Unclejake

I'm off Island for ten days so only have a couple of pics handy, but here you go.. What you've built is EPIC. It'd be perfect for Chatham and wouldn't need to be legal to be used on Island. I am very impressed MrPog. My little brother has recently put a Chev cab and wellside on a Patrol chassis... but he got a bit carried away and made it 6x6 My Dyna needs new (lifted) springs... but that's hard to arrange from a distant Island. I love the truck as it's incredibly strongly built, has virtually no electronics and is easy to work on.. but the ride is shit. New springs will hopefully help if I can ever take it off the road for long enough to get that done

FYI: the triple cab Wild Rides Dyna (Toyoace) lives on Chatham Island now. It's a complex beast and not without its issues, but it does drive very well P.S. There's a factory double cab, leaf sprung 4x4 on Chatham too. I know because it's mine

I've had pretty much the same issue with my Toyota truck and solved it (temporarily I concede) by fitting air shocks pumped up to 150psi . That raised the vehicle enough that it doesn't hit the bump stops now

@MaxPower, that was an incredibly generous thing for you to have done. Thank you. There's heaps of landcruiser springs around here, but I glanced at a couple and decided they wouldn't fit. I will have a better look in the weekend. perhaps I was mistaken. My 4x4 Dyna front springs are 1,160mm long, 72mm wide, with 2 x 9mm (at centre) parabolic leaves and an eye bolt i/d of 23mm Rear springs are a bit of unknown

No jets here bro... but perhaps the Convair uses A1 anyway? I dunno. I'll have a yarn with them

Not without more fuel line. The sun is out , it's nice and warm.... so the heater is working now, which is good. It's just a bit of a shame it doesn't always work when it's cold

Heck. That would be bloody easy. Thanks man

Chaps, how can I make diesel thinner? I need it more viscous ASAP as the 15 metre long fuel line from the tank to my home diesel heater is too small in I/D so the fuel will not pass through it without suction. I'll order some bigger copper fuel line (currently ~ 10mm O/D) but I need a quick win to get us through the next 14 days until the new fuel line arrives

This is still available if anyone needs storage. There's another space also free which is cheaper, but not so easy to drive in and out of.

They would work mate. I could probably get those made pretty easily. Everything on this Dyna is about 30%bigger than Landcruiser. It's a ute sized vehicle with a truck chassis and suspension. Unsprung weights are huge. I can barely lift a wheel.... and there's six of the bastards. Part of the hideous ride will be because truck.... but add passengers in the cab and it's noticeably worse I am lucky in that I carry a fixed weight in the rear. I estimate 350kg of tools (plus the alloy box body) sits on the rear chassis

Good thinking quattro. I tried to get used springs a few months ago but couldn't find any. The wreckers were quoting $250 per spring so it's not a significant saving and there's still the risk that what I bought and got re curved wouldn't fit once they arrive here on Chatham Island.

Thanks chaps. Air assist will be about $2k (including freight and installation) but it's convenient as the truck will only be off the road for a day. New custom made springs are probably a similar value, but high risk if they don't fit. No one does CoF inspections on the Island so all we can get are WoFs. We have an exemption for passenger vehicles that would otherwise need CoFs..... but one day I may bring the truck back to the mainland as its actually a bloody good wagon. I will have a think. Re-setting the original springs might be the best plan.... but that's weeks without a truck and probably ~$1k in freight

Have any of you driven a solid axle, leaf sprung vehicle that used bags to raise the suspension, and if so was the ride OK? I have a 2.7 tone 1992 4x4 Toyota Dyna that's arguably subject to CoF inspections. All four springs have lost their arc so the front suspension only has about 12mm of travel before it hits the bump stops. The ride is hideous. The best alternative would be to get new springs made, but that's quite a risk as the existing springs are very hard to measure. The next best idea would be to remove the springs, send them to the mainland for re-setting, and then have them sent back to the Island... but a previous owner put the rear spring eye bolts in from the wrong side of the chassis, and then fitted a box body obscuring the bolt heads.... so getting the springs out is now a major drama. That option would also mean ~ a month with no vehicle. I have been advised to fit bellows in place of the existing bump-stops (front and rear), and although I understand how a pumped up air bag would raise the vehicle I have little idea on what adding that bag to the existing leaves would do to the ride quality. I had imagined just pumping the bags up once from a 240 volt compressor. I'd be happy to raise the truck up to 100mm from its existing height Thoughts?

