Outdoor Auto

2012

2012-01-12T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well its 2012 already and as usual things are heating up Literally!! Its Brisbane, Its HOT!! lol.....

We have a hole range of new products that will be available.

We are settling in to the new store with enough room for a customer lounge area for those waiting while we do fittings along with more products on display and more stock.

So no mater what vehicle you have, give us a call or come in and see us.

More blogging soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

SHHHhhhhhhhhh...........New Stuff!!

2011-11-29T21:10:00.001-08:00

Hi all

Here is a sneak peak of what's coming!!

We are branching out into many makes of 4wd but this
range is at the core of our Suzuki roots.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

New Cargo Roof Racks Available

2011-11-29T20:37:00.001-08:00

Hi all

So i have more suppliers coming on board but i can only reveal one at this time.

Our new line of Cargo Roof Racks will fit almost any 4wd and some cars

Made in steel or alloy

Available with many options

Designed and built in Australia, these racks are built to
the highest standards and will last the test of time

Travelling the harsh outback or loading your gear at
work, these racks wont let you down

So keep an eye on the website for more info or
give us a call

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2011-11-20T17:22:00.001-08:00

Hi all

Well we are deep into the move and you may have some problems trying to call us this week.

We are just have the phone & Internet fixed but if you dont get through please send us an email and we will get back to you asap.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

VW Amarok Bash Plates - Fuel Tanks

2011-11-17T19:45:00.001-08:00

Hi again

Another ute new on the scene is the new Vw Amarok.

So to give it some off road cred we have some under body guards available
( Radiator / I-Cooler / Sump / Steering & (T1) Transmission / Transfer Case )
so youcan take it that much further off road.

also we have a long range fuel tank to take the fuel range up too 150L

So for some Amarok parts give us a call today!

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

New Ford Ranger Internal Roll Bars - Rops

2011-11-17T18:21:00.001-08:00

Hi all

The new Ford Ranger has been released at last and we already have new accessories coming on line.

The First we have is the Rops! - Internal Roll over protection system.

Yes i know its heavy duty but if your are touring this great big county you would want the best you can get.

These rops are built to BHP International and Australian standards so you know that these you are getting the best

So weather your touring the country, building your week end warrior or its your daily work ute - this Rops is for you!

also as you can see by the pics this Rops is for the dual cab model.

More new product updates soon.

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Toyota Prado 150 Cargo Barrier

2011-11-17T17:44:00.001-08:00

Hi again

yes another post!! lol...

Now available is the Prado 150 Cargo Barrier,
it bolts to the grab handles at the top with 1 hole on each floor mounting to fit this great barrier.

easier to fit than other barriers and im sure its cheaper too!

Comes with a fit kit, instruction and photos for fitting.

Outdoor Auto can supply a cargo barriers to suit your need so give us a call today!

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2011-11-17T16:57:00.001-08:00

Hi again :-)

One of our loyal customers headed of for the big Cape trip recently ( Cape York - Nth Qld )

Carl tackled almost everything on this trip and said he rocked up to a couple of camp sites to looks of amazement! ( how the hell did that thing get here! )

so after an amazing trip to the cape and back you would think he would looking forward to getting home but he stopped in at Outdoor Auto first!

Crazy but we were glad to see him and chat about his adventure.

Well done Carl and we look forward many more pics from all your adventures.

Over the last year we have supplied and fitted to this GV

Full Under body Guards
2inch Suspension Lift
Snorkel
Rola Roof Racks
Rola Vortex Basket
16inch Steel GV rims ( supplied, 3.2L comes with 18inch rims )

so for all your adventure needs give us a call today.

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2011-11-17T14:59:00.001-08:00

Hi all

Its been over a month since my last post and im sorry for the delay.

Outdoor Auto is in the middle of a move to a new shop front that is twice the size of our current location, but its only next door so we have not had far to go but you just dont realise just how much stuff is here!!

In the last month we have had so many new products come out and a couple of new suppliers come on board.

in the next couple of blogs we will try to update you all with what's happening at the store.

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

FYRLYT Spotties

2011-09-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hi again

Did i mention we supply Fyrlyt Spot lights!!

These are the best Australian made lights to hit the market and the really throw some light!, no its not me just reading the brochure, i have fitted them to my vehicle. I use them at night but i have been known to light up the rear of a stupid driver in front of me in the middle of the day and they get noticed ;-)

I run the 12V lights but you can also run 24v lights on your 12v 4b

so for the best lights you can get and that will actually fit your bull bar, call or visit today!

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

The Knock off

2011-09-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I just wanted to touch on the fact that allot of cheap copies have become available recently of the products that Outdoor Auto supplies, we dont have a problem with this but its funny how we have customers coming to us with these copies to have us fix and fit as they were not correct and the over sea's supplier does not want to know them.

This can be seen by the Ebay sellers stealing our pics and using them in snorkel listings, if you look at all the pics in the listing you can clearly see that the fitted and unfitted snorkels are different.

Also people claim the companies that supply these copies also supply us which is not true and why our products actually fit!!!

Also we do the fitting so we know the products first hand and its not just a part number in a book. Which brings me to the 2.4L Grand Vitara and the fact that the Safari catalog says it does not fit, so the guys behind the counter say their is no snorkel available, when we fit our snorkel and the Safari snorkel to the 2.4L GV.

Its the difference in supplying and specializing in these small 4wds.

Just my rant lol,

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Rola Roof Racks

2011-08-07T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hi again

Since we started this hole thing we have been chasing a Rola Roof Racks and others to come on board and support Outdoor Auto

We had put them at number 1 on the list due to the roof bars being the best profile on many 4wds and now they have the Vortex roof basket!

Here are a couple pics of the small and large vortex basket

Small

Large

the air dam on the large basket is different to the small one so i left it off and

the fuel economy went down so fit the air dam or fit lots of spotties :-)

So if you need a roof rack and basket then come and see Outdoor Auto for any 4wd brand.

catcha all soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2L Vitara Lift & Bars, Sliders

2011-08-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Hi again

We have had a 2L Vitara swb come in for a full make over.

John wanted to have everything but wanted to look clean and

not custom - this meant no tube bars front or rear so we had to

do new bars as well as sliders.

The 2L swb Vitara was stock!

we added

3 inch Suspension Lift

Under body Guards ( front to rear )

Sliders

Front Steel Winch Bar

Rear steel bar

Snorkel

Rola Roof Basket

Kuhmo KL71 Mt

The Vitara went from this

( grill guard was welded to chassie!!! )

to this!

as you can see its 2 completely different vehicles

if you are chasing any info on parts in this blog then please email

us or give us a call today.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Suzuki Jimny Cargo Barrier

2011-08-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well looking at the date of the last blog its been a while!!

So after a lot of running around we have a Cargo Barrier

for the Suzuki Jimny.

The Barrier bolts to the top grab handles and on the

bottom you need to drill one hole on either side to fit

the bottom mounts.

so now you can really pack the back up the rear of your Jimny

with out it all coming forward every time you have to stop.

Any questions please send us an email or give us a call.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

update!!!

2011-07-03T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well as usual its been mental here but we have been updating the website as well as all the products we supply are being added to the site.

Today i was adding Dual Battery Tray listings.

Dual Battery Systems are for vehicles that travel and carry allot of equipment that uses electricity. You can run a fridge and other accessories of the second battery and know that when you start the 4B the first Battery wont be flat leaving you stranded

we supply Piranha Battery Trays for almost any 4wd but as a recent customer noted he had no idea we supplied them as they were not listed on the site. hence the the undertaking to completely update the site

All Trays come with Instructions for fitting and a bolt kit

We can supply Nissan, Toyota, Mazda trays and more.

Every tray has a sticker with details of the tray and details on the best battery for that tray

We also supply and fit the Dual Battery Systems

So no matter what product your chasing check out our website or give us a call

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Cargo barriers

2011-06-20T05:11:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well its been busy here and i know i keep saying that but the range is growing every day and i feel like its going nuts!! Anyway while i am finally on here i might as well give you an update...

