Skip's 4x4 My Holden Rodeo Turbo Diesel 4x4.

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So, why did I choose a Holden Rodeo? I wanted a vehicle that would be: 1) A bit smaller and lighter than my Landcruiser, so more suitable for driving to and from work. 2) More economical than the cruiser, yet accelerate better. 3) It must be a commercial vehicle and so is more tax effective for my business. 4) be a 4 door so we can still go on family holidays with my wife and 2 daughters. I wanted a vehicle that has a reputation for being tough and reliable, and so I set out to research the vehicles on the internet:

I researched the 3Litre Diesel Toyota Hilux dual cab and the Holden Rodeo 2.8turbo diesel?. The Holden Rodeo, made by Isuzu, won hands down, based on price, performance, and Isuzu's reputation for reliability. I then set out to sell my Sell my Landcruiser, and got almost the full asking price for it on a private sale. It did not take long to find a suitable one to buy, being only 15 months old, 39000k on the clock, and still with plenty of factory warranty remaining. I then set out to fit my vehicle out with the necessary 4WD bits to enhance it's off-road performance.

Model	1998 Holden Rodeo Turbo Diesel Dual Cab LX
Odometer & buy date	39000K, 6 April 2000
Colour	White, with grey interior trim
Engine	4 cylinder 2.8L OHC Turbo Diesel with direct injection. Power and torque: 74Kwatt, 225Nm
Exhaust	Standard mufler and 2" pipe
Transmission	5 speed manual, Part time 4WD with high and low range
Differentials	Rear - Limited slip, live axle, leaf sprung.  Front - Open centre, independant, dual wishbones, torsion bars, free wheeling hubs
Air Conditioning	Yes, Factory fitted
Seats	2 front buckets, rear bench for 3 persons, cloth trim, 4 headrests in total
Doors	4 door + rear tail gate
Fuel tank	63 litre main tank
Instruments	Speedo, Tacho, Fuel, Temp
Radio	AM/FM stereo radio cassette with 2 speakers (front)
Floor coverings	Vinyl
Other standard features:	Tilt adjustable steering wheel, intermittent wipers, instrument light dimmer, front disc brakes and rear drums, power steering
Extras fitted:
Wheels	Heavy duty steel mags, 15"x7", white, powder coated
Tyres	BF Goodrich All Terrain TA KO’s (x4) 31 x 10.5R15. Spare is a standard 205R16 "rear hung" mounted.
Tinting	Tint-a-car Formular 1 tint
CB Radio	GME Electrophone TX3000 UHF CB, with 6db front mounted, ground plain independent antenna.
Power Outlets	Dual Cigarette sockets and polarised jack fitted in Rear Cargo Area
Snorkel	Safari Snorkel
Bull bar	ARB, steel, with 2 spotty mounts & 2 CB Aerial mounts, recovery points.
Spotlights	2 x 6" Hella 100watt driving lights (Comet 500's)
Canopy	ARB High roof canopy for rear cargo area.
Suspension	4 x OME Nitro Charger gas pressurised shockies from ARB. Wilkinson's Suspension overhauled the rear leaf springs, by re-setting the top 3 leafs to have some more curve, adding an extra leaf, and re-setting to bottom carrier leaf to be flatter. This provided me with 25mm lift, and made the ride softer. The front torsion bars were "wound up" to provide an extra 20mm of height to the front.
Tow Bar	ARB heavy duty "reese style" tow bar (replaces existing one!)
Roof Rack	Rhino track mounted roof bars, using the Rhino Commercial leg, and Rhino Aero-bars, and a Rhino steel luggage basket as well.
Auxiliary Battery	91 Amp-hour Heavy Duty Deep cycle battery in battery box, mounted in the rear cargo area. This unit has a custom made solid state battery charging / isolating circuit with LED indicators and a manual override circuit.
Dif Breathers	I have fitted high mounted breathers to the front diff, rear diff, and transfer case (which is linked to gearbox by small breather pipe). Each breather has a ceramic filter on the end, which traps both dust and water.
Compressor	Inter compressor mounted in a box in the rear cargo area (running off auxiliary battery), cabled to power via switch, and ducted to air via a plug-in 7m long air hose.
Cruise Control	A Zemco ZT-9 cruiser control has been fitted to make long-distance cruising much more relaxing
Gauges & alarms	Volt gauge, Headlight reminder alarm, oil pressure alarm buzzer.
Spare Parts:
List of spare parts that I have for my 4WD	2nd matching spare wheel and tyre, 4 original shockies, 2 x radiator hoses, 3 x fan belts, 5 x original 16" wheels and 205r16 tyres, air cleaner, fuel filter, fuses, touch up paint
My wishlist:
Rear Diff-lock	ARB rear diff lock and ARB compressor
Intercooler	Sarari Intercooler (which provides 20% more power and torque)

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Email Alan (that's me) for more info. Email me.

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This page was last updated on 17 Oct 2003