.....
Well, actually, the Dual cab GU Patrol with the Chev 6.5 V8 n/a diesel + gas injection, has landed.
Picked it up from bloke at
Mildura today. He had driven it there from Albury this morning and we met up so that I could decide whether the deal should proceed.
One word sums up the driving experience: TORQUE !
My first attempt to drive it (with the "old owner" in the back
seat) saw me revving it out to about 2300rpm through the gears. Politely, I was advised to let the engine do the "torquing". So, I used 1700rpm as the change point.......... much better!!!
On the trip back here (5 hours each way), we had to pass through several small country towns; each with at least 1, sometimes 2 turns/intersections. ..... Barely had to change down from 5th gear. Even after a pit stop at
Morgan, I was back into 5th gear before the 80kph
sign was passed.
The truck is actually quieter than the 4.2 at highway speeds.......but once you pull-up and idle it, it's a different decibel story!! The term "can't hear myself think" springs to mind...................... and I love it!!!!!
It's not all beer and skittels unfortunately. There is some cancer around the back window (where the dual cab window has been placed in the back wall), so that will need to be "addressed" at an early stage. Also, the wiring is a bit of a dog's breakfast as far as the 2nd battery (located under the tray) is concerned. I know, I know..........saying that is a bit rich coming from a bloke like me....(only those who have seen under my 4.2s bonnet will appreciate what this is all about....but at least I know what all those wires are for).
There is an Arid Twin Charger also located under the tray for the 2nd battery, so now I'll have to research the Archives to find out what this gizmo does....I often seen them referred-to here, but haven't bothered to take it all in as I didn't own one at that stage.
Thankfully, there is a decent amount of room behind the rear seats so I can set-up the Barrett HF's main box and the inverter etc.
I mentioned above that it has gas injection too. Only trouble is the bloody 60 litre gas
tank sits inside the cargo box/canopy and takes-up a huge amount of the space. I am led to believe the ratio of gas to diesel in these systems is supposed to be about 10%, but the bloke reckons he uses the 60 litres of gas for every 2 fills of diesel (standard diesel tanks, so a total of 250 litres for those 2 combined tanks-full). That equates to about 25% gas to diesel ratio and I will have to get that checked-out pronto. It certainly runs MUCH BETTER when the gas is switched on. I reckon I will try to get one or 2 smaller gas tanks that can fit under the tray/above the main diesel
tank, thus freeing-up much needed cargo space.
So, now the fun begins............. Time to transfer bits of gear from the old one to the "new" one. (They are both 2000 models).
Okay, that's my little bit of self-indulgence done for now!
Cheers
Roachie