2001 Toyota HiLux |
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You wanna start praying this 'Lux crawls around you - not over Words by Mark Allen, photography by Robb Cox Warrick Kogan, owner of this lifted ‘Lux, just doesn’t know when to call it quits. Ya see, he laid his bucks on the line for a bog stocker and promptly decided ‘low was a no go’ for his needs; ‘big ‘n’ ballsy’ would be the only option for this keen hardcore nut. Not content with just a front torsion-bar wind-up and a 2in rear leaf lift, Warrick scoured the aftermarket scene and came up with an aptly named Skyjacker kit that would see his ride height lifted by no less than 4in. Add to that the 3in body blocks and 35in rubber, and all of a sudden you can clear boulders that would have previously scraped the guts out of that dangling ‘Yota transfer case. To give the appearance of even more lift Ð as if you needed it, mate Ð Warrick has effectively given his shortened tray an extra-high body lift to increase his departure angles to an almost Ôunscrapable’ degree. About the only drawback here is that once you throw a spare wheel, esky, swag and a few tools in, there’s stuff-all room for anything else. While Mantis has reached the end of its build-up, Warrick hasn’t reached the end of his custom modifying days. Currently parked in his shed is a stock-as-a-rock BJ40 with nothing special bolted to it except perhaps a pair of alloy chequerplate rear panels. SUSPENSION Warrick was aware that even though the HiLux front end could be lifted, he wasn’t necessarily going to get much more wheel travel out of the torsion bars. Warrick opted for Rancho 9000 shocks all round with an adjustable in-cab kit. The lads at Macquarie also fitted 3in polyurethane body blocks to meet Mantis’s needs.Why the need to go so high? To fit bigger tyres, of course! The standard 205R16 rubber on the skinny split rims was ditched in favour of 35in Baja Claws wrapped around alloy 15x8in rims. This suspension, body block and wheel set-up has given this HiLux total merits to its name and enables it to outperform a stocker off-road by a country mile. INTERIOR On the front centre console, just rear of the gearshift, is the air compressor switch and front and rear Air Locker rocker switches. Gauges for the Rancho shocks are recessed into the passenger-side dash, while the turbo timer and spotlight switches are mounted to the right of the steering wheel. Under the bonnet, a dual-battery kit, ARB compressor and the air adjuster kit for the Rancho shocks have all been squeezed into place. BARWORK The rear tray is a custom job. Manufactured in steel, it’s narrower and shorter than a standard-fitment tray. Nope, you don’t get much space to throw a hell of a lot of gear in for those big ‘round Australia trips, but do ya really think Warrick gives a toss? Not likely, as he’s built his weapon to tackle as much short-distance rough stuff as possible. No rears overhang to reduce his departure angles and not too much width to reduce his chances of squeezing between trees and rocks - all ideal in his eyes. To protect Warrick’s scone should his Mantis’s world go upside down, a dual 2in roll bar has been mounted behind the cabin of the twin cab. Kinda makes you think of those Mortein advertisements - you know, when an insect gets sprayed and does the convulsive belly-up dance - 35s dangling in the air and low-range still churning. |
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