Heart and lung transplant

Not far from my house was a dirt-floor Thai mechanic who always seemed to have 4WD's in his "shop". I stopped in and asked him what he recommended for my Jeep, considering I wanted 4WD to work. He suggested a modified fuel-injected Toyota engine mated to a short Diahatsu 4WD gearbox. He said it would all fit with some more floor cutting and it would cost about $1,000 for the imported Japanese engine, gearbox and adapter plate and all his labour.

I was sceptical he really understood what I wanted, but I went with him.

I dropped in most days to see the progress and over about 4 weeks he transplanted that fresh little engine, gearbox, ECU, new radiator and battery under the hood. He also added a new exhaust for me....with a chrome tip...sweet.

The big day finally arrived. When he turned the key, she started right up and the new engine had a throaty little growl. I was imressed at what he had managed to do in this workshop.

I then asked him to change the shocks, replace all the crosmembers underneath, replace all the steering components and do a complete safety check.

Then it was time for the test drive. He took me down this back road, deep into the rocky jungle ravine with steep sides. It rattled a lot. He stopped. He reversed and I assumed he was doing to do a 3-point turn to go back. He looked at me and said "hang on" with a broad grin. Then he revved the fresh engine, dropped the new clutch, spun those little, narrow wheels and took off up the side of the ravine. It felt like 60 degrees, but it was probably 45 degrees.

It was incredible. This little Jeep was unbelieveable and the Driver was pretty good too. I could not stop smiling at the power and ability of my little Jeep. It was a great day and I changed underpants when I got home.

So, it now ran.