Holy Trinity

FATHER, SON AND A HOLEY (RUSTY) PATROL.

- Mark Allen

MY OLD Holden one-tonner was built in 1977, though it’s had numerous changes through its life, with a different chassis, engine, gearbox and fresh paint job; the shiny new(ish) Commodore rolled off the line in 2011; and the rusty, neglected, fairly straight and mostly stock GQ Patrol first hit the dirt in 1989. The last two vehicles will be picked apart to turn the Tonner into one wild 4x4.

Initially, I was happy to purchase an LS1 or 2 from a wrecker, along with whatever box came with it, as they return good, cheap and reliable power, but an unexpected call from Jason at Total Care in Sydney changed everything.

“Mate, there’s a VE MkII Maloo R8 ute that has been in a rear ender and statuary written off just near our shop… ya want it, ya better be quick,” he said.

“Shit yeah,” I shouted back. “LS3 and a six-speed auto with tiptronic-style shifting… jump on it, now.”

Wholly cow, my project 4x4 Tonner shot into the fast lane big time when I laid my money down for it. The Maloo only had minor damage to the rear end, but it was legally written off, so it couldn’t be re-registered. Other than the stonking engine and six-speed auto, there were a stack of reasons why I jumped at this ute: having the complete vehicle gave me access to the wiring loom and all the smaller parts that make the complete conversion so much easier and cheaper, so I had no need to scour the wreckers or online sites, spending time and money on unseen parts.