Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series chopped and transformed into mind-blowing ute

They say that art is the application of human skill and imagination, and honestly, it’s difficult to come up with a better summation of this rig.

Meet Pete Newell, who owns Offroad & Outback in Romsey, Victoria. Pete has a long history with Toyotas owning no fewer than 10 of them over the years, most well modified.

Recently, he was shopping around for a new bus to turn into his version of the ideal tourer, so it was a no-brainer for him to grab this ex-demo 300 Series LandCruiser as a bit of a blank canvas. From there Pete got somewhat carried away, but the end result is nothing short of sensational.

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Not only is his steed among the first 300s in the country to get modified into a ute (that number is growing daily), but it also has to be one of the neatest conversions we’ve seen. Ever.

The details are often the difference between a hack job and something clean enough to eat off, and the longer you look at Pete’s Cruiser the more you start to appreciate the time taken and effort that’s gone into it.

It’s like if Leonardo Da Vinci, Ferrucio Lamborghini and Tony Stark decided to work together on a ute-chop.

It’s really about as good as they get.

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Getting started

This was always going to be built into Pete’s perfect touring weapon, so the usual mods were quickly fitted up as soon as the ink was dry on the rego papers.

TJM was called upon to provide XGS Roamer struts and shocks at each corner along with matching XGS coils. Pete and his team at Offroad & Outback fitted them up in the workshop and, at the same time, the GVM was upgraded to 4200kg while the GCM was bumped up to 7700kg. This means the Cruiser can legally pull the maximum 3500kg behind it when fully loaded.

Airbag Man supplied the helper-bags out back, while a Roadsafe adjustable Panhard keeps the rear axle from going on walkabout after the lift went in. The rolling stock has also been upgraded to a set of Mickey T Baja Boss 285/65R18s and graphite ROH 18x9 Assault alloys.

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A Warn Evo 12s winch has been bolted up out front and a set of Ultravision Nitro Max spotties keep the track from disappearing after the sun sets.

Inside is a comfy place to spend a few thousand kays of line chasing, so the mods have been fairly minimal, at least by Pete’s standards. Some custom-stitched Supafit seat covers, a Hema HX2 replacement rear-view and matching wi-fi camera, and a Redarc TowPro unit have all been installed for self-evident reasons.

Up top Pete and the team bolted on a Pioneer Series 6 platform from Rhino-Rack and a newly released Darche 180 free-standing awning provides protection when Mother Nature is in one of her moods.

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Clearview power boards make getting in and out of the Cruiser about as easy as it gets and add a touch of luxury for any vertically-challenged vehicle occupants.

A Brown Davis 110L sub-tank (giving 210L total, or around 1500km range) feeds the V6 diesel, while the Safari Snorkel provides the air for it to be mixed with.

By the time you read this, a Unichip power module will have also been installed, along with a 3.5-inch stainless steel exhaust and some dyno time to get it all working at full efficiency.

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On the chop

As we already alluded to, there are chops and there are chops. Doing a ute conversion is not the most difficult thing in the world to do.

But doing a ute conversion properly – well, that takes some serious skill and effort.

Pete dropped the 300 off to ASG 4X4 and had the team work its magic on the body and frame. The result is something that truly has to be seen to be appreciated. The now-dual-cab’s chassis was lengthened 410mm before being welded back together and plated for extra strength.

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When asked why he went for the 410mm extension over the more common 600mm of extra length, Pete pointed out that it’s still his daily driver, and the bigger stretch would make navigating places like carparks and tighter tracks a bit of a headache. It needed to maintain its practicality.

From there, the body was shaped to suit – just look at the continuation of the lower rear door line as it flows into the tray, or the angle of the rear bulkhead continuing the line of the leading edge of the mudguard.

It’s so seamless that you’d be forgiven for thinking they came from the factory like this, but it takes a hell of a lot of skill to create something so smooth. Hats off guys.

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The canopy

To sort the fresh lack of bodywork on the back end, Pete entrusted the 300 to Trig Point Service Bodies, who bolted up one of its canopies after it had the doors colour-matched Dusty Bronze to match the rest of the vehicle.

Again, the custom touches abound, and set it apart from a generic off-the-shelf build. Things like the flat base (so no lip to catch fridge doors or drawers), the single central locking-activated door handles, monocoque construction, recessed LED taillights, adjustable spare carrier and fold-down ladder, and contoured for maximum departure angle storage boxes are all indicators of a top-shelf unit.

Inside, Pete and his team bolted in a set of custom RV Storage drawers that house an Engel 30L drawer fridge and a pair of 1100mm deep storage drawers on the driver’s side.

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An Enerdrive Adventurer 200A lithium system keeps the amps flowing and is kept topped up by the slimline solar panel up on the roof.

There’s also a Bushman upright 85L fridge and a 70L water tank underneath so hydration should never really be a problem for Pete and his family.

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Down the track

We all know builds like this are never finished. Pete’s to-do list is still longer than your arm and given how far he’s come in a relatively short window of ownership, don’t be surprised if things happen sooner rather than later.

In the meantime, he has plans to enjoy it with a trip to the Kimberley coming up in the dry season, towing his 19-foot Lotus caravan behind him. If you happen to see him out on the tracks make sure you say g’day and check this rig out for yourself.

But be warned, it’s pure art and you’ll probably end up more than a little jealous. Ask us how we know…