matto47
Member
Just thought I'd say g'day and introduce myself after hanging round the forum for a little while. I bought my 06 D22 about 16 months ago and I've just returned from my first trip up north. I think it's safe to say that I'm pretty stoked and can't wait to get out there and see more of our great country.
Anyways, here's a pic of the car when I first bought it..
During the year, I've added a couple of small modifications to make life a little easier. First modification was a turbo timer. I ended up buying the timer that ARB stock. I think it's the same timer that Bogaard make but it ended up costing me about $200 and they wanted to charge me a hundred bux to install it so I ended up doing it myself. I also looked into some of the various tray liners around the place as I was sick of having snowboards and kitesurfing gear flying round the back but couldn't believe some of the prices. I would have loved the rhino lining but couldn't justify that much cash. Ended up heading down to Clark Rubber and bought about $140 worth and cut it down to size myself. I had a little bit left over which made a nice floor mat for the rear seats!
The next to go in was the UHF and stereo. I ended up buying a Uniden UH400SX and a 6db antenna online through Prestige Communications. (Great website and really well priced by the way!) I installed the stereo at the same time. I went with a real basic pioneer headunit, two pioneer splits for the front and a small 2 channel Kicker amp that sits under the front passenger seat. I put the head unit in the top DIN mount and the UHF underneath it. I'm pretty happy with the UHF and it definitely performed well on my recent trip but I'm thinking about buying an external speaker so I can get some more volume out of it.
Next just before Christmas, I bought a pair of Narva Ultima 225's in the combination kit with Crystal Blue covers. I'm absolutely stoked with these and they definitely suit my needs. I was looking at Lightforce XGT's but I couldn't justify spending that much coin when I was more than happy with the performance of the Ultima's.
That's about it in regards to modifications so far. The next step is a snorkel which I think is a must have. I prefer the look of the Nissan snorkel but from what I've read I think the performance of the Safari snorkel probably puts it a step ahead?? not sure... I'm currently looking at upgrading the suspension in the next few weeks. I'm thinking about the EFS set up that some of you blokes are running on here. The next step after that is tyres. At this stage, and with the 2" lift, I'm thinking bfgoodrich all terrains or something similar in 265/75's. I'd love some muddies but I don't think I can justify the sacrifice of on road performance when I'm really only using the truck on weekends and the occasional trip a couple of times a year.
There's obviously a whole lot of other things I'd love to do, but hey, I'm not made of money! Down the track, I'd love to chuck on a steel bar with a winch but that's a while a way yet...
As I said earlier, I've just returned from my first real trip away with the Nav. Each year, we drive up to a little coastal town called Scott's Head, about an hour south of Coffs Harbour. Great little spot. This was my first real experience four wheel driving. First thing I did was head straight down the beach. Now, I have been on this particular beach before but this time, the sand was exceptionally soft! Ended up straight down in the sand only a few meters off the ramp! So, after digging myself out of the sand, I eventually worked out that having the tyres at road pressures probably wasn't the best move so I dropped them down to about 17-18 and then I was right. Just a little embarrassed! Oh well, ya have to learn some how!
After a few drives on the beach, we headed into some nearby bush called the Way Way forest. A few really good tracks in there and great for me as I'm just starting out. Had a ball. I've added a couple of photos of the trip below...
Bogged!
Anyways, here's a pic of the car when I first bought it..
During the year, I've added a couple of small modifications to make life a little easier. First modification was a turbo timer. I ended up buying the timer that ARB stock. I think it's the same timer that Bogaard make but it ended up costing me about $200 and they wanted to charge me a hundred bux to install it so I ended up doing it myself. I also looked into some of the various tray liners around the place as I was sick of having snowboards and kitesurfing gear flying round the back but couldn't believe some of the prices. I would have loved the rhino lining but couldn't justify that much cash. Ended up heading down to Clark Rubber and bought about $140 worth and cut it down to size myself. I had a little bit left over which made a nice floor mat for the rear seats!
The next to go in was the UHF and stereo. I ended up buying a Uniden UH400SX and a 6db antenna online through Prestige Communications. (Great website and really well priced by the way!) I installed the stereo at the same time. I went with a real basic pioneer headunit, two pioneer splits for the front and a small 2 channel Kicker amp that sits under the front passenger seat. I put the head unit in the top DIN mount and the UHF underneath it. I'm pretty happy with the UHF and it definitely performed well on my recent trip but I'm thinking about buying an external speaker so I can get some more volume out of it.
Next just before Christmas, I bought a pair of Narva Ultima 225's in the combination kit with Crystal Blue covers. I'm absolutely stoked with these and they definitely suit my needs. I was looking at Lightforce XGT's but I couldn't justify spending that much coin when I was more than happy with the performance of the Ultima's.
That's about it in regards to modifications so far. The next step is a snorkel which I think is a must have. I prefer the look of the Nissan snorkel but from what I've read I think the performance of the Safari snorkel probably puts it a step ahead?? not sure... I'm currently looking at upgrading the suspension in the next few weeks. I'm thinking about the EFS set up that some of you blokes are running on here. The next step after that is tyres. At this stage, and with the 2" lift, I'm thinking bfgoodrich all terrains or something similar in 265/75's. I'd love some muddies but I don't think I can justify the sacrifice of on road performance when I'm really only using the truck on weekends and the occasional trip a couple of times a year.
There's obviously a whole lot of other things I'd love to do, but hey, I'm not made of money! Down the track, I'd love to chuck on a steel bar with a winch but that's a while a way yet...
As I said earlier, I've just returned from my first real trip away with the Nav. Each year, we drive up to a little coastal town called Scott's Head, about an hour south of Coffs Harbour. Great little spot. This was my first real experience four wheel driving. First thing I did was head straight down the beach. Now, I have been on this particular beach before but this time, the sand was exceptionally soft! Ended up straight down in the sand only a few meters off the ramp! So, after digging myself out of the sand, I eventually worked out that having the tyres at road pressures probably wasn't the best move so I dropped them down to about 17-18 and then I was right. Just a little embarrassed! Oh well, ya have to learn some how!
After a few drives on the beach, we headed into some nearby bush called the Way Way forest. A few really good tracks in there and great for me as I'm just starting out. Had a ball. I've added a couple of photos of the trip below...
Bogged!
