Two Sams TravellingThis is our GU wagon! It’s a 2012 model with the 3L common rail diesel motor and we picked it up in 2019 with low kilometers for a decent price. First things first: Why a GU? There are a few reasons we ended up with this model 4wd. Our last vehicle was a 2007 120 series V6 Toyota Prado. While it was a fantastic car, it did have its downsides. It was getting on a bit and the thirsty V6 while reliable was expensive to run. This meant we ended up with these criteria for our next car:
- Solid axles front and rear
- Turbo Diesel
- Low kms
- Wagon (or a ute with a decent canopy already fitted)
- Fits with our approx 30k purchasing budget
With these criteria, the GU essentially chose itself. Any Landcruiser option either blew out the budget or had major kms on the clock. Our vehicle came up for sale in Hobart so I made the journey down and ended up buying it.
So far we have fitted a few modifications to the GU. We started with a 3 inch exhaust to get the engine breathing better. This also allowed us to fit the most important gauge for a GU patrol: the EGT gauge. We then fitted some new Hankook Dynapro MT tires in a 285/70r17 size (just shy of 33″ in diameter). I slapped some drawers and a fridge slide in the back and we were good to go! After coming from the big 4L V6 Prado, we were soon looking for more power in the GU. After fitting a bigger bonnet scoop, boost gauge and a new intercooler, I send the ECU off to East Coast Performance Tuning for a tune. We are now making some decent power and can actually maintain speeds up hills towing a trailer.
Next up for the GU is a diet. It’s a big heavy rig and we need to lose some weight for our big lap in 2022. I am working on some new drawers and a new 12v setup to hopefully achieve this.
