Builds 2013 Land Cruiser Build Thread - Daily, Adventure, and Weekenderlander (1 Viewer)

[Gazziza]

After a few nights in Moab I headed straight to Denver. First order of business was to head over to Bowen Customs so they could measure my Tundra for a flatbed tray. They're doing good work out there with some unique camper and flatbed systems and Brent Bowen has been great to deal with. I'll need to make a build thread of the Tundra on here one of these days.

Bowen Customs

Bowen Customs

www.bowencustoms.com

After that I stopped by Slee to pick up some skid plates for the 200. As you can see this was already getting to be an expensive trip but at least I saved some money by not staying in a hotel the first few nights lol. I debated the Slee skid plate system vs the ARB ones and there there is no doubt the Slee is absolutely much beefier. However a bit overkill for my needs and nearly twice the price. I "settled" on the ARB skids and will see how they hold up for me. My gut feeling says I'll be okay for a while. Later that evening I was able to meet up with @mcgaskins and help him clear out his garage a little. The bumper was actually quite larger than I thought but fit in diagonally like a glove. The sliders and the rest of my camping gear I was able to play a little tetris with and fit into the truck and bed cap. Now all I needed was to convince people I did not have $5k worth of land cruiser parts and camping gear in the back of my truck.

The next two days were spent slowly driving all the way back to Boise. Stopped by Leadville, CO to pick up a few items from Melanzana (IYKYK) but make sure you make an appointment before hand!!!

I had also picked up some ARB rated recovery points from Cruiser Outfitters a few weeks prior as well. So next order of business for me is to clean up the garage a little bit since we moved into a new house a few months ago and then start to put some work in on the Cruiser.

 

[Gazziza]

It's been a while since I've updated this thread. I've been slowly collecting parts over the and the LC was essentially stock for a long time. That was until now. I had a trip planned to Moab and that is what really pushed deadline on installing my mods. I really kind of waited for the last minute so it was a mad rush 3 weeks up to the trip to get everything installed. It wouldn't have taken so long but my KDSS valves were seized which required me to take it to a shop to have nuts welded to the stuck allen bolts. The suspension went on "okay" but there were certainly struggles along the way some of which I still need to dial in. Either way the trip to Moab which had been planned for the last 5 months was going to happen with or without the Cruiser so I just needed to install the necessary parts.

The next phase of the truck was to get it ready for Moab

• King 2.5" adjustable front and rear shocks
• Total Chaos Upper Control Arms
• Dobinsons C59-535 rear coils
• Icon Vector 5 17x8.5 +25mm wheels in Titanium
• Toyo Open Country ATIII 285/75/17 LRE
• Slee Step Sliders
• Alu-Cab tilting Fridge Slide
• National Luna 50L Weekender - really disappointed in the performance of this one considering it's supposed to be one of the best. Wild temperatures swings throughout the trip and it ruined my food. Temps ranged from -8C to 8C and could not hold consistent temps. Fortunately my friends had an Iceco fridge they brought along which saved some of my food. I'll have to communicate with Equipt on this one and see what's wrong with it. Can't say I'm too happy with it right now though.

I don't have a ton of in progress pictures since I was under the gun to get all the parts installed without wasting too much time for glamour shots. I will say that the King's are MONEY. They ride so damn nice even with a off shelf tune. I can still dial them in a bit with the adjusters as well. On road they handle really well and smooth out any bumps or divets on the road. They're firm yet smooth at the same time. Off pavement they really shine. Blasting through washboard and sandy wash roads at speed was certainly fun and they gave you the confidence to do so. They're pretty much what I expected from Kings and I'm glad I went with them. I've had other shocks like Icons and OME Nitrochargers on other vehicles which always left a little to be desired when it came to on-road comfort. The Kings do it all.

