Builds 100 Series Build - Proper Family Hauler

[SS100]

Subscribed, love what you have done! Also awesome that you are able to take your family on these awesome trips. The kids will remember these times for sure.

Thanks for the comment. Definitely sharing with the family is a great thing. My wife & I where into overland travel before we where married and the kids are used to long trips since they where each 2 months old... My youngest always asks even if we are heading out at 5 in the morning "is it going to be dark by the time we get to the campsite?"

 

[SS100]

@SS100 youch that hurts, I'm getting ready to rip my AHC adn put a lift on. I went to big bend last time but my AHC was going up and down lol it really stresses the system off-road. All i had was a rooftop tent and front bumper but it was taxing the alternator for sure. Let me know if you need a hand, i'm not best but it'd be good experience for me and anyone can always use another hand!

Thx! Appreciate the offer. Definitely not an expense I was planning on! The third member is already out and I dropped it yesterday at Javier's Auto to install properly (will be putting in an air locker since they are way stronger than the OEM front diffs).... The problem is he is booked solid until next week, so depending on his turn around time...

 

[cainventure]

@SS100 well good luck man hope it all works out good, what type of locker are you putting in? I"m going to work on fixed a rear cargo leak today or tomorrow but i'm off till next tuesday so thought about camping or offloading somewhere any places you like in texas?

 

[SS100]

@SS100 well good luck man hope it all works out good, what type of locker are you putting in? I"m going to work on fixed a rear cargo leak today or tomorrow but i'm off till next tuesday so thought about camping or offloading somewhere any places you like in texas?

I'm putting a TJM. It's basically the exact same as an ARB but without the "spinning o-ring" that will sometimes cause air leaks on the ARBs.

As you probably know, real wheeling in Texas is pretty difficult to do unless you go to an Off Road Park or have a buddy with some land that will allow you to go and play.

As for the State Parks, I like the quieter ones preferably with good MTB Trails. My favorites so far are Guadalupe River SP, Pedernales Falls SP (it's always crowded though but camp spots are secluded and there are nice swimming holes) and Colorado Bend SP (best MTB Trails IMO, the river is muddy, but you can have fun on the rental kayaks). The are also the LCRA Parks... The ones I like best are Pace Bend (great camp spots if you get there early, great swimming and very good MTB Trails, but it is a big park with lots of people) and Shaffer Bend which is smaller and has more secluded camping by the lake. Still need to do more exploring towards the west of TX, but those are a ways from Houston, so need more time.

 

[SS100]

So it's been a while since the last update. Although not much had been done to the truck except use it for what it was built. We enjoyed the beach and a couple of the Texas State Parks and Nature Reserves that are closer to Houston this summer.

 

[SS100]

And then I went out with some of the local Cruiserheads to play out at Brazos Valley Off Road Ranch and this happened.

Not really pushing it hard IMO. Lifted the front passenger wheel about 2 feet and when it landed I heard the sound of grinding gears in the front diff... It looks like the typical 100 Series Front Diff break... Probably just had the right combination of traction, speed and A-Trac activation at the wrong time... I'll call driver error as I faced the obstacle the way I would have done on my old 80 and it seems the 100 requieres more finesse and a different approach...

So, since that happened.... This happened.

Full Front Diff Rebuild with TJM Air Locker, Nitro Gears and new bearings all over. Took the front diff off and had everything installed by Javier @ Javier's Auto Unlimited as properly setting gears is not one of my mechanical abilities.

 

[SS100]

I had beed debating on where to place a couple of charging ports so the kids could charge their gadgets while on the road. Center console is not an option on the 2003+ as it came with Stereo Controls on the rear of the console where everybody else puts the charging ports. So while getting on a flight for work I needed to charge my phone and and then it hit me... Duh! under the seat! (It's obvious now, but it had not occurred to me. I had just looked at forward options, the drawer system which is not a real option as it is filled with cargo and the C-Pillar Plastic cover which I didn't want to drill)

Found a cheap one at Walmart that fit just right under the rear seat and did not interfere when the seat was folded. I installed one on each corner. Simple installation. Positive goes to the BlueSea Fuse Box in the back, ground to one of the bolts that secure the seats. Everything nice and hidden under the carpet. They where cheap, and have worked well for over a year.

 

[SS100]

Thanksgiving caught us at Big Bend. Great place. This trip was more to explore the National Park as we had explored the State Park pretty extensively on Spring Break... I like them both (a lot). Leaning a little bit more towards the State Park because of it's ruggedness and fewer people. Although you don't see many people on the actual 4x4 trails in the NP either. Just perfect.

 

[SS100]

 

[CSMcruiser12]

Cool build! Can't wait to see more updates.

I just picked up my first cruiser yesterday, 04', 240k miles.

I'm also in Houston! I've seen Javier's mentioned a couple times. Would you recommend it for general maintenance work? Or is it more of an off-road specialty shop?

-Andrew

 

[cainventure]

looks awesome @SS100 , big bend is great plan on going over new years. all cruisers welcome

 

[SS100]

Cool build! Can't wait to see more updates.

I just picked up my first cruiser yesterday, 04', 240k miles.

I'm also in Houston! I've seen Javier's mentioned a couple times. Would you recommend it for general maintenance work? Or is it more of an off-road specialty shop?

-Andrew

Thanks for the kind words @CSMcruiser12 Congratulations on the new rig, you will not regret the purchase. Yes Javier is a good mechanic for any type of work and he knows Land Cruisers. But he is way overbooked and you normally have to wait in line. For this reason I've used him twice for "special" work and either do the general maintenance myself of take it to a local shop in Bellaire who has gained my trust (and has decent pricing). Although in reality I haven't had to do much on the cruiser in 30K miles of ownership aside from oil changes and one front brake pad change (and that issue with the front diff )
Let me know if you want the contact info for any of them.

