 

[SteveJB]

Happy New Year to you and Mrs B34con the last picture you put up is looking a bit like Ice Cold In Alex looks like you got a wonderful place to go big sky camping at the moment of writing this we got clear blue skies and sunshine and 5*C way too cold for my bones over here in the UK we have heard of quicksand but I doubt not too much experience with it so can you tell us a bit more about it we know it can dissappear kids and adults can it dissappear a truck not being morbid here and suppose the household pet has the presence to avoid them and finally why is your dog wearing safety glasses in the truck lovely looking animal by the way am a big fan of the GSD got one of me own she is two years old black and named Esme