New product for Outdoor Auto is the Grand Vitara internal Cargo Barrier.

Thats right its a cargo barrier for the 98 to 2002 model and its the only off the shelf model in Australia and its rated to meets all Nation standards

Thats just one in the huge range of barriers we now have available like Prado and Patrol, So come in and see us today to get your barrier fitted or order online.

More products coming so watch the blog and look out for more info on twitter

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Lift Kits

2011-06-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We have been busy lately with a few customers chasing parts for older 4wds and we have re jigged some kits to supply the best lift possible with more travel in the suspension.

The first was a customer chasing a 2inch ( 50mm ) lift for his swb Vitara and we could supply it and not 40mm like the other stores but we can also tailor the kits to the customers needs

this kit - Long travel struts with soft coils that give a good flex and soft ride and a pair of shocks for the most travel possible.

we also supply the camber bolts too for a complete kit.

why just use a 1 brand lift when you can take the best bits from different companies to get the best possible lift too suit you.

also its Friday so go out and have fun people..... thats an order lol....

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Nissan Navara Sliders / side steps

2011-05-19T02:20:00.000-07:00

Hi again

Here is a set of Nissan Navara side steps we had made.

The customer was able to leave the car with us for 2 days so we could get the steps made and then we had them powder coated for the Navara.

They protect the sills from the terrain you are traveling and the second rail is for accessing the vehicle ( step ) and to protect the side of the vehicle

We will be making more sliders / steps for many vehicles so if you can supply a vehicle we can make them.

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2011-05-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Sorry for the late update, its been busy here and time seems to be flying at the moment.

We will try and update you with everything thats going on so expect allot of blogging over the next week.

First of was the big pick here for us, Outdoor Auto now Supplies FYRLYT

( pronounced "FIRE LIGHT" ). Its the best light to hit the aussie market and its 100% Australian.

Fyrlyts come in 2 versions - 12V 2800 lumens and 24V 5000 Lumens to kick the ass of HID!

Made in South Australia these lights will give great light and great usability with a real spot or spread capability by simply turning the back!!!

Also if you want more power for your 12v 4b you can bolt the 24V version on with a 12v converter unit to get 5000 lumens!!!

So check them out today at Outdoor Auto

see ya :-)

Custom Under Body Guards

2011-04-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I had a request for red Underbody Guards and i thought it would look all right.

So with some investigation we found we could supply the plates in any base color for only $50 on top of the price for the plates

So if you are after something a little different for your 4wd then please contact us

and we will see what we can do for you

Tim

Outdoor Auto

toyota and nissan

2011-04-03T22:59:00.000-07:00

Hi again

for a while i got another site up and running called the Big 4x4 Store that would supply Toyota and Nissan parts that i could get a hold of.

Unfortunately it has been mental trying to run both and now we will be adding all the other product to the Outdoor Auto website, so it will be a 1 stop shop for all 4wds and not just the small 4wds

Dont think we will stray as we will still focus on small 4wds, you will just be able to get the parts for the big ones here too

here is a link to the Toyota section we have started building

http://outdoorauto4x4.com/b/39008/1/toyota.html

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Pajero out and about!

2011-04-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I just had some pics come in from John who just spent some time on Fraser Island after having a few mods done, as listed in older entires here.

Im sure a snorkel will be next on the list lol.

cute dogs and i would love to give it a hug but dingo's are a wild animal and they will take a 8 year old if your not careful.

as you can see its a great place and thanks to john for the pics and to all the customers who let us know about the fun they have outdoors

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-04-03T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hi again

I had met John a few years ago when a friend of his bought a snorkel, i then invited John to do a club show n shine with me and 4 other GV/XL7 owners to show how great these 4bs can be.

Since then i have been supplying parts to john as he does up his pride and joy.

He came in for a snorkel for his baby so he could go more places

Getting started...

nice fit!

Done!

started like this

Now looks like this!!!

John has a 4inch Lift, front bash plate, Snorkel and 225/75/16s Maxxis 771's

Talk soon

Tim

2011-04-03T20:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We had John from the gold coast come up for the day to have a 2 inch lift, front Bash plate and rear airbags fitted .

John had 50mm strut spacers fitted to the front for lift while his suspension was still in good nic but for the back john tows a camper, so we went with springs and shocks plus a set of Poly air bags as well to handle the weight of the camper when he needed it.

Also John had the plastic factory font plates falling, this was replaced with the front bash plate to help on the beach.

He went from this!

To this!!

its a big difference :-)

John travels all over Australia with his camper.

Talk soon

Tim

Interstate Customers

2011-03-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I have been chatting to a few interstate customers and thought it time to bring this up on the blog.

If you purchase products that need fitting by a shop, we can ship them direct to the store that will be fitting these products for you.

In some cases we can recommend the fitters in your area that have fitted our products before.

Outdoor Auto supplies a fitted service for customers on the south side of Brisbane - Simply pay for your suspension and fitting with us and we will arrange for fitting on the south side so all you have to do is turn up and it will be fitted for you. You save time in travel and fitting costs! how good is that.

We may be able to organize this for interstate customers too - just give us a call :-)

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-03-20T22:04:00.000-07:00

Hi all

So after chatting to a few customers about suspension kits and what customers are after we now will supplying a new kit for the budget wise but still delivering a good ride and cargo holding in the rear for the current Grand Vitara

The Budget Campers pack will consist of

2 x 50mm strut spacers

2 x rear coils

2 x rear shocks

2 x camber bolts

All for $680!!!

Thats right a kit that handles well and its cheap!

This kit gives you lift with out losing travel in the front unlike the off the shelf kits by other stores and gives you load carrying capacity will give you more travel in the rear shocks

( still more than other companies. )

so keep an eye on the website, blog or come in store for a chat!

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-03-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Last week we had john in to fit a 50mm Spacer lift to his Grand Vitara.

The Kit contains 50mm Strut spacers for the front, 2 50mm Coil spacers for the rear and a pair of Rancho shocks

The strut spacers drop the front so after they are fitted you still have the exact same amount of travel in the front with the rear getting extra drop.

The Strut spacers fit so well in the front that the Pedders suspension guys who did the wheel alignment how we got it so high as the front looked stock! LOL....

Before

after

front before

front after :-)

also we need to mention that with this lift you will need camber bolts, we can also supply these too.

Note - if your suspension is old and worn its advised to fit new parts and not add spacers.

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-03-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I would like to thank you all for the support and for Voting for Outdoor Auto on - top 4x4 sites.

we have gone from 129 to as high as 68!

so if you think OA 4x4 is a great site then vote for us using this link

http://top4x4sites.com/cgi-bin/arp/rankem.cgi?id=ODA4x4

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Rear Shocks

2011-03-14T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all

When it comes to the rear shocks for the current model Grand Vitara we have done allot of testing to get the lengths right, unlike other suppliers.

The suspension arms can only travel so far and if your shock is to long you will place allot of stress on the factory components.

Outdoor Auto uses a shock that extends to 1cm short of the arms extension allowing for the most amount of travel with out extra wear.

you can see from the pic above the shock at full drop and the arm at full drop.

talk to you all soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Top 4x4 Sites

2011-03-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hi all

I had seen a website that listed the best 4wd websites from around the world and i decided it would be fun to list Outdoor Auto. :-)

The site works on the traffic to and from the 4x4 site with people voting for the site.

After watching the site for 2 months we are finely on the list, we are sitting at position 129 out of the 26o sites listed - woo hoo lol.

Now i know we have had only 2 or 3 votes but its nice to see it.

If you think Outdoor Auto is a good site then please vote for us -

http://top4x4sites.com/cgi-bin/arp/rankem.cgi?id=ODA4x4

thanks for reading my blog.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Ford Escape 3 inch suspension lift

2011-03-08T21:29:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Just wanted to give you a sneak peak at the new lift for the ford escape.

The lift gives you 3inches over a stock ford escape!!