 

[SS100]

looks awesome @SS100 , big bend is great plan on going over new years. all cruisers welcome

Thanks @cainventure ! What dates are you planning for BB on New Years?

 

[cainventure]

@SS100 thinking Dec 30- jam 2/3. Find me on Facebook Jace Cain. Good news is my alternator crapped today so I'll be changing that out. First one I've ever had to do. Better than off road. Lol.

 

[SS100]

@SS100 thinking Dec 30- jam 2/3. Find me on Facebook Jace Cain. Good news is my alternator crapped today so I'll be changing that out. First one I've ever had to do. Better than off road. Lol.

I will be out with the family those dates. Parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Maybe for Spring break.

 

[SS100]

One step closer to completing my build, I finally put on a real rear bumper after damaging the OEM Tupperware while playing on the trails at BVORR a couple of months back. Mission Statement

I don't like the swing outs, I understand the advantages for some, (and the truck looks very cool with them! ) but this is my DD and I open the rear hatch on a daily basis to load packages at work. Besides I've had rigs with and without swing arms in the past and by now I've figured out a packing system that works well for my intended needs without them.

My first choice was a Slee bumper only because his design doesn't require the rear crossmember to be notched in order to fit the receiver hitch, as it sits a little lower. I know this makes the departure angle suffer... but I have a spare tire underneath, so this was not an issue for me. Slee said they do not sell bumpers without swing arms anymore, so my next option, the other model I liked was the BIOR. Mike @ Bump It Off Road Custom Fabrication and Off Road Products for Toyota Land Cruiser - Windsor Colorado was very receptive of my requests. He not only offered the bumper without swingarms, but also offered to build a bumper without the spindles, which for me was big plus since I didn't intend on using them! I can highly recommend Mike's service, he is very good at answering e-mails and keeping you in the loop about your product's build progress. I did have to wait about two months for my bumper as I placed the order around December 20th... Not a problem as I was not in a hurry. The bumper arrived just in time to have it on my truck for my upcoming trip to Moab in two weeks, so

My rear crossmember had the OEM built in receiver hitch. It seems this is super rare on Land Cruisers and is only seen on LXs? Or maybe it is due to the fact that my truck is an '03? Don't know, but I found this out only after taking off the OEM bumper, once I had the BIOR Bumper ready for installation. If I'd known this in advance, Mike could have accommodated the design to suit my frame. Not his fault!. As it was too late, I just got the cutting disc, sawsall and grinder and went to work.

Tried to cut off as little as possible and then ground the sharp edges. (I did spray paint the cross member before installing the bumper)

 

[SS100]

End result: A Great product. Very robust. The bends and welds are perfect. Good quality powder coat paint. The installation went very smooth, all mounting holes aligned properly and the bumper sits straight with the truck's lines without needing any shims. I like it!

Though, without the OEM towing hitch I need to take care of the Spare Tire Modifications ASAP!

 

[sorich]

Looks great! I'm considering a bumper from them as well since I'll be moving to Colorado in the summer. Did he install it for you or did you do it on your own? No welding necessary, just bolt on?

 

[savirc]

One step closer to completing my build, I finally put on a real rear bumper after damaging the OEM Tupperware while playing on the trails at BVORR a couple of months back. Mission Statement

I don't like the swing outs, I understand the advantages for some, (and the truck looks very cool with them! ) but this is my DD and I open the rear hatch on a daily basis to load packages at work. Besides I've had rigs with and without swing arms in the past and by now I've figured out a packing system that works well for my intended needs without them.

My first choice was a Slee bumper only because his design doesn't require the rear crossmember to be notched in order to fit the receiver hitch, as it sits a little lower. I know this makes the departure angle suffer... but I have a spare tire underneath, so this was not an issue for me. Slee said they do not sell bumpers without swing arms anymore, so my next option, the other model I liked was the BIOR. Mike @ Bump It Off Road Custom Fabrication and Off Road Products for Toyota Land Cruiser - Windsor Colorado was very receptive of my requests. He not only offered the bumper without swingarms, but also offered to build a bumper without the spindles, which for me was big plus since I didn't intend on using them! I can highly recommend Mike's service, he is very good at answering e-mails and keeping you in the loop about your product's build progress. I did have to wait about two months for my bumper as I placed the order around December 20th... Not a problem as I was not in a hurry. The bumper arrived just in time to have it on my truck for my upcoming trip to Moab in two weeks, so

My rear crossmember had the OEM built in receiver hitch. It seems this is super rare on Land Cruisers and is only seen on LXs? Or maybe it is due to the fact that my truck is an '03? Don't know, but I found this out only after taking off the OEM bumper, once I had the BIOR Bumper ready for installation. If I'd known this in advance, Mike could have accommodated the design to suit my frame. Not his fault!. As it was too late, I just got the cutting disc, sawsall and grinder and went to work.

View attachment 1411533

Tried to cut off as little as possible and then ground the sharp edges. (I did spray paint the cross member before installing the bumper)

View attachment 1411539

Totally with you on the swing outs. Mine is a DD and kids and frequent openings of hatch and gate it's just not worth it for my use. love the way the swing out looks and functionality but I can't reason with it fo my needs. I'm due to have my dissent rear delivered here soon w/o swing outs.

 

[SS100]

Looks great! I'm considering a bumper from them as well since I'll be moving to Colorado in the summer. Did he install it for you or did you do it on your own? No welding necessary, just bolt on?

The bumper was delivered 100% complete. A direct bolt-on. No welding or painting necessary. Comes with all necessary hardware.
If you opt for the receiver hitch, you will have to cut the rear cross member like you see on my photos above.
I installed myself, pretty straight forward.