Oldmantan 1st Gen Sequoia (4 Viewers)

[oldmantan]

After spending multiple years in the drifting and import racing world I decided to finally hang up the hat and get back outdoors to nature. At the time all that I knew I wanted was a Toyota, preferably a V8, and definitely 4WD. At the time I was looking at a GX470, 100 Series LC, and a Sequoia. A few days before I was about to head down to Georgia to look at a few of those vehicles and make my choice a 2002 Toyota Sequoia SR5 4WD showed up down the street from my then work with only 134K miles on it. It was listed at $7,400. So on lunch I decided to head down and take a look. Leather interior, body in decent shape, and with no major mechanical issues seen I offered $6,000 and my Offroad/overland adventures began.

The goals (at the time) for this build were simple; a RTT (my wife wouldn't go camping with me otherwise) and some decent all-terrains as I had planned on this to be my daily driver. Plans changed quickly as I fell in love with the vehicle and spending time outdoors with the truck. Each trip we would come back with new problems to solve and would set out to fix them immediately. I then was fortunate enough to be noticed by a local-ish group of Land Cruiser guys who welcomed me into their chat and things kind of took off from there to the point we're at now.

So I'll begin with the current modification list (or at least as much as I'm able to remember):

Body:
Brute Force Fab Single Hoop front bumper with square fog cut outs
- RC Square Fog LED pods installed
- Smittybilt 12k Synthetic Winch
- F55 1" Fairing
- F55 Flatlink
- 7" Round LED lights with ARB Amber covers
Brute Force Fab rock sliders with Kickout and gussets (welded to frame)
Brute Force Fab rear bumper with hoops, single swing arm, and square light cutouts
- Front Runner foldout table added
- 5lb Propane Tank mounted
OCD4WD Roof Rack (modified)
-4x LED Alley Lights
-42" LED light bar (front)
-32" LED light bar (rear)
100 Series Snorkel
- Snorkel Upgrade
Skid Row Front Skid
Skid Row oil pan skid
Skid row transmission skid
Rago Fab Fuel tank skid
TYC Headlights with BXBuilt LED Projectors

Suspension: (13” front travel, 11" rear travel)

SoloMotorsports 14" Long Travel (strapped to 13" currently)
DuroBump Stops
Swapped to 04+ Gusseted Spindles
Polybushed Steering Rack
333 Fab rack clamp
80 series Dobinson 6" MMR Rear Shocks
200 series Ironman 4x4 rear springs
Timbren Rear Bump Stops

Drivetrain:
Yukon Gear 4.88 Gears
ARB Front Air Locker
ARB Rear Air Locker
ECG Needle Bushing
ECG Solid Pinion Collars
ARB CKMTA12 Compressor
CDL Mod

Interior:
OCD4WD Auxbeam Panel
Auxbeam 8-Gang Bluetooth light controller
BROG Triple Run Seat Back Molle
Pioneer Double DIN Radio
Dometic CFX3 75DX Fridge
-Temobo Tusk Jumbo Slide
Land Shark Reef 40 x2
Land Shark 100 series wing kit (custom modified with front access panel and power supply)
Renogy 100ah GEL battery
Renogy 50a DC-DC charger
Renogy Bluetooth panel
Renogy 2000W Pure Sine Inverter
Custom Power Station
-12v meter w/Type C fast charger
-12v plug-in
-dual USB chargers
-Hatch integrated 5000k/amber LED lights
Raingler Attic Storage
Molle Panels
-ARB Air Line/Air Chuck
-Fire Extinguisher
-Towel Dispenser
-First Aid Kit

Wheels:
17x8.5 -6 Weds Hase Spec 2
37x12.5 R17 Yokohama X-MT
ARP Extended Wheel studs
GX460 Front Brake Conversion
High Carbon Rotors
Hawks LTS Pads




Will be adding more as it comes. Right now doing some maintenance as I wait to try and fit 37"s with full stuff front and rear on stock length control arms on a 2.5" lift.

 

[JCX03]

hngggggg. absolutely love this!

 

[AmericanKing]

Can you go more into detail with your drawer setup.

 

[Jarred]

Awesome rig! Nice

 

[oldmantan]

Can you go more into detail with your drawer setup.

I can.

A friend introduced me to LandShark Outfitters about a year ago. I liked the price and lack of slides (no noise) so I grabbed a single.

As time went on I added the reef bar and the cutting board options for more space. End of last year I got tired of not having enough storage for dry foods for longer trips (1-2+ weeks) and not having a fully integrated charging system for gear. This lees to me deciding to do a double reef (2 Reef 40s and an adapter to stack them) along with a custom wing kit that has a lower control panel, and a hinged door above it for additional storage. Took a bit of time and a lot of measuring but I managed to get it about perfect. Then I stained the wood Espresso and Gray, gave it a satin laquer and had a few beers.

