Club Member Intros

[Walking Eagle]

Ok, here's a thread that will be a sticky - post up who you are, what you drive, a little about yourself ( I like to take long moonlit walks through the junkyard while listening to Dead Milkmen on the i-pod). Posting a photo of yourself, your truck, and family will help new comers, and those of us with horrible memories identify you (and be identified) at meetings and events.

Because we want to be able to welcome new members, but don't want this to become a total chat thread, what we're going to try is letting chat happen, then the moderator (me) will come back once a month or so and clean up (delete) the chat and leave just the intros. We'll see how this goes, feedback is always ignored, I mean welcomed...

 

[Walking Eagle]

Heath Vogt - 2006 Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport

The basics -

Name: Heath Vogt

Truck: 2006 Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport - stock for now

Location: Owasso, Ok

email: rallybug@yahoo.com

Kids: Elliot - 7 years old in April
Olivia - 5 years old in May

In the club for: Wheeling, family time, socializing


The touchy feely stuff -

I've been a GCC member since '04 (I think) when I bought my '73 FJ40 w/ a swaped in V-8. I attended the picknic that year in my Isuzu Trooper since the 40 was not real drivable at that point. Brought it out the following year, then sold it 6 months later when Elliot was born. Sounds like a typical sell the toys cause of the baby deal. Fortunately I'd already replaced the Trooper with the LX450, and sold the 40 the Tuesday before Elliot was born, and ordered my 35" MTZ's from the hospital room while mommy and baby slept. The 80 grew to 37" tires and after a fire and total interior rebuild was sold. A stock Tacoma sits in it's place and it needs some add ons and some off road time.

I'm a mechanical engineer for Tarby doing industrial progressive cavity pumps. I've been into mechanical stuff and cars foever, and used to be really into VW's - had 5 non running bugs and busses at one time! I grew up in the back of a '78 FJ55 though, and my first car was a '77 FJ40 that only had 77,000 miles on it when I bought it. I'd give a bunch more than the $1600 I sold it for to get it back today. It was in better shape than the '73 I DID pay twice that for.

I've not been real active the last year and a half, between job changes and being without a 4wd Toyota for a year. I'm ready to get back at it now though.

Obviously once I get going I'm talkative, but generally slow to start. Oh, and Walking Eagle - picked that
up 20 years ago - comes from 'too full of crap to fly'

 

[Marty Moose]

Name: Marty Hurst
Trucks: 1993 FZJ80 Hard Wheeling
1990 FZ62 Mild Trails
Location: Springfield, MO
e-mail: md.hurst@hotmail.com
Phone: 417-860-1238
Wife: Sissy
Kids: NONE
I joined GCC at the Fall Picnic @ Disney
I'm also a member of Ozark Mountain Cruisers

I have been wheeling since the age of 10. My Dad bought a 1947 Willey's that we put a 225 C.I. V6 Buick engine in and Wheeled in Chadwick, MO almost every weekend and we would make trips to Lesterville, MO and Pitcher OK in the Chat Piles. I learned to drive it when I was 12 and the addiction was on. I bought my first 4X4 at 16 a 1975 CJ-5 then at 18 I bought a 1978 CJ-5 that I still own now 27 years later. I caught the Land Cruiser Bug about 10 years ago and I now have 6 all Wagon's 1988-1998, One is a parts rig the 1994 and one I rolled 2 1/2 times the 1988. I want to make a tube Buggy out of it.

I enjoy getting out of the City to Wheel and to enjoy the out doors as often as I can. I look forward to wheeling with all of you soon.



