Hilux_Max's New D4D Hilux from OZ
- Thread starter Hilux_Max
- Start date
Hilux_Max
Adventurer
bwahahaha
Marlin absolutely loved that one too...he found it difficult to concentrate when that was in front of him....lucky you couldnt see the other ones on the inside of the tool box :Wow1:
Hilux_Max
Adventurer
Time has now come to plan the next round of mods for the hilux....the need is coming to try and find a way to carry more luggage....canopy is not an option and neither is a tray(flat bed) at the moment so I have run a few options in my head and this is what I have come up with.
What I plan to do is to purchase the following tube frame which will be powder coated black for me.....
Ontop of that Im tossing up between one of the two following racks....
A basic type of luggage cage -
Or the following one from Powerful 4x4 which is abit larger and would "just" fit above the tub -
If I go the Powerful 4x4 rack, the benefit is that I can mount my hi-lift on the rear, a shovel and axe either side of it and it is larger....downside it is more heavier.
Then Im gonna chase up a custom made rack-sack of some sort to suit and Ill be storing clothes, linen, pillows etc etc all the bulky but lightweight items that take alot of space and that'll leave the tub itself free for tools, icebox, storage boxes etc etc and the whole setup should still remain below roof top height.
Thats the plan......
Gotta start trying to make the hilux more expedition friendly.....
What I plan to do is to purchase the following tube frame which will be powder coated black for me.....
Ontop of that Im tossing up between one of the two following racks....
A basic type of luggage cage -
Or the following one from Powerful 4x4 which is abit larger and would "just" fit above the tub -
If I go the Powerful 4x4 rack, the benefit is that I can mount my hi-lift on the rear, a shovel and axe either side of it and it is larger....downside it is more heavier.
Then Im gonna chase up a custom made rack-sack of some sort to suit and Ill be storing clothes, linen, pillows etc etc all the bulky but lightweight items that take alot of space and that'll leave the tub itself free for tools, icebox, storage boxes etc etc and the whole setup should still remain below roof top height.
Thats the plan......
Gotta start trying to make the hilux more expedition friendly.....
07 Elephant
Adventurer
No mention of a roof top tent? If you were to extend the rack over the cab you would have more room for one. Since your goal is to take the lux from off roader to expedition friendly a RRT would fit with your goals. For your camping trips do you take an ice chest or what? Is a fridge in the works? Such a sweet truck. It's been great to watch the build. I'm looking forward to seeing how you modify things to make it more expedition friendly - comfortable.
Hilux_Max
Adventurer
I have an ice chest I use....cant afford to dish out for a fridge at the moment.
RTT I like the idea of but its not practical for me as I have 3 kids I'll be taking with me and sometimes the wife on the not so remote trips (read: caravan parks :Wow1:
we have a large 3 room tent we use for camping trips away.....yeah, its a bit of a pain setting up but its cheaper than a caravan or a camper trailer so for now we will stick with it....will love to get an offroad pop up caravan down the track as the kids get bigger.
Raising the racks over the roof? have thought about it but am worried bout it.......will see what happens...I like the idea of keeping things low.
Now that Im thinking more "expo" one thing I cant get myself to do is to run cheese cutter tyres....I think it'd just look too weird.....Ive read the writeups and all that but still prefer abit of width.
RTT I like the idea of but its not practical for me as I have 3 kids I'll be taking with me and sometimes the wife on the not so remote trips (read: caravan parks :Wow1:
we have a large 3 room tent we use for camping trips away.....yeah, its a bit of a pain setting up but its cheaper than a caravan or a camper trailer so for now we will stick with it....will love to get an offroad pop up caravan down the track as the kids get bigger.
Raising the racks over the roof? have thought about it but am worried bout it.......will see what happens...I like the idea of keeping things low.
Now that Im thinking more "expo" one thing I cant get myself to do is to run cheese cutter tyres....I think it'd just look too weird.....Ive read the writeups and all that but still prefer abit of width.
Hilux_Max
Adventurer
Well I had my 4WD Action Magazine photo-shoot yesterday, was a good day thou full on......
I met the photographer, Steve from Holeshot Images at Tallarook Township and headed off into Tallrook Forest for the pics.....Because everything is closed for the winter the selection of tracks/camp areas etc to take pics off was limited. We drobe up Mt. Hickey Rd I think it was called to the Telstra tower up there but didnt look like a good spot to shoot pics from. Coming back down Steve decided to take some shots with the burnt trees and hillside in the background.....the black and browns of the landscape matched the hilux perfectly...I took some with my $****ty camera too.
Further on back down the track Steve spotted a large rocky platteue to the side of the mountain...we went there and it was perfect to get some good snaps, the sun had come out and luckily I brought some bits and pieces to finish off detailing the hilux......
