COUNTRY LIVIN'

MOVE OVER BIG CITY LIGHTS, GEN Z ARE MORE INTERESTED IN BULLDUST AND CAMPFIRES

- DAN EVERETT

THERE'S been a seismic shift over the last few years. In a world that never shuts off, surrounded by constant notifications and interconnectivity, the latest generation to get their driver's licences are shunning the big city lights and heading deep in to the heartland of Australia. Fluent in diff locks. At home in a swag. They're not just keeping 4WDing alive for generations to come, they're responsible for it exploding in popularity.

The owner of this once-in-a-lifetime Cruiser you're looking at is just 21. Every spare dollar Jack earns goes in to this rig, and every spare moment he has the spotlights pointing towards the bush. His weekends spent far beyond where mobile reception runs out.

So how does a 21-year-old bloke build a Cruiser? Like most builds these days, the heavy lifting was done before the Sandy Taupe dual cab had ever been registered. A shopping list worth of modifications are all made 100 per cent legally through the Second Stage Manufacturing scheme.

THE STRETCH

BEFORE work even began on the suspension, Jack had the team at Ultimate Stretches in Sydney's west slice and dice the factory frame, bumping the wheelbase out an additional 300mm. The popular modification not only has the obvious benefit of allowing a 300mm longer tray to be fitted, but it also means that tray can carry its weight directly over the rear axle, rather than entirely behind it like the stock configuration. Those who have driven a stretched rig would know the end result is a 4x4 that's far less twitchy at freeway speeds, and far more planted when towing.

THINKING LATERALLY