Welcome to 2022 - What Have We Been Up To

It has been a while since I posted and here is an update on what we have been doing lately.

Firstly, the Isuzu MU Wizard has been grounded. There is a leak in the head gasket which is forcing pressure into the cooling system. This has resulted in radiator bursting.

After repairing the radiator for a second time, I decided to ground the vehicle. However, we have also purchased a Toyota Hilux LN106 double cab.

The truck is a base model and does not come with the extra features you might find like air conditioning or cup holders...but it is one of the best light trucks ever.

Anyway, back to the MU Wizard, we are hoping to put some work into the truck this year and hopefully get her back on the road. This will include replacing the head gaskets (or we might just do a rebuild) and getting its four wheel axles (front axles) back.

I've also set my eyes on putting sound deadener and getting the air condition control unit fixed.

Its a lot of work, but we already have a sponsor willing to share the costs of repair.

We will keep you updated on the latest but until then...lukim yu!

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Interior Cleaning – Driver’s Seat

So I’ve started cleaning the interior beginning with the driver’s seat. The seats have collected dust over the years and I frankly not healthy for use. The interior is very dirty and will require a lot of cleaning. Anyway, I have started with the driver’s seat and I’m working my way around. I had initially wanted to have it vacuumed but after seeing this video I decided to give it a try. The seats are not in spectacular condition, but I have gotten rid of the dust and it is much better than it was. I also had to clean the bottom slider so the seat would move freely. It had hardened dirt could hardly move. I clean it using a carb cleaner which was a mistake. It turns out carb cleaner has paint thinner and stripped some of the paint. Driver's seat is much cleaner now. This was easily fixed with a bit of sandpapering and a coat of paint. I plan to have all the seats cleaned by the end of the week. Unfortunately, I have just met another obstacle – a dead battery.

Ball Joints and Wheel Bearings Replaced

So after a long hiatus we have finally started some work on our Isuzu MU Wizard. The first thing we did was replace the ball joints. The ball joints had reached the point where it would fall off any time. It would squeak whenever I hit a hump/bump or turned a corner. This led to me grounding the Wizard for almost 6 months. I know its a long time but I was caught up with work that there was very little time during the day to work on the SUV. Fortunately, I'm starting 2021 with catching up with the vehicle's maintenance. Last week we replaced all the ball joints and outer wheel bearings. All parts were sourced from Pacific Engineering in Port Moresby. The ball joints did not require special tools - ball joint puller, etc - but it did require some elbow grease and breaker bar. While the ball joints were out, we also decided to check the wheel bearings - and yes - they were also kaput. We ended up replacing them as well. We have also identified that the tie rod...

A Trip to the Baruni Wreckers

Last weekend I visited Baruni Wreckers to find parts for the Isuzu MU Wizard. The vehicle has been sitting at my office car park for months and its about time I resumed my journey into making her beautiful again. My ultimate dream is to restore her to her former glory. Unfortunately, there are other expenses that need to be considered, parts to be sourced and time to actually do the work (which I don't have much these days). Anyway, it was my cousin Daniel who took me to the wreckers. He has been there several times sourcing second hand parts for his Toyota Hilux Surf (2.8 Turbo Diesel) so when he suggested we check the wreckers, I immediately jumped at the idea. It was disappointing that I could not find any Isuzu MU Wizard or Holden Frontera in the yard so we had to improvise and I bought parts from an Isuzu Trooper. The parts we purchased were a torsion bar on the driver side and the rear sway (stabilizer) bar which is broken. The wreckers is a treasure trove for...

Bernard's Isuzu MU Wizard Journey

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