About Designed & Built

Who we are

Hey there, I’m Richard, the guy behind Designed and Built.

Yep, I’m an engineer, but trust me, I’m not your average one. I’ve got a knack for turning cool ideas into even cooler stuff.

You can catch all the action on my YouTube channel, where I’m all about showing you cool ways to mod your cruiser.

Let’s hang out and explore this wild world of design and engineering together!

Our latest videos

Frequently Asked Questions

I needed another release during lockdown as I wasn’t able to ride my dirt bike/mountain bike so I decided to tackle a big project in the shed. I picked the best looking cab (40 series), the best Landcruiser chassis (80 series) and the best engine that my budget would allow (the mighty Barra)!

I honestly couldn’t answer that, I stopped counting as it helped me sleep better at night…

I am generally pretty content with the build, however one thing I regret not doing is making the cab 50mm longer for a little extra leg room!

Charger Drawer in the Canopy!

YouTube videos will be released when they are ready. As there is a lot of time which goes into the design and build of custom products it is very hard to make weekly videos. We would rather focus on high quality videos with higher quality end products than bring out sub standard content!

Richard does! Although he has help from his mates and is always exchanging a beer or two for someone to get a shot of him!

No! The whole point of the channel is to inspire you to get stuck in yourself :)

  • Bachelor of Science from the University of Melbourne (UoM)
  • Masters in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Melbourne 
  • Registered Mechanical Engineer in Australia
  • AGM Mitchell design prize. Awarded to the student with the best design work in Undergraduate Engineering (UoM).
  • Orica design prize. Awarded to the student with the best design work in Post Graduate Engineering (UoM).
  • 8 years experience at Ford in Product development on the Next Gen Ford Ranger
  • Richard has worked in various roles during his time at Ford including: Powertrain Calibration, Design and Release Engineering, Launch Support, Change control, Prototype builds, Complexity management and data analytics.
  • Professional CAD experience designing parts and managing complex assemblies specialising in Solidworks
  • Highly experienced with design and manufacture of sheet metal parts including canopy, camp kitchens, drawers, transmission tunnels, roof console etc.
  • Highly experienced with CNC laser/plasma cutting and folding on Panbrake or CNC Pressbrake
  • Utilising 3D Scan data as a basis for CAD designs
  • CNC machining: Completed a course over 2 years which utilised CAD/CAM software to develop tool paths to make parts on CNC lathes, mills and 5 axis integrex machines.
  • TiG welding and Fabrication: while Richard has no formal qualification, he has spent over 2000 hours fabricating/welding various projects.

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