Patrol 2002 4.8ltr Petrol ST

hi, exhaust usually doesn't need modifying but you certainly need to upgrade your suspension.the majority , if not all 4wds that come on to the market are not suitable for any resonable 4wding, as there usually isn;t enough ground clearance.
some good brands are, koni, old man emu and tjm make some good ones as well.
also the tyres that come on a standard 4wd are usually road only tyres. you'll need to get some all terain tyres which allow you to comfortably travel off road without to many dramas.
another good investment is a snorkel, which don't set you back to much and can certainly help you in deep or even shallow water crossings.the snorkel is almost a necesity for diesel 4wds if you want to go in water. it raises the air intake level and allows resonable water crossings,as water in the engine isn't real good at all.if you own a diesel it's lights out for good.-new engine required.
another handy yet cheap accessory is a cb radio. don't quote me but 99% of 4wders will have a uhf cb radio in their car. as communicating with other drivers is very essential in many situations. ie convoys,recovery situations and hill crossings to name a few.
also a major upgrade i would undertake would be to fit some secondary lights , ie driving lights or spot lights.out in the bush while , not highly recomended, night driving is sometimes the only option, and the further down the road you can see the better. cows, sheep, foxes roos and so forth can do substantial damage to your car.
the fuel situation is a tough question, as most destinations, not to far off the beaten track have service stations moderately positioned for refueuling.however if your car is an unleaded version some stations don't always have fuel and a long range tank might be the go.if you are going to keep the car for a while and do lots of long 4wding. i would recomend another tank.
also before you go offroad. you MUST purchase your own recovery gear, as borrowing whilst handy is not the practical thing to do.you'll need minimum a snatch strap, 2 or three bow shackles , shovel and a piece of wood or metal to act as a base for your jack on soft or uneven ground. this will stop your jack sinking in sand and mud.the shovel will eventually get you out, if you keep digging and further down the track you can get a winch to pull you out on your own.
this was just my opinion and as you said $$$$ wasn't an issue so i hope you can takesomething from it.
cheers and see you off road.

Hi Stuart,Once you have made all the modifications that you feel comfortable with you really should do a four wheel drive off road training course.The one i did at Anglesea(vic) was around $250 for the day and covered the theory of all the different drivelines of everybody's vehicle followed by learning all the techniques required to get you safely around the bush.Possibly the most important thing people should know is stall stop technique as when you are on the side of a steep hill it is crucial to get it right if you realise you can't get to the top. mark.

Hi Stuart

Some good answers already.
One thing you should do is to work out where you want to go and what you intend to take with you. This will have a huge bearing on what mods you will need to make. Maybe do an easy trip or two and see if you can carry your gear without any problems, then think about 100 litres of water and an extra 150 litres of fuel and see what happens.
The suspension guys will ask you these questions so they can design a setup to suit YOU. ( not much good getting a soft setup then loadind 2tonnes of gear in the back and finding it drags on the ground).
If you want to go bush Oziexplorer mapping software and GPS are the best way to go alomg with a laptop to run it all.
And dont forget the camping gear and stuff. This really depends on where you intend to go and how. Like hot north, cool high country and wether you will be using a swag or a camper trailer.
Lots of things to think about but a few specifics asked on this forum and you will get a whole bunch of interesting info to keep you going for weeks.Bush Bappo's 4WD Club
Get out there & have a look

Stuart as you said learn how to drive the thing first and once you do you will find out what suits you . One thing you would up date is the suspension and get some good rubber . Then you could get your other gear to siut your trips. Recovery gear is verey important and is safty gear as in first aid kit and comunication stuff ie a EPERB . I have had people away with us that had every fang dangled thing that you get out of the mags and never use it > you say money is not an issue then may I ask why did you buy a petrol . Because that 4.8 will need 2 long range tanks for some out back trips .
All the best
Eric
www.capeyorkconnections.com.au
click on the logo to access web site.Cape York Connections

Basically

Communications
LRTank and Water containers.
Recovery gear
Storage
Suspension
Tires

There are others, but if money is no object, take it to a 4wd store, tell them what you want and where your going, and pick it up on Friday all finished!

Thank you all for your advise, this is a good starting point for me and it seems that all of you are thinking along the same track, which means I can't go too far wrong with all of your suggestions.

Thanks Again and I will keep checking for more advise.

Stuart.