Sad goodbye to a true friend
- Thread starter Crusty181
- Start date
Ok, a huge few days. I discovered it is very presumptuous for any reasonable person to expect an incident-free smooth and painless exchange just because there has been 3 1/2 months expended to get your $hit together since I ordering the Super Car along with all the trappings ... enter some real-world bozos hell-bent on circumventing that pain-free experience. A few major hurdles, a few triumphs, but in the end a happy ending. Very much like an episode of Home and Away.Dear @Crusty181 I'm some what suprised by the silence!!!
You have driven the said beast and no indication of what your thoughts are, I appreciate it was probably only down the road but????
Q1
a) it was everything I thought it would be plus some
b) What a gutless heap of s........
Q2
a) I'm so glad I spent this much on a car, nothig else comes remotely close
b) did I really spend this much on this rough riding piece of Japanese .........
Q3
a) my Navara was not cose to being this goood
b) I want my Navara back now!!!!
Q4
a) the plastic seats will be fine in summer in my budgie smugglers right Tony?
b) oh well I thought I would need to spend some money on comfort
Q4
a) The guys at Lovell congratulated you on a fantastic purpose
b) The guys at Lovell said WTF
Q5
a) I love the manual and the clutch is so smooth I now understand why they don't come in a 3 speed auto
b) when are these people going to fit a decent auto my left knee just locked up............again
Answer to all of the above, I want my Navara back
Couple of "memorable" irreconcilable differences developed, firstly with ARB and then with my suspension expert; so the only two left standing in the circle of trust was new besties, Toyota and Crusty. Needless to say the car was about to be delivered in exactly the purists of form just as its maker had always intended. ARB was given the invitation to go forth and procreate, and find a soft dark place to insert their pipework laterally ... repeatedly. TJM couldn't come to terms with getting some reasonable figures together despite my urgings to save me from ARB. On the morning of the scheduled suspension works, my suspension expert the human noddy dog, was sacked in spectacular fashion for the crime of having no brain. His primative instinct kicked in and he didn't take that at all well. Oddly for someone that couldn't use the phone at all for the entire previous 3 1/2 months, he found his straps and literally couldn't stop using it. He was invited to a dance party for two, but declined and we all kinda agreed (well I did anyway) to leave the relationship satisfied with colourful new names we gave each other. I was particularly chuffed because I already answer to most of mine.
Lovells proper to the rescue after one cold call mid-crisis, they employed this weird un-nerving system of easy peasy, painless, friendly, organised, professional, and above all else super duper fast. Strange new ground we'd not navigated with the previous Teen Crusty members. Lovells one hours notice was something the other spud struggled to organise in 3 /12 months. I had the car for 2 days running about with trade plates, along with my best angry face on so the shine had well and truly evaporated from the new car experience. The ARB and Kaymar gear has been ordered at trade and I will collect a big pile of all from Toyota to fit myself in due course. I can't cope with ARB people, but I'm managing to cope with steel black pipes with just the ARB stickers attached.
Post Lovells upgrade the rear of the car is now 4 inches higher, the front slightly less .... staggering really. But I was a lovely shiny new SSM Federal plate with some equally nice figures on it. The running board is now 630mm from the ground, look a little like a thin oddly disproportionate monster truck with cheese cutter wheels.
It is a very basic and spartan vehicle and would look very much at home in 1985. It's geared quite low but moves along ok. A tow test is something I looking forward to. If it tows only as well as the Nav Ill be very happy. You need to be definite about gear changes, and I keep searching for 6th, although in 5th at 100km its not wound up like a toy car either; that short overdrive was lengthened in 2016. It drives surprisingly smoothly, and is also surprisingly quiet at speed up to 100km with no real wind or engine noise. Its a little compact in the driver seat, big enough but just. I suppose that leaves more room where it will count more, up the back. It's missing a lot of the trinkets that come in a modern vehicle but mostly has all the necessities. I will only miss the climate control and auto but that's probably it, but Ill forget that soon enough. Aircon and heater work very well considering the volume, but the 1985 slide controls I find humourous.
This has always been about finding the car that can tow and carry everything I want of it and more. With room and weight to spare, a significant safety margin even with a big load and the ability to do heavily laden and often hard miles for a long time to come. This was the single only vehicle that fitted the brief, which was always 97% from a purely practical perspective. Every one of the usual suspects I rounded up simply couldnt provide what I wanted, and as an added bonus is its also a peerless off-roader as well.
Its certainly not the vehicle for the masses, but its certainly hit every mark for us (read me, the Princess would tolerate a bloody Jeep). Im 110% satified its the only vehicle that will do what I'm asking of it, so its everything I could have hoped for. I'm stoked and more than a little relieved to have it to be honest (Im not so sure about the height, but Ill be forced to love that too)
All right
whoever you are, we want our Bluey back, stop trying to fool us with these post's .....We are onto you.....