This kit is on its way to a customer who we supplied a snorkel to and he will be getting big tires once the lift is fitted

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-03-08T21:06:00.000-08:00

Hi all

We have a new fabricator for Alloy winch bars that are airbag compatible :-)

All we need now is a Jimny and Grand Vitara owner who wants to get a winch bar fitted.

The new bars will be allot cheaper than the old bars but will also be airbag compliant too as well as look great, we will need the cars for a couple of days but the customers who get in first will also get them cheaper than the retail price.

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

17 inch steel Grand Vitara rims

2011-03-06T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all

I had an idea a while ago about 17 inch steel rims, but it was put on hold while other things were in progress.

I got a call from John and he was chasing a second spare for his GV but he had 17inch mags all round and needed a 17inch mag $$$ or a steel rim to match.

So i got researching and i was lucky enough to pick up some 17 inch rims and confirm that they have the same stud pattern, the same offset and width as the factory rims but in 17inch.

so now along with 16inch steel rims Outdoor Auto can now supply 17inch steel rims too

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2.4L Grand Vitara Recall

2011-02-23T20:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all

I got hold of this through a forum that i visit all the time and i thought it best to pass it on.

www.newgrandvitara.net

The 2.4L Grand Vitara has been recalled to address a power steering issue that may cause it to fail.

for info click here

http://autoweb.goauto.com.au/mellor/mellor.nsf/story2/190B0093BBF803CBCA25783E000F43EA

I hope all 2.4L owners can get this issue fixed with no hassles.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Vitara Bull Bar & Sliders

2011-02-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all

We have been trying for a while to make custom bars for allot of 4bs and we will have a bar finished soon for a Suzuki Vitara 88 - 98. It will have a few different versions for different engine sizes, lwb or swb

As you can see its coming together

We are also doing sliders with the first set to suit a swb vitara

along with many more sliders to be made for other vehicles.

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2011-02-21T21:16:00.002-08:00

Hi all

well John was back and this time he was looking to lift his Pajero.

John was after a 2inch lift and he also wanted to carry a big load with the Pajero but it would not be every day, so we ordered a 2inch suspension kit in but we went for a medium load rating so the Pajero could carry a little bit of weight but still be comfortable to drive.

To ensure the Pajero would still carry anything john threw at it we also got in some Polyair bags for the rear springs so it could be adjusted to each load.

Stock Pajero

Lifted Pajero

The Pajero went up 50mm in the front and 60mm in the rear

( Airbags give some lift when fitted )

The airbag goes as low as 5psi for normal driving but can be pumped up to 30psi for loads

Airbags are available for most vehicles.

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Pajero roof rack

2011-02-21T18:12:00.000-08:00

Hi all

We have been sooooo busy so its time for an update!!!

We had John come in for a roof rack fitting, he had purchased a second hand Rhino tray and needed to mount it to his roof.

The Pajero does not have mounts so we got in and fitted the rhino track mount system that sits in the gutter rails but it needs to be riveted to the roof.

Its not my first choice to drill holes in roofs but this system allows you to move the cross bars along the roof to any position.

this also means you can have as many cross bars as you want on the roof allowing for 2 to hold a basket and another for spotties :-)

The rack came up a treat and john will have plenty of fun using it lol...

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Vitara Soft Top Roof Rack

2011-02-15T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hi again

Those who have been reading the blog will remember that were were working on a roof rack for the Vitara soft top.

Well we have fitted our first one and it gave us some tips on how to improve it but i think it looks great

( Ladder on top for demonstration )

a new version will be available soon that will flat pack for shipping Australia wide

talk soon

Tim

Vitara suspension

2011-02-15T18:42:00.000-08:00

Hi again

I had a little Vitara soft top in for a 2inch lift.

I went with the Dobinson Struts and shocks in the front for a good ride and plenty of travel but for the back i went for a SWB Grand Vitara coil to get more lift and load carry capacity

its stiffer but it will carry more weight better and that was what the customer was after, as well as a pair of Rancho shocks for the rear to give it some good travel.

talk soon

Tim

Grand Vitara suspension

2011-02-15T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all

We have had a couple of customers come to us with Grand Vitara's that had sagged in the front due to the coils or to the fitting of Bull Bars and winch's.

so we have looked at this and came up with a spacer to fix this for any GV no matter what suspension it has fitted.

The spacer is made from 6mm steel and simply sits on top of the strut mount under the wheel arch and the strut bolts up as normal.

its 6mm thick but will give up to 15mm of lift depending on your GV

how good is that!

talk soon

Tim

Grand Vitara Snorkel

2011-02-03T17:32:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well its been an interesting few weeks around Qld and i hope you are all safe and well.

John had been looking at a snorkel for a while for his GV, he goes outdoors often and had decided it was time for a Snorkel

The Snorkel fitted up perfectly, as you can see it has a very snug fit to the body.

On the A pillar and on the front guard

Remember that this is the only Snorkel that fits the GV 98 - 05 model, it also fits no matter what engine you have be it a 2 door of 4 door versions

talk soon.

Tim

Jimny Cargo Rack

2011-01-27T22:07:00.000-08:00

Hi again :-)

We also did a cargo rack for the Jimny that replaces the roof rails and bolts on.

The rack is alloy with side rails and a mesh floor. The rack has no front or back so you can carry long loads but still tie them down to the floor or the side. The rails also have wide brace plates that are perfect for mounting Awnings

The rack looks good but looks great when painted or powder coated black

This is just one type of rack we have along with the new retro rack range coming soon.

So if you have a Jimny / Grand Vitara 3 door and your looking for a rack just a little different then please come in and see what we can do.

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Jimny roof rack

2011-01-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Hi all

We had a Jimny in for roof racks recently.

We fitted a set of Thule Roof racks and a Bike carrier.

Because the owner wanted a basket on top but also wanted to put another bike rack on down the track i went for the rhino flat half basket.

Outdoor Auto can provide most roof rack brands with fitting, for info come see us in store!!

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

update - Jimny

2011-01-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well its been a while since my last blog and i thought it was time to get it moving again!

We have had a few Jimny's here during the holidays which helped to develop some new products like the Jimny Slider / Side step

Its made from 48mm Steel tube with a 4mm wall, the mounts are 8mm steel with 5mm gussets for strength so you know you will be protected

The Slider also comes with a diamond plate tread section and grip tape for ease of use.

The Slider step section is angled to hug the side of the Jimny and give more clearance as well as protecting the side of the vehicle.

more soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Suzuki Vitara Soft Top Roof Rack

2010-12-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Yes thats right a roof rack for your soft top.

Designed to be a bolt on part this rack will give you the freedom to carry all the extra's on the roof while still having the wind in your hair.

Unlike the rare as hens teeth Suzuki original you can have the rack on and still fold the front section of the roof back.

The rack is made from Alloy and painted in black gloss enamel ( 3 coats ). We chose this process over powder coating as it chips and you can not repair it, with the enamel you can touch up and repaint it when needed so it looks better longer, you could even color code it to your Vitara.

another advantage of this rack is that you can have no roof on at all and still have your gear on top.

Carry surf boards, Bikes or anything you want on top and still have room for 4 people in the Vitara.

thanks for checking out the blog and we will try to add more info to the blog over the Christmas period.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

All the chrome things!!

2010-12-01T16:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Yes we had another GV in, its almost like we specialize in GVs lol.....

John came in with his GV for a few mod upgrades.

2 inch Lift Kit
Grill Guard
Strut Brace
Chrome Body Kit
Full Underbody Bash Plate Kit

Stock

Lifted

Chromed

and this is the finished product.

although John was chatting about tyres and mags so who knows how she will look soon lol..

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Vitara Swb Parts

2010-11-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

Hi all

John first came to us about a year ago looking at the Diff drop Brackets for his little Vitara, we chatted about all the options and in the end he just went with them.

Over the coarse of the year john has come back for 3 inch springs front and back, Longer rear trailing arms, Extreme Struts and flares

As you can see this little Vitara looks great and its not a show pony lol..., luckly it was sort clean when we got these pics..

