huge dampening ability. Sounds great, and it was, but it wasn’t
finished. When Taylor took the keys there were plenty of good bits
added, but it was barely a roller and looked more like a farm truck
than the rock-crushing weapon it is now. To finish off the front end,
he knocked the ride height down from six inches over stock to four
inches, helping lower the centre of gravity and freeing up some
valuable down-travel in the process. A one-off front driveshaft
was fabbed up, with the final piece of the puzzle swapping out the
stock rear ring and pinion gear to suit the 4.1:1 ratio.
With the front-end sorted, Taylor turned his attention
to the rear suspension. It’s still sporting leaf springs,
but they work leaps and bounds better than a stock
set-up thanks to a little bit of know-how on Taylor’s
behalf. After running a tape measure over the stock
leaf pack, Taylor worked out that a set of leafs from an
RG Colorado would bolt into the front hanger, keep
the diff in the same position, then add a heap of length
behind the rear axle. When teamed with extended shackles, the
arrangement gives the ’Lux a far more compliant ride that easily
flexes its way through tough tracks right behind the slinky front-
end. There are plans to fit a set of Fox rear shocks eventually,
but for now a set of Tough Dog adjustables keep the rear axle
under control.
After the rear suspension was dialled in, Taylor ditched theIT LOOKED MORE LIKE A FARM TRUCK THAN THE
ROCK-CRUSHING WEAPON IT IS NOW
RUBBERY MUD
35” Federal muddies just
fit inside the wheel arches,
but do plenty of rubbing in
the process.744 http://www.4X4australia.com.auCUSTOM TOYOTA HILUX