To follow other member’s protocol with an overview of their rig build, I thought now was as good of time as any to post a comprehensive write-up detailing the modifications I’ve made to this outstanding truck. First off, to give a bit of background on myself. I’ve been a Jeep guy/family over the last 20 years and while I still own my AEV JKU Wrangler that is a great rig for East Coast trails, I realized after completing the Ghost Divide Expedition in 2016 that I needed something more comfortable and reliable. A few months later my long-time friend, Mark Farage, picked up a 100 series with over 200k miles on it. I didn’t know what to expect but it was the first time I had been in a Land Cruiser and I was blown away that a truck with already a 15 year life span was so comfortable and mechanically sound. I was sold!
From an off-road/overlanding perspective, the size and capability of the 200 Series was everything I could ask for surrounding extended trips from Virginia (will I be taking it on tight, bolder strew trails on the East Coast?...not likely, but if I do encounter an obstacle I want a truck built to overcome said obstacle with minimal or no lasting issues (i.e. body or mechanical damage). In the last several years, I’ve been blessed to have the ability to compete in the Vermont Overland Trophy (twice), take extended overland trips to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, New Mexico, Arizona, New Hampshire, Vermont and some other spots. The Wrangler was great, but the longer trips presented challenges with comfort and overall stamina behind the wheel and thus it was decided that the 200 would be our next rig. For this truck, it will carry us to Colorado, Utah and Arizona this summer while setting our sights on Newfoundland/Labrador in 2019 or 2020 (need to fit in a trip to Europe with the family at some point). Thus, I put a lot of emphasis on quality products, quality upgrades that many of you have either already installed or provided feedback on via these forums. To that, I say thank you for sharing your insight and experiences as it’s generally assisted a great deal in figuring out how this build would transpire.
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2016, I ordered my 2017 Magnetic Gray with Black Interior URJ200 Series Land Cruiser from Miller Toyota in Manassas, VA. The process was simple, and the truck was delivered in late February 2017. I remember Mark specifically stating, wait a year to feel out the truck and build your plan before you start throwing money at modifications. Thus in the first 12 months the only modification made to the vehicle was the installation of a RedArc Tow Pro Elite that I needed to assist with the transportation of a horse trailer (for my wife and daughter) and later on rusted out 1stGeneration Nissan Patrol for a friend.
In January of this year, I started my conversations with Nick Atwell at Backwoods Overland in Mt. Airy, MD. Nick has been working on Toyotas for 15 years, is an electrical engineer by trade, and operates his own shop. From the first conversation we had about what I was looking to accomplish with the truck, I knew this was the right guy for the job. Nick was meticulous about wanting to understand what I wanted the truck to do, how I would use it in order to guide my thought process on the build. My initial strategy was to focus on building the truck in stages: Phase 1-Electrical; Phase 2: Suspension/Tires; Phase 3: Bumpers/Protection/Recovery. I can’t thank Nick enough for his patience and overall focus on this build, it’s been an exceptional experience and I highly recommend you check him out if you’re here in the Mid-Atlantic. As a side note: If you want to check out Nick’s 4Runner, watch the SwellRunner Walk Around from Overland Expo West 2018—this will showcase the attention to detail and thought process Nick puts into his rigs.
The following lays out how the build went down over the last 5 months (February-June) and what is will happen over the coming months with the truck when we return from Colorado here in July 2018.
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