Thread: Getting another P38A

Originally Posted by andrew e

you need your scuba gear to get to that one dont you?

Everyone's a bl**dy comedian around here
Interesting point though - it would have got water affected as the water level inside the cabin was up to the bottoms of the front seats and the fire extinguisher was mounted on that flimsy plastic panel at the front of the driver's seat. I'll check it for rust next time I wander out to the garage.

Originally Posted by PaulP38a

Everyone's a bl**dy comedian around here
Interesting point though - it would have got water affected as the water level inside the cabin was up to the bottoms of the front seats and the fire extinguisher was mounted on that flimsy plastic panel at the front of the driver's seat. I'll check it for rust next time I wander out to the garage.

Beauty, Paul. It seems to me that Hardy's truck is the ideal vehicle for the type of off-roading you do. I'm intrigued to have a look at it, if you have it by the time I get there.


Willem

Originally Posted by willem

Beauty, Paul. It seems to me that Hardy's truck is the ideal vehicle for the type of off-roading you do. I'm intrigued to have a look at it, if you have it by the time I get there.


Willem

I hope I have it by then too. All going to plan, I will have it before Christmas. Please Santa...

Speaking of off-road (well sorta), the little Suzuki Sierra proved it's worth when it recovered 3 vehicles from a muddy car park in Canberra today. A Falcon, a Telstar and a 2WD Rodeo all bogged in the mud and going nowhere. So I dropped the tyre pressures a bit on the Zook, popped it in low range and towed each of them about 100m to firmer ground. Not a bad effort for a little car with a 1.3L motor and weighs less than a tonne.

Flew up to Sunshine Coast on Saturday to collect my new toy. Hardy met me at the airport and kindly let me stay for the night.

Yes, I just got me Hardy's 99 4.0 Rangie - the one that used to be all over the Hard Range website. I'm a happy lad

We took the car for a spin offroad and boy was I impressed. Hardy took the somewhat modified 99 4.0 P38 down a track that I would have been wary of in my old HSE.

With the 2" lift, 4.1 diff ratios and 33" tyres (not to mention his driving skills) Hardy didn't even bother with low range or raising the EAS above "standard". It just ate it up, even driving up the side of a grassy embankment that I was sure we wouldn't make. He managed to get the car in to a hilly mound that demo'd the articulation of the front and rear. It was a big drop out of the passenger side for me. He then engaged the rear air locker to show me what it could do... just like a tractor.

Drove it back down to Queanbeyan/Canberra yesterday and today. The big tyres mean that the speedo is out by about 13-15% according to my GPS. Fuel consumption was better than expected, and I reckon the 1999 4.0 (Thor) motor has about the same useable power as my old 1995 4.6 (GEMS) motor.

Sure, it has a few war wounds and is not as pretty as a P38A HSE or L322 that doesn't leave the tarmac... but this is a car that I won't be afraid to take offroad and get dirty, scratched and maybe a bit wet (to a point).


My wish-list for add-on bits is:

• a snorkel (obviously)
• Faultmate diagnostic unit
• side-steps/sliders
• steering and diff protectors
• EAS emergency kit (sold my old one dammit!)
• 2nd battery - probably in the spare wheel well
• winch, maybe
• and perhaps drop the tyres back to 31" Cooper ST's to improve on-road manners a bit

cheers, Paul.

Sounds like a good ride you have there Paul ... I hope she serves you well

Have a look at fusion's thread on "building a snorkel for elmo" ... as it really looks a treat

Here it is

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery/...o-snorkel.html

[quote=mike 90 RR;875590]Here it is

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/discovery/...tml[/quote]

Cheers Mike - that is the best looking snorkel I've seen... ever.

How do you find the air bags on the road?

I need to get a new set in my car and was looking at these. The extra lift off road would be good but the wife drives it most of the time and we have a new born so don't want to make it a harsh ride on the road.