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LJ70 Build Thread!
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
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- Oct 13, 2010
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Thanks, I love it! 
Great minds must think alike Pat! I was thinking the exact same thing at work today!
Going to give it a go as I'm finding the agency work can be a bit up and down. Sometimes the jobs/sites are great, sometimes (like today) there not so good!
Atleast doing handyman jobs for people I can pick and choose what work I do and get more fairly paid for my time.
Great minds must think alike Pat! I was thinking the exact same thing at work today!
Going to give it a go as I'm finding the agency work can be a bit up and down. Sometimes the jobs/sites are great, sometimes (like today) there not so good!
Atleast doing handyman jobs for people I can pick and choose what work I do and get more fairly paid for my time.
Great minds must think alike Pat! I was thinking the exact same thing at work today!
Going to give it a go as I'm finding the agency work can be a bit up and down. Sometimes the jobs/sites are great, sometimes (like today) there not so good!
Atleast doing handyman jobs for people I can pick and choose what work I do and get more fairly paid for my time.
I imagine it may be a bit slow to start with Ben, and you may have to drop your wage expectations a bit to encourage clients, but once word gets around, I recon you'd be on a winner.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
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- Country Flag
Thanks guys.
Going to design a logo and order some business cards this weekend.
Its been a good week work wise. Spent Monday & Tuesday on a huge site building a big shopping center. Got sick of the long days and 2+ hours of driving, so found another job for Wednesday & Thursday working at the casino again for a big demolition company.
So lots of interesting work, enough money to pay the bills and another 4 day working week which is all I want to do anyway! Got to keep that nice work life balance going.
Got today off so I'm going to a motoX/enduro track with my mate again!
Then its the weekend!
Will try and get an update up over the next few days and show you all what I've been up to.
Going to design a logo and order some business cards this weekend.
Its been a good week work wise. Spent Monday & Tuesday on a huge site building a big shopping center. Got sick of the long days and 2+ hours of driving, so found another job for Wednesday & Thursday working at the casino again for a big demolition company.
So lots of interesting work, enough money to pay the bills and another 4 day working week which is all I want to do anyway! Got to keep that nice work life balance going.
Got today off so I'm going to a motoX/enduro track with my mate again!
Then its the weekend!
Will try and get an update up over the next few days and show you all what I've been up to.
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Lexi, The Deck, Work & The Bike!
Lexi.
Here she is!
The Deck
We went to an artisan market near Byron last weekend and finally bought a hammock chair!
I also picked up another organic pineapple and planted the top opposite the other one.
The fruit and veg plants are continuing to do great in the tropical climate.
I'm now getting fresh strawberries and tomatoes every day!
Work.
I spent Monday Tuesday working on a big building site doing form work, or shuttering as its called in Europe.
But it was long days and boring work out in the elements all day with no shade or shelter!
It was burning hot at some points and then raining quite heavily at others.
So I was very happy to get a few days work at the casino, working on the demolition of 3 floors of the 20 floor hotel, ready for a refurb.
The demolition company had hired 20 laborers from the agency and had them doing some really hard, horrible work on the floor above, knocking walls down and jack hammering concrete all day. So that floor was a real assault on the senses with dust so thick you couldn't see more than a few meters in front of you. The noise was incredible with 20 guys jack hammering concrete and ceramic tiles and it was also really hot and dark up there.
Thankfully me and the other carpenter had it much better! We just had to remove some solid concrete decorative columns and remove some shutters from the windows. Apparently we had been called in as one of laborers had smashed a window and it had been decided that they didn't want unskilled labor anywhere near the windows again!
It was an amazing view up there on the 17th floor!
The GC has got a lot of big skyscrapers and tower blocks going up at the moment, but most arnt out of the ground yet, so I suspect in 6-12 months time there is going to be a huge demand for carpenters and that should force wages up, hopefully.
Looking down on the GC its amazing to see just how much water is here, there is hundreds of kilometers of canals crisscrossing the land!
I managed to save a few things from the skip. I got some small stainless steel mini bar sinks, that I thought looked useful. I was thinking they may be useful for a camper trailer/canopy/van build, a sink for a workshop or even for hanging baskets.
The Bike.
I had found that there was nothing to hold onto to lift or drag the back of the bike around by.
So I came up with a solution!
I found a length of fridge slide strap.
Cut it to length, folded the ends over and burnt a hole through both ends with a hot soldering iron.
I could then push a bolt through.
And bolt it on.
Then yesterday it was time to go riding again!
I picked up my mate and we drove to QMP (Queensland Moto Park) near Beaudesert.
It was a great place with a few MotoX tracks and 4 long enduro tracks that snaked their way through the bush.
