Official LCLC Member Rigs Thread (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 10, 2011
Threads
28
Messages
500
Hey Guys,

Not sure if we had a member rigs thread or not so I'm creating this one. Let's post some pics of your rig(s), a write up about them and a bio on yourself (optional) with your name.

I'll add whatever is posted her to the website under the member rigs page.

Cheers,
Matt "TailsWCU" Vitelli
 
Okay, here goes! I'm Jeremy, my wife is Rae. She's not in to being outdoors, so I reckon most folks in the club will never meet her... But she's cool with me doing outdoor stuff as long as she doesn't have to join. I'm originally from Florida and attended The University of Florida as well as Florida State University. I served in the Marines for 5 years, but I got off Active Duty in 1999, so I never deployed. I moved to Charleston about 5 years ago from California. I am an engineer and I suck as a mechanic, but I still like to wrench with good friends.

I bought this FZJ80 bone stock in 2005 with about 120K and in good shape... I'm approaching 300K and don't envision a future without her!
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Last year, I bought this 100 from a fellow Mud member that was looking to upgrade to a 200 Series. It's in great shape and is my current DD.
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And finally (I will spare you the pictures of my wife's Venza), I bought this 40 from a good friend in Texas. It runs and drives very well, but like everyone already knows, these things require plenty of upkeep. The rust situation isn't too bad. I'm not in a rush to get things done since she runs just fine, but I'll eventually blast and paint the frame, repaint the body, and rebuild the engine. I'm currently trying to figure out the suspension situation - looks like she has a 2.5 inch OME lift and reversed 3 inch shackles with welded plates; but I don't know if the PO accounted for everything else that goes along with such an aggressive lift (for instance, the shocks were too short and completely extended and it has stock driveshafts).
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Hey my name is Matt or TailsWCU. I've only been in Charleston for 6 months but have been active in Old North State Cruisers in the past. Michelle and I moved from Asheville,NC and are loving the change but miss the mountains and all they have to offer, we are so glad we can officially call the Low Country our home. She also enjoys wheeling and camping so you guys will probably see her out and about.

I first got the bug from Land Cruisers back in 2000 when I had my first (but not last) FJ-40.

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I had this 40 when I was in high school, unfortunately I got in a wreck while driving it (wasn't my fault) and wasn't able to pay for the repairs. I was also heading to college 3 hours away at Western Carolina University and it wasn't practical to drive back and fourth....THE TRUTH HURTS!!!

Fast forward 10 years and I decided to pay a tribute to my old 40....cue my Silver FJ Cruiser.
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I realize the FJC doesn't have the solid front axle, but when built up properly the FJC is a pretty capable and still practical vehicle. I have added several mods since i purchased her and looking forward to more!

Mods:
6" RCX Lift
35" Nitto TG
Pro Comp Wheels
BudBuilt Sliders
BudBuild Skid's
ARB Front Bumper
Tepui Roof Top Tent

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One day I hope to find another 40 but I'm also interested in 45's and 80's. Hope to see you on the trail.

Cheers,
Matt "TailsWCU" Vitelli
 
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Hi! My name is Scott Shelley or Greenseaman (hometown of Green Sea, SC)! I've been 4wheeling for a while! My first vehicle was an 81 CJ-7 but my first Toyota was a 1994 Minitruck. I first went rockcrawling with it in '98 at Santiago Canyon in California with some Toyota enthusiasts from 4x4wire.com while I was doing an internship with Nestle in Glendale, CA.
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I graduated from Clemson University in Dec. 99 with a B.S. in Packaging Science. I have since left the Packaging field and am now married to Rebecca Shelley and a Christmas angel named Laney. I am now a delivery driver for Gateway Supply in Myrtle Beach, SC. I have an '85 4Runner now that I off-road with. It's maiden voyage was to GSMTR 2008 where I first met up with the Low Country Land Cruisers! "Popeye" has been regeared to 4:88s and a rear Detroit locker with 32" KM2s on black steel wheels. Marlin Crawler rock sliders protect the rocker panels and it sports a Conferr roof rack with KC spot lights and IPF back up lights. My late brother helped me replace the 22re with an engine out of a 1987 Toyota tow truck and helped with the 2" 4crawler body and trailmaster add a leaves that complement the front Rancho spring.
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I have not always been "cruiserless!" I did own a locked 1993 FZJ80 with OME 850/860 springs and 35" KM2s with 285,000 miles but I sold it not too long ago. It was replaced with a 2003 Tacoma Double Cab 4wd with 265 Bfg ATs and the rear electric locker and Wet Okole Seat covers. My wife also has a 2015 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited w/ Traclok rear diff in Hydro Blue and my little girl Laney has a matching blue Power wheels Jeep!LOL!
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Greg, Tim, Eric?? Where are those posts???? Forget the other guys names that were at last meeting....need your write ups too!
 
