From humble beginnings regular NZ4WD contributor Kristen Feller’s husband Scott has transformed a venerable ’93 model Mitsubishi Pajero 4WD into a capable overland adventure rig.
Our history with 4wd adventures began about five years ago. We were in Queenstown and I had just broken my hand at the Skyline MTB Park. We ran into a friend who invited us to come along with him on a 4WD mission. The trip entailed driving down Skippers Canyon, then taking the (very) narrow track down into Skippers Creek and weaving up the creek as far as possible. Here we would ditch the truck and hike to Dynamo Hut. The drive was amazing! I was amazed how we could access such a remote place so quickly in a 4WD, and I certainly had no idea one could drive up the waterfall feature back out of Skippers Creek!
I was immediately hooked, and I started looking at used 4WDs. There are a lot of cool vehicles out there, but at the time we had a fairly modest budget. Despite being new to 4WD I was still a bit of a car enthusiast, so I had list of needs. 1) The truck needed to be a manual, 2) I only wanted a diesel, and 3) I really wanted it to have a rear locker. Not the cheapest or most available list of ‘needs’, but I kept a lookout for months.
What I eventually found was a $4,500 1993 Mitsubishi Pajero 2.8l turbo diesel. Yes, manual, and YES, factory rear locker! It was even the cool high roof model, and it came with a bull bar. After a quick chat with the seller, I hit BUY NOW sight unseen and a day later hopped on a plane to Nelson to pick it up. I had a euphoric drive back through the Lewis Pass to Christchurch, quite pleased with my purchase.
I immediately built a wooden bedframe for the back and we took it on a camping trip to Otago where it performed admirably.
Breaking bad!
Then the mods began. It started innocently with a snorkel and recovery points. Safety first, right? I soon joined the Christchurch 4WD club and after seeing the other truck upgrades out there I quickly got a set of used 32” mud tyres. And then a small lift. And then things started breaking.
A cracked radiator left us a bit stranded in the middle of nowhere, Otago. Then a blown turbo on the way out of Big River eventually led to a new motor. Bushing after bushing, bearing after bearing needed replacing.
Yikes said the bank account. But the adventures kept happening and so many incredible memories were made because of the truck. And so, it goes… these cool adventures inspired more mods. Next came a bigger lift and 33” tyres. Then a winch.
We also made little improvements that go unnoticed by some, such as chasing down all the rattles and dampening road noise with new foam to support old door seals. One Christmas bestowed me with proper 4WD floor mats, and a few hours after work one day was enough time to modestly upgrade the speakers. Just small mods such as these make for a much more comfortable ride, which is important considering how much time we spend in those seats!
In addition to the truck’s performance, the camping set-up has been continually upgraded along the way. A fold out table off the rear door was a good husband and wife team-building exercise. An awning was added for protection from the elements. Then a dual battery set-up and a fridge with slider were installed in another husband-wife relationship test. We passed. And having ice cold beer and no worry of gastro from warm food is a game-changer!
Best mod yet!
Recently I installed what is possibly the best camp mod yet. For years we pondered how to have a reliably hot shower for multi-day adventures. The gas-powered Chalfont-type system just took up too much precious space in our wagon. With space saving in mind, I devised a little system using the hot coolant from the motor.
Water in a container (read: a cheap Warehouse bucket that doubles as storage) pumps through a plate-style heat exchanger that also has the hot coolant flowing through it. After 8-10 minutes of recirculating, we have hot water, and the pump is then used for the showerhead (of the Mitre10 garden hose variety). Hot showers are now readily available, and almost no space used; what a luxury!
As the adventures get more frequent and 4WD lifestyle really takes over (the wallet…), performance started becoming a modification of interest. Power has been increased through a new exhaust, diesel pump tuning and extra boost through a modded turbo. We are proudly no longer the absolute slowest vehicle on the road. I even pass other slow vehicles occasionally.
All the good gear(Ing)
While Pajeros are pretty capable for what they are, they are limited by a rather high transfer case gearing. So, despite the protests of the bank account, we recently installed a set of lower gears. Replacing the gearing in the transfer case has made a massive difference in controlling steep climbs, descents and idling through rocks, all of which are nicer for the passengers and the life of the vehicle.
As one can tell, the little truck is pretty well outfitted these days. Hopefully, the only upgrades (or repairs) left is in improving our camp set up a little further. I have seen some ingenious mods done to use the internal space behind the rear door panel. This has inspired me to involve the wife in another bonding experience and see if we can put some Kiwi ingenuity to use.
I can just imagine having cooking supplies in an easily accessible door pocket. Lastly, I would like to find someplace to stick a bit of water storage. After spending a few days camping with a mate who has a water tap at the back of his Land Cruiser, I am inspired to do something similar.
The number one thing I want to spend money on now though, is diesel! I can’t wait to keep exploring New Zealand in our beautiful old Pajero! Oh, and bearings; we must save some money for the inevitable bearing that needs replacement. It’s always a bearing...
