SpeedTechAU, Engineering & Mech.

Our work.

Real jobs, photographed on the bench and in the garage. Start with the full write-up of a personal build, a GQ Patrol V8 conversion, then two customer race builds, then browse the rest.

Black Nissan GQ Patrol wagon on a sandy bank under a bridge

Personal build · full write-up

GQ Patrol V8 conversion

My own 1992 Nissan GQ Patrol. The TB42 petrol six was too underpowered for towing and the 4WD recovery work I wanted it for, so it's been stripped back to the chassis and rebuilt with an LQ4 V8, a 4L80e automatic, GU axles with air lockers and custom rear radius arms.

Read the build

Customer race builds

Two separate off-road race cars, both customer-owned and built with them for the Finke Desert Race. I've also been the navigator in many of their races, though not at Finke.

2022–2023

Polaris RZR Turbo S: driver position, steering and brakes

An existing race car, stripped and fully rebuilt, roll cage and all, in about four months to make the Finke Desert Race in June 2023. We helped with tube bending, welding and fabrication throughout, and took on the steering and brakes.

  • Steering wheel moved 80 to 100 mm towards the centre of the car, on a new mount that adjusts in steps. From the factory the driver sits half sideways, which wears you out on long enduro courses.
  • A second universal joint and a support bearing added to the steering shaft to suit. The finished steering has no play.
  • Factory pedal box and master cylinder replaced with an aftermarket Wilwood assembly, mounted inside the car on a custom frame that doesn't flex under full braking. That let the seat move closer to the centre of the car, for less driver fatigue and a better centre of gravity.

  1. Back to the frame

    Stripped back to the frame on the garage floor, with the clock running to Finke.

    Bare steel tube frame on stands in a home garage, drivetrain sitting inside it

  2. Back on its wheels

    Suspension, hubs and wheels back on so ride height and the new steering could be set.

    Tube frame sitting on off-road tyres with suspension fitted, in the garage at night

2023–2024

Polaris RZR Pro R: cage, dash, fuel and electrics

Brand new and straight off the boat, then fully stripped for the Finke Desert Race in 2024. The factory roll cage and its mounts were cut away and the car rebuilt.

  • A new full roll cage, seats and mounts fabricated.
  • Dash designed and made from cut and folded aluminium sheet, TIG welded, to carry the gauges, head unit, a Motec PDM keypad and a kill switch within reach.
  • Bonnet panel reworked to move the fuel filler for a quick-fill system on the new under-seat fuel cell.
  • Spare-axle mount cut, welded and turned from chromoly steel and tube.
  • Accessories wired, routed and programmed through a Motec PDM.
  • Shocks rebuilt, and help with the suspension tuning.

It won its class at the Finke Desert Race in 2025, and came second in 2026.

  1. Aluminium dash

    Dash and centre console folded from aluminium sheet around the steering wheel and switch gear.

    Raw aluminium dash panel fitted across the chassis, steering wheel mounted

  2. Electrics packaged

    Battery box fabricated and the digital dash and switch panel mounted.

    Aluminium dash on the bench with a digital display and switch panel fitted

  3. Designed in CAD

    Intake ducting modelled in CAD before any parts were made.

    3D CAD model of an intake duct on a computer screen

  4. Fully assembled

    Cage, seats, suspension and exhaust on. Ready for a shakedown.

    Side view of the completed car with its roll cage and blue coil-over shocks

  5. Shocks rebuilt

    Shocks stripped, rebuilt and recharged with nitrogen, then set up with the owner.

    Charging a blue shock absorber reservoir with nitrogen through a gauge

  6. Race day

    Raced, covered in mud and still in one piece.

    The car covered in mud in the pits after a race

Gallery

Got a project in mind?

Brackets, panels, one-off parts or a full build. Send a brief and we'll come back with a plan and a quote.

Send a project brief
CallTextBook