The BIG TRIP - What would you take? (2 Viewers)

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Yep, we're well acquainted with import compliance and such, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Either de-mod it, sell it, whatever.

This is actually for my wife's job, not mine (I get to become a freeloading house-husband!). And within her circle of peers the overwhelming choice is Land Cruiser. I don't know if they all have 200s or some local spec version, but they all say just bring the LC. Taxes, insurance and registration aren't even registering on my list of concerns at the moment. Once we know what country, we'll start that song and dance (along with import compliance).

I think I've got most of what I need already. I'm really just looking for those outlying mechanical details for prepping to be away from the US for a long period of time. I'm already planning to do all the 100k maintenance like coolant flush, but I didn't even consider radiator itself.

We will almost certainly need to buy a second vehicle in-country anyway, and I will be looking for local LC variants. If I stumble on a keeper, I'll pay to ship it back to the US myself.
 
Parts wise, I wouldn't carry anything. I would just keep the phone number and URL for Partssouq handy. They have a global parts catalog, fair prices, ship fast, and unless you are in a country where diplomatic relations prevent it, can get parts to you most anywhere. The land cruiser 200 is dead reliable, and most places can figure out oil changes, tire rotations, etc. If you were doing long range trips into remote areas, we could probably offer a parts and tools selection (pretty sure this is well documented already on this site several places), but for what you describe, I wouldn't bother. Besides, I suspect if you don't have a travel tool kit now, there is probably not a high likelihood that assembling one now is going to be all that useful in practical terms.

I think keeping expensive aftermarket parts (especially those known to break like Icon suspensions) is a bad idea. I'd swap back to stock if I was going to bring the vehicle abroad. It'll be one thing to get a stock part abroad, and an entirely different thing to get replacement aftermarket parts.
 
We will almost certainly need to buy a second vehicle in-country anyway, and I will be looking for local LC variants. If I stumble on a keeper, I'll pay to ship it back to the US myself.
Obviously, be aware of the 25 year import rule before trying to bring something like a new 70 series back with you.
 
I think I've got most of what I need already. I'm really just looking for those outlying mechanical details for prepping to be away from the US for a long period of time. I'm already planning to do all the 100k maintenance like coolant flush, but I didn't even consider radiator itself.
Since it seems as though you're kind of set on taking the vehicle you have, your approach of making sure all preventative maintenance and known issues are sorted before traveling seems like a great idea.

Along those lines, if you can swing a full PM cycle, all fluids including brake fluid, fresh filters (air, oil, cabin), plus replace the radiator, water pump, serpentine, fan bracket, idler, thermostat, hoses, tensioner and coolant swap.

I doubt it'll be an issue, but if you wanted to be painfully thorough, you could even do plugs, coils, and a new battery.

Starter and alternator may be overkill, but if it's in the budget, you could baseline these potential points of failure too.

Have a good shop check all of your wheel bearings, ball joints and tie rods for play, and update as needed.

Refreshing stock brake pads and rotors all around might not be a bad idea?

At that point, it'd be like having a new vehicle. You should be good for a long time.
 
I think you're pretty set. Definitely get the winch set up, that would be my priority. HAM's probably not a bad plan if you're really going to be remote.

Also, I'd endeavor to keep it simple. Do you really need dual batteries etc? A separate rechargeable jump box could give you the peace of mind of not being left waiting for a jump without a lot of excess complexity.

For the timeline you're discussing, and the uncertainty, I would ditch the Icon shocks due to the required rebuilds. I would imagine that shipping them off to get rebuilt while you're somewhere far abroad could take a long time and be very inconvenient. Go with a simpler shock like the standard OME shocks or Bilstein 6120s, and you could likely see 100k+ miles of service with no required rebuilds in the interval.

This. This said everything I was thinking about as I read the OPs post.
 
Since it seems as though you're kind of set on taking the vehicle you have, your approach of making sure all preventative maintenance and known issues are sorted before traveling seems like a great idea.
I'm definitely set on keeping this one until an actual situation requires something different. It's all conjecture at this point and I don't want to dump my car based on a 0.1% chance that it doesn't meet spec in a yet-unknown place. I'll get all the PM stuff knocked out over the next few months and when I find out where we're going, I'll add or subtract as necessary to comply with local regs.

Wifey already knows I need to rebuild the shocks. Gonna be tough to talk her into just replacing them but maybe I can sell them and get a dollar or three back.
 
I suggest not doing a winch and instead getting two bogouts. A lot lighter, and if you only need to self rescue once a year the time difference isn’t a big deal. These are small and easy to store and bring with on trips.
Also agree one drawer is useful. Another style that can accommodate a single seat in third row is a single land shark reef or a double stack reef.
Also agree with the sell sentiment. There are a lot of rules in each country that modded vehicles may have issue with. You literally could get stopped at a border and not allowed entry. Further a rare expensive vehicle will draw attention. Do you want attention? I personally would consider this an excellent opportunity to pick up a 105 to bring back home with you.
 
I'd echo all of the keep it simple/stock.

