4X4 Australia

With over 25 years as one of Australia’s leading winch distributors, the decision was made to develop a new range of winches with the main requirement being to produce a winch of a high standard at and quality an affordable price. Many years of research and testing has lead to the development of the VRS winch range.

This is advertiser content.

Years of testing has proven the VRS range of winches

The main features of the VRS winches include: 5.3hp motor, 500amp fully sealed contractor, 3 stage planetary gears, double lipped spring assisted drum seals, automatic cone brake and stainless steel hardware. What does this mean?

Performance, reliability and a really great product at an affordable price.

While the VRS winch range was not designed with bells and whistles, it features quality components for reliability and performance and with already many thousands in the field, most being tested and tried in all conditions, the VRS range of winches has proven to be a great product with many satisfied customers.

VRS winch range now with IP68 water and dust rating.

The VRS range is constantly being tested and developed and recently extra detail was given to the seals and the components to ensure longevity and reliability and now we are very proud to announce the VRS range joins a very select group of winches that offer IP68 water and dust rating.

The IP68 rating increases the durability and reliability dramatically over products that don’t feature this rating.

VRS – Compact in design and dimensions – fit most bull bars.

VRS winches are available in two sizes 9500lb and 12500lb, both have compact dimensions meaning they are designed to fit all winch compatible bull bars.

The VRS winches are also complemented with either a steel aircraft grade wire cable and roller fairlead or a synthetic rope and hawse fairlead.

VRS winches are available throughout Australia in over 300 locations and are supported by a national company with many years selling quality products.

The VRS winch range come with an Australia wide limited lifetime warranty, this give you the confidence of knowing that the VRS product range will be supported for years to come.

A great winch is only half the story. The after sales support behind the product will give you the confidence of this winch long after the other companies have closed up shop. Every component of the VRS winches is available as a spare part.

VRS Recovery range.For the best recovery results complement your VRS winch with the full range of VRS recovery gear which includes, tree trunk protectors, snatch straps, drag chains, winch cable dampeners and complete recovery kits.

For more information on the full range of VRS recovery products visit www.vrswinch.com.au or call 1300 669 951.

The Loaded Lux build giveaway car gets some TJM Protection, a Mean Mother winch and Lightforce LED lights.

Click here for your chance to win 4×4 Australia’s Custom Toyota Hilux.

BEHIND BARS

Aside from the factory accessory canopy, our Lux looked sales-rep stock, so some fresh barwork was needed to toughen it up and to protect it in the bush. We wanted a different look for the front of the car and elected for a steel bar without top hoops. Sure, it doesn’t offer the best level of animal-strike protection for the radiator, but it’s the lighter look we wanted for this rig.

TJM’s ‘Frontier’ winch bar fit the bill, but the catalogue only lists it for the 2011 ‘facelifted’ model onwards. It’s basically the same came car as our 2010 model, so the guys at TJM said they would make the bar fit.

The car went to TJM Airport West for the fit-out, where James managed the job. The steel Frontier bar still offers better frontal protection than the plastic OE bar and it also allows a better approach angle. With integrated fog lights, LED indicators, high-lift jacking points, and provisions for light and aerial mounts, the ADR-compliant bar gives the Lux a smarter yet tougher look.

The TJM bar is rated to take a 9500lb winch, perfect for the Mean Mother Edge 9500lb winch we had. TJM Airport West fitted the winch to the bar before installing the whole assembly on the car.

Just about every one of these Hiluxes that we’ve off-road tested over the years has gone back to the company with bent or damaged factory aluminium side steps. On our car these were turfed in favour of TJM’s 50mm tubular steel steps that offer genuine sill protection. They mount direct to the chassis for extra durability, plus they offer the owner the option of fitting TJM brush bars (with a different bull bar) should they want to add them down the track.

That same durability carries through to the back, where James fitted a TJM Rear Step/tow bar. 63mm tube steel; high-lift jacking points; alloy tread plates and a rated class-4 tow bar all add up to deliver protection, functionality and good looks.

