Our 2000 UZJ-100 Land Cruiser started off as the kids hauler in 2000. I was 10 years old when my father drove it home. He leased it until 2004, when the lease was up he had two choices. The first was find a different vehicle or purchase the truck (4 years old, 65K, $24K) and keep it. He looked at looked and didn’t find anything that he really wanted. With me being 14 at the time and 1 year away from a learners permit he decided to keep it and let me learn to drive it. It was a tank and was about as fast as a tank. My father, my best friend, and myself went to the DMV on June 20th (2 days after my 15th birthday). We sat in the DMV office for what seemed like 4 days. After a mugshot, and a few confusing questions by a rude lady behind the counter I had my learners permit! I was thrilled. However I had something a little different in mind with what car I wanted. My father tossed me the keys and said I am driving home. Now, just to give you guys a little insight, I had driven quite a bit before this event. However it was in small cars, sedans and 2 door coupes. Nothing quite as big and clumsy as the 100 Series. As I pulled out onto the roadway I was feeling confident. If any of you have driven in Atlanta traffic you know it’s terrifying. I was given the task of driving a 6,000lb truck with very little seat time in it through Atlanta. The city with the worst traffic, dangerous and narrow roads, and the highways that in one lane you can be traveling 90MPH and 3 lanes over it’s dead stopped. It was hell for me. Within 20 minutes I was sweating, it was brutal.
Let’s skip the boring 6 months that nothing happens. I was in highschool and had this soccer mom SUV that didn’t quite make the ladies pile in. Despite having 8 seats and cup holders it didn’t exactly reel them in like I had imagined. I went to highschool in a affluent area so all my friends had M3’s, Audi’s, etc...the “cool” cars. I couldn’t stand my Land Cruiser. I wanted to sell it, I hated it, I didn’t want to be seen in the damn thing. A good friend of mine had a 1995 Ford F-150 and watched a lot of the off-road TV shows and found out I drove that “soccer mom” SUV in the parking lot. He wouldn’t stop telling me how amazing these things are. I never really believed him. He asked if I had lockers and I showed him my key and said “here is the button for the locks, it has an alarm too!”. At the time I was feeling quite confident, it was the first time I was able to sound cool...I was then explained what lockers really are and felt dumb.
I found IH8MUD and Expedition Portal and started to learn about the heritage these vehicles had. I continued to read and surf the internet. Realizing I did indeed have something special, a hardcore, underestimated, under the radar tank for civilians.
I decided I would go explore and get the tires a little dirty.
I will post in the order that I did mods. I have to find the pictures (they go way back) and find the best ones of each stage. I have 10's of thousands of pictures that I want to go through.
A final thought, at where I stand with the 100 today...
After 13 years of my family owning the Land Cruiser, which it has now become a part of our family, I owe this Land Cruiser a huge thanks. When I was in 4th grade I rode in it everyday to school, when I graduated from middle school it was parked outside to take me home. It carried me to my first day in high school, and every day to and from high school for 4 years. It was my first car, I had my first kiss in the back seat of it, I had some the greatest times of my life in it. When I took ownership of the Cruiser in 2007, I spent every day behind the wheel. I learned that it is a bucket of bolts, a gas guzzling SUV that has one hell of a personality. It's a testament to how special these really are. I am now 23 years old, a senior in college, I still drive it everyday with a smile. I have spent 13 years in this vehicle, over 100+ wheeling trips, 95,000 miles, hundreds of hours into working on it, blood, sweat, love and passion. My Land Cruiser has started a business, made me who I am, and introduced me to some of the greatest people.
I owe this truck a lot, I can't even begin to tell you all what this Land Cruiser has done for me, even though it has cost me a arm and a leg
After 5 years of being on IH8MUD, I officially introduce my 100 Series to IH8MUD.
-Nick
Below are the modifications:
Suspension:
OME 866 Coils
OEM Torsion Bars
Total Chaos Upper Control Arms
Metal Tech Upper and Lower Off-Set Links
Profender 2.5 Remote Reservoir Shocks (Front)
Fox 2.0 IFP (Rear)
Armor:
ARB 03+ Combo Bar Bumper
Modified OEM Bumper (High Clearance)
White Knuckle Off-Road Sliders
TJM Skid Plates
Re-Inforced OEM Skid Plate
Re-Inforced ARB Guard
NATO Pintle Hitch
Drivetrain:
OEM Front Differential (4-pin)
OEM Toyota CV Axles
.120 DOM Drive Shafts
Tires:
315/75/16 BFG AT on OEM 16" Alloys
Engine:
OEM Toyota Air filter
Snorkel
Electrical:
Blue Sea 5026 Fuse Block in Engine Bay
Blue Sea 5026 Fuse Block in Cargo Bay
Power Inverter Mounted in Dash.
