Life After Service: Post-Military Vehicle Mods and Adventures

Coming out of Army service and into the hands of a 21yr old was probably not on this perenties bingo card, but here we are. First order of business was giving it a wash and interior detail. To say the military polyurethane paint paint scrubbed up well would be an overstatement, it was definitely tired. Moved on next to a full service, engine oil, air, and fuel filters all replaced.

Someone is just excited as me to get stuck into this thing.

By the time the 610km journey from Thurgoona (auction compound) was over, a few issues had presented themselves, which only could've been found by actually stretching the lizards legs. With the minor oil leaks fixed, service undertaken and tyres and wheels replaced it passed the blue-slip (Roadworthy for those who don't live in NSW) with flying colours. Blue-slip attained and insurances sorted it was off to service NSW.

I still think one of the coolest parts about this journey is not being able to decide what colour the perentie should be registered as, so the receptionist submitted "Colour Unknown" which to this day is still on the Rego papers. How fitting for a car that gets joked as being invisible, camouflaged.

Disclaimer; I am not sponsored, and have never been sponsored or affiliated with any brands what so ever. This disclaimer will be updated if anything changes. So with that being said; These vehicle modifications are just my personal experiences of what works good for me. I also shouldn't be taken as unbiased either, I like what's on my vehicle, that's why I use those things, I will speak with positively about said modifications, If there is something negative to be said, I will say it. If anyone has differing opinions to me, I would love to know, the best way to reach me is through the linked IG account.

On The Road

I knew quite quickly with inspiration from other perentie owners that I wanted to change a few things on this one. I decided to name it RIG110 as my nickname at footy was "Rig". Turns out it is also quite a suitable name for a Land Rover. On the road now, and it was time to start properly enjoying what I had actually bought. Every afternoon, after driving to work for 2 weeks consisted of missions of a slightly different nature to what the perentie had been previously used too. Water falls, lookouts, beach views, scenic drives and coffee runs where the new norm, and I think the landy was enjoying it also. So much so that on my first reconnaissance mission to the local state forest I was left with 1 wheel drive after snapping a front axle. I got it home after driving with the centre diff lock in and started saving.

Dad, the guiding force in my reckless decisions, mentioned that whilst I was replacing the front axle, since I was already there, I should install a diff lock as well. This obviously spiralled to a full front end rebuild with quality HD Chromoly parts, my bank account is still hurting, but true DIY car enthusiasts know this is all a normal process.

So the Mods began, and the passion for working on the labour of love was born. As it would follow further on in the article, read it as a true timeline of how I went about building this Perentie and making it my own.

Front and Rear Difflocks, Chromoly Axles and CVs

After snapping that axle on my first time out I wasn't taking any chances with the parts I put back in. Chromoly CV's, 300m Maxidrive axles, and a front ARB Airlocker was the choice , and seems to be the go to setup for these cars. The on-board air system used to run the locker was a DIY setup that sits at the rear firewall for good centre of gravity, it uses an xtm single compressor, with a custom 25l air tank and air manifold. The compressor switch is in the centre console which lets me turn the compressor and lockers on and off whenever I need. The manifold also has an air hose located at the passenger side canvas zipper which allows me to air up tyres conveniently.

After further 4 wheel driving and more experience, I opted for a rear ARB Airlocker and plumbed it into the existed air manifold.

Side Steps

Running 33s (35s now, but still useful) I needed some sill protection. Wanting to do tougher tracks and having the peace of mind to help push the car off rocks was crucial so sidesteps was the natural choice. And have they put in some work, my trade means I get free steel pipe, so naturally 40mm nb pipe was what I opted for. A few afternoons and I knocked these up.

RIG110 DIY Fab Step Sliders

Spare Wheel Carrier and Rear Bar Storage

Now on a perentie the spare wheel is usually underneath the back of the vehicle, however to future proof running bigger tyres as well as making better use of that space I decided to make a spare wheel carrier which doubles as a high lift jack mount. There is also room for future modification to house a recovery boards holder, and mountain bike rack, which i think will be good. I overengineered the swing-away using a ford stub axle bearing kit and 6mm RHS for the swingarm itself.

Swing arm all tacked up

I've also noticed the spare wheel being mounted up high, it stays out of the mud a bit better which is nice when you have to rotate tyres.

First mount with it all welded together

The dual jerry holder was actually bit by a fellow perentie owner who is currently travelling aus @RovingBeyond on IG. And I've found it to be super necessary, even with the perenties great fuel efficiency (10l/100kms all day), as it's only got a 60 L tank.

Photo of complete setup as it currently sits

DIY Turbo Kit with Intercooler

Righto, 10 months down the track and it was time for a little more power. Don't get me wrong in stock form with 285/75//r16s it was still ok. Like a tractor, but ok. However, being young and dumb, as well as buying into the hype, I decided to piece together a turbo kit using the KLR automotive kit, and adapting their setup to suit a front mount intercooler for reliability. Not that there is anything wrong with the typical non intercooler kit, I just wanted the piece of mind of an intercooler, as I wanted this setup to grow with me to possibly suit all of my future power needs (young and dumb).