Catcha all soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

New Grand Vitara Cargo Rack

2010-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

Hi all

While we were waiting for john to turn up so we could fit his roof rack, we had a new GV in the shed that we measured up to make cargo racks for that model too.

After we decided to sit the old GV rack on the new one for reference on how it would mount and look.

I think it looks fantastic :-)

The rack will be about 60mm wider to make use of the factory mounts that are under the plastic roof rails and will sit 30mm.

Factory mounts

Naked roof with measuring device

Thanks for reading my blog and i will catcha all soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Grand Vitara Cargo Rack

2010-11-30T15:50:00.000-08:00

Hi all

A little while back we had a customer order a Grand Vitara 98 - 05 Cargo roof rack.

Well it was decided the John wanted the rack to be powder coated black along with getting an Awning and jerry can holders made too for his many adventures

The rack came up a treat.

The Jerry can holder was designed to hold 2 10L Jerry cans while the awning mounts to the braces provided.

The rack replaces the roof rails so the over all height is lower than having roof rails, cross bars and then a basket. Plus you can get your arm between the rack and the roof to clean and use tie downs.

If you are after something for your 4wd and cant find it, gives a call and im sure we can help.

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2010 Suzuki Grand Vitara

2010-11-30T15:21:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Outdoor Auto now supplies and fits parts for Norris Suzuki at Nundah in Brisbane.

We had a Diesel GV come in for a lift, Snorkel and Bull Bar

The Bull Bar is by ECB, it mounts to the chassie but is essentially a Grill Guard as it sits in front of the bumper and mounts the same way.

2 inch lift was made up of Extreme Struts, Dobinson Coils and Rancho shocks

The Snorkel was a 1 piece unit that we have only supplied twice over the years as we prefer the 2 piece unit as you do not have to relocate the side indicator

Over all it really changed the look of the the GV and im sure when the customer picked it up from the dealer ship it was ready for its many off road adventures.

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Vitara 2L Bull Bar

2010-11-28T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well its been a busy couple of weeks with so much going on that i have not been on the blog... i hope to fix that for the next couple of days i will be posting alot of info.

We had John come in with a 2L vitara wagon that had a ARB 1.6 Vitara Bull Bar mounted to it, as most know they dont fit but a few have done the mod.

The bar was very heavy and caused the nose of the vitara to dip as well as the gap from the bar to the body has created a whistle noise that can be heard in the cabin.

so we removed it and mounted a Steel Bull bar that was designed to fit, The Vitara got a 10mm lift in the front from the bar change and now it looks the part.

As you can see its a big difference in look when you fit parts to suzuki's that are actually made to fit that model.

more info, goss and new products soon

Tim

dear John

2010-11-04T19:50:00.000-07:00

Hi all

just a note to let you know that all customers will be called John in the Blog unless requested by customers.

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Big Patrol

2010-11-04T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all

This week at Outdoor Auto we had a Coil cab nissan Patrol Ute come in for a 5inch lift.

We supplied the shocks and brake lines for the lift but we can also do the coils.

Also supplied by John was the lower and upper trailing arms for the rear Diff, Panhard Rods and Drop Boxes ( these are a new mount point for the front arms. )

I have done a few lifts in Patrols before but not over 2 inches, so it was very interesting and i did learn allot.

The Patrol went from this

to this

as you can see its a big difference.

You can see the difference in the shocks

in the pic you can see paper in the new shock, this is a bad photo copy saying you have to cut the bump stop plate on the back diff so the shocks clear it !!!!!

Also on any lift 4 inch and over you need to rotate the rear drive shaft so it will clear the cross member, that was an interesting feature.

We also had to add a 30mm coil spacer to the rear to get the Patrol sitting right, may have to add a bigger spacer to it in the future depending on how good the heavy duty spring is.

as you can see its now time to add tyres!!

Catcha all soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Brake Lines

2010-11-01T20:06:00.000-07:00

Hi all

With big lifts comes the need for longer brake line on some vehicles.

Now that Outdoor Auto supplies Tough Dog we can supply longer brake lines for Toyota's and Nissan's

Along with Tough Dog we are also having brake lines made for Outdoor Auto.

These kits will be listed as we make the but if you dont see it just let us know and we will get a price for you.

Our first set made were for the shop Funby

The Funby has a big lift so we had the ( ADR Approved ) brake lines made 3 inches longer than stock to ensure that it will always stop when needed :-)

These will be listed soon in a new section.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Tough Dog Suspension

2010-11-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We have been chasing new suppliers for the store and now Tough Dog is on board.

This also means we can extend our range for Nissan's and Toyota's.

Here is a pic of a set of shocks we got in for a customers GU that we will be fitting a 5inch Lift too

as you can see these are some big Units as well as being fully adjustable.

so no matter vehicle you have we can supply parts for you, if you dont see it on the website, just send us a message or call for info on what we can do.

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Replacement Bush for Current Grand Vitara

2010-11-01T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all

For some time now GV owners have been complaining about the front suspension arm bush failing. The unit has cracked causing a banging noise during travel while going over bumps.

At first this was thought to be a bye product of GV owners going off road with suspension lifts. It was soon found that even un modified GVs that did not go off road were also destroying th bush.

Being suzuki dont like Warranty claims it was very rare to get these replaced under warranty around the world.

The only way was to fix it was to replace the whole suspension arm at $380 a side!!!, some have found cheaper ways but they still involved replacing the arm at a couple hundred per side plus fitting.

Outdoor Auto has sourced a replacement bush that is stronger than the original.
The bush made for OA4X4 is the only one on the market

see the link for details

http://outdoorauto4x4.com/p/1188984/grand-vitara-front-arm-replacement-bush.html

it will look like this

catch you all soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Grand Vitara make over.

2010-10-18T22:32:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well we were lucky enough to have a GV in the work shop to do a midlife make over.

This poor looking GV was tired and feeling down, so we decided to give it a new lease on life!

First on the list was a roof rack to help carry all that camping gear for the beach

This is the new replacement cargo rack for the GV, it mounts to the roof after removing the roof rails and bolts straight on!

next came the

lift kit - 2inches, Grill Guard, Snorkel, front steel bash plate, spotties and rear light guards to go from this

to this!!!

as you can see it looks like a different car and i can say it will handle the great outdoors allot better.

this is not the end for this tarted up old girl, she will get bigger tyres and an awning down the track.

catch you all soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

2010-10-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I got a call last friday about some KL71 Kumho MT tyres for a 2L Vitara.

We organised for a set of 225/75/16s at one of our tyre partners and had them fitted 3 hours later from the first phone call!

John dropped by today to show me how the fit went and how the Vitara came out after going from little all terrain tyres to the MTs.

The Vitara has about 30mm of lift in the old lift and its about to get bigger!

I like the Kumho's, they really look the part and make any suv look like a 4wd.

It also should be mentioned that the Kumho KL71s are a directional tyre so you can not rotate the tyres and carrying a spare would be pot luck!

Its best to get an all terrain for a spare so you can use it on both side.

and those with keen eyes will have noticed the nose of the funby ;-)

and of course the poser shot in front of the store lol...

Keep an eye out for this vitara as will will be undergoing a few changes

Catcha all soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

custom bull bar and rear bar

2010-09-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Did I mention we were busy? lol.....

We will soon be supplying Tube Bars for a range of vehicles as we have another fabricator on board. In the mean time we can supply Nissan Patrol owners with a full bullbar and rear bar with tyre carrier.

These bars are 42 or 48 mm OD with a wall thickness of 4mm. Tough but stylish.

As you can see, a lot of work has gone into these bars and we will soon be adding more vehicles to the range.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

2010-09-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well it has been busy as always but I was determined to find 5 mins to update the blog.

We have recently had a customer come by who had the Outdoor Auto Budget 50mm Lift fitted to his 3 door GV.

We have sold a few kits already but this was the first one to a local customer. As you can see, it came up a treat :-).

I really like the 2 door GV. It's small, but with a 2.4L engine it will take you anywhere you want to go. The GV in the pic looked like it just came out of the show room so I was pleasantly suprised to find out the owner was towing a boat up the beach on the week end. That's the real Outdoor Auto style!

