OUR FOUR PART SERIES FOR HOW TO TRANSFORM YOUR 4WD IN A DAY

100 easy and essential DIY mods for under $100!

It’s in every red-blooded 4WDer’s DNA to give something a go yourself. Heck, half of us out there drive trucks around that we’re proud of because we built them in the shed with a few mates, a little bit of knowledge and a passion for 4WDs. Whether you’re a qualified mechanic with 20 years’ workshop experience, or a young fella who’s just got his hands on his very first 4WD, DIY projects are a sensational way to make your 4WD more capable and practical off-road.

We absolutely went to town to discover the best 100 DIY mods you can do that won’t break the bank. But not any old mod would do. We searched far and wide for those DIYs that are so epic, you get excited when you get to tell your mates about it for the first time – and even better, they get so excited that they want to do the same thing to their truck!

We have come up with a list of some absolutely awesome DIY projects that we’re pretty bloody chuffed about – and heck, you should be too, these are your mods! So sit back with a cold one and take note of what you need to do to your truck before you head bush again, we’ll be doing the same!

100 – SHOCK BASHPLATES

Protect your shocks against ruthless outback roads with this simple and cheap mod.

COST: FREE
DIFFICULTY: 2/5
TIME: 1 hour
TOOLS: pop rivet gun, drill, tin snips
MATERIAL: left over scrap metal, rivets

METHOD:

1. Measure out the size of bashplate you need and where you want to mount it
2. Cut-out a section of scrap metal to suit your desired shape
3. Drill a pilot hole in your mounting point such as the U-bolt bracket for the rivet to sit in
4. Pop rivet your bracket into place, you may need to bend the plate slightly to suit your desired shape

99 – UNDER BONNET LEDs

COST $20
TIME: 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY: 1/5
Get some Illuminator LED strip lighting and run it up along the inside of your bonnet and wire it up to a switch so you can turn it on when you open the bonnet. If you want to be really tricky, wire in a momentary switch that releases when the bonnet opens so the lights come on automatically. Alternatively if you don’t want to run permanent lighting, a 4-Bar camp light kit works just as well as they have a magnetic back to stick to your bonnet.

98 – RE-USABLE AIR STORAGE

COST $20
TIME: 2 hours
DIFFICULTY: 2/5
If you’ve got an old fire extinguisher lying around, you can set it up as a reserve pressurised air tank, making it really handy for things like reseating beads. You’ll need to drill and tap into it to run your air lines, so make sure it isn’t holding any pressure before you do.

97 – AC THERMO FAN

COST $50
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 2/5
Mount an aftermarket thermo fan on the front of your air con condenser and then run power through a fused relay to a switch so you can turn it on when you’re doing some low range crawling.

DIY PROJECTS ARE A SENSATIONAL WAY TO MAKE YOUR 4WD MORE CAPABLE OFF-ROAD

96 – SMART CARGO BARRIER STORAGE

COST $50
TIME: 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you’ve got a cargo barrier in your 4WD, adding storage there can help keep the little things tucked away. Velcro strips and small bags can be attached there to make the perfect storage solution for your gear – especially if you need to get to it quickly like a fire extinguisher or a Rescue Swag First Aid kit.

95 – BOTTLE OPENER AND BOTTLE TOP BIN

COST $10
TIME: 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
Adding a bottle opener to your drawers or your camp setup is a fantastic little accessory. To take it one step further, put a little bin or container below to catch your bottle tops.

94 – UNDER TRAY SHOVEL HOLDER

COST $25
TIME: 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you’ve got a trayback ute, using up the space underneath your tray for storage is a must. Get a piece of PVC pipe long enough for your shovel and secure it to the chassis. To secure the shovel, drill a hole through the handle and the PVC and run a bolt through it with a wingnut on the other end to secure it.

93 – BUDGET SOAP DISPENSER

COST $5
TIME: 5 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
Cable tie a bottle of soap next to your water tank outlet or on your chassis for a simple way to stay germ free out bush.

92 – GULLWING CANOPY STORAGE

COST $50
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY 2/5
If you’ve got a trayback ute canopy, utilising the inside of the canopy doors for storage of bulky items is ideal. Things such as tables can mount there pretty easily even with bungie cord and a few cheap tie-downs. Just make sure it’s not too heavy or the gas struts may not hold the door.

91 – SPINIFEX-PROOF DRIVELINE

Got some remote touring coming up? Keep crap from getting in your motor and driveline with this simple mod.
COST: $10
DIFFICULTY: 1/5
TIME: 20 minutes
TOOLS knife
MATERIAL: shade cloth, cable ties, car sponge

METHOD:

1. Figure out where you want to put your protective netting, and cut it to size, it works best on the bullbar and in some areas on the underbody.
2. Cable tie the shade cloth to the bullbar and wrap it around under the bullbar slightly to cover the front of the driveline.
3. Attach some car sponges around the uprights of the bullbar to section off your front grille in case the spinifex seeds still try to make it through.

WHAT NOT TO DO:
Don’t put the mesh near anything that moves, so it doesn’t get tangled.

90 – WINCH BREATHER

Tired of getting water in your winch? Check out this simple breather upgrade.
COST: $20
DIFFICULTY 2/5
TIME 2 hours
TOOLS tap and die set, spanners, sockets and Allen keys to get the winch apart
MATERIAL breather hose, brass air fittings, small filter, hose clamps

METHOD

1. Some winches have a small breather on the side already, so it’s a case of using that existing hole for your brass fitting. If not, you’ll need to tap into the motor housing. Just be sure that where you drill in, doesn’t have anything on the other side, such as the brushes or windings.
2. Apply a small amount of sealant and install your brass fitting. It’s also a good time to check and reseal the motor on your Domin8r X while you’re at it.
3. Install the winch and run the breather line up to a high point in the engine bay i.e. the firewall. Then install your filter or breather element and secure with hose clamps.

