Featured 100: Greg B

[Greg B]

2001 Toyota Land Cruiser UZJ100

[Greg B]

Well, it looks like it is my turn to be the Featured 100. Following Amando is no easy task as he has arguably the best built 100 on the planet. So, without any further delay, here goes.

I bought my 100 on January 25th, 2005 with 68K miles on it. It has all of the factory options including navigation and tow package. It was/is in great shape and the original owner took very good care of it. It now has 90K miles on it.

I bought the 100 to serve many purposes. I wanted a daily driver that would haul the family around town but also give me a solid platform to build up an expedition style rig that could take my family and me on adventures over the years.

The 100 has been fantastic in the 2+ years that I have owned it. It has been very reliable and even when it did break once; I was still able to drive 1800 miles to get home. (More on this later)

Here's a pic of the 100 right after I got it.

[Greg B]

I haven’t had very many issues at all thus far. I have done all maintenance and the few repairs needed I have completed on my own with some great help and advice from some members of Mud.

Early on, there were two stereo related issues. I had excessive bass in the stereo and was able to correct that by replacing the factory JBL amp with a new one just like it. I also had the power antenna go out so I replaced it with a non-powered Tundra antenna.

I had an electrical issue that turned out to be a bad Odyssey battery. And, I also had a check engine light (P0155 code) come on at 88K miles that turned out to be a PS O2 sensor.

The only other mechanical issue that I have had is a broken CDL Actuator at Cruise Moab last year. On the second day of trails, the CDL light would not go off. So, I drove the final two days of trails with the Center Diff locked the whole time. After the last day of trails, I pulled the rear drive shaft and drove the 100 from Moab to Louisville, KY with no issues. Once home, I pulled the actuator and found it broken. I was able to source a used actuator assembly from a salvage yard for $140.00. List price was almost $600.00! You can read more on this here.

One note of thanks to LexusBen again for all of his help in diagnosing my problem and spending a lot of time on his back, in the dirt on a dirty tarp, trying to get the actuator to release on my 100. Unbeknownst to either of us at the time that it was actually broken and not just bound up. Thanks Ben!

Other than these items listed, I have had great reliability and feel very comfortable that my 100 will get me where I want to go and then get me home. It’s a great vehicle that does everything well. I can drive the family on long trips in style and comfort and at the same time, I can go to Moab and wheel some great trails.

[Greg B]

Modifications:

I started building my 100 slowly. The basis for my modifications has evolved into what I like to call a stealth look. My goal is to make my 100 capable off-road while minimizing the “off-road” look. I know this goes against what a lot of people are doing to their rigs on Mud but it’s the style I prefer. One of the things I love about the 100 is its sleek lines and I’m trying to keep the mods from taking away from that sleekness.

I started with some basic mods like removing the factory running boards, factory roof rack, and rear spoiler. I also added Husky liners in all three rows and removed a large portion of the factory wood trim kit.

[Greg B]

The next step was to add OME suspension, Diff drop, and sliders from Slee Offroad. I started with OME t-bars, N133 shocks, and Slee Diff Drop kit in the front. I also added OME 866’s and N101’s in the rear.

Here’s a pic with suspension and sliders with factory Michelin’s:

[Greg B]

Next, I installed BFG 295x75’s and added an ARB Deluxe front bumper. I paint matched the ARB along with the Slee Step Sliders to keep a more “factory” appearance. I didn’t really want to go with the full bull-bar but I got a really good deal. I have since come to regret that decision basing it only on price.

[Greg B]

Once I decided that I was going to go to Cruise Moab last year, I started adding some additional items. First, I added a Slee rear bumper. I went with the model without the spare carrier. I know there are some good reasons to have the spare carrier, but for me I wanted a strong rear bumper that didn’t get in the way of the rear cargo area and still looked somewhat “stock” in appearance. I also plan to only run 33” tires, so clearance in the factory spare area is not an issue for me.

So, I modified the factory spare carrier to allow the spare tire to sit higher up in the factory location and I also went with a BFG 255x85 MT for the spare to allow even more clearance. The diameter of the 255x85 MT and 295x75 AT are almost identical.

