4×4 Magazine Australia — November 2017

http://www.4X4australia.com.au 19

With the maestro himself, Alan Gray. Alan worked on Toyotas when they dammed the

Snowies, so you can bet I listen when he speaks!

Nothing but new bits everywhere. Where it’s not new, it’s been painted ... just not with the

brush I normally use.

A quick suspension swap. The 350kg packs that’d worked fi ne in Milo weren’t up to the job

in the longer Milo2, so we replaced them with 500kg units. It might have had something to

do with the tonne of books I’d carried under that Rhino canopy.

g but

191

With the

Chris McConnel, a diesel-fitter on
mines machinery when he’s working,
and a builder of tough 40s when he’s
not. It was Chris who said a 12HT and
five-speed would fit using the right
combination of standard parts – no
welding, no fabricating and a lifetime
of easy ‘stock’ replacement parts. That’s
a huge win. All I had to do was put it
together, but after a couple of years
mucking around I knew that meant
a deadline. With a month or so to go
before the Melbourne National 4x
Expo, my mates figured that’d be the
whip I needed. Simon (my 60 Series
driving mate), and mutual friend
‘Smart’ Richard, were going to lend a
huge hand, and Jason, another old Tojo
nut and FIFO (fly-in fly-out worker),
lent his spare days, too.
The driveline was finished and, after
mucking around with a few cabs, we
finally bolted down an ’82 ute body.
Then the whole plot went on a trailer

• aptly towed behind my mustard 45
  Series – up to the Bush Company on
  the Sunshine Coast, where owner Dean
  fitted one of the 79 Series tubs he
  imports from South Africa. The plan was
  to complete that with a Rhino canopy


• the all-aluminium tops The Bush
  Company manufactures in Australia.
  They’re so strong I figured I could do
  without the rollcage – those bars suck
  up the space in a 40 Series cab.
  Dean got Hylton from Flying Paint
  to paint the tray back Milo Green, but
  when Hylton saw the ‘standard’ of my
  previous paintwork he wouldn’t let that
  blue cab go without working his magic.
  Meanwhile, Jase fitted soundproofing
  and mats from Aussie company Tru
  Fit, and Smart Richard didn’t let me
  get away with my usual shoddy bush
  mechanic-style work. Bugger.
  We wound up bleeding brakes and
  bolting in seats at 3am on the Monday
  morning, just a week before the show.
  By breakfast Milo2 was registered and
  I was on the road to Victoria. A day
  and a half and a couple of thousand
  kilometres later, my old mate Alan Gray
  checked her out at Terrain Tamer HQ
  in Sunshine. We did a full service, and
  then took her on a few laps of the test
  track just for fun.
  I think I could have slept for a week
  about then. We’d made it in an unproven
  rig, with a whole lot more to do to finish
  her off. But Milo2’s on the road, a
  deadline was met, and the world’s a
  better place for having another old
  truck restored and ready for another
  round.