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GO FOR GOLD
High-ridin’ Rodeos are as common as rockin’ horse you-know-what - but we bagged a beauty
WORDS BY MARK ALLEN PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBB COX
Holden Rodeos aren’t known for their brilliant off-road characteristics. They are, however, known as a honest, reliable workhorse and tourer. So, when Dean Moodie decided he wanted the best of both worlds, he figured that painting on a brand-new 2002 Rodeo canvas would give him precisely what he wanted. The factory 3L intercooled turbo version in Satin Gold was the pick of the crop for Dean. No kids meant the single-cab guise was ideal - more space in the back to play with. To give the Isuzu-sourced oiler a little bit more get up and go, Dean has installed a Fuel Star, a Tunit and two Hiclones to the system. Dean reports that the problem of power-sapping larger-diameter tyres has well and truly been overcome with the installation of the adjustable Tunit engine-management kit.
Not only is highway cruising and overtaking a piece of cake, but the available torque to lug his Bullet camper trailer is now more than adequate.
While it’s not as easy to fit higher lifts and larger-diameter tyres to torsion-bar front ends as coil or leaf-sprung 4WDs, Dean has managed to squeeze 33in rubber using a combination of 2in body blocks and a 2in suspension lift. Enclosed in the rear PVC canopy is a series of drawers, batteries and fridges to keep the happy campers just that - happy! Dean has equipped himself with a mountain of electronic gadgets that’ll either tell him were he currently is, or will tell him where to go - in the nicest possible way. A handheld GPS, Kenwood touch-screen TV, DVD, CD, SatNav and GPS system, combined with a Uniden UHF radio rounds out the list.
With all this gear, and a comfy, capable touring ute, all Dean and partner Debi need to do now is take time off their respective jobs, hitch up the camper trailer and get out and explore the countryside. If you didn’t take the humble Rodeo seriously before, sit back, take a good hard look at what can be achieved with a medium-sized work ute and think again - there are other Japanese mid-sized utes besides sprung-over-leaf jobs worth owning.
GO GEAR
Dean has utilised the services of a few ‘engine upgrade’ companies to get the most out of the Rodeo engine. Not interested in fooling around with the internals at this stage, the factory 3L, four-cylinder, intercooled turbo-diesel engine has had a modest increase in power and torque to allow easy touring and offers plenty of low-down grunt for the low-range work. First up was the installation of a Fuelstar (a combustion catalyst plumbed into the fuel line) and two Hiclones (a device fitted into the induction airline to give incoming air a swirl effect) to try their effect on power and economy.
The biggie of the three aftermarket products was the fitment of a Tunit, an EFI diesel tuning module that offers up to a 30 percent increase in power and torque. In the Rodeo’s case, it jumps from 96kW and 280Nm to a whopping 116kW and 350Nm. Dean tells us that the Tunit, fitted by Berrima Diesel, made a huge difference in the driving and returned the performance characteristics after fitting 33in rubber. When towing his camper trailer, the Rodeo has plenty of ‘go’ in it to maintain cruising speeds. Helping the flow of air is a Safari Snorkel on the inlet side and a 2.5in exhaust system on the engine. With all these aftermarket items fitted, Dean has had the Rodeo dynoed at 125kW.
OFF-ROAD ABILITY
Dean was pretty keen on upping the ante with the off-road ability of his Rodeo. Plenty of people said it couldn’t be done - other than perhaps winding up the torsion bars a little and matching the rear leaf springs to level out the ride. Not good enough! Dean was after more than that. With the help of Macquarie 4x4 Centre, the Rodeo body and tray now sits on 2in body blocks. Up front, the torsion bars have been swapped for heavy-duty items, while at the rear the leaf springs were repacked to match the front end. After that first suspension upgrade, Dean found his way into Off-Road Industries’s workshop and got talking about a front independent-suspension lift. While there were kits on the market for independent-torsion-bar front end Toyotas and Mitsubishis, no bolt-on kits existed for the Rodeo.
With a little custom fabrication, Off-Road Industries managed to gain another 2in of lift for Dean’s ute. The rear end was an easy fix; 2in extended shackles did the trick. Tough Dog shocks were also included at this stage - adjustable at the rear and non-adjustable at the front. Now that Dean had the clearance to fit larger diameter rubber, he opted for a set of 33x10.5x16in BFGoodrich Mud Terrains to fill the guards, wrapped around Holden Rodeo LT Sport alloys. Ensuring maximum traction is afforded, Macquarie 4x4 fitted a Lock Right auto locker to the front diff. The rear LSD remains in place for now, but Dean is on the lookout for an ARB Air Locker in the near future.
BARWORK
Up front, a TJM steel winch bar has been colour-coded Satin Gold to match the Rodeo’s panels. Mounted to the bar is a Brawn 9500lb low-mount winch, just in case.
Macquarie 4x4 Accessories manufactured a set of steel side steps complete with alloy cover plate and running-board lights.
IN THE TRAY
Protecting the contents of the tray is a PVC canopy over an alloy tube cage. Once the canopy is unzipped, an array of sliding drawers and doors can be accessed, which hold all of Dean’s recovery equipment, camping gear and tools. Under the rear of the tray is a Trundle Tray sliding drawer as well as a pair of lockable alloy boxes. On the front right corner of the tray is the electrical set-up used to run the big 80L stainless Engel fridge, fluoro lights and electronic gadgets in the cabin. Two deep-cycle 6V batteries connected to produce 12V, combined with a 12V Waeco Thumper battery, are managed by both a Megatronics and Waeco battery management system. The original underbody battery has also been replaced by a heavy-duty 95A unit. An inverter with twin 600W outlets, combined with extra cigarette-lighter outlets, gives plenty of plug-in points around the ute.
IN THE CABIN
To keep Dean and his fairer half, Debi, entertained, and to keep track of where they have been and plan to go, Dean employs all the 12V technology he can get his hands on.
A Kenwood touch-screen TV, DVD, CD and Satellite GPS navigation system takes pride of place on the dash. The Uniden 40 channel UHF radio head is mounted on the centre console right next to the remote-control mount for the Kenwood system.
While away from camp, a handheld Garmin GPS is carried to ensure everyone knows their way back to the beer, wine and crackers.
BRIEFLY:
Vehicle: 2002 Holden Rodeo single cab
Engine: 3L, 4-cylinder intercooled turbo-diesel
Gearbox: 5-speed manual
4WD Activation: Part-time stationary engagement, manual-locking front hubs
Suspension: Front - IFS torsion bar, Tough Dog shocks. Rear - leaf spring, rigid axles, Tough Dog adjustable shocks
Brakes: Front - disc. Rear - drum
Wheels: Alloy, 16x8in
Tyres: BFGoodrich Mud Terrain 33x10.5x16in
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