With bigger tyres coming soon for the Hilux, we wanted a set of SR5-style flares for it and chose the TJM fiberglass reproduction items. These fit like factory, but if you look closely they don’t quite meet the front bar as they should, but that’s the price we paid for electing to fit a later model bar. They’ll nicely cover the set of Cooper Tires we have ready to fit next month.

PULLING POWER

The Mean Mother Edge winch is rated to pull 9500lb. Its 4.8hp motor delivers through a planetary gearbox with hardened steel gears while the remote-control box is connected using tin-plated heavy-duty copper cables for the best conductivity. For the sake of safety and the benefit of lighter weight, we asked for the winch to come with synthetic rope rather than steel cabl,e and the fact that MM use genuine Dyneema rope on its synth models backed up our choice. 30.5 meters of the tough, blue 9.5mm Dyneema rope fits to the drum of the Edge and exits the bar through an alloy hawse fairlead.

The Mean Mother Edge 9500lb winch with Dyneema rope and hawse fairlead retails for $999.00.

THE FORCE IS WITH US

Also mounted to the bar is a pair of Lighforce LED 180 spot lights. These little wonders impressed us with their performance when we tested them last year (See the video at www.4x4australia.com.au/gear/electronics-gadgets/1410/lightforce-led-180-road-test/ ) and again in our LED light test. So it was a no brainer to fit our Lux with some Lightforce lux.

Using seven 10W high output CREE chips installed in deep reflectors, the LED180s punch above their weight and outshine many bigger, cheaper LED products. With military-spec water and dust protection, they are durable, too, so they cope with all the hazards being on the front of a Toyota can throw at them.

Lightforce also supplied us with a pair of its LED ROK lamps, which we’ll be mounting in the back as camp/work lights once we get to that part of the rig.

CONTACTS

TJM 4×4 Equipment Available at TJM stores nationally www.tjm.com.au

Mean Mother winches Available in leading 4×4 accessories retailers www.haigh.com.au

Lightforce Available in leading 4×4 accessories retailers www.lighforce.com

Want to see more of our Project Hilux build? Check out the below:

GENERAL MOTORS has unveiled a pair of Colorado ute and Colorado 7 wagon-based concept vehicles with a heavy Holden involvement at the Bangkok International Motor Show.

Wearing a number of Australian-designed accessories, the Chevrolet Colorado Xtreme and Chevrolet Trailblazer Premier concepts are basically thinly-veiled pointers to the facelifted production versions of the 2017 Holden Colorado and Colorado 7. Both are due in Australia from about August.

Holden’s GM Australia Design team at Fishermans Bend in Melbourne helped style and prepare the facelifted bits of the show vehicles for Chevrolet, using the as-yet unreleased RG Colorado Series II. Expect to see the actual production versions in May.

Boasting a redesigned bonnet, grille, and headlights, for a sleeker and more contemporary nose cone, GM is counting on both the Xtreme and Trailblazer to attract “more premium” truck and SUV buyers.

To that end, their cabins are said to exude a higher-quality and more refined ambience, to better take-on the hot-selling Ford Ranger Wildtrak and Everest respectively. These include an upgraded eight-inch colour touchscreen, improved upholstery material, and – in the Trailblazer/Colorado 7 – wood door appliqués with steel inserts and chrome detailing.

The larger (18-inch) wheels and all-terrain tyres, especially, are also an attempt to give the Colorado ute a wider and more planted stance; don’t expect to see the Trailblazer concept’s 22-inch wheels on a Colorado 7 any time soon though.

Meanwhile, some of the Australian Holden-designed accessories include the bull bar – which is a new and far more integrated unit than what is currently on offer, a ‘Safari’ bar, snorkel, sports bar with a styled in-fill panel, roof basket with LED light bar, side steps, rear-step tow bar, and wheel arch flares.

“Holden has long been involved in concept design and construction across all of GM’s brands – GMC, Chevrolet, Opel, Vauxhall, Buick, and Cadillac,” GM Australia Design Director, Richard Ferlazzo, told 4X4 Australia.

“We want to expand the genuine accessories market, that’s marketed and sold by Holden. We’ve been missing out in the past.”