On another note, we ordered in a couple of Safari Snorkels for the Suzuki Sierra as we were really impressed with the fit and thought that it was a good product.

Well it took 5 weeks to get them here but it looks like we will already be sold out and will have to order again. We hope to be the only store in Qld that keeps these in stock!

We really strive to supply the best accessories, whether they are from Australia or select suppliers overseas but have always struggled to get parts made locally. So I have been really pleased to have found a new fabricator who does some fantastic alloy work.

As a result we wil soon we will be re-releasing the full HD Alloy rack for the Grand Vitara 98 - 05. We think this will be a better product and about $300 cheaper!!

We also have started on the roof rack for the soft top Vitara,

Above - factory suzuki rack ( vary rare. )

It will be made to flat pack so we can ship it Australia-wide making it much more affordable! So any Vitara from 88 til 1998 will be able to have a bolt on roof rack full of gear and still have the roof off!

Anyhow its time to keep moving, catcha all soon

Tim

2010-09-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I will be updating the trip blog soon but as you know you get busy and weeks pass in no time.

We have a back log of parts going out in the next week, its been manic lol..

We are bringing in a whole range of products and redoing a few to update the range.

I can say that we will be making our own internal barrier for the Grand Vitara current model and any other vehicle that we get orders for, all we need to do is measure your vehicle.

We have been changing the suspension setups on the current GV and it will get a few more soon for a whole new look.

i will have more info soon and pics :-)

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Darwin to Brissy part 3

2010-08-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hi all

next on the list was the reason we were in Darwin, my brothers wedding!

We headed out of Darwin and drove for a few hours trying to find his house and i can tell you i had no phone service and the GPS had no idea!! lol..

So after a few wrong turns and some dead end streets we found his house.

( the Tent city gave it away!! )

Being the outback, the wedding car had the rugged look!

The wedding was great and it was late to bed for an early rise for the bulk of the driving holiday!

Talk soon

Tim

Darwin to Brissy Part 2

2010-08-26T20:58:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well what else do you do in Darwin but hit the attractions.

Coming from brissy i expected the city to have moved forward from the last time i visited 20 years ago, well the mall was as small as a local town and i was surprised but its the outer area's the have realy changed

We went to the Crocosaurus Cove.

Its in the middle of the city and looks tiny from the front but seems to go on and on, it was very worth while and the kids loved it, set a side half a day so you get to see everything and enjoy the displays. its best to get in early and out about lunch time as this is when it gets busy.

For dinner we hit Outback Jacks

the kids really enjoyed this and during the early part of the week the kids eat free, this helps the bottom line but the kids did have a ball

talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Darwin to Brissy Part 1

2010-08-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well we flew into Darwin and met the extended family at the airport, we hit the accommodation to unload the gear then it was time for dinner and whats better than Fish n chips in the park over looking the bay and the famous Darwin sunset :-)

This was at Fanny bay just 5 mins from the city centre.

What was funny, we were parked 100m from a customers car lol.

more soon

Tim

The Darwin to Brissy Dash.

2010-08-18T04:19:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well its been great so far, the weather has been great and the family has enjoyed the holiday.

We have hundreds of photo's from all the places we have been, i will update this properly when i can download all the pics

Today we arrived in longreach about 4 in the afternoon, we will be of to the Stockmans Hall of fame and to see the aviation museam.

its been a masive trip and i cant beleive its still another 15 days until we are back onboard!!

I would like to thank those who have taken up our specials and i look forward to shipping them to you.

talk soon and i hope lots of pics

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Last post

2010-08-05T22:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well i have 10mins before i head out the door for the BIG trip!

I can say its been one very busy week, right up till now when the last of the orders went out the door lol...

I will be adding to the specials page over the week end but after that the list is complete.

I will try to update the blog with the adventures we are having and im sure 3 weeks will go in the blink of an eye and we will be back on board again.

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Oversea's

2010-08-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I just thought i would mention this again after another order had been received by a customer.

We are based in Brisbane Australia but we are happy to supply stock to customers over sea's, the only thing that makes it hard is freight costs, the bigger the item the bigger the cost.

I can say to those who follow us in NZ, yes we do supply to you and if you are chasing anything please let us know.

We recently sent a steel bull bar and a snorkel to Wellington NZ, so soon we will have pics of a 2L Vitara swb with some great mods

So if your in another country please feel free to contact us.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Tyres

2010-08-04T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hi all

We got a call from a customer the other day chasing some Kumho KL71 MTs for his Coil Sierra.

So we got him a quote and a day later we got a call again saying the price we supplied was the best he could find so we went ahead and had them fitted for him.

Well they came up a treat and the customer is very happy with them :-)

So if you are chasing parts and you are looking at tyres too we can help

Talk soon

Tim

Outdoor Auto

Tyre of choice

2010-08-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all

recently i fitted a snorkel to a customers GV and i was impressed with the tyre's he had fitted. The owner mentioned how happy he was with them and from what i saw i think they are a great all terrain tyre

I have since recommended the Maxis 771 tyre's to a couple of friends who have had them fitted and have given me the thumbs up for the choice of tyre

They are great on road and great off road, with good grip and low road noise. I will be getting them down the track too, also the price is one you cant go past compared to most tyre's on the market

catch all soon

Tim

strut spacer Kit - Grand Vitara

2010-07-27T17:20:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Just a pic of the the new Grand Vitara Spacer kits

more soon

Tim

GV Under body Guards

2010-07-26T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well i sold the first Grand Vitara 98 - 05 Replacement Transfer case cross member and the customer came by to show me how it went

It replaces the crusty suzuki unit that is crunched any time you do some off road work, its stronger so you wont need to replace it again and it also lowers the mount point of the transfer case so you have less of an angle on the drive shaft to the rear diff for Grand Vitara's with bigger suspension lifts.

This GV was also fitted with 60mm coil spacers on top of the Lovel rear springs for a big lift.

catch all soon

Tim

more pics of the Strut Spacers

2010-07-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well a bulk order came in and now we can supply the strut spacers asap

As you can see we have both the 35 and 50mm Strut Spacer and you can see the size difference between the 2

Strut Spacers

2010-07-25T21:13:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well after a long wait we now have Strut Spacers for the current model Grand Vitara in stock, not only are we doing a 50mm Strut spacer but also a 35mm strut spacer.

This allows some variation in lifts that can be fitted to the GV.

Not only will we sell them in kits ( including coil spacers & shocks ) but we will also supply them by them selves allowing customers to pick and choose the parts they wish to fit.

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

More Suspension

2010-07-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Outdoor Auto now supplies Rancho and Tough Dog Suspension products.

So now we can supply 4 different brands for your ride - Dobinson, Rancho,
Tough Dog and Extreme

This wide range of products allows us to bring together the best parts to give your 4wd the lift and ride you are after

talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

All Rounder!!

2010-07-25T20:31:00.001-07:00

Hi all

As most can see we know Suzuki's but we can look after many other types of 4wds.

We can supply the normal range of 4wd products for all the bigger 4wds too, this is a customers Hilux that was brought in for a snorkel

Talk soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Visit

2010-07-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I had a visit from a couple of NBS4x4 Club members ( North Brisbane Suzuki Club ) the other day for a chat and to drop a couple club mags for customers to read.

This resulted in a Vitara car park that i had to get a pic of ;-)

Talk soon

Tim

Passing through

2010-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I had a past customer come by who i wanted to get pics of his GV.
The GV had Pedders springs in when we fitted a snorkel, winch and our own winch bull bar. The front dropped by 20mm due to the weight, so we supplied our Extreme front coils and a pair of 30mm coil spacers for the rear and it came up a treat and the customer is very happy with the ride

Also i had a 02 XL7 come through the door for fitting of a 40mm suspension lift and coil spacers. Well the car came up 80mm at the back and 130mm at the front!!
I think the stock springs were very sagged so this made the lift look bigger. With a couple of extra parts the XL7 will look fantastic oh and some bigger tyres ;-)

Being a family man i think the XL7 2000 - 2003 is a great vehicle to cart the family and see the outdoors

Catch you all soon

Tim

Side steps

2010-07-05T20:14:00.000-07:00

Hi all

I was just looking at my last post with the GV that has side steps and thought i would mention my opinion.

