Bastard of the Bushveld

I live in the Limpopo province, where you see Land Cruisers everywhere you look. When I came accross a 1986 Nissan Safari on OLX, I immediately decided to buy it, as they’re not easily found, and I wanted to show the Cruiser guys that Nissan also has a bakkie like theirs. The seller claimed the vehicle had previously belonged to rally driver Hannes Grobler, and that the second owner was apparently Martin van Rensburg, founder of Maus Performance. At first, I thought it was a sales ploy, but I tracked down Hannes and Martin – and they confirmed it was true. Hannes was racing for Nissan South Africa Motorsport at the time, and he says Nissan commissioned Meano Conversions in Krugersdorp to convert a Safari into a double cab as a holiday rig for him and his family. Hannes even sent me photos of his towing combination (pictured right). He later increased the 2,8 ℓ engine capacity to 3 ℓ – the modification was done by Vanderlinde Developments under the supervision of Hennie van der Linde, another legendary Nissan racing driver. Unfortunately, the Nissan L28 engine eventually packed up, and the seller replaced it with a Lexus V8 engine. It didn’t sit right with me that this stately dame had Toyota parts, and because the seller still had the original L28 engine, I was able to recondition it and put it back where it belonged. I asked the Patrol Forum’s opinion on restoring the Safari to original, but a forum member pointed out that this Safari had been a conversion from the start and that there would be nothing wrong with putting my own spin on it. Galaxy Customs in Pretoria removed the rust spots, the website mq-patrol.com indicated which GQ Patrol parts I could use in a K160 Safari, and David Volschenk from Bela-Bela helped me get hold of these parts. I also imported rubber seals from Australia and a visor for the windscreen from Poland. I built the bullbar, rollbar, load bin and rock sliders myself. Now you know why I refer to my truck as a bastard. It’s not meant to be unkind. The project changed constantly shape as I kept getting new ideas. The 6x6 conversion, for example, was never part of the original plan, but when I saw a photo of one such conversion, I wanted one as well. The third ‘lazy’ axle is not currently powered. I’m busy devising a plan to use two transfer cases to get six-wheel drive. I also want to fit coil springs up front, because my Safari has a bumpy ride. The rear-end is in the making, and I’m still deciding whether to mount a fifth wheel – think of a Mac truck with a trailer – or convert it into a so-called Aussie tray with a rooftop tent that unfolds toward the rear rather than the side. The 35-inch wheels rob the engine of power – and it’s only going to get worse once all six of them are powered – and this is why I’m considering a bigger capacity Nissan engine. At this point, however, I’m satisfied with the build. I just hope my wife doesn’t sell it one day for the same amount I told her I spent on Baster – that guy will get a bargain!