Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 11:06 am, by: Lew Radbourn(Marlew)
It was time to pick up all these parts i have laying around the place. So monday 5th at 5.30am was the see ya later wife be back in a weeks time.
Day 1; 5.30 departure about 1.5 hrs into the trip one rear tyre decides to shread it self. pull into a town and have two rear tyres fitted 2 BLOODY hours later i am back on the road again. I get down to a town called Grafton feeling a little hungry BUT also thinking i have to make up the 2 hrs lost. so mackers it was driving in to the drive thru to find a guy trimming the bushes around the edge of the drive laying flat on the grass trying to see what i had under the car .HAHAHAHAHHAHA I thought Gess mate just ask me i can bullshit like the rest of ya hill billy mates.
so i get this stuff that thay recon is food. scoff it down but get a coffee instead of a coke, NOW i was sure i asked for sugar. Blow me down dead (NO BLOODY SUGAR) By this time i am already 10kms down the road. so i try and tough it out as a friend of mine tells me he is sweet enough so he doesn't need sugar.(YER RIGHT)hahaha we i must be a grumpy prick (I NEEED SUGAR). Cruisin along and find that the RSM readings isn't quiet what thay should be. NO i didn't this trip(speeding fines) Well luck would have it i got stuck behind a cop car (about 4 cars behind) and we all had to follow him for around 250kms so i learnt what was what reading and the correct speeds. Some of the roads in NSW have been getting up grades but what gets me is this section of road that is getting done was getting done 3 years ago when i first come to queensland and the progress is bugger all. so over about 900 kms down the princess hwy you get around 4 of these. Meet up with Will and have a feed then the heavens open up 50kms in a 110 zone i have not seen rain like it before and people are flying past me (stupid people). Will and i had a little fun in the reasonably dry patches then part company. through sydney (i hate that place) Having a lot of fun with truckies and cars along the way that see a little blue van sitting on 105kms (i will explain later why 105kms) and when thay try to make as lttle amount of room between my rear bumper and there front HAHAHAHA Well what are you going to do Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm back a cog and hoof it Yeeeee Haaaaaaaaaaa I wish i could hear what was said in there cars/trucks Any way i get as far as a way side stop just the other side of Albury Wodonga area. Park it for the night 12.30 am
Day 2
4.30 am arrives . then wet the head drain the snake and were off again. Not much happening along this section of road pretty boring. then you hit the western ring road in Melbourne. to travel 15kms it takes over 1 hr any way i get to the turn off for Ballarat and there is a plain clothed cop car Young guy and what a smart arse so here we are 60kms zone Yep fine, 80 zone he is doing around 72kms then decides he is going to slow down even further. so i move to the right lane and he is sticking right with me. so me making sure i don't do any thing dumb i stick under the limit and try to keep the thing quiet. 100kms zone comes up and i move then he keeps up and floors it. YER cop as if i am going to do that mate Now i can see him but he can't see through the tint at me and no joke i recon this KID was so young I could have produced him Hmmmmmmmmm Nup didn't know any body from Melbourne back then. And Reepas to young so that counts him out.HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA I get to Ballarat to see me Mum Now don't forget i haven't seen mum for near on 3 years. so She just saved Ballarat from going to the next water restriction level. mum had rung my 2 elder sisters and told them i was around so that was great to see them as well and the normal how the families were ETC about 5 hrs later i get to go around and see Joshy boy. and make sure his fiberglass bonnet arrived in one piece. All good thank god, hung around for a bit and then back to mums
Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 05:47 pm, by: Brett Moloney(Lxsv8)
So yer finally back! Get back to work ya bastard - some of us don't have time for these personal trips not when there are soarers to keep on the road! Good to see 'The Van' has performed and better still made it back.
Lew Radbourn Trader Queensland / Gold coast jzs147 93 TT / uzz30 93'/ 2 X uzz31 92' s
Saturday, December 08, 2007 - 07:05 pm, by: Lew Radbourn(Marlew)
Opps; forgot about 1 think on Day 2; there is a gunmetal gray GTR skyline that will remember me (succccckkkkkeeeerrrrr)HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Day 3; say good bye to mum and off to Anglsea to see my brother Seeing how we are the only 2 males in the family of 6 kids we have always poped in on each other when in town. After a couple of hours with him then it was off to Phillip island to catch up with Craig Webber and the family also pick up more parts. "O" yer i had to pick up parts from Josh in Ballarat. along the way Getting incontact with Morgs to pick up Neils tyres and rims.
I had been to morg's place before but for the life of me i couldn't remember where it was. By this time i was around werribee so i rang Reepa to find the cheapest place to buy a navagation thingy. I bought a Tom Tom So here i go another electronic thing i have to sort out.hehehehehe after sitting in the van for 10 min's in 30 degree Melbourne heat. Morgs had texted me his address so now it was off to pick up the wheels. when leaving Werribee Craig calls when are you going to arrive were going out fo dinner? Yer right mate!!!god only knows when give me your address and i will call you when i get there. i got this new gizmo that recons it knows all (wife syndrome) Well the gizmo got me to morg's place and i meet his grandma (lovely lady Morg's) and punched in Craigs address Well bugger me I had stumped the gizmo it couldn't find Craigs street number on its maps so the next street number it new. HHHmmmmmmmm OK! So now i have a little more weight in the car this will be good.(softer ride bit more rear grip). so the gizmo sent me exactly the way i knew and i thought yer ok. found the house and we went out for dinner After dinner we put some more parts in which really weighed the van down. so much so the Diff has squashed the 3" exhaust a little.
