Brandon Braybrook’s dad Colin introduced him to 4WDing. The family’s 1985 Land Rover 110 took them on many off-roading, touring and camping adventures.
Based in Featherston, the Braybrooks were members of the local 4WD club.
Then, when Brandon was 15, the trusty Landie was sold.
The 4WD ‘addiction’ had taken hold in Brandon, and he said from that early age if he had a chance to buy the 110 back, he would do it. In the meantime, his first 4WD was a D22 Nissan Navara.
Fast forward to 2023, and the Land Rover was up for sale.
“I couldn’t pass up the opportunity.”
The Landie wasn’t exactly in mint condition. “It had a lot of issues with it upon buying it back and I got straight into getting it underway,” he said.
Within four weeks of buying it, Brandon had the Landie back on the road and fully legal.
There were many hours of cutting out rust, carrying out extensive mechanical work, cleaning and degreasing.
“Massive thanks to Ashley at Mainland Rover for all his knowledge and support with this project.”
It wasn’t simply about restoring the 110 to roadworthy status. Brandon, who is now president of the Featherston 4WD club, wanted more.
The key changes to the Landie – in just over a year since Brandon purchased it back – have maximised its off-roading ability. These modifications took just four weeks over Christmas 2023, and have maximised its underpinnings with a 50mm Terrafirma suspension lift, front and rear ARB lockers and heavy duty Terrafirma steering components.
The vehicle has a 12000lb Ridge Ryder electric winch to assist with recovery off-road.
Tyres are 35-inch Goodride M8085.
The lights have been switched to LED units.
Inside, the seats have been upgraded from the fairly awful stock items to Mazda RX8 buckets. Brandon has also added a GME radio for vehicle-to-vehicle communications and for peace of mind when exploring remote tracks far from mobile phone coverage.
It’s still a family affair – all the work was done by Brandon and dad Colin.
So is it finished? Arguably, no 4WD build is ever finished.
Brandon says there’s still plenty coming up for the 110, including a full interior touring setup, an upgraded winch, a rear winch, and then an engine swap.
Brandon says he’s keen to switch to BMW’s M57 six-cylinder turbodiesel diesel engine, which offers power and torque improvements and better driveability.
“The plan for the future is to continue to build this vehicle up to be an all-round capable tough truck while still being a comfortable tourer,” he said.
There have been some epic events undertaken.
“So far, we have done some tough tracks as we test the truck’s limits and capabilities in places like Rallywoods and Akatarawa Forest. I have a big trip planned for Christmas 2025: four weeks touring the South Island.”
A last word from Brandon: “I got into 4WDing through my father owning this vehicle and joining the Featherston family 4WD club – of which I am now the president. The 110 is my dream 4WD. This is very much a ‘family and mates’ activity, although in the end we are all basically one big family getting outdoors and enjoying the 4WDs.”