We had a great few hours out riding and I'm keen to go back there and I'm hoping we can camp over next time.
I'm getting more confident and competent but I still managed to come off 4 times.
In one of the crashes I came over the handlebars and snapped the end off another clutch lever.
The bike and my Fox clothing ended up covered in mud.
Gave it a wash this morning.
And surveyed the damage.
Slight damage on the bottom of the plastic on one of the fork legs.
Scuffed one of the new hand guards.
Snapped clutch lever.
I also snapped the other rear indicator.
I want to fit the new rear indicators but I'm keen to fit a rear rack so I can carry a small bag with tools and spares in and I'd like to incorporate the indicators into the rack to hopefully help protect them.
So far I havent seen a rack off the shelf that looks perfect, so I'm thinking I might design and make one out of alluminium.
I picked up some oil and filters.
And I want to give it a good service before I next go out.
The Yamaha Australia website is awesome in that it has all the FSM's (Factory Service Manauals) available for free download.
So I downloaded and printed out all 300 pages of it.
It goes into excellent detail just like the Toyota ones, and tells you how to do everything!
Lexi.
Here she is!
The Deck
We went to an artisan market near Byron last weekend and finally bought a hammock chair!
I also picked up another organic pineapple and planted the top opposite the other one.
The fruit and veg plants are continuing to do great in the tropical climate.
I'm now getting fresh strawberries and tomatoes every day!
Work.
I spent Monday Tuesday working on a big building site doing form work, or shuttering as its called in Europe.
But it was long days and boring work out in the elements all day with no shade or shelter!
It was burning hot at some points and then raining quite heavily at others.
So I was very happy to get a few days work at the casino, working on the demolition of 3 floors of the 20 floor hotel, ready for a refurb.
The demolition company had hired 20 laborers from the agency and had them doing some really hard, horrible work on the floor above, knocking walls down and jack hammering concrete all day. So that floor was a real assault on the senses with dust so thick you couldn't see more than a few meters in front of you. The noise was incredible with 20 guys jack hammering concrete and ceramic tiles and it was also really hot and dark up there.
Thankfully me and the other carpenter had it much better! We just had to remove some solid concrete decorative columns and remove some shutters from the windows. Apparently we had been called in as one of laborers had smashed a window and it had been decided that they didn't want unskilled labor anywhere near the windows again!
It was an amazing view up there on the 17th floor!
The GC has got a lot of big skyscrapers and tower blocks going up at the moment, but most arnt out of the ground yet, so I suspect in 6-12 months time there is going to be a huge demand for carpenters and that should force wages up, hopefully.
Looking down on the GC its amazing to see just how much water is here, there is hundreds of kilometers of canals crisscrossing the land!
I managed to save a few things from the skip. I got some small stainless steel mini bar sinks, that I thought looked useful. I was thinking they may be useful for a camper trailer/canopy/van build, a sink for a workshop or even for hanging baskets.
The Bike.
I had found that there was nothing to hold onto to lift or drag the back of the bike around by.
So I came up with a solution!
I found a length of fridge slide strap.
Cut it to length, folded the ends over and burnt a hole through both ends with a hot soldering iron.
I could then push a bolt through.
And bolt it on.
Then yesterday it was time to go riding again!
I picked up my mate and we drove to QMP (Queensland Moto Park) near Beaudesert.
It was a great place with a few MotoX tracks and 4 long enduro tracks that snaked their way through the bush.
We had a great few hours out riding and I'm keen to go back there and I'm hoping we can camp over next time.
I'm getting more confident and competent but I still managed to come off 4 times.
In one of the crashes I came over the handlebars and snapped the end off another clutch lever.
The bike and my Fox clothing ended up covered in mud.
Gave it a wash this morning.
And surveyed the damage.
Slight damage on the bottom of the plastic on one of the fork legs.
Scuffed one of the new hand guards.
Snapped clutch lever.
I also snapped the other rear indicator.
I want to fit the new rear indicators but I'm keen to fit a rear rack so I can carry a small bag with tools and spares in and I'd like to incorporate the indicators into the rack to hopefully help protect them.
So far I havent seen a rack off the shelf that looks perfect, so I'm thinking I might design and make one out of alluminium.
I picked up some oil and filters.
And I want to give it a good service before I next go out.
The Yamaha Australia website is awesome in that it has all the FSM's (Factory Service Manauals) available for free download.
So I downloaded and printed out all 300 pages of it.
It goes into excellent detail just like the Toyota ones, and tells you how to do everything!
