carts
Adventurer
First off I enjoyed the other 6x6 and 4x4 build stories. My enjoyment dictated that I share my own so for better or worse here goes!
Introduction
It’s funny how things start, the love of travel, why because you become bored easily and when you travel that doesn’t really seem to happen. The enjoyment of being self contained be it humping a pack or driving a landy disco. Achieving that glow of satisfaction when you have built something that is different and in your mind better than every one else’s. The conversation with a friend who simply asked what you think the best 4x4 is for driving around Australia. That was easy to answer it really is a 6x6 Australian ex-army land rover.
The damn internet and boring days lead to exploration of overlanding sites, probably started in truth by watching the doco’s Peking to Paris where Australians drove old cars to re-enact the race. Or the Longway Round and Down as well. Put that with the camel trophy and you have a person ready to start a project.
Equally I could blame friends who sold us on the idea of supporting them if they decided to compete in the Mongol Rally. SBS has a part to play in this tale as well. By televising the Dakar Rally they developed a fascination in the long distance rally that has meant that one of the bucket list items is to follow the Dakar on the ground and watch the rally up close and personal. Ok the truth, I did dream of competing but let’s moderate dreams to achievable ones I was told by my adult supervisor (the wife).
A trip to Peru for 5 weeks that reminds you that not all travel is about standing in lines with hundreds of other tourists to gawk at some wonder or other. One of the best experiences during the trip was a walk down into the Colca Canyon to a simple rest house. The place we stayed in was made of rock and bamboo with the bed being a rock base and an innerspring mattress on top. The place was set up as the river flowed into some volcanic seams and produced hot springs you could soak in. I loved it simple and a million miles away from the standard tourist trap. That’s not to say that I haven’t really enjoyed all of the Disneylands I have visited.
You then pay off most of your mortgage are bored with work and find yourself driving out to see family in the country and in a paddock is a licensed ex army land rover troupe carrier it has a phone number on it, you call and 1 week later you have a project.
Lizzy
The project now aptly named Lizzy is a 1996 Land Rover 6x6 designed for the Australian Defence Force, it is based on 110 Defender that is extended and has an extra axle. They are designed to transport an infantry section and driver for 3 days in an operational environment (www.remlr.com). Lizzy is one of around 148 made so she is quite unique in her own way. She was made by JRA, weighs in, in her army clothes at GVM 5.6 tonne. She is 6.3 m long by 2.5 m wide and 2.85m high, her heart is an Isuzu 4BD1 T 3.9 litre 4 cylinder turbo Diesel. She had done 44000 km when we purchased her. The way she makes her wheels move is through 4 speed LT95A gearbox she has a PTO winch and is a permanent 4x4. When the centre diff is locked she is then a 6x6. She was part of the Bushranger build (or at least we think so from the data we can find).
So how did Lizzy get her name, well the ADF had these vehicles made after project Perentie which was the army’s project to replace the land rovers they were using in 1982. (You can find a lot of information about project Perentie and all of the ADF vehicles at www.remlr.com). Now the Perentie is Australia’s largest Goanna lizard and is fast, agile and is one of the few reptiles that can breathe whilst running. In keeping with her pedigree and being found in the paddock she must be Lizzy the Perentie.
Why a Perentie?
Part of me wants to answer if you have to ask you will not understand the answer. My first love was the new Nissan patrol G60 that my folks purchased brand new when we lived in Carnarvon in the 70’s. The utilitarian basic set up just screamed at me as being built for the outback and boy did we use that thing. Some of my best memories as a kid was getting places in that thing. Then it all changed 4x4 became civilised when I worked for the Forestry (well CALM for those that know) the only vehicle that had the rugged feel I craved was an old HJ45 (well it wasn’t that old then) but we as young blokes using government owned cars put them in some really odd places almost as good as an APC. Fast forward and when I bought an old Suzuki to get around the farm it was yep you guessed it a LJ 10 and that thing was absolutely unstoppable even with a 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine. I used that as my mobile workshop with all of my tools in it and got around every were.
Extra Fast forward to the 2000’s and after driving and owning a lot of SUV’s and 4x4 which have all been excellent but that rugged utilitarian feel not so much (well when you live in the big smoke it is nice to be lazy). Now the Land Rover defender has the utilitarian feel in spades one of the few that still hold the adventure, pity the Camel trophy was stoped. Yes we own a Discovery and it is brilliant and I have fixed just about every part on it but the defender now that’s real adventure! I will acknowledge that all of the km that I have travelled in the Toyota 4x4 with work and I mean tens of thousands on some of the remotest roads in Western Australia when I worked for a mining company they all performed really well and never once was I let down by them, but they always just felt like that a soulless car that you just drive.
Why a Perentie? well if its good enough for the ADF! 6 wheel drive! And for utilitarian ruggedness well “spades”. The back is all Aluminium and easy well; kind of easy, to convert. PTO winch what more can I say. But the answer really is because I wanted one for about as long as I have been an adult and that’s why! I am not going to convince you I am not trying to sell one to you every decision in life comes down to a personal objective and all of the rest is rationalisation of that objective.
to be continued!
