When you can get 5 inches of lift and 35s under a Triton… CLICK HERE TO READ THIS STORY IN OUR ONLINE MAGAZINE …what else do you really need? When you’re working on an apprentice sparky’s wage, there’s a good to…
When you’re working on an apprentice sparky’s wage, there’s a good to fair chance you’re not going to be able to swing the cash for a brand spanking anything – let alone a big solid-axle truck. So, you do the next best thing: Get yourself a second-hand Triton, and make it bigger than your average 79 Series. And that’s exactly what Harley did.
Harley picked up this 2011 MN Triton two years ago now, bone stock, with only 24,000km on the clock. He got it for next to nothing, in immaculate condition with the kays on it not even past the wear-in stage for the Di-D donk under the bonnet. Suffice to say, he wasted no time building up the Triton to a big capable tourer, with plenty of squirt and the driveline to take it anywhere the big rigs go without an issue. But don’t take our word for it… have a go at the photos!
As we said previously, the Triton started life with Harley bone stock. No bullbar, no roof racks, no lift. It didn’t last like that very long.
Harley wasted no time throwing an X-ROX bullbar at it with brackets to suit the 2-inch body blocks; plus a set of Wildcat Engineering sliders, again to suit the body lift. Out the back there’s an MCC rear bar, with custom-made jerry can and wheel swing-aways. Up on top he’s added a Rhino Pioneer platform, with the Rhino Vortex bars holding it on the roof. Also bolted to the roof rack there’s a Darche awning, shovel/high-lift jack holder, and a 42-inch LED light bar.
Besides the 42-inch bar up top, Harley’s got a set of 9-inch LED spotties and a 32-inch light bar on the bullbar. He’s also got a set of 5-inch LED floods out the side of the bar, as well as the LED headlight conversion, winch and heavy-duty recovery points.
Underneath he’s thrown a set of 3mm bash plates from the front all the way back to the transfer, and a set of diff wedges bring his driveline geometry back into spec. Suspension-wise Harley has gone with Dobinson constant load coils, and Ironman shocks. There’s a set of coil spacers in the front giving a total 3-inch suspension lift up front, with Lux Lifts 2-inch body blocks front to back – which gives 5 inches total to fit in the 35s. Out the back, there’s a set of EFS constant load 2-inch lifted springs, mated to a set of 2-inch shackles and the 2-inch body lift – giving 5 inches total lift in the rear.
Off the end of the axles there’s a set of Kings D-Locker rims in 17×8 with 0 offset, wrapped in Mickey T Deegan 38s in 315/70R17 variety. And he tells us they have been fantastic all-round muddies for the Triton. In the engine bay there’s a 4-inch staino snorkel by In-House Fab running into a custom-size matched airbox with pod filter, and a 3-inch mild steel X-Force exhaust from the turbo back. This gets the Triton breathing a lot better – and as far as Harley’s concerned, gives it plenty of go.
Heading into the cab, there’s a Uniden 80-channel UHF (with a 6.5db aerial to match), with switches all over the place for all the other gadgets. He’s got an iDrive managing throttle input, and there’s a Kenwood CD player in the dash looking after the tunes. He also picked up a Hema the week after we saw him, to take care of the navigation.
In the back of the ute, there’s a set of Outback drawers, with the fridge and dual-battery system the next things on the list to make this one of the most capable tourers around, allowing trips longer than just weekenders with the esky and ice.
After throwing the lift in, Harley broke a universal joint and cracked the gearbox mount – which led to the installation of the diff wedges and tailshaft spacers to bring things back into spec. He offered up this little gem of advice: “Do your research, and if it’s something crucial, pay the money for quality parts. Poor man pays twice; I’ve learnt that the hard way! Find yourself a mechanic who you trust too. Scott at the local Carline has been my go-to guy for 90% of the stuff I’ve done, and it’s all come out exactly how I’ve wanted it.”
All in all, this is a bloody neat Triton, with enough mods to make it insanely capable. Best of all, he’s just starting on the touring side of things; all of it done on an apprentice’s budget, too.
It all goes to show… whether you’re on the same money as the CEO of Google, or an apprentice’s wage, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from getting out there and building up a 4X4 and enjoying this magic place we call home.
