Build Recommendations Please, Baja Cruiser

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N

natenick

10 Year
Joined
Mar 18, 2013
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I want to build a Cruiser or LX to be used as a chase vehicle for a race in Baja. After that it will be used as a daily driver and sometimes off road.

The Baja chase will have mostly crummy dirt road with some sections of sand and rocks.

I would like to keep the build around $15k, so here's what I am thinking.

2000 to 2002 Cruiser or LX with around 100k miles

Front and rear bumpers (Slee?) with winch, tire rack, jack, jerry cans

Suspension upgrade with slight lift and level

Larger tires

Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated.
 
Love the idea, as long as you have at least 15k for the mods, not 15k for the whole project?

There is a ton of info here, this is going to take a lot of search time...

Best of luck,
 
Yeah.... that is pretty low for a budget. Slee front and rear bumper is going to cost pretty close to 5k alone. If you are in San Diego, there are several of us that have pretty well built rigs. I would try to meet up with some of us to get an idea of what you will need.

To get you started.... Here is the build that Kurt did for a Chase truck last year.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series...dy-build-thread-2000-uzj100-land-cruiser.html
 
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Is it the Baja 1000, 500 or San Felipe 250, or a different race? How far and where will you be driving. How long without gas? Will you have to travel with extra gas for the race vehicle? How many people and supplies will be in your vehicle? Will you be a direct support vehicle or just following along? There are many variables that would shape and define how many mods you would need.

You may be just fine with a stock Land Cruiser with decent stock size tires and some recovery gear depending on what your doing. You'd be surprised how many thousands of miles of Baja have been explored by surfers or hippies driving around in a VW bus. Not to mention locals driving around in whatever 2wd vehicle they may have.

Or if you are looking to be a direct support vehicle for the Baja 1000 you could be looking at 10-15k in mods.

Perhaps if 15k is your total budget you could look at a Taco, Tundra or 4Runner.
 
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This is for the Mexican 1000, a rally style stage race from Mexicali to Cabo on 4/28. 4 of us from Texas are doing it on bikes and we have a film crew coming down to document it. The idea is to use the truck to get the film crew out on the course at some points, most likely at the beginning or end of off road test sections, and to take the pavement to meet up with us in between tests.

The truck will carry 2 people, some spares for the bikes, film equip, and camping stuff but I think all will fit inside without much trouble. The truck will not be responsible for gas or really supporting race vehicles, but I would want it to carry some gas just in case.
 
Honestly for those needs, there really isnt a whole lot you need to do. A stock rig can pretty much meet your needs. Might just want a heavier set of springs for the rear. Everything else you do will have pros and cons. On your budget, I would recommend:

1. sliders these always manage to pay for themselves
2. tires 285/75R/16 in an All Terrain
3. Frame recovery brackets (https://forum.ih8mud.com/vendor-marketplace/634825-universal-recovery-brackets-urbs.html)
4. recovery gear - hi-lift, straps, shackles, shovel, tire repair kit, etc.
5. Figure out how you want to carry your spare gas (on the roof or on the back). Then find which way to get their within your budget.
5. 1.5 - 2.5" lift. Iron Man or EMU

Bumpers and winches are cool... but not necessary for your stated needs and will really push your budget higher. When traveling, if you end up without a rear bumper and a way to carry your spare higher, throw it on the roof and strap it down. I did that for years and never ruined a tire. Dont keep it in the stock location.

I am headed down to Baja this weekend. Have fun and let me know if you have any other questions.
 
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If you are a chase rig and will be flying through the desert, the stock suspension will leave much to be desired. I would throw some JT control arms and some King, Fox, or similar shocks on. Sliders and FRB's, If you are carrying gear you will need a rack. If you are a recovery you will want a robust bumper.
 
Since you're not going to be chasing after the bikes at 50mph on washboard roads you can get by with much less.

Mxndrnks has a pretty good list. A decent LC truck that age and mileage is going to run you about 12k-13k. After taxes, tags, etc that doesn't leave much for mods. Buy your rig and see what you have left over.

Start off with the most important gear first.

1 - recovery gear - hi-lift, straps, shackles, shovel, tire repair kit, etc.

2 - Frame recovery brackets (https://forum.ih8mud.com/vendor-marketplace/634825-universal-recovery-brackets-urbs.html)
A rear hitch recovery bracket is a good affordable option as well.

3 - portable Air compressor to inflate and air down tires. Tire pressure gauge. (good for soft sand in Baja)

4- MAXTRAXX sand mats. (Sand mats, your recovery gear and aired down tires can do most of the work that a winch would do)

5 - AT tires would be great.

6 - Sliders would be great but removing running boards would be the next best thing at $800-$1000 less.

7 - Roof rack for your bike tires, spare, shovels, hi-lift etc. A Yakima Megawarrior is affordable and fairly sturdy. For a one off expedition this would be a good budget option at $370. (I know you said you'd put it all inside the rig, but having some things uncluttered on top will keep you sane and organized. Only concern is if things need to be locked down when staying in towns).

8 - I feel you could get by without a lift or suspension mod, your spare may also be ok where it is.
 
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like everyone else said already - increase your budget, skip some desired items, or use a different vehicle.

figure a cheaper Hundy is gonna cost you $10-15k (good luck with less than 100k at this price)
suspension package around $3k for the full JT kit
tires $1500
armor package (front, rear, sliders) around $5k
roof rack around $500-1000
interior storage/drawers around $1000
awning/shade for desert $800

that's just some of the basics for a 100-series build and it's already over $20k on the low-side of things - and doesn't include any other desirable upgrades like re-geared/locked diffs, recovery gear, offroad lighting, electrical upgrades/dual batteries, fridge setup for cold drinks in desert, etc etc etc.
 
natenick said:
Uh oh, maybe I'm off base on this, but I was thinking around 10K for the truck and 5k for parts.
Click to expand...

LOL - I just bought 2, 2000 LX470's (his and hers)... one with 90k and the other with 100k... paid $18k for each one... they are probalby mucher clenaer than what you need for your trip, but I would say you should be thinking high teens for vehicle purchase alone.
 
For a $12-15K budget...you'll be lucky to find a stock 2003 100 V8.

Why not rethink that idea?... all you will ever need is one of these....Third World proven 80 Series with solid front axel, BFG AT's, on Board Air, ARB Armor, Old Man Emu underneath...4x4 gear trailer optional....all for $15K

These machines Eat Baja dust all day long! :cheers:

IMG_0427.webp
 
Mxndrnks said:
Yeah.... that is pretty low for a budget. Slee front and rear bumper is going to cost pretty close to 5k alone. If you are in San Diego, there are several of us that have pretty well built rigs. I would try to meet up with some of us to get an idea of what you will need.

To get you started.... Here is the build that Kurt did for a Chase truck last year.
https://forum.ih8mud.com/100-series-cruisers/647636-project-hundy-build-thread-2000-uzj100-land-cruiser.html
Click to expand...

This is just about where I want to take my 2000 LC, it just happens to be white also ,,,I'm in north county SD would like to see this live?
 
you dont need all the silly bumpers & armour for baja. You need 285's - aired down of course, a lil lift 1.5-2.5", a freshened up maintenance/tune up, and a heavy right foot = go have fun.

oh and maybe a light bar cause its ridiculously dark at night...
 
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