Last edited:
Hi Ben,
Be very cautious with a rear rack. They're good on long range enduro setups, but bloody dangerous on a motorcross bike. If the bikes comes out from under you, you will catch both legs on the rack and do a backflip with the bike. They're designed to be slim so you can "abandon ship" if necessary. A rack will most likely drag you along with the bike at the worst possible time.
Get a couple of bending LED indicators, mine lasted 5 years without ever snapping.
Try to get your weight as far forwards as possible, sit on the tank around a berm if you have to, leg out to save yourself if the bike is getting too low and power through the corners. Let the arse end steer you around the corners. Once you start jumping keep practicing on a table-top until you can comfortably land on the down ramp, then progress to doubles and triples. While in the air accelerate to bring the front wheel up, rear brake to bring it down. It takes a fair bit of practice to get it right, but its a great feeling once you master it! The WR's are wheelie machines, you can put the wheel up in first gear at 10kph and accelerate through the gears and keep it up till your doing 130+kph in 4th. Maybe practice a bit before doing this kind of thing as landing on your butt at high speed will see you with a broken coccyx bone, not much fun. My mate did this once!
Have fun and stay safe mate.
Be very cautious with a rear rack. They're good on long range enduro setups, but bloody dangerous on a motorcross bike. If the bikes comes out from under you, you will catch both legs on the rack and do a backflip with the bike. They're designed to be slim so you can "abandon ship" if necessary. A rack will most likely drag you along with the bike at the worst possible time.
Get a couple of bending LED indicators, mine lasted 5 years without ever snapping.
Try to get your weight as far forwards as possible, sit on the tank around a berm if you have to, leg out to save yourself if the bike is getting too low and power through the corners. Let the arse end steer you around the corners. Once you start jumping keep practicing on a table-top until you can comfortably land on the down ramp, then progress to doubles and triples. While in the air accelerate to bring the front wheel up, rear brake to bring it down. It takes a fair bit of practice to get it right, but its a great feeling once you master it! The WR's are wheelie machines, you can put the wheel up in first gear at 10kph and accelerate through the gears and keep it up till your doing 130+kph in 4th. Maybe practice a bit before doing this kind of thing as landing on your butt at high speed will see you with a broken coccyx bone, not much fun. My mate did this once!
Have fun and stay safe mate.
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Thanks Ash, some excellent advice there and all of it much appreciated.
I hadnt thought about a rack like that before, so thinking I will shelve that plan.
I'm going to just bolt the replacement indicators to the mud guard for now. If/when they break I will get some flexible ones, or even some of the ones I've seen that are removable and just push on and off.
I hadnt thought about a rack like that before, so thinking I will shelve that plan.
I'm going to just bolt the replacement indicators to the mud guard for now. If/when they break I will get some flexible ones, or even some of the ones I've seen that are removable and just push on and off.
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
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The Bike & LJ.
I havent had any work this week.
Although I am doing a night shift at the casino tonight which will be good money again!
However having all this time off has meant I can work on the toys!
The WR.
I drained the engine oil.
Pulled the old filter out.
I had noticed the bike had a slight oil leak and while removing the oil filter I spotted where it had been leaking from.
I'm not sure if it was already done when I bought the bike or whether I did it in one of my crashes, but it didn't look good. The magnesium clutch cover was chipped and cracked.
I had to remove the rear brake lever to get the casing off.
Followed by all the bolts holding the casing on.
Cover off.
The damage was immediately noticeable on the inside.
Gave it a good clean in some petrol.
Sanded the paint off and removed some loose pieces.
Picked up some JB Weld.
Mixed it up.
Applied the first layer.
While that was drying I removed the old broken rear indicators and complete abortion that the previous owner had made of the wiring.
It looked terrible under here before, with loose wires hanging down and poorly crimped terminals.
The new indicators plugged straight into the loom next to the coolant reservoir which was much neater.
Pulled the air filter off.
Picked up some air filter cleaner and oil.
Soaked the air filter in the cleaning solution for a while and then rinsed it out in the sink.
I gave the casing a second application of JB Weld to build it up a bit more.
The next morning the JB Weld had fully set and I could file, drill and sand it.
The air filter was also nice and dry.
Oiled up and ready to go back on.
Re-fitted.
Gave the casing a few coats of black enamel spray paint.
Re-fitted.
I filled it with fresh oil and so far no leaks!
I did plan on going for a ride yesterday and was planning on exploring Lamington National Park, but it started raining 10 minutes into the ride and I was forced to abandon the trip and head home. It really isnt much fun in the rain!
LJ.
Finally some more work on LJ!
I remembered recently that my drivers seat has electronic lumbar support as its from a Jap import LJ78, but I had never wired it up! I thought that would be very useful as after 8-10 hours behind the wheel my back sometimes starts aching.