One thing that can hinder your GV or any 4wd when off road is a set of alloy side steps.

Not only do you lose clearance under the vehicle, also the brackets act like a grader underneath in the sand helping to slow you down.

Alloy side steps bend and flex when an adult steps on them so they are best for kids.. so when of road they are very easy to bend going over small hills and rocks, iv lost count of vehicles i have seen on road with big dents in the steps.

if you have to have side steps then steel slider / steps are the best way to go as they protect your vehicle, take a beating compared to alloy and most often they will be smother underneath so you are not grading the ground with them slowing your progress.

Getting out and about

2010-07-05T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi all

i dont get out much these days with the buisness but one of the great things i do is help others get into the outdoors and enjoy this country. Its great getting pictures and messages from customers i have helped letting me know about the adventures they are having.

One such customer is on a trip around Australia and is realy testing out his GV in some of the Tuffest places in Australia. I got a email with the link to thier blog which shows just how much fun it can be.

This GV was loaded to the hilt when i first saw it and the rear diff was dragging when it was on dirt roads so it needed some work.

before - loaded

After - loaded.

it also had a 25 mm spacer in the back but we pulled these out as the springs were holding well, a 15mm spacer would have been good but the car was only in brisbane for the day

So please check out - http://gotchaaustralia.blogspot.com/

talk soon

Tim

2010-07-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Hi again

Yes im bombarding the blog with info but its about time LOL...

One of our long time customers who also does our advertising material has had his little Jimny featured in 4wd action custom magazine.

Its nice to see a Suzuki thats been buit for off road and touring in a 4wd mag.

90% of the suspension has been supplied by Outdoor Auto for the Jimny and Paul has been very happy to do product testing for us

so please check out the mag, maybe the extra sales will get them to feature more suzukis :-)

talk soon

Tim

2010-07-05T18:23:00.000-07:00

Hi again

Available this week too is the small strut spacer for current GVs.

So if you have a lift in your GV and the front sits lower than the back and you want to fix this. We have a 6mm Spacer that fits on top of the strut lifting the GV from 6 to 15mm depending on the Vehicle

I know its a small lift but evry mm helps and why replace lifted coils with new ones for a an extra 10mm.

you could have any brand of lift and still use this spacer for that little extra.

pics this week

Tim

2010-07-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Well its been a while but plenty has happend.

I have front lifted Coils for the diesel GV in stock.
Front strut spacers for current GV will be instore this week to make a budget lift for $600 to $700 depending on the shocks.

Safari have released a snorkel for the GV so we will be supplying that too, our Fitted price will be cheaper than any other store.

At this point we have the biggest range of bolt on parts for the GV in the counrty :-) and more is coming

talk soon

Tim

Update

2010-06-09T16:30:00.001-07:00

Well its been 4 months since my last blog and its not because i have not wanted too, its just been so busy around here.

Outdoor Auto has moved from my house to an Industrial Estate to move the store to the next level. Im here from 9 am to 4pm week days. This means you can drop in any time and check out the Outdoor Auto product line up in person and have a good chat.

We now are supplying Tyres and Rims, this means you can drop off your Vehicle and have everything done in one place :-)

Outdoor Auto has always struggled to get products made locally with Fabrication places being unreliable or uninterested in Suzuki parts, we have found the right person for the job and now allot of projects are being brought forward for development and production.

well thats it for now, chat soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Bling Bits

2010-02-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

Hi all

well as you saw from the last post i had come accros some nice factory suzuki rims :-), i have not seen them on any other vehicle so it was nice to have them for the funby, i did a test fitting and it looks ok but tyres are needed :-)

I found a set of 245/75/16 allterrains with 40% for $150 and had them fitted straight away. i was worried that they would be to big but it turned out to be the perfect size :-)

Also we have been trying to bring in bull bars for all models and i thought the funby was a good oppertunity to test one out, so on went the bar and it looks great :-)

so far its been a cheep build that started out as this

and now is looking like this!!

so its going ok sofar :-)

look out for Outdoorauto4x4 on twitter.....

2010-02-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well its been a while already since my last entry, its been very busy and stock has been selling faster than we can get it!!

Here is an update on all the add ons for the store Vitara.

Added rear seats from a 2L vitara wagon, they are a straight bolt in option and cost me $100 and 15 mins to swap.

Front Alloy Guard fitted to help the old girl in the sand, helps you to slide over it rather than grading the sand!!

Fuel tank added for testing, made from 3mm steal and powder coated. works well but is a tight fit for some towbars.

Sunvisor also was a new product so i thought i would get a couple in and test it for fitting, works well but you cant see the Outdoor Auto sticker on the windscreen any more LOL....

next on the list was wheels and tyres. The muddies were nice but if we were to drive this every day we needed some allterrains and im not a fan of white sunraisia rims
:-p

mmmm i found some Grand Vitara XL7 rims!!!!

Also here are a few pics of parts we are stocking up on for the store

catch you all soon. P.S. follow me on twitter!!

Seat update

2010-02-01T01:43:00.000-08:00

Now that the cup holders were done I thought it was time to update the interior for something with a little more comfort.

So I watched ebay and the zook forums and soon came across a set of front seats from a later model. If you can look for long wheel base seats they are a striaght swap as short wheel base seats have different rail widths.

They cost me $100 and I was happy with that. In one afternoon I removed the front seats and simply bolted in the new set. It looked great and gave it a bit of a sporty look yet still being factory suzuki :-)

Next on the list is to find some rear seats with head reats, as you can see from the pic its not the safest seat for passengers.

Thanks to all who follow the blog and in the next post about the budget build up we will address the rear seats and some nice 4wd stuff :-)

Catcha all soon, Tim

2010-01-31T01:32:00.000-08:00

Hi all

Well the old Vitara is a big step down from the 04 GV we have but we are going to make it work! First thing I have noticed is that back in 93 suzuki's didnt seem to have cup holders!! I am addicted to my daily Ice Break when i head out on the road and the wife and kids need to be considered so we had to find a solution!!

First thing I did was to visit one of those auto stores on every second street and pick up a large cup holder (the one that never seems to fit your car!! LOL ). I drilled a hole in it and used a longer screw to mount it to the centre console using the original hole.

I hate driling holes into cars so this solution was eady! Now I had some satisfaction with that one done but everyone knows that one cup holder is never enough!

So off i went to a wreckers that I knew had a few vits laying around and promptly asked for a centre console / handbrake surround that had the cup holders in it. there is no point mentioning year and model as that only confuses them! Lucky there was one available and I had one in my hands about five minutes later. I took it home and unscrewed the console and mounted the new one TADAH!! Luckily the centre console is the same at all the mounting points. Modern conveniance on the old Vit Woo hoo!!! :-)

Stay tuned for the next blog when we replace all the seats for some comfort!

2010!!!

2010-01-10T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hi All

I hope everybody had a good break getting out and about with family and freinds

For those who are waiting on stock i have been working on getting shipments to arrive on tuesday but with no luck so next tuesday we should be able to send all back orders out.

This year is going to be bigger and better for all and as you can see we have been adding more suppliers to widen our range of parts for all small 4wds.

Outdoor Auto has purchesed a 93 Vitara Wagon to do up and we will be showing some how too's and tricks of the trade on the blog as we try and turn the mud monster back to a family tourer

Also we have to get back into this blog thing so you can keep up to date with whats going on around here.

Look out for our ad coming in the first issue of 4wd Action Extreme Custom No.1

Thanks to all who have supported us in 2009 and lets make 2010 a great one!!!

