A few years ago Tom decided to go for a drive through the wonderful country that Victoria has to offer. Wife, kids and lunch were all packed and ready to go. Not far down the dirt roads things started to get a little rough. A little further on, things got even rougher. Pretty soon the terrain got so bad that the commodore couldn't cope and they had to turn back.

It was pretty much at this point that Tom decided it was time to upgrade his vehicle.

Tom started looking around and pretty soon found a 4WD that suited his needs. The 1991 NH Pajero offered the economy, comfort and price he was looking for. The 3 litre petrol, 5-speed manual was exactly the combination of torque and power that his driving style called for.

As soon as Tom picked up the car he headed straight for Gembrook for his first off road experience in a 4WD. He put it in low range and started climbing up some nice muddy hills and he was hooked.

Trying to get out as much as possible Tom heads out to local tracks in Victoria often, and has been known to travel interstate on occasion, including Queensland. His vehicle has turned many heads on various trips because of its abilities to travel were many other vehicles of its kind fail. It's gutsy and die hard nature has also gained it the affectionate name of AngryPaj.

Later the modifications started to roll in. First came the creature comforts, including a UHF radio to keep his communication going; then came the sound system; next was the Garmin GPS and Navman navigator to keep him going in the right direction; and finally the air horns.

Then the true offroad modifications were added, including freewheeling hubs and wound up torsion bars. He also obtained a set of 3" Nissan Patrol springs to lift the back of the vehicle in line with the lifted front. 4Runner shocks were also added to increase the travel and flex - which surprisingly provided a great amount of flex to an otherwise non flexible vehicle. Also added was a TJM bull bar with custom winch cradle for the 12,000bl Tigerz11 winch and some spot lights.

Tom went further to include a set of standard sized 31X10.5 BFG M/T tyres for touring, and also purchased a set of 33" MTZ for more of the 'harder' offroad trips.

The engine remains stock except for a retune to increase the torque levels.

Tom's future plans for the Pajero include a 2" body lift, snorkel and lockers. He also aims to fit some drawers and cargo barrier to help keep things where they're meant to be.