Blast from the past

[Mickldo]

Yeah. We are looking at that now. You have to supply 2 bars for destructive testing and $3.5k per test. So at least $7k (plus the bars) to get a new "airbag" bullbar with a winch mount approved. We are probably going to have to go down that track soon. Seems like I only just finished making a jig for the old model winch mount. I like our bullbars over everyonelse's cause you don't have to tilt them when you tilt the cab.

You know the old 6x6 and 4x4 Army Inters that Lynn posted? They had a huge winch ( and I mean huge) mounted behind the transfer case and a turntable at the rear and a fairlead through the front bar. Maybe that would work on the new NPS. Just sucks having a winch there cause you can't watch the cable spool etc.

I went round Oz once in an old Landie with a PTO rear winch with a roller under it. I've always thought that was a great setup as long as the cable run forward is easy and maybe a syncronized fairlead to keep the cable neat. I used to do a lot of pipeline robotics and when we would reverse out of a pipe the umbilical cable would spool in sync with the reversing tractor so you didn't run over it and the fairlead would travel from side to side to keep it even across the drum.

Maybe I'm worrying to much. You know what I mean about not being able to see it down there behind the transfer case, don't you? Especially if your in chest deep water in croc country.A guide tube through the chassis rails too.

Have a read of the "How often do you use your winch thread?" Some good stuff in there. Be back on late tonight if you up.

We get our winches and bullbars from ATS in Brisvegas. They are usually capstan winches and they need to be exposed at the front so the Ergon guys can wrap the rope around the capstan for pulling the cables through underground and tensioning the cables. The bullbars they make don't need to be tilted either to tilt the cab.

One of my other long term projects is a Daihatsu F55 Scat Ute that I want to make into a winch challenge rig/ hardcore wheeling rig. I want the winch to be a mid-mounted PTO winch just like that. I have been nutting the design out over on ih8mud. There are a couple of guys over there that have some very cool mid-mount winch setups.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Projects

Growing up travelling around the country in a home built camper is what got me started. When I was a kid and everybody else was reading comics I was reading "Overlander" and "4x4 Australia" magazines and designing my own campers.

Me too. I still have all those old mags in a box at the folks house. Not "4x4 Australia", but "Overlander" and my favorite comic was the old "Bushdriver". Mainly from the 70’s and early 80’s.

My family pioneered alot of the Daintree area in the early 1900's, so I have really early childhood memories of bouncing round the back of old Jeeps left over from WWII and Series I Landrovers with drums of fuel for the hippie communes at the base of Cape York (Cape Tribulation). Now the uncles run really slick new tankers.

That thing is just wrong on so many levels!!!!!

One of my other long term projects is a Daihatsu F55 Scat Ute that I want to make into a winch challenge rig/ hardcore wheeling rig.

I'm going to check out the centremount winches that you mentioned. Afraid I don't follow that scene at all but sounds like I should broaden my horizons a bit. Have been using mainly Cutsnake Hydraulic winches front and rear with wireless remotes or 24v APE's.

Scat sounds good. Had a F55 hardtop with a Nissan Sunny motor of all things.
Really strong 4by. Sounds like a great project. Had to sell my project 2 years ago to help pay for my Uni study. (I'm partime at Allterrainwarrior now. Probably do 3 weeks in every 4 depending on study load. Unbelieveably considerate boss) I‘ve been there since the start of '03.

This was my project. Took the all the needed parts from a rusty ’73 Ford XY 4x4 ute. Obviously not this one.

and picked up a ’74 Ford XB coupe that someone had ripped the front end out going over a traffic island drunk. As you do.

Aka “last of the V8 Interceptors” from Mad Max

and put it all together. This was as far as I got before the brain kicked in and decided to head back to school.
It’s finished and prowling around the Warwick area now.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Crazy projects

Sprale just for you. Bail on the monster truck/school bus idea. Saw this driving round my neighborhood yesterday. True but also wrong on so many levels. I think it's a homemade amphibious MAN with what looks like a Hamilton Jet for propulsion. Perfect for that next ExPo camper project. LOL.

 

[Fergie]

This is my Dad and his childhood buddy back in 1975.

They both owned buses and traveled around the country from the time they got back from Vietnam in 1972, until my Dad met my mom in 1981...quite the nomads.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Closet bus owner

Fergie that dog is freaking out up there on that bonnet. Way cool pic. Looks like the cover from an old Eagles record.

Ok. I’m coming out of the closet as a past school bus owner too. My girlfriend (now wife) and I bought this in ’85 from the local bus company. Originally a City Council bus in Brisbane , then a school bus in Mooloolabah. BTW They were the ones who gave it the hippie paintjob. Fitted it out on a mates farm and lived in it for 3 years. Used all antique brass hardware inside and solid timer. No veneer or ply. The white panel on the left side was another double stairwell, which was filled in for the bathroom. It’s a ’66 Leyland Leopard with a 6cyl diesel laying flat under the floor and a pre-select 4 speed auto. A tip if anyone is looking at buses to convert. Buy something that will cruise the hwy easily. This was a start/stop city bus and wasn’t that happy at speed.

The rear bumper was of getting a spare wheel rack fitted and sorry about the mess inside. It was a “morning after” shot.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b...WrVmzZMge3nwI/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=480/ry=320/

Hope none of our customers see this.