Lurking beneath the TJM seat covers is a switch.
Putting power to the wires hanging down from the seat made the switch work and the seat come alive!
So I figured it would be an easy job to wire it up.
I soldered some wires onto the original connector for the seat and ran it to a relay under the bonnet, switched by an ignition live.
But it wouldn't work and I couldn't understand why!
Turned out to be a faulty relay.
Then it kept blowing fuses, even with the connector for the seat pulled apart. Turned out the terminals in the connector must have been shorting out some how.
So after cutting out those and putting in new ones it all worked beautifully!
Doesn't look a huge amount of movement in the video, but when sat in the seat it really does make a huge difference and offers a lot of support to your lower back!
Then I spotted that there is a knob on the other side which when turned pulls the wings of the seat in together, making it more of a bucket seat!
Seat sides in.
Seat sides out.
The switch can easily be operated through the seat cover, but for the knob I decided to burn a neat hole through the cover with a hot soldering iron, so the knob could go on the outside.
And thats all I got done on LJ. I still need to order stiffer rear springs and the aircon pump, but both of those jobs need to wait until I've got more disposable cash!
I managed to acquire a load of Aussie plugs on the demolition job so I've been busy converting more of my power tools to save me having to use an adaptor!
I've been busy getting the handyman/carpenter company going. Bec helped design me some business cards and a logo and I've been busy making a facebook page. Hoping to finsih the facebook page this week, just need to find more pics of previous work I've done. Then I'm going to get an advert in the local, weekly, free magazine.
4WD show this weekend which I won the tickets for!
I havent had any work this week.
Although I am doing a night shift at the casino tonight which will be good money again!
However having all this time off has meant I can work on the toys!
The WR.
I drained the engine oil.
Pulled the old filter out.
I had noticed the bike had a slight oil leak and while removing the oil filter I spotted where it had been leaking from.
I'm not sure if it was already done when I bought the bike or whether I did it in one of my crashes, but it didn't look good. The magnesium clutch cover was chipped and cracked.
I had to remove the rear brake lever to get the casing off.
Followed by all the bolts holding the casing on.
Cover off.
The damage was immediately noticeable on the inside.
Gave it a good clean in some petrol.
Sanded the paint off and removed some loose pieces.
Picked up some JB Weld.
Mixed it up.
Applied the first layer.
While that was drying I removed the old broken rear indicators and complete abortion that the previous owner had made of the wiring.
It looked terrible under here before, with loose wires hanging down and poorly crimped terminals.
The new indicators plugged straight into the loom next to the coolant reservoir which was much neater.
Pulled the air filter off.
Picked up some air filter cleaner and oil.
Soaked the air filter in the cleaning solution for a while and then rinsed it out in the sink.
I gave the casing a second application of JB Weld to build it up a bit more.
The next morning the JB Weld had fully set and I could file, drill and sand it.
The air filter was also nice and dry.
Oiled up and ready to go back on.
Re-fitted.
Gave the casing a few coats of black enamel spray paint.
Re-fitted.
I filled it with fresh oil and so far no leaks!
I did plan on going for a ride yesterday and was planning on exploring Lamington National Park, but it started raining 10 minutes into the ride and I was forced to abandon the trip and head home. It really isnt much fun in the rain!
LJ.
Finally some more work on LJ!
I remembered recently that my drivers seat has electronic lumbar support as its from a Jap import LJ78, but I had never wired it up! I thought that would be very useful as after 8-10 hours behind the wheel my back sometimes starts aching.
Lurking beneath the TJM seat covers is a switch.
Putting power to the wires hanging down from the seat made the switch work and the seat come alive!
So I figured it would be an easy job to wire it up.
I soldered some wires onto the original connector for the seat and ran it to a relay under the bonnet, switched by an ignition live.
But it wouldn't work and I couldn't understand why!
Turned out to be a faulty relay.
Then it kept blowing fuses, even with the connector for the seat pulled apart. Turned out the terminals in the connector must have been shorting out some how.
So after cutting out those and putting in new ones it all worked beautifully!
Doesn't look a huge amount of movement in the video, but when sat in the seat it really does make a huge difference and offers a lot of support to your lower back!
Then I spotted that there is a knob on the other side which when turned pulls the wings of the seat in together, making it more of a bucket seat!
Seat sides in.
Seat sides out.
The switch can easily be operated through the seat cover, but for the knob I decided to burn a neat hole through the cover with a hot soldering iron, so the knob could go on the outside.
And thats all I got done on LJ. I still need to order stiffer rear springs and the aircon pump, but both of those jobs need to wait until I've got more disposable cash!
