[sbly]

First things first, I would like to say thank you to the guys that have shared their experiences with building their own 200 series trucks, it helped get me headed in the right direction. The truck I am building is intended for small scale overland style travels (Alaska, Canada, Pacific northwest and the southwest to name a few).

I picked-up my 09 LC 200 from Iron Pig Off Road (IPOR) on Friday, and let me say it was well worth the wait. The truck has performed great with the limited on-road (interstate & local) driving we have done so far. But I will have to wait till next week before I can start to checkout it's off-road capabilities at our Overland Experts course.

The guys at IPOR did a great job. Lance, Cam, Jack and Vince were extremely helpful with everything from parts selection to the explanation of the build process. We had one hick-up with the build, but the guys took care of it in a professional and timely manner. The first phase of the build included the following:
1. Icon coil-over shocks
2. Total Chaos upper control arms
3. Icon rear shocks
4. OME rear springs
5. Icon billet aluminum rear trailing arms
6. ARB bumper
7. Warn M12,000 winch
8. Master pull Super-line XD 125’ 3/8” rope
9. IPF lights
10. Slee sliders (painted)
11. BF Goodrich AT/KO 285/65/18
12. Painted front grill

I would highly recommend the IPOR team for anyone that's looking at getting a 200 built. As a matter of fact, I will have them start the second phase of my build at the end of June. The second phase will start with:
1. ARB aluminum roof rack
2. ARB rear bumper with tire & gas can carrier
3. ARB compressor
4. IPOR skid plates
5. Dual batteries

Sbly

[bjowett]

Looks great!

[uzj100]

That looks great. WHat do the tires measure out too, 33 or 35"? Where are you taking an overland course?

Please post pics of the 200 offroad when you get a chance.

[sbly]

The tires are 32".

The training is with Overland Experts out of CT (overlandexperts.com).

[rastarmr]

sbly,
Sick truck! I checked out overlandexperts.com but didn't see what the prices were for the 1, 2, or 3 day courses. Very interested to hear what you thought of IPOR. I live in Lorton and have been thinking about some work on my FJ-40. Did they stick to the time table given for completion of services?
Thanks,
Ryan

[sbly]

Ryan,

This will be my first course with Bruce at Overland Experts. I have read nothing but good reviews from expeditionportal.com, and the course outline looks pretty good. The wife and I have been to the Land Rover Driving School and the Hummer Driving Academy and the prices are all in the same ballpark.

I had a good experience with the IPOR guys. I was overseas while the truck was getting built, so Cam and I exchanged emails in order to keep me updated on the their progress. We made one or two changes along the way and they didn't miss a beat making those changes happen. As far as a timeline I really didn't have one. The availability of the parts was the only thing that slowed them down. So to make a long story short, I would not hesitate to recommend IPOR for any of your Toyota offroad needs.

sbly

[Mtnbike]

Great looking LC. Think about given the tires some shine.

[cruiser ken]

nice! I'd say take the wheels to your local powder coater and have them blasted and powder coated black.

[anthonycds]

^^^what ken said!

[donjuanmiguel]

Nice truck! Looking at your list of futures, what made you decide upon the ARB rear bumper as apposed to the Kaymar?

[sbly]

Ken,

I did the black wheels on my H3 Alpha and to tell you the truth it was just to much black for me, and plus if I heard one more Kit / Night Rider joke I was going to punch someone in the nugget.

Don,

To be honest, I don't have a great deal of experience when it comes to offroad/overland driving. But with what little experience I do have, has been with some ARB products and I have had no problems with any of their equipment in the past. Friends of mine who do this allot more then me have had nothing but good things to say about the ARB products that they have. I have read and heard reviews on both and don't think you could go wrong with either. If I am missing something about the rear bumper or anything else please feel free to give me the straight scope.

sbly

[donjuanmiguel]

Originally Posted by sbly

Don,

...If I am missing something about the rear bumper or anything else please feel free to give me the straight scope.

sbly

Shoot, that's what I was hoping for. I've decided upon the ARB as the swing out hardware is hidden. We'll see if I did well when it arrives.