The show vehicles themselves started life as production examples the existing model (launched in 2012), pulled from the Thailand assembly line, before being flown to Melbourne for their glamorous makeover. The facelift is the work of GM’s Brazilian Chevrolet division.

Brazil remains the design, engineering, and manufacturing “home room” for the one-tonne truck and its crossover wagon sister.

Holden builds “at least” one or two one-off concept vehicles annually for its overseas GM divisions, most famously of recent times the Opel GT (2016 Geneva show) and Buick Avenir (2015 Detroit show).

However, with the closure of manufacturing announced in December 2013, Holden no longer has the capability to fully engineer and validate a vehicle to production. What a shame.

I was coming down the Oodnadatta Track the other day, dropping in to outback towns including Finke in the Northern Territory, and Oodnadatta, William Creek and Marree in South Australia.

It was bloody hot and there were very few travellers on the road, so each town was a welcome stop in the heat-soaked landscape.

Not one of these small but important towns – that service a vast and remote inland area – had mobile phone reception! Well, Oodnadatta has a short-range Optus service, I’ve been told, but that is all. That’s bloody disgusting in this day and age in a modern country such as ours!

Meanwhile, when passing through countries including Kenya and Mongolia, we found much better and wider mobile phone coverage. For me, that was a revelation of how badly our telcos (and our governments) treat outback Australia and its people.

While some of those iconic Aussie towns and communities may have some form of internet connection, most of the time it is unavailable to the travelling public. In Marree, an internet connection was available at the local pub for public use, but the town has been forced to stop it because of the poor (slow or near non-existent) connection provided by the much-talked-about National Broadband Network (NBN). That is piss poor!

All is not lost, however. Supposedly, the mobile phone network will get a big upgrade over the next couple of years, with the Federal and State governments teaming up with Telstra and Vodafone in a $385 million program to bring mobile services to far-flung places. Note that Optus did not get any of the monetary pie, even though they did apply for some.

In total there will be 144 new and upgraded base stations built across New South Wales, 110 in Victoria, 68 in Queensland, 130 in Western Australia, 11 in South Australia, 31 in Tasmania and five in the Northern Territory.

These bases include Gooloogong in NSW, Dingo in Qld, Cape Otway in Vic and the Aboriginal communities of Imanpa in the NT and Fregon in SA. There was no reference to important tourist towns such as those mentioned on the Oodnadatta Track or elsewhere across the country, but they could be lucky … we’ll see!

These new and upgraded base stations from Telstra and Vodafone will supposedly provide improved mobile reception and coverage to 68,600km² and new external antenna coverage to more than 150,000km². More than 5700km of major transport routes will also receive new handheld or external antenna coverage.

By all accounts both Telstra and Vodafone will determine the rollout sequence of the new and improved bases, while the feds said they will closely monitor the upgrades and ensure that regular public updates are provided.

The first new base station was to be completed by the end of 2015, but have we seen any updates on that? And have we seen any progress with the NBN and its supposed ‘future proofing’ of all of Australia?

Ask any bush person and most would agree that it’s a cruel joke. Download limits are, where they exist, tiny – and connection is so slow that even sending a basic email is often impossible. The publican at Marree, who wanted to upload pics to a tourist-popular website, had to drive to Port Augusta, 380km away, to get a connection good enough for the job!

After all that and the billions of dollars spent, I wouldn’t be relying on my mobile phone to get me out of trouble when I’m stuck in the outback. And if you have a mobile phone provider other than Telstra, best of luck getting coverage anywhere in the outback.

I’ll continue to pack my sat phone or my HF radio, thanks – and I suggest you do something similar!

Getting away from town can be the best way to spend the long weekend. Packing your 4×4 right and not forgetting the essential will make the trip memorable for all the right and not the wrong reasons.

Here are a few tips thanks to Yakima.

1. Try and only pack the essentials. Throwing in more things just in case could increase your risk of getting bogged if you’re heading to the beach. Remember every kilo you save reduces your chances of getting stuck and if that does happen, start by unpacking the vehicle to lighten the load.

2. Think safety. Sensible packing starts with the essential items like vehicle spares, tools and recovery equipment. After that, consider navigational supports like maps (packed in water proof bags or containers), a compass, GPS and EPIRB beacon. Always remember to pack enough water for each person on board plus the tank.