I managed to acquire a load of Aussie plugs on the demolition job so I've been busy converting more of my power tools to save me having to use an adaptor!
I've been busy getting the handyman/carpenter company going. Bec helped design me some business cards and a logo and I've been busy making a facebook page. Hoping to finsih the facebook page this week, just need to find more pics of previous work I've done. Then I'm going to get an advert in the local, weekly, free magazine.
4WD show this weekend which I won the tickets for!
Last edited:
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
My solution for my UK plugged stuff working in Australia has been to use a UK 4 plug plank with an Aussie plug wired on the end... worked brilliantly for the last 5 years of use! Also means I've got the stronger UK plugs for things instead of the flimsy Aussie ones.
If you're heading out to Lamington National Park, I'd recommend getting Bec to meet you up at the QLD national parks campsite (no Lexi allowed though), and stay there and visit O'Reillys after going up Duck Creek Road.
If you're heading out to Lamington National Park, I'd recommend getting Bec to meet you up at the QLD national parks campsite (no Lexi allowed though), and stay there and visit O'Reillys after going up Duck Creek Road.
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Thanks guys.
Started at 1am at the casino and worked all the way through till 1pm!
Feel exhausted now, but thats work done for the week! That one night shift at time and a half and double time more than pays the bills for this week!
Its now officially the weekend for me!!!
Started at 1am at the casino and worked all the way through till 1pm!
Feel exhausted now, but thats work done for the week! That one night shift at time and a half and double time more than pays the bills for this week!
Its now officially the weekend for me!!!
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
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Lexi Digging, Eventful Bike Ride & The 4WD Show!
Lexi.
Lexi has been doing a bit of digging lately and ending up very muddy!
Its a good job I fitted the gate so she can be contained and isnt able to make the rest of the house dirty!
The Bike.
I went for a nice ride yesterday to explore some of the national parks in the hinterland.
Quite a cloudy day but still 28 degrees so nice and warm!
I could just about see the city in the distance.
All was going well until I ran out of petrol!
Thankfully it was all downhill to the nearest fuel servo, so after switching the fuel tap to reserve I rode very slowly back down and pulled the clutch in and rolled most of the way!
Got there with only half a litre left!
I'm thinking of getting a bigger fuel tank because 8 litres just isnt enough!
Had a nice BBQ on the deck yesterday afternoon.
4WD Show.
Then today it was 4wd show time in Brisbane!!
I didn't get many pics as it was very busy and there wasnt a huge amount that caught my eye. ARB, TJM and Opposite Lock all had huge stands and some nice products.
Saw Roothy and a few other 4wd presenters there but couldn't be bothered to stand in the big queues to have my photo taken with them.
A stand that did catch my eye was from Dana, Australia. Who are making and selling a complete Dana 60 replacement rear axle with an Eaton E locker as a complete bolt in unit, which fixes the monumental cock up Toyota did by fitting rear axles 100mm narrower than the front on the VDJ70's and there made in Australia!
What a beautiful solution to the biggest issue with the VDJ70's!
Heres the link to the Dana axles, something I will be very keen to purchase when I get a new 70!
http://danaperformance.com.au/?sfid...2007&_sft_category=ultimate-dana-60-lc70-axle
Another company that caught my eye was these guys:
The guy was telling me that they have been hiring 4wd's on Fraser island for many years and have found that people bending front axles is a common issue. So they design and make, fully fabricated replacement front axles.
They also make and sell a complete kit to convert a MK4 Hi-Lux from IFS to live axle.
Everything in orange is included in the kit.
Didn't really buy anything, but came away with a few show bags and lots of stickers and bits and pieces.
Lots of stickers for my tool boxes.
I got a leaflet and sticker from a big 4wd and motorbike park that looks good. Wouldnt mind taking LJ and the bike there for some camping, riding and driving!
Some of the Sherpa winches looked good!
I particularly liked the big twin motor one.
We've decided we want an OZ Tent RV5, especially now we've got Lexi.
Oz Tent were at the show and had what looked like some good deals.
These were the RV4 prices and the RV5 was only $50 more and all the accessories were the same price.
They had a deal going where you could put down a $50 deposit to secure the show prices, then in anything up to a years time you can pay the rest of the money and they will send you the tent and if you change your mind at anytime they will refund you the $50. So I paid them $50.
However...........................
Since coming home and doing some googling I've found it for $134 cheaper!
So I will be calling Oz Tent next week to see if they can match or ideally beat the other price! If they cant, I will just get my $50 back and get it all from the other mob.
Lexi.
