Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

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Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Thu, 12 Feb 2015 8:06 +0000

What the heck, I may as well have a crack at a build thread on my 2wd multi use ute.
I bought a 2011 pov pack 2wd single cab cab chassis new in, you guessed it, 2011.
It's my daily driver, carts gravel, bricks, pavers, tools etc on weekends, and takes me camping whenever I can get the time.
I don't need a 4wd for what I generally do but set out to create a vehicle that ticks all the boxes for what I want to do.

I have spent the last few years getting it to where it is now. All the work I have done myself which gives me a bit of satisfaction. I must admit I have stolen a lot of ideas from other members on this forum or taken info from here as inspiration for my build. The things I have learned on this forum are invaluable, so thanks to everyone that contributes to this great site.

When I first got the vehicle I threw on a 2nd hand aluminium tray which was available at the right price. Soon after came a towbar, nudge bar, driving lights and I made up a rear panel to tidy up the taillights. The rear lights are all LED and I also fitted a LED reverse lamp which I wired to either come on with the reverse lights or operate manually.
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Next up were undertray toolboxes, tray worklamps and a UHF radio. The worklamps are wired with 3 switches all working together so can be turned on or off from any switch. 1 is in the cab and there is a switch on the front of the undertray toolboxes on both the left and right hand side of the tray. Also on the LH toolbox is a merit and cig socket I use when camping.
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I jammed a compressor under the bonnet using existing factory mount points which supplies a 17 ltr tank under the tray. I use the compressor regularly and so far this setup has been faultless.
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The air goes through a regulator in the LH toolbox then to outlets on both sides of the tray.

I have also fitted a 70 lt undertray water tank with pump under the tray. Gives me plenty of water when camping, cool showers and clean hands.
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Along the way I added brackets to hold a shovel, broom and rack for the nudge bar under the rear of the tray.
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A "shelf" behind the seats to hold gear and a drawer under the passenger seat.
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Last summer I put in a second battery system. 120 ah agm battery, Redarc BCDC1220 charger, fuse panel for each battery. this is wired through a changeover relay so batteries charge via BCDC while engine running then automatically switches to solar when stopped. I run a 120 watt panel on top of the cab when I need it.
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I also made up a mount for my fridge on the tray which hopefully keeps it secure. I'll get pics of the fridge mount and solar panel next time they are on if anyone is interested.

Through work I scored side steps and factory fogs so why not. I sourced factory look switches and converted them to work properly for the fogs and driving lights
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A stebel horn behind the grille
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A fire extinguisher in the cab, electric LH window and Autostrada cruise control also found their way in.
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The little LED under the meters is the cruise control indicator
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The tray has rivnuts and mounting points installed for the fridge and a lockable toolbox.
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When I go camping I like to keep it simple so I set up the swag on the tray and shade is provided by a 5 x 2.5mt tarp with small LED lights underneath to provide light when cooking etc.
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I don't stuff about on serious 4wd tracks but do have traction drama particularly on boat ramps, wet grass or clay or sometimes sand. I often cart loam, gravel or pavers and on sufaces like above I get the "one wheel spinning...going nowhere" problem so next week I will be having an Eaton Harrop eLocker installed in the rear......this I am looking forward to playing with. It will also be the first mod I haven't done myself.

So you can see us blokes with 2wds are no different as far as wasting too much time and money on our vehicles as you 4wd'ers......talk about overcapitalising.......
Last edited by davbar65 on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 5:18 +0000, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Brewer on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 6:25 +0000

Good job mate. Like ya setup. I was toying with the idea of 2wd as it would suit me 90% of the time. But ended up going 4by in case I get a bit adventurous. Diff lock should help you a fair bit, although it might get taily in the slippery stuff. Are there many options for more aggressive tyres in your size?
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby piggo on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 6:49 +0000

Top job well done
Cheers piggo ;)
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby NZMarkb on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 7:52 +0000

Nice tidy set up
Well done
If your not prepared to stand behind our Troops
Then try standing in front of them
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Hellbound on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 3:27 +0000

Very nice setup mate
60% of the time, it works every time
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 5:12 +0000

The plan is to replace the tyres when the current ones are stuffed with a better all terrain type tyre but keep to the same size if possible....I haven't looked in to what is available yet, probably about 6 months away.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Sinan on Fri, 13 Feb 2015 5:48 +0000

Mate that is an unbelievable build. I love everything you have done to it. If I didn't drive on the sand every other weekend I would change to a 2wd with out a moments hesitation. No offense to the boys that use their 4wd constantly but most people don't even use a 4wd for it's intended purpose. It's like wearing snorkels all year round incase you decide to go snorkeling one day. Great build mate. Watching closely at what else you do to it.
cheers
Simon
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby bob14hilux on Sat, 14 Feb 2015 3:41 +0000

Nice set up. Well thought out.
Bob

Build thread viewtopic.php?f=41&t=23413

If beer and women are not the answer then you are asking the wrong question
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Mon, 25 May 2015 6:44 +0000

Just an update for those interested I finally had the elocker fitted in my 2wd and went out to give it a go.
I found the most greasy, slippery, rutted, wet, boggy, clay, crappy piece of forrest nearby and spent 3 hours giving the locker a solid test. The difference is incredible. It is way more effective than I had been expecting based on a lot of reading and research. Anyone who thinks jamming a locker in a 2wd will make bugger all difference is kidding themselves and really has no idea. I think it is the best value for money mod I could have done.

