Bud's Customs

18/10/2026

We originally did a major build on this Jeep in 2014:
Rear 4 Link
Dana 60 Rear Axle
Rear Coilovers
Custom Rear Tank
Rear Quarter Protection
Front Tube Guards
Belly up plate (to name a few)

Vehicle changed hands twice, and the current owner wanted to get it finished up like it should be.

So this time around we got the matching Currie high pinion 60 and sourced all the parts, needing to get it in with a custom 5 link front, and coil overs to complete the vehicle.

Unfortunately on its first weekend out, a misjudged rock took the tail shaft out but a simple repair and Bambam will be back on the trail.

15/10/2026

If you know, you know.

Installing bearings as part of a Nissan Patrol reduction gear setup.

To most people, probably not the most exciting thing to watch.

But to the true 4WD enthusiasts… this is the good stuff.

14/10/2026

13/10/2026

A better rear long arm kit shouldn’t just work better. It should be easier to fit too.

That’s exactly why we redesigned our GQ/GU Patrol Rear Heim Lower Long Arm Kit – Gen 2 (SC-002220).

After years of fitting our own kits and other brands, we knew there had to be a better way. So we built one.

Here’s what makes this kit different:

👉🏻 Around half the install time – Our double-shear bracket design eliminates the need to hole-saw through the chassis rail, saving a heap of labour. That little extra you spend on the kit can be saved on installation.

👉🏻 Stronger mounting brackets – Built from 6mm and 8mm steel, with a plug-weld slot that makes installation easier, particularly on wagons.

👉🏻 Engineering support – We can supply testing data to assist with engineering approval for road use, including higher rear axle loading as part of GVM upgrades. Final approval is subject to your engineer and applicable requirements.

👉🏻 Slider mounting provision – We’ve even incorporated mounting points for rock sliders into the bracket design.

And of course, you still get the benefits of rear long arms — reduced rear steer, less pinion angle change and better axle behaviour when climbing obstacles.

Less mucking around fitting it. More time actually using the Patrol. 😏

Available now on the Bud’s website.

11/10/2026

Apparently Buddy’s being helpful again. 🙄

Thanks Rachael - glad you’re loving the new front bar!

We’d really appreciate it if everyone could stop leaving nice reviews though.

Every time you do, someone tells us we have to post them.😂

08/10/2026

Throwback to one of our favourite builds of 2023.

Shauno 4wd’s 'Dirty 30' got a fair bit of Bud’s treatment, and it’s still one we love looking back on.

Up front, we converted it to our front long arm setup, based on our popular 79 Series kit but with revised crossmember and mounts to suit the 80 Series chassis.

We also stretched the front guard openings and frenched the front valance panel to work with Shauno’s custom front bar.

Out back, the old 5-link was replaced with a double triangulated 4-link, along with a custom water tank designed to squeeze into the available space and a DFI torsion sway bar to finish it off.

A lot of custom work went into this one.

And three years later… still one of our faves.

06/10/2026

One of the first Hilux products we designed… and we’re still making it. 👊

Our Hilux Steering Box Mounting Kit – AP-000003 dates right back to 2005 and is designed for fitting an IFS steering box to a solid axle Hilux as part of a crossover/high-steer conversion
The Gen 2 version uses larger 5mm mounting plates to spread the load, along with machined crush tubes and mounting hardware to get the steering box sitting where it needs to.

It’s not exactly the glamorous part of a Hilux build…

But getting this bit right is pretty bloody important.

04/10/2026

👑 THE KINGS ARE CLOCKING OFF.

Buddy & Jeremy have decided the King’s Birthday is as good an excuse as any for a long weekend. 😂

Bud’s Customs will be CLOSED today for the King’s Birthday public holiday.

We’ll be back tomorrow, rested, refreshed and ready to pretend we didn’t spend the whole day talking about 4WDs anyway.

01/10/2026

There’s something pretty satisfying about seeing something you built 11 years ago come back through the workshop.

We originally built this fabricated housing for a winch truck back in 2015. After years of doing exactly what winch trucks do, the long-side tube had tweaked out of position.

And not by a little bit. 😬

These shots show just how far it was out - and where we got it back to after the straightening process.

Built to be used. And when it’s been used bloody hard, built so we can get it straight and send it back out again.

29/09/2026

Why the banana? 🍌 There’s actually a bloody good reason.

We originally developed our Hilux Banana Shackles back in 2005 for the Rear-Up-Front conversion on solid axle Hiluxes.

That bend isn’t there to look pretty - it allows the spring to fully compress toward the frame without the shackle getting friendly with the body mount.

The Gen 2 Hilux Front Banana Shackles – AI-000370 are built from 10mm steel with a 6mm centre brace, with our CNC-machined 4140 pins designed to improve shackle and bush life.

Nearly 20 years later and we’re still making them.

Turns out bananas do belong under a Hilux......