Colorado July 2009


Disney Spring 2009


Gilmer, TX Jan 2010

 

[TexasAgFJ60]

TexasAgFJ60

Name: Robby Severance
Trucks: 1984 FJ60, F&R ARB Lockers, 33" BFG
Location: Edmond, OK
e-mail: robby.severance@gmail.com
Wife: Betsy
Kids: NONE (but 2 dogs: Jaxon & Cooper, German Shorthair Pointers)
I joined GCC in February 2010 after owning my 60 for a year

I've been into offroading since I was in high school when my first vehicle was a 1976 IH Scout II. Did a SOA on it in the garage and then had to let the air out of the tires to get it to clear the garage door, doh! Most of my offroading has been small riverside trails and such, maybe one day I will actually make an official trail ride somewhere. Fast forward 15 years and now look at me.
My wife just recently graduated from PA school after being an RN for 8 years so the laundry list of upgrades are now ready to be acted upon. I've got a bad habit of collecting gadgets, generally looking for projects that would incorporate a new tool purchase. I am hoping to meet some folks to talk cruiser and offer a hand wrenching sometime, oh and I like to take long walks on the beach too...

 

[redvette]

Name; Cliff Burns
Trucks; started with an 81 mini truck 4x4
then came the 86 runner
then the 74 fj40
then the 94 runner
then the 85 runner
now in a 97 passport

 

[Senor Aguas]

intro

Name: David Waters
Trucks: 1967 FJ40
Location: Fayetteville, AR
e-mail: david_a_waters@yahoo.com
Cell Phone: 479-957-3074
Wife: Brandi
Kids: Ollie (13 months old)

Lets see...

I'm a mechanical engineer and work for Superior Industries here in Fayetteville. I design cast aluminum wheels for auto companies that we then produce for them. I don't usually come up with the styles—I design the styles that are given to me from the auto companies to be strong enough and cast-able.

I've liked Cruisers since my dad brought home a 1973 FJ40 in the early 80's. We took it hunting, then exploring trails around Cass when we moved to NW Arkansas.

I got my first cruiser in '06 I believe. It was a white '93 FZJ80 with 240k miles. You might remember it from the Cass run a few years ago. I actually wanted a fJ40, but didn't think I could afford to fix one up like I wanted to. Running 40's are really expensive around here. I wheeled the 80 quite a bit, and almost fully upgraded it (ARB lockers, 4.88 gears, sliders, bumpers, winch). I was trying to negotiate a trail (probably an ATV trail) near Cass one day and I decided that the 80 was too big for the trails. Also, my work on the 80 was pretty much complete, and I was getting a little bored. I knew I couldn't get out of the 80 what I put into it, so I looked or a FJ40 to trade.

I found one on mud, owned by FJBen in Colorado. We met halfway in Salina KS (6+ hours each way) and swapped vehicles. The cruiser had a SM420 in it that whined so loud that my friend and I stopped at Walgreens to get earplugs. That was ok though, because I'd planned for a 5 speed. I've been pleased with the remainder of the 40 (I knew there would be a little rust).

Between what the cruiser already was, and what I've done to it, the mechanicals on the 40 have all been replaced or rebuilt. Here's the basics:

TBI 350
NV4500 (5 speed)
rebuilt 3 speed transfer case
ARB rear locker that I have yet to hook up to my CO2 tank.
E-locker front
Spring over axle lift with low height shackle reversal
All-Pro Offroad Hy-steer with heims
Saginaw power steering
30 spline longfields
35 inch tires

The last few months I've been working on replacing the rust, installing metal tech tube fenders, and a couple other things:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/335451-my-build-up-rust-clearance-protection.html

When I get the cruiser back on the road, I plan to be more active in the club. As far as club events, I've been to the Cass run, a few Disney picnics, and Cruise Moab last year (which was awesome). Hopefully by Fall, I'll be able to wheel Cass or Disney a few times and haul the 40 to Superlift in Hot Springs. I really want to take the 40 to Moab, but it will be a couple years most likely.

My Rig of The Week:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/248898-rotw-senor-aguas-nov-3rd.html

Here's a couple old pics from before the tear down.

 

[toyotakurtis]

Name: Kurtis Jones

Truck: 1995 Mini Truck on 35's

Location: Tulsa, Ok

email: toyotakurtis@yahoo.com

Wife: Amber

Kids: Audrey 21 months
Lawson negative 5 months

In the club for: Wheeling, family time, socializing

I found out about Green Country Cruisers in the Spring of 2000 when I guy in a really cool FJ60 stopped me in a parking lot and suggested that I look into GCC. Ended up joining that April and have been a member ever since. I currently am the President of GCC and truly feel blessed to be apart of GCC. The main focus of GCC club is to bring together fellow Toyota Land Cruiser owners, I think the mini truck is the red headed step child of the Land Cruiser.