USB Ports in Cargo Bay
Recovery:
BadLands 12,000lb Winch (steel line)
Hi-Lift
TJM Recovery Straps
Lighting:
OEM Headlights Retrofitted with Morimoto FXR 3" (Custom TEQ Lens)
OEM Denso Ballasts (Low Beam)
100W Supercharged Denso Ballasts (High Beams)
Osram 66240 CBI
Bi-Xenon Fog Lights
32" LED Light Bar
42" LED Light Bar
10W Pods on Roof Rack
16W Pods on Rear Bumper
Interior:
Igee Seat Covers
Ram Mount (iPad)
Audio:
iPod Connectivity Kit
Alpine Door Speakers (Front and Rear)
Rockford Phosgate 10" Subwoofer
Alpine Amps (3)
OEM Head Unit.
Let’s skip the boring 6 months that nothing happens. I was in highschool and had this soccer mom SUV that didn’t quite make the ladies pile in. Despite having 8 seats and cup holders it didn’t exactly reel them in like I had imagined. I went to highschool in a affluent area so all my friends had M3’s, Audi’s, etc...the “cool” cars. I couldn’t stand my Land Cruiser. I wanted to sell it, I hated it, I didn’t want to be seen in the damn thing. A good friend of mine had a 1995 Ford F-150 and watched a lot of the off-road TV shows and found out I drove that “soccer mom” SUV in the parking lot. He wouldn’t stop telling me how amazing these things are. I never really believed him. He asked if I had lockers and I showed him my key and said “here is the button for the locks, it has an alarm too!”. At the time I was feeling quite confident, it was the first time I was able to sound cool...I was then explained what lockers really are and felt dumb.
I found IH8MUD and Expedition Portal and started to learn about the heritage these vehicles had. I continued to read and surf the internet. Realizing I did indeed have something special, a hardcore, underestimated, under the radar tank for civilians.
I decided I would go explore and get the tires a little dirty.
I will post in the order that I did mods. I have to find the pictures (they go way back) and find the best ones of each stage. I have 10's of thousands of pictures that I want to go through.
A final thought, at where I stand with the 100 today...
After 13 years of my family owning the Land Cruiser, which it has now become a part of our family, I owe this Land Cruiser a huge thanks. When I was in 4th grade I rode in it everyday to school, when I graduated from middle school it was parked outside to take me home. It carried me to my first day in high school, and every day to and from high school for 4 years. It was my first car, I had my first kiss in the back seat of it, I had some the greatest times of my life in it. When I took ownership of the Cruiser in 2007, I spent every day behind the wheel. I learned that it is a bucket of bolts, a gas guzzling SUV that has one hell of a personality. It's a testament to how special these really are. I am now 23 years old, a senior in college, I still drive it everyday with a smile. I have spent 13 years in this vehicle, over 100+ wheeling trips, 95,000 miles, hundreds of hours into working on it, blood, sweat, love and passion. My Land Cruiser has started a business, made me who I am, and introduced me to some of the greatest people.
I owe this truck a lot, I can't even begin to tell you all what this Land Cruiser has done for me, even though it has cost me a arm and a leg
After 5 years of being on IH8MUD, I officially introduce my 100 Series to IH8MUD.
-Nick
Below are the modifications:
Suspension:
OME 866 Coils
OEM Torsion Bars
Total Chaos Upper Control Arms
Metal Tech Upper and Lower Off-Set Links
Profender 2.5 Remote Reservoir Shocks (Front)
Fox 2.0 IFP (Rear)
Armor:
ARB 03+ Combo Bar Bumper
Modified OEM Bumper (High Clearance)
White Knuckle Off-Road Sliders
TJM Skid Plates
Re-Inforced OEM Skid Plate
Re-Inforced ARB Guard
NATO Pintle Hitch
Drivetrain:
OEM Front Differential (4-pin)
OEM Toyota CV Axles
.120 DOM Drive Shafts
Tires:
315/75/16 BFG AT on OEM 16" Alloys
Engine:
OEM Toyota Air filter
Snorkel
Electrical:
Blue Sea 5026 Fuse Block in Engine Bay
Blue Sea 5026 Fuse Block in Cargo Bay
Power Inverter Mounted in Dash.
USB Ports in Cargo Bay
Recovery:
BadLands 12,000lb Winch (steel line)
Hi-Lift
TJM Recovery Straps
Lighting:
OEM Headlights Retrofitted with Morimoto FXR 3" (Custom TEQ Lens)
OEM Denso Ballasts (Low Beam)
100W Supercharged Denso Ballasts (High Beams)
Osram 66240 CBI
Bi-Xenon Fog Lights
32" LED Light Bar
42" LED Light Bar
10W Pods on Roof Rack
16W Pods on Rear Bumper
Interior:
Igee Seat Covers
Ram Mount (iPad)
Audio:
iPod Connectivity Kit
Alpine Door Speakers (Front and Rear)
Rockford Phosgate 10" Subwoofer
Alpine Amps (3)
OEM Head Unit.
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, it was long over due on your write up........
at ya! See you soon! 