Newcastle newby looking for locals to meet.

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Hi,
My names Glen or Lenny as mosta my friends know me, I live in Newcastle, this is a great forum and i've learnt heaps from it, and also saved heaps cash from it doin things myself, I've had some bad experiences from Toyota Service departments like a lota people here and its great to find out which ones to avoid.
I have an 03' V6 White Grande with 77'000, with a new set of BFG AT's, also have a Hema Navigator which is handy, yesty I had some Pacemaker extractors put on which has helped it breath heaps better (thanks PP for the tips) I have it booked in with ARB Newcastle on 12th March for a Sahara Bar to go on, hope theres no dramas with that, as I've read differing reports on ARB's installation quality...I'am also keen to have some new shocks put in it but am a bit confused with the factory airbags etc, just feels a bit doughy even on the sport setting. Done some PP searching and will continue with that.
Surfing is my rush generally but I was attacked by a shark on 18th Jan and i'am lookin at more 4wd day trips to get my kicks now, I'm not geared up for touring and enjoy early start day trips within an hr or so of Newy so if anyone out there is keen to get together i'm keen, gonna be off work for months because of my injuries.
Regards, Glen.

[rags Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close rags]

Welcome Glen,
well after what you been thru 4wds sounds like a good alternative,but i think local trips might be the go rather than trips into some croc country for you.Although i don't live in Newcastle i do spend a fair bit of time up there,as with daughter at uni and living up there'although i am usually working on house up there.There are a few members around the hunter on this forum,and it would be good to do a trip or 2 with them. This site is one of the best forums around and you will find answers to most questions relating to prados.
Good luck with your recovery
[PS have you always been at newcastle or did you come from sydney's northern suburbs as a teenager]

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Thanks Rags,
Hawkesbury is a beautiful part of our coast mate, is there many good tracks down there? Yea I've been watchin Swamp People on 7Mate and I reckon shark-croc-alligator chomping would all be pretty awful ways to go eh.
No mate never lived in the northern suburbs before...Quakers Hill for 2 weeks as a messed up kid back in the 80's! Newy boy thru and thru eh. Love the place.

[Steve M Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close Steve M]

Hi there Glen/Lenny, welcome to PP and yeah heaps of useful info on here, I myself have also learnt alot from this great forum, sad to hear of your injuries and hope your recovering well and your wounds are healing, Would habe been extremely frightening couldnt imagine some thing like that !!! Reckon your alot safer sitting in a prado then swimming with those sharks lol. All the best and might catch up with you one day when where out n about..Cheers Steve

[samo Addicted PP Member Find all posts View Profile Close samo]

hey lenny, good to see your on the mend, there are a few of us newy boys here, we do trips up to stocko from time to time and we hope to get out and about more as time allows, always looking for more ppl to come along and join in on some good times and a heap of laughs, spend a bit of time out your neck of the woods, 20 odd years over the bridge, caves not swampee, spent alot of time on 9mile skurfin on 3rd creek fishin and just playin up. cheers samo

[adamr7 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close adamr7]

Another Newy boy, been to your shop a few times. Glad to see you are getting better. Belmont and Stockton Beach is the go. The Watagans and Barrington are great. If you want some good day stuff in the bush Mt Sugarloaf, Awaba, and Killingsworth can be really challenging. A good overnighter is Geraldine 4wd Park near Walcha.

[barcode Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close barcode]

welcome
even though from the newy area unforntunately due to building a house trips are on the back burner for a while with us
however i am keen to find out some more on the mods to your truck - like the ectractors and when fitted the bar
let me if ok to post questions about it here if if youd rather a different post or PM