I started my offroad addiction at the age of 16 like many others. I have owned 4 Jeeps and have been disappointed by each one. After a wheeling trip to Clayton OK and having a friend show me up in his 1986 Toyota mini I was sold on Toyotas.

My first Toyota was a 1985 4runner. Yes the 1985 is the golden Toyota mini of the US, solid axle and 22re. I built the 4runner on a shoe string budget while in college and ended up with a very nice all around wheeler. After wheeling my 4runner for 8 years I decided to sale the truck and build my 1995 truck. If you ask my wife she was not very sad to see the 4runner go.

The 1995 truck has a Sky 5" front lift with solid front axle, Marlin 5" rear lift, 1" body lift, 1" drive train lift, gas tank lifted 1", Marlin Crawler, 35's, 4.88's, detroit lockers (rear is current sitting in garage floor with a broken ring gear), still working on custom bumpers front and rear.

I look forward to getting to know the current members better and meeting new fellow Toyota minded people. I encourage anyone interested in Toyotas to come out to a meeting see what we are all about.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about Green Country Cruisers

Enjoy the pics,
Kurtis Jones

 

[REKCUT]

Name: Thad Brown

Location: Springfield, Mo

Member of:

Green Country Cruisers
Gateway Cruisers
Ozark Mountain Cruisers
Toyota Land Cruiser Association

Current Trucks:

1984 FJ 60
1994 FJ80
2007 FJC
2008 Tundra

Past Trucks

1998 100
2000 100
2003 100
2005 100

Family: Wife and 3 kids, 23, 17, 14

2 Dogs, Burnees Mountain dogs, and 4 horses

I first hooked up with GCC on the last Mulberry run during the Big Ice storm here in Missouri around 2005 or 06. Really had a good time and have also made several picnics. Won a front bumper at one of the GCC membership drives.
I love wheeling and will try to make at least 3 TLCA events a year along with Marty Hurst and we are trying to keep up with a schedule of doing one new Event each year. Getting harder to find new close ones.

I have been slowly building my cruiser for about 9 years. It was totally bone stock. I hate to think about the money I have put into it but its gone from a street princess to a trailer queen. Rust started to take over a few years ago so I kind of lost interest in keeping the body straight. Plan on picking up a rust free body one day and switching over but I am having so much fun bouncing it off things that I may never get around to that.

Mods on the 60

Front and rear lockers, Arb front bumper, alcan 5 inch springs, Marlin toybox, 12.5 winch, SROR rear bumper with swing arm, twin stick shifters, longfield axles, 4.56 gears. SROR sliders, IPOR seats, and a long list of smaller modifications

Mods on the 80 ( Daughters DD)

Front arb, rear slee bumper with swingout, slee skid plate and sliders, dual batteries with onboard air, OME lift, 10k winch, and many other mods

Mods on the FJC(wifes DD)

295 tires, sliders, and body mount chop.

 

[KY854RUN]

A Long Distance Member

Hi, I'm Kevin Yeager

I'm currently located in Chinle, Arizona. We moved here from Claremore, OK.

I own a `68 FJ40 and a `85 4Runner. The 40 is in storage until I get a place to rebuild it. So, the 4Runner is what wheel in for now. I also have a M416 trailer that I use behind my 4Runner.

My wife's name is Linda and we have 4 kids, 3 girls and a boy

Here's my story, I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona and I learned to drive in a '64 Chevy SWB (short wheel base) pickup. Though 2 wheel drive, it taught me the benefits of where a short wheel base and a granny gear can take you. I had aspirations of owning a Jeep CJ and yes, I did say "Jeep." But then, in the summer after High School graduation, my best friend bought a '70 FJ40 and that's when I knew that an FJ40 was the 4x4 for me. In 1985 I bought my '68 FJ40. It was an eyesore to my dad, that is until our first hunting trip in it. After that, he didn't care what it looked like because it took us anywhere we wanted to go.