Its great you have your truck at long last Crusty Con, even with my fancy, dancy tractor I do envy you, get out and use it, enjoy before the rot of age makes moves to force you back into the land of smooth suspension........................
Holden Caprice seats are highly recommended for Mine Trucks so my mate who builds these things advises ................ Nephew found the same thing with ARB/TJM and went to Ironman, major difference I found with their gear was the paint....
Okay get out and enjoy, look forward to seeing it parked on the Heli pPad one day, you won't be allowed to park it inside the gates as I want the neighbours to be a little envious.
Holden Caprice seats are highly recommended for Mine Trucks so my mate who builds these things advises ................ Nephew found the same thing with ARB/TJM and went to Ironman, major difference I found with their gear was the paint....
Okay get out and enjoy, look forward to seeing it parked on the Heli pPad one day, you won't be allowed to park it inside the gates as I want the neighbours to be a little envious.
The dude from Recaro seats has a completely pimped up Troopy. Its a very nice car and one that I ensured the Princess seen, walked around and sat in well before she had to opportunity to observe a Troopy in its natural form. Recaro seat start at around $2500 ea and the seat models in the Recaro jobby were well above their basic offering so 3 x seats upwards of $10k ouch.
With all that bling and initial comfort, it would be easy for some to bend over, offer the sacrificial wallet and dive in, but to my complete bewilderment, neither of the front seats had the tilt/slide function most coupes have by simple necessity, and that in my opinion reduces the Recaro seat value to about $8.50. I would absolutely drive me batty. The Troopy (particularly mine) is too damn high and awkward to be friggin about with sedan seats in order the access the back, so the 1985 factory 70 seats are superior to Recaro.
If I go down the path of seat swap-outs at some point Id be looking a coupe tilt/slides preferably both driver and passenger, so maybe the Monaro, Mustang, Nismo maybe even BMW or Merc if I can find economical varieties
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I have never liked Recaro for that reason, I will email my mate who did that build on his dual cab, his seats look like they belong , see if he can send me details.....I checked out Stratos suspension seats for the Ute so Chris could get a smoother ride but $2500 plus a rail kit I thought a lot of money for a gamble....
PS: Just won $10.85 in Lotto, it a start.
PS: Just won $10.85 in Lotto, it a start.
When I arrived at Toyota yesterday for the celebrated handover there was a parcelled up new vehicle prepped ready for its new home, so I could see what I was to expect to be treated to. The first team onto the ground was a couple with their tiny Yaris, about 1/5 the value of the Troopy s I was in for a genuine treat or so I thought (the big gold bow had blown off in the wind) Accompanied the theatrical handover ceremony were many photos, drama and suspense with the unveiling ... and a hamper of goodies
The fleet delivery experience , I discovered, could be best described as a somewhat scaled back experience, along the lines of "see that car out there almost out on the street, that's yours pal so here catch the keys and can you move it, it's in the way mate"
This was the odometer when I collected it on Monday for a few days to sort the suspension, not a lot of room for testing; I hope that know what they're doing
I wasn't so disappointed that I missed the red rag handover ceremony because the suspension spud on Monday provided all the red rags waved in front of me I needed for the week. But I wasn't about to let the picnic hamper slip through to the keeper. Disappointingly the box is 97% shredded paper with 4 items of condiment laying on top.
One important handover component is the free complimentary tank of fuel, and to their credit with a twin 90ltr Troop they filled both tanks. $300 worth of juice and up toward 1500km in range; I should be able to drive past around 300 petrol station before I need to bother one.
There are few amusing discoveries, one is the need for a stopwatch in the dash and the other is the vast realestate available for tourist fridge magnets because of the ample bare metal surfaces through the interior. One disturbing find was the alarm function in the dash clock, the only practical "attempt" to use for that can't ever end well
I may have mentioned the running board height of 630mm; that and 100mm rear end orbit is explained by these pics
Before (factory)
After (Lovells)
And one of the front just for laughs
The fleet delivery experience , I discovered, could be best described as a somewhat scaled back experience, along the lines of "see that car out there almost out on the street, that's yours pal so here catch the keys and can you move it, it's in the way mate"
This was the odometer when I collected it on Monday for a few days to sort the suspension, not a lot of room for testing; I hope that know what they're doing
I wasn't so disappointed that I missed the red rag handover ceremony because the suspension spud on Monday provided all the red rags waved in front of me I needed for the week. But I wasn't about to let the picnic hamper slip through to the keeper. Disappointingly the box is 97% shredded paper with 4 items of condiment laying on top.
One important handover component is the free complimentary tank of fuel, and to their credit with a twin 90ltr Troop they filled both tanks. $300 worth of juice and up toward 1500km in range; I should be able to drive past around 300 petrol station before I need to bother one.
