Hard Yakka

When Jordan set out to build the perfect D-Max, he wasn’t taking no for an answer.

- Dan Everett

It's IRONIC. While we all look at a 4x4 as a tool to take us onliteral journeys, they often take us on metaphorical ones. The trials and tribulations of building the 4x4 of our dreams are often enough to rival any journey you’d take locked in low-range with the tyres aired down. While Jordan’s immaculate Isuzu D-Max might be a one of a kind, its story is one that we are all familiar with.

As an apprentice chippy (a family tradition) Jordan spent years longing for a 4x4 – a key to unlocking the countless adventures to be had far beyond city lights, and one he always felt out of reach of his modest earnings. Fast forward a few years and Jordan finished his trade and shifted his focus to building the 4x4 he’d been lusting for.

It’s fitting then that he chose Isuzu’s D-Max as the foundation, a history of hard work forged directly into an adventure machine, much like Jordan himself. The facelifted D-Max sports Isuzu’s venerable 4JJ1 under the bonnet, a 3.0L turbo-charged diesel engine capable of pounding out 8-second ¼-mile passes with just the right amount of crazy. Jordan’s kept his relatively stock, however, with a DPU performance module courtesy of Down Under Diesel Tuning tweaking the engine for more grunt. It howls through the dependable Safari snorkel, while an HPD catch can and Munji solid intercooler pipes add ticks to the reliability column.

But we digress; you’re here for the canopy, aren’t you? That oh-so-smooth operator is a trick unit zapped together by the guys at Tough Tinnies on the south coast of Queensland. While it looks heavier built than a Russian babushka, the whole unit is easily removed with the unfortunately named Jackoff system. A few clasps popped and a set of legs slid in, and the D-Max is free to roam the tracks while his home on the road is safe and sound back at camp.