Sandy 79 4×4 Mag
The air is sucked in via a schmick-looking AMVE airbox and is mixed with diesel from the 185L Brown Davis fuel tank, before the spent gasses are pumped rearwards via a 3.5-inch exhaust courtesy of Torqit, which also gives the V8 a healthy bark when the loud pedal is leaned on.
The back end
When you’ve stretched the frame, gone to town on the body, completely re-designed the entire suspension system and thrown a brazillion custom touches at your rig, you wouldn’t settle for an off-the-shelf canopy set-up, would you? Mark had AMVE build him a custom rear-end to his specs. The icing on the cake as it were.
The canopy bolts directly to the frame and has been powder-coated externally in Black Texture finish, while the inside has been coated white to keep internal temps down. A pair of toolboxes sit on either side of the wheels while the rear roller drawer is completely sealed away from the elements.
The doors are lifted by dual-struts and the whale tail locks are all wired in with the central locking system. A Bush Company Maxx awning is mounted over on the passenger side and the rear wall sees a mount for the spare 35 and a ladder to access the inbuilt roof rack system, as well as a pair of jerry can holders.
All in all, it looks a lot like an average canopy at first glance, but it’s when you add up all of the little details that you begin to appreciate the extent of the build.
Most canopies have a lip where the door seals, for example, but not this one. The floor is flush with the opening, making retrieving gear and opening internal drawers a snap.
The framework has been recessed for the Renogy 3000W inverter, the Joolca hot water system is fitted on its own slide-out, and there’s a custom bench slide-out for the microwave, air-fryer, Nespresso machine and twin induction stove (which is frankly better decked out than my kitchen at home).
A 130L Bushman upright fridge and Oztrail drawer freezer take care of keeping the food fresh, and there’s also a custom 100L water tank for showers and cooking. In other words, if you can’t find what you need in this canopy, you’re not looking hard enough.
And yep, there’s still plenty of storage inside the canopy too. Just goes to show that the perfect 4X4 is not unachievable – the devil is in the detail.
Best bet is to do it through a company, like AMVE, who will have its own contacts and know exactly what needs to happen to make everything legal, saving you time and money in the long run.
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