There are few amusing discoveries, one is the need for a stopwatch in the dash and the other is the vast realestate available for tourist fridge magnets because of the ample bare metal surfaces through the interior. One disturbing find was the alarm function in the dash clock, the only practical "attempt" to use for that can't ever end well
I may have mentioned the running board height of 630mm; that and 100mm rear end orbit is explained by these pics
Before (factory)
After (Lovells)
And one of the front just for laughs
Having the perfect vehicle, and that vehicle being locked into a 35 year old time capsule comes with hidden benefits. The door mirrors are very sturdy but have fixed glass, so there are no gaps between between the mirror and the plastic housing for the flat clamps on my Mileco's to slip into ... and that looking like it was forcing me kicking and screaming down the $700 elephant ear path.
Enter 80s design and functionality. The frame around the outside edge of the door mirror holds the mirror in place, is screwed on and is removable. The mirror glass is a spare part and is replaceable. I can easily replace the factory mirror glass with an alternative which Ill shave off 5mm from the bottom creating a gap for the Mileco clamps to slot into. All up saving me from drilling the required Clearview holes in my new door, not having to add the horrendously huge elephant ears and most importantly keeping my $700 in my pocket
Enter 80s design and functionality. The frame around the outside edge of the door mirror holds the mirror in place, is screwed on and is removable. The mirror glass is a spare part and is replaceable. I can easily replace the factory mirror glass with an alternative which Ill shave off 5mm from the bottom creating a gap for the Mileco clamps to slot into. All up saving me from drilling the required Clearview holes in my new door, not having to add the horrendously huge elephant ears and most importantly keeping my $700 in my pocket
Not aware of that Dave, what's the story??look what you done leaving Nissan they dropping the Cummins Diesel V8 as you brought a Toyota
Jeewizz there can't be a lot of margin in Toyota vehicles, Aldi biscuits!! even though we love Aldi and its our go to shop I mean really, maybe some Darrel Leah rocky road or something.
I'm glad your a happy chappy @Crusty181 and I'm looking forward to seeing the bits being added.
A mate of mine bought a 70? series ute a while ago and during a pee taking excersie we discovered he was doing 2500 revs at 100K compared to the Jeep and anothe ute the same, it turns out he has low ratio diffs, when he fronted Toyota they told him they can come with either but if he wants high ratio diffs he can buy them, he absolutley hates Toyota with passion (not neccessarily the vehicle) his passing comment is "I paid 86K for this cab chassi and had to buy a clock to see the time"lol
I'm glad your a happy chappy @Crusty181 and I'm looking forward to seeing the bits being added.
A mate of mine bought a 70? series ute a while ago and during a pee taking excersie we discovered he was doing 2500 revs at 100K compared to the Jeep and anothe ute the same, it turns out he has low ratio diffs, when he fronted Toyota they told him they can come with either but if he wants high ratio diffs he can buy them, he absolutley hates Toyota with passion (not neccessarily the vehicle) his passing comment is "I paid 86K for this cab chassi and had to buy a clock to see the time"lol
Looks nice Ian
Just went to the 4x4 show and I’ll be getting the TJM suspension fitted.
Oh nice wheels by the way
Just went to the 4x4 show and I’ll be getting the TJM suspension fitted.
Oh nice wheels by the way
Oh what great memories, fridge magnets on the dash, such great fun, the ability to drill a hole and bolt something anywhere on the vehicle, thats what I loved about the old trucks, none of this plastic rubbish, fond memories as I drive down the road with the AC on, not on the lookout to close windows, floor and w/screen vents when I spot a bee or locust swarm approaching, move the old carpet under my feet as the exhaust is getting hot on the floor ...yep memories .....
metal dashes.. now it all soft touch.. 10" monitor instead of heater controls. More things to break.
New defender released next month spy pics it looks like a D4 not a Defender.
Oh we gone the wrong way since the 70's for a lot of style in cars.
July holidays went up to Echuca the old Holden museum you miss the old styling.
New defender released next month spy pics it looks like a D4 not a Defender.
Oh we gone the wrong way since the 70's for a lot of style in cars.
July holidays went up to Echuca the old Holden museum you miss the old styling.
The wheels are a special order Toyota GXL limited edition. TJM are now in cahoots with LovellsLooks nice Ian
Just went to the 4x4 show and I’ll be getting the TJM suspension fitted.
Oh nice wheels by the way
Some more awesome surprises today. I'll be avoiding the $50 per wiper replacements. Ill never have to spend more than $4.99 for new wiper blades and if I can find an old segmented metal spine I can reduce that to $2.99
Tripped over 2 x Troopys today, and one even caught up in traffic to offer the secret Troopy wave.
My Troopy is more appropriate as the hero car in Back to the Future than that poxy Delorean ... in fact In mounting the Flux Capacitor tomorrow