The spot is awesome....Im hanging to go back there and have a proper play on the rocks.... :twisted: there is alot of moss and crap on the rocks so was abit slippery near the bottom....tyres pressure were at road pressure so I couldnt go nuts and no I didnt lower them.....it was just a photo shoot, didnt think we would need to.
The pic above gave Steve a chance to crawl under neath and take a few under carriage pics.
The pic below shows how good/beneficial the rear quater chop is -
After that we tried to get to the reservoir there but every track /way we tried it was closed. We checked on our maps and Steve new of a scenic spot further on towards the east side of the forest and we decided to take Red Hill Track to get there.....Boy! wasn't that an experience :shock:
It was steep at places which wasnt bad but as we went on downhill, the track become really really slushy, so much so that the hilux's ar$e end was beginning to over take the front going downhill, forcing me to drive into....not fun at all!
One section there were deep ruts that you couldnt avoid and they dragged you into a wash out to the side of the track....the side of the track that I was supposed to be on was angled upwards so this was gonna be a challenge to get out......
I couldnt beleive only a few hours earlier my hilux was clean as and now the entire side was covered in gumbo-mud!
Steve slid off the track, luckily he had a winch on his GQ Patrol and pulled himself back onto it.I managed to reverse a few metres out of the washout.....others had obviously been stuck there before and left there big shovel there which I began to dig my own ruts to the side and block off the one that was there with branches and mud so the hilux front end would drag itself sideways and out of the $hithole.
Steve got some awesome pics of the hilux in its predicament...and me in mud shoveling.....
When done, I gave the luxi heaps....the front end half dragged itself out and the hilux kind of fish tailed out of the ruts and (almost off the side of the track towards an insurance job :shock: ) and yes, I did soil my underwear getting out of there as I was going way to fast at that point and way too sideways down the hill.....
I only hope he got that on camera.....would have been impressive.
Rear Sportsbar is now gone as is the tonneau/bed cover to suit.....in the forthcoming weeks Ill be picking up that rear bed frame and then looking for a luggage rack to sit ontop of it unless I come across anything else in the meantime or if anyone can suggest something better.:victory:
I met the photographer, Steve from Holeshot Images at Tallarook Township and headed off into Tallrook Forest for the pics.....Because everything is closed for the winter the selection of tracks/camp areas etc to take pics off was limited. We drobe up Mt. Hickey Rd I think it was called to the Telstra tower up there but didnt look like a good spot to shoot pics from. Coming back down Steve decided to take some shots with the burnt trees and hillside in the background.....the black and browns of the landscape matched the hilux perfectly...I took some with my $****ty camera too.
Further on back down the track Steve spotted a large rocky platteue to the side of the mountain...we went there and it was perfect to get some good snaps, the sun had come out and luckily I brought some bits and pieces to finish off detailing the hilux......
The spot is awesome....Im hanging to go back there and have a proper play on the rocks.... :twisted: there is alot of moss and crap on the rocks so was abit slippery near the bottom....tyres pressure were at road pressure so I couldnt go nuts and no I didnt lower them.....it was just a photo shoot, didnt think we would need to.
The pic above gave Steve a chance to crawl under neath and take a few under carriage pics.
The pic below shows how good/beneficial the rear quater chop is -
After that we tried to get to the reservoir there but every track /way we tried it was closed. We checked on our maps and Steve new of a scenic spot further on towards the east side of the forest and we decided to take Red Hill Track to get there.....Boy! wasn't that an experience :shock:
It was steep at places which wasnt bad but as we went on downhill, the track become really really slushy, so much so that the hilux's ar$e end was beginning to over take the front going downhill, forcing me to drive into....not fun at all!
One section there were deep ruts that you couldnt avoid and they dragged you into a wash out to the side of the track....the side of the track that I was supposed to be on was angled upwards so this was gonna be a challenge to get out......
I couldnt beleive only a few hours earlier my hilux was clean as and now the entire side was covered in gumbo-mud!
Steve slid off the track, luckily he had a winch on his GQ Patrol and pulled himself back onto it.I managed to reverse a few metres out of the washout.....others had obviously been stuck there before and left there big shovel there which I began to dig my own ruts to the side and block off the one that was there with branches and mud so the hilux front end would drag itself sideways and out of the $hithole.
Steve got some awesome pics of the hilux in its predicament...and me in mud shoveling.....
When done, I gave the luxi heaps....the front end half dragged itself out and the hilux kind of fish tailed out of the ruts and (almost off the side of the track towards an insurance job :shock:
) and yes, I did soil my underwear getting out of there as I was going way to fast at that point and way too sideways down the hill.....I only hope he got that on camera.....would have been impressive.
Rear Sportsbar is now gone as is the tonneau/bed cover to suit.....in the forthcoming weeks Ill be picking up that rear bed frame and then looking for a luggage rack to sit ontop of it unless I come across anything else in the meantime or if anyone can suggest something better.:victory: