ShenValleyCruiser's 500K Mile Tiki Cruiser Build Thread and CNC Creations

[D21FJ60]

This brings back memories of driving those same beaches in my fathers fj60 20 years ago, well done!
But where does all your gear go since you have a bar on wheels taking up the entire cargo hold?

 

[ShenValley100LC]

This brings back memories of driving those same beaches in my fathers fj60 20 years ago, well done!
But where does all your gear go since you have a bar on wheels taking up the entire cargo hold?

...very carefully haha... actually I thought about this a lot so I'm going to way over-answer your question. I actually have a spreadsheet/checklist that we update each time and go over to make sure we have everything and to remember where everything is. And another tab on there for my wishlist and budget and gant chart for future maintenance. That probably makes me sound way more OCD/type than I really am but what else are you supposed to do at your real job while day-dreaming of your next trip? Plus efficiency and change-over reductions is pretty much what I do for work...

The last day on Oregon Inlet we had all of our stuff with us on our way out, you can see a bunch of our bags on a beach mat on the ground because I had to take stuff out to get to the second cooler (completely unnecessary). Several people that walked commented on the packing job lol. I have 3 68qt plano bins on the roof: 1 for tent and related items, 1 for kids mats, blankets, and camp gear, and 3rd carries our stuff and more camp gear. Pack n play belows the littlest ones carseat, some other stuff on top of that. Each boy has a backpack and gets to pick whatever toys or gear (walkie-talkies, binoculars, etc) that fit in it. Dog sits in passenger side footwell under the glove compartment. Four folding chairs on the roof rack around the plano bins. Axe and shovel above the awning. The drawer on the left carries all of our dry pantry goods, pot and pan, snacks, and some lights. the drawer on the right carries stoves and all of our cooking gear, utensils, knives, dishes, sauces and spices. Plus there's the tail gate storage that has extra paper towels, wet wipes,, garbage bags, ziplocs, 2 collapsible dog bowls, 2 collapsible sinks, plus dog food. Sides of the drawers by the wheelwells has a bunch of random stuff, spare spark plug and coil, limited tools, first aid kit, battery powered charger, etc.

I make some changes for what season we're in and print this out before we start packing. Plus I print out a little schedule/itinerary I make with what we're eating when so I know how to pack the coolers. Again that makes it sound more formal/type a/and lame then it is really is. The plano bins and all our camping gear is stored on 2x 18"x36"x72" plastic shelves against a wall in the garage kinda ready to go. The drawers are usually pretty ready to go and just need some stocking. Trying to have everything seperated so I'm not stealing from our house kitchen before trips and having to put it back after. This has made unpacking way easier too. Get all the perishables out and then just put the bins and gear back on the shelves, pull out sheets or whatever needs to be washed.

When we first started camping we were using are actual pillows and blankets and cooking equipment and packing for a simple weekend trip felt like it took to two days, was very stressful, and then between "fixing" something on the car "real quick" before we leave and packing I would be up till 2am getting ready for a 16 hour drive the next day and it was no bueno. Its not perfect yet and I still move too many things This last trip I was fully packed in an afternoon and in bed by 10ish...so much better. In the end, its all about how to reduce the not-fun (packing) and get to the fun (camping) sooner.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Big personal news with Landcruiser implications, got a new job at my company and it'll mean I don't have to be at our plant everyday and can do a good amount of remote work (hopefully very remote ). And finally got upgraded to the whopping three weeks of vacation, so hopefully this means lots more trips in the future and more time with the wife and kiddos. This was celebrated by buying a new awning. Went with OverlandPros again and got their fully freestanding 270 degree 4K awning and let me just plug it for a sec. Absolute best deal between budget and quality on the market that I've seen. I got the last one of their first batch with free shipping (not sure if theyll continue that) for a total of $800.00 to my door. It sets up in no joke 30 seconds to 1 minute, its so unbelievably fast. While I loved their old 270 there were definitely times (like quick 1 hr lunch break on the trail) where I would opt not to bother with setting it up, now I wouldn't even question it. Its quality, not much heavier than my old one (though I definitely need to upgrade to an actual roof rack from my factory cross bars and chinesium basket). It's free standing but there are poles which are very slickly built in and folded up against the horizontal supports and just swing down when you need to tie down guy lines in the wind.

Anyways, all that said if you dont want to shell out $800 or $900 for their new one. You can buy my old one for $400 obo if you're local to VA/MD/NC/WV area, which is still in great condition and while not free standing its got a little more coverage and still the cheapest 270 out there.

Finished up a utensil caddy and foam insert for dishes for the pull out kitchen.

The foam insert sits under the caddy and holds mugs and plate, plus i'll probably cut another slot for tongs and some other items. Caddy lifts out pretty easy.

Cutting board slides over top to maximize "counter space". Couple adjustments to make but calling it finished, better than digging around for forks in a clear plastic tub.

Just in time for Derby weekend, camping with some friends in NC and having a fancy camping derby party. Obviously I'll be manning the bar and making the mint juleps and probably some planters punch.

 

[hotdiggitydamn]

Love your build! Super unique! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the work stuff. You gotta earn a living but I live for my time off.

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Congrats on the promotion! Make more trips, more memories!

 

[GP813]

One of the more "fun" builds I've seen on the forums, not getting too bogged down in the parts and details of the truck and just focusing more on enjoying it and keeping her going. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Had a Kentucky Derby glamping party with some friends. Ladies wore hats, men wore seersucker, a pretty good spread, must have made a couple dozen mint juleps and some bourbon based tiki drinks (Halukelani: .5oz lime juice, .5oz orange juice, .5oz pineapple juice, .25oz demerara syrup, .125oz grenadine, 1.5oz Ol Grandad Bottled in bond, 1 dash Agnostura/tiki bitters). Also turns out tiki torches fit perfectly in my quick fist clamps for axe and shovel. Friends we were with had an RV so they mounted a TV and we streamed the race and took bets...I did not win. I

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Don't worry we're going to ride some trails next weekend so I can prove I haven't gone soft.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Did some local trails with another family and their 3 kids. Pretty impressed, only their second time camping and we 3 days dispersed camping different site each night.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Some more photos from trip.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Went to Relic Run in Uwharrie, first time there. Rained on Thursday which made the trails very interesting in that Carolina clay. I didn’t take any photos or videos but someone got this one at least. Landed on my Slee rear lower co tell arms but they did awesome and held up.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Few more pics from Uwharrie:

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Ok, looks like its been a while since I've put an update on here. Relic Run was in June and it seems like three years ago and the Tiki Cruiser has been through a lot since then. So this gonna be a post and photo dump to catch up to the present where I'm now redesigning passenger side drawer kitchen to accommodate the third row seat since we are having a fourth kid in feb/mar. We put another 20,000 miles on the truck this year (currently at 537,000 miles). I spent 29 nights in 2021 in our tent. We did a half dozen local trips in the blue ridge mountains/Shenandoah valley. 3 trips to OBX. In August we did a big road trip from VA to Devils Lake/Wisconsin Dells then Northern Wisconsin, then north central MN (leech lake), and back to VA. That was about 2 weeks of straight camping which was a blast. Some more trips in the fall plus the CLCC