Builds DougCruiser build

[Ma son]

Decided to start a build thread on my 2000 LC. I’ve owned it for almost two years now! Done a fair amount of work to it in that time. I figured I’d start from day one of ownership and work my way to its current status!

Picked up this rig in late February 2021. We had just offloaded a rusted out LX470 and replaced it with a supercharged 1st gen Tacoma. My better half didnt appreciate the rough ride and I didnt love the truck bed compared to the 100’s cargo area. The s/c with the 5 speed sure was fun though!

 

[Ma son]

After posting in one of the 100 groups on FB looking for a trade, I found a guy in the Portland, OR area interested in trading for my current rig. A 2000 with ~342k on the clock.

I left Grand Junction, CO on a Friday afternoon after a long week and began my journey. It snowed all the way over Solider Summit, up into Idaho and Oregon.

After what seemed like an eternity, I was greeted by the gorgeous sight of the Columbia River.

Needless to say, I was tired by the time I arrived to the new LC. I chatted with the owner for a bit and headed home to Colorado, title in hand.

 

[Ma son]

I pulled back into my driveway at 10am Sunday, absolutely spent. BUT, I had a new toy

 

[Ma son]

A good cleaning sure did help spruce the old girl up a bit

 

[Ma son]

In the first few weeks of ownership, we took the cruiser to some new places- the Million Dollar Highway and Moab. It sure was nice to have both of these places within 1.5 hours of our home

 

[Ma son]

The first (and most important) modification was some new(used) tires I found on marketplace in SLC. I had my sights set on another set of Falken Wildpeaks, but for $200 K02s would do the job.

Then it was time to go test them out on a local trail in GJ!

 

[Ma son]

I must have just gotten my tax returns, because I had some money burning a hole in my pocket. The end result was this Prinsu rack. In hindsight, it wasnt a great purchase but I really wanted to be able to mount the Tepui we had sitting in our garage since the summer prior

Some nice early season camping in Ridgway below the towering Mt Sneffels

Doug found himself a nice treat

 

[Ma son]

June of 21, we finally got to hit some trails! The inaugural run was an easy one- Ophir Pass. We got up there as soon as we found out the trail was open so we could get the money shot-

An easy ride with fantastic views!

 

[OffRoadRN]

Looks amazing! If you ever find yourself in the Sierra Nevada’s, drop me a line and let’s go wheeling!

 

[Ma son]

Looks amazing! If you ever find yourself in the Sierra Nevada’s, drop me a line and let’s go wheeling!

Absolutely! Ive actually never been down that way before, i’d love to make that happen

 

[Ma son]

The more I go through old photos, the more I realize how little maintenance I really did the first year. Mostly basic maintenance/ fixing immediate needs- fluid changes (diffs, tcase, motor oil, power steering, coolant), radiator hoses, heater t’s, PS pump. At this point, the Cruiser was over 350k miles and showing no signs of slowing down.

Living on the Western Slope of CO, my focus was on spending every free moment with my beloved girlfriend and Doug, surrounded by the spectacular San Juan mountains . The goal was to hit all the major trails in the area. We came very close, completing all but Poughkeepsie Gulch.

 

[Ma son]

The pinnacle of summer 2021 had to be Black Bear Pass. On my 30th birthday, I convinced myself that this was a good idea- who wants to live long enough to be an old fart? With 200lbs of bougie overland gear strapped to the roof, no sliders, no skids and stock bumpers, we headed to the trailhead. Once we got there, a nice man in a Rubicon from NY assured us that the 100 had no place being on Black Bear. “Say goodbye to your perfect rocker panels.” Great. Thankfully, he agreed to help spot us going down the tougher spots which was a relief. Unfortunately, as soon as we got to the tough stuff, he bailed. Awesome! The only redeeming moment was when the motherless prick slipped on some wet rocks at the waterfall and fell into the river Karma is real my friends. Obviously we didnt die that day, as I am here rambling for hours wondering if anyone is actually going to read this

 

[Coloradolx450]

What a journey! Man it’s funny to see pics of that thing with no mods. Also more Doug please.

 

[Ma son]

What a journey! Man it’s funny to see pics of that thing with no mods. Also more Doug please.