3. Keep all of your recovery gear out and pack them at the last minute so they are accessible if you need them. Pack things like chains, ropes, tracks and a shovel on top so you can grab them if or when you get into trouble and need help to get out.

4. Make sure you pack essentials. Lighters and fire starters are vital to making a camp comfortable – to provide heat, light and cook dinner. A decent sized tarp and rope are also fundamentals because they have multiple uses. A tent and sleeping bag, as well as the few outfits you’re taking. Pack your clothes in a soft bag that can not only double as a pillow, but is also easier to pack into the car – squeezing into awkward, spaces to fill.

5. Always carry some reserves of food and make sure liquids are packed inside containers that won’t leak or break. Wrap glass in tea towels or wedge between toilet rolls.

6. A first aid kit, a fire-extinguisher, suntan lotion, a hat and insect repellent are vital! Make sure you put them in an easy spot to access quickly and easily. At your feet, in the centre console or inside the glove box are good ideas.

7. Have fun and return home safely!

Roof racks are good for things you don’t want inside your car like gas bottles, firewood, camping and smelly rubbish. Loading and unloading roof luggage is a real task, so it is important to pack things up there that you don’t need to access often. It’s like the computer game Tetris – it takes skill and practice to efficiently fill the space.

Keep it centred – to make any swaying less noticeable. If your load is too far forward or too far back, either way it will affect steering and make a 4WD journey a real challenge for the driver and can make passengers anxious.

Remember that your car is now taller, so don’t go into undercover car parks without checking the height of the vehicle or you might get a nasty surprise. Watch for low-lying branches and inclines when your vehicle is taller and has a higher centre of gravity.

Also remember that everything packed outside your car can or will get weather affected. Consider rain and dirt and keep valuables inside the car or wrap them really well, covering them up in tarps or Yakima’s luggage bags.

DUAL-CAB utes loom as the next battlefield in performance vehicles as manufacturers capitalise on increased demand for something above the load-lugger norm.

Already, local sales of upmarket utes such as the Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Toyota Hilux SR5 and Volkswagen Amarok Ultimate account for 40 percent of a market segment that now snares almost one in six sales. Buyers are clearly hungry for more sporting, visually aggressive pick-ups, especially with the imminent demise of the Falcon and Commodore-based utes.

The prospect of paying $60K for a dressed-up work ute hasn’t frightened buyers, and carmakers are keen to cater with more visual fruit and – in some cases – upgraded performance.

Leading the hi-po ute onslaught will be HSV, a brand best known for 400kW-plus Commodores.

“We have an interest in this area, and have been watching the segment develop in recent years,” HSV boss Tim Jackson.

Jackson said any Holden Colorado-based ute would need to live up to the HSV promise: “The primary caveat on any program from HSV is the execution we pursue would need to meet the expectations of the brand: performance, bold styling and a strong technology story.”

Key to HSV’s performance discussions are whether to fettle the 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel fitted to Australian Colorados or use the Commodore 3.6-litre V6 that is used in the Chevrolet version in the US.

“The execution also has to meet the on-road and off-road needs of the customer. Therefore the versatility of the powertrain and chassis become real focal points,” Jackson said, hinting that the thirstier petrol engine may be best for HSV buyers.

“At some point you need to decide on which attributes your vehicle will compete with most strongly, and be comfortable you will deliver better than the competition,” he said.

Ford also has big hopes for Ranger. It has trademarked ‘Ranger Raptor’ (pictured top) in readiness for the flagship ute. As with the F150 Raptor sold in the US, the Ranger version will get power upgrades and extensive bodywork changes – at a price. Expect to pay upwards of $80K.

Raptor details are scant. It’s not known whether Ford will use the 3.2-litre five-cylinder diesel or one of the latest petrols, such as the 242kW 2.7-litre turbo in the F150.

It’s also likely to be a product of the all-new Ranger, due about 2019.

Industry leader Toyota is also planning to bolster its Hilux range. The SR5 model that currently tops the range is in hot demand and execs have all but confirmed another model is in development.

