ROTW--rgsiii

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:25 AM

I purchased this vehicle in March 2005 from Meyer’s Auto in Harrisonburg, VA and brought it back to Mississippi. My desire was to make it an expedition type vehicle, wanting to eventually take an extended trip to Mexico and able to do some moderate off road use. It currently is a DD and has managed to take a couple of interesting trips.

The truck was a stock 1994 with factory lockers and about 120K on it when purchased. In the time since then, I have made a good number of modifications. The vehicle has been armored with an ARB front bumper, 4X4 Labs modular rear bumper (first one made), Slee step Sliders, Slee transfer case and AC dryer skid plates.

The vehicle has OEM CDL and hand throttle from Slee. Stainless extended brake lines, ceramic brake pads and DBA rotors have been added. I use Mobil1 5W-40 oil and mostly synthetic fluids. I have changed all of the usual hoses including the PHH, belts and typical things have been replaced. The starter has been CDan’d. The problem with the windshield wiper diverter has been corrected and the antenna has been replaced.

The wheels shown in these pictures are Toyota steel ones with Interco TrXus 285/75/16 tires. These tires have been pretty impressive, getting OK wear and surprisingly quite on the road. I have a set of wheels with the standard Michelin 275’s.

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:27 AM

The dual battery system consists Optima yellow tops and a TJM IBS Dual system. I have a second fuse box located the passenger side seat. The system has multiple 12-volt outlets in the rear of the center console and on both sides in the rear. The rear outlets are useful for the Engle freezer.

The lighting system has been upgraded with the Slee wiring harness and the use of HIR bulbs for both high and low beams. The Lightforce Blitz 240’s use the Slee accessory harness and switch. The interior lights were replaced by George’s LED’s.

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:29 AM

I purchased a Safari drawer system from Slee’s and have been very happy with it. It allows safe positioning of various items inside and attachment points for items on top. The sliding top on the right side is a convenient way to allow access to the Engles freezer, which is secured by a bracket from Slee. It also is the attachment point for the CO2 system.

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:37 AM

The factory radio has been replaced with an Alpine head unit and Eclipse speakers. The Alpine has a hardwired attachment for an iPod, is Sirius enabled and is also attached to a Mac Mini. Above the Eclipse unit is a retractable VGA touch screen unit that is for the Mac Mini. The Mac is powered through a Carnetix CNX-P1900 DC-DC Power regulator. The Mac is blue tooth enabled and is capable of picking up WiFi signals while in the vehicle. It Mac Mini can play and record DVD’s and is a fairly capable small computer. The Mac can be used instead of an iPod using iTunes. It is able to be used with a GPS, although I usually use a Garmin 2720 Street Pilot.

One modification that I found useful was replacing the original alarm system with a Viper system. It is easy to figure out if it is armed or disarmed.

The folks at Soundwaves in Memphis have been great to deal with and they took the headaches out of the installation of the stereo, alarm and Mac. They are about as good as it comes.

Boston Mangler · 12-26-05, 08:40 AM

VERY NICE RIG!!! Very well done and thought out mods!!!

That is one very slick dual battery gauge thing, never seen that before!!

Also, i see you have the Alpine 9851 head unit. Same one i have, arent the iPod controls super cool!! 60gb of music all without touching a CD!

I want those wheels! Are they non US market or are they available here?

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:42 AM

My Land Cruiser has been reliable and has taken me to Colorado mountain passes and to the back of Charity Hospital in New Orleans (note water mark).

I want to thank Dan, Christo, Luke Porter, Steve-O and the various mud personalities for helping to put this vehicle in order.

concretejungle · 12-26-05, 09:09 AM

That is a great looking truck.

Romer · 12-26-05, 09:35 AM

Nice write-up. You letting your son drive it off road much?

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Romer

Nice write-up. You letting your son drive it off road much?

Yes and it is scary. This is a picture of him in Colorado, we are stopped waiting for what could be described as an off road traffic jam to clear. We are about to go down a narrow area that has a several hundred foot drop with car parts on the bottom. Truly a white knuckle experience.

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Boston Mangler

VERY NICE RIG!!! Very well done and thought out mods!!!

That is one very slick dual battery gauge thing, never seen that before!!

Also, i see you have the Alpine 9851 head unit. Same one i have, arent the iPod controls super cool!! 60gb of music all without touching a CD!

I want those wheels! Are they non US market or are they available here?

The dual battery system is from TJM and was bought from 4x4Connection. It was an easy install and so far has done well.

http://www.tjm.com.au/master_framese...batteries.html

The wheels are official Toyota steel and can be gotten from CDan for just a few gold dog bowls!

The iPod capabilities are great with the Alpine unit.

firetruck41 · 12-26-05, 11:28 AM

So are you able to control the mac through the eclipse touch screen? That is very cool, do you also hava keyboard/mouse?

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firetruck41

So are you able to control the mac through the eclipse touch screen? That is very cool, do you also hava keyboard/mouse?