[JML403]

I've seen your truck a few times over at IPOR. It looks far better in person, they do fantastic work.

[JBHorne]

Do some searches and you will find some great info on the kaymar vs. arb rear bumper debate for the 200 series...

For one, the ARB has worse of a departure angle...

[donjuanmiguel]

Agreed, the ARB does seem to have worse departure angle, somewhere between the towhitch and the exhaust but I still like the hidden hardware.

[JBHorne]

Originally Posted by donjuanmiguel

Agreed, the ARB does seem to have worse departure angle, somewhere between the towhitch and the exhaust but I still like the hidden hardware.

From what I hear the hardware is a PITA to setup. Way over engineered. I like the ARB too, but the arms are not removable. I like the idea of being able to get the tire carrier and jerries on the kaymar and remove both in 10mins. Keeps the look clean for day-to-day driving and doesn't interfere with the camera.

Also it's not even available and will be a while after the Kaymar is...

[donjuanmiguel]

Originally Posted by JBHorne

From what I hear the hardware is a PITA to setup. Way over engineered. I like the ARB too, but the arms are not removable. I like the idea of being able to get the tire carrier and jerries on the kaymar and remove both in 10mins. Keeps the look clean for day-to-day driving and doesn't interfere with the camera.

Also it's not even available and will be a while after the Kaymar is...

Yep, have to be a patient fellow if ARB is in the mix. Spoke with ARB and total package should be in second part of June.

I like the idea of removing tire and jerries also but not the hassle. Just means I'll have to off-road it more often. I've seen one other LC (100) with rear tire carrier and it looked great. I'm hoping I made the right choice and not come to curse it a few months down the road. I'll have to keep my beer in the second row from then on!

One other note, I asked about rear sensors, it may be possble to install them below swingouts. Here's to hoping.

[sbly]

Just got back from a 2 day off-road/overland driving course (Overland Experts) and the 200 performed great. The weakest link in the cruiser was the nut behind the wheel.

I was told today that my ARB rear bumper will be here next week and the ARB roof rack is still a few weeks off.

[uzj100]

Any pictures?

[sbly]

We only took a few pictures during the training. Here are some hill driving and a unplanned self-recovery with the Hi-lift jack.

[sbly]

Some more of the hill training. The ICON suspension did great, no problems with articulation and the truck handled the hill climbing/descending, side slop driving and rock crawling (small rocks) with no problems.

sbly

[sbly]

I took the cruiser to the Toyota dealership today to get the some rocks removed from between a rim and tire. While we were waiting for our cruiser we heard one of the worst things a 200 owner can hear. One of the salesman ask us "did you lift your Highlander".

[Skrewball]

dealership.......................enough said!

thats funny!!

[jgray]

That is a super nice ride. Will it be at the IPOR swap meet next weekend?

[uzj100]

I see a FJ Cruiser. What other 4x4s were there and how did the 200 do compared to them? Any thoughts or comments on the Crawl Control feature and the KDSS suspension? Looks like you had fun.

[sbly]

jgray - The 200 will be there with it's new ARB rear bumper.

uzj100 - The course was just for my wife and I, but we did drive one of their 80 series trucks.

We only used the Crawl Control in the beginning and it worked as advertised. But it takes a minute to get used to the noise and the feeling of the vehicle dry puking on the hill.

[anthonycds]

Originally Posted by sbly

I took the cruiser to the Toyota dealership today to get the some rocks removed from between a rim and tire. While we were waiting for our cruiser we heard one of the worst things a 200 owner can hear. One of the salesman ask us "did you lift your Highlander".

Good grief. So what was your response?

[sbly]

I wanted to play along and tell him no we bought it from the dealer this way but I had to stop my wife from kicking him in the nuts.

[donjuanmiguel]

Great pics! Send more with rear bar when it gets installed.

[sbly]

Still waiting on the rear bumper, but took some photos on the ramp today.