“There’s clearly scope for something like that,” said Toyota sales and marketing chief Tony Cramb, adding it would focus on styling and likely use the standard 2.8-litre four-cylinder diesel.

Hilux chief engineer Masahiko Maeda is cautious about higher outputs: “If customers require such kind of high performance with high-price vehicles, we will start to study, but based on my experience with the previous-generation Hilux, I don’t think so.”

Cramb noted that “TRD has a good name here in Australia” and could be used “if we were to do something like that”. However, Toyota insiders tell us a Hilux TRD (pictured above) is unlikely before 2018.

Holden is keen to expand Colorado when the update arrives in August and is working on a new flagship likely to reuse the Z71 moniker applied to a limited-edition model last year. “It’s a growing segment of the market and models like our Z71 proved popular, so there’s certainly an appetite for those kinds of vehicles,” said Holden spokesman Sean Poppitt.

Then there is Mercedes-Benz’s upcoming ute (pictured above), which has Australia front and centre in the planning.

Due in 2018, Merc will offer four-cylinder versions of the Nissan Navara-based Mercedes-Benz GLT as well as a V6 diesel with outputs of around 200kW and 600Nm, making it one of the most potent utes available.

Benz is also considering an AMG version, though not a V8. AMG boss Tobias Moers told Wheels the brand was exploring the potential for an AMG ute, but that it wouldn’t be “the full Monty”.

“Is there going to be an AMG-line, which will have unique bumpers and wheels? Maybe,” said Moers. “But there’ll be no 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 model, so it won’t be a proper AMG car.”

Hyundai hauler?

A performance ute wildcard could come from Hyundai with the production version of the Santa Cruz. While right-hand-drive production is unlikely before 2020, the car-based chassis makes it the closest thing to Falcon and Commodore utes dynamically. An N version from Hyundai’s newly formed performance division would certainly work in the US market for which the ute is primarily designed.

Heat seeker

Not wanting to miss out on the boom at the top of the ute market, Mitsubishi showed its hand for a flagship Triton with the Geoseek concept at the Geneva motor show in early March. It featured splashes of orange, a black grille, black wheelarch extensions, stylised silver underbody protection, LED fog lights and roof racks. Mitsubishi Australia says the Geoseek is only a design concept for now and that the brand will monitor feedback.

Cool as ice

Renault looms as a wildcard in the performance ute race. The Alaskan concept revealed last year in Paris showed a clear desire to explore the sportier side of the ute segment. With 21-inch wheels and bold design features previewing an Alaskan production car to be unveiled this year, the French brand looks set to shake up a segment once reserved for workhorses. Whether there will be a Renault Sport version is too early to say, although executives are keeping an eye on the growth of the market, saying “it is not out of the question”.

Aussie TOP 10

Sales figures* reveal that four utes made the Australian top 10 list in January. Sales of 4×2 and 4×4 utes accounted for 15.1 percent of the market.

1. Mazda 3 2. Toyota Corolla 3. Ford Ranger 4. Toyota Hilux 5. Hyundai Tucson 6. Hyundai i30 7. Mazda CX-5 8. Holden Colorado 9. Nissan Navara 10. Volkswagen Golf

*Source: VFACTS, Jan 2016.

This article was originally published in WHEELS magazine.

Next workshop visit was to one of our favourite places, Marks 4WD Adapters in Dingley.

Click here for your chance to win 4×4 Australia’s Custom Toyota Hilux.

We always love checking out the projects in the workshop at Marks as they usually involve a V8 engine conversion and some clever engineering. No V8 this time (damn it!), but a super front brake upgrade to improve the stopping performance.

The brake package is one that has been developed for heavier vehicles such as the Land Cruiser 70 Series and really benefits vehicles that are towing a load and working their stoppers hard. The package contains Australian designed Delios Command 4WD carbon-enhanced disc rotors fitted with ceramic-impregnated high-performance brake pads. This combination gives extra bite to maximise deceleration with minimum pedal effort and copes better at higher temperatures that occur when pulling up heavy loads or controlling a 4×4 down long, steep descents. That means no brake fade when working them hard.

