[Fochdog]

Introduction & History:

I bought my truck in Arizona during March of 2004 with 89k miles. It is a 40th Edition with factory lockers. The 80-series Land Cruiser is the perfect vehicle for my needs … out of the box off road performance, potential for modifications for more off road performance (see below), excellent durability/reliability & room for a family of four for extended exploring & camping.

Current Modifications:

- ARB Old Man Emu 850 (Heavy Load) front and 860 (Medium Load) rear springs with Bilstein Monotube Shocks B46-1477 (front) & B46-1478 (rear)

So far I really like this OME/Billy combo. Better road manners then the OE set up. I just finished a camping trip in the UP of Michigan with some extended dirt road driving. No problem with the wash board roads … truck stuck like on rails & I didn’t bottom the suspension out at all. The OE suspension had problems with both.

- BFG All-terrain KO (LT285/75R16) on OEM Aluminum Wheels (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper LTB (33x13.50-16) on 16x8 Rock Crawler model 51 steel wheels (wheelin’ tires)

For a true off road tire I can’t say enough out these Super Swampers & this is a great size for an 80 with a 50mm OME lift.

- Slee Off Road Slider-Steps

The first check I did was to use my High-lift to jack the truck up and change the front tires … no problem. They also did their job at CMCC this year and my 4 year old son loves climbing into the Cruiser with them.

- CDL switch with Cruiser Dan “Pin 7” mod

I love a tighter turning radius on the trail in low open than a locked FJ-40. Also disabling ABS (in four high lock) while running on gravel road is much more controllable & safe.

- Routed rear diff breather into fuel filler area
- Garmin GPS V

Older GPS but I love its flexibility. I do a lot of Geocaching & it is great to change from car nav mode to hiking nav mode in seconds.

- Delphi XM SKYFi2

Any satellite radio is a great feature for long and/or remote travels.

- Radio Shack Mini Mobile CB (Cat # 21-1703) in ashtray slot
- Yakima cross bars with Loadwarrior (& extension) & Bungee cargo net

Nice set up, but I wish I went for the Megawarrior & extension. When packing for a trip you always are looking for more room.

Also, I went with the 66” cross bars … the recommended is 58” for the 80 according to Yakima. I wanted the extra bar width to add bike carriers or other items.


Future Modification Plans (ever changing)

Near term, over the next 1 – 3 years (family expedition vehicle):

- ARB Bull Bar
- 12000 lb. Warn winch
- Kaymar external tire carrier on OEM bumper
- Dual battery setup (Brand TBD)
- ARB Fridge/Freezer (Size TBD)
- Draw / Storage system
- Safari Snorkel
- Slee AC Dryer Skid Plate
- Slee T-case shield

Long term, over the next 3 – 10 years (full on recreational off road vehicle):

- Slee Off Road 6" Lift Kit with 14” Bilstein shocks
- Rear bumper w/ spare tire mount (Brand TBD)
- BFG All-terrain KO (37x12.50R17) (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper Bogger, 37x13.00-16 with Staun Internal BeadLock System (wheelin’ tires)
- Chevy Small Block 383 cubic inch “Stroker” motor with TBD transmission
- 4.88 ring and pinions
- Longfield chromoly birfs and chromoly inner axles
- Mark's Adapters Crawler Box

[Fochdog]

Pic of my rig in it's current state.

[Fochdog]

View of GPS, XM radio and CB set up.

[Fochdog]

Pic of Super Swamper LTB tread versus BFG All-Terrain KO.

[Fochdog]

Pic of Yakima Loadwarrior without extension on truck.

[cc93cruiser]

wow Fochdog, really nice rig! I like the black rock crawler rims, where did you buy? that is really good that you have best of both worlds, a/t's and swampers! More pics!!!

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by cc93cruiser

I like the black rock crawler rims, where did you buy?

Got wheels and tires at 4 Wheel Parts and Off road. Not my first choice but my local tire places would not touch any Super Swamper tires.

[Biff]

Very nice rig, tell me more about the Yakima load bars. Did you replace your factory roof rack and add this setup. Been looking into something like this.

[lt403]

hey fochdog, cool ride.... can i see a picture of the cb in the ashtray area?

[pound3151]

Hey focher, great truck in good shape. Great time wheelin with ya @ CMCC. Also not shown is the sweet camping/grill/kitchen you had set up. My Hanna's took a good whoopin w/a few nice gouges and held up well while following you. Keep up the good work on that rig. PM me with your email that will handle a big pic if you want one.

[Grouseman]

Yea let's see the Kitchen set-up please.

GM

[Fochdog]

Biff,

I was lucky enough (in my opinion) to get my truck without factory roof racks. This is good news for me since living in Michigan with a former Arizona truck I am fighting rust and corrosion all the time. From other posts it seems the factory roof rack mounts are a known area for rust to start. Plus, I leave my Yakima rack off most of the time unless I need it and I like the clean look of the truck with no rack.

I have the Yakima 1A Raingutter towers (Yakima #00101) which clamp directly to the rain gutters on the truck. This is a very strong attachment.

If you have the factory roof rack you can go with the Yakima Lowrider (Yakima #00118). I have a set for my wife's car and they work well also.

lt403,

My second pic shows the CB in the lower right of the shot. I will try to get a better picture. The cool thing about the Radio Shack CB is that it seems shorter then the popular Cobra mini units. I did not have to adjust the antenna connector on the back of the unit to fit it flush with the front of the dash. Christo Slee details this on his web site, but is unnecessary with the Radio Shack model.

