Custom 4x4 builds to stir the mind

IT SEEMS our projects are never completed, and every time you see another truck, be it in the metal out on the tracks or on the pages of 4X4 Australia magazine, you’re bound to find something else that lights that globe above your head indicating that the gears are turning and ideas are forming.

Brandon Droessler’s gold Hilux on the cover of the June 2019 issue of 4X4 Australia – in stores May 30 – is one such vehicle that’ll send your head into overdrive. Brandon started with a bog stocker and really went to town on it to create the rig you see here. And he’s not done yet, as there are lockers set to go in and the possibility of an SAS front-end swap and V8 conversion in the future.

It shows what can be done when buying a slightly older car, with the money you save by not buying new being spent on accessories and modifications. When we built up our give-away Hilux a few years ago we started with an ex-Telstra car that was 10 years old and cost us just on $20K. It was a sound base on which to create the vehicle we wanted, and the end result was worth close to twice the purchase price; yes, still less than buying a new car. And it was far more capable and functional than any bone-stock new car.

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At the other end of the modified 4x4 spectrum you have the wild, factory-built customs, like those Jeep creates for the Easter Jeep Safari and the mind-blowing 6x6 Land Cruiser that is being built by the team at MSA 4x4 Accessories. We gave you a sneak peak of all the EJS Jeeps last month, but in the June 2019 issue we bring you an exclusive drive of the Gladiator Wayout Concept, a tourer we reckon anyone with a heartbeat would want to get the keys to.

While 6x6 Land Cruisers might seem like they’re becoming common these days, this 200 Series from MSA promises to be something unique. With a houseful of kids, MSA’s Shane Miles needs a three-row, seven-seat wagon, so he’s building this Cruiser as a stretched six-wheel drive that retains the 200’s third row. Could this be the ultimate family hauler? Shane sure hopes so, and we’ll be bringing you a series of features on the build of this one-off creation.

The June 2019 issue of 4X4 Australia is out May 30.