Our Hilux is five years old and as such its OE rubber brake hoses were due to be replaced; how many of you factor this into your regular vehicle servicing? Marks 4WD manufacture and sell braided stainless steel replacement brake lines for any 4×4 and as they are tailor made to the vehicle, they can be made longer to accommodate lifted suspension or custom applications. Braided lines should last the life of your vehicle and eliminate the sponginess felt as old rubber hoses expand under pressure. Ask any motorcycle rider or race car driver how much better braided SS lines are and you’ll be converted, too.

We haven’t put many kays on the new brakes yet, but straight away you can feel the added bite and more immediate stopping power with much less pressure on the brake pedal. The improved brakes will really come in to their own once we add some more weight to the Lux with bars, a winch, batteries, bigger wheels and tyres, and so forth.

It’s the start of a fun vehicle-build and we’re looking forward to transforming this former work truck to a capable off-road expedition vehicle. The competition, which gives you the chance to win the finished rig, will start at the end of the year, so stay tuned, follow the build and don’t miss your chance to enter the comp.

Marks 4WD Adapters Address: 385-393 Lower Dandenong Rd, VIC 3172 Phone: (03) 9552 6555 Website: www.marks4wd.com/

Want to see more of our Project Hilux build? Check out the below:

Based on the same platform as the rugged Hilux ute, the Toyota Fortuner is built to tackle serious off-roading and that hardware’s backed up with the latest software to help.

Make no mistake, this is no ‘soft roader’ – it’s a real four-wheel drive, with a dual-range 4×4 system, generous ground clearance, and loads of suspension travel.

The ATRC traction control system was developed in Australia and – as we found on 4×4 Of The Year – that testing really shows in how well it works in the bush. For those of you determined to push things beyond the ATRC’s limits, there’s also a locking rear diff but we reckon most won’t need it.

Climbing over Outback tracks is one thing; surviving the hard knocks is another, and the Fortuner packs solid underbody protection into the package

When it comes to river crossings, the Fortuner boasts a 700mm wading depth, and if the climbs in or out are steep, the generous approach and departure angles mean the bodywork won’t be at risk.

All up, the Toyota Fortuner Crusade is set to tackle almost any terrain.

Click here to see the Toyota Fortuner Crusade tow the Patriot X1 and view it’s features.

The Alu-Cab range covers a host of vehicle-mounted canopies, slide-on campers, roof-top tents, awnings and camping accessories.

Recently we came across a well-sorted Land Rover Defender fitted with an Alu-Cab flip-top camper conversion. These conversions are also available for Land Cruiser Troopies.

While Landie owners Andrew and Sharon Cox imported the product direct from South Africa and fitted it themselves, most people would find it easier to have all the work done by the newly appointed Australian dealer.

Fitting the unit to the Landie is a simple matter of removing the OE bolt-on roof and replacing it with the camper conversion. Not happy with stock-white paint, Andrew had it repainted black.

The unit is built from aluminium, while the outer skin is anodised tread plate, easily supporting the full-length roof rack that’s now attached to it. There’s a 25mm sagex-polystyrene layer for excellent insulation, and two more layers in the roof that add strength and a good finish.

The roof lifts on gas struts, which will vary, depending on whether a roof rack is fitted or not. The conversion’s higher-profile roof line allows for the flooring of the camper and plenty of room for the 75mm-thick mattress, along with all the sleeping gear you’ll ever need.

The floor of the camper – the normal ‘ceiling’ of the Landie’s roof – is aluminium and plywood sheet covered in carpet. It’s in two sections, the smaller end providing easy bedroom access from below when the camper has been erected.

The tent area is made from high-quality canvas, with plenty of ventilation from three large mesh-covered windows. The rear window has a large awning over it, allowing access direct from the outside, or for the window to remain open in inclement weather.

Opening the camper is simply a matter of undoing the clips and pushing upwards, with the gas struts doing the lifting. Closing it takes a little more effort, as it needs to be pulled down into place.

One interesting feature is the support strut that allows you to put all the canvas away without having to try to hold the roof in place. Once tucked away, simply pull down on the roof and the support strut depresses into its holder, allowing you to latch the roof easily.