We had some seriously humble beginnings with this rig for sure! Its wild how much we threw at it in the first year of ownership. It really never let me down- until it did lol

As requested, here are some pics of peak Doug:

The day we brought him home, about 3 weeks after we purchased the cruiser

Doug enjoying a shed

Doug modeling in Crested Butte

Doug at the top of Corkscrew Pass

Doug looking out from our favorite campsite in Yankee Boy basin

 

[Kabanstva]

Awesome thread. Love all the pics

 

[Ma son]

Awesome thread. Love all the pics

Thanks! Plenty more to come

 

[Ma son]

Summer came and went, leaving us with some unforgettable memories. We left it all on the table, with no regrets. As fall started moving in, I began to look for new employment. I had been working as and A&P (aircraft) mechanic for the last year and a half straight out of school. An old buddy from school must’ve known somehow because he reached out with a great opportunity- working on the train system that services the Denver airport. We made some quick moves and planned our trek back to the Front Range. Before we left, I made sure to pick up a set of Rock Warrior wheels for a steal-$600!

Parked safely in our new garage

 

[Ma son]

We wasted no time getting back out into the woods. One of our favorite spots to camp when we lived in Fort Collins was Pingree Park. It seemed like an obvious destination to celebrate moving back in the Denver area.

Our camp spot was Doug approved

 

[Ma son]

I couldnt stand the RTT being on top of the rig 100% of the time- it was loud, heavy and not being used. So I installed a cheap Harbor Freight winch to the ceiling of the garage (with my landlord’s approval).

Much better. I highly recommend this for anyone who owns a RTT and a garage

 

[Ma son]

After about 3 weeks of funemployment spending most of the day perusing Marketplace, Craigslist, and the classifieds, I found exactly what I had been looking for. I came across a post by Garret from Valleytech. This was one of the first bumpers he had built and wasnt perfect, which he was completely upfront about. Perfect for me to beat the everloving s*** out of! The best part? I only paid $1200 for a dual swingout bumper with a tire carrier and jerry can holder. I paid him that Tuesday and Wednesday morning I was on the i70 heading east to Kansas City.

Remember when I said the Cruiser never let me down until it did? Well this is when 21 years and 358,000 miles of use/abuse started to show itself. About halfway to Kansas City, I look down at the dash to see the battery light on. ****!!! Not only was I in the middle of nowhere Kansas, but I had no idea how to change the alternator on this vehicle. I pulled off at the next exit looking for a gas station, only to find a marine repair shop. I pleaded with the receptionist to sell me a battery or hook me up with a charge from one of their vehicles. She looked at me, annoyed, and said no. I continued begging her until she finally gave in and went to get the owner of the shop. The owner, who was an absolute gentleman, told me to pull around the side so he could hook up his battery charger. SCORE! While the battery charged, he called around to all three of the the local auto parts stores to see if anyone had an alternator for the 2UZ. Within 100 miles, one O’Reillys had the part. It wasnt OEM, but I really didn't care at that point. I’d have to drive about 25 minutes east to pick up the part without the battery dying on the way. I hopped back in the cruiser and headed down the interstate going way faster than anyone has any business going in a 100 series. Luckily, I made it to Salina, KS and set up shop in a truck stop parking lot.

I called Garret to let him know the situation, to which he replied, “Want me to just pick you up an alternator in KC and bring that and the bumper to you? We can install them in the parking lot.” ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?! So I sent him some more cash and began figuring out how the hell to get the alternator out. I didnt have much spare coolant, I opted to try to fish out the alternator without removing the lower coolant hose. What a bitch! After about 2 hours, the bad alternator was free!

At about 4p, the angel also known as Garret showed up, alternator, pigtail and wires in hand. He also had a beautiful chunk of steel to hang off the back of my rig.

We split up, I installed the new alternator while Garret installed the bumper.

By 8pm, the installs were complete. We were both exhausted and ready to get the hell out of that windy, cold truck stop parking lot. I thanked Garret endlessly and headed back to Colorado, proud to have successfully repaired the rig in less than ideal circumstances.

I will forever be thankful for Garret’s generosity and kindness in this situation. He is a genuinely decent human being in a world full of dickheads He is also a great business owner to deal with, so if youre looking for a custom bumper or sliders, I will always recommend people to reach out to him