I was actually not a big fan of the Icon wheels looking at them on other vehicles. I went with the primarily because of the +25mm offset and that they are one of the few wheel manufacturers that offer that offset in a 17" wheel. Plus Discount Tire could get them rapidly and even price matched the 15% off sale that Icon was having. I initially wanted black but it was backordered so I went with the Titanium color. When DT was done installing them and rolled the truck out front I was in LOVE. The Titanium Vector 5's on a Mag grey truck is stunning. Black wheels are a little played out now anyways so I'm glad I went with the Titanium set.

My choice of tires were the Toyo Open Country ATIII's in 285/75/17 size. Essentially a 34x11.5" tire. They fill the wheel wells and it looks just right. Required me to remove the forward and rear mudflaps in the front wheel wells, trim a bit of plastic and push the fender liner forward with a heat gun. I get a TINY bit of rubbing at full lock in reverse but its very minimal. In fact I don't really remember it rubbing off road and it mostly does it on the driveway. I also went with that size because it will fit in the stock spare tire location. Driving impressions are good and I'll discuss more of my impression on them in the next few posts. So far I'm liking them and hope they last a while because the price of a new set of tires today is INSANE. It did rob quite a bit of power so a re-gear is in the future at some point.

The Alu-Cab tilting fridge slide is the only fridge slide I've ever used that has not jiggled, squeaked, rattled or made any sort of noise what so ever. It's a 10/10 product. As mentioned above, the National Luna fridge could not hold a consistent temp and it could have ruined the trip had it not been for the other vehicle also having a fridge. One that is 1/4 price of the National Luna which worked just fine. I have to believe mine is defective somehow and will see how it can be fixed.

How she sits today. I'll post a Moab trip report soon!!!

 

[CharlieS]

I'd definitely reach out to Paul at Equipt and see what they can do. Our National Luna 50l dual zone (on the same alucab tilt and slide) worked flawlessly for a month of camping this summer in our 200. Ambient temperatures were as high as 109 and the fridge never missed a beat. Maybe double check the power supply wiring too?

 

[Gazziza]

Alrighty, trip report time. So we booked a 3 night stay at While Rim trail in May. You really gotta be on the NPS site right when the slots open because they go in about 10-15 minutes. October is typically a good time to be in Moab as the weather is pretty nice. As luck would have it the week we get there the temps drop to 50's in the day time and about 25-30 at night. Go figure. We would meet up with a few friends at an Airbnb the first night, get some good rest, make sure we had all we need and head out the next AM to start our itinerary. Make sure you goto Gearheads to pick up any last minute supplies and fill up your water jugs for FREE. They also sell Partner Steel stoves cheaper than anywhere else I've seen.

So we head to Canyonlands NP and enter through the main gate. It's still busy this time of year and it took about 30 minutes to get to the entry gate. Got some last minute info from the Ranger station and headed down the Schaffer Switchbacks. Our itinerary included White Crack, Hardscrabble and Taylor. Both White Crack and Taylor are off the main trail and secluded from other camp sites. White Crack is essentially in the middle of the trail so we didn't get to camp until 7pm or so. This included a side trail off Lathrop Canyon which added another 1.5hrs to the trip. As we get to camp and star to setup the storm system comes in. We get some really strong winds and rain throughout the night. According to the weather service winds were 25-40mph. It was really rocking from 2pm-4pm and I was literally trying to hold the frame of my tent so it wouldn't break or blow away. I could hear the aluminum frame creaking as I tried to brace the tent. After the winds died down it just steady poured through the night and there was a good collection of water in the tent but we luckily stayed dry from the water. I have an Oztent RV3 which is kind of like a brick in the wind so I'm glad it stayed together in one piece over the night. I do wish it was a little more rain proof however. I slept good after the main wind gusts died down thanks to my new Hest Foamy sleeping pads. Literally the best sleeping pad you can get coming from an Exped megamat.