Lexi has been doing a bit of digging lately and ending up very muddy!
Its a good job I fitted the gate so she can be contained and isnt able to make the rest of the house dirty!
The Bike.
I went for a nice ride yesterday to explore some of the national parks in the hinterland.
Quite a cloudy day but still 28 degrees so nice and warm!
I could just about see the city in the distance.
All was going well until I ran out of petrol!
Thankfully it was all downhill to the nearest fuel servo, so after switching the fuel tap to reserve I rode very slowly back down and pulled the clutch in and rolled most of the way!
Got there with only half a litre left!
I'm thinking of getting a bigger fuel tank because 8 litres just isnt enough!
Had a nice BBQ on the deck yesterday afternoon.
4WD Show.
Then today it was 4wd show time in Brisbane!!
I didn't get many pics as it was very busy and there wasnt a huge amount that caught my eye. ARB, TJM and Opposite Lock all had huge stands and some nice products.
Saw Roothy and a few other 4wd presenters there but couldn't be bothered to stand in the big queues to have my photo taken with them.
A stand that did catch my eye was from Dana, Australia. Who are making and selling a complete Dana 60 replacement rear axle with an Eaton E locker as a complete bolt in unit, which fixes the monumental cock up Toyota did by fitting rear axles 100mm narrower than the front on the VDJ70's and there made in Australia!
What a beautiful solution to the biggest issue with the VDJ70's!
Heres the link to the Dana axles, something I will be very keen to purchase when I get a new 70!
http://danaperformance.com.au/?sfid...2007&_sft_category=ultimate-dana-60-lc70-axle
Another company that caught my eye was these guys:
The guy was telling me that they have been hiring 4wd's on Fraser island for many years and have found that people bending front axles is a common issue. So they design and make, fully fabricated replacement front axles.
They also make and sell a complete kit to convert a MK4 Hi-Lux from IFS to live axle.
Everything in orange is included in the kit.
Didn't really buy anything, but came away with a few show bags and lots of stickers and bits and pieces.
Lots of stickers for my tool boxes.
I got a leaflet and sticker from a big 4wd and motorbike park that looks good. Wouldnt mind taking LJ and the bike there for some camping, riding and driving!
Some of the Sherpa winches looked good!
I particularly liked the big twin motor one.
We've decided we want an OZ Tent RV5, especially now we've got Lexi.
Oz Tent were at the show and had what looked like some good deals.
These were the RV4 prices and the RV5 was only $50 more and all the accessories were the same price.
They had a deal going where you could put down a $50 deposit to secure the show prices, then in anything up to a years time you can pay the rest of the money and they will send you the tent and if you change your mind at anytime they will refund you the $50. So I paid them $50.
However...........................
Since coming home and doing some googling I've found it for $134 cheaper!
So I will be calling Oz Tent next week to see if they can match or ideally beat the other price! If they cant, I will just get my $50 back and get it all from the other mob.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
- Messages
- 6,058
- Country Flag
Lexi, LJ, The Bike & Work.
OK tiny update...................
Lexi.
We took her to puppy school for the first time this week.
She did really well although she was the most timid pup there which was really surprising given how she was the most confident pup out of her litter.
She was great with all the trainers and obviously absolutely loves people but she was very wary of the other dogs. But the trainers have said that by week 4 she will be completely different and will be really confident playing with all the others.
At the end of each session they get the pups to do something they have never done before to push them beyond their comfort zone a little. This week it was walking along a ladder which she did quite easily as yummy chicken was on offer.
LJ.
Were both really keen to get out and do some 4wding & camping!
We picked up a book this week which lists a lot of dog friendly camping spots all over the country.
Then yesterday I called into my local ARB store and picked up some Hema maps.
Theres actually very little in the way of 4wding on the Gold Coast sadly!
Theres lots of National Parks, but unlike Victoria, most of these dont have 4wd tracks in them and Lexi isnt allowed in them as dogs arnt allowed in National Parks.
Theres also hardly any state forests (which is somewhere that will have 4wd tracks and Lexi will be allowed)
There is one 4wd track though which were going to drive this Sunday, called Duck creek Road. (Ed mentioned it in his post above and I had already come across the name a few times previously while searching for 4wd/motorbike tracks)
The plan is to follow this down to Lamington National Park, from Beaudesert and then head North towards home. So it will only be a tiny trip but it should be nice!
Looking at the map there is a huge state forest(s) near Fraser Island, so a few hours North of here. So I'm thinking we will head there for our first 4wding & camping trip with Lexi, hopefully in a few weeks.
Having not really sorted LJ out since the big move up before Christmas I finally spent a few hours this morning sorting all the camping gear, tools and other bits and pieces out inside LJ.