I am able to control it through the touchscreen, but you really need to have a mouse and a keyboard. I thought that a Bluetooth keypad/mouse was the way to go. I went through a good number of batteries (they always go out at the wrong time) and will be going to USB for both. There is a USB/Firewire hub that apparently designed for the Mac Mini by Belkin and that will be added to keep some spare ports available.

The touchscreen was off Ebay and I can't remember the manufacturer.

Cruiserhead05 · 12-26-05, 02:57 PM

rgsiii,

Awesome truck and very clean...at first glance you wouldnt know how nicely built the truck is.

B

Brentbba · 12-26-05, 03:21 PM

Nice truck and write-up!

taccruiser97 · 12-26-05, 03:23 PM

What brand of fuse block is that? Where did you get it? Did you install it on the passenger seat bracket?

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taccruiser97

What brand of fuse block is that? Where did you get it? Did you install it on the passenger seat bracket?

This is the same one that Slee uses. I called them up, asked what they used and they sent me one. Very good people.

Clutchee · 12-26-05, 04:33 PM

rgsiii-Glad to see another built 80 in the club. Beutiful truck.

You have got to make a meeting!

See ya soon.

alvarorb · 12-26-05, 04:50 PM

Very nice setup. Do you use a bluethooth mouse and keyboard with your on-board Mac Mini?
Have you tried MacGPS Pro?

Regards

Alvaro

landcruiserjunky · 12-26-05, 05:03 PM

dude, i love it!!!! It gives me a strong desire to sell my 60 and start a new project...

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alvarorb

Very nice setup. Do you use a bluethooth mouse and keyboard with your on-board Mac Mini?
Have you tried MacGPS Pro?

I have used the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse and had some problems with battery life. I find it hard to remember to turn them off like I should. When I used Diskwarrior, it would not recognise the bluetooth mouse and had to get a standard USB one to complete the program. Last night the Bluetooth keyboard apparently bit the dust and will get replaced by an Apple USB one. I am using a typical MS optical mouse now.

I have MacGPS Pro and for some reason, I had difficulties. Initially, it did ok then it would just show the GPS coordinates, but no map. I will try their tech support again and see if it can be straightened out. I may try the GPSy ProX, which is in the beta version.

NorCalSam · 12-26-05, 05:20 PM

Very nice looking rig. I really like the bat system install who did it? Very clean.

Sam

Ted44 · 12-26-05, 05:21 PM

That is a sweet rig!! very inspiring. Now all I need is $$$$.

BTW, I bought my truck in Harrisonburg, VA in August. There seems to be a lot of them over there.

Cruiserhead05 · 12-26-05, 07:07 PM

RGSIII,

Just curious, why the dual yellow tops as opposed to the typical yellow/red top system?

davegonz · 12-26-05, 07:27 PM

Very nice rig!! Love the carputer setup and the slick rear bumper.

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cruiserhead05

RGSIII,

Just curious, why the dual yellow tops as opposed to the typical yellow/red top system?

That was my original plan. I bought a yellow for the auxillary battery and was using a regular battery as primary. I fully intended to get a red, then somebody just gave me a deal on the second yellow. So far no problems.

beno · 12-26-05, 07:59 PM

Çok Guzel...Richard...

What a beautifully done, well-thought out, and functional 80 series.

These are the types of rigs I hope mine will someday emulate.

Thanks for sharing the story of the build-up.

Make sure you show your son the Turkish way of driving...

Cheers.
-onur
Akron, OH

rgsiii · 12-26-05, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beno

Çok Guzel...Richard..

Make sure you show your son the Turkish way of driving...

Cheers.
-onur
Akron, OH

Te?ekkür ederim.

I added the armor to help him with the driving. I have never been more scared, than when driving with my son in the US or driving with anybody in Turkey.

With a little luck I'll have good weather in January.

Richard

C6H12O6 · 12-27-05, 12:03 AM

This is definitely one of my favorite ROTWs so far. Very well planned out and killer install of some sweet gear.

I'd love to see how you installed the Sirius system. I just got the Sirius box to connect to the Alpine head unit and I'm not sure where I want to put the receiver box or where to mount the antenna and run the wire.

Also, where did you put the iPod box? I mounted mine up inside the console behind the lower console box. It's just above the rear heater vent and I'm wondering if it gets a little too hot in there for it. Not much room under the seats.

Sweet rig. You've got what I'm building. Very well put together.

Steve

PS ~ I showed my wife the Mac install and she commented that you spend way too much time in your truck. I dig it.

reffug · 12-27-05, 04:30 AM

Excellent write up and beautiful truck.

Even the right color.

Only one question, I didn't read anywhere nor do I see a mention in your sig line about lift or suspension mods. Are you running all that weight on original shocks and springs or did I miss something? Sure is sitting ok if it is and thats shocking.

Still beautiful rig.

rgsiii · 12-27-05, 04:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reffug

Even the right color.

Only one question, I didn't read anywhere nor do I see a mention in your sig line about lift or suspension mods. Are you running all that weight on original shocks and springs or did I miss something? Sure is sitting ok if it is and thats shocking.

Still beautiful rig.

Thanks for the compliments. The springs have been replaced with 2.5" OME heavy types--I forgot to mention that.