I still have to play with it in a bit of sand, which is where I am expecting the least improvement but so far it has well and truly exceeded any expectations I had.
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Have also been working on sill protection and better clearance:
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby fracturedranga on Mon, 25 May 2015 6:59 +0000

davbar65 wrote:Just an update for those interested I finally had the elocker fitted in my 2wd and went out to give it a go.
I found the most greasy, slippery, rutted, wet, boggy, clay, crappy piece of forrest nearby and spent 3 hours giving the locker a solid test. The difference is incredible. It is way more effective than I had been expecting based on a lot of reading and research. Anyone who thinks jamming a locker in a 2wd will make bugger all difference is kidding themselves and really has no idea. I think it is the best value for money mod I could have done.

I still have to play with it in a bit of sand, which is where I am expecting the least improvement but so far it has well and truly exceeded any expectations I had.


when i was younger me and my mates used to buy shitbox sigmas and such for stuff all weld up the diff and rally bash them till they died, youd be surprised just how far you can get up serious 4wd tracks with a locked rear diff and no mechanical sympathy :D
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Mon, 25 May 2015 7:02 +0000

Haha, many years ago my brother had an old galant with welded diff.......complete shitbox but amazing fun.

Something else I have been working on for a while is a hitch mount winch as a last resort....also good for pulling boats out of the river amongst other things..
It also had it's maiden run last weekend and was faultless.
Surprisingly, I did not need the winch to pull me from a bog.......the diff lock got me out every time......will need to go harder next time.....

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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Brewer on Tue, 26 May 2015 6:37 +0000

haha, my mate had a 75 galant. Auto, little to no brakes, and open diff. Like fracturedranga said, no mechanical sympathy will get you places.

Also, the 2wd beast appears to be coming along nicely.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Andys on Tue, 26 May 2015 7:23 +0000

Nice one davbar. I also have a 2WD model, might have to steal some of your ideas myself :) Got a few quick Q's if you dont mind:

I noticed in one pic you had an accessory socket on the right hand side switch panel... then it disappeared in a later photo? I have a small round cutout in the same place and would like to add a socket there, any idea where to source one that fits?

Was the cruise control difficult to fit?

The tray surrounding your gear shifter - is that custom built or an off the shelf product?

Cheers :D
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Tue, 26 May 2015 5:30 +0000

Hi Andys,
I did have a power socket on the right switch panel but have removed it recently. It was a standard cig socket fitted in the hole where some models have a dash dimmer. Very easy to fit. I simply jacked power from the factory cig socket to run a navman for a while. I have since replaced it with a power socket in the centre console wired direct to my 2nd battery.

The Autostrada cruise is also a simple fit and a very good piece of gear. Everything was plug and play with a plug/socket for the throttle connection and very clear instructions. I can not say a bad word about this product.

The gearshift console was something I knocked up from scrap when I first got the ute as a temporary thing. I always intended to do something a bit flasher but just haven't found any need to change it.....yet.....

Cheers.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Sat, 06 Jun 2015 7:50 +0000

Finally got around to making a frame for the underseat drawer to stop the bloody thing sliding around:

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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby jakelux on Sun, 07 Jun 2015 4:30 +0000

Bloody nice work mate!
You've inspired me to do a couple thing to my 2wd work hack.. :)
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby rds_929 on Sun, 07 Jun 2015 11:32 +0000

man you've done heaps to thing super impressive
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby davbar65 on Fri, 19 Jun 2015 10:10 +0000

I like what Fark did so much I thought I'd have a go myself.
Being a pov pack 2wd I have plenty of unused factory symbols built into the dash that are never going to be used so I have installed LED's into the empty holes and wired them up.
I now have dash idiot lights for fog lamps, tray worklamps, reverse lamp and diff lock.
It was very easy and took about 1.5 hours to remove cluster, fit and wire led's and refit cluster.
I also swapped out the wiper switch for a SR5 one so now have intermittent wipers......luxury.
This forum never fails to deliver.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Theodulf on Sun, 11 Jun 2017 9:08 +0000

davbar65 wrote:A "shelf" behind the seats to hold gear and a drawer under the passenger seat.
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Are those little brackets attached with nutserts + machine screws or self tapping machine screws or...?

I want to build something similar to accommodate a 1800w inverter and an auxiliary fuse box for tray accessories.

EDIT: Nevermind, I had to put the inverter under the passenger seat because it can only have 3m of cable or it loses too much current.
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Re: Davbars 2wd moneypit.....

Postby Crowne on Tue, 21 Jan 2020 3:26 +0000

davbar65 wrote:I like what Fark did so much I thought I'd have a go myself.
Being a pov pack 2wd I have plenty of unused factory symbols built into the dash that are never going to be used so I have installed LED's into the empty holes and wired them up.
I now have dash idiot lights for fog lamps, tray worklamps, reverse lamp and diff lock.
It was very easy and took about 1.5 hours to remove cluster, fit and wire led's and refit cluster.
I also swapped out the wiper switch for a SR5 one so now have intermittent wipers......luxury.
This forum never fails to deliver.
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Hey davbar65, awesome work mate. I’m also a 2WD owner, mine is a 2010 workmate dual cab with tub and soft tonneau. Only 35,000kms. I’m running track mounted rhino racks and occasionally a cargo box when camping.

I have been seriously thinking about the rear diff lock option. I basically couldn’t afford another 4WD (wife drives a Prado but not enough space for camping gear) so figure this is my best option. Was this expensive? Does it look factory? And have you had any reliability issues with it?

Also wondered about your intermittent wiper mod because not having this is one of my bug bears - can you shed a little more light on what was involved in this mod?

Have you considered putting a tachometer in from an updated cluster. Not crucial but I really want one - any thoughts?
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