It's been about 7 years now since I first rocked up to Len at Creative Conversions.
About 1997 we did our first chassis extension and conversion.
Somewhere between 6-7000 conversions later, plus a lot more chassis extensions.
So we've been doing it for quite a while.
So over the years we've sort of developed those vehicles with, you know, me talking
to Len after trips and coming back and saying, ‘I need this and I need that.’
Do you remember when I said I want to put 35s on a 200 Series Landcruiser?
Who else had done it?
There wasn't a lot of people running around with 200s with 35s on back then.
I think we all the first ever to put a 35 inch tire on on those converted rigs
and also rear which.
I remember making the bracket up and physically welding the bracket on myself for the first
rear winch on a 200 Series Land Cruiser.
There's a lot of research gone into these vehicles, and a lot of the stuff that we do,
people don't see how strong the cars are built, how much time we've put into the vehicles
on the wiring side of stuff on these vehicles, the chassis strength and stuff that's been
designed over the years that the boys have tested.
Because we check every vehicle front to back when they come back, so if we can find anything
at all that looks like it needs to be changed, that's what they're out there to do...
so we can find this.
How important is the testing to you?
The testing is everything really.
Like if we don't have vehicles tested, we don't know what the limits are on these.
We don't know what to improve on, and that's what's so important about you going out
and testing these vehicles to the limits.
And we know that no one tests the vehicles as hard as you do.
So you know, if you don't break it, our customers are going to be fine.
We're 9 to 10 weeks in the bush solid, so that's 9 weeks on the road
living out of your truck.
We go out there, and we're pushing day after day after day, because we run on a tight schedule.
You know, I don't think we stay in the one place more than one night.
So in the past I've had all sorts of different vehicles.
I've had dual cabs, you know, and I've had Nissan Patrol wagons, and everything keeps
coming back to the 200 Series conversion.
It seems to tick all the boxes.
It's all leading up to this vehicle over the years.
So everything's been improved, and the series 9 truck, it is the ultimate touring vehicle.
I mean, you know, who wouldn't want this truck?
The series 9 Adventure Tourer.
It's not only about looking good, because it is one of the best-looking adventure tourers
in Australia at the moment.
But it's also practical.
It's one tough truck that performs.
The 200 Series Land Cruiser has always been the one that we reckon ticks all the boxes,
but is it the most affordable one?
My old man once said to me, he goes, ‘there's no point having this big fancy 4-wheel drive
unless it's practical and you can use it.’
So this series we've gone with something that's a little bit more viable and a little bit
more affordable, and that's where the Isuzu D-MAX comes in.
It is an affordable option.
So we've chosen the D-MAX because, look, Isuzu is bred from trucks.
Simple as that.
It's almost like it's a little tough truck.
So the D-MAX itself, the engine, drive-train, diffs and all that, it's all stock.
It's straight off the showroom floor.
We're just putting a few bits of tough gear on it.
Bullbar, sidebar, side steps, winch, snorkel.
To 1, make it look good, but also to make it practical.
Now let's all face it, the D-MAX doesn't have as big a towing capacity as my 200,
but you're going to expect that.
But it is still capable of towing 3.5 tonnes, and that is still a full-size van.
So to set the D-MAX up for this next adventure, you know, we're going to put good things on
it like tyres and rims and bull bars and winches and all that good stuff that you want
to go away with, so that basically you can tour this great country of ours.
We just want to show that the average family--you know, mum, dad, and two kids--can go out there
without spending an absolute entire fortune on their vehicle.
They can go out there and still get to the places that Simon and I go to.
You know, they don't have to, but if they want to they still can.
If this D-MAX can do what we want it to do, anyone else isn't going to have a problem.