Day 4;
After having a great sleep at craigs motel he runs it was time to go again, The other side of Melbourne to Reepas place. the gizmo sent me back a different way from Phillip Island which was heaps quicker UNTIL you hit road works on the freeway. Any way so be it i get to Reepas 11.00am wake him up have a coffee and a talk about every thing and realised what time it was so i had to cut it short. I had a dead line to be in canberra before 9.30pm and still had the limit of 105kms per hour. Leaving Reepas i give the van a little sh*t and with all the weight and new back tyres,It desides to launch it's self the back end digs in and the front left wheels is skipping the bitumen, FFFFFFUUUUUUUUU*******KKKKKKK Me. Now every time i would give the van crap against any other car the other car drive would have a smile from ear to ear. Forget the smile guys This was instant steering lock type of a launch Along the Hume Hwy i started playing with the gizmo and found out it had heaps of different features. It tells you were speed cameras are, what speed zone you are in. Different voices and alert tones if you happen to go over the speed limit.hehehehe WHO ME? (who gets a speeding ticket on every trip he does) Any way I arrive at Neils place at 8.00 ish and have some time before the old guy hits the fart sack.HEHEHEHE
the following day is time to check some things on the van before the rest of the trip
Lew Radbourn Trader Queensland / Gold coast jzs147 93 TT / uzz30 93'/ 2 X uzz31 92' s
Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 12:17 pm, by: Lew Radbourn(Marlew)
Day 5; we its get up early and in to it. Down to Neils shop Have a coffee and Look at the SILVI8 Very nice work mate Neat and tide (as i would only expect the best from you.hehehehe) any way move that one off the hoist and put the van on. drain the diff and check some other stuff. put some new oil and additive in the diff and every thing is fine. Take neils parts out of the van and load up with some more bits and pieces. By this time its 11.00am so its time to start thinking about going again. Program the Gizmo and see what it has to say Just under 1200kms to go and recons 14+ hrs OK so thats about 1.00am in the morning arrival time plus fuel stops for me and the van. now seeing how the fuel tank is only 45ltr. that makes it twice as many stops as the soarer and a feed for me so I should arrive about 2.00ish. just in the outer edge of Canberra i ring the wife tell her the bad news(heheh) of when i should arrive. so around Newcastle area i got sick of CD's and was listening to some radio station. Hearing there was massive storms heading there way and seeing the clouds coming there was no time to waste Get the Fluck out of there. BUT the funniest thing was to here the guy on the radio say do not stop on the motor ways in the storm just keep on driving. Remembering what the rain was like when i caught up with Will and there was no mention on the radio about that rain, BE BUGGERED if i would keep on driving if its going to be that strong.
Now i could sit on around 110kmh BUT had to have tubular bells playing on the CD. and some other music that had different pitches in the music.
Also one of the flanges has given away on the exhaust To much getting belted from the diff housing. SH*T ROADS. so drivers window was down all the way home from Canberra and every now and then here is me hanging me head out like a dog. Now there is one streach of road i like up here coming up the hill before byron bay and across the top and down the other side then is dual lanes all the way home from there. Seeing the dual lanes and knowing you are only about an hour away from home you tend to come alive (or was that the hill i just climbed )heheheheh I recon it could have been the hill. any way the sat nav gizmo has not a clue with the new roads around tweed heads but who gives a crap i knew were i was going anyway i really wanted to see what times it recons i should get to my destination OK all home now and i won against the sat nav by 56 mins the best thing was just getting in the door and having a coffee and playing with the dog (and wife). what ever you do on a trip don't get a coffee from red rooster it is crap.
and the speed limits 105 and 110kms
well with all the screwing around i did when the van got first going and the playing since the diff has EX WIFE SYNDROME and after changing the oil in it at neils the EX MOTHER INLAW joined in as well. whining bitches.
so thats the trip all in all it was fun and catching up with some good friends
Lew Radbourn Trader Queensland / Gold coast jzs147 93 TT / uzz30 93'/ 2 X uzz31 92' s
Sunday, December 09, 2007 - 12:29 pm, by: Lew Radbourn(Marlew)
Just one more thing; if any of you guys wonder why turbo soarers have to have the oil changed every 5000kms... i changed the oil in the van before i left and watching the oil pressure over this trip it has dropped 10psi since i got back so the oil does go off around 5000kms so don't be fooled thinking it is just a ploy from toyota to get your car serviced HAPPY MOTORING
Neil Griffiths Goo Roo NSW I have a Cadillac and a Supercharged Manual V8
Monday, December 17, 2007 - 12:23 pm, by: Peter Keen(Slaughter)
Hmmm this is the blue van with the orangy griffin on the side? I saw it heading down northbourne the otherday! Heading into Canberra LOL was that you Lew?
Lew Radbourn Trader Queensland / Gold coast jzs147 93 TT / uzz30 93'/ 2 X uzz31 92' s