WTF! update (or here we go again)

[mjb666]

Hi Guys

1. I'm in the "the devil you know" school too. I should have traded up my Mazda when it still had 6 months MOT left but decided to run it for the year. It's still going but hasn't been cheap.

2. I got the Navara Kingcab, right place,time & price, with the long term plan of selling the Mazda & Demountable to another person who fancied giving Our way of life a go but without too much expenses like i did & putting the sale funds towards a newer Demountable for the Kingcab. Its 4 years old in march 2015 & only done 25k miles. Private owner, never been worked & just a weekend toy but i'am now not sure what to do for the long term by way of extra welding & the chain swap. I really want to keep this one, i had my previous Isuzu double cab 10 years.

All suggestions would be appreciated & Thanks

Mike

[Peaky]

I'll be upgrading my truck chassis as soon as I find out from Grant what is involved. I only bought my truck new 2 years ago after looking at the new Ford Ranger 3.2 200ps at the time. I couldn't get the deal I was happy with from Ford & found the Navara at Motorpoint in Burnley with an unbelievable deal (about a 7k difference!!!) I viewed the truck on a Sunday & was driving it out of the showroom the following Friday
After doing upgrades already like airbags, towbar & twin electrics, rear tub welding anchor points, spray bed liner etc etc. I feel that prevention will be better than cure, especially after reading this topic

Better the Devil you Know

[rubberrat]

what will the repair comprise of, extra plating across that point?

The biggest problem is getting it straight again. They take the buck off and put it on a jig before they weld it. He was talking about putting box section inside the rail to start with. Not sure how that would be done. Then seam welding the crack. Then welding on fish plate on both sides and top.

It seems the buck is a very easy take-off on the Navara, good news for those 'getting ahead' and plating theirs before it fails. So taking it off yourself will save a packet at the garage.
The fish plate strengtheners are the way to go - cheekily copying those in that link earlier in the thread. Just don't make the chassis so stiff that it cant flex a little (within tolerance) or you'll just move the stresses elsewhere.

This thread might be pointing the 'big Finger' at Navaras, but most things seem to have problems, the trick is fitting the aftermarket mods before it becomes an issue. Would I buy one? of course, but I'd just get ahead of those two issues...

Look at LandRover 200 & 300 engines, both had a major inherent problem, but owners and engineers came up with fixes and those supposedly bad engines are all still going strong.

[zildjian]

So Mike,
Have you looked at the prices suitable demount's as a replacement, is there anything catches your eye?

[mjb666]

It must have an inline bed in the luton, that's our main wish. I have noticed the New Northstars have this but they are out of price range. I'am sure i have seen this layout on some older special orders with the extended luton but not really sure. If and when we can upgrade we will keep it for the long run, hence the questions about upgrading the Kingcab.

I will get the current set up through another MOT and use it for 2015 and just see how it goes, luckily, theres no rush.

[zildjian]

That North/South bed layout is a great idea especially in terms of either of you getting access without disturbance,
skarroser won't let you do it, luton not long enough as you say.
If a suitable Northstar came along would you swap Nissan too then to suit?

[mjb666]

Swap the Nissan? I waited two years to find one that suited all my needs so i not really sure about that! I'am sure i could sell but not sure what i would gain. We wanted four seats for extra secure storage and to take the Grandkids away sometimes and only losing about a foot on the overall internal length over the single cab set up as opposed to a two foot loss against a double cab. Sometimes i think that maybe i should have got a s/h demountable for my old Isuzu double cab but too late now.

[zildjian]

Thats OK a Northstar would still work, just that bit longer thats all

[rubberrat]

That's the rub I think, the Northstars with the linear bed (I agree that that's the best) are for king cabs only, so us doublecab folk are excluded from that club.

Fine for Mikes king though.

[zildjian]

Knowing what I do now, we would have liked that layout.
Mind you I always preferred their sometime "L" layout as well of seating