Mini Trip Report - Mount Mee

2009-10-05T04:19:00.000-07:00

Well i was off to www.ncbr.com.au for the weekend and again I spent too much time in the Mt Mee hills instead of relaxing with the family in the park.

i do like the park and the next time i go back it will be just for a quite family trip and not with the boys and girls who love the dirt :-)

Mt Mee was dry and very, very dusty. Some of the trails had been graded so it was a very tame adventure but it's nice just to get the car dirty sometimes.

It's funny, nine times out of ten nobody notices my GV (even with all the extras) but once it is dirty I start getting looks from all the Nissan and Toyota drivers. And Yes, I must admit I like it dirty too. It may only be small but I know how to use it! OK.... this is getting weird and I think I'm heading off track.

For a local trail Mt Mee is good for a day trip and I would highly recomend a picnic at the park area at the entrance to the park. It's called The Gantry and is a really nice area. It is also the best spot for a toilet and rest stop before you hit the hills (this is particularly relevant for those like me who have a few kids in the back seat).

Oh, and yes its been a day or two and i have not cleaned the fridge!! And here I was thinking I'd learnt my lesson!

Thanks again to all those who read this blog. If there is anything in particularl that you want me to write about then let us know.Any inspiration is welcome!

Tim

Product Update

2009-09-30T02:30:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Well its been an hectic month and i cant believe that its the 29th all ready!!!

Well first up we have the coil spacers for the current model GV, we can make 10 to 50mm spacers for the rear. they will be available for sale shortly.

next we have the Strut Spacer for the front of the current GV, due to the set up we looked at the best way to space both the strut and coil down. The Strut spacer simply sits on top of the strut mount, sitting between it and the body of the GV . so in the engine bay you can do up the nuts and not see any spacer at all. The spacer can only be 10mm so you still have thread to do up but it will be best suited to those who have lifted the GV and want a little more with out replacing the whole suspension.

Also we have been doing some reserch on the Extreme GV lift 05+ , working with the GV we have found that the factory coils sag alot so even a 30mm lift can do a 60mm depending on how old the GV is. we actually lifted a GV 85mm in the front and 70 in the rear for a level ride. we also belive that due to the extra length of the shocks and coils it restricts the coils less.

We will be listing the 3 new kits as 2inch lift on soft coils, 2 inch lift on heavy coils for heavy loads and big boy for those who have fitted the works like sliders, underbody guards, bullbar and a roof rack for the big loaded trips.

sorry for the wait in the new post and i will catch you all soon.

Tim

Product Update

2009-09-08T04:21:00.000-07:00

So its time to update you on our products: new and coming soon.

We have been working on a one piece strut spacer for the front of a 05+ Grand Vitara which will give your GV a 15mm lift in the front. It will retain all factory componets but will provide lift for you to use in conjuction with any lift that you already have. Or you can just fit it to give your gv that little extra lift, especially good for accomodating bigger tyres.

Also our rear coil spacer will be ready soon and it will be available from 10mm to 50mm sizes to fit with your needs.

These componants will be exclusive to Outdoor Auto.

The Extreme Lift kit is in stock and ready to go for any orders that come in or if you are in the area and want to check them out first hand.

this was just short catch-up but i will have more info soon.

Tim
Outdoor Auto

video of the week!!

2009-09-01T04:29:00.000-07:00

Hi all

So i went looking for a vid for this weeks segment and came accros a few great ones of some touring trips but then i came accros this vid that was being discussed a while back and thought i should post it for all to see

Before you get out into the wild you need to take the right equipment and be sure you have very secure recovery points.

This vid shows what can happen when a recovery point lets go!!, all i can say is thank goodness nobody was in the back seat!, this also is an endorsment to fit a cargo barrier. If you are spectating a recovery you should always keep a good distance from the action.

Warning: this vid contains some swearing towards the end, im not one for swearing but i felt this vid is important, if you object then please do not watch or turn the sound off...

Topics in discusion

2009-08-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all

Here is the next segment for the Blog, "Topics in Discussion". It's just my two cents on a few topics. This weeks segment is on Spring Spacers...

Spring Spacers have been a great, affordable and easy fit invention for adding a small, non mechancial, lift to off road vehicles. Spacers can be used to add extra lift without needing to purchase a whole new suspension kit.

They are particularly good and counteracting 'sag'. I know of people who have spent their cash on a full lift kit then added a bullbar and spotties only to find the car sags in the front because of the extra weight. Same again for those who like to pack up the back of their vehicles when they are going camping or for work. Any extra weight in the back can bring the back down in a sag. Spacers are a great solution to get the car sitting correctly again.

Spacers are also great for those who are not interested in a big lift but who just want a little extra height underneath. They can also be made available in a heap of colours if you have a colour theme happening on your rig.

Now for some real info!!
If you add 20mm spacers to most vehicles you can still get away without adding other parts too. This would be true on most but for Independent Front Suspension (IFS) vehicles it can be different. Take a Suzuki Jimny and a Suzuki Vitara for instance. The Jimny has a solid axle front so when you add a 20mm coil spacer it will provide a 20mm lift. But when you add 20mm spacers to a vitara front you will get 40mm of lift due to the pivoting of the suspension arm.

This bigger lift means you will need to get longer struts or strut spacers. Also the bigger the lift you for, the less travel you will have and the more likely it is that you could damage your shocks when they TOP OUT!!

50mm spacers with new shocks as old ones were to small.

Now if you add spacers to an already lifted vehicle then you may need to add extras. I had some Jimny coil spacers made for a customer that were 50mm, who already had a 40mm lift giving the Jimny a 90mm lift overall. Nice, but this bought up more issues to solve, we then had to add front and rear adjustable panhard rods so that the diffs still sat in the middle. The bigger lift also meant that the brake lines were too tight at full flex, so new aftermarket ones were fitted. A cheap lift fix with $600 of parts to make it work.

Anything over 50mm on a jimny and you will need to add more parts to make it work.

Also I want to say that if you have a 10 year old vehicle with the factory suspension, sticking in some big spacers will work for a bit but the coils will fatigue very quickly. Old suspension is best upgraded first, and then if you still require more lift, look at a set of spacers. If your suspension is good then by all means, add some spacers.

You will also need to make sure the spacers are a correct fit for your vehicle as spacers that do not fit 100% can become a problem down the track!

Rear of Jimny that has no bump stop so the spacer holds the spring in during flex!!

Catch you all soon

Tim

2009-08-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all

so here is another new segment for the Blog!

Product Update!!

This section will be for me to update you on products that are in R&D stage and products that we are getting in for the Store.

This weeks segment is about the new GV Sport Exhuast. the GVSE is made to be a bolt on unit so i can ship to any place in Aus and you can fit it in the back yard or drop it to your local garadge to fit

The GVSE replaces the manifold, Y piece and the cat but bolts up to the muffler. This way you get that extra omph but maintain tha muffler for a quiet ride.
The most restriction in the factory Unit is in the y piece and the cat, so we have fixed these two area's for more power and torque

to my knowledge this is the only off the shelf Kit for the Grand vitara in Australia for the V6 2.5L GV 98 - 05.

the Kit has just been finished today and will be built to order taking about 2 days before post.

thanks for all your support and i will chat soon

Tim
Outdoor Auto

Lessons Learned

2009-08-23T21:25:00.000-07:00

Hi All

Well its time to up the anti on this blog. Starting now i will be adding new segments to keep this blog moving starting with - Lessons Learned. Enjoy

Lessons Learned

- Cleaning the fridge before you store it.

Sounds simple right? We use our portable fridge regularly when we are out and about - on day trips or when we are camping - to keep the food and drinks cold and the kids happy. But after a long day on the road it might get emptied pretty much straight away - but it may be a day before I get around to cleaning it and by that stage - it can smell less than fresh! And if you have ever got distracted and put it away without cleaning it first? Well...It'll be enough to put you off your trip - let alone your lunch!

So there are a heap of ways to clean it up but I have become really fond of this vanilla fresh wipe and deoderizer spay. OK, so your other half has probably been using it for years but it works a treat and gives the fridge that new smell the next time you open it, LOL!!