Because of the rain storms this made the next few days very interesting. Smooth dirt roads became a wet, sloppy, and slippery mess. Normally not a problem but more of an issue when there are some narrow tracks with huge drops off the side. My friend who had a Jeep Gladiator on 40" mud terrains had zero issues dealing with this. In fact he ran the trail essentially in 2hi the entire time. The LC despite being in 4Lo (MTS on mud & snow) struggled going uphill in the slop likely due to the all terrains vs MTs. Something I expect but don't want to find out on a narrow cliffside. It took a little more work to get the tires to get some grip in the mud but the LC still pulled through. So do I think the Toyo Open Country ATIII's performed well it mud? I think as good as a true A/T can which is typically just "okay". I'm sure if I had an R/T or M/T it would have made better work of the mud. The difficult sections in the mud was definitely the climb up Murphy's Hogback and the climb up and down Hardscrabble. Again mostly because of the muddy conditions on narrow cliff sides roads.

Our 2nd night was a stay at Hardscrabble. The next morning we headed out the Taylor which wasn't too far away. Taylor is off the trail a little but there is a nice hike out there to Moses and Zeus to get out of the car for a bit. IMO this is one of the best campsites on the trail since it there is only one spot and it's off the main trail a bit. After a bit of discussion we decided to skip the night at Taylor since it was still early in the day and we wanted to be closer to Top of the World for the next day. We'll be sure to stay here next time though. We finished out going through the Mineral Bottom switchbacks and headed back to Moab. My gas tank did hit E right as I got to hwy 191. So I guess depending on side trails and conditions you may want to carry extra fuel. I did not since the Gladiator carried the extra fuel. So something you may consider bringing along. I'm sure the mud also robbed me of some fuel along the way as well. As we got into Moab our goal was to fill back up and head to the car wash to get rid of all the mud.

I think most will say to do White Rim in 3 nights. I think it just depends on how fast you like to move and what side adventures you go on. For us I think 2 nights is optimal since we like to cover a fair bit of ground on a daily basis. White Rim trail should definitely be on your must do list.

 

[Gazziza]

A few more pics of the amazing views

 

[Gazziza]

My buddies Jeep Gladiator on 40" M/T's and my LC on 34" A/T's

 

[Gazziza]

I'd definitely reach out to Paul at Equipt and see what they can do. Our National Luna 50l dual zone (on the same alucab tilt and slide) worked flawlessly for a month of camping this summer in our 200. Ambient temperatures were as high as 109 and the fridge never missed a beat. Maybe double check the power supply wiring too?

Wiring shouldn't be the problem. I bought a new power cord for the fridge from Equipt the day I drove down to Moab. Tried different cords and also changed the fuse too without any improvement. I use an external power pack, the Dometic PLB40, which was charging fine the entire trip via the cars 12V socket. I called equipt and they said some of the internal components may come loose so I have to open up the electric panel on the fridge and see if one of the valves may have loosened. We'll see if that is the culprit.

 

[Gazziza]

Trip Report: Dome Plateau and Top of the World trail in Moab

Continuing on from my trip to Moab. Our plan was to do White Rim for 2-3 days as more of a warm up and easier and enjoyable trail. After 2 nights on White Rim we returned back to Moab, filled up our gas tanks and headed towards DP and TotW which courses along the Colorado River. We spent a quick night on DP and TotW in the morning. I feel like Dome Plateau gets overlooked but it's actually a really good trail. Lots of side shoots, caves, arches, some very good obstacles and gatekeepers, abandoned cabins and secret camp spots. I feel like you could spend 2 days on Dome Plateau if you wanted to. If you haven't done DP definitely add it to your list. It's also less crowded. I've done DP twice now and look forward to doing it again.