Introduction
It’s funny how things start, the love of travel, why because you become bored easily and when you travel that doesn’t really seem to happen. The enjoyment of being self contained be it humping a pack or driving a landy disco. Achieving that glow of satisfaction when you have built something that is different and in your mind better than every one else’s. The conversation with a friend who simply asked what you think the best 4x4 is for driving around Australia. That was easy to answer it really is a 6x6 Australian ex-army land rover.
The damn internet and boring days lead to exploration of overlanding sites, probably started in truth by watching the doco’s Peking to Paris where Australians drove old cars to re-enact the race. Or the Longway Round and Down as well. Put that with the camel trophy and you have a person ready to start a project.
Equally I could blame friends who sold us on the idea of supporting them if they decided to compete in the Mongol Rally. SBS has a part to play in this tale as well. By televising the Dakar Rally they developed a fascination in the long distance rally that has meant that one of the bucket list items is to follow the Dakar on the ground and watch the rally up close and personal. Ok the truth, I did dream of competing but let’s moderate dreams to achievable ones I was told by my adult supervisor (the wife).
A trip to Peru for 5 weeks that reminds you that not all travel is about standing in lines with hundreds of other tourists to gawk at some wonder or other. One of the best experiences during the trip was a walk down into the Colca Canyon to a simple rest house. The place we stayed in was made of rock and bamboo with the bed being a rock base and an innerspring mattress on top. The place was set up as the river flowed into some volcanic seams and produced hot springs you could soak in. I loved it simple and a million miles away from the standard tourist trap. That’s not to say that I haven’t really enjoyed all of the Disneylands I have visited.
You then pay off most of your mortgage are bored with work and find yourself driving out to see family in the country and in a paddock is a licensed ex army land rover troupe carrier it has a phone number on it, you call and 1 week later you have a project.
Lizzy
The project now aptly named Lizzy is a 1996 Land Rover 6x6 designed for the Australian Defence Force, it is based on 110 Defender that is extended and has an extra axle. They are designed to transport an infantry section and driver for 3 days in an operational environment (www.remlr.com). Lizzy is one of around 148 made so she is quite unique in her own way. She was made by JRA, weighs in, in her army clothes at GVM 5.6 tonne. She is 6.3 m long by 2.5 m wide and 2.85m high, her heart is an Isuzu 4BD1 T 3.9 litre 4 cylinder turbo Diesel. She had done 44000 km when we purchased her. The way she makes her wheels move is through 4 speed LT95A gearbox she has a PTO winch and is a permanent 4x4. When the centre diff is locked she is then a 6x6. She was part of the Bushranger build (or at least we think so from the data we can find).
So how did Lizzy get her name, well the ADF had these vehicles made after project Perentie which was the army’s project to replace the land rovers they were using in 1982. (You can find a lot of information about project Perentie and all of the ADF vehicles at www.remlr.com). Now the Perentie is Australia’s largest Goanna lizard and is fast, agile and is one of the few reptiles that can breathe whilst running. In keeping with her pedigree and being found in the paddock she must be Lizzy the Perentie.
Why a Perentie?
Part of me wants to answer if you have to ask you will not understand the answer. My first love was the new Nissan patrol G60 that my folks purchased brand new when we lived in Carnarvon in the 70’s. The utilitarian basic set up just screamed at me as being built for the outback and boy did we use that thing. Some of my best memories as a kid was getting places in that thing. Then it all changed 4x4 became civilised when I worked for the Forestry (well CALM for those that know) the only vehicle that had the rugged feel I craved was an old HJ45 (well it wasn’t that old then) but we as young blokes using government owned cars put them in some really odd places almost as good as an APC. Fast forward and when I bought an old Suzuki to get around the farm it was yep you guessed it a LJ 10 and that thing was absolutely unstoppable even with a 3 cylinder 2 stroke engine. I used that as my mobile workshop with all of my tools in it and got around every were.
Extra Fast forward to the 2000’s and after driving and owning a lot of SUV’s and 4x4 which have all been excellent but that rugged utilitarian feel not so much (well when you live in the big smoke it is nice to be lazy). Now the Land Rover defender has the utilitarian feel in spades one of the few that still hold the adventure, pity the Camel trophy was stoped. Yes we own a Discovery and it is brilliant and I have fixed just about every part on it but the defender now that’s real adventure! I will acknowledge that all of the km that I have travelled in the Toyota 4x4 with work and I mean tens of thousands on some of the remotest roads in Western Australia when I worked for a mining company they all performed really well and never once was I let down by them, but they always just felt like that a soulless car that you just drive.
Why a Perentie? well if its good enough for the ADF! 6 wheel drive! And for utilitarian ruggedness well “spades”. The back is all Aluminium and easy well; kind of easy, to convert. PTO winch what more can I say. But the answer really is because I wanted one for about as long as I have been an adult and that’s why! I am not going to convince you I am not trying to sell one to you every decision in life comes down to a personal objective and all of the rest is rationalisation of that objective.
to be continued!
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