Naff's 2008 ML GLX-R Evolution

[Naff]

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.

[Froggy]

Love the battery box / compressor setup. Certainly gives me a few ideas!

[Blue]

Hey Naff - I don't know if I was being fed a line or not but I was told there were only 11 vehicles brought into Oz with those rims... You'rs is the only other vehicle I've seen them on...

Nice write up mate...

[JamoGLXR]

Love the battery box / compressor setup. Certainly gives me a few ideas!

X2... hmmm

[sgildon]

Hey Blue,

I think you were right in being fed a line.. I have them on mine and have seen quite a few running around NSW with the charcoal wheels..

[Homer]

Yeah quite a few of those wheels mate. I think it was the GLXR 08 MY'09 model std from memory?

[4wd26]

^^^^but only for ~6 months until the super select update (April to Sept?)
also standard rims on the "olympic limited edition"

[Blue]

I had the option of charcoal or silver at Chaddy but a couple of mates who bought at the same time from Knox were told there was no such beast - then when I pranged it I was told the above when they were sourcing a new wheel, which had to be airbagged from Japan as no stock in Oz...

Anyway, happy to stand corrected, I do keep an eye out but Naff's rocket is the only other one I'd seen down here in Vic...

[Naff]

So the black box with all the toys in it at the front of the tub was awkward. I had wanted to get some draws installed for some time but could not find anything that suited my needs without going full custom. After having seen a few members on here do their own I was inspired to make my own also.... it looked easy enough.

The problem with a lot of the bolt together kits was that the fridge slides didn't work with my fridge, it's one of those big wide yellow ugly looking things. But with a decent compressor and 95L, nothing came close to it in terms of price.

I managed to knock up the frame myself. You can get these aluminimum box sections and the joining pieces from Bunnings, however I believe there are places that do it cheaper.



With a bit of help from chick_magnet_0001 and QueenslandeR, the draw, boxes and slide took shape. I purchased the slides from ebay, they are 900mm long and heavy duty 100kg.



I did intend on making the lot removeable, but in my goal to use as much as the useable space as possible I gave up on that intent. I suppose if it came to it, I could remove it, but not without a lot of unscrewing and disconnecting. The frame is mounted on enamel painted 9mm ply.



The T-handles also came off ebay at a fraction of the cost they are in most places.



When the fridge isn't in the back of the car I intend to put in another draw - haven't done it yet though.

So far it has cost me $850 in parts, but have had a bit of waste in that as well. I struggled with glueing the carpet edges down. Spray adhesives are no good here, I think the carpet is too thick/heavy. I tried another 'Faster' KwikGrip contact but still had no luck (in either fast or slow contact methods). The only glue that I have got to work without a lot of effort is the plain old KwikGrip Contact Adhesive... the yellow stuff that looks like snot when it dries.

The electrics I had in the original box are all in approximately the same place. The battery is more central to allow for the new compressor to suck in some cool air. This compressor is a monster. 3.4CFM and 100% duty cycle. Am yet to try it but should get around to that this weekend. It comes with it's own pod style filter head

The air tank is being relocated to under the tub like some other members have done to save a bit more space in the front box. I expect I will fill this with recovery items and maybe a larger car jack. I'll take pictures of this setup once it's complete.

[Naff]

Project finally finished, or just about.. a couple of wires to hook up but keen to test the draws out camping and see if they have made things a bit easier than before.

Triton Draws.jpg

[salt36]

Nice work Naff, very neat setup

[Steane]

Looks great Naff. You've inspired me to build a rear drawer set-up rather than buy one. Can't beat getting exactly what you want, rather than what a manufacturer thinks you want, if you're prepared to invest the time.

[Mooons]

Good work Naff its looking real sweet

[Joe]

Looks good naff. Looking forward to seeing the finished project at Teewah on the weekend

[mad992]

yeah truck looks fantastic mate ive got the charcoal wheels and i love em as blue said not many have em

[Naff]

Well things have changed a little bit since my last post. The Triton had a bit of a mid life crisis.

(click for full image)







For a while now I've been working in the city and catching the train in, prior to that I traveled all of 11km to work and back each day and the Triton, with all it's bulkiness and weight was starting to feel more and more like a truck than the ute I originally bought back in 2008. So it got a change up. The canopy and draws are now on/in my Tri-trailer and the ute is back to being a ute, only less grey and more orange.

Lunny picked the colour right in the Spotto's thread, it is essentially based on the Arancio Borealis colour of the Lamborghini Aventador. That's what inspired me for that colour anyway. The Aventador has a gold fleck through it which mine doesn't.

This weekend I had some ProComp X-ATs on some Crossfire Rims after driving around with kwyjibo's Mickey Thompson Claws and Sidebiters (thank you Kyle for the loan).

[NowForThe5th]

[Steane]

Wow

Looks bloody fantastic!

[triton_guru]

Haha killer, i want your flares please mate just your front ones haha

[Naff]

Haha killer, i want your flares please mate just your front ones haha

I got these flares from ebay, from a seller in Cyprus;

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/MITSUBISHI-L200-Warrior-Triton-fender-flares-wheel-arches-pocket-style-/321595735148?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item4ae0997c6c)

Was a bit wary at first but the turn around was fast, I had them in less than two weeks from the time I placed the order. These are a bit cheaper than the Thailand kits. However, I would caution anyone buying any of these flares from ebay (Thailand, Cyprus or anybody that makes Fibre Glass flares from moulds) that you will need to do some modifications irregardless of what the ad says or what you are told. I'm still very happy with the outcome, but they did need some work to get to this point.

That said, if you are prepared to do a bit of work with them, I'm sure he would just sell you the front ones. These are A LOT wider than standard and your stock rims will look ridiculous, so if you go down this path, be prepared to shell out a lot of coin

[triton_guru]

Haha how are they attached? They look fantastic and will suit my car perfectly, did you get to choose the colour?

[Naff]

Haha how are they attached? They look fantastic and will suit my car perfectly, did you get to choose the colour?

These are screwed into the body with some coarse thread screws as well as some smaller screws up in the guard. They come in a black gel coat so you would need to get them painted. I suggest fitting them up first then remove again for painting.

[triton_guru]

Haha was it scary drilling them in? Much work involved in getting it around the snorkel?

[Naff]

Haha was it scary drilling them in? Much work involved in getting it around the snorkel?

Not for me, my brother did all the work. He's a spray painter / panel beater. I'm no good at anything like that. Snorkel wasn't an issue though, there were more issues around the fuel flap on the tub.

[triton_guru]

So no real issues for the front 2? I messaged the sellers cheers again for the contact much cheaper than the Thai ones