 

[oldmantan]

Lined the drawers with acoustic carpet and got it mounted down. Loved the new setup and how quiet it is. Zero maintenance.

 

[oldmantan]

Currently doing some repairs to the truck. Attended Wekfest in Chicago and before the trip noticed the R/F differential seal was leaking fluid. On the way back from Chicago the road noise in the car started to increase dramatically. I had just rotated my tires, installed the Solo LCAs and had the vehicle aligned so I figured the MTs might be making some noise after a long trip. Found out one of the front wheel bearings was about to fall off as I got into my neighborhood but managed to make it home safe. The bearings are barely a year old but figured with all the Offroad shenanigans one might have gotten water or mud past a seal and gone out.

So I've currently got a laundry list going on;
-Reboot and reseal both front CV axles
- Replace passenger front diff seal
- Replace both from wheel bearings and all front wheel seals
- Get the Total Chaos gussets I've had sitting around for a year installed and have the knuckles blasted to remove any surface rust
- Check for any additional issues (only found a small leak past my snorkel that I'm taking care of)
- Remove both front fenders in preparation for fitting 37s
- Timing belt, water pump, thermostat, serpentine belt, check all pulleys, replace T-fittings and clean radiator of mud
- Remove middle seat and prepare new cargo storage in place
- Remove CB radio in prep for 50W GMRS radio
-Install 150A alternator with larger lead wires
-Regrease all joints
- Repairing and recoating rear swing arm and rear bumper

Currently I've got a few of these done and still working on others while time allows. New wheels ship out to the house tomorrow so should have the 37x12.5R17 Yokohama X-MTs installed next weekend and start fitting them.

 

[oldmantan]

So it’s taken some time but finally making some headway. New wheels came in; Weds Hase II 17x8.5 -6 (will space out as needed) and the 37x12.5 17 Yokohama X-MT. This setup is going to be super beefy and I can’t wait to get it rolling.

Spindles came back from my fabricator, but someone burred both of the heim joint mounts so we’re sorting that out. In the meantime I’ll be getting all new Toyota bits put back in the hopes they’ll last me longer than the last set.

Also finishing up some repairs and maintenance to the rear swing arm. Got the rear molle bent back out flat and will be recoating the rear bumper and swing arm shortly.

 

[94landcruiser]

Verry nice! Thanks for sharing!

 

[AmericanKing]

Such a great looking and functional tree. When I’m done with our GX Im going to use your post as reference to building a functional tree. Shooting for a moderate build. I have a problem and can’t leave nothing alone for long lolz. Can’t wait to see it with 37’s !!

 

[Jgrauman]

So it’s taken some time but finally making some headway. New wheels came in; Weds Hase II 17x8.5 -6 (will space out as needed) and the 37x12.5 17 Yokohama X-MT. This setup is going to be super beefy and I can’t wait to get it rolling.

Spindles came back from my fabricator, but someone burred both of the heim joint mounts so we’re sorting that out. In the meantime I’ll be getting all new Toyota bits put back in the hopes they’ll last me longer than the last set.

Also finishing up some repairs and maintenance to the rear swing arm. Got the rear molle bent back out flat and will be recoating the rear bumper and swing arm shortly.

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Tire looks funky in that solo Pic, looks bulged at the top.

 

[oldmantan]

Tire looks funky in that solo Pic, looks bulged at the top.

Tire looks funky in that solo Pic, looks bulged at the top.

not sure what ya mean, the metal bumper does need trimming for full stuff and some other work but the tire is very round.

 

[Jgrauman]

Tire looks funky in that solo Pic, looks bulged at the top.

not sure what ya mean, the metal bumper does need trimming for full stuff and some other work but the tire is very round.

Ha, yeah, meant the other pic

 

[oldmantan]

Ha, yeah, meant the other pic

View attachment 3017571

that’s the tire/wheel it’s leaning on. I see what you mean now.

 

[oldmantan]

my mechanic buddy (the only one I trust) was out on vacation so the bearings will happen this week. So this weekend decided to go ahead and rebuild, boot, and renew both front CV Axles. Stripped off all the old rust and sprayed the shafts and tulips in Steel-It. Also replaced the dust seals (outer shaft) and debris shield (inner shaft) as well as both diff seals with OE ones (Yukon seal had started to leak).

Considering new CVs cost around $426 this rebuild cost about $80 per axle. Money well spent.

