So it's been a while coming... it's about time I made a start on this
I bought the Triton in WA in May 2008. It was an upgrade to a Nissan X-Trail and the decision to go for a 4x4 came about after getting a bit of a taste of four wheeling with my wife's cousin. The X-Trail was fun on the beach, but obviously limited in other off-road situations.
I had been in a D22 Navara, but didn't enjoy the knees around my head in the back seat. The Hilux didn't get a look in as it was too expensive and didn't offer anything above the rest. The others didn't appeal to me. The Triton ticked a lot of boxes.
Delivery day; I wasn't expecting the gunmetal rims, but was very happy with them.
Being in WA was great; there were some awesome places to wheel. I lost my 4x4 virginity in the powerlines in Sawyers Vallery north of Perth. To this day it is one of the best tracks I have ever driven. Even in stock form, the Triton did me proud. Taking it easy at first and then gradually building courage saw me driving some increasingly difficult sections of tracks. Met some of the NTN lads over there and had a ball.
There are also some great beaches over there!
The first major mod was an onboard air system, dual battery and isolator setup. I read an article in a 4WD Action magazine about the onboard air, and being electrical minded, figured I could do a neat setup. The end result was a complete onboard setup all housed in the one box sitting neatly at the front of the tub.
In the engine bay there is a Redarc SmartStart solenoid which connects to a deep cycle, high crank capacity battery in the box.
The air compressor is a Projecta Typhoon, plumbed to a 15L air tank. The compressor is turned on with a switch in the tub, wired in series with a 70/100psi pressure switch. With the compressor drawing near on 50A under load, I had to use a heavy duty solenoid to do the switching. There is a check valve installed to prevent backflow to the compressor from the tank. There is also a drain valve installed in the base of the tank (surprisingly there is quite a bit of water build up over time). The fittings are all push fittings, having used them at work I found them easier to work with. The couplings are all Nitto style. Not shown is the final coupling for the air hose. Just below the tailgate and above the number plate I installed a valve and male Nitto coupling to connect the coiled air hose to. From here I can easily reach all 4 tyres.
While I was at it, I added two 12V sockets both sides of the box and additional wiring to a socket at the rear of the tub.
Later (much later), I added to the box. It now has a 600W inverter hardwired to a 240V Clipsal isolator and socket. I also have a Projecta Battery Charger permanently mounted. I just connect the alligator clips up and run an extension lead into the ute when I need to charge the battery (which is rarely required). Finally I added a battery gauge to keep an eye on the battery levels.
Next up... the move to Victoria.