Andy's MU

[dasnoboarder]

Hey, my name is Andy, 20 years old, uni student, born in England, been a New Zealander since 1996.
Bought the MU in August 2005 as my first car, was going to be used for getting the mountain bikes to and from tracks around NZ.
Learnt to drive in it, and 4WDing soon overtook the biking.
It’s a 1993 2.8L MU, I am first NZ owner. Bought with 69,000km on it, now has 144,000km.

Our usual spots are Muriwai, Woodhill, farms around north Auckland, and we've done some Safari's:
2009 Kauri Coast
2010 Pirongia


Here’s me on our first safari - the Kauri Coast ’09, at the top of 90 mile beach.

Modifications and Accessories:

Suspension:
Lovells HR-15 lifted leaf springs
Greaseable shackles
Cranked torsion bars, reindexed
Ball joint flip
Removed swaybar
Rancho RS5116 extended rear shocks
Standard front shocks for now
Gearbox drop to help driveshaft vibration

Body Lift:
50mm alloy blocks
Extended seat belt bars to chassis
Bent gearsticks
Flipped rear bumpers

Tyres/Wheels:
33x12.5xR15 GT Radial Savero MT's
15x8 black Speedy rims
Heavy duty tubes

Traction Aids:
AISIN manual hubs
Front LOKKA auto-locker
Rear air locker from James W.

Bullbar:
None - Hoping to build one to match body lift

Spot lights and Lighting:
Hella Rallye 2000 spotties
Halogen work light mounted inside spare wheel as extra reverse/utility light

Communications/GPS:
GME TX3220 UHF radio with 4.5dB antenna
Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx gps

Dual Batteries:
RedArc dual battery isolator solenoid is waiting to go in
130Amp Pathfinder alternator - mounted high, in place of aircon compressor. Standard alternator still in place but unwired, just to run vacuum pump

Engine:
4JB1T 2.8L
Rebuilt Injector pump by Diesel Doctor (Wellington) after seals leaked
Custom turbo - RHB52, VF10 compressor housing with custom front pipe, VF8 compressor wheel, VF10 turbine wheel, slightly larger turbine housing
GFB inline boost controller
Custom bar & plate top mount intercooler - will get 9" electric fan soon
Exedy clutch
K&N air filter
Breather can kit
Removed EGRs & all vacuum lines
Removed aircon
Dual 12” electric radiator fans from Ford Mondeo
Oil cooler & filter housing from 3.1L for exhaust dump pipe
Running 13psi with a fuel increase

Exhaust:
2.5" Mandrel bent mild steel system including divorced wastegate dump pipe and straight-through barrel muffler

Sound system:
Sony head deck
Sony 4” fronts
Soundstream 6.5” rears, 480W amp, 12” sub
Homemade sub & amp box

External:
Airflow snorkel with stainless pipe that runs from airbox to snorkel between guards to save space in engine bay
Rhino Rack fixed mount aero roof racks
Early Bighorn bonnet scoop
Crystal taillights
Front guards cut back for tyre clearance
Bunnings flares waiting to go on
Spare wheel carrier converted to use studs & wheel nuts

Internal:
No carpets
Boost, water temp, exhaust temp gauges
Sinewave inverter
Fire extinguisher mounted on rear wheel arch

Others:
Dynatron immobiliser alarm
CouplerTec Heavy-Duty 4wd electronic rust prevention
ARB air compressor
Tinted windows - 35% fronts, 5% rears
Custom fabricated tow-hooks front and rear
Front and rear extended diff breathers
Snake Racing spring wedges to go in instead of gearbox drop

























Cheers!

[holden]

Didnt happen to leave a mudflap at woodhill? Couse its on my truck now.

[dasnoboarder]

Haha na mate, chucked it in the back. Bolted on again now

[wbski007]

I'd still give my eye teeth for those wheels Andy, great looiking rig, good job. Cheers Wayne

[MARKx4]

top looking rig, What mods did you do to your turbo, i have a spare one and wouldnt mind doing mods to it and bolt it on to my 2.8.

[BUSHPIG]

looks to me like he swapd it for a modifed subaru turbo???

[dasnoboarder]

It's a reconditioned RHB5 bearing centre, same as standard 2.8, with VF10 compressor housing (with front pipe welded on), I believe a VF8 compressor wheel, and a little bit larger exhaust housing than standard for less restriction (12R vs. 10.5R). Made by Jarrad at TurboCare down in Christchurch . Will only get full benefit with good exhaust and an intercooler. He also made my intercooler, and can do factory spec replacement turbos.

[Jayarr69BluMU]

Hey Andy just joined so i can rattle all you guys brains as im buyin my first mu this weekend YaY 4wding again.
Let me start by sayin sik Mu slightly jealous haha so i"ve been lookin for a few months now and found a pretty clean Mu problem is he's askin 7k and theres no mods just fresh paint and straight as when it rolled out (not for long im sure) so ive found 2" body lift kit $170 gunna get rancho 9000xl's Lovells HR-15 70mm lift leaf springs 2.5" turbo back exhaust, airtek snorkel and tryin to source a bighorn intercooler kit and scoop oh yeah and of course a set of 33"s and a dyno to crank up the juice. Any info or trouble i might run into doin these mods greatly appreciated also wats needed to run 35"s as can get a set of 5 on hummer rims tread 75-80%for $1400 maxxis

[geeves]

I think the hummer rims have a different stud pattern. To fit 35s can be done but its a lot of work and you will keep breaking things.
Fairly standard advise to anyone new to 4wding and or a new wagon is to use it as is for 3 or 4 months before doing any mods. If you barge straight in and do all the mods under the sun then decide you dont like 4wding you loose masses of money

[Demonic]

I think the hummer rims have a different stud pattern. To fit 35s can be done but its a lot of work and you will keep breaking things.
Fairly standard advise to anyone new to 4wding and or a new wagon is to use it as is for 3 or 4 months before doing any mods. If you barge straight in and do all the mods under the sun then decide you dont like 4wding you loose masses of money

I can vouch for that, Ive had my Mu 12 months and as soon as I got it i wanted the biggest tires and a massive suspension lift (like 3-4in) and body lift, wanted to do a SAS. But now ill happily settle on having a 2in suspension and a 1 or 2in bodylift nd run 33s at the most. is really bout all you need i think..... unless you wanna get hardcore - but id be getting some experence under you belt b4 you think bout that stuff.