I almost went with the Cobra all-in-handset model, but the Radio Shack Mini was almost $100 cheaper when on sale.

pound3151,

I will PM you.

[lx450landcruiser]

Originally Posted by Fochdog

Biff,


My second pic shows the CB in the lower right of the shot. I will try to get a better picture. The cool thing about the Radio Shack CB is that it seems shorter then the popular Cobra mini units. I did not have to adjust the antenna connector on the back of the unit to fit it flush with the front of the dash. Christo Slee details this on his web site, but is unnecessary with the Radio Shack model.

I almost went with the Cobra all-in-handset model, but the Radio Shack Mini was almost $100 cheaper when on sale.

just dont loose the hand mic for the radio shack one. I had mine stolen and cant find a new one for the life of me. any one have any ideas? its not the normal cb mic and radio shack doesnt sell just the mic.

mike

[semlin]

nice rig. are the ATs slightly higher than the swampers? I have a photo somewhere of my ats completely packed with mud and grass after driving through a wet cow pasture. instantly teaches you the value of mud tires.

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by semlin

are the ATs slightly higher than the swampers?

Both the BFG and Interco web sites put their tires at 32.8" OD. From my measurements this looks to be true.

I had enough experience in Michigan goop that I wanted more then an AT tire. I found mostly good reviews about the LTB and it is cheap compared to other Mudders ... less than $130 each.

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by Grouseman

Yea let's see the Kitchen set-up please.

GM

Working on it!

[Fochdog]

A cool shot of my rig during a tire swap. You're not gonna' do that with running boards!

[reffug]

Foch,

I didn't even realize that was you at CMCC. Failed to stop by and introduce myself my bad. Oh well maybe next year. Nice rig and two sets of tires and rims, definately the way to go.

[timbercruiser]

Nice rig. It was in my driveway last week- Gave me a bad case of cruiser-envy. Can't wait to see it perform in Canada!!!

[PKP80]

Nice rig, I like the swampers and you definitely can't do that with running boards.

[BOUNDER]

"- ARB Old Man Emu 850 (Heavy Load) front and 860 (Medium Load) rear springs with Bilstein Monotube Shocks B46-1477 (front) & B46-1478 (rear)

So far I really like this OME/Billy combo. Better road manners then the OE set up. I just finished a camping trip in the UP of Michigan with some extended dirt road driving. No problem with the wash board roads … truck stuck like on rails & I didn’t bottom the suspension out at all. The OE suspension had problems with both."


Fochdog - nice writeup. Would say the OME/Billy set up is reasonable for an everyday driver? Top notch!

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by BOUNDER

Would say the OME/Billy set up is reasonable for an everyday driver?

It depends on what you are looking for in ride quality. The Billys are firmer then OE (I like that) but not too firm. I have no direct experience with OME shocks so I can not compare. But, yes they are very comfortable for everyday driving.

An advantage of the Bilstein monotube shocks it their digressive valving. Most shocks will increase damping force with shock velocity in a near linear manner. Bilstein, through some neat (but very simple) engineering, allow the damping forces to fall off slightly through the shocks mid-speed range, only to increase again in the high-speed range.

This leads to a shock that will give good vehicle control while turning and over large low speed swells and bumps, also a soft ride over chatters and sharp small impacts and then control again over large high speed hits and bumps.

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by timbercruiser

Nice rig. It was in my driveway last week- Gave me a bad case of cruiser-envy. Can't wait to see it perform in Canada!!!

I parked right next to your 80 ... you have no excuses.

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by reffug

Foch,

I didn't even realize that was you at CMCC. Failed to stop by and introduce myself my bad. Oh well maybe next year. Nice rig and two sets of tires and rims, definitely the way to go.

Reffug,

We did meet and talk a bit. I did not introduce myself ... My bad.

I asked you about your African Outback Drawer System on Saturday night and you said something like (to paraphrase):

" Man! a thousand people have asked me about these things and I'm not gonna' tell the thousand and first person anything."

and then we argued a few minutes about your turbo'ed 80 drag racing an 80 with a 383 "Stroker" CSB. I am still confused how we got into that discussion.

That was me if you remember Next year then...

[Fochdog]

Before and after shot with my lift. I got a 3" lift front and rear before I put on my slider-steps.

[mooker82]

Are my half colorblind eyes playing tricks on me or is the lower portion of you doors, your bumpers, and fender flares painted differently (pale blue)?

[reffug]

Originally Posted by Fochdog

Reffug,

and then we argued a few minutes about your turbo'ed 80 drag racing an 80 with a 383 "Stroker" CSB. I am still confused how we got into that discussion.

That was me if you remember Next year then...

Oh yaa. J/K about the drawer system dude.

Definately remember the 383 stroker debate however. I remember how we got

into that discussion too. Its called .

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by mooker82

Are my half colorblind eyes playing tricks on me or is the lower portion of you doors, your bumpers, and fender flares painted differently (pale blue)?

Good catch! This is one mod I forgot to list ... custom paint! It's kinda like it ... different.


My truck started life with the typical 40th color, 1B2 Antique Sage Pearl. That's on the door plate at least. Some where along it's history the lower half roughly has been repainted to a light pale green. The green parts include:

-bumpers front and rear
-wheel flairs
-mirrors
-body from the molding down

I think this is the 40th Edition other color, Emerald. I am not sure since I have never seen a truck in person.

I have several theories of how/why it was painted. But, I don't care much so I have never really looked into it.

[CreeperSleeper]

No, this is the other 40th color:

[Fochdog]

Originally Posted by LR_RESQ

No, this is the other 40th color:

Is that the 40th Edition Emerald color? It is darker than I thought it would be.