 

[oldmantan]

Real men do “scorpion mods” to their steel bumpers.

Fitting 37s has definitely been interesting. Have a lot more clearance than I thought I would with these Solo Motorsports LCAs.

 

[gixxerjasen]

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It is amazing how these things go from total soccer mom mall crawler to completely badass. Looking mean and ready to go some places right here.

 

[oldmantan]

Started on my timing belt this weekend as well as cleaning mud out of the radiator from last years shenanigans. Had decided to change the timing belt and accessories because I knew they had been done, but didn’t know the quality of parts or what all was changed. Let’s say I’m fortunate, as it appears this vehicle was dealer maintained from day 1 (it came with no records). Toyota timing belt, tensioner, water pump and accessories were found with 35k miles on them. With that discovery I decided to keep that as it was and focus on the issues I found along the way, namely the tensioner, idler pulley, fan bracket, bypass hoses and fan clutch. All new OEM pieces have been ordered for next weekends work to finish things up.

With Sunday left open I decided to trim the factory fender flare and apply the new hardware and welting. Came out pretty well with the new body line I decided on.

Also decided to install my new Midlands MXT575 in as OEM a location as I could. With my new RAM mounts tablet assembly the factory console cup holders were no longer usable, and the spot fit the 575 perfect. After removing the lower dash, center console (both got a well deserved deep scrub) and making a custom bracket everything fits perfect and with a nice factory finish.

 

[oldmantan]

Truck is back up and running on the 150a alternator and working on finishing things up for our 18 day trip out West.

Finishing up the six power system and only need a 60a fuse to get everything up and running. Swing arm is regreased, resealed, straightened and recoated. With the 37” spare mounted along with my 5lb propane tank I’ll be able to squeeze in 2x 2gal rotopax fuel carriers to replace my much heavier 5gal Wavians and steel carrier. Besides this the truck needs an alignment and I’ll need to do some small tweaking as the fox spring is rubbing the CV axle on tight turns enough to take some coating off. Either way, the 37s fit and will be working perfectly soon enough.

 

[oldmantan]

So, been a month since our 16 day trip out West, but we made it back.

Started of camping in Cotopaxi, CO and then driving the super scenic route to Ouray, CO to start our trip on Engineer Pass. We did manage to find a few more clearance issues on the 37s, so had to do a quick trailside "fix" and get back on the road. We then hit up California Pass, and Clear Lake, where we managed to find some spectacular views, hail, and a lot of altitude sickness camping at 12,000ft+. Day 3 we hit up Black Bear Pass and got held up buy a big group of unexperienced Jeepers more worried about scratching their wheels than the trail or huge line of people forming behind them. Imogene pass was later that day, and then we ran up to Rimrocker to lead into Moab. Sadly, Rimrocker got boring very quickly so we hopped off it and took the Highway to Moab to get onto Lockhart Basin. At this point, we did not know that literally the day before we arrived, Moab had flooded and many of the trails had been damaged or washed out beyond recognition. Lockhart Basin was a challenge, and we were solo driving the trail without any spotters the entire trip. I'm not sure if Lockhart is typically as challenging (or easy to get lost off trail for a half mile or so) but it wiped me and my wife out, so we got a hotel to relax, shower up, and get some food and minor repairs done to the Sequoia. Next up was Top of the World. A friend of mine (who went in a big group) had mentioned taking the "easier" way up Top of the World and not to take the harder side down without a spotter. Sadly, I had zero data while we were on trail, and kind of took the hard way up. We made it fine, but did managed to crush a trailing arm bracket on the frame, and smash the factory transfer case "skid". We spent the night up on Top of the World, and were met with another bout of hail (it seems to follow us on the prettiest of views). Following this, we decided to remove the harder trails off our original plan and spend a bit more time relaxing. We hit up Long and Day Canyon after this, and camped right next to Whitbeck Rock outside of Canyonlands NPS. Considering the flood, we decided to stop by the Ranger station at Canyonlands the next morning to see about conditions. They warned us that only experts should be driving the trail, to which we assured them that we would be more than capable in our rig. With our White Rim reservation a day away, we decided to look around for a few fun and more laid back trails with nice camping spots. Gemini Bridges fit the bill perfectly, so we headed on over and found another great camping spot. We finally made it to White Rim, but while the views were amazing and the trail not all that torn up (or at least not enough that we really noticed) we decided to ignore our reservation and run White Rim in a day. Even with a 3 hour break, we managed it easily and then headed on home.

I've still got a few things to address on the truck, but overall she handled perfectly on all the trails it ran and without any major break downs or issues (I sheared a skid plate bolt, and that was about it).