Expedition Home-build - AU to IE

Hi Mike - you never did stop in at the farm on the way out of Adelaide :p Maybe on the way back eh?

The UJ can be pressed out with a 20T shop press, or knowing you, with a vice and some sockets. I reckon Hardy Spicers will have a branch up in Darwin, so start with them. Don't get cheap nasty replacements from China, the good ones are not that expensive. Be worth checking all the others at the same time.

Did your girlfriend (whose name I can't remember sorry) end up going with you, or has that all been "left in Adelaide"?

Cheers
David

Edit: Forgot to say how well all your woodworking has come up. Looks very nice.

Looks faboulous .I am curious though as to how you have plumbed your gas cooker and where the cylinder is located?
Thanks,
mary

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Originally Posted by spudboy

Hi Mike - you never did stop in at the farm on the way out of Adelaide :p Maybe on the way back eh?

The UJ can be pressed out with a 20T shop press, or knowing you, with a vice and some sockets. I reckon Hardy Spicers will have a branch up in Darwin, so start with them. Don't get cheap nasty replacements from China, the good ones are not that expensive. Be worth checking all the others at the same time.

Did your girlfriend (whose name I can't remember sorry) end up going with you, or has that all been "left in Adelaide"?

Cheers
David

Edit: Forgot to say how well all your woodworking has come up. Looks very nice.

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Mike has very limited internet access at present so I just phoned him and passed your advice along with a few other reassuring tips for which he was very appreciative.

He will be sourcing replacement UJ from local supplier tomorrow and will order further spares from via parents.

His mind has been put to rest now that he has been assured that UJ is replacable and not overly expensive.

He would probably appreciate meeting some Darwin based forumites and maybe trade a few beers for some garage space though :D

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Originally Posted by spudboy

Hi Mike - you never did stop in at the farm on the way out of Adelaide :p Maybe on the way back eh?

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Hey mate :D Yeah, I didn't intend on staying gone as long as I have, to be honest. The "road test" has turned out to be a trip unto itself. I will drop by when I get back in town though.

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The UJ can be pressed out with a 20T shop press, or knowing you, with a vice and some sockets. I reckon Hardy Spicers will have a branch up in Darwin, so start with them. Don't get cheap nasty replacements from China, the good ones are not that expensive. Be worth checking all the others at the same time.

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I'll be going shopping today, will let you know how I fare out. I'll certainly not be buying anything cheap and nasty - I was more concerned that I may have to buy the entire prop shaft, rather than be able to repair individual components of it.

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Originally Posted by malleefowl

Looks faboulous .I am curious though as to how you have plumbed your gas cooker and where the cylinder is located?
Thanks,
mary

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Cylinder is in a custom rear roofrack, which holds gas and jerry cans. I have copper plumbed from the back of the stove up to roof level on the outside, and a regulator from there to the gas barrel. All goes through a gas cutoff solenoid from an LPG setup, to ensure that I can't accidentally gas myself at night time. I'll be posting with more detail, and photos, later.

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Originally Posted by Xtreme

Mike has very limited internet access at present so I just phoned him and passed your advice along with a few other reassuring tips for which he was very appreciative.

He will be sourcing replacement UJ from local supplier tomorrow and will order further spares from via parents.

His mind has been put to rest now that he has been assured that UJ is replacable and not overly expensive.

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Yes! Thanks indeed to those who called and texted me. As Xtreme mentioned, I'm finding it harder to get online these days, so the calls at least put me at rest yesterday evening, and I was able to enjoy a much needed cold beer here in the sweltering heat. Unfortunately, Internet access isn't much of a problem this morning, as Darwin Council, in their infinite wisdom, gave me a ticket for "camping in a public place" because I didn't want to move the Defender for fear of doing any more damage. Nor did I want to leave it at the mercy of those wandering the streets all night. I'm in the civic centre right now (which has free internet), trying to state my case. Fingers crossed, eh :mad:

Once I'm done here, I'll be searching town for a new UJ. The aforementioned Hardy Spicers don't have a branch here unfortunately, so I have to look into what else is available. I have been told last night that the UJ in the older ford falcons is the same size as that used in the Defender? Is that true?

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He would probably appreciate meeting some Darwin based forumites and maybe trade a few beers for some garage space though :D

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He would indeed :)

Hi Mike,

If you're coming back through Brisvegas, let us know.
Happy to put you up if you need a place to stop.

For the UJ, try a truck repair place, you'll be surprised what they have and are able to do.

I managed to get a new UJ from Auto One in Broome when I was on my last trip. Any repco etc should have one in stock. I changed mine in a camp ground at Karragini NP with only circlip pliers, sockets and a hammer.

I just spoke to Mike again and he asked me to pass on his thanks and appreciation to all forumites who either replied with advise via text messages of via the forum posts.

He was able to obtain parts and repair both the front propshaft and the air con pulley so is now once again fully functional and about to head off towards Litchfield NP.

Next time ya speak to Mike tell him if he comes to WA to pop in and see his laser cutting guy for a coldy:cool:

Adam

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Originally Posted by Xtreme

I just spoke to Mike again and he asked me to pass on his thanks and appreciation to all forumites who either replied with advise via text messages of via the forum posts.

He was able to obtain parts and repair both the front propshaft and the air con pulley so is now once again fully functional and about to head off towards Litchfield NP.

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Couldn't have said it better myself :) After my run-in with Darwin City Council (who cancelled the camping fines once I dropped the propshaft in three pieces on someone's desk), I took the advice given here and wandered into the outskirts of town to source come parts. As it turned out, things went far more smoothly than I expected. Just outside of Darwin there's a company that refurbishes and rebuilds all kinds of driveshafts for heavy machinery, and 30 seconds later with the calipers, they were happy to supply me with a replacement unit for the princely sum of $33, with the option of coming back and having them fit it for another $50, if I couldn't manage it myself. A couple of hours later at Lake Alexander with a socket and a hammer and I had the old one tapped out, and the new unit fitted. The remaining UJ's look to be in good shape, so I've left them for now, but I have a spare chucked under the drivers seat just in case.

Aircon pulley was just as easy - nipped into CBC - an outfit that supplies pulleys and belts for a wide range of applications, and they matched a new pulley and belt for me. Picked up a spare fanbelt while I was at it. Although the aircon wasn't an essential item, I sure was glad of it in the days afterwards :)

I had toyed with the idea of going to Kakadu National Park, but was a bit put off by the idea that they're now charging $25 p/p to enter, plus camping fees and whatnot. Call me small minded, but isn't that where some of my tax money was supposed to be going? Anyhow, after chatting on the phone to Xtreme, I instead headed into Lichfield National Park, which in my opinion is, while smaller, a far better experience. Cheap camping, free entry, and an abundance of waterfalls and swimming holes to keep anyone happy.

At the moment I'm in Katherine, stocking up on food before making my way over towards Cairns. Weather permitting, I'll be heading up the old Telegraph trail, and after, meandering down the coast. But before I leave, I'd like to reiterate what Xtreme stated on my behalf - I'm very grateful for the help, it is indeed good to know that no matter where I end up, it's a simple matter of popping online for some expert advice.

Glad to hear you are back on the road again, and that it was a pretty cheap fix.

Cheers
David