Adding 4×4 swagger in Umhlali

Raised suspension, monster bull bars, off road bumpers, winches and custom finishes – Hardcore 4×4 is where boys and their toys become men with trucks.

Keith Muller is the man behind the 4×4 modification company in Umhlali and said the business was born from his lifelong hobby and passion for off-roading.

“I came from the environmental industry and enjoyed a great lifestyle before things took a bad turn and I lost everything.

“I moved to Ballito in 2016 and had to start over. My son, Keeanu, actually suggested that I start building 4x4s as our family spent some of our best times driving around Mozambique and Botswana and most of SA,” said Muller, who has competed in various off road competitions.

Before you start any modifications, he said you need to think about what you are going to do with your 4×4 so that you do not make incorrect decisions that will cost you a fortune.

“No two 4×4’s are the same. It is a very personal thing. It is like buying a house and furnishing it to your taste – some want a bar, others want a double door fridge with an ice maker. With a 4×4 some guys will want solar panels, others will want drawers and compartments for the wife to organise everything and then there those who just want to go where the other boys can’t. ”

According to Keith there are four types of 4×4 vehicles.

“Pavement parkers are the monster trucks that will never go into the bush and are purely modified for visual appeal and are made to go fast and loud.

“The glampers who travel from lodge to lodge need to be able to get through the bush reliably and comfortably, but they will have a toned down version compared to the practical over landing live-in vehicles.

“These 4×4 are created for the guys who want to drive to Vic Falls through Botswana – you want to make sure their meat stays frozen, beers are cold, they have a rooftop tent and the necessary tools and gadgets to recover themselves should they get stuck.”

“Then there are the workhorses – farm vehicles that need off road bumpers, cattle rails and the right kit for work applications.”

One of his most exciting builds so far was fully kitting out a fresh-from-the-box left-hand drive Land Cruiser made in the UAE which was brought straight to his workshop from Angola where it was modified and then driven back to Angola – a roughly 9000 kilometre round trip.

“The owner of the 4×4 was looking at starting coastal fishing tours along Angola and had a two-page wish list of modifications.

“We did everything to this single cab, from custom cup holders, full rust treatment, bush clearing cables, off-road bumpers, RSI canopy, ATM performance software, performance exhaust, Old Man Emu suspension, roof racks, bar lights, winch, full drawer system, a custom built power control unit powered by a Dc-Dc charging unit and twin deep-cycle batteries and interior and exterior lights that can be changed from white light to orange light for those nights in the bush as orange light does not attract bugs.”

If you are new to the 4×4 world and you are still deciding what type of off roading you want to do, Keith said a good place to start is suspension.

“Suspension and good tyres is the most important upgrade in my opinion. Good suspension will make your vehicle more capable and comfortable as it irons out corrugated roads and you will cruise over speed bumps like butter.

“We use mostly Australian kits as they are the world leaders when it comes to research and development and if it will survive the Outback, it will survive Africa. Entry level suspension sets you back 15K, but a decent upgrade is about 30K depending on vehicle.”