Jakumo:
This type of pickup conversion is very common in Nigeria. I have seen numerous old Mercedes cars, and Range Rovers, all converted in this way by very talented body shop artists.

EgunMogaji:


And they all look like shyte.

A job worth doing is worth doing well.

When you finish with a conversion it should look like it came form the factory.

PS: Ibadan is littered with poorly converted Volvo sedans into pickups.

Jakumo:


These mods when carried out in Africa, are more functional than aesthetic in purpose, given the lack of equipment for the job, but hey, those owners who use Mercedes pickup conversions to haul farm harvest along bad roads are not in the least concerned about the finish and visual appeal of the job.

In summary, such conversions done in the West are likely to be intended for car shows and the such, whilst the same conversion is generally performed in Africa as a basic survival strategy by someone who simply cannot afford to buy a stock pickup truck. Despite the unpolished nature of the job done, I still doff my hat to Nigeria's Kazeem auto mechanics and body shops, for the ingenuity and creativity they display in this sort of conversion, and other similar endeavors.

EgunMogaji:


I see your points.

My focus is not on folks doing shoddy jobs.

My focus is on great Nigerians going the extra steps for perfection.

Nigerians have been doing vehicle modifications for a long time.

Many should remember the agbegilodo, bolekaja, molue and shalake.

How many years is it going to take to upgrade skills and tools?

Jakumo:


Nobody can spend as many years living in The City of Angels, as you have done, without evolving significantly higher standards of craftsmanship, when it comes to anything on wheels, so your disdain for the work done by Nigerian auto-body shops is perfectly understandable. In this light, accept my apology for making mention of "Engineer" Kazeem and his boys, who hold court in Ogunpa mechanics' village, not far from your top-secret Embassy and Regional HQ in Ibadan.

Given their equipment limitations, Third-World mechanics will never be a match for their counterparts working in The South-land of California, or anywhere else that high-tech body shops operate, but, given the basic and primitive tools at their disposal, African mechanics and auto-body shops do perform wonders that would amaze mechanics working in the industrialized West. I could tell some stories of such car repair work, but that might tread close to boring our Exalted Egun Agba, which is a serious offense I will not venture to commit this fine day.

'TShun sah ! Na ya eye we dey look.

EgunMogaji:


And they all look like shyte.

A job worth doing is worth doing well.

When you finish with a conversion it should look like it came form the factory.

PS: Ibadan is littered with poorly converted Volvo sedans into pickups.