Edit with updated info:

My name is Kyle and I'm about 1 year into the Cruiser life. I purchased a 1989 FJ62 last year off of the Mud Forums from a member in California. I had the truck shipped to Charleston where it currently resides. The truck now has about 149K miles on the original engine/transmission.

Previous owner did the following:
Paint
Wheels/Tires (American Racing Mojave w/33x10.5 BFG All Terrains)
ARB Front Bumper
Front Off-Road Lights
Shackle Reverse w/ OME springs and rear shocks, Tundra front shocks

I added the following:
White Knuckle Off-Road Sliders
4Plus rear bumper with dual swing outs
Hayden AUX Trans Oil Cooler
New CD Player
New Antenna
Wired up front lights
New Hella head lights and Hella Highbeams
New Wiring harness for headlights
Matching Spare tire/rim combo

I prefer expedition style travel/off-roading and have done my best to build a truck that suits my needs. No major projects planned for 2016; I'm simply hoping to keep it running well and to get it off the pavement at some point.

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Good Morning! My name is Kyle and this is my first Cruiser of any kind. I have become very interested in overland-style adventure travel over the last year and purchased an 89 FJ in December of 2014 after looking seriously for about 6 months. I was born and raised in southern California and have lived in Charleston for the last 8 years. I'm planning on taking a four week sabbatical from work this year and if that happens we're going to head west to explore the backroads of the southwest. My wife Karen likes to hike and camp with me and she was a driving force behind purchasing the FJ, so I'm sure y'all will get to meet her in due time. The truck is in great mechanical condition, though I expect to request assistance with a few smaller projects before our trip (mainly electrical - wiring in aux lights, maybe a dual battery, etc). My mechanical ambitions far exceed my acumen, so I'm excited about getting to know you guys and learning more about wrenching on this truck.



It may just be me but I don't see any pics? Can you repost or send them to info@lowcountrylandcruisers.com?

Thanks,
TailsWCU
 
Alright, so I just recently caught the MADNESS - and jumped right in. I've lived and grown up in all four corners of the US; my dad was a career Navy man, and I followed his steps and served as well. Dad retired to S Carolina, and I've called this home since '86. We both served our country in the submarine service. I enjoy the outdoors, but my wife (of 20 LONG and ~ wonderful years ;)) Trina - not so much; my son is like me, and my daughter is like her mom. I like to ride - tree dodge on a mountain bike & push pavement on a road bike. I own a utility construction company - so I also have lots of big toys.

I only had only been lookng purposefully for a couple of weeks, and I found my -40 - in Chatanooga, Tn. The PO replaced the tub with an Aqualu unit, swapped in a 2F and did the paint & body work - then put it back together. It was nice & clean - a capable daily driver. Luckily, it still had enough work that I could get my hands greasy, involve my son, and then teach both of my kids how to drive a stick. I drive the Yota like a true daily - rain or shine, hot or cold.

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I trust that you already figured out my name.....
 
