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After almost 12 months on the tools, Sooty 2.0 is complete and ready to hit the tracks! After months and months of hard work & surprise problems trying to fix the old girl up and build the ultimate 80 series - all Shauno's hard work has paid off.
With help from Jesse, industry experts, some mates, and the donor parts from the original Sooty, Shauno’s new and improved 80 Series that he rebuilt in is own shed is now ready for any and all of Australia’s hardest tracks.
You guys have asked to list and layout all the mods you see on Sooty MKII, so here it is in depth so you can use the gear you see on your own 4WD.
EXTERIOR
To keep this build familiar yet fresh, the exterior has been painted in a slightly different custom light grey with a hint of blue for a beautiful look thanks to Tintable Raptor paint.
Just like the original Sooty build, this MKII version is rocking fully custom bar work, from the bull bar, scrub rails, rear bar, to the rock sliders. This time around, they have been slightly modified for a fresh new look, and freshly coated in some black Raptor protective paint.
The bull bar is designed with style and strength in mind, and is home to the brand new Runva 11xp Red Edition Winch, which is essentially the same winch he has been running for years, but with the latest clutch system, a large recovery hook, an in-cab switch and a few other extras. Also, the same GME XRS 370C and Interchangeable 6.6 / 2.1 DBI Antenna from the original Sooty has been moved across to the new rig, mounted proud on the bull bar.
A few new additions to Sooty MKII’s exterior include some Cruiser company lift-up side windows for easy access into the cab that make camping easier.
Also, Sooty MKII now has a full length Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform and backbone system for extra storage and accessories mounting capabilities. His roof rack now holds his 4 Maxtrax Xtreme recovery boards – rather than on the spare wheel – as well as a side awning and plenty of STEDI camp lights, which we go into depth in the “Lighting” section of this rundown.
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INSIDE
To keep things familiar and simple, Shauno decided to remove the rear seats for more storage and drawer space. This area is built out to store Shaun’s swag, clothes, food and his countless spare parts he brings on every trip.
In Sooty MKII, the water system is as simple as they come – just a jerry can with a tap. This leaves plenty of space for his MyCoolman Fridge on a ClearView drop down Easy Slide, powered by a REDARC GoBlock 100ah Lithium battery, charged via the engine and a solar blanket. As this 4WD is driven daily on long trips, and charges when driving, this battery size is more that enough to power every 12v accessory Shauno runs.
All 12v accessories and lighting have been set up to run on either the main or second battery, and all have easily accessible switches next to the driver’s seat. These extra accessories include REDARC pillar pods wired to read info from the engine, an EVC CodeBreaker and a 12v Accessory Switch Panel.
New to Sooty, Shauno now has a Touch Screen Apple Car Play system, with a new speaker set up and a sub-woofer behind the seats to make those long trips much more enjoyable.
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SUSPENSION, TYRES & 4WD
In terms of suspension, Shauno is running the new Fulcrum F4R Remote Resivour Shocks that are fully adjustable for ride style and body weight and are set to a 3 inch lift for his 80 Series. This suspension is paired with some 35-inch Goodyear Duratrac Mud Terrain Tyres on Dirty Life beadlock rims for full 4WD capability.
For driving ability and safety, Shauno has upgrade his braking capabilities with the full Bendix 4WD Brake Upgrade Kit with new rotors and extended and strong braided brake lines to suit his lift.
Just like the original Sooty, Shaun’s updated rig is running Air Differential Lockers in both the front and rear, powered by an on-board TJM Air compressor; but he has added new reduction gears to make Sooty MKII even more of a 4WD weapon.
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ENGINE & PERFORMANCE
Sooty MKII is going to be running cool with a big 600x300 PWR front mount intercooler, and will be breathing in through a 4 inch Stainless Steel snorkel, and out through the incredible sounding Torqit 3 inch exhaust.
The 1HD-T is rocking a custom intake manifold after its full rebuild, and is now dyno tuned for power as well as reliability.
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LIGHTING
You would look at this 4WD and think Shauno is afraid of the dark because of all the lights he runs, and well thanks to the massive range of lights that STEDI stock, he can now turn night into day at the flick of a switch!
Up front, Shaun is running one Flood STEDI EVO Spotlight and one Spot STEDI EVO Spotlight with incredible distance and spread throw, and a 50 Inch Double Row Light Bar on the roof for maximum light spread. His headlights and fog lights have now also been converted to LED.
For camping and off-road lighting, Shauno is running some STEDI RGB Rock Lights on the roof rack for amber lighting to keep the bugs away at camp, as well as 3x small White LED Light Bars – one on either side and one rear-facing – all mounted via STEDI’s purpose built Rhino Rack Mounts. Underneath is another set of RGB Rock Lights for night 4WD runs, as well as to pair with all the other camp lights for the most unreal camp light set up possible.
Some extra flash bits, Sooty MKII has under-bonnet lighting for working on the rig at night, as well as some in cabin lights (another set of rock lights) too for filming and digging through his gear at night.
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THE DIY PROCESS
This build was a dream and a reality for Shauno, being able to build up his ideal 4WD in his shed at home with his own hands and the help of a few mates. Not only was this to create his dream rig, but it was also to learn about how to do as much as you can at home and show even you can become a DIY machine at home, as long as you give it a shot.
Hopefully this build has given you some confidence to do some DIY yourself, like change a CV or install a lightbar as doing it at home can save you a massive stack of cash.
