The idea of buying a new car is daunting enough…let alone the idea of cutting it in half. But for me, this was the option that allowed me to build the ultimate multi-purpose vehicle.

I’d searched around for a replacement for our Ford Ranger, but there was nothing that was ticking all the boxes. With a fast-growing family and an even faster list of places to see, I had set a few specific needs: It must be reliable, be able to tow, have a big and comfortable back seat for the kids, but it had to be practical enough to be my daily, and it MUST be a ute. With a list like this the options were certainly limited. We started at the 79 series, but for me, it just wasn’t going to do what I wanted. I then started looking at the yank trucks. They had everything I was chasing, but would I ever get parts if I needed them quickly?

“Am I truly insane for cutting a brand new Landcruiser in half?”

So, with a federally complied conversion process, inclusive of a GVM upgrade, an 8 week build time and a greater understanding of the process I finally made the decision to do it. From now, things got a little crazy. Not A Gap Year grew faster than I could have ever imagined, and with that came a few challenges. But the guys at ASG4x4 worked with us. From keeping everyone now involved in the build informed of the progress, to making the truck available so we could check measurements, even getting the car ready to transport between different shops, nothing was an issue.  

Fast forward to now…and we have had the completed vehicle on the road for about 8 months and the verdict is… Unbelievable!! This thing is everything I could have asked for. ASG4x4 delivered on everything they said they would. And it’s the little difference they do in the conversion process, that I think have made this thing what it is. The sloped/tapered finish on the rear of the cabin really gives it the factory finish, the internal hinges on the wheel arch boxes so they aren’t seen and don’t hang down, the full-length sliders to protect the newly fabricated rear, even the brackets for the reversing camera are all unique and really finish it off. It has so much room in the cabin as well. The fact the back seat can recline slightly has made it so much better to travel in. The conversion process also means you end up with great storage space behind the back seats as well. The longer wheel base and the V8 makes it a great tow vehicle. Couple that with the Wholesale Automatics Lock up kit, and you have a level of control towing which I hadn’t experienced before. Offroad, it has more than enough power to drag our trailer everywhere we have asked it to. On the sand, we have definitely noticed the extra weight, but a few PSI less in the tyres than we would normally run, and it seems to be sorted. I thought the wheelbase may have limited us a bit…but so far so good. It’s certainly not for rock crawling, but that’s not what it was built for.

Reliability…. only time will tell. But I can say, with over 30,000km on it already, and I’d say at least half of that with a trailer, we haven’t experienced any issues. So…would I do it again?? Without a doubt. Converting the wagon to a ute was the best decision I’ve made. It really does tick all the boxes of what I was chasing when trying to build the ultimate multi-purpose vehicle.