How we built the GU Patrol

Here at Ultimate9, we get asked a lot of questions about 'Doug’ the GU Patrol. “What modifications have you done to the GU?” and “I’ve just bought a GU Patrol and I want to build it similar to how ‘Doug’ is built.” Continue reading on for the nitty-gritty details of the GU.

Building a 4WD to hit tough tracks and explore Australia is a lengthy and well-thought-out process. You can’t just cover the car in accessories and think it’s ready to conquer the tracks. 

Before building the GU we sat down and discussed what the vehicle will be used for. A lot of the trips Pete and Tim go on are the tough technical tracks more than touring outback Australia, so we wanted to build a 4WD that was strong, reliable and lightweight. Not a heavy ‘super tourer’. 

We're lucky enough to have a very talented team so some of the modifications were designed, engineered and manufactured in-house.  A custom bull bar was designed to host the Gigglepin GP100 Twin Motor Competition Winch, offer a good approach angle and include mounting points for our LED light bar and LED work lamps. The bar's styling cues may also look familiar - a nod to the Ultimate9 Nudge Bar program. We wanted a slimline roof rack that offered protection to the GU's gutters and could fit some of the travel essentials Pete normally stores up top such as a 50" LED light bar, Maxtrax Recovery Tracks, shovel and swag. We didn't see anything that matched our vision so we made this one ourselves too. 

One reason for the GU’s off-road dominance is down to the wheels and tyres. The guys at Dynamic Wheel Co. supplied us with the DWC 17x9 Lock Up Machined rims for the GU and Mickey Thompson gave us their best rubber, the Mickey Thompson Baja Boss Mud Terrians. When building a 4WD it is important to get the right rubber, because that’ll help you go further to begin with. 

We're always quizzed on the lift and the answer might come as a surprise to some. The GU is lifted with Old Man Emu suspension with a 2-inch lift in the rear and a 3-inch lift in the front with heavy-duty front control arms to give the correct castor so the vehicle steers better. A 3-inch lift in the front allowed us to level-out the car and give it added clearance - perfect for tricky tracks. Stopping the GU are Protex Slotted Brake Rotors and RDA Phantom Premium Brake Pads.

New Generation Clearview Mirrors offer us the best vision of our surrounds while the sills of the GU are protected by the custom-made Rock Sliders from our mates at SCF Fabworks. - these guys even had the Ultimate9 logo laser cut in, which we mostly admire while under the vehicle fixing something. Protecting the body from flying debris are the ABS Fender Flares by Kut Snake Australia.

We're always working on little improvements to the GU. Inside the GU you will find a false floor. This was built to safely transport all the gear needed for our trips with tie-down points to secure the items in the back. Keeping Pete and Tim from being flung about are the awesome Recaro Specialist L Nardo Black seats, provided by IdealSeat Company.  Under the front seats you'll find a couple of bilge pumps that were fitted right before our last major 4x4 trip to Tassie! If some water enters the cab as a result of a deep water crossing, we can pump the water out in a flash. Thankfully we didn't need to use these yet but we have purposely filled the GU with some water to give it a test-run (check out our TikTok). Lighting up the interior are our LED Rock Lights, installed into the rear doors and in the roof to help with setting up camp after dark. We've also just added a GPS HUD to help Pete avoid speeding fines! The HUD will give a more accurate speed reading and keep his tired eyes on the road when tackling extended trips.

Helping the GU conquer tracks is the Ultimate9 evcX Throttle Controller. This meant we could adjust the throttle to suit any driving situation on or off-road and remove the factory throttle lag. Through the tight technical tracks dampening the throttle really helped and when needing a bit more oomph, U9 is the setting of choice. 

If you are only here for the list of accessories, well, here it is!

- Bull Bar, designed and manufactured by U9
- Gigglepin GP100 Twin Motor Competition Winch with in-cab controls and air-free spool powered by 2 batteries 
- Roof rack, designed and manufactured by U9
- 26" Ultimate9 LED Light Bar and Ultimate9 LED Work Lamps: Flush Mount intergrated into bull bar
- 50" Ultimate9 LED Light Bar on the roof rack
- DWC 17x9 Lock Up Machined rims
- 35" Mickey Thompson Baja Boss Mud Terrians
- Old Man Emu Suspension with 3" lift in the front and 2" in the rear
- Upgraded heavy-duty front control arms
- Upgraded brakes (Protex Slotted Brake Rotors and RDA Phantom Premium Brake Pads)
- Next Gen Towing Mirror by Clearview Accessories
- SCF FATBOY Rock Sliders by SCF Fabworks
- ABS Fender Flares by Kut Snake Australia
- False Floor (Middle and Back Rows)
- Recaro Specialist L Nardo Black
- Bildge Pumps
- Codebreaker GPS HUD 
- evcX Throttle Controller
- Codebreaker 4 Mode OBD2 Computer
- MyCoolman 60L Fridge
- Maxtrax MKII Recovery Tracks

See you on the tracks!