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Lots happening on the Mighty MU again over the past few weeks.
I finally got around to rebuilding my roof rack and got a little excited when i got to the steel shop.
- The new roof rack is not as tall as the last one and my solar panel is no longer mounted by zip ties. I also wanted to create a bit of a 'cage' around the back of the car for stability / protection / be badass. I reckon it turned out fantastic. The whole roof rack can be unbolted if required. I plan on making a ladder on one side to make roof racks easier to access. Can finally fit in the garage again now!
CONTRUCTION.jpg
SIDE VIEW.jpg
TOP VIEW.jpg
I installed a Hydraulic handbrake
- This has been a long time in the making and i would like to think i have finally overcome the woes of the original hbrake. I had several brake cables made up but one or two 4wd trips and they were either stretched or seized. Here and Aus this is not legal but due to not requiring yearly roadworthys pretty easy to get away with. I used a EBAY drift style handbrake, mounted it onto the chassis and connected it to the existing cable that originally operated the cables. From the inside of the car you cant tell that its hydraulic as the stock handle is still in situ. But the stock handle / cable now activates a brake cylinder in line with the rear brakes. It was a bit of a bitch to bleed up but she holds like a trooper. I used a tramp spring to regain the 'feel' of the handbrake and help it retract the cable when releasing as it was jamming the cable in the cab. All the cables are mounted up next to the chassis and basically run with or inline with existing lines that i have never hit whilst 4wdriving. I have also flared up a BYPASS tube encase i to kink, bend or break one of the lines. In one of the flex pics i uploaded i was on one rear tyre and it still held!! I have now opened my eyes to a whole new world of 4wdriving with a handbrake!!
HYDRO BRAKE.jpg
BRAKE LINE.jpg
FLEX UP.jpg

Got out and about with the MU and had some fun.
- The Forbs 2015 BUSH TO BEACH BOOZE UP. This is a group of mates i wheel with that went from Landcruiser park in QLD to Teewah beach in one weekend avoiding as much of the blacktop as we could. Was one of the best weekends and the MU loved every minute. Upon leaving the 4wd park there was a suspicious noise coming from front driver. I tightened up the bearings on the side of the road which helped a little. Upon getting home and investigating turns out the bearing was absolutely obliterated.
FUCKED BEARING.jpg
I have link the video for the BUsh to BEach weekend and the MU destroying Camp road (Popular and wellknown 4wd track renowned around australia). I attempted camp road approx 3 years ago and it took me 30mins and a winch to get up. With the same mods this times but alot more experience i did it in under 3!

Enjoy the Pictures and Videos!
Camp Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSiCJNarMnY.

Bush to Beach
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmEIfDBHyeI

I've seen a couple shots of your MU on instagram...looks good dude

Very excited. Got the call up for a 4wd action shoot. Going to be on the custom truck segment !

Wow what a great read, well done you should be well proud of the Mu

The time comes in every good MU's life were you sit back and reminisce about the good, the bad and the reliable. The Mu has been a bloody good car with some great times out and about with the mate. AND THERES NO WAY THAT’S STOPPING NOW.

It’s time to coil SAS this bitch.

I have sourced a 1985 Toyota Bundera chassis that I plan to graft all the parts required from. I still need to source a 4.55 ratio crownwheel and pinion and a few other odds and ends. It will be a COIL SAS hopefully try to achieve some reasonable flex. The plans for the rear at this stage is go back to standard size shackles in the rear and SOA. Now that I’m SASING ide love to take the body lift out but the exhaust, intercooler, front bar, rear bar, sliders all have been , made to fit the body lift so its staying.

following

CHASSIS PAINTING TIME
After the painstaking process of wire wheeling / sanding / cleaning the old chassis i wanted to lay down a coat of paint to protect it. IT took me weeks and multiple conversations / endless googling to decide on what to use on the chassis for future protection. Whilst the Chassis was rust free, i wanted it to stay that way. After much deliberation i decided on KBS Chassis Kit - AND IT WAS AMAZING. The degreaser that came with this kit was nothing short of amazing and the finish it has given me looks top dollar. I also added a black top coating to this kit (extra UV stable layer) But i was advised that this wasn't necessary. Whilst i had everything so accessible the extra $80 for UV stable black top was a no brainer. I can Highly recomend this product! Easy to apply, tough as nails and looks great. I also Painted the transfer and engine bash plates with this.
Just make sure you wear gloves... this stuff DOES NOT come off. I had to wait for 1.5weeks after getting it on my left hand :/


