It sure is fun buying new off-road accessories and modifying our 4x4s, but nobody enjoys spending more money than they need to.
In today’s economy, modern vehicles need to be more versatile than ever. This is especially true for four-wheel drives that are used for both work-and-play duties. An allrounder that is just as at home on the job site as it is at a campsite. That’s what we decided we wanted.
The plan is to create our ideal version of a dual-cab 4×4 ute, but without needing to take out a second mortgage to pay the final invoice. I’m excited to introduce to you Unsealed 4×4’s Project D-Max.
We’re starting with this 2022 model, that so far has a set of mud terrain tyres and aftermarket wheels. That’s it. As the old saying goes, however, every story needs a beginning…
So, what’s the story?
The last time we built a project vehicle at Unsealed 4×4, it was an ex-mines 76 Series LandCruiser we called Project Rusty. To say that was a huge undertaking is the understatement of this century. Not only were we dealing with installing accessories, but we also undertook a complete body off-the-chassis rebuild including paint. As the name suggests, Project Rusty had some, umm… rust to sort out as well. We didn’t want to deal with that again, I’m chuffed that we chose something newer (and less covered in coal dust) to start with this time around.
When breaking down what we wanted to achieve with this project, three themes kept popping up. The vehicle must be affordable, reliable, and have enough support from the aftermarket industry to offer a wide range of accessories. This would give us options when it came time to select the accessories we needed to run to create a rock-solid off-roader. That is how we arrived at the decision to start with a 2022 Isuzu D-Max. It just suited the brief perfectly.
We need help
This time around, we decided it would be best to let the professionals handle the upgrades so we can focus on documenting the story. As such, we’ve teamed up with Pez’s 4×4 Fitouts in Brookvale who have been amazing in project managing the task of expertly accessorising our D-Max.
Perry and his team aren’t strangers to modifying and building four-wheel drives, including full 12V setups; they do it day-in-day-out. We know we are in very safe hands with Pez’s 4×4 Fitouts trusting them to build a reliable and capable four-wheel drive with the gear we’ve painstakingly selected to be the best for our needs.
What’s the plan?
As mentioned, the Unsealed 4×4 Project D-Max needs to be versatile. So we have decided to build it into a capable daily driver first, that doubles as an excellent touring vehicle. Being a ute, we also wanted it to remain functional for work purposes. Not asking much, are we?
Stay tuned for weekly updates on the Unsealed 4×4 Project D-Max. We can’t wait to show you how it turns out, as well as highlight any tips and tricks we learn along the way. Can we build a LandCruiser killer on a budget? You’ll have to wait and see.
Special thanks
Thanks to Perry and the team from Pez’s 4×4 Fitouts, in Brookvale NSW, for all their knowledge and assistance with this project so far. We know we are in good hands. If you need any work done on your four-wheel drive and are in the area, give him a call on 0472 504 544 and tell him we sent you.