The camper roof holds a full-length rack, with the amount of gear it can carry only restricted by the strength of the gas strut and the person lifting the roof.

Enhancing the versatility of the camper, Andrew and Sharon have added an Alu-Cab Shadow Awning, which is a robust 10sqm, 270-degree swing-around shade awning. This is probably the strongest-looking unit I have seen on the market.

The mounting and hinged points are made from solid stainless steel, while the arms are from boxed aluminium. It comes with a support leg and a few pegs to hold it down in strong winds, and it is as easy as you’d expect to deploy.

The Defender’s rear windows were removed and replaced with Alu-Cab storage units. The driver’s side has a box suitable for recovery gear and tools, while the passenger-side box is a deeper unit customised as a kitchen.

There’s a swing down bench at the back of the Defender to carry the stove, while on the other side a gas bottle can be mounted externally (so no danger of gas leaks in the vehicle) and plumbed in with a quick disconnect gas connection.

In some of the unused space inside the cab, a set of roomy Alu-Cab drawers house a pair of narrow 110amp/hour batteries that help power the nearby Engel fridge. The top of the drawer system doubles as a handy seat when Andrew and Sharon are forced indoors, while a long storage box opposite doubles as a bench.

Being keen and experienced desert travellers, they have two 22-litre plastic jerry cans for water readily accessible inside, plus a 60-litre stainless steel water tank tucked up under the floor, giving a pretty generous supply overall.

If you’ve spotted the elaborate rubbing strips on the doors, those are actually Alu-Cab aluminium tie-down rails. These not only strengthen the doors, as Andrew has found, but more also allow numerous items to be mounted there when setting up camp.

In fact, Alu-Cab has a hot water system that mounts on to the door, although it wasn’t on their shopping list – not yet, anyway!

Of course, such a well set-up Land Rover has all the normal stuff – ARB bullbar, aftermarket suspension, long-range fuel tank, snorkel, winch, HF radio, and the like. But it is the Alu-Cab additions that lift this rig from the norm to the exceptional.

Rated

Available from: Alu-Cab Australia RRP: $7000 (roof conversion only) We say: Great modification; well thought out, easy to use, durable and reliable

Cost

Alu-Cab roof conversion – $13,000 fitted Shadow Awning – $1700

For more Info: Alu-Cab now has a local dealership – Alu-Cab Australia (& Quick Pitch Campers), Wangara, WA Ph: 1300 136 964 Visit: http://alu-cab.com.au

4X4 Australia magazine has a project car – a 2010 Hilux which, once we’re finished kitting it up, we’ll be giving away to a lucky reader. Stay tuned and follow the build over the coming months as we reveal details of the competition that could make this expedition rig yours.

Click here for your chance to win 4×4 Australia’s Custom Toyota Hilux.

We’re building a project car that one lucky 4×4 Australia reader could be driving in 2016. That’s right, we’re transforming this plain-Jane base model Hilux into something you’ll be proud to own and drive thanks to a swag of goodies from all our best advertisers.

The ex-PMG Lux is the perfect blank canvas on which to create a trick bush tourer. It’s a 2010 model SR with a D4D 3.0 engine, 5-speed ‘box and 162,000km on the clock. We picked it up with a full Toyota service history; it just had the cam-belt done at the country Victoria dealership where it served its apprenticeship and, frankly, it drives too tight and feels too good to mess with.

But that’s not our style. The Lux will be refreshed from the ground up and will soon be rolling on Cooper’s new STT Pro tyres mounted on ATX alloys tucked inside TJM flares. It will also have an EFS suspension kit; front and rear bars and rock sliders, also from TJM; a Mean Mother winch; a high-performance brake upgrade from Marks 4WD; a secondary fuel filter from Flash Lube; MSA canvas seat covers; Lightforce LED lighting; a cargo area fit-out with a roof tent from Ironman 4×4; and whatever else we can persuade our supporters to throw at it. The loaded Lux will be a sweet piece of kit and we’re already ruing the day when we have to hand the keys over to a lucky reader.

