How to build a ute: above $25,000 budget

DUAL-cab utes have taken the 4x4 market by storm, and it’s for a damn good reason: versatility. Actually, versatile doesn’t really drive home the point enough. They’re the Swiss Army Knife of off-roading, with attachments and electric blenders folding out of nooks and crannies you never thought possible. All you need to do is set them up right.

The problem, like any 4x4, is knowing how to build it to suit your needs, and knowing where best to spend your money. After all, what should you get first, the coffee percolator or the meat-pie oven? The upgrade paths are endless, with a $5000 build looking significantly different than a $25,000 build.

We’ve pounded out countless kays in and out of dual-cab utes over the past few years, everywhere from the tropics of Far North Queensland to the wide expanses of the Outback, all in the endeavour to help you build the ute of your dreams. Geez, we’re nice blokes!

Turns out you’re a Russian oligarch? Good news. That means not only can you influence elections a world away, you can buy whatever the hell you want for your brand-spankin’ new 4x4. After all, they’re your rubles. When you’ve got north of $25K to spend on your 4x4, the possibility line starts turning into more of a possibility jungle with vines going in every direction.

Hardcore Weekender

4

Just about put your dual-cab ute on its lid every time you head bush but run out of things to spend money on? Good news, we’ve got you sorted.

Sure, the easy option is a solid axle swap, but the reality is you’ll lose ground clearance, and they’re a nightmare to engineer if you’re sporting fancy tech like stability control. Instead, get on the blower to the guys from Marks 4WD and tell them you’re onto their secret and you want a set of portals.

They’ve been testing a bunch of prototype portal axles that not only increase your width to make you more stable in off-camber situations, but they also take a load off your drivetrain to make you less likely to break things. They also lift your drivetrain a full six inches higher than stock.

Having the standard 31s and a set of portals would be like running a set of 43-inch muddies, and if that doesn’t get your heart racing you’re in the wrong game.

Modifications
Portal axles - $25,000

Remote Tourer

4

Sick and tired of walking to the back of your dual-cab ute like some sort of sucker? Have we got a solution for you!

Custom alloy canopies not only make it look like you mean business, they’re seriously good things on and off the tracks. You’ll lose all that weak sheetmetal at the rear, giving you more confidence to push through lantana and overgrown tracks, and they come into their own when you pull up at camp.

The possibilities are limited only by your imagination, and by now you’ve done enough kays to know what works for you. Want to roll your swag out inside the canopy? Easy. Want a slide-out barbecue that calls you handsome? Bit weird, but it’s doable.

Want 200 litres of water underneath and a gun turret on the roof? You’re probably on a watch list, but it’s doable. The downside is they can make your 4x4 look a bit like a bumble bee, but if you’re after practicality first, second and third then they’re hands down where you need to be spending your money.

Modifications
Touring canopy - $15,000

Family Wagon

4

A stonking big V8. Let that soak in a minute. Alright, you’re probably thinking we’ve lost the plot right about now, and, honestly, you may be right. But, and it’s a big but, the whole point of a do-it-all 4x4 is to be everything to everyone.

Duramax swaps might just be the perfect companion to a family 4x4. They’re fuel efficient, incredibly powerful thanks to their 6.6-litres of displacement and eight cylinders, and have an exhaust note that’d see grown men refusing to stand up everywhere you go.

They’re tame enough for the school drop-off, will easily tow whatever you hitch behind it, and then lay the smack down on any high-po sedan you’ll come across at the lights. And stuff it, you’re rich anyway, do what you want.

Modifications
Duramax engine conversion - $35,000+

Follow our 'How to build a ute guide' here:
- Less than $5000
- $15,000 budget
- $25,000 budget