My name is Scott , I'm in the Summerville area and have been interested in cruisers since I rode in a 40 when I was about 3. I finally got my 40 about 2004 and it has been a work in progress ever since. In 2008 when I came home from over seas I joined UC and quickly roped my step dad (dbenke) into the madness despite him being a jeep guy. After countless hours wrenching on mine he has been fully converted. I have two boys who will be 4 and 6 in March and a work schedule that sucks so I haven't been as active with the club as I would like. I hope to be able to work on that, Especially since I have a 62 now that can haul the kids. The 40 is my serious wheeler and the 62 will eventually be my light trail and camping truck. I'm really glad to see LCLC getting some traction.
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My name is David Benke, and I have a 89 fj62 .
She isn't the prettiest, but I wheel her hard.
I started out with an '84 CJ 7, wheeled it hard for a couple of years before I got the 62.
I really like the 62 better on and off the road.
Here are a few pics at Wind rock (GSMTR)
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Not sure why it double posted, I only attached 3???
 
I'm finally jumping in now that I've got a few photos of my 'ol gal! I'm Mark and my current rig is a JDM 1989 HJ61 (12H-T turbo diesel). I was a land rover guy back in high school and college, but my appreciation for that great truck dwindled over the years due to it's proper British-ness (read: poor build quality. And yes, I can diss on the Brits, as technically I'm 100% British even through I was born and raised in the States!) I finally got tired of the window/sunroof leaking on me every time it rained and the 180 miles/tank of gas didn't help either (that's highway driving btw). Got back into 4x4s a few years ago after looking for several years trying to find a good 60. I almost purchased an original from a buddy of mine in upstate SC in 2011 but couldn't pull the trigger on a 3rd car at the time. A couple years later I was driving less so could afford to get rid of the sedan and move back into a truck.
My first foray into cruisers was my 1985 FJ60. She was a great truck and my daily driver for 2 years. Pretty original condition and good inside and out. My intention with her was to find a truck with 'good bones' so I could swap out the engine/tranny for a turbo diesel. Over the course of a couple years I almost pulled the trigger on buying a 1HD-T from a wrecked 81 from a guy, but could never work out the timing. (Also, my practical side of me got the best of me when realizing that putting another $10-15K into an old truck was probably not the best use of $!) Fortunately several online outfits had already picked up on importing diesel LC's from Australia, Japan, etc. and I was able to find a great HJ61 this past Fall.
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Thanks for the recent posts guys. Since we have a couple more people participating. I plan on structuring the Member Rigs page like this

Main Page with full list of models that we have in the club
Picture of each of those models in the club
When the picture is clicked on you will get the bio on the owner.

So...

-Member Page - 1 pic per model
--Model Pictures 1 pic for each in group
---Full Bios with pictures

Plan on dedicating some time to this tonight. Should have everyone that has posted on the site.

TailsWCU
 
Going to create a new members section. Since we still aren't official e will start with you guys that have attended a meeting or 2 at the minimum. You know how you are.

If you do want a write up about your rig and you haven't posted it here. Please post it and upload the pics.

Cheers,
TailsWCU
 

Thanks dude, if you want to give me a quick bio 1-2 paragraphs I will add that as well. Check previous posts for ideas/format.
 
@TailsWCU ; Updated my initial post with better pics and a little more information about the truck now that I've had it / used it a while.
 
I’m Tim, a TN transplant who has been in the lowcountry nearly 20 years, I graduated from Ole Miss. I’ve been married nearly 22 years and Ronda enjoys camping, but not necessarily primitive camping. I was active duty and a reservist for 15 years, I finally separated in 2010 after my last deployment. Before getting involved with LCLC, I’ve owned a ’91 & ’01 4Runner. My off-road experience up to now has been a means to get where I wanted so I could hunt as I’m an avid hunter. I bought my first Land Cruiser (’94) about a year and a half ago, it was in rough shape, but that’s was ok. It has forced me to spend more time under the hood and I can’t explain how much I’ve learned from this group and the technical forum. My plan is to do a diesel swap, I have an Isuzu 4BD2T and a NV4500 tranny. With kids, it is a long term project and I’m in the parts collection phase now. I don’t have cool hero shots or flex pics since my truck spends more time with the hood up than off-roading, so I thought it would be fitting of showing my rig in its natural habitat. I’m also including some of the common jackwagons you’ll find at our HAMOM. I haven’t named my rig, but I have named the brush-guard, I call it “Jeremy”.

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