I got married in '95 and then moved to Claremore. We moved into an apartment and my FJ40 went into storage. In '96 we bought a house, had our first child and I haven't been able to get back to work on the FJ40 since. In '97 I was invited by Deano Kothe to join a new 4x4 club that was forming. I believe that he invited me to the first meeting, but I couldn't make it. At the second meeting I joined the club. Then at the April '99 meeting, I was voted in as Vice President. The fact that I was now the club's VP had an affect on my wife. She suggested that I follow through on my idea of replacing my 2 wheel drive Datsun pickup with a Toyota 4x4 pickup. As she put it, "shouldn't the VP of a 4x4 club have a running 4x4 to take to meetings and club outings."

As I was actively looking for a pickup, in June, I came across an '85 4Runner that was priced right. Plus, it could carry the whole family (we only had 2 kids at the time). After a brief family discussion, it was agreed that I travel the 100 miles to look it over. As I was leaving to go see the 4Runner my wife said to me "If (she meant when) you buy it, on the note line of the check put Happy Father's Day." Even though it needed a good deal of work, I had doubts that it could make it home under its own power, it was still a good buy. Four days later I returned with a trailer to buy it and haul it home. The rest of this story can be deduced from the specification/modification list for the 4Runner.

The '85 4Runner:
(my daughter named her, Marry Ann, after the steam shovel in the book

"Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel")

• 2.4L 22RE 4cyl. engine-has been rebuilt with Northwest Off-Road cam
• Turbo 5speed trans (R151F)
• 4cyl. transfer case (RF1A) rebuilt with Marlin Crawler 4.70 gears installed
• '88 rear axle rebuilt with 4.88 ring & pinion and a PowerTrax No-Slip locker
• front axle rebuilt with 4.88 ring & pinion
• Bud Built high clearance trans crossmember
• front brakes upgraded to Land Cruiser vented rotors and mini-truck IFS calipers
• 3 1/2 inch Northwest Off-Road suspension
• Doetsch Tech Pre-Runner shocks
• 1 inch Downey shackles front & rear
• stainless steel extended brake hoses
• ARB Bull Bar front winch bumper
• Warn XD9000 winch (she said Marry Christmas for this one)
• 160 amp Premier Power Welder alternator
• Optima yellow top battery
• Tom Woods long travel front drive shaft
• crossover steering conversion using All Pro Off Road double arm and Marlink tie rod & drag link with FJ80 tie rod ends
• '88 mini-truck power steering box with modified pitman arm
• Uniden Pro-510 40 channel CB radio with magnetic mount antenna
• new windshield
• custom fabricated rear bumper (spare tire/gas can carrier is in the works)
• the steering column has been replaced
• both front seats have been replaced
• the rear seat belts have been replaced
• new 15x8 chrome steel wheels
• 11.50x32R15 Mickey Thompson MTX radial tires

Last year we bought a 2008 3/4 ton Suburban 4x4. But it has poor ground clearance, so it is not much of a wheeling rig. I am currently looking for a 100 series Land Cruiser to carry the whole family when wheeling.


Here is a link to my trailer build, M416, if you would like to see it.

Bye

 

[AussieRedneck]

I have been getting the GCC emails and still trying to figure out how to post there, so I will try here. I'm not a techy and I am old.
Name: Jay Mykytiuk
Rig: 95 FzJ80
Wife: Amy
Kids: Benjamin 9
Levi 7
Jude 4
Audrey 2
Baby X Coming soon
Location: Marlow, for now...