WHAT NOT TO DO:
If you are drilling into the housing make sure there is enough clearance from any electrical internals.

89 – BUDGET AUX FUEL TANK

COST $100
TIME: 8 hours
DIFFICULTY 4/5
If you’ve got spare space under your 4WD, getting an old fuel tank out of a lower model of your truck or from another model that fits is an awesome way to get extra fuel. It’s a bit fiddly but you can plumb it in to fill the main tank, or keep it separate, like a hard mounted jerry can.

88 – ADJUSTABLE BBQ PLATE

COST $50
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY 2/5
If you’ve got an old BBQ plate and some left over steel, you can make a telescopic cooker. It’s a case of welding the BBQ plate to a slide that moves up and down a stake. You can secure it with a bolt on the back side screwed through a welded on nut on the slide.

87 – TAILGATE FOLDOUT TABLE

COST $40
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY 2/5
Tailgates are perfect for a camping table but to take it to the next level, screw a bit of wood or alloy to the tailgate at 90° so it can fold out. Then you have an L-shaped kitchen for camp dinners.

86 – REMOVABLE MUDFLAPS

COST $10
TIME: 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY 3/5
Secure a bracket to your chassis that you can mount the mudflaps too, that can easily disconnect with an R-clip. Using two different sizes of square steel tube, one for the mudflap and one for the bracket, secure them together so they fit in to one another and are easily removable.

85 – BONNET GAS STRUTS

COST $50
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY 2/5
Converting your factory bonnet stay to a set of gas struts is simple, but it’s one of those mods that once you’ve done it, you don’t know how you lived without it.

84 – MARK YOUR TOOLS

COST $10
TIME: 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
It may seem straightforward, but spraying your tools with a bright coloured paint will help you in more ways than one. You’ll be able to see them when they’re in the dirt on the side of a track, and you’ll be able to find them in your mates toolkit when he ‘borrows’ them.

83 – TRIM YOUR U-BOLTS

COST: FREE!
TIME: 15 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
For those of you who have leaf springs, trim the excess off your U-bolts to stop them catching and bending out bush.

82 – DOOR HANDLE 12V

COST: $20 bucks
TIME: 30 minutes
DIFFICULTY 2/5
If you’ve got a spare space in your rear door light/ handle cover, mount a simple cigarette plug there for easy access to power.

81 – ONE HANDED DRAWERS

Tired of needing two hands to open your drawer? Check out this ultra-simple mod to make getting to your gear easier.
COST $5
DIFFICULTY 1/5
TIME 5 minutes
TOOLS Drill and drill bits
MATERIAL left over flat bar or pipe, tek screws

METHOD

1. Place a bit of pipe or flat bar between your two drawer latches.
2. Screw the pipe to the drawer latches so you can use one hand to open them up.
3. If you want to get really tricky, screw another small bit of bar to the middle of the bar to act as a tab.

80 – DIZZY BREATHER

Take your petrol 4WD anywhere with this simple waterproofing mod!
COST $50 bucks
DIFFICULTY 2/5
TIME 2 hours
TOOLS Drill, drill bits, tap and die kit
MATERIAL RTV sealant, brass threaded push fittings

METHOD

1. Remove your dizzy cap and put a bit of sealant over the drain hole (as this is usually the culprit for letting in water).
2. Find a point in the cap where your breather won’t contact the rotor button and drill and tap in the thread. Give the cap a clean to remove and gunk and place a small amount of sealant over the brass thread.
3. Run a bead of RTV sealant around the sealing lip of the cap and refit it.
4. Drill and tap a hole in the top of your airbox and install the second brass fitting, placing a small amount of sealant on the thread.
5. Run your breather line between the two brass fittings and secure it with cable ties.

WHAT NOT TO DO:

• Don’t put too much sealant around the dizzy cap as it may foul the contacts inside.
• Make sure you check where you drill and tap so the fitting doesn’t hit anything internally.

79 – DRAWER STAYS

COST: $20
TIME: 20 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you want to lock your drawers out while you’re cooking, put a small pad bolt lock on the front of the other (closed) drawer, and drill a small hole in the side of the open drawer when it’s open to keep it in place.

78 – DOOR THONG HOLDER

COST: FREE!
TIME: 20 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you’re over having your thongs sitting in the footwell getting in the way when you’re driving, get yourself a couple of old wire coat hangers and bend them in the shape of a cup holder, with a tab at the top to hook onto the map pocket. You can get your thongs in and out in a flash.

77 – BUDGET WATERBRA

COST: $30
TIME: 10 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you’re into cheap insurance for your 4WD, an old tarp and some occy straps. Wrap the tarp around your bullbar and secure it with the occy straps for a cheap and easy waterbra. It won’t be as effective but it will definitely help. Or alternatively you can use your Adventure Kings Awning Wall as an improvised waterbra.

76 – MATCHING YOUR HUBS

COST: $100
TIME: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY 2/5
If you tow an off-road camper trailer, match the wheel hubs with the ones on your 4WD. That way you can carry one set of spares, and tyres can fit between your 4WD and trailer if you need to swap them around.

75 – CAM BUCKLE GUY ROPES

COST: $5
TIME: 5 minutes
DIFFICULTY 1/5
If you’re a fan of tying down your Adventure Kings Awning rather than mucking around with knots, get some cheap $1 cam buckles and attach them to your guy ropes. Then all they need to do is clip to your awning and be pegged in.