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Thanks Guys,
Steve M, I think we might have met once when you were selling your 90 Series white Grande?? I could be wrong, I had, and still have a 90 series lifted green Prado, in Whitebridge I am.
Samo, I'm pretty sure i've seen your truck around in Newcastle, white and black GX120 ?? I thought I saw it in Redhead, rooftop tent?
Adamr7, thanks for those tips i'll get on the Google Earth and have a look at those spots eh, you've been in my shop too mate? Have I tattooed you at some point? I love your 150 mate it looks awesome eh.
Barcode...cool name, I tattooed lotsa those in the early 90's !! I'll keep you posted on the Sahara Bar install and future mods...gotta get back to work and get some $$ together eh!!
One more question, crazy one too, Ive bumped a button here on my laptop and all the fonts sizes on PP have gone tiny!! Can hardly read it now, no other web page has gone small just Pradopoints!! Has anyone had this problem before, crazy eh been lurking here for 2 years, now i'm on I can hardly see it!! Is there a setting that anyone knows about??
Regards, Glen...lotsa creek crossings and slop around with this rain I bet!!

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Fixed my small font problem...braindead from footy beers.

[pradi2 Member Find all posts View Profile Close pradi2]

welcome lenny great your on the mend plenty to do up here just need to keep an eye for the next trip like samo said just need the time to do it.Blame the computer to mate not the BEER.Beer is our friend...

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Hey Pradi2,

Thanks for the welcome mate, I am on the mend now, just too damn slow mate...he left a coupla teethmarks on my right Femur so its pretty deep!! He also took 2kgs of me with him which pisses me off. How rude!!

Yes mate beer is my friend, and a bit of red wine lately too! Gota real taste for that, combine these 2 with Endones every 5 hrs and i'm pretty good for getting to sleep!

I've got time on my hands with this little drama, so i'm trawling PP pretty hard, I dont wanna be a Lurker forever! Learning how to use YouTube as well...I might have to get up to Mt Sugarloaf and have a dig by meself.

I did a good run up your way once, from Wollombi, Cedar Ck Rd (I think) thru to Broke Rd in the pouring rain with my wife n' kids, we had a great time, finished up at at Harrigans for a late lunch, also drove as far as we could on Stockyard Cr Trail near Paynes Crossing, beautiful country up there, gonna spend some time in Yengo National Park pretty soon I hope, gota convince my 10 year old girl to come along, scared the bejesus out of her with some bad angles and deep mudholes so she wont even consider coming with me now!

Well gotta drive the kids to school soon, at least I get a chance to run my new Pacemaker Headers, paint still burning off them!!

Regards, Glen.

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Hey Barcode,

The extractor fitting went well, you can feel its got less resistance, breathing easier maybe, $850 supplied and fitted, also put a K&N air filter which I think has helped that breathing effect, $109 from Fleabay for that, up to a 10% improvement maybe. Fuel consumption hasnt changed...bummer.

Sahara Bar fitting went well, $1909 fitted with foggies included, 25mm gap between body and bar, gotta come up with something to fill that space.

All good, Glen.

[barcode Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close barcode]

thats a pity about the fuel economy not getting better but at least its not worse. can i ask - how is the sound difference - does it get rid of the fluffy leak type of sound they have ( that drives me crazy)
have a sahara bar on order myself now but not due till end april. had gap issue with last bar on my patrol and just used a bit of hollow foam seal to fill the gap. got ot from clark rubber i think. its a round shape with a flat bottom and self adhesive.

[Lenny67 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lenny67]

Yea thought the fuel economy might drop a tad...buga. It does sound different, its lost a bit of that annoying sound they have, gota slight growl now, not enough yet...but i've been doing a bit of reading online and PP searches about high flow catalytic converters and that last muffler, no wonder they make restrictive sounds etc.

Yeah Clark Rubber might be the go mate, ya think ARB might have that one covered eh, $2 worth of rubber.

Cheers Glen.

[garywigo01 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close garywigo01]

Hi we are a 4wd club based in newcastle and called port hunter 4wd club ,we are a family club and have members aged from early 20s to mid 70s very good trips and social outings whilst learning to drive your 4wd in the bush,
i joined 3 years ago and have been to the cape, all the national parks around the hunter, the bridle trial at bathurst and many other trips .. Find us on line at port hunter 4x4 club.org .au

gary .. President