The stuff: I have been wheeling with my mom and dad since I was probably 4. Drove off road my first time when I was 15 in Moab with a baja bug. I crashed it. My brother finished it off. Got my first Toyota when I was 17, an 85 extra cab 4x4. I put a new engine in it, a Weber, a header and some sweet stereo equipment (I was a kid, ok). Since then, I have had J**ps (two Ch*rok**s, both lifted). My last one I wore the credit card out on, with 6" lift, bumpers, sliders, wheels and junk. This time I am doing it on the cheap.
Bought the 80 cause I am Toyota guy at heart and it seats 7. My 80 came with an OME 2.5 medium (decided to buy already lifted to save money). I have built a front bumper for it and am working on sliders. Next will be coil spacers and a rear bumper and possibly a rack. I haven't done much modding, but have put an older grill on the 80 to get rid of the bean and sombrero. I am also running a superwinch in the new bumper. Have used 315 Pro Comp AT's on it until I can afford some better tires, maybe the hummer tires, idk. Oh yeah, it is locked!
Hope to catch up with you guys some time on an event but I am in Marlow (south of Chickasha, close to Duncan) and Disney is a long way. I have been to Clayton twice though when I had my "other 4x4". I do go to CO about once a year to see my family and go camping and wheeling. I am from Mancos, CO, near Durango CO.
Oh yeah, I've also had this 80 stuck twice now and so officially, IH8mud!
2nd stuck after pulling my buddies FJ 40 out and the tractor he go stuck too. Jude and Levi in the picture.

1st stuck, testing it out with street tires.

Poughkeepsie in August and Audrey peaking out the middle window

My user name is from something I once called my buddy who had a beat up old 40 and would cruise it around with an ugly cowboy hat. I liked it and it stuck.

 

[Bogger Man]

Name:
Randy Underwood - Lives in Cave Springs, AR, an engineer doing natural gas pipeline hydraulic modeling, compressor calculations, and "other duties as assigned" for nearly 30 years.

Wife:
Ellen - faithful travelling companion, confidant, and EWD (Early Warning Detector). Recently nominated for sainthood.

Ride:
Animal, my trusty steed. Otherwise known as a 1970 FJ40 with four bolt main 350, Comp Cams 4x4 Extreme cam, roller rockers, on board air, SM465, lockers, Hummer double bead locks with 36" Hummer tires and a Warn 8274 (with a hook that's mostly used to connect to a stuck J**p!)

Been there done that:
Had LOTS of 4x4s, including a J**p, a Ramcharger, bevy of Chevies (a longbed pickup, a shorbed pickup, and two Blazers), a Scout II, etc. Got tired of wrenching all the time. Now, a certified Toyota believer. EWD converted to Lexus GX470 Toyota derivative.

Joined Club:
'Cause I felt sorry for Deano, and didn't want him to be alone......even though I wasn't sure I wanted to be a member of a club that would let ME in!

But since then, I've found that this is one of the best bunch of guys I've ever been around. If it all melts down some day - I hope I'm close to some of you guys in case I need a hand to fight off the zombies.....

I LOVE going places most people never see, to see unique creeks, bluffs, mountains and waterfalls... XPLORIN!

 

[TomacFJ40]

Name: Tomac Clark

Truck: '78 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40

I live in Oklahoma City with my lovely wife Brandi and my dog Lola.

Email: tomac.clark@yahoo.com

I joined the club for wheeling and friendship. I love the outdoors and exploring.

I've had my truck for about 10 years now but it's hardly been off the pavement, rediculous. I hope to change that!

My truck came in extremely handy for the last snow storm.

 

[petrotk40]

Let's get this thing going again!

I'm Taylor and drive a 2000 UZJ100. It is my DD which occasionally gets dirty.

I live in Tulsa with my wife and 2 dogs. I am a Texas native and, more importantly, an Aggie.

My first and pretty much only GCC even so far was an Ozark trail run back in early 2012. I almost fell in a creek.

other photos
Ozarks

Lower Illinois River trout fishing

Keystone Dam ORV

 

[fjgoober]

Hey GCC.

Name Greg Vowell
Member of GCC and TLCA.

I never saw this sticky up here to introduce ourselves but enjoyed looking at everyone's pictures. I don't have that many pictures from wheeling. Should have taken some Saturday when we were in Disney as I buried a 40

I've been married to the same woman for I think 85 years now. Three daughters ages 24, 20, and 14. I grew up on a farm in SE Kansas always owning a 4wd but never went mudding or rock climbing. Self Employed for over 10 years. In the life prior to that I was an engineer for a petrochemical facility (Refinery & Fertilizer plant).