Once you arrive at a location and get to know the folks you'll be going out with, they might have suggestions for specific equipment for the types of outings that they do. If they all have winches, drive between two of them in a convoy and you'll never need to buy a winch of your own :D They might have all the recovery gear you'll ever need, spare camping stuff, spare tools, and all happy to lend a hand and understand that you're living a quasi-nomadic lifestyle. Great way to build a bond with people.

Run what you brung and don't overthink it.
 
rare expensive vehicle
They're rare and expensive in the US. It's just another car in the rest of the world. I mean, yeah it would stick out a bit in Bangladesh slums, but that's not where we'll be hanging out.

Run what you brung and don't overthink it.
I think I'm just about there...still debating the winch though. We probably won't do any hardcore wheeling, but having the safety of self-recovery when exploring solo just feels good.

I'll check with the wife and see how her people actually have them outfitted, if at all. I definitely want to sort out the suspension and ditch the Icons. Going back to OEM height is gonna be tough to sell me on...I really like the way it sits now.

We will do our due diligence on border crossings but I really don't see that being a thing that would make me sell it before we even launch. We need to bring a car, everyone says bring a Land Cruiser, we have a Land Cruiser, so that's pretty much it. By everyone, I mean the people who are already doing these jobs in the countries that we will be going to.

It may not even get driven across many borders (well, maybe in Europe it could). This is not an overlanding, border crossing expedition. We're just going to live in not-USA and explore whatever is available wherever we are for the next 10-20 years. When we move, all our stuff will just get shipped to the new post, car included.
 
I'll check with the wife and see how her people actually have them outfitted, if at all. I definitely want to sort out the suspension and ditch the Icons. Going back to OEM height is gonna be tough to sell me on...I really like the way it sits now.

I don't think you have to give up the lift in as much as swap out the Icons for more durable options. Including their UCAs if you happen to have that. Unless you want to be inconspicuous I guess.

Bilstein and standard OMEs are high on the list as OEM like twin tube shocks that will go the distance. Bilstein's have adjustable perches on the front shock for configurable lift. Keep whatever lift springs you have in the rear or use 20-30mm spacers.
 
I think I'm just about there...still debating the winch though. We probably won't do any hardcore wheeling, but having the safety of self-recovery when exploring solo just feels good.

I'll check with the wife and see how her people actually have them outfitted, if at all. I definitely want to sort out the suspension and ditch the Icons. Going back to OEM height is gonna be tough to sell me on...I really like the way it sits now.

We will do our due diligence on border crossings but I really don't see that being a thing that would make me sell it before we even launch. We need to bring a car, everyone says bring a Land Cruiser, we have a Land Cruiser, so that's pretty much it. By everyone, I mean the people who are already doing these jobs in the countries that we will be going to.

It may not even get driven across many borders (well, maybe in Europe it could). This is not an overlanding, border crossing expedition. We're just going to live in not-USA and explore whatever is available wherever we are for the next 10-20 years. When we move, all our stuff will just get shipped to the new post, car included.
I totally understand if you want to bring a winch. I wouldn't leave home without mine. I also love my BCDC and everything it enables. At a higher level, I was remarking that your rig will be an evolving project over the next... well, however long you own it. No need to rush in all at once given how many open-ended questions there are on where you'll even be going first.

You have a capable platform, and you can adapt as you go, buying or borrowing as needed.

Sounds like a wild ride, and your wife is lucky she married someone as adventurous as her!
 
I've adventured a lot of the world in rental cars/jeeps/trucks. Iceland, Australia, Africa, Europe, etc. I will never run out of amazing places I can get to in stock rental vehicles.

I'm very cautious about going offroad in places where I don't have a lot of friends/family/knowledge, but I do adventure a little. Keeping it stock will not limit you much, but maybe enough you don't break down someplace really expensive. Your truck, stock with slightly taller tires, will get you places most trucks can't get. Parts, tools, and knowledge of your stock truck will be widely available. Every vital part you replace with aftermarket, turns your truck more into an exotic machine that can't be serviced or maintained in small villages.

When I looked for my next truck, I was looking at new 4Runners +upgrades, new Tundra or Taco +upgrades, considering other brands +upgrades. I was looking for reliability and serviceability wherever I end up. A stock Land Cruiser was more money, but beat every other possible truck+mods, in capability and serviceability.

Full skidplates, taller AT tires, good tools in good boxes, manual winch or two with extra chain/cable and tree-savers, traction boards, shovel, jump-start box. And friends if possible, huge boost in fun factor and confidence in a group of trucks.

Son and I took our rented Gladiator to a remote beach in Hawaii. The beach was a ways offroad, I hiked out a bit and couldn't see how far or how rough it would get. Several people were taking paying customers out to the beach in ratty pickup trucks, $20 each. They made it clear they didn't want me to try it. I picked the worst looking pickup, offered the lady $40 if I could follow her to the beach, paid when we get there. She was delighted, even stopped occasionally on the trail to tell me about what was coming up. Well worth the $40.
 