7. KBS.jpg
9. Paint.jpg
10. Painted Chassis.jpg
11. Chassisfront.jpg

Part 3 of 98745276.
Next step was to remove the Sassed Chassis from the original Blue Mu Body. Some say it would have been way easier to keep the black body and modify it just as much. And they are exactly right. It would have been. But the blue mu is sentimental and has all the memories that come with it. So It was to be the body to live on. All interior was ripped out, seats, carpet, all of my dodgy aftermarket wiring, radio, drawers.
Using the side of the House, 2 Block and Tackles, 1 x Engine Crane and a couple good mates we made short work of the removal.
13. Chassis.jpg
The next step was to Prep the body. I washed, wheeled, brushed, scrubed, sanded. When talking with the boys around the campfire i told them i want a 'Nofuss' Car that i can come home and simply hose out after a Mud run or Beach sesh. We deliberated on removeable carpet, vinyl, no floor and settled on painting it in Bully Liner! http://www.bullyliner.com/index.html
Made out of recycled tyres and tough enough to use in the bed of a Ute it was perfect!! Easy to spray on and looked great. I loved it so much that i painted the walls (Will not be putting the plastic back on) whilst it has some noise Cancelling properties i am expecting it to be a little louder then stock carpets.
14. Body Clean.jpg
18. Rear spray.jpg
17. Door Spray.jpg
16. Body spray.jpg

After the spraying of the body the Bucket seats finally came on sale at AutoBahn so i Snapped up a couple and brought them home to Mock up.
15. New seats.jpg

Winch and Sliders.
I wanted to go low, wide and Slow with this build. When i first built the MU i wanted to be as big as all my mates. Wanted to Stand next to the cruiser and match bonnet heights. I put body lift in and thought i was the BOSS MAN. But turns out i just made everything way harder for myself. I would body lift again? If i wanted a simple solution to fit 32 - 33 inch tyres only yes. If i wanted to build a beast Mu2 with low center of gravity? No. Apart from the fitment of tyres and looks it does absolutely nothing for the capability of the car. For this Reason i removed it from my build. But this meant, winch bar, front bar, sliders, radiator, rear bar, gear stick and exhaust would all have to be modified.

I found 5 x set of Aggressive 33's to go on the car for a bargain and jumped at them!! While the tyres fit the rear perfectly the front would definetly require some work if i wanted to go in any direction except straight.
12. Tyres.jpg

In this build i wanted a better approach angle which meant bring the winch closer to the radiator and modifying the bullbar to be closer. I shaved close to 4 inches o the front of my car with this setup. After Coming back from the cape we also had bent the front right body mount.. So we cut the two body mounts off and made our own.
19. Winch mount.jpg
20. Winch Side.jpg

Next up were the sliders. The car (or i guess the body now) prior to me owning it had a relatively hard life and at some point copped some pretty extensive driver side sill damage. I also wanted to maintain streamlined look and maximum clearance. I had seen a style of 'bolt on' sliders to defender and jeeps with there square lower edge and with some further research found people were in some models welding to the sills with great success. BINGO. Lets make it happen!!
I have opted to not cap the ends. Risk of a small hole being somewhere and water getting in. Left them open so i can easily wash them out when required.

Had these pressed up to suit.
21. Sill Slider.jpg
22. Sill slider.jpg
23. Sill slider painted.jpg

I wanted a offroad mapping system that i could use in the MU (Hopefully for a High Country Trip) and i also wanted a system for navigation and music system. While at cape york i used HEMA maps on my Ipad and it was AMAZING. Great information and accuracy we used it as a bible. SO why not intergrate a Ipad into the dash... This car does not have air conditioning and i thought why not use that space for something useful. I am able to use Spotify, youtube, Google Maps, Hema Maps all why connected via bluetooth to the stereo. I made a fibreglass holder with assistance of a mate who is a boat builder. Have also taken into consideration room to plug the charger in and where the lock button is. The volume can be adjusted on the screen. I am yet to paint the surround but it will soon be black.
25. Ipad dash.jpg
On the left hand side you can see the Just Race Parts Multi Guage. https://www.justraceparts.com.au/
I will try and get a better photo but this tells me my Boost, EGT, OIlPressure, Water Temp, Voltage. AND THE GUY IS A LEGEND - Real Helpful!!
24. Ipad Dash.jpg