NOTE: I've updated this thread a bit on page 5.
Project "1 year buildup" has been completed
(yeah right!!)
I have owned Jeeps and Toyotas my entire life. Some of you may know me as SOCALXJ. I really loved camping and enjoyed getting away from the city and that sort of thing for quite some time.. but I was really getting burned out with the whole rock crawling scene. I had enough 42" swampers on dana 60's for one lifetime, if you know what i mean. So i decided i wanted to build a expedition rig. I wanted to build something that would be extremely reliable, wouldn't get too far away from stock if we needed parts and something that was super comfy for long hauls. That's where it started. After researching between various makes and models.. we bought the cruiser last year on July 16th. We drove up from SoCal to Sacramento to get it. It was well worth the drive. The PO was off the mud board here and the rig had been well maintained and never been in the dirt. It pretty much lived a pampered lifestyle. I advised the PO that this will change immediately! I was buying the rig strictly for a expedition/overland rig. So the rig (needless to say) made the 600 mile trip home without a problem, just like we knew it would. After all, if what we were buying it for.. if it didn't make it home then it wouldn't make a very good platform now would it? Shortly after getting it home, the mods started taking place. And of course, yep the running boards were off in a matter of days. Here's what we did in 12 months to our rig along with some pics. All along the build process we have been out on trips each month, sometimes even twice. Our first year with the cruiser has been a absolute dream and we can't say enough about how well this board has influenced that. There's a huge wealth of knowledge here and we want to thank everyone for that. Ok, off with the specs and pics, enough talking.
1993 Factory E-locked front and rear FZJ80
Specs:
ARB Bullbar Winch Bumper
Kaymar Rear bumper w/dual swingouts
(tire carrier,gerry can holder and c02 tank mount, telescoping worklamp, hi-lift mount)
"Landcruisercrap.com" Bottle opener
INTI roof rack with ladder and 35 gallons of NATO can storage
Mombasa Expedition Roof Top Tent with Changing Room
Hankook Dynapro 295/75R16 MT R103
Cobra 18 WX ST II CB Radio
Panasonic Head Unit
Wilson 1000 Antenna
Wildyoats Limb Riser cables
HELLA lighting
Old Man EMU 2" Super Heavy lift 850's upfront and 864's outback
Old Man EMU caster correction bushings
Pro Comp ES4000 shocks
Warn M12000 Winch
Safari Snorkel
Dual Batteries
ARB Fridge
PowerTank
Slee Offroad Sliders
12 volt cigarette outlets front/rear
Blue Seas Distribution Center
OEM Hand Throttle
OEM Center Diff Lock Switch
African Outback drawer system
Cruisecam Video Camera Mount
Georges LED Dome Lights
Georges LED Map Light
VisionX 6500 HID lighting
HELLA FF Ultra worklamp
ARB Fender Brush Bars
Small Inverter for laptop/cellphones
Fiamma Awning
HELLA super tone horns
Long Range Automotive 24 gal. Aux Fuel Tank
MAF Rear Coil Spacers
Slee Offroad Coil Spacers
Lowrance 540c GPS
Yaesu 2800M 2 meter
Diamond SG2000HD Antenna 5.2GB
And of course 2 drawers full of recovery gear and tools.
How it started. Stock.
After working many many weekends on the rig, here's how it ended a year later.
concretejungle
Linear Mode