After spending the night at DP we headed to TotW which is essentially just across the way. I did this trail about 4 years ago in my 5th gen 4Runner trail. At that time it had about a 2.5" lift, 33's, sliders, skids and had the factory rear e-locker and a-trac. I have to say the 4Runner did a heck of a lot better than the LC. I think the combination of rear e-locker and a-trac is just about as good as it can get when crawling with a modern Toyota IFS. The Land Cruiser definitely struggled a bit more on the big obstacles. I had MTS on rock and my center locker engaged but it still had some difficulty on some of the big rock climbs. I had to use CRAWL a few times to get over obstacles and the system was able to figure out the right combination of traction. Conditions definitely played a roll. It had snowed and rained 2 nights prior so conditions were a little wet, a little muddy with snow at the top. When I did it in the 4R conditions were pretty similar. Approach angle was fine and I never bumped the front. Departure angle was a real problem on the obstacles going back down. I do feel like I hit the diff and A-arms a bit more on the LC. Keep in mind the trail changes as the years go on and it's likely a bit harder than when I did it 4 years ago as well. Expect a bit of damage on this trail and I would pack sliders at minimum. Stock skids are fine. Also I found the Land Cruisers rudimentary front camera system quite helpful on the trail. I'm pretty sure it's 480p and is blurry compared to the new systems today but it is nice to at least know where the obstacle is at and where your tire will be. Great to have on a vehicle from 2013.

I would say TotW has about 3 or 4 obstacles that make it difficult. You can typically stack some rocks to help you get over it. The other sections there are bypasses. On the trail we crossed a group of Toyota's that included a couple of GX460's, 100 series, 80 series and 4th gen 4R and Tacoma separately. Most of the other vehicles we crossed were Jeeps Wranglers and Gladiators. Also is it just me or do Jeep guys have to ask you if you need "help" like you're stuck on the trail as I'm spotting and picking the best line. I know they're trying to be helpful but I guess they never seen a minivan on the trail before. Once you get to the top the views are absolutely worth it. Definitely feels good to make it up and get the cliff shot. There are two ways down and unless you're in a dedicated rock crawler go back down the way you came up. Going down skiers right is much, much more difficult.

All in all definitely worth it and it should be on your list of trails to do. I think a lifted 200 series on 33's with sliders will have no trouble with the trail. Just expect some trail damage if you're not armored as I do think the trail has changed over the years and will only continue to get more difficult as the ruts get larger since every vehicle now has 35" and 37" tires.

Then

Now

 

[Gazziza]

Some of the obstacles you'll see along the way. My buddies Jeep on 40's made it look easy. He took all the hard lines lol.

 

[Gazziza]

A little trail damage too. Gives it a bit of character!!!

 

[smoothcruiser]

Nice truck you got there. I enjoyed reading about your build and the trip reports. A few days ago I brought home a white 2014 stock Cruiser with 90k miles and am perusing build ideas. Also, last June I bought an 06 Tundra access cab -- those Bowen flatbeds are cool! I'm intrigued by the roof shelf (apparently sold out at present), tailgate cover, King shocks, storage/sleep system, and of course those flatbead$. Happy trails!

 

[smoothcruiser]

Which front coils are you running on your Cruiser? Are you happy with the lift? Are you considering an aftermarket front bumper?

 

[Gazziza]

Nice truck you got there. I enjoyed reading about your build and the trip reports. A few days ago I brought home a white 2014 stock Cruiser with 90k miles and am perusing build ideas. Also, last June I bought an 06 Tundra access cab -- those Bowen flatbeds are cool! I'm intrigued by the roof shelf (apparently sold out at present), tailgate cover, King shocks, storage/sleep system, and of course those flatbead$. Happy trails!

Which front coils are you running on your Cruiser? Are you happy with the lift? Are you considering an aftermarket front bumper?

Appreciate the kind words!!! Flatbeds on a truck is pretty awesome and I think NA is catching up to the functionality of a UTE tray.

I'm running their 16" x 600lb coils with stock weight in the front and I'm at zero preload. I think its great for stock loads and the amount of lift was probably 2-2.25". If I get a bumper and winch I may swap it out to a 700lb coil. As far as the Kings go I'm really happy with the ride right now both on and off road. They're definitely softer and more comfortable than previous Icon setups I've had on other vehicles.

 

[chazzmatazz]

Some of the obstacles you'll see along the way. My buddies Jeep on 40's made it look easy. He took all the hard lines lol.