I also paint matched the rear bumper as well to keep the “stock” look going. This series of modifications has proved very effective on my 100.

[Greg B]

The next mod I did to get the 100 ready for Moab is I switched to OME 863’s and N74L’s in the rear. I was able to increase load carrying capabilities with the 863’s and I was able to add an additional 2.1 inches of travel with the N74L’s.

They required lower spring retainers, a longer bracket to re-locate the rear brake line and some half inch bump stop spacers to keep the N74L’s from over-compressing. This change to the rear suspension proved to be very effective in Moab. I know there has been a lot of debate over the N74L’s recently and I don’t want to get that started here, but I have had good results from them.

[Greg B]

I also built a set of cargo drawers, added a Cobra cb radio, a fire extinguisher, a well stocked first aid kit, and full recovery kit. I have also accumulated a collection of Pelican cases and Action Packer boxes to hold all of my gear and it can all be strapped down to the cargo drawer system.

[Greg B]

After looking at this thread from Snook, I decided I would cut off the brush bar portion of my ARB bumper. Then I would shorten the bumper to give better approach angle based on Snook’s measurements. I had decided on a Superwinch EP 9.0 winch to fit to the newly "Snooked" ARB bumper.

I went ahead and cut off the entire top portion of the ARB bumper and ground down all the rough edges. I was about to order my winch to get it in and then I could shorten the ARB to make it fit around the new winch. Well, about that time, Christo let the cat out of the bag on this thread. I have now decided to wait until his 100 bumper is out before I purchase a winch to make sure that I have one that will fit his new design.

So, in the meantime, I have bolted on my Hella 4000’s and haven’t done anything else with it. I plan on filling in all the holes where the black, plastic bumperettes were and then priming and painting it to match. I wanted to have this done before now, but work commitments have kept me from working on it much the last couple weeks.

I won't be able to post pics on this until Tuesay, my wife is out of town with the camera and won't be back until then.

[Greg B]

Another little project I have started is a couple of brackets to hold a rear light and my CB antenna. I have removed the rear spoiler and would like to utilize the nutserts that are present in the rear door. I took some flat steel and bent a couple of brackets to hold a Hella 550 and my CB antenna. I dipped the brackets in that black rubber stuff that you buy in a can. It can be used for tool handles, etc. and works great for things like this. I first applied some silicone around the nutserts and then bolted on the brackets.

I won't be able to post pics on this until Tuesay, my wife is out of town with the camera and won't be back until then.

[Greg B]

That’s about it for the mods so far. My future mods include:
Slee 100 bumper and winch (as soon as Christo has it ready)
ARB Rear locker and compressor
ARB roof rack
ARB/Engel 45qt. Fridge

Here's a pic of my co-pilot

[Greg B]

various wheeling pics:

[Greg B]

More pics from some local trails:

[Greg B]

Additional wheeling pics of local trails

[Greg B]

Here's a few from Cruise Moab '06. The first one is from Fins and the last two are from Poison Spider.

[Greg B]

These three pics are in succession on the Waterfall on Gold Bar Rim

[Greg B]

Thanks for taking a look at my 100. Overall, I’m very happy with my 100 and expect many more years of satisfaction out of it.
Cheers to you and yours,
Greg Bright

[e9999]

Excellent! Very nice pics! Great rig!

[Snook]

Well done job!

Add digital camera to your shopping list.

N74L is on my shopping list.

Cheers,

[Greg B]

Originally Posted by Snook

Well done job!

Add digital camera to your shopping list.

N74L is on my shopping list.

Cheers,

Thanks Snook!

BTW, I have a digital camera; but its in my wife's purse in Cleveland at the moment.

[spressomon]

Looks good Greg! I, too, am very curious to see Christo's front bumper design.

[ShottsUZJ100]

That friggin' dark green. Damn it! I KNEW I should have bought this from you instead of building that LX450.

Oh.....and I absolutely luv some of the statements on this thread. It's my new favorite thread.

[kitkraft]

Excellent rig! Anybody know when Slee will have his front bumper available? I need one now.........