Mounted my tyre deflator, handheld UHF and torch to the front of the roof cage so they are easy to grab as and when we need them.
So LJ is now all ready for this Sundays little 4wd trip.
The Bike.
I've been doing some work on the bike!
After watching an excellent video on youtube about how to adjust and setup the suspension I re-adjusted it all which only took about 10 minutes. It should make a big difference off road!
I'm very tempted to get another set of wheels/tyres for it as it would be nice to have some more road based tyres for when I do want to ride it on the road. At the moment I find riding it on the motorway quite scary at times, especially when you get up above 100kmh on the knobbly tyres.
I'm looking for a very small bag to bolt to the rear fender to keep these tools in.
I'm pretty confident there all I need to tighten up most of the bolts that seem to rattle loose with all the vibrations, particularly off road.
Work.
I did another night shift at the casino this week, but apart from that I havent been working.
I was very close to committing to purchasing the business cards, taking out the ad in the local free magazine and paying for the public liability insurance and getting the handyman business up and running..........................
But I had been invited in for an interview with a local building company for yesterday afternoon so I was holding off to see how that would go.
Then I spotted an article in a 4wd magazine for a company and really liked what they were building! Then I discovered they were on the Gold Coast and I thought wow! I would love to work there, that looks like it could easily be as much fun as Piranha and I had a really good feeling about it!
So anyway...............................
Yesterday morning I called in at the 4wd business with my cv and the reference letter my old boss wrote me and met the owner of the 4wd business and had a chat with him and he showed me around and he said he would have a look at my cv and be in touch.
Then I went to the carpentry interview. It went really well and I was quite surprised to be told that out of 50 applications I was one of only three they had asked to come in for an interview. They seemed like a great little company and they had some really interesting projects going.
But the money they were offering was really low and there would be lots of traveling involved and a fair chunk of it at my expense.
Then they called me up a few hours later to ask me to go in for a second interview today.
I said yes at the time, to the second interview, but then the more I thought about it the more I realised I didn't want the job they were offering because it was crap money and long hours!
But then I thought what if I dont get any more agency work for a while?
Am I making a mistake turning this job down?
I also thought there was a good chance if I took the job that I would want to quit as soon as something better came along and that wouldn't have been fair on them.
I was also really hoping I would hear back from the 4wd business as I wanted that job more than anything!
So this morning I called the building company and explained that I was sorry to waste their time but I had given it some thought and decided it wasnt what I was looking for.
Then this afternoon I got the call I had been praying for!!!!
And.....................................
I start work at the 4wd business tomorrow as a welder/fabricator/mechanic/designer!
I'm absolutely stoked!
I dont want to say too much about the company just yet.
But I will soon enough, I just want to get my first 2 days out of the way first. I think you will all be impressed with how seriously cool it is! Piranha was amazing and I miss the place a lot but I feel this new place is going to be equally as amazing! Just wait till you see what I will be working on!
Its taken 3 months but I think I've finally found a perfect replacment for my Piranha job!
OK tiny update...................
Lexi.
We took her to puppy school for the first time this week.
She did really well although she was the most timid pup there which was really surprising given how she was the most confident pup out of her litter.
She was great with all the trainers and obviously absolutely loves people but she was very wary of the other dogs. But the trainers have said that by week 4 she will be completely different and will be really confident playing with all the others.
At the end of each session they get the pups to do something they have never done before to push them beyond their comfort zone a little. This week it was walking along a ladder which she did quite easily as yummy chicken was on offer.
LJ.
Were both really keen to get out and do some 4wding & camping!
We picked up a book this week which lists a lot of dog friendly camping spots all over the country.
Then yesterday I called into my local ARB store and picked up some Hema maps.
Theres actually very little in the way of 4wding on the Gold Coast sadly!
Theres lots of National Parks, but unlike Victoria, most of these dont have 4wd tracks in them and Lexi isnt allowed in them as dogs arnt allowed in National Parks.
Theres also hardly any state forests (which is somewhere that will have 4wd tracks and Lexi will be allowed)
There is one 4wd track though which were going to drive this Sunday, called Duck creek Road. (Ed mentioned it in his post above and I had already come across the name a few times previously while searching for 4wd/motorbike tracks)
The plan is to follow this down to Lamington National Park, from Beaudesert and then head North towards home. So it will only be a tiny trip but it should be nice!
Looking at the map there is a huge state forest(s) near Fraser Island, so a few hours North of here. So I'm thinking we will head there for our first 4wding & camping trip with Lexi, hopefully in a few weeks.
