Nan’s Still Got It: The 80 Series That Refuses to Retire.

Lerdaderg State Forest, Victoria - Photos by Dermie

Next up was everyone’s favourite nightmare, wiring and electronics. The dual battery system had already been installed which was a small win, but then we found an assortment of five random little batteries that looked like they had been stolen straight out of a quad bike. To make things worse the two main batteries were completely cooked and barely holding a charge. Everything went in the bin and was replaced with a proper pair of matching AGM deep cycle batteries. Sure, most people would have gone straight for lithium, but with the unknowns still lurking and the budget already looking nervous, sticking with AGM felt like the only sensible call.

Whilst these are key, these weren’t the only electrical issues being dealt with, adding a REDARC battery isolator, 1000w inverter, and gauges throughout the cabin had also been carried out whilst a minor clean-up of the wiring throughout the engine bay was done. The addition of the REDARC gauges, especially given she is no spring chicken anymore allow for more accurate and additional monitoring on all the key vitals to her everyday operations. The addition of the inverter opened the freedom of charging the amplitude of camera equipment that ends up tagging along to every venture that creeps beyond more than the traditional Sunday stroll.

During this round of accessories, although the rear was already pre-fitted with a set of rear drawers which made for the ideal home to fit in an ARB dual air compressor (no, not the fancy new brush-less model, the old style) as one drawer had been designed shorter with a separate compartment, this is where those lovely quad bike batteries resided. The KAON rear barrier and shelf were fitted in the interest of a high compartment to store delicates such as laptops, drones, or anything else that could easily get damaged through the rigorous bouncing around of anything with weight crammed into the rear on a rough climb. The advantage to the KAON rear shelf is the ability of stacking on additional accessories that you generally might have to take to the interior panels with a drill to achieve the extra mounting space. Adding the switch panel and some Amber LED rock lights was a breeze, the panel comes with cable management so no need for loose cables swinging around is a solid plus.

“From the outset I knew I was stepping straight into someone else’s problems and that Nan would have a few gremlins tucked away under the hood."

Lerdaderg State Forest, Victoria - Photos by Dermie

In relation to achieving the roadworthy, all that was left was the headlights had previously been fitted with an aftermarket LED kit. This specific kit was too bright and threw out unusual artifacts of light different to the standard halogen bulb, regardless, without extensive leg work, wasn’t getting the green tick.
Once the roadworthy certificate was acquired and registration complete, some general drives were to make sure everything was running smoothly and planning the shopping list ahead of “essential” modifications.

A smart place to start is generally recovery as the tracks intended were not your leisurely cruise and there was no doubt she’d be caked in mud in no time. Forgetting to mention the old ARB bull bar prior, this specific model has a narrow cradle to allow for a winch and the Warn EVO, to this day, is yet to be pulled from the 120 Prado and dropped into the 80 series. Surely it will happen one day… For the time being to make sure not just any puddle of mud will be the undoing of the 80, recovery straps, shackles, a Rhino-Rack shovel, and a pair of MaxTrax Pro recovery boards are more than enough considering there are very few times the 80 series will be running solo.

In the rare event options of getting unstuck dwindle away and all hope fades, there are both an in-cab GME UHF antenna and handheld making sure communications between all the unstuck 4wd’s surrounding is possible. These 2 UHF’s also see endless amount of use during content shoots and any convoy travel. Although storage on the inside is well catered to, the exterior (more specifically, the roof) presents a whole realm of potential solutions when tackling the larger trips where every square inch of room becomes crucial. Being that the 120 Series had already been fitted up with one, it was the kind of accessory that became a necessity and not ideal to say goodbye to when jumping up to the next vehicle. Opting for the Rhino-Rack Platform Pioneer 6 ensured easy installation, no wind noise, endless accessories, additional space, and most importantly, good looks. The option of the roof rack allowed for the easy storage and access to both the MaxTrax recovery boards and the shovel being within arm’s reach when in strife. Whilst on the topic of the roof rack and being the car sees more camping during the winter wet seasons, shade/shelter from the rain was high in the list of requirements. Previous experience with a DARCHE 2.5 x 2.5m awning did present mild inconvenience when travelling solo so this round it was an easy push up to the Rhino-Rack 180° freestanding awning makes set up and pack down simple and a one man job.

The next phase became a bit more on the side of desire vs. require. Again, having previously had the fitted to the prior vehicle, it made sense to bring them back this time, with the addition of the rear roof rack spoiler. A set of weather shields never go astray. In terms of functionality, not sure there is a whole lot to them but in terms of looks, it’s the nice little touch that are more personal than anything. Not to mention they seemed to align with the nan visor stretched across the front window.

Lerdaderg State Forest, Victoria - Photos by Dermie

“She’s a long way from luxury, but that’s the charm. These old classics are solid, reliable, simple to work on, and they’ve earned their place as a legendary icon."

Jumping back into the realm of performance, the old faithful 1HD-T felt as though someone had decided a cowboy tune was the best path forward. Sometimes cranking more boost doesn’t translate to more better and the engine was starving itself of fuel once anything north of 14psi was hit. This made the 80 sluggish and almost felt as putting your foot down a little made her start rolling backwards. Taken to Everything 4x4 in Melton, the team ran a clean tune tying up the wrong doings by the previous tune that somehow doubled the figures she throws down on the black top. This made little to no difference to the fuel economy but at least gave her a bit more punch.

Something that arose by its own doing was the exhaust. Unfortunately, the years of seeing the water and the abuse off road meant the factory pipes had seen better days. After the trip to the Grampian ranges, the exhaust had decided to return itself back to its minerals and had signs that she was holding on by the skin of her teeth. Luckily the timing couldn’t have been more ideal as the 80 was already pencilled in for a few touch ups surrounding the rear diff and transfer case. Blitz Custom Exhaust in Lara did an immaculate job in keeping the factory sound with a touch of deeper tones as well as routing the pipe work strategically to avoid any knocks on a rougher track.

One accessory that was purchased but seemed too big of a job were The Cruiser Company lift up windows. The idea had always been to add these making access through the rear that little more accessible as the boot is quite deep and reaching anything that sits right up against the back seat becomes a gymnast trial. On the night that the roof rack and accessories had been scheduled for fitment, deciding to take on the task of converting the weathered rear windows seemed the logical choice. After lots of measure twice… three times, drill once, and a few hours, everything came together and the change was well worth it. The lift up windows allow more versatility to the use around the rear storage and again, aesthetics jumped up the extra notch.

A few extra points when it came to the car already coming fitted with Harrop E-Lockers both front and rear making any climbs achievable with the click of a button. The nan visor at the front was the push over the line for purchase as not many cars are seen running them and it seemed so fitting for the era of the vehicle.
All said and done to this point, the vehicle handles well making all the adventures the 80 sees itself through a no hassle trip. There will be more to come for the old girl and we’ll be sure to keep it updated through here.

Lerdaderg State Forest, Victoria - Photos by Dermie