Hello

[Littlebudda]

Good afternoon all,
Just bought myself a little project at auction, a 2009 Thai build D40. Been idle for more than 18 months and was abandoned at the Brisbane airport. So far all I've done is drag it home and hit it with the jumper leads (Started and ran so there's a plus). 201K on the clock. I'm going to be tiptoeing about looking for advice on what comes first as far as making sure the first time I hit the road it doesn't fall into a thousand pieces lol got some clear coast peel to repair and looking to upgrade the prehistoric single DIN radio with a double DIN GPS style unit in the short term. The good, an iron man lift kit, full length bash plate, snorkel, Heyman Reese tow bar and UHF. The bad, slight dents and abrasions from the forklift in the auction yard on all panels and very very minor corrosion on the chassis and suspension.

 

[Been a while]

Good afternoon all,
Just bought myself a little project at auction, a 2009 Thai build D40. Been idle for more than 18 months and was abandoned at the Brisbane airport. So far all I've done is drag it home and hit it with the jumper leads (Started and ran so there's a plus). 201K on the clock. I'm going to be tiptoeing about looking for advice on what comes first as far as making sure the first time I hit the road it doesn't fall into a thousand pieces lol got some clear coast peel to repair and looking to upgrade the prehistoric single DIN radio with a double DIN GPS style unit in the short term. The good, an iron man lift kit, full length bash plate, snorkel, Heyman Reese tow bar and UHF. The bad, slight dents and abrasions from the forklift in the auction yard on all panels and very very minor corrosion on the chassis and suspension.

Howdy man, makes you think about the "how's and why's" about being left at the Airport eh

Mate there is lots of good blokes and endless info here, good luck with your build, post up a "now pic"

Cheers

 

[OldManBeard]

Sound good but my suggestion is; before you spend a cent on the upgrades and extras, spend some time to make sure she's mechanically sound and worth spending the money on. Good luck.

 

[user 10312]

spend some time to make sure she's mechanically sound and worth spending the money on.

^^This. You probably paid next to nothing for it. Crook paint and dents wont leave you on the side of the road. For sure treat the corrosion on the chassis it's easy to do and will ensure better longevity of the vehicle.
Thing is with these deals you don't know what you got. If it was me. I would drain and replace all lubricants and coolant. Brake and power steering fluid to. Check out what they look like when you drain them. Next have the timing chain checked out. It is a weak point on earlier D40's. Make sure the radiator is in good shape (another weak point they often leak around the top tank) along with hoses. Vacuum and heater hoses to. Then EGR Block and catch can. It's going to cost about 1~1.5K So long as the radiator and timing chain are fine. After that you should have a great starting point. In other words do it right the first time it could save you a lot of grief down the track.

Iron Man suspension gear. Hmm Haven't heard great things about it. You can do better for little more cost. As for the head unit, your right it's a period piece. Radio is as deaf as a post to. Don't forget the rear camera. It's quite and asset in these utes.


Edit: Just reading back though your post and my reply. I probably read a bit negative but don't be put off. They are a great ute and drive as good as the latest jobs. As for full length bash plate and snorkel. Do you really need it? I have been up the cape and other difficult tracks and if your careful there not a big deal. Having said that I did make a plate for the fuel tank. They do hang down a bit. As for snorkel. I do have the genuine from new. Seemed like a good idea at the time but 10 years later I wonder why I ticked that box.

BTW welcome to the forum you'll find heaps of good info here.