Never underestimate a farmer. Colin Schulze from Bogan Gate grew up on the land, then farmed his own properties all his working life with his single qualification being a wool classer, so it's hard not to be impressed with the work he's done in rebuilding his 1984 HJ47 Toyota Landcruiser.
"On the farm, when things break you just get in and fix them," Colin said.
"You pull things apart methodically and put them back together and learn your skills along the way. I had the time, the space and most of the tools, so when it was time to restore the HJ47 I thought I'd have a go myself."
It was originally his son's first vehicle when he was 18 but after a change in plans Colin acquired it and in 2017 he began the restoration to what you see now.
This was no quick re-spray but a custom nut and bolt rebuild from the chassis up. It started with an engine, and a big one at that. The cab came off and a 6.5 litre Chev diesel V8 was put in place to make sure it all lined up.
"The complete kit came from Brunswick Diesel in W.A. and aside from needing to make new mounts, it married up well to the 5 speed box from a later model HZJ75," Colin said.
"I discovered along the way that the original chassis was badly rusted so after a lot of searching I found another and the build progressed from there."
The list is endless as to the work that Colin has done. ARB air lockers in both diffs, 2" lift, heavier springs and shocks, torsion bars front and back and custom exhaust. There's a custom tray, canopy and toolboxes and a new roof on the cab.
The front grille is from a Brazilian Bandeirante and inside there's a custom dash and console, XR Ford seats, Mazda armrests and a Subaru mirror. The colour remains Toyota with Barcelona Red and a white pearl roof.
Wheels are 16 x 8" Allied alloys and the whole rig was finished and engineered to hit the road in October 2022.
Colin has done an amazing job and was rewarded with Best 4x4 trophy at Gnoo Blas car show in 2023.
If you'd like a closer look he'll have it at the Central West Car Club Charity Show 'n Shine this year where utes are the feature vehicle.
Saturday, October 19 at Pioneer Oval in Parkes so come along. Find out more at www.centralwestcarclub.com or on Facebook.