 

[whatcharterboat]

 

[Fergie]

Fergie that dog is freaking out up there on that bonnet. Way cool pic. Looks like the cover from an old Eagles record.

They were quite the dynamic duo...still are when they get together. As a family, we've stopped in to some back country towns just to search out some of his old hippie buddies...they're still aroudn too!

This is his old Cruiser, and an old travel trailer he lived in for a few years as a Warden on a private ranch near Glacier NP.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Old cruisers

How old is that cruiser?? Had one of them too. You can just see the front of mine parked ahead of the bus. Was a factory soft top FJ40 with a diesel Coaster bus engine. Love the old hubcaps and white stripe tyres on your dads.

 

[Mickldo]

Me too. I still have all those old mags in a box at the folks house. Not "4x4 Australia", but "Overlander" and my favorite comic was the old "Bushdriver". Mainly from the 70’s and early 80’s.

My family pioneered alot of the Daintree area in the early 1900's, so I have really early childhood memories of bouncing round the back of old Jeeps left over from WWII and Series I Landrovers with drums of fuel for the hippie communes at the base of Cape York (Cape Tribulation). Now the uncles run really slick new tankers.

That thing is just wrong on so many levels!!!!!



I'm going to check out the centremount winches that you mentioned. Afraid I don't follow that scene at all but sounds like I should broaden my horizons a bit. Have been using mainly Cutsnake Hydraulic winches front and rear with wireless remotes or 24v APE's.

Scat sounds good. Had a F55 hardtop with a Nissan Sunny motor of all things.
Really strong 4by. Sounds like a great project. Had to sell my project 2 years ago to help pay for my Uni study. (I'm partime at Allterrainwarrior now. Probably do 3 weeks in every 4 depending on study load. Unbelieveably considerate boss) I‘ve been there since the start of '03.

This was my project. Took the all the needed parts from a rusty ’73 Ford XY 4x4 ute. Obviously not this one.

and picked up a ’74 Ford XB coupe that someone had ripped the front end out going over a traffic island drunk. As you do.

Aka “last of the V8 Interceptors” from Mad Max

and put it all together. This was as far as I got before the brain kicked in and decided to head back to school.
It’s finished and prowling around the Warwick area now.

I've still got all my old Overlanders too.

I want to build up something similar to Piglets old Scat.

I'll probably be old and grey before it gets finished though.

That looks like a very cool XB/4X Falcon.

 

[Mickldo]

Sprale just for you. Bail on the monster truck/school bus idea. Saw this driving round my neighborhood yesterday. True but also wrong on so many levels. I think it's a homemade amphibious MAN with what looks like a Hamilton Jet for propulsion. Perfect for that next ExPo camper project. LOL.

Looks like a newer version of the LARC like they use up at the Town of 1770 for tours up to Bustard Head.

 

[Mickldo]

This is my Dad and his childhood buddy back in 1975.

They both owned buses and traveled around the country from the time they got back from Vietnam in 1972, until my Dad met my mom in 1981...quite the nomads.

I love all these old photos. Very cool.

 

[Mickldo]

Fergie that dog is freaking out up there on that bonnet. Way cool pic. Looks like the cover from an old Eagles record.

Ok. I’m coming out of the closet as a past school bus owner too. My girlfriend (now wife) and I bought this in ’85 from the local bus company. Originally a City Council bus in Brisbane , then a school bus in Mooloolabah. BTW They were the ones who gave it the hippie paintjob. Fitted it out on a mates farm and lived in it for 3 years. Used all antique brass hardware inside and solid timer. No veneer or ply. The white panel on the left side was another double stairwell, which was filled in for the bathroom. It’s a ’66 Leyland Leopard with a 6cyl diesel laying flat under the floor and a pre-select 4 speed auto. A tip if anyone is looking at buses to convert. Buy something that will cruise the hwy easily. This was a start/stop city bus and wasn’t that happy at speed.

The rear bumper was of getting a spare wheel rack fitted and sorry about the mess inside. It was a “morning after” shot.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b...WrVmzZMge3nwI/cC/f=0/ps=50/r=0/rx=480/ry=320/

Hope none of our customers see this.

They are all coming out of the wood work now.

Another cool bus.

 

[Mickldo]

They were quite the dynamic duo...still are when they get together. As a family, we've stopped in to some back country towns just to search out some of his old hippie buddies...they're still aroudn too!

This is his old Cruiser, and an old travel trailer he lived in for a few years as a Warden on a private ranch near Glacier NP.

I am a bit partial to old 40s with whitewalls and hubcaps too.

Keep the cool old photos coming.

 

[whatcharterboat]

Mick

Mick, This isn't a LARC. It is what I said. Found out today. A converted MAN. I will try and get some more pics. Some guys did the same thing up in Cairns with a big Jap truck. Imagine the maintence. Just wrong, Wrong ,Wrong. Got to go . On lunch.

 

[Mickldo]

Mick, This isn't a LARC. It is what I said. Found out today. A converted MAN. I will try and get some more pics. Some guys did the same thing up in Cairns with a big Jap truck. Imagine the maintence. Just wrong, Wrong ,Wrong. Got to go . On lunch.

Yeah I could pick it wasn't a proper LARC but it still is very cool. Probably a lot better than the original too.