Backyard mechanic

[armando_m]

Armando, that sounds like a good day's work!

I too enjoy fiddling with cars, but nowadays I tend to leave the engines alone, spending my time underneath instead.

My 1996 Nissan Patrol now has done roughly 375 000 km now. I have spent a fair amount of time modifying the front suspension to improve it's ability to stretch down onto holes. The rear suspension is modified slightly (different shock absorbers and a dis-connectable anti-sway bar). I have also replaced the low-range gearing in the transfer case with a set with a 43% lower ratio.

Other modifiactions are primarily aimed at camping in the wild. Things like a swing-out awning mounted on the roof-rack, a chest of drawers in the back, a built-in fridge-freezer and a second battery to run it and so forth, and at protecting the underside. Oh, and some extra fuel tanks, for a total of 200l... This thing is quite thirsty.

I would love to install a locking differential in the front axle, but somehow photographic equipment always seems more important...

Very nice flex Peter!

Interesting, I have a 4x4 and I enjoy landscape photography because of the remote places I visited thanks to that vehicle, then I got a Dslr after getting tired of my point and shoot and  almost 10 years later, I keep doing photography, very seldom anything that requires 4x4

[Peter Connan]

Thanks Armando

I have also found that hobbies shift over time.

[Randy Stout]

Armando:

Interesting pics, does graphically illustrate how cars have changed since the times when you could literally stand inside the engine compartment of some pickup trucks and work on the engine. Imagine, you could even see the spark plugs where they went into the heads!

I hope the rest of the engine can stand the increased power.  Lots of experience with hopping up a stock engine, worked for a while, until the weak link in the engine failed. Fix that one, and another item fails, on and on.

Not being pessimistic , just relating how these things usually go.

Easier now when you can reflash them, but that doesn't change the compression ratio, increased crank loads, etc.

Cheers

Randy

[Peter Connan]

From back yard to bush.

When the clutch starts slipping because it has gotten too full of mud, shake up a bottle of coke, shove a hose into the bell-housing and squirt the clutch full of coke...

[armando_m]

From back yard to bush.

When the clutch starts slipping because it has gotten too full of mud, shake up a bottle of coke, shove a hose into the bell-housing and squirt the clutch full of coke...

I've done a bit of fixing broken 4x4s in remote places using whatever is available

[Peter Connan]

  Armando

[arthurking83]

LOL! awesome to see.
Myself being a bit busy as well working on my 'new' 20 yo Discovery 1(Tdi) too.
Sorry no pics, hands covered in diesel grease don't allow for easy operation of a camera.
 
I sometimes get bogged down in landrover/discovery forums to have time to frequent photography fora too.

One tip on the 400hp Gti .. get a proper torsen type diff for it now too! Quaife make what are considered to be the highest quality types too.
I got a pair of torsen types for the axles in my D1, ie. not the central diff .. they seem to be the way to go, especially for front driven axles.
So forget the camera gear for a short while and do the diff .. will make all the difference!

OH! and good luck keeping the golf's gearbox from exploding.