With that being said, an ebay 3" intercooler to the rescue, some aluminium pipe, and some flex hose joiners along with other miscellaneous bits & bobs for oil feeds etc. With these bits sourced, the Christmas break of 2023 was spent getting the kit sorted. With a total of 4 days and nights the install was complete.

I am so glad I bought into the turbo hype. I completely transformed the truck, whilst still maintaining excellent fuel economy and doubling the power. I am still running the stock clutch and as of me typing this article, It's only been highway tuned to 8psi with 490*C peak EGT's. Which if you know the Isuzu 4BD1 that is turned way down. Its not uncommon to see guys running Holset hx30's pushing 28 psi non intercooled through the bullet proof Isuzu. I will eventually turn my setup higher, but for now it gets up every hill in 4th gear, sees more than safe EGT's, and still gets 10.5l/100kms fully loaded on 35s. Its also safe for the stock clutch.

Garret GT22/52 Snail all mounted and plumbed.

As a turbo kit is a much sought after modification for these things, and there are bound to be questions on the fitting and results of this setup. As well as the uncommon factor of a front-mount intercooler. I am more than happy to share my experience in further detail on my IG @Rig_Perentie, drop me a dm and I am more than happy to go through anything missed here, and I can share some resources that helped me decide my route as well.

LED Headlight/Taillight Conversion

Although candle-lit dinners are sought after for a romantic meal, they (candles) aren't much use for actually seeing whilst driving at night time. So it was out with the H3's and in with an ADR approved LED direct replacement. Lucky for us Perentie owners (and some LC70 series/Jeep owners) A 7" round Headlight will tend to fit with very little modifications. $220 and I can actually see 40m in front of me. Money well spent and worth every cent.

Work in Progress: Rear Bed Setup for Touring Fridge and 12V

Now with all this time and money spent so far, the missus said if I was to keep spending money I would have to put a bed in the back so we could at least do some longer trips. Even though it was more weight, I agreed and got straight into building some very basic chest storage, with room for my fridge and future space for a slide out kitchen.

The Semi-finished product with Wallace making himself at home.

I'm quite a tall bloke so the bed needed to be the full size of the tub. Which worked out for practicality reasons of still carting materials and heavy objects around. I made the double mattress sit completely flat and underneath the mattress I put together chest compartments to house recovery gear, spare parts, camp chairs, and clothes. The Mattress sits slightly higher than the edge of the tub, so that if it ever rains, or driving through dusty offroad conditions it limits the amount of dirt getting onto the bed sheets through the side canvas.

35 Inch Tyres and Custom Beadlock Rims

Again playing the "Young & Dumb" - card, Bigger tyres = More fun. Was I finding myself driving tracks that justified bigger tyres? To a point.... Yes. Where 33s still good enough for most tracks? Absolutely.

Probably my most often asked question is the wheel a tyre setup. 17x9 dirty life mesa blanks, drilled and bored out to suit the 5x165.1 unique pattern. If you're like me and wanted to find alloys like these, you know its very, very slim pickings for Land Rovers, and there are less wheels to choose from then fingers on my right hand. The Mesa was my choice; availability, material type (alloy) and size. Besides I reckon they look pretty good too.

They rims are wrapped in Toyo Open Country M/Ts, and I think they are great tyre, I run them at 5psi offroad and never find myself needing to go lower. They are also great on-road, with decent dry weather grip. I am not here to tell you they are the best, or better than any other brands, as I am hardly qualified to even write about the perentie. It's just my experience with them, and take with that what you will.

Winch and Winch Plate

Doing dumb tracks, means getting out of dumb places. A winch, No-Brainer, even I think that. Many Perentie guys run different winches, I modified a KLR winch plate to suit my 12k ultra winch. Do I need a 12000lbs winch? More than likely not, is it good piece of mind? Absolutely, and it means I can go out in the bush and feel comfortable knowing I've got a more than big enough winch to get me out of sticky situations.

KLR Winch plate, welded and drilled new holes to suit offset Ultra winch holes.

The welding of the brackets that line up to the chassis.

I've used the thing a handful of times, and I try to remember to make sure it's working before airing down. A breather has been installed as well for reliability. But I also find it handy that it's backed by a lifetime mechanical warranty and 7 year electrical, I found only Warn really competed in warranty lengths, but was double the price. Again not sponsored, that's just what I've found and think is worth sharing with you.

For those playing along at home, the best way to weld the brackets on is by bolting everything up to the chassis (without the winch), then disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and proceed to tack the brackets to the plate, then wait for the several tacks to cool to room temp. Pull the tacked plate off, then stitch weld it up. Doing it that way ensure the plate doesn't have alignment issues and minimises warping.

Commitment to update.

Things change with life long projects, and I will be sure to update this list in the future with important mods that happen along the way. As I have a few things slowly burning in the pipeline. And again, I'm not just trying to plug my Instagram everywhere to get you to follow me, but seriously if you have any questions at all just shoot me a DM and say you came from the website, and I will be sure to get back to you :) In the meantime, take care. Jimbo from @Rig_Perentie