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Shaun Whale

Shauno’s never owned a vehicle that’s not a 4WD. The passion began as a youngster driving around in his Grandad’s old HJ47 LandCruiser on the farm. His first 4WD – a Suzuki Sierra taught him a lot of great lessons at a young age: basic mechanics, patience and just how much fun short wheel based 4WDs are on the tracks!

Since his first days as an editorial assistant for 4WD Action – Shauno has driven just about every hard track in Australia, camped at the best campsites in every state (and a lot of the worst ones too!), and broken and replaced or fixed every part on a Toyota LandCruiser… Over that time, he’s figured out what to look for in 4WDs and the gear you put on them, not to mention what spares, tools to take.

THE DIRTY 30

The Dirty 30 started life as a Toyota LandCruiser Sahara 60 Series. It took Shauno 6 months of cruising the classifieds to find the right one, and within 3 short weeks of taking ownership, he'd loaded her up for its first epic adventure through South Australia and the Flinders Ranges.

Back then, the 60 sported the trusted 12HT factory turbo-diesel engine, 3" exhaust, bar-work, rear wheel carrier, a 2" lift and spent most of its time rolling around on 33" muddies - though it did have 35s tucking under the guards for a while.

“It served me well for several years before it started to cop some panel damage and rust”, Shauno says. “It got to the point that something really needed to be done about it.” The decision was made to ute-chop the 60, and that’s when the Dirty 30 was essentially born.

The Dirty30 did over 400,000km tackling the tough tracks and touring around Australia, which really took its toll. “Some things started to let go,” he says “And we’re not talking about diffs or CVS. I’m talking about things like the chassis and body.” The Dirty30 was on the brink of retirement and sat next to Shaun’s shed for 12 months, before the idea of the Dirty30 MKII as we know it today was born.

SOOTY & SOOTY MKII

Old Sooty - a ’91 80 Series LandCruiser with its 1HD factory turbo, custom bar work, 2inches of lift with super-flex arms, Raptor paintwork, 35s, twin lockers and complete rear touring setup in the back – it’s what 4WD dreams are made of. With over 500,000km on the clock, despite the torture Sooty gets put through, the old girl is one of the most reliable 4WDs Shauno has owned.

In 2022, Shauno rebuilt his iconic 80 series to create 'Sooty MKII' from a petrol auto, to a turbo-diesel manual, with the original Sooty as the donor, all the fruit on top to be a bigger and better version!

THE ZOOK

Shauno's first 4WD was an old Zook - a little wide track soft top Suzuki Sierra. As anyone who's owned a Sierra would know, they're great on the tight and technical stuff, but they're not exactly ideal for long-range touring.

The Chopped 200

A recent addition to Shauno’s shed is the chopped 200 Series LandCruiser. Craving a few extra creature comforts – and Shauno’s first ever brand-new vehicle – rolled straight off the production line and straight into the DMW workshop. There is underwent a body chop, 650mm chassis extension and 4.5GVM upgrade. Shauno had the tray and canopy designed with functionality and storage in mind

Shauno's Videos

SHAUNO'S 4WDS

DIRTY 30

Toyota LandCrusier 60 Series
Sooty

Toyota 80 Series LandCruiser
The Big 200

Chopped 200 Series LandCruiser
The Farm Truck

Toyota 47 Series LandCruiser

Shauno lives in Queensland about 30 mins out of Surfers Paradise.

Shauno cut his teeth wheeling an old Zook - a red Suzuki Sierra.

SHAUNO'S RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS

Shauno's Blog Posts

Fundamentals
Engine Oil Compared at 5,000km VS 10,000km VS 20,000km!

Written By 4WD 24/7

Manufacturer engine oil changes... MYTH BUSTED? Shauno answers the age-old question of whether changing your oil more often REALLY makes a difference! Factory service manuals often recommend oil change intervals around 10,000kms, but Shauno explains why that might be WAY too long for your 4WD!

6 mins

Mar 30, 2023
Travel
4WD TRAVEL GUIDE CAPE YORK – OLD TELEGRAPH TRACK

Written By 4WD 24/7

The Old Telegraph Track is a bucket list destination for every Aussie 4WDer, and this year the boys from 4WD 247 guide you through your next trip to Cape York!

13 mins

Mar 30, 2023
Travel
FRASER ISLAND CAMPING

Written By 4WD 24/7

If you're in the hunt for a destination that's on the bucket list of virtually every four-wheel driver in Australia then look no further than Fraser Island. In this video I take the big 200 series to the most epic locations the island has to offer as it gets it first outing, and I could not think of a better location to do it as Fraser Island is one of my favourite spots in Australia. Our adventure begins at the gateway to Fraser Island in skip point as we knock some air out of the tyres we wait for the ferry that'll take us across to one of my favourite destinations in the country. I've got a great group of mates joining me on this adventure but what will make this trip even more exciting is it's the first time I've taken my brand new 200 series off road. Owning a 200 series has always been a dream of mine for years and this beast is the first new vehicle I've ever owned and after months in the DMW workshop the 200 is now chopped, extended and kitted out as the ultimate tourer ready to take on the most remote destinations going and Fraser Island is going to be its first shakedown. Soon enough we're boarding the Manta Ray barge that'll take us over to the island we'll be in for a few days, jam-packed full of fishing camping and exploring. The boys will be living it up in style in Graham's pride and joy and Jackson bought the perfect camper trailer to Fraser Island. Sammy and I are fishing mates from way back and I reckon he'll be keeping me on my toes on this trip as long as we can find a few Tailor that is.

8 mins

Mar 30, 2023