Nearly twelve months ago I got a new work Troopie.
The old one was tough. If the metal dash was rattling you tightened up a few of the hexagonal screw heads sticking out of the dash. Now it’s a lot more difficult.
You want a UHF radio? Where would you like it? And just screw it into the metal dash in the correct position.
And she would go and go and go and go. You can see how she handled compared to a Patrol in this post
The new one is nice.
And plastic.
It also handled like a dog until the suspension and track were sorted out.
It doesn’t have the bits that make this feel like it can take the punishment the old girl could. And there are a few things missing. In the picture above you can see next to the steering column a dirty little knob that was the hand throttle. In the rough you take your foot off the accelerator and use the hand throttle allowing for consistent power delivery over rough terrain rather than your foot bouncing on and off the the throttle. The new one only has a switch for a fast idle when starting it in the cold.
The panic bar has also gone in the new vehicle. As part of the softening up of the vehicle and to meet mining company OH&S requirements there are air bags. A panic handle on the outside of an air bag doesn’t work well. Out bush I don’t really want an air bag. But I would like my passenger to be able to be firm in their seat over rough terrain. The panic bar was also of great assistance for elderly patients to grab and pull themselves up into the high vehicle.
Eleven months on I am still more worried when I need to take it through the mud or sand and I am worried about the mechanicals (no way can I even begin to sort out the V8 turbo diesel should it die) it make up for it in comfort, ride and performance.
But I still have the old girl in the shed.
Lots of red dust in your old vehicle…. Fascinating story. I enjoyed reading it. V8 must be a gas guzzler though.
The dust gets everywhere. You give up after a while. To make it worse the new one has carpet. You can’t get a bench rear seat without the carpet for some reason. The turbo V8 guzzles fuel at the same or slightly better rate than the big six. Much better performance on the road.
Good grief! I’m glad you kept the old one. Did not know they had changed so much. Not for the better either.
what did you do to get the supension right
I still run the split rims but with Cooper tyres. I have aftermarket suspension and for a while had spacers on the rear hubs
Hi, how did you fix the track issues? I read that the front wheel track had been altered to fit in the larger engine. Can it be done without major work? Had any other issues with the new one?
I have a 78 series and was looking at upgrading but now I am not so sure after reading about issues with common rail diesels if they get dirty fuel, and the gearbox / transfer case not being updated to suit the higher torque engine.
G’day Adrienne
have had no problems with dirty fuel and I live and work remote. So long as the filter is checked regularly.
The tracking is a big problem. Be prepared to get sore across the shoulders. I fitted spacers on the rear for a while but work made me take them off. Others use wider tyres to minimise the 50mm difference in track between front and rear.
I have a private and work vehicle both 2010 models.I miss the solid 6 cylinder and I feel the turbo 6 was the perfect engine for it. I also miss the hand throttle for the rough or really slippery stuff.
cheers
Robbo
Hi im looking at a troopy for some offroad camping and traveling my budget is 30 – 35g but I’m not sure whether to get an older one or a newer one ? And the pros and cons on either of them
Could you please point me in the right direction ?
G’day
I reckon the best of the vehicles was the 6 cylinder turbo before the v8s came in. Tough engine, enough power, better fuel economy than the 8, the old wheelbase so doesn’t wiggle over the road
how mutsh work is inwalt to do a 2 inc body lift on a troopy
you can get an inch just by buying an off the shelf aftermarket kit like the ARP setup. Any further you need to worry about driveshafts etc