Seagull Grey EK 2106

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Trev
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Trev »

Great picture Craig, looks like it belongs with the old miners cottage.


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Craig Allardyce
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Craig Allardyce »

Trev wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:55 pm Great picture Craig, looks like it belongs with the old miners cottage.


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Nice old home, even loved the old/modern chairs out the front! Should have done a black and white! 8)
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Blacky »

That joint looks familiar ...... :wink: :wink:
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Trev »

Blacky wrote:That joint looks familiar ...... :wink: :wink:
Is there nothing sacred???? Image


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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Blacky »

Trev wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2017 8:45 pm
Blacky wrote:That joint looks familiar ...... :wink: :wink:
Is there nothing sacred???? Image
Nope !!! 😁😂😂
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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Craig Allardyce
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Craig Allardyce »

Pretty consistent with my fuel consumption now. I'd like a little better but think this may be it unless I bump the comp ratio and maybe diff ratio change. Dont really want to up the diff as it's a comfortable tow car. Anyway I can start planning the trip across now.
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Errol62 »

Economical motoring Craig


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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Blacky »

dont overthink it - just load up and point it west , stop when the front tyres are in the Indian Ocean ..... :ebiggrin: :ebiggrin:
When you're faced with an unpleasant task that you really don't want to do, sometimes you just have to dig deep down inside and somehow find the patience to wait for someone else to do it for you.


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rosco
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by rosco »

Pretty good figures for what you have done to the grey, Craig.
If my understanding is correct, first column is Odometer - second is litres used - third is distance traveled - fourth is L/100 - fifth is mpg.
I got slightly differnt figures - but worked on 4.546 litres/gallon, not what I expect you have used as 4.5.
Odometer reading may be out - too many variables.
I work on GPS distance traveled and exact litres used - brim to brim.

You'll more than likely do better running across the plain, depending on what speed you chose to run at. With the two greys I had, they both drank more fuel at anything over 50 mph...... of course, I fully expect you'll be running at the limit to make the 3,704 km (2,302 miles) crossing in good time......

"Whereis" shows the running time at just a smidge over 40 hours traveling time.... 8 hours traveling/day puts this at 5 days.

If you average 27 mpg - which I believe will be around your mark, you'll use 85.26 gallons - 387.59 litres each way.

You'll need an oil and filter change at the end of both trips.

The red I have with 3:08 diff and 14" wheels in mine is more economical than both greys at highway limits.
I found high rpms with a grey and 3:89 diff to be considerably more expensive to run at 70 mph than the latter. There was actually an increase in consumption with the 3:08 and 14" wheels at 50 mph.... than the 3:55 with 13"s.
At 60 and 70, the 3:55 on 13"s used more than the 3:08 on 14"s.
Towing and packed to the hilt for the annual holiday down at lakes, the 3:55 on 13"s with the red was the best of all combinations.. but at around 55 mph.... seemed to be the sweet spot on most trips we did down there.
The 3:08 diff fully loaded with boat in tow was much better with 13"s than 14"s.
We only made the 314 km trip once without needing fuel at Bairnsdale.... with a strong tail wind. The rest of the trips, we'd have run out somewhere around Swan Reach. I don't know why, but Bairnsdale always had cheaper fuel than any of the other towns down that way.

Thanks for your figures - I have recorded all of mine since ownership in October, 1972.

frats,
Rosco
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Craig Allardyce »

Blacky wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:49 pm dont overthink it - just load up and point it west , stop when the front tyres are in the Indian Ocean ..... :ebiggrin: :ebiggrin:
I probably would mate but towing with a 9 1/2 gallon tank and the wife in the passenger seat I dont think she'll be the one getting out to push. I would need ear muffs too I'd reckon. :shh:
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Craig Allardyce »

rosco wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 8:09 am Pretty good figures for what you have done to the grey, Craig.
If my understanding is correct, first column is Odometer - second is litres used - third is distance traveled - fourth is L/100 - fifth is mpg.
I got slightly differnt figures - but worked on 4.546 litres/gallon, not what I expect you have used as 4.5.
Odometer reading may be out - too many variables.
I work on GPS distance traveled and exact litres used - brim to brim.

You'll more than likely do better running across the plain, depending on what speed you chose to run at. With the two greys I had, they both drank more fuel at anything over 50 mph...... of course, I fully expect you'll be running at the limit to make the 3,704 km (2,302 miles) crossing in good time......

"Whereis" shows the running time at just a smidge over 40 hours traveling time.... 8 hours traveling/day puts this at 5 days.

If you average 27 mpg - which I believe will be around your mark, you'll use 85.26 gallons - 387.59 litres each way.

You'll need an oil and filter change at the end of both trips.

