Unsealed 4X4 Readers’ Rigs

By Unsealed 4X4 6 Min Read

WINNER

IAN’S 1983 JEEP WAGONEER

Meet Ian’s Jeep Wagoneer called Harry. Unfortunately, Ian doesn’t tell us why it’s called Harry, but it’s definitely sparked our interest… especially when he told us it was fitted with a 6.2L Chevy Diesel
out of a Humvee.

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He’s done a few mods to it too, including a 4-in lift and rear locker. He’s obviously not a fan of the dark either as the Jeep’s got 9-in LED driving lights as well as a 42-in light bar tucked under the roof rack. We can also tell he likes to keep sheltered as it’s also got three (yes, three) awnings fitted to the racks.

 

To help with his power needs Ian tells us he’s recently fitted two deep-cycle batteries to the back of the Jeep along with an 80L dual-zone Waeco fridge. Never one to let a lack of off-the-shelf parts beat him, Ian also told us he’s in the process of building a rear bar (to hold the spare wheel) and fitting a long-range tank.

 

Unfortunately, he hasn’t had a chance to do any real touring yet, but he does manage to get out once a month to go fishing to some pretty remote south WA beaches. So far the Jeep has made it through everything Ian’s thrown at it, including some very gnarly beach tracks.

 

Craig’s Grand Cherokee

Craig is part of that growing number of older drivers only now getting into four-wheel driving. He recently purchased a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which is used as his daily driver as well as for exploring. When he got the Jeep, he attended a 4X4 training course which got him hooked. Since then he’s been on a few adventures – he recently did the Caves to Caves run through the Southern Highlands and headed up to Fraser Island with a few mates.

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So far Craig’s realised that a lot of the modifications to Jeeps are not always off-the-shelf, but this hasn’t stopped him carrying out some subtle mods. He’s upgraded the tyres to Nitto Terra Grapplers, and fitted a small lift with Murchison Off Road springs and OME shocks. He’s also fitted underbody protection and rock sliders. Craig maintains he likes to look after the Jeep and keep it looking clean. He can be seen spending hours detailing it after every trip.

 

Good on ya, Craig. By the way… in one of the pics it looks like you’ve got some dirt on her. Best get the cleaning rags out.

 

Ken’s Colorado and Patriot Camper

We bumped into Ken and his Colorado earlier this year at the Big Red Bash. He’d been travelling around the country for a little while at that point, having travelled from Uluru and Kings Canyon, then through Finke and Innamincka, before ending up at the Big Red Bash.

 

Ken has also been busy with his setup. And although the Patriot Camper is fairly standard, his Colorado certainly isn’t. He’s removed the back seat and fitted a bench which holds his onboard fridge and internal storage. He’s also fitted a dual-battery system to help keep everything charged up.

 

Up front there’s a bar, winch and snorkel along with a set of driving lights. He’s also changed the wheels and tyres over for something a little more aggressive and better suited to Outback touring.

 

Ken’s happy to report that he had no problems on the trip and made it back home safely despite the weather being a bit questionable at times.

 

MAT’S FJ CRUISER

Mat has only had his FJC for about a year, but it’s already got heaps of gear fitted to it. So far he’s kitted it up well with an ARB bar out front (with a Warn winch) and a Kaymar bar on the rear. He’s also fitted a Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform and has just started to use a rooftop tent on his trips – which he prefers as it keeps him up nice and high. Inside it’s pretty well sorted too, with a dual-battery system, Drifta rear drawers and a fridge.

 

One of the biggest drawbacks of the FJ is the touring range with the petrol motor. To overcome this Mat’s also fitted a 120L auxiliary tank, which we reckon will get him to at least the shops and back a couple of times.

 

So far he’s only taken it on a few trips out, but he’s keen to really test out the touring capabilities of the truck with some longer trips over the next few months.


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