Thanks guys.
It really was such an amazing weekend, I loved every second of it and I got some good footage for the TV show and DVD!
The last few weeks having been pretty busy at work.
I got the roll cage I built back from the powder coaters and fitted it in the little Suzuki.
I then carried on with the tube doors I've designed.
My boss wanted slam latches on the doors, and the company in the US that sells latches for tube doors didnt reply to our email asking them how much to ship to OZ.
So we got a load of sample latches from a hardware supplier and I selected which one I thought would work best.
I cut a plate and tack welded it in the corner of the door.
I welded it int he center of the door as I want the doors to be universal so they will work as a passenger or a drivers side as it will just make producing and selling them easier.
So the latch gets spaced out using some little plastic spacers.
I cut, folded and drilled a plate to bolt onto the existing pillar.
Once I was happy with this system I cut some more plates for the other doors.
And got them welded on.
I then sent the doors to be powder coated.
And made the other plates for the slam latches.
And sent them to be electroplated silver.
I got the doors back.
I parked it out the front of work on Thursday and I hadnt even got around to putting a for sale sign on it when a guy came in and said it was just what he was looking for for his farm and gave the full asking price for it in cash!
Its been a nice little project and its great to be saving a Suzuki rather than stripping them for parts all the time.
My boss wanted me to design and build a trailer for him to mount an 800 litre water tank and fire fighting pump on.
The new parts I was given.
We wanted to make use of some of the Suzuki spares weve got so we used Sierra leaf springs which I added extra leaves to for the weight.
And Vitara wheels.
I drew out the shape and size of the trailer on the floor using chalk and then cut the steel to size and welded it all together.
To ensure I got really good root penetration on all my welds I ground the edges of all the joints.
I drilled some 25mm holes in some 6mm steel.
And then cut it up.
This would be my leaf spring mounts.
I needed to weld the stub axles in next.
I cut and drilled some steel to bolt the axle to the leaf springs.
I assembled the hubs.
And got the hubs and wheels mounted.
We needed to test the trailer to make sure it would carry 800kg+. So I weighed a bag of snow chains and then put 800kg worth on the trailer.
We needed a frame to help hold the water tank in place and to give us something to attach ratchet straps to.
Mud guards next.
I added some tubes to go from the corers of the trailer to the mud guard to prevent the mud guard getting damaged should some one clip a gate post/tree etc. The idea is it will hit the tube and slide out away from the post/tree.
I then stripped it all back down and got every thing fully welded.
I painted the axle, springs, and wheels and got them all assembled.
All new bushes.
The spring plates I sent to be electro plated.
Everything was assembled using nyloc nuts.
We picked the trailer up from the powder coaters.
I got it all assembled.
Cut some ply.
And screwed it on.
Thats the first trailer I've ever designed and built and I'm really pleased with it, as is my boss. It took a couple of days and I really enjoyed making it.
Another little project I did on Thursday was designing and making some castor correcting drop mounts for Suzuki Jimny's.
So these drop the rear chassis mount for the radius arms, I also moved the mounting hole 5mm further forward to stretch the wheel base very slightly to improve the approach angle and to give a bit more clearance for bigger tyres.
I'm also designing a new product which I'm really excited about that I think will be a big seller!
Cant say too much just yet but will get some pics once its finished and goes into mass production.
Last Sunday I went on a 4wd trip with my work colleagues.
We stopped next to a reservoir for lunch.
I was following my boss in his Jimny and he came ridiculously close to rolling it! We were traveling at about 20kmh when his rear drivers side wheel shot really high into the air, luckily it came back down and stopped at this point.
One of the landrovers had a flat tyre on the way back to Melbourne but we soon had it changed.
The bottle jack wouldnt go high enough so we used a spade to dig out some of the dirt to get the spare on.
I've settled into the new house now and I totally love it!
LJ got called into service last week to get me a new mattress.
I cant afford a bed at the moment as theres much more important things to spend money on like holidays and 4wd stuff!
So I got inventive...........................
I tested it the other night when a
friend stayed over and the boxes didnt move at all!
We had our first house party last night and one of our friends brought his lasers and decks round.
It got pretty messy hence why I've been able to spend so much time today up dating this thread. Was a great night though!
Anyway................................
Back to the house............
The new garage/workshop is awesome!
I took a few pics as I moved in and started to set it all up.
I added some more shelves.
Its great to finally have all my stuff out of storage and on hand for when I'm making and fixing stuff.
Its amazing having my own garage/workshop again, something I've not had for over 12 months. Its also amazing that LJ fits inside with plenty of room to spare! I've never had a garage LJ fits into before.
I've decided I'm going to pull LJ off the road for a few months and get the huge list of jobs I need to do done! I've got my big Simpson trip coming up in September that I'm very excited about, but I want LJ to be 100% reliable so its very important to get all the little issues sorted out!
I also want to get all the bodywork fixed and LJ resprayed.
Build a roof rack for my OZ Tent and mount awnings to 2 sides.
Build and fit my auxiliary fuel tank.
Rip all the aftermarket wiring and electrics out and start again and do it all properly.
Get a new set of 35" BFG KM2's.
Add a boost, EGT, and aux fuel tank gauges.
And get the radiator fixed as its leaking again.
So I should be busy for a while.
One crazy picture to end on..............................
A significant moment that we jokingly thought was worth photographing.
Putting the bins out for the first time at the new place.