But that’s getting ahead of ourselves. We bought the Hilux from Orix Fleet Leasing with the help of Red Plum Automotive brokers, who found the right vehicle for us. The first port of call was Terrain Tamer, where its resident Toyota 4×4 expert Allan Gray gave the Lux a once-over and told us what else it needed.

“I drive a similar model”, Allan says, “but this one goes very well. A couple of things wrong with it – it’s got a leaking oil seal on the front drive shaft that needs replacing and these common-rail diesels definitely need a second fuel filter to keep dirty fuel out of the high-pressure fuel pump.”

With that said, it was straight up on the hoist and Allan soon had the off-side front drive shaft out to replace the leaky seal with one from the extensive range of replacement parts in the Don Kyatt catalogue. The oil in the diff looked freshly changed, reflecting the well-serviced history of this car.

Back on deck and under the bonnet, Allan got to work fitting the secondary fuel filter kit. These are offered with a model-specific bracket to make the install as easy as possible. On the Lux the bracket sits up near where the second batter will go, but still leaves room for it. Clever.

Allan is passionate about getting clean fuel to your diesel engine and says there are plenty of examples of expensive repairs caused by dirty fuel. “We speak to workshops and vehicle owners every day and they are reporting cases of serious damage to diesel pumps, injectors and engines, largely caused by contaminated fuel. Most of these dramas could have been avoided.”

The standard fuel filter filters at around five microns while an auxiliary filter, such as the Flash Lube one, filters at 30 microns. The Flash Lube set up also has a glass bowl at the bottom where you can quickly see if any contaminants, including water, have been caught in the filter. You can also add an optional warning light to mount in the vehicle cab to alert you of contaminants.

At $210 for the filter and $250 for the Hilux mounting bracket, we see this as cheap insurance against contaminated fuel and the resulting expensive engine repairs. We were going to replace the element in the OE fuel filter, but upon removal it looked new, so now there’s a complete Terrain Tamer filter kit (worth $55) waiting in the tray for the lucky winner of the car to install at its next service.

PLUM ON TARGET

There are more important things to do than waste time with car salesmen.

Experiences with classifieds and car dealers are never pleasant, but we’re happy to say that there is a better option: a car broker. Car brokers can take care of all the unpleasantries, save you time, and find you the right car with the best deal. If you meet a good broker, you shouldn’t need to do much more than sign the papers, pick up the vehicle from a car yard, or wait for it at home – some brokers will actually organise to have the vehicle dropped to your driveway, so you might not need to step into a car saleroom at all.

When we put word out that we were looking for a Hilux, a 4X4 Au friend recommended Red Plum Automotive. Based in Brisbane, Red Plum can find a vehicle for you anywhere in Australia, and once we let them know what we needed, Red Plum’s Tony Kerr got back to us with several vehicle options, based on a thorough nation-wide search.

Tony found the model we were after, and met our budget and specific needs. Even the Hiluxes that didn’t make the cut were impressive machines. A lot were rejected, however, because of high mileage, poor service histories or obvious abuse.

As it turned out, a suitable candidate was found not far from 4X4 Australia HQ. And after we checked it out and took it for a test drive the deal was done, and we reckon we got a good-un.

While Red Plum found the right used car for us, they can also source new and used cars for private or business buyers, and the service doesn’t end there.

“We are with you for the duration of ownership and will check in with you from time to time to be assured that both your vehicle and ownership experience have lived up to expectation,” company director Christopher Lee says.

Red Plum not only helps with finding the vehicle, but can also help with finding finance, aftermarket and vehicle servicing, detailing and trade-ins.

It’s a one-stop shop for all your vehicle needs and it takes the hassle and time-wasting out of buying. Tony sure made it a lot easier for us.

For more info or to make an enquiry, head to: www.redplumautomotive.com.au.

Terrain Tamer Address: (HQ) 245 Sunshine Rd Tottenham, VIC 3012 Phone: 1300 888 444 Website: www.terraintamer.com/en/

Red Plum Automotive Address: 40 Prospect St, Fortitude Valley QLD 4006 Phone: (07) 3252 8865 Website: www.redplumautomotive.com.au/

Click here for your chance to win 4×4 Australia’s Custom Toyota Hilux.

Want to see more of our Project Hilux build? Check out the below: