NAS LR3 build with an overseas twist

[Ray_G]

@Victory_Overland...antenna mount is this: https://www.labtronx.com.au/aerial-bracket.htm

Very good piece of gear, could have made one but this was clean and easy.

 

[Victory_Overland]

Awesome...thanks man!

 

[latarheel]

Snagged a gearbox/transfer skid plate.

Also used the time to remove the compressor...

Great shots of me taking the pics being attacked by the dogs

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nice plate, which brand is that?

 

[Ray_G]

Nice plate, which brand is that?

It’s a Bearmach-the plate it decent, the mounting points where slightly off b/c Land Rover + Bearmach but ultimately we got it on. Only had to redrill one mounting hole.

 

[latarheel]

It’s a Bearmach-the plate it decent, the mounting points where slightly off b/c Land Rover + Bearmach but ultimately we got it on. Only had to redrill one mounting hole.

Assuming the mounting holes are the same on the LR4, If you have accurate measurements on hole center placement, I can make that on my fibre laser and brake press. Any TIG welds?

 

[Ray_G]

Assuming the mounting holes are the same on the LR4, If you have accurate measurements on hole center placement, I can make that on my fibre laser and brake press. Any TIG welds?

Mounting holes should be the same. Some TIG welds.

Biggest issue is I'm about 7,600mi fm the truck at this point...so it may be awhile.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[latarheel]

It looks like a reasonable price especially for aluminum.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Ray_G]

That was my thought too, given the amount of material I got it for a good deal, adds some piece of mind.

 

[Ray_G]

So this thread will likely fall off in terms of updates for awhile.

Moved to Okinawa, and decided that the local flora/fauna options dictated a prudent choice up front. So the D3 (& D1, S1, bikes, etc) all are safely tucked away back in the US...and we got a Prado to start with. I guess I’ll have to wander over to the Toyota section, though admittedly this will likely be mostly a daily driver, beach toy hauler, and get us to hiking trails. The real gem I’m looking for is a 1996-1997 Jimny with the little petrol turbo, soft top, and coil springs.

 

[Mountainman75]

DS gets to PCS whole the rest of us on GAD are just stuck. Prado is a great choice, can't wait to get back to mine in Antananarivo.

 

[Ray_G]

DS gets to PCS whole the rest of us on GAD are just stuck. Prado is a great choice, can't wait to get back to mine in Antananarivo.

I gotta say, PCS’ing as ‘essential’ amidst COVID was basically a nightmare. Empty airports are awesome, until delays ensue and the food desert becomes apparent. Transoceanic flights with masks...anyway. It was a rite of passage getting from DC to Japan.

I will say that two weeks of ROM was nice, not that I wasn’t working but being basically on house arrest was rejuvenating after coming out of being ‘essential’ in DC and such.

I’m really digging the Prado.

 

[Mountainman75]

Beats my flight from Tana to IAD on Kalitta Air. Dar es Salaam, Addis, Niger, Lisbon, IAD without getting off the plane... 31 hours and 37 minutes wheels up to down. Masks the whole time. Only 9 folks (that we know of) got 'rona.

 

[Ray_G]

As a proof of life, and a violation in the sense of not Rover content, but the other vehicle we’d planned on getting (and likely will do light mods before an eventual bring-back) arrived today. Felt it was worth sharing.

94 Jimny with a little baby turbo engine. Roof rack is already off, rear seat is already out. It is basic as all get out-but awesome. Leaf sprung, but has power steering and AC so it will work. Wife will use it as her runabout.

Eventual plan is a light lift, slightly bigger tires...and that’s prob about it for here. Once home, that’s a different story.

 

[latarheel]

One of the things I realized was some of the tools I kept in my pelican cases really should just be in the truck 100% if the time, with the left rear seat being a good place to store them given limited clearance bc of the shelf setup.

After URE it was time to focus on the RTT install. We had done a fairly deliberate examination of our requirements. Both on paper, as well as examining a friend’s JB Evo Space and taking advantage of Adam at BROG’s roofnest. We knew we wanted hard shell vice soft, wanted to minimize weight and have it flow well with the prospeed. In the end that’s how we ended up with the previously pictured Autohome Colombus Variant (small).

So we took it to a local vinyl place to get wrapped. We used the wife’s taco since that was a far easier transport. A lot of sheen in this pic but basically it matches the wheel color of Saqr.

Concurrently we sourced prospeed XRS crossbars since they provided the simplest solution for getting the tent on (& off)

By getting some longer M8 bolts I retained the flooring on the rack. (Side note, I have a 2nd set of bars if someone needs a set...long story).

With the tent back from being wrapped and Labor Day this weekend...it was time to mount it. A challenge for two short people but we got after it.

Not too many pics of that since she wasn’t having me just document while she did the work....

Then loaded the truck up to validate the new setup.

All told, laden, spring sag is negligible and the truck handles quite well even with weigh on the roof.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hello Ray,
Hope you guys are doing well. Your XRS load bars did well in the Baja XL and the LR4 acquitted itself well both on and offroad with three of us living out of it for 2 weeks. Those prospeed plastic floor covers are warping in the phoenix sun and show some cracking around the M8 bolts so want to go back to the chicken flooring i used to have on my D1 SD rack. Its hard to see from the pics but any tips on using washers when affixing and did you use a lip on the edge to rest on the side rails? It looks like you have the D2 tie down loops front and back for lashing but did you have to ream the mounts out for M8 bolts? Gettign ready to pull the trigger on the autohome but assume I will lose sattelite receptio0n on radio and what about awning options? I have the prospeed awning hardware on order and assume I will have clearance from the RTT.

 

[Ray_G]

Hello Ray,
Hope you guys are doing well. Your XRS load bars did well in the Baja XL and the LR4 acquitted itself well both on and offroad with three of us living out of it for 2 weeks. Those prospeed plastic floor covers are warping in the phoenix sun and show some cracking around the M8 bolts so want to go back to the chicken flooring i used to have on my D1 SD rack. Its hard to see from the pics but any tips on using washers when affixing and did you use a lip on the edge to rest on the side rails? It looks like you have the D2 tie down loops front and back for lashing but did you have to ream the mounts out for M8 bolts? Gettign ready to pull the trigger on the autohome but assume I will lose sattelite receptio0n on radio and what about awning options? I have the prospeed awning hardware on order and assume I will have clearance from the RTT.

Lemme see if I can remember given that I haven't laid hands on her for 8 months.
-Def prefer the chicken coop in my book. I'd heard about the PS flooring-which looks good, but doesn't last.
-I used large flat washers to ensure purchase and took my time measuring/drilling holes in the chicken coop flooring to get it secured well. Won't take much, but it isn't the kind of thing you want coming loose.
-I used an angle grinder to 'massage' the chicken coop a bit to fit perfectly, i.e. created a chamfered lip of a sort. That makes it sound elegant. It was not...as noted, I used an angle grinder in 'hand held' mode.
-I believe the D2 tie downs just barely squeaked the bolts through without reaming. They work well.
-I have add on XM on the rack, I had to move the antenna to mitigate masking.
-Can't speak to an awning setup. While I want one, I didn't want to ruin the lines.

Hope that helps!
r-
Ray