Love to Waterfowl Hunt, Golf, and Fish but seldom get to do it. I do enjoy the people I get to meet on mud and through GCC. Good People Really enjoyed the fall 2012 picnic at Clayton.

I have been around Landcruisers for years but never realized there was this type of community out there until last year. Trying to get my brother involved in GCC as well.

Three landcruisers 2 -78 FJ40's (One runs the other is mostly for parts) and a
93 FZJ80. I bought the 80 but the wife liked it and started driving it, now I'm forbidden to take it anywhere except pavement I also have a 95 T100 that has 300k miles on it that has been abused but still runs like a top.

 

[Mustard7640]

Steve Thomas
Oklahoma City, OK
1976 FJ40
Green Country Cruisers member since 1999
TLCA #10871. Member since 1999

My FJ40 is a 76 model that I bought it in 1998.

I guess you could say that my love of Land Cruisers started pretty early in life. When I was 5 years old we lived in Ada, OK. My dad was the service manager at Toyota of Ada. A customer with a nearly new 76 model FJ40 was a having a cold-start issue so my dad drove it home one night to try to duplicate the problem the next morning when he started it. I remember thinking it was the coolest thing I had ever seen. It was hunter green with black interior. My dad let me get in it and check it out and I remember sitting in the back on the jump seats. After that experience, I knew I wanted one.
My first truck was a 1982 Datsun 4x4. I put a 3" body lift and some 33" Swampers on it. I had a bad wreck in it 1988 which totaled it out. It rolled 2 1/2 times and I was thrown thru the windshield because I wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
My next truck was a 1985 Toyota Xtra Cab. I put a 4" suspension lift and a 3" body lift and some 38" Gateway Gumbo Monster Mudders on it. I never wheeled the truck all that much as it was more of a daily driver. I traded it off in 1995 for a new Chevy dually.
Fast-forward 3 more years. I found my FJ40 at an apartment complex by my house. I had seen it sitting there for quite a while and finally saw the owner in it one day. I asked if he would consider selling it and he told me that he was getting ready to put it up for sale. We agreed on a price and I went and got a loan for it the next day.
It was pretty much stock when I got it but it had the typical rust issues. I went through several lifts and tire/wheel combos. As all of you know that also have this addiction, its a never ending evolution in the interest of making it more capable. I'm not into fancy stuff or chrome. If it doesn't make it perform better, I really don't want it. I'll take function over form any day.
In its current state, my 40 is probably more GM than Toyota, but its still easily identifiable as a Toyota. It has a 305 on propane, an SM 465, a twin-sticked NP205, a welded 14-bolt rear, a Dana 60 front with a Yukon Grizzly locker, PSC full hydraulic steering, Hummer double-beadlocks, and 39.5 Swampers. It's got a shackle reversal and SOA setup with stock leaf springs on the front and the rear is kind of a 2-link(?) hillbilly trailer ball setup with J**p TJ coils and its been stretched to a 113" wheelbase.
Future plans are to redo the front suspension to mimic the rear and make it a 4-seater again. My daughter loves going wheelin' and camping and my son went on his first trip with us on Black Friday at Disney last November. I finally got my wife interested in going with us so 4 seats is high on the to-do list.
I've done nearly all of the work myself with a little help from friends here and there. I learned how to weld and bought a tubing bender so I wouldn't have to rely on other people to work on my stuff. I take pride in building and fabricating my own stuff and as such, I try to avoid buying mass-produced parts whenever possible.
I love being in the Toyota community and the people in GCC are some of the best people I've ever been around.

 

[merryweather]

Great stuff Steve! I can't wait to meet you and see your rig. Sounds like a lot of fun.

 

[REKCUT]

Taylor, Love that shot. That has become one of our favorite camping spots. Just about 100 yards past your handstand.

 

[REKCUT]

Nice intro there Steve. Are you related to the Sarah Thomas that post up on the GCC forums.

 

[REKCUT]

Greg, NIce pics.

 

[Mustard7640]

Member intro

Hey Thad. Yes, we're related. Sarah is my wife. I was trying to put as much info in there as possible but I guess I forgot to include her name. Sorry about that Sarah! Don't hit me!