[dasnoboarder]

Hey Andy just joined so i can rattle all you guys brains as im buyin my first mu this weekend YaY 4wding again.
Let me start by sayin sik Mu slightly jealous haha so i"ve been lookin for a few months now and found a pretty clean Mu problem is he's askin 7k and theres no mods just fresh paint and straight as when it rolled out (not for long im sure) so ive found 2" body lift kit $170 gunna get rancho 9000xl's Lovells HR-15 70mm lift leaf springs 2.5" turbo back exhaust, airtek snorkel and tryin to source a bighorn intercooler kit and scoop oh yeah and of course a set of 33"s and a dyno to crank up the juice.

Thanks for comments mate, MU's are much rarer in Aus than NZ, so while $7000 seems a bit steep here, it might be a good deal for you.
Make sure all brakes arn't seized, and power steering box isn't leaking. Both are common and fixable, but a hassle.

The body lift and springs sound good, exactly the same as I'm doing. Just don't get the Lovells HR-15HD, too stiff for the MU.
I'm not sure on regulations for body lifts in Brisbane, better make sure it's legal.
You should be ok with the exhaust, theres a trick to getting a 3" exhaust off the turbo down past the oil filter, but you should be ok with 2.5".
I went for an Airflow snorkel, just because I found it on TradeMe for the right price, after seeing it used before, the template is out by a couple of mm's though.
Should be able to get the intercooler kit off eBay or from a wreckers (more expensive).
As said, I'd stick to 33's... They look plenty gnarly, and won't break as many bits as 35's... Let us know how everything goes, including any dyno sheets!

Cheers,
Andy.

[Jayarr69BluMU]

Cheers for the info boys much appreciated hey just another question just found another mu for half the price pretty fair condition just a little paint fade but its an auto...(insert dark music and thunder here haha) but a couple of people i've spoken to really rate autos for 4wdin bein strictly a manual man i cant seem to understand why you'd ever want 1 but the boys say for hill climbs and rock crawlin autos are all the go??? any advice greatly appreciated and any thoughts on front LOKKA last thing how strong are the mu autos/manuals break offten expensve to repair oh yeah whats beter on the fuel side of things

[Jayarr69BluMU]

Hey what are your tail lights off where can i source a set as the really make the mu look alot more modern

[geeves]

Please can we keep the posts in each thread of this forum section about the car that was originally posted. ie q about the lights is ok but questions about another car belong in a different section. Otherwise this is going to get very cluttered. Also noone will find the off topic posts

[dasnoboarder]

I don't like autos, but they do have their place.
I hear it's much easier to control a powerful 4wd when it's an auto.

If I did everything over again, I would choose air-lockers, just because they are selectable.
The front LOKKA is cheaper, easy to install, and works great though.
Can also get one for rear too.

I haven't heard anything about isuzu gearboxes breaking, I would choose manual for fuel economy and controllability.

Lights are aftermarket, the same as Rodeo ute, I got mine from an Isuzu wrecker, but there is lots online, ebay, TradeMe etc. Much better for reversing, brighter bulbs.

[geeves]

Open road the isuzu auto has a lock up converter so little or no difference in ecconomy.
Im a fan of manuals as well but there is no technical reason not to have an auto. On the 2.8 Mus though the auto is a little slow off the mark. In a 3.1 the manual is almost as rare as possums in Australia (come and collect ours for free if you want them but take them all (possums that is)). Anything more modern and a manual gearbox is an extra cost option

[Jayarr69BluMU]

so why would you change from the LOKKA to the air locker???
how does the locker go on the motorway through the city does it get the job done in the dirt?
BTW sorry fo hijackin ya thread just so stoked to find someone with just about dream mu to answer my questions from experience not just" my mates got one and he said" ...so yeah sorry agian

[geeves]

Front auto locker (locka is one brand) has no effect during road travel because you unlock the front hubs and put in 2wd for road travel. Front diff is completely disconnected.
Fitting an auto locker in the back though does mean you have to take it a bit easier in corners as all the power is on the opposite wheel to what it used to be. Add this to a little more power than needed and a slippery road and you have a good way to see where you came from. Driving normally and sanely is fine. They can click in tight corners though which gets funny looks in a car park.
How well they work depends on who you talk to. Most people that hate them dont know how they work (noone knows how they work) The only time they let you down is a very tight corner on a very slippery surface. Im not convinced anything works well in those conditions

[slightlydodgy]

[dasnoboarder]

Haven't tried rear auto-lockers, as Geeves said, gets clicking on road, probably similar to a tightened up LSD - mine grabs around tight corners & makes clutch noises.
Would be better than LSD offroad, but more annoying on-road I think.

I would go air-lockers if I did it again as the steering is much heavier with auto-locker, turning circle is wider, even though traction is great.
With air lockers, you can have nice open diffs and easy steering when you want, and then full-locked traction when you want.
And you get a compressor that can pump up tyres with the air-lockers.

Depends on your budget. The auto-lockers are sweet as, easy to operate, I like mine .