The Mighty Boy was missing all of its front sheet metal and interior when Anthony got hold of it, but that didn’t faze him because most of it was to be chopped out anyway. The LJ80 donor car was picked up for a song, as these days they’re getting on in years and most fo the time the bodies are stuffed, making them ideal for projects such as this.

Mating the Mighty Boy shell to the 4WD chassis involved stretching the chassis 230mm in the wheelbase, as well as fabricating various brackets. Lots of time went into perfectly created inner front guards: what was left of the Suzuki sheetmetal was cut away and new inner skinning made form fresh sheet steel. The workmanship is first class and would do a race-preparation workshop proud.

Bracing comes in the form of 25mm square section tubing forming a second set of ‘sort-of’ chassis rails. New front outer sheet metal from the windscreen forward painted in the original red completed the easy bits of the build.Complete with standard drivetrain, Anthony drove around for a while until the idea of more grunt occurred. The Toyota 1.6 litre twin cam 4A-GE motor seemed to be about the right size, price and power - so out came the tired Suzuki 4WD motor and in went the 4A-GE. Anthony made more sheet metal mods to the firewall and floor to make the new motor and T18 five-speed gearbox fit.

Squeezing a longitudinal four with a wide DOHC head into the space where a transverse, 500cc three used to be means that #4 cylinder and the bell housing sit almost directly behind the dash panel. The standard Suzuki transfer case was moved rearward on the chassis, its location being determined by fact that Anthony cunningly wanted to use the original front driveshaft at the rear, that way he would only have to fork out cash for a custom front one. Another custom driveshaft was made up to link the gearbox to the transfer case. About 20cm long, it is virtually two uni-joints welded back to back.

Various parts of the anatomy had to be cut, shut, squeezed and fiddled to allow the two shifts to reach up through the floor. The heater behind the dash had to be relocated because now there was a motor in the way and a home found for the 4A-GE’s brain box. The wiring loom and pedals had to be modified to clear the new lumps and bumps on the floor. The steering box had to be moved about 60mm from its original location to clear the new motor. Get the picture? It’s highly modified!

Various parts of the anatomy had to be cut, shut, squeezed and fiddled to allow the two shifts to reach up through the floor. The heater behind the dash had to be relocated because now there was a motor in the way and a home found for the 4A-GE’s brain box. The wiring loom and pedals had to be modified to clear the new lumps and bumps on the floor. The steering box had to be moved about 60mm from its original location to clear the new motor. Get the picture? It’s highly modified!

The axles on this beast are standard, although the front now carries a set of Sierra discs - an engineering requirement. A set of Bulldog front springs at standard height were made for the vehicle and the shots are Monroe gas units. Sunraysia wheels with decent sized tyres certainly make the original tyres look… um, small. The Mighty Bad Boy is in fact, just about the same height as the original Suzuki 4WD on which it was based, even though it looks a mile high. The RTA boys didn’t have a problem with registering the vehicle either, as Anthony did it the right way by consulting an engineer. That’s not to say the RTA boys didn’t break into fits of laughter when they first laid eyes on the thing, though. Of interest is the two compliance plates on the firewall, one for the body and one for the chassis.