But if you rummage underneath the kitchen sink and can't find this product then there are a couple of things you can try that work just as well and Baking Soda is one of them. Sprinkle a handful of baking soda and a cup of warm water into the bottom of the fridge using it to wash down the sides This is a great way to clean out anything that might have stained and it's good with smells. If you get a bit more creative you can throw some vanilla essence into a spray bottle with some water and spray it down. Leave it to completely dry before you close the lid. It will smell great the next time you open it up to use it. These work really well on your Esky's and Ice Boxes as well.

One good thing about using either the vanilla Fresh or the Baking Soda is that they are all environmentally friendly and perfectly safe to use around food - which is what you want so you won't have any problems with chemicals and it's better for your fridge.

so Ok this does sound a little like an info-mercial (!) but its the simple tips and tricks that really do make it easier to get out there and enjoy a your trip.

Suspension laws!!

2009-07-29T05:02:00.000-07:00

After the new suspension laws were anounced ( 2 inch max ) they have taken notice of the 4wd community !

Hi Everyopne,

Michael Daley has just released a press release ataing that following this morning's meeting he has agreed to put the proposed VSI50 rule changes on hold.Michael Daley was present at a meeting this morning because he has been bombarded with so many letters and emails from all of you at 4WD Action via the website and forumand other upset 4WDers he felt the need to sort this out. Your efforts in writing and emailing in are directly responsible for this outcome. We have spoken and we have been heard!Because Minister Daley was at the meeting he was able to be convinced that the VSI50 rules needed more thought and a working group including reps from the RTA, 4WD user groups and the AAAA, aftermarket industry will be set up to discuss any further changes aimed at increasing road safety.This is fantastic news for 4Wders and it has happened because of the combined fight that we all put in to prevent this.Great work everyone, this is a hugely successful outcome and while nothing has been decided re new regulations this is a massive step forward for us.Congratulations everyone and this has proven the collective power we have when we all stand up together for what is right.Thanks again,We have won the battle but not the war. We must keep pressure on to prevent future reg changes but you've all done a massive job here and should be very proud.

Glenn Wright
Editor Australian 4WD Action magazine

So lets hope they get it right this time.

Outdoor Auto - Its your life get out there!!

2009-07-28T04:28:00.000-07:00

Just thought i would share a couple of vids i had seen on the Suzuki's doing well off road

and traction control!

If you have a great vid of your Suzuki please send us a copy and i will post it up.

Tim

2009-07-28T04:12:00.000-07:00

Fast Forward!!

Well it has been a month of mayhem here but we are trying to keep up with all the action and customer requests that have come in.You will have noticed all the new products appearing on the site and it does not look like slowing down. We can now provide under body guards for all the engine sizes in the New GV and the Fashion kits now available too. The old GV is getting more attention in the second hand market so we have had more requests for parts, the Extractors for the 2.5L V6 should be ready in a week and that should fit

98 - 05 and be fully bolt up for shops or the back yard handy man.

So if you have a small 4wd and cant find parts then

drop us a line as we might be able to help.

Tim

Outdoor Auto

How Unbreakable?

2009-07-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

We had an interesting drive the other day. A GV owner stalked us to our destination. Nothing strange about this - infact we get it a lot. People see our vehicle and follow us with the purpose of asking where we managed to buy parts that they have been told don't exist.

Anyway, after a quick chat about snorkels, suspension and under body protection, the GV owner asked about the rear door handle. When I mentioned we supplied an unbreakable handle he mentioned that he had purchased one from a store in WA. When he showed me the handle I could see that it was a plastic replacement aftermarket handle and NOT an unbreakable handle. The plastic replacement handle is prone to exactly the same the stress points as the OE part. If anything, our experience has shown that it is often weaker than the original factory handle.

We have also found a few vehicles that have been supplied with a lower quality version of an unbreakable handle. These handles are prone cracking due to having air bubbles in the polyurethane. We stringently assess all the handles we sell for these flaws and any that do not make the grade are not accepted into stock. You can often see these handles with marks and bubbles in the face of the handle.

From the hundreds of handles that we have sold in the last three years we have been required to replace only one. That handle did not break but was instead a cosmetic replacement after the handle began to 'green'. This occures when water comes into contact with the polyurethane. In this case it looks to have been a result of some pretty extreme coastal weather conditions and an area of the handle where the paint was too thin (allowing seepage). A replacement was sent out and the original handle was sent to us for review at no extra cost to the customer.

It's important to us to let our customers know that we want our products to last and to encourage other Grand Vitara owners to fix their handle problems once and for all. We know what a pain it is to find yourself with a handful of handle!

Trip Report - Janowen Hills - Part 2

2009-06-01T20:24:00.001-07:00

Ok Ok Ok - I know this has taken some time. The website has taken a fair bit of our time lately. So here goes - Part 2.

After breakfast we went for a drive out to the office/store to pay our fees, pick up some shower tokens and grab the track mud map. As mentioned it was important to stay to the easy tracks on this trip - we had a range of different skills and vehicles and we didn't want to have leave anyone behind. We were travelling with a Toyota Rav 4 with Cooper ATs and a 40mm lift, a Pajero with a suspension lift (but otherwise factory) and a good old Troop carrier that had seen a few dirt tracks in its time.

Park for a good view

The big "G" aka the stig!!

We stopped at the Gymkhana track. The Rav4 is surprisingly good on the dirt and at speed. Gabes has a reputation for aspiring to be The Stig. The Gymkhana track itself is a typical figure-8 circuit which allows for some good spectator vantage points and would be good to see used at an event. It gives those knew to driving at speed on dirt, a chance to feel the way the car moves in a relatively safe enviornment.

Wombat holes!

There were some interesting Wombat holes to one side which the Pajero managed easily and which the Rav was smart to stay away from... (awaiting comments on this one ;-))

Paj heading up!

A nice drive through the bush brought to a curved track on a small incline but with a lot of rocks and loose dirt. The old Troopy took the track in its stride with its big tyres and good suspension flex.

The Rav struggled. The hill wasn't that big but a few choice boulders on the track made it hard. With no low range the Rav needs lots of momentum which is difficult when grip is hampered by loose rocks.

backyard blits on tour!!

The clutch was heating up a little so a time out was called and a few of the bigger rocks were moved off the track to help with clearance.

Right foot down!!

A quick pep talk, a deep breath and a bit of pressure on the accelerator and she made it up no worries and is wiser from the experience.

Lift off!!!

The Pajero gave it some pep from the start and with a bit of a wheel spin made it up first go. By the time it was my turn everyone had decided to stand around to see how we went.

Here i come!!

Traction action!!

With the benefit of low gear, some nice Cooper tyres for traction, a little lift and LSD in the rear, I slowly drove up without spinning a wheel and was promptly told that I made it look too easy!

We continued through the tracks at a slow and steady pace, taking a few poser shots and making sure the kids were comfy and still enjoying the bumpy ride.

Heading back to camp for lunch and a kick of the footy, we decided to have another go on a few more tracks. Just the Suzuki, the Pajero and the Troopy. We checked out a few tracks. For the more adventurous there is the chance to follow the tracks up the hills for some great views.

Uuummm i dont think so!!!

While travelling around we stopped and had a look at the more challenging tracks including a few with rutts and holes big enough to swallow a few small children.

All in all the availability and quality of tracks in Janowen is good. As said earlier, we were out to stick to the easy tracks only and we were happy with the quality and accessibility of those for the variety of cars. But it was easy to see that there were some real opportunities for fun for the more adventurous and those whose vehicles had a few easy modifications. While we knew there were a few other vehicles using the tracks, we rarely encountered any one along the tracks.

While the park is family friendly, it is set up as a 4WD park for those who like to spend the whole weekend on the tracks. I would be interested in going back during an event or club run to see how it handles bigger crowds of people. There is good variety of tracks, good facilities and is well priced.

More information about cost and contact can be found at their website.

The Outdoor Auto team gives the Janowen Hills 4WD Park:

( 2.5 SUVs out of 5)

See you next time! :-)