The red I have with 3:08 diff and 14" wheels in mine is more economical than both greys at highway limits.
I found high rpms with a grey and 3:89 diff to be considerably more expensive to run at 70 mph than the latter. There was actually an increase in consumption with the 3:08 and 14" wheels at 50 mph.... than the 3:55 with 13"s.
At 60 and 70, the 3:55 on 13"s used more than the 3:08 on 14"s.
Towing and packed to the hilt for the annual holiday down at lakes, the 3:55 on 13"s with the red was the best of all combinations.. but at around 55 mph.... seemed to be the sweet spot on most trips we did down there.
The 3:08 diff fully loaded with boat in tow was much better with 13"s than 14"s.
We only made the 314 km trip once without needing fuel at Bairnsdale.... with a strong tail wind. The rest of the trips, we'd have run out somewhere around Swan Reach. I don't know why, but Bairnsdale always had cheaper fuel than any of the other towns down that way.

Thanks for your figures - I have recorded all of mine since ownership in October, 1972.

frats,
Rosco
G'day Rosco, yep you got it right.
I convert L/100 to Mpg using 282.48/(L/100) which is the Imp Gallon conversion.
The figues quoted are my best unloaded. Worst with the boat on has been about 20mpg (& 60mph). As I believe the fuel stops available on the nullarbor are at about 200km I should scrape that in but that's not counting on a head wind.
I had spoken to Kevin Clarence from the FE FC car club who did the same run with a teardrop a few years back. He only scraped in the 200km distances between fuel stops so I think I'm on the money. Either way I'll just chuck in a big rope and latch onto someone with a big block red motor and get dragged to the next one......or maybe just take a jerry or two.
So what was the best figures in mpg that you achieved with the grey and then the red?
I'll be running somewhere between 55 & 60 mph for the trip as the teardrop is lighter than the boat by a fair bit but I may make that up in spares. We will have plenty of time as I'm taking 6 weeks off work so we will stopping over at a few spots for a coupe of nights.
Bairnsdale still averages 10c cheaper than anywhere else. Really annoys me that they can be cheaper for a fuel station that is hafl way between nowhere and miles from any major city. Just goes to show how much price gouging is going on everywhere else.
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by rosco »

Best accurate recorded with the grey was on 2nd December 1980 on a trip to Ballarat and back....at 50 mph - 31.664 mpg..... $9.67 @ 0.30 cents/litre.

Best accurate with the red so far has been 31.657 on 10 Jun 2014 at Uranquity coming back from the Cowra nats - $26.52 @ $1.739 .... at 60 mph on 14" wheels and 3:08 diff running to the vacuum gauge and avoiding any loading of the motor than 10".

I have recorded figures over 33 mpg with both - but fill-ups for them were on driveways facing slightly uphill.... and the next fillup revealed poorer figures than average......
Such is the nature of the tanks in our buses..... there isn't any vent pipe when filling and we more than likely have air pockets in the tank when filling pointing uphill slightly.

- wish we could go back to the 30 cents/litre days.
When Victoria went from gallons to litres at the bowser, "Super" was 14 cents/litre..... now std ULP is 10 times that price - and no lead.

