Hilux 4x4 Forum

Family_Dog wrote:Currently sitting in Durban - and enjoying the 'cool' temperatures here, relative to the soaring temperatures in Klerksdorp anyhow! ;)

Point of interest, 4 adults in PraDog with luggage, travelling 120/140km/hr (but slower in KZN - we don't take chances there!) we averaged 7.4km/l consumption. Not too shabby for a 3.4-Litre V6 to a heavy vehicle fitted with AT.

Johan, we will definitely make a plan sometime!


-F_D

Enjoy the weather in KZN Eric!!!! That fuel consumtion is really good for the vehicle.. Enjoy the drive in your Prado.

Long overdue update on this topic.

I redesigned the rear packing system in the Prado following my first long camping trip in December 16 on the west coast.

It was to heavy on the back with all the water and extra fuel on the roof. Also it was very unpractical and I could not pack smartly as I had to unpack more than one thing to get to another. Thus I redid the complete rear packing system into a single Drawer with a fridge slide and complete removable kitchen unit and also a built in lightweight table.

Also the sides on the drawer system were utilized in order to facilitate some special packing spaces hidden away.

Also I managed to get my hands on the factory winch plate for the Prado and soon the Warn M8000 will be installed also in the bumper.

Some pictures as I know many battle to read this much text.....

Nice...j sal nou moet gaan kamp om dit te toets LOL

Very nice setup you have developed.Very practical,well done.

Thank you, i have tried to keep it light as possible and also userfriendly. Will soon get to the other small things to get everything sorted for n getaway trip in winter.


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Some interesting reading for the night......

Here is the pictures of the winch fitment in the factory winch cradle that was not available in our market but in other markets.
First the bumper was removed, then the support brace and the chassis end plates had to be cut off which I did with a fine blade hacksaw to cut through the spot welds that kept it in place.
OEM Winch plate fitted and torqued to spec,
Test fit the winch and marking the bumper for trimming
Picture of the bolt holes utilized in the chassis rails from the OEM brackets.
Getting the wiring done
Controlbox fitted on self made bracket
All wires secured & tidy routed through the cradle
All done and looking better than before, now I just need a new No plate in the front, which will be removable but kept securely in place by the rope and a special hinge.

So I had a small windfall earlier this year and decided to get myself a Long range tank for the Prado as it is my holiday/ Touring / Overlanding vehicle.

Got a new Tank from Front runner and then decided that the standard filler neck and rubber pipe that is supplied will not be suitable to make the vehicle the way I want it to be. Thus I decided to look in Australia for a replacement filler pipe that allows you to fill each tank through its own filler pipe and not both simultaneously as made by front runner.
Just when I got it, I stored it for approx 3 months before getting the time to fit it.

Aussie style dual filler neck and feed pipe to tank.

All the bits and bobs laying spread out waiting to be fitted.

Tank mounted to chassis this is the easy part

The new filler neck fitted, and starting to connect the pipes in place.... Lots of patience and energy required for this part.....

This is what it looks like when all is fitted and working...... Yes I know the chassis is in need of a decent wash, but summer only recently arrived....

Up close of the transfer pump location and self made mounting bracket, this was just one of the many things not properly covered in the fitment instructions.....

Managed to work all out by myself, but it was no fun handling the 25 kg tank alone underneath the vehicle while lying on the floor. Let alone the countless times I had to get in and out from underneath the Prado to get it all done to my liking. I spent two days working on the tank and pipes and wiring at a reasonable leisurely pace. All happy with the way it came out.

While I was busy with the fitment of the LR tank, I stumbled across the standard factory nudgebar and belly protection plate that I wanted so badly..... Took a casual drive out to N1 4x4 and picked up my "new" bumper and plate.

In serious need of some special attention to make it look more original and not as worn down, I set about rebonding the bumper rubber protection corners, and then proceeded to paint them shiny black again, I added the silver writing as it was never part of the standard look, thus I opted to customize it a bit to my own liking.
Some work in progress happening.....

Fitted, and after the first round of metal polish the nudgebar is looking much better, bar a few marks and scratches from being used...

Removeable numberplate bracket made and fitted, all is done now....

This is how you oversteer a Prado on the skidpan.....