View attachment 3161595View attachment 3161596View attachment 3161597View attachment 3161598View attachment 3161599

Those last 3 pictures, I drove that same trail back in March except I went up instead of down. Pretty wild ride!

 

[Gazziza]

Those last 3 pictures, I drove that same trail back in March except I went up instead of down. Pretty wild ride!

View attachment 3174480

We went up that section as well, I just didn't take enough pictures of it!!!

 

[Gazziza]

So last trip on white rim trail which is a 100 mile loop I had just enough gas to make it the entire way. I was never in real trouble of running out of gas on it but the moment I hit hwy 191 returning back to Moab the "E" light came on. I didn't carry any jerry cans that trip but it made me think about what I need to do about carrying extra fuel. My build is supposed to be more practical and it is my fiances daily driver so I have intentionally decided against a swing out rear bumper since they just add a lot more weight, complexity and steps to opening the rear hatch. I don't have a roof rack so I won't be able to carry extra fuel up top but have considered Armadillo Bags to put in my Thule box. I knew I wanted a Long Range tank eventually and when they had their 30% off BF sale it was a no brainer. Their headquarters is also local to me in Boise so I had Khris and Aiden at LRA do the install. I did not do any upgrades to the lines, pump, etc etc. I'm not sure if any of that is worth it TBH and I figure the engineers at LRA understand their system and have selected the right components. From what I understand the upgrades that SLEE and Ed Martin do costs an extra $1k.

Here is a picture of the tank installed underneath. I'm looking forward to testing the unit over the next couple of weeks even with just daily duties and excited to have some extra fuel on those longer excursions.

 

[Tex68w]

Not sure how I haven’t been keeping up with your build thread here but I am happy to finally catch up and see the progress you’ve made in such a short time. This is making me feel like a slacker for not moving forward with getting everything installed on my 200, instead it just sits here in a pile collecting additional parts and dust lol. I promised myself I’d get it all on by the spring and I plan to stick to that. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with it next.

 

[m4dm4x]

I also added the Kaon Roof Shelf. I had a Raingler net in my 4Runner that I would put jackets, blankets and light items up there. However it did sag with some weight and inevitably a sleeve would hang or items would fall out of it. So instead of a Raingler net or BROG attic I picked up the Kaon shelf. The price is actually not that bad given the shipping cost and it's a stand alone unit without requiring other side molle panels to attach to.

I like the shelf since it's a rigid structure, can handle more weight, and doesn't impact rear visibility. The front barrier also helps with items falling out of it as well. It took about 5 days to get to my house which is ridiculous considering it comes all the way from AU. Install was easy and the hardest thing was removing the OEM handle clips. One of the tpu retainers was a little tricky to fit in as well but the rest went in easily. I followed the instructions from their online Youtube video. The one thing I did add was blue lock tight to the bolts that go into the nutplates. Overall it took about 45 minutes to install and actually having the 3rd row helped with the installation as you can rest it on the seats folded up. I've used it a few times already and it's nice to have a gear loft and an extra place for storage.

View attachment 2693013

Did this come with the 2 side vertical pieces also and you didn't put them on?

 

[Gazziza]

Not sure how I haven’t been keeping up with your build thread here but I am happy to finally catch up and see the progress you’ve made in such a short time. This is making me feel like a slacker for not moving forward with getting everything installed on my 200, instead it just sits here in a pile collecting additional parts and dust lol. I promised myself I’d get it all on by the spring and I plan to stick to that. I am looking forward to seeing what you do with it next.

Ha, I was actually in the same situation as you with a bunch of parts piling up in the garage until I had a trip to moab planned that forced me to actually install all the parts that I had accumulated. It was a mad rush over the span of like 2 weeks to get it all done even though I had it in my garage for like 6 months lol.

 

[Gazziza]

Did this come with the 2 side vertical pieces also and you didn't put them on?

Are you talking about the two side molle panels? Mine didn't come with them and at the time I bought the shelf I don't think they even had it as an option. Personally I don't want the molle panels anyways as I'd prefer to keep visibility out of the vehicle at all times.