My Wildtrak, set up for desert touring.

Iainboyd · Fri Jun 15, 2018 10:26 am

I had the Wildtrak delivered to 4X4off Road at Bathurst prior to registration so that the GVM could be increased and the assorted accessories fitted, these included the Plasmaman intercooler, Forefront Industries hot and cold alloy pipes, Koyorad radiator Roo Systems Legendex exhaust, UHF 80 channel radio and satellite phone, oil catch can and fuel pre filter, gearbox vent system and a whole lot of other goodies. We took it out on a "shake down trip" into the Simpson only to find that the $1300 stainless steel water tank had split down one weld and that the prop shaft needed re-aligning.
The other major issue was dust getting into the canopy, we returned to NSW and had an additional vent installed on the side of the canopy as the standard one was in the vortex of the roof mounted second spare wheel this, along with a rear seal of my own design was hoped to have the problem solved.
I returned to the Flinders and found that all of the issues were resolved so in a weeks time I'm off to Fraser Island and early next year the Kimberly via the Anne Beadell and the Connie Sue.

Fri Jun 15, 2018 11:26 am

Well set up Ian but then it needs to be where you are going, heat is a destroyer.

The Kimberley range trip will be great, I am sure.

Iainboyd · Fri Jun 15, 2018 11:47 am

The Koyorad radiator (not pictured) is an all alloy radiator with some 30% more capacity than the standard unit. When we went into the Simpson on the 16th of March it was 45 degrees C ambient and around 65 degrees reflected heat off the sand and the engine coolant never went over 85 degrees, transmission fluid temp was the same -- 85 degrees.
The EGT never went over 320 degrees even when we tackled "Big Red" fully loaded at around 3260kg. I agree, heat and weight are the real killers in the desert, its why I went for a lithium auxiliary battery even at the humongous cost of $1280 for the 135 a/h unit simply because it only weights 13 kilos instead of 38kg for a conventional wet or gel filled battery.

hoges · Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:53 pm

What is your gearbox vent system? Aren't they already vented to engine bay

Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:46 pm

A battery tech friend of mine told me to steer clear of Gel batteries if you intend going to hot climates, they don't like heat.

Iainboyd · Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:42 am

hoges wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:53 pm What is your gearbox vent system? Aren't they already vented to engine bay

Yes, however the ARB unit simply filters the vented gasses (in and out) and is even higher than the standard locations.

Iainboyd · Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:48 am

RossPat wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:46 pm A battery tech friend of mine told me to steer clear of Gel batteries if you intend going to hot climates, they don't like heat.

My lithium isnt a gel battery, well not that I'm aware of anyway, and in any case its never gone over the ambient temperature. Its located under a cover above the rear drivers side wheel arch, there is a small 4" (100mm) diameter ventilation fan in the rear of the fridge compartment that circulates air through the other 6 storage compartments -- its controlled by a simple thermistor clipped to the side of the RedArc inverter which can get quite warm when its operating. When ever I've felt the lithium its been quite cool.

Iainboyd · Tue Jun 19, 2018 8:54 am

By the way, and a hint for the wise, if like me you have an ARB recovery point (RP) and full underbody protection buy a 3 tonne 1 metre long flat sling from EBay, they cost around $30.
Before you set off into deep water or mud pools connect it to the RP with a "D" shackle and tie the other loop end up onto your Bull Bar, the alternative is you end up crawling under the car in water or mud to connect your winch cable to the RP, not a pleasant thought.

Mr Poopypants · Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:08 pm

Hi Ianboyd! Your build has piqued my interest as I've seen a few posts about the place. Sounds like a top quality job. Spend most of our spare time in Blackheath. I've done the same for the recovery point, been meaning to pick up a soft shackle to use on the vehicle end. Quick q, are you using a scangauge or ultragauge or similar for your temps etc, or gauges installed??
Cheers
G.

Iainboyd · Thu Aug 16, 2018 10:52 am

I have an el cheapo scangauge abut also a RedArc triple gauge that gives me EGT, Boost and oil pressures, I'm at Bullaburra - let me know if you're interested in weekends away exploring tracks.

Mr Poopypants · Sat Sep 01, 2018 7:58 pm

Thanks, will do. Away skiing for a bit this time of year but spring is here. Be good to catch up. Cheers
G.

Iainboyd · Fri Dec 14, 2018 9:06 am

hoges wrote: ↑Fri Jun 15, 2018 12:53 pm What is your gearbox vent system? Aren't they already vented to engine bay

This is the ARB filtered vent unit. Its just that bit higher than the standard vents