I enjoy the standard look front end to the others, and after having done advanced on/off road driver training at Gerotek, I'm really happy with my vehicle and the way it handle the varied terrain and even some serious skidpan sports.... had the opportunity to drive the high speed oval in all the embankments. Also did some slalom driving through cones spaced out and also had a chance to drive the handling test track and the off road and military test track....

No places did I need more clearance or articulation, even the Vigo and Ranger started lifting wheels on the articulation test track, where the Prado kept all 4 planted and just sailed through.

Lots of emergency braking and swerving out under braking was being done under the watchful eye of Bernie and the instructors. Also understeer and oversteer was being taught and the Prado inspired much confidence in driving.

I really like the idea of having the duel fuel filler pipe from one cap.
During refueling on my camper,I presently fill both my standard and my homebuild 65 litre extra tank from the one filler cap which then tees into the two tanks.My extra tank sits higher than my standard tank and gravity feeds into the original tank.MY problem is it takes about 20 mins to fill the approx 135 ltres of diesel because of air locks.

I have experimented with various methods of placing the pump fuel nozzle in the cap opening to try and overcome this problem and I have to really fill up slowly.
I am going to look at the feasibility of fabricating a dual pipes similar to yours.

Tony that is excatly why I decided to import that unit as it is made to fit the prado with dual tanks. Took me the other night a normal stop and fill time at the pump. Only thing is now that I get out and fill myself as they tend to overfill the tanks which cause the breather in the cap to let off the smell constantly until both tanks have dropped in levels. Should be very easy for you to fabricate something to fit the camper.


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Very Nice
Something I would not mind.
Good luck with changing the left rear shock in the future

JohanM wrote: ↑Wed Jan 21, 2015 8:51 pm So after buying my new wheels, I have decided to start with the changes on it to make it more comfortable and rigged for touring offroad.

So out with the clear/ semi reflective film on the windows, I changed it to 35% tint.

Louis from 4x4megaworld in Menlyn once again did a sterling brilliant job on changing the suspension from stock to OME. Service excellence once again. The lift gained was about 50mm allround. General road manners and handling has improved so much that it feels like driving a newer vehicle so stable it has become. I have to admit that the shocks that was removed still had "Toyota" on it so Louis and I suspect that it might have been the original set or was changed at the dealers at some stage, but they were all tired to the limit.

Also fitted a snorkel to the vehicle. Mostly to improve breathing ability on dirt roads as the intake is situated in the fender on the r/f wheel which is a very dusty place to breathe from on dirt roads for extended travelling.

Here is the before picture.

Prado Before.jpg

Here is the after pictures.

Prado Mod.jpg

Prado Mod2.jpg

Great vehicle looks in mint condition..... throw on some black rims maybe if i was you

After a incident on the road early in April my Prado has been written off, as I managed to bend the chassis r/f side and also damage the r/r side of the axle badly after I rolled it and landed back on its wheels. I swerved to avoid a small child late at night in the road walking behind a calf casually. I managed to walk away with no injuries at all and the cause of the accident vanished into the night after I climbed out they were no where to be found.

This weekend I will go fetch my new baby and will introduce the new member once I am back from collecting.

Till then I'm not going to say what I'm getting except it is a 4x4 Toyota.

Cruiser?

JohanM wrote: ↑Wed May 16, 2018 9:07 pm After a incident on the road early in April my Prado has been written off, as I managed to bend the chassis r/f side and also damage the r/r side of the axle badly after I rolled it and landed back on its wheels. I swerved to avoid a small child late at night in the road walking behind a calf casually. I managed to walk away with no injuries at all and the cause of the accident vanished into the night after I climbed out they were no where to be found.

This weekend I will go fetch my new baby and will introduce the new member once I am back from collecting.

Till then I'm not going to say what I'm getting except it is a 4x4 Toyota.

Eish Johan.Thats very bad,glad you are OK

And????

The weekend is long gone!!!

We are waiting in our suspenders for your new van but, no, you keep us waiting?

Thabogrobler wrote: ↑Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:52 am And????

The weekend is long gone!!!

We are waiting in our suspenders for your new van but, no, you keep us waiting?

Well like things in life all is not plain sailing. I did buy a replacement car, and traded in after 400 km on a different car and is going to collect my new one this Friday afternoon.

Will post pictures once I have secured the keys.