This seems like a silly exercise if you don’t know where you are going. Wait to figure out what country/region you’ll be in, then decide mods or whether a Land Cruiser makes sense at all.

And how does your wife not know where she’ll be going? State Dept or Spy?
 
I would recommend keeping everything stock except for tires and maybe a LRA fuel tank (keep the spare where iot is). I would not lift the vehicle. If you are going to actually travel farther away than the mall you don’t want the vehicle to stand out. Make sure it will fit in a shipping container so only take what is easily removed. For space, install a large Yakima or Thule box on Yakima HD cross bars. Maybe 4 Maxxtrax as well. Everything else should fit inside. I would not go with heavy bumpers or a big winch. Just more trouble. Focus on reliability and durability, which the LC comes with from the factory but a bit of preventative maintenance always pays for itself. Spend the rest on gas, food, etc

Now just go!
 
The truck I want to drive on my long cross-country trips:

expeditions-7-s-e7-200m-project-is-the-ultimate-land-cruiser-camper-198734_1.jpg


The truck that makes sense to drive on my long cross-country trips and around town:

20211024_151043.jpg
 
tint the windows a bit so people cant see your stuff
some tough sidewalled AT tires
air compressor for tires, and a real jack
low profile low key bumper with hidden winch
ability to carry extra gas + water in some form
do all preventative maintenance
stock rims, no flashy goodies for people to 'remove'
a 'real' first aid kit stocked by you with actual useful things including 'everyday' meds, sunburn stuff antihistamine etc.
battery boost box, extra fuses & bulbs
good set of sockets and wrenches
 
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Sell the 200. Figure out where you will be landing. Buy a vehicle that fits in the local environment and doesn't stand out. Guessing a 70 series or a Hilux would be where you land if you stay with the Toyota family.

If you insist on the 200, keep it as stock as possible, so you can get parts and service more easily.
I came here to say this. There is lots of cool vehicles that we can’t have in the USA, and they are usually diesel. Hilux, Land Cruiser, Land Rover defenders. These rigs will usually hold their value when you sell every 2 years. Also, the mission will be very different in a big city vs rural 3rd world. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want a gas v8 pig in most of Europe and the UK, but in Argentina it might not be a big deal.

Reread op’s mission and it sounds like bringing a car is a normal thing, so maybe Central America/South America? If I was in his shoes I’d think hard about a new starter, radiator, serp belt, belt tensioner, and water pump. I’d also check the valley pan for coolant leaks. Op, this is cool problem to have…
 
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Reread op’s mission and it sounds like bringing a car is a normal thing, so maybe Central America/South America? If I was in his shoes I’d think hard about a new starter, radiator, serp belt, belt tensioner, and water pump. I’d also check the valley pan for coolant leaks. Op, this is cool problem to have…
Moving overseas would seem to imply Europe / Asia / Africa to me, not Central or South America. It sure sounds like a great / interesting opportunity for the right person, but I'm definitely not that adventurous and I really dislike moving. Selling the Land Cruiser and buying something that was originally sold in the region one is going to be living in would seem like the obvious decision to me, but he has also made it clear that there's a precedent where a bunch of other employees (or volunteers??? since we have no idea what the work is) have brought their US spec Land Cruisers without any issues. Without knowing more details about the where, though, I think it's hard for any of us to provide advice other than "make sure everything is well sorted before you head out".
 
Moving overseas would seem to imply Europe / Asia / Africa to me, not Central or South America. It sure sounds like a great / interesting opportunity for the right person, but I'm definitely not that adventurous and I really dislike moving. Selling the Land Cruiser and buying something that was originally sold in the region one is going to be living in would seem like the obvious decision to me, but he has also made it clear that there's a precedent where a bunch of other employees (or volunteers??? since we have no idea what the work is) have brought their US spec Land Cruisers without any issues. Without knowing more details about the where, though, I think it's hard for any of us to provide advice other than "make sure everything is well sorted before you head out".

In this case, overseas could also be Central/South America. Perhaps I used the word beyond its intended very specific meaning of crossing an ocean. Let's just say, I'm moving outside the country, to a TBD location. We literally don't know. And yes, there are multiple precedents for importing US spec vehicles of many types and Land Cruisers are the preferred because of their utility and ubiquity elsewhere.

I learned this morning that some countries may require removing catalytic converters because they still have leaded gas, so that's a new one on me. We'll do that if required then put them back on if we bring this car back to the US. No biggie. I do wonder what that does to the O2 sensors and emissions computers though. I assume there's a dummy load I could put on a sensor location? Anyway, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

As I said before (I think), we will buy a local vehicle as well, but I really don't expect import restrictions to be so ungodly prohibitive as to need to sell mine preemptively. There is also a lot of buying/selling of cars between other employees at a post because they do rotate through so frequently. I think it will be easy enough to pick something up so I have zero stress over that part of the equation.
 
There is another member on here that had to remove the cats, and then put them back on. You may want to asks them? It was mentioned on one of the exhaust piping threads.
 

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