Having not really sorted LJ out since the big move up before Christmas I finally spent a few hours this morning sorting all the camping gear, tools and other bits and pieces out inside LJ.
Mounted my tyre deflator, handheld UHF and torch to the front of the roof cage so they are easy to grab as and when we need them.
So LJ is now all ready for this Sundays little 4wd trip.
The Bike.
I've been doing some work on the bike!
After watching an excellent video on youtube about how to adjust and setup the suspension I re-adjusted it all which only took about 10 minutes. It should make a big difference off road!
I'm very tempted to get another set of wheels/tyres for it as it would be nice to have some more road based tyres for when I do want to ride it on the road. At the moment I find riding it on the motorway quite scary at times, especially when you get up above 100kmh on the knobbly tyres.
I'm looking for a very small bag to bolt to the rear fender to keep these tools in.
I'm pretty confident there all I need to tighten up most of the bolts that seem to rattle loose with all the vibrations, particularly off road.
Work.
I did another night shift at the casino this week, but apart from that I havent been working.
I was very close to committing to purchasing the business cards, taking out the ad in the local free magazine and paying for the public liability insurance and getting the handyman business up and running..........................
But I had been invited in for an interview with a local building company for yesterday afternoon so I was holding off to see how that would go.
Then I spotted an article in a 4wd magazine for a company and really liked what they were building! Then I discovered they were on the Gold Coast and I thought wow! I would love to work there, that looks like it could easily be as much fun as Piranha and I had a really good feeling about it!
So anyway...............................
Yesterday morning I called in at the 4wd business with my cv and the reference letter my old boss wrote me and met the owner of the 4wd business and had a chat with him and he showed me around and he said he would have a look at my cv and be in touch.
Then I went to the carpentry interview. It went really well and I was quite surprised to be told that out of 50 applications I was one of only three they had asked to come in for an interview. They seemed like a great little company and they had some really interesting projects going.
But the money they were offering was really low and there would be lots of traveling involved and a fair chunk of it at my expense.
Then they called me up a few hours later to ask me to go in for a second interview today.
I said yes at the time, to the second interview, but then the more I thought about it the more I realised I didn't want the job they were offering because it was crap money and long hours!
But then I thought what if I dont get any more agency work for a while?
Am I making a mistake turning this job down?
I also thought there was a good chance if I took the job that I would want to quit as soon as something better came along and that wouldn't have been fair on them.
I was also really hoping I would hear back from the 4wd business as I wanted that job more than anything!
So this morning I called the building company and explained that I was sorry to waste their time but I had given it some thought and decided it wasnt what I was looking for.
Then this afternoon I got the call I had been praying for!!!!
And.....................................
I start work at the 4wd business tomorrow as a welder/fabricator/mechanic/designer!
I'm absolutely stoked!
I dont want to say too much about the company just yet.
But I will soon enough, I just want to get my first 2 days out of the way first. I think you will all be impressed with how seriously cool it is! Piranha was amazing and I miss the place a lot but I feel this new place is going to be equally as amazing! Just wait till you see what I will be working on!
Its taken 3 months but I think I've finally found a perfect replacment for my Piranha job!
Last edited:
Paddler Ed
Well-Known Member
Duck Creek Road:
It's not anything really extreme, but the views are fantastic - when we did Delz drove it (and I'm not allowed to take it the next time we head up
); the main track is good but there has been some idiots driving off track to the side. It climbs pretty quickly from the valley bottom to the plateau, so get some photos on the way!
Make sure when you're at O'Reillys you go along the boardwalk (it's free to wander around the top area as it dips in and out of NP's and private property) and up the ladders to the viewing platforms.
Bike tools:
Delz just lobs hers in the back pocket of her jacket at the moment; check out YouTube for the tube changing techniques using black bin bags and when you master that (which inevitably you will) let me know... last tube we did ended up with more holes in it AFTER we changed it than before...
It's not anything really extreme, but the views are fantastic - when we did Delz drove it (and I'm not allowed to take it the next time we head up
); the main track is good but there has been some idiots driving off track to the side. It climbs pretty quickly from the valley bottom to the plateau, so get some photos on the way!Make sure when you're at O'Reillys you go along the boardwalk (it's free to wander around the top area as it dips in and out of NP's and private property) and up the ladders to the viewing platforms.
Bike tools:
Delz just lobs hers in the back pocket of her jacket at the moment; check out YouTube for the tube changing techniques using black bin bags and when you master that (which inevitably you will) let me know... last tube we did ended up with more holes in it AFTER we changed it than before...
ModelMakerMan
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2011
- Messages
- 599
- Country Flag
Congrats Ben, cant wait to see what youll be doing next 