You may have seen this already, but if not perhaps it's of interest to you (or is possibly yours already. Dunno). https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/wrecked-cars/auction-2663748839.htm?rsqid=b3bf486211f84a99a596d6f9ead3c081-001

I've lost touch with the builder now (he separated from my wife's friend) but I suspect this was built by a chap who used to operate in Gracefield Wellington. He went under the name of Tui Craft Jetboats EDIT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjsBqSJIF0ZzjidAqIHu2A

Howdy folks, A space has become free in my workshop in Landfill Road, Owhiro Bay. There's enough room to store and work on one car. The space is equipped with an electric roller door, good lighting, lathe, drill press, welder, workbench and vice, 20 tonne hydraulic press, limited 3 phase power, fridge, freezer and running water (water is outside). $330 per month (including power) to be paid by AP into the shared account You'll be sharing with three others who use the space to store vehicles and a boat (so they're not there much), but it's not a place to have boozy sessions or to grind steel after 10pm. If you're interested please PM me with your contact details. No texts please as I'm usually out of mobile coverage so I won't get them. Regards, UJ

I my quest for the lightest everything for the Cortina racecar I discovered Kubota mini tractors had a tiny wee alternator They weren't even expensive.... but perhaps they're too big in O/D to fit inside the housing you have

WRT your ashtrays (etc.): I am a big fan of SEM Color Coat for spraying vinyl. It's a great product, but beware of over spray as it's very fine (I have only used it in a spray gun and never a can) https://www.cardetailsupplies.com/sem-color-coat/

Did you check the Motive Gear catalouge? They have a HUGE list of clutch packs, and they're pretty cheap... but they are a US based company so perhaps of no use to you EDIT: Sorry. I was mistaken. Their list isn't a big one at all.

Hi HKM400, Fuel/air mixture play a significant part in the Kent style engine's temperature, as does ignition timing I think you have a carb mixture problem that may be contributing to hot running. One of your carb throats is running leaner than the other, which will elevate the combustion chamber temps of those two cylinders... but it could be that the other two cylinders are actually running too cold and you do have a cooling system issue as well (I say this as it looks like two of the exhaust valves have been hotter than the other two) I ran Water Wetter in my 120E race motors, but TBH I don't know that it made much difference. It certainly didn't hurt. For a race vehicle (which can spend quite a lot of time at a standstill waiting for a flag, and then the rest of the time at near red-line) I like the Davies Craig electric waterpumps. They deliver a constant flow of coolant (regardless of engine RPM), where the mechanical pump will deliver too little flow whilst you wait for the red flag to be lifted, or too much flow (not giving the coolant time to rob the cast iron of heat) when you're screaming at red-line in third gear These are simple, reliable engines that respond well to experience. Most mechanics are unfamiliar with carburetors or distributors, so if you're seeking professional help you'll want to find someone old or who has experience with Formula Ford I ran my race motors up to 215F (about 101C), but I always tried to keep them below 200F. That level of heat didn't cause me any issues, but I did re-build every season (at least) Regards, UJ

^ Just Harry is correct. Welding a large, thin span (like a roof) needs a very careful, patient and skilled person.... but an aftermarket sunroof is yuck, so a delete is a great idea

Thanks gents. I've spoken with Brian on the phone and he seems like an awesome chap. I'll go see him next week if possible

Hopefully Howatt still widens steel rims. I just sent them a note and will update youse all when I get a reply

I've recently purchased a '92 Toyoace 4x4 (same as a Dyna) which has a 14B engine. It was cheap. That's a non turbo, basically no electronics, 4 cylinder 3.8 litre Toyota engine. It may be worth looking at one of those as they seem simple and evidently have as much torque as my V8 petrol Lexus, but I dunno how easy they are to slot into a 'Lux chassis 14B 98 hp (72 kW) at 3,400 rpm 177 lb·fts (240N·m) at 1,800 rpm

That's a new one on me (read: I can't see how you would get any idea of a leaking intake tract from the crankcase, but it could help confirm a PCV issue I guess)... but another diagnostic exercise would be a plug cut - i.e. go for a drive with a tool kit. Replicate the problem and immediately cut the ignition, put her in neutral and coast to the side of the road. Pull out all the sparkplugs and have a look at them for signs of wetness, fouling, overheating, lean running etc.