Hay River (Sep 13/04) - For about 10 years, Phillip (Dutch) Harris has been building a monster truck. Actually, it's a monster SUV -- a Ford Suburban.

The Hay River man said his decade-long-and-counting hobby actually started almost by accident.

Back then, he owned a normal Ford Suburban, slightly jacked up on big tires.

The front axles needed to be rebuilt, so he took the vehicle off the road and it hasn't been back since.

That's because he also found a 396-cubic-inch engine around that time, which he touched up with paint and chrome.

When the engine was completed, it looked too nice, he said. "I couldn't put it back into a rusty, greasy frame."

So he started to strip down the rest of the vehicle.

"It got carried away from there," Harris recalled. "Almost every nut and bolt has been replaced."

Today, the SUV features a '79 frame, an '83 body and an engine from the early '70s.

Harris, a welder, says the project has cost a lot of money and time.

"If I found out how much it would cost, I'd probably stop," he said.

Harris, 57, recently recouped some of his investment when he sold the vehicle to a co-worker from Stan Dean and Sons Ltd. to raise money so he could renovate his house.

The new owner wants Harris to finish what he started, which could still take several more years.

Harris says there are brakes, wiring, fine-tuning, bodywork, the interior and a special paint job still to come.

The vehicle already has some unique features, such as a phantom grill hiding the headlights behind thin strips of aluminum and electric steps which come down when the doors open.

Harris says the vehicle will stand out on the street and will go almost anywhere.

"When everything is finished and put in, it will probably give a Hummer a run for its money."