NewHilux.net

Great work mate, very tidy. Doesn't look like it has taken you long to accomplish either! What trade/s are you? Just curious because you have heaps of knowledge.

So after a few very long nights just before Christmas I managed to get everything sorted. Well all the bits needed to get me on the road anyway

I finished getting the guards bolted on and marked out the rears to cut them down in a similar fashion to what Scotsman did with his. This was my first attempt at fibre glassing and the end result's not too bad for a last minute rush job. After completing the fibre glass mods I gave the guards a quick coat of spray paint and about 30 minutes to dry before bolting them on and setting off on the trip away!!!

On the road, the suspension is pretty firm so I'm thinking about swapping the springs for some softer progressive rate springs to get a better ride.

I only had time for a couple of test drives close to home before heading off on the Christmas getaway. Not ideal after such a major conversion but I was reasonably confident that everything would be ok. I ended up doing around 1150kms on the trip away including a little bit of fairly tame sand driving with no problems other than the firm suspension so pretty happy with everything at this stage!

I still have the rear 1/4 chop to sort out and fabricate a new rear bar. I'm still not totally sold on the Xrox bar either and might swap it for an ARB bar or something else later on. Time will tell.


The first test drive up the road. No guards fitted at this stage. I parked next to a 2WD Hilux and grabbed a quick photo of the two side by side. Remembering that my cab came off a 2WD Hilux, the difference in height is huge!!!


Rear guard cut down before re-glassing to suit the 1/4 chop.


Preping for the new fibre glass section.


The finished modification on the rear guard.


A couple of happy snaps from the trip away.




I also grabbed a couple of flex shots. Not quite as flexy as I thought it would be but with the springs the way they are and with both away bars bolted in, probably not a bad effort.




Next job, rear bar and maybe some side steps/sliders.

Ben_holyman wrote:Great work mate, very tidy. Doesn't look like it has taken you long to accomplish either! What trade/s are you? Just curious because you have heaps of knowledge.

Thanks mate, has taken a little over 12 months all up although it did sit untouched for quite some time during that period.
I'm a fitter/machinist by trade and run a little CNC machining business. Don't know about heaps of knowledge, just interested enough to work things out

By the way, as my cab was a 2WD cab I'm looking for a 4WD gear knob and the leather looking cover/surround that covers the hole in the centre console where the gear lever poke through if anyone happens to be wrecking one and has them spare?
PM me if you do. Cheers!

Awesome effort mate

Yep that is amazing. Very well done

Awesome man!
How did she ride on the highway?
Are you gonna take out the Anti swaybars for more flex off road?

jakelux wrote:How did she ride on the highway?
Are you gonna take out the Anti swaybars for more flex off road?

Yeah, the springs are a bit firm but it drives fine. Not as direct as an IFS vehicle but about what I expected from any live axle vehicle.
No intension of removing the sway bars at this stage as its more of a daily driver/weekend tourer/camper.

Unreal work, it's come up a treat.

Bit of an update on how things are going. I recently picked up a Flexiglass canopy from a mate and I've fitted it using a quick release set up that I used on the canopy on my old Hilux. It allows me to fit or remove the canopy in a couple of minutes and I just hoist it up into the roof space in my workshop so it's out of the way when I'm not using it.
I've bought one of those 4WD Action "Kings" awnings to fit to it for the odd camping trip. Just have to get it fitted now.
Recent camping trip:


I've decided to get rid of the Xrox bar and build my own. I;ve gone for the ARB look with a few changes to suit what I wanted. SO far I think it's come up fairly well although I'm undecided on a single large hoop, a full top bar with uprights either side of the grill or hoopless as it is now....

Mock up.


Centre section is 4mm plate with 3mm plate wings.


Trial fitting. I'm pretty happy with it at this stage. I'll probably fit a single hoop in 3" pipe but I'm yet to decide!

Excellent work mate! Single 3inch for sure! Winch?

Just ran into this awesome rig ! Dreaming now !

Just throwing some ideas around, I've just returned home from a trip of about 3 weeks away. I've done a fair few kms and some heavy towing while away and I've got to say that the 2JZ engine, though far from struggling, kind of "feels" out of it's comfort zone. I know that sounds kind of dumb but I'd compare it to a 600Hp WRX towing a 20 foot caravan! Well not quite but the "Patrolux" is considerably heavier than the older Hilux I had the engine in and it's seems to have knocked the wind out of its sails a little.
This has me thinking about a better suited alternative and an LS3 with 6 speed auto has me considering yet another engine swap! Not a massive gain in power but an engine more suited to some long distance touring/towing

nice build

An LS3 is a nice engine for towing if you have deep pockets for fuel. How much fuel does the 2JZ use?

Around 20 litres per 100 kms towing but that is being pretty conservative on the throttle.

My ls3 gets around 21L/100k
Mix driving fwy/city
1700kg car 3.7 final 26" tyres with tr6060

To get a 6l80e in 4x4 it will be a direct USA import
Or you can look at eaton transfercase with there adaptor and use a Aust. 2wd box

A cheaper option may be to look into a 6.6 duramax with 6speed auto from a 2500hd
You'll crate them with around 60k on clock to aust for around 12k with wiring harness, and there are a few wreckers in qld that have them here already for that price
The patrol diffs should handle it fine depending on the size of your boots

Web-eng wrote:Bit of an update on how things are going. I recently picked up a Flexiglass canopy from a mate and I've fitted it using a quick release set up that I used on the canopy on my old Hilux. It allows me to fit or remove the canopy in a couple of minutes and I just hoist it up into the roof space in my workshop so it's out of the way when I'm not using it.

Looks absolutely awesome mate, well done. Just wanted to hear what the quick release setup is for the canopy? can you share some pics and info??

john253a wrote:My ls3 gets around 21L/100k
Mix driving fwy/city
1700kg car 3.7 final 26" tyres with tr6060

To get a 6l80e in 4x4 it will be a direct USA import
Or you can look at eaton transfercase with there adaptor and use a Aust. 2wd box

A cheaper option may be to look into a 6.6 duramax with 6speed auto from a 2500hd
You'll crate them with around 60k on clock to aust for around 12k with wiring harness, and there are a few wreckers in qld that have them here already for that price
The patrol diffs should handle it fine depending on the size of your boots

Seems heavy on fuel. Has it been tuned?
A Patrol transfer case can be fitted to the Commodore 6L80 with an adaptor which is quite a common with Patrol LS conversions.
A Duramax would be awesome but I seriously doubt one would fit in the Hilux engine bay. They are a tight fit in a Patrol engine bay and they are considerably bigger than a Hilux engine bay!

AdAm3962 wrote:

Web-eng wrote:Bit of an update on how things are going. I recently picked up a Flexiglass canopy from a mate and I've fitted it using a quick release set up that I used on the canopy on my old Hilux. It allows me to fit or remove the canopy in a couple of minutes and I just hoist it up into the roof space in my workshop so it's out of the way when I'm not using it.

Looks absolutely awesome mate, well done. Just wanted to hear what the quick release set up is for the canopy? can you share some pics and info??

I just use a tray clip/clamp fitting like this:

I'll grab a photo and post it up when I get a chance.

Size of duramax I have no idea I just know they fit in patrols

My ls3 was in a stock r8 no tune (317kw)
We can get down to 12-13 on a fwy run if we don't use 6th but city is where they chew
And when I say city I don't me Melbourne cbd as we never go there it's just round town (westeren Suburbs)
A lower gearing like 4.1 would make fuel better as it seems to chew less in the 2-2500 rpm rang and no gears= that with the speed limits around