Weipa-rise my wagon

[4wdrift]

Gents/ladies,

Been some time since I logged on to the site and longer still since I posted, so much so that I had to re-join the board.

Anyway, as with all things its time for my wife and I to move away from sunny Brisbane to very sunny and insanely hot Weipa. Weipa is far north Qld, like 800 km north of Cairns, North Queensland.

I still drive my lifted 84 my series wagon and though it is starting to resemble a car that is less steel and more rust (passenger side front is nasty) it is still my reliable daily driver.

Though it doesn't know it, it is going to Weipa to die.

Want I want to get from you guys is any info regarding Weipa if you've been (I know the fishing/camping is awesome) and any suggested mods I can do before I go. The car gets shipped up on the 9th of December. Shipped because Weipa is inaccessible by road during the wet season.

I will be 4wd up there. When you are 200km from the tip of the cape, you just have to have a go.

What I want is to preserve the reliabilty of the car once there. Forget big mods like new engines and stuff, if I can't work on it without my shed then its no good to me if it breaks. Solid reliabilty above and beyond the call of duty and I'll get as long as I can out of it before it rusts away.

Also I need a 14" rim as a spare (perhaps 2...)

Any help you guys/ladies can provide would be appreciated

[stewy]

G'day mate,
Iwas last in Weipa in 1986.
We called the place "The Grim Weipa" cos we were stuck there for 28 days at a time.(I'm a Fly in/Fly out construction worker)
Your car will be fine to go to places like the Pennefather River,
Duiyfkin Point,Stones Crossing and the mouth of the Wenlock River.
(in company with another vehicle of course!)
Do they still have the Croc run? (Enduro bikes)and the Dawn Busters (drunken Golf)?
I hope you like driving on Red Marbles. The roads were made of Bauxite!
Good Luck on your travels mate.

[Wilbur]

Rumour has it Weipa Auto electrics who will also be your local racq are right into 4x4ing in the wet season. You want to talk to Sam there.

[chubby37]

mate outside the wet dust will be ur new friend but cars worst enamy.....you will or should look at a good filter and net the front of your car from bugs...they are bigger then most subaru,s up that way....if you travel of a night get very good lights....open padocks...no fences for live stock....you should look at good shocks too as the roads up that way will make short work of the standard item...oh and i would go a very good 4x4 tyre....not so much an allterrain but a 4x4 item.....lift is always good too....anyplace you go outside of what they call town is remote and if you do like to look around take water/fuel....plenty of the h2o and a must will be a UHF as that the best way of contact with others up there.....get as much advise as possible and prepare your car as much as you can before you go and remember anything you need for your car will cost you an arm and a leg.......one thing to look at and not to many do....the country, will if given a chance,will kill you without blinking an eye....i know this sounds like doom and gloom but i lived in the N.T and traveled a lot in remote places and it does happen.....look out and take care and appart from melting you will love it up there....half your luck,i would love the adventure your about to have.....bill

[4wdrift]

Driving lights - very good idea will do that one

Net for the grill - got some shade cloth at home that will get a whole new look at life. great idea.

Shocks. Uh-oh. Running stockers on the front and some kyb's on the back. Should I get the 80 series cruiser shocks for the back? And what can I do about the front? don't know about the double shock thingy is it too hard?

uhf radio: any recommendations? already have vhf in car.

Thanks

Steve

[chubby37]

your VHF should be the ants pants for up that way...i believe more chennels and more reach?...could be off couse but .....i would call fulcrum as they are good on price and can give good info or upgrade to a h/d king spring front and back....the backs really cop the pounding i find...stinky has double shock fronts in his wagon that he may sell????......you would find a good h/duty king spring would help your shocks no end....the shocks are only as good as the spring that works with it....

[Matt]

Chubby37 you are half way right, if you are using VHF SSB (single side band) it will got better range than UHF, however the longer range varies greatly. Just for your information CB (Citizen Band i.e stuff you don't need a licence for, buy off the self at dick smiths, etc) use 40 channels whether UHF or VHF. Steve i would have to agree with chubby37 it would be most likely worth investing a cheap UHF as most trucks and vehicles up this end of queensland use UHF mainly (Channel 40). There range varies alot depending on the country around and also the type of antenna you use. Also keep the VHF as it will still came in handy.

[wagonist]

I lived there in 97 with my standard L series 4wd sedan.
Couple of tips.

DO NOT INSTALL twin shocks, the corrugated roads will break the brackets.
good standard shocks are good with old soft springs. You want them soft to soak up the corrugations in the road. I only had stock RX Turbo springs & shocks.
I've heard a good upgrade is to fit L series shocks & springs into the back of an MY.

2 big D shackles with a snatch strap & a tow rope, sling.
4wd tyres aren't really necessary but a tyre with big open tread (ie wide grooves). But you'll need 2 spares (even a full set would be good). Don't get something too unusual though as tyres are hard to get up there (need to be freighted from Cairns)
Pref 14" tyres & a lift kit would be good. I slowly lost my exhaust as it disintegrated.
UHF is a definite (& if you're going to kill the car up there, just drill a hole in the roof to mount the aerial, it'll get the best reception that way)

I would advise against the netting. Its only good for bugs but restricts airflow to the rad.

Hand winch or electric winch with an anchor you can bury (sometimes there's no trees nearby). In this case you'll need a shovel.

Don't bother trying to go 4wding too far from town in the wet season. You'll either get stuck completely or your car will get drowned.

Also, the big trick to driving on corrugated roads is to find the speeds where the cars natural suspension frequency matches that of the corrugations. This means the body travels level(ish). You'll be shaking all over the place on the way to getting to that speed though.
Be warned that sometimes this speed will be above the legal limit (but shouldn't be much of an issue with the lack of radar traps )

Something I'd wished I'd had a couple of times when I got stuck off the road was a small pushbike to get back to the nearest road.

I'd look at installing a 2nd battery & a simple split charging system with power to the back of the wagon. For those times when you want to take a 12V fridge. It gets damn hot up there & beer is the best cooler. I once drunk a case & a half (yes thats 36 stubbies) of heavies in a day with no exercise & still would've been legally able to drive