Any pictures of your ship Captain Ron?

Is he still around ? ...I always liked Austin , such a positive bloke and i remember how hard he worked to get his car grooming business off the ground - he'd shared some great before and after pics too.

Well , getting closer to getting this beast on the road ..... Engineer came for his final inspection of the repairs i've done to date and take it for a test drive. He reckoned it drove like a truck ....... politeness and awareness of the need not to upset him too much until he at least signs it...

I had completely forgotten about this too Roy .... it was pretty cool!!

Thats a beautiful machine Roy!!

Well we know what you're going to be up to over the Christmas break!!!

It's absolutely amazing what you get coming through the workshop here sometimes ....... even scarier is the thought that you only have a 100mm wide painted stripe on the road separating you from a 200km/hr head on smash if someones dodgy repair comes apart.You wouldn't believe the amount of...

They are the top selling vehicle here ..... that's overall vehicle sales not just utes. Here's one that one of my customers has been lusting after - prices have gone through the roof lately with up to 12 months wait time for a new Hilux...

Ford and Mazda have definitely split on the Ranger program , Mazda's version was called the BT50 (earlier versions were called Bounty).Mazda now use the Isuzu D-Max ute as their BT50 platform now .... interestingly enough the D-Max was up until recently also known as the Holden Colorado...

I see they are going to ditch the 3.2 5 cylinder we've had for years ..... interestingly enough VW's Amarok is going to use the platform for their trucks as well. Interestingly they will also include the 3.0 v6 diesel you had in the F150 as well ..... can't wait to have a play with one of...

A glove box would be great 😁😁 unfortunately they used the delete option for it on these Brazilian RHD versions Doug.I managed to snag the 3 seater split bench unit from the parts truck I got the doors and guard from so I'll fit them soon.For a big cab there's bugger all room in the back seat.

Well , getting further ahead with the truck now. I had to send it back to the chassis guy as it was still out on the diagonals and the left front wheel was not sitting right in the wheel arch... I actually spent 1/2 a day with the guy helping (being his gopher) to straighten it - i was so sure...

No RHD version for here apparently ..... we used to get a Ford Maverick in Aussie but it was just a rebadged Nissan Patrol.

That looks nice and original ..... would you drive it "as is" or restore it?

It does sound very much like a wire .... just need to check out each wire which can be a bit time consuming.I use Rockauto for a lot of my parts as many other companies won't ship to NZ ... here's a link to your trucks driveline parts...

How are you pulling your codes? I use an Innova 3145 that i've had for a few years and it is a lot easier than counting flashes. If you can't get any more codes from it i would firstly drain and flush the diff out , replace the pinion seal and give her a good old birthday shout with some new...

Yes it does Doug ....... most of these one way bridges have been replaced on State Highway one but in the regions there's still plenty of them and even bridges where trains and cars share the road.These trucks are climbing rapidly in value - when it's finished it'll be worth somewhere between...

I've always had a lusting for a full size diesel pickup and a few months back a mate spotted a 02 superduty on a salvage auction website , i logged on and carefully waited for the auction to start and was prepared to bid up to 10k .... i couldn't believe my luck when i was the last bidder at...

Wild spring weather now , daylight saving in another couple of weeks here too Bill ......roll on summer :) :) - we had a pretty mild winter really so i can't complain too much.

Happy birthday Bill , hope you have an awesome day!!!!

X2 for that Doug .... this is the first forum that i joined way back when i got my old 87 and the amount of great advice and info here was and still is a godsend.Hats off to Duncan , Roger and Randy for doing all that they have done to keeping it alive going!!

That looks pretty sharp Roy..... i still miss your old girl though.

Thanks Guys ,

Happy birthday Ken , i hope you had a great day!!!

Thanks Guy's

Thanks guy's ... another year greyer lol

That looks very nice Doug ...... i'm sure if you thought long and hard enough you'd be able to find a justification for buying that YelloThumbUp

Happy belated birthday!!!

Happy birthday Andy , It's the big one mate!!!!!