We have done the Nullabor four times now - first in 1974, two days after Tracy went through Darwin - the most recent was 2011.
The fuel stops across the plain play a very nasty little game of "leap-frog" - especially with diesel. If you go past one where the price of fuel seems high - you'll find the next one is even higher...... at caravan parks, most of us question those who have just come across on what price was where..... the next day, they play the absorbing little game of "switch" - and the cheaper ones the day before become the dearer ones the next day...... not so bad if you only have a 9 1/2 gallon tank - but when you are pumping 150 litres of diesel in..... 20 cents (and more) a litre becomes a hefty increase for the same fuel intake at the previous bowser.
Suggestion is to carry UHF (channel 40)... in fact, even without this - I'd highly recommend you run on Ch 40 on the wide open spaces of Oz... the trucks "talk" to each other and you'll pick up an awful lot of valuable info as they call back the previous leg of each trip.
With the teardrop in tow - if your speed is 90 or below, the road trains will get you.... they will run on exactly 90 - if you are going slower - your "it".... might take them 30 minutes to catch you from when you see them in the rear view the first time - but they will, and watching 8 sets of tandem wheels going past is a little un-nerving the first few times. If you run at 100, you'll still get the B doubles overtake.... when one comes out on you, don't speed up (like so many blasted grey nomads do when towing their "mobile alumimium road blocks".... the truck can't go any quicker due to limiting.... if you speed up, all the bloke's calcs go out the window... he won't drop back if something appears coming the other way - they "will" run you off the road - don't have a choice.
You might not believe you'll be running slow enough for the road trains and doubles.... but Craig - I can tell you right now - if you get into a full on head-wind on that open plain..... you will struggle to make your fuel stops under heaps of power needed.
Of course - absolute must - jerry cans.... at least 40 litres (two x 20). You can empty them out when you get across... but, on the open stretches - I wouldn't be caught running without that much when I only had a 43 litre tank in the vehicle...
Roo's and emus...... probalby won't have trouble with roo's... unless you run between dusk and dawn. At least with a 'roo - it will bound out and virtually go in one direction..... those blasted "bushes with legs" will go anywhere... in out, sideways and sometimes double back a few times..... stupid big critters will make a mess of your bodywork (and radiator) if you clock one.
I might further suggest to fit a "security mesh" type screen either behind or in front of your grille..... I purchased some from a screen and door manufacturer - stainless and powder coated black. I cut three sections and fitted them in behind the grille.... held in place by some stainless wire around the verticals under the horizontals....... simply passing them through the holes in the screen and forming a bow is enough to hold the screen in place..... it's not the insects you need concern yourself with - but stones and rocks. A road train going either way will throw these up at you.... more so one overtaking - the rear wagon of four will sway at least 6' each side of the centre-line of the prime mover up front.... when he pulls back in front of you... they can run the rear wheels of the last wagon well over the fog line.... until it all straightens up again..... Water, nothing need be mentioned here - you know that one..... we carry a "slab" of Coles or Woolies water at all times when on tour - you simply can't get it in the long stretches out there..... there will be enough traffic on the road at all times to keep you safe from isolation... but it's reassuring to have your own.
If you haven't done this one before - I can assure you, it's not going to be what you have in your mind's "eye"... there's "scrub" all the way across - some amazing scenery (if you get the chance for a stopover - do the "Head of the Bight" whale watch (even for a 30 minute break) - the times we have dropped in and done the boardwalk down to the viewing platforms - cows and calves have been right under us.... and - you'll be in winter - they should be there.... Arriving at Eucla will amaze you. The long straight will be another.. and, don't fear about an aeroplane landing on your roof....... there's a landing strip or two on the highway - we got stopped a good 2 km's back by a police road-block when the RFDS had to land to fly an ill grey nomad out of trouble......Hope some of this gives you a bit to put on the notepad for the trip - jerry cans and UHF radio...and have it on 40 at all times you are out in the open wide spaces - they would be the two biggies I'd suggest.
frats,
Rosco

frats,
Rosco
rosco
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by rosco »

Just re-read your post, Craig - 6 weeks.... bliss. You'll be abe to pick the days of travel. The wind can blow east, west and south coming across..... get it behind and you'll "breeze" it in for 200 km's tank - might even make 400 with just a splash out of a jerry.
Don't know what stopovers you have penciled in, but PM me if you want anything from the trips we have done across - the "super pit" at Kal is a must. It's a long haul across - make the most of your time on the other side of the plain... the stuff on this side can be picked off in shorter trips. There's a lot over there.... an awful lot, six weeks won't go far enough to take in the "reaches" of Perth. The south west is very scenic and spectacular along the coast - June might be a bit cold, windy and wet.. but Leuwin, Albany, Esperance and Cape Le Grand - all amazing places to stay. Geraldton is well worth the week you'll need to run up and look around. You'll need quite a bit more if you go beyond there... but Kalbari is well worth the little bit of extra travel from Geraldton. Coral Bay and Exmouth aren't much further up the Carnarvon - but that blasted long and boring stretch from Geraldton to the Overlander Roadhouse will have you looking for a sharp blade to slash your wrists.... once you reach Overland r/h - Denham is pretty... but, you'd never get me out to Monkey Mia again - it's been strangled by green sensitivety .... you "won't" get to swim with the dolphins. We're probably well out of time for Exmouth, Ningaloo Reef and up into the "Red Dog" north west of the mining of Pt. Headland, Dampier and Karatha of the Pilbara but Pt. Sampson was a very pretty place. It's only one day's travel more to Broome...... six weeks isn't going to be enough to do the "loop" and back down the "guts"....... you're in for a great trip - one you won't forget. Can you free camp in your tear-drop... even an overnighter - if so, you are going to be able to get into places where there simply isn't anyone else...... oops, gone way too far... again!..... map out your trip, I'd love to see what you have got thus far.
frats,
Rosco
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Craig Allardyce
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Re: Seagull Grey EK 2106

Post by Craig Allardyce »

Thanks Rosco. The only thing the really worries me is the windscreen. It's the original. Wing it? Put a mesh screen on if I can get one? Change to a laminated one before? Take a sheet and tape? Goggles?

I'm not that fussed on UHF, I've got enough things stuffed and attached in the car at the moment. Even managed to slide in a cruise control. One thing though is I've been checking the Telstra coverage for the trip and it looks like 3g all the way. What have you experienced?
I'd like some internet access as I cant stand using them touch screen phones or tablets. I'm also doing some mapping with my ignition so the laptop will be on the go anyway.
Will be doing the trip down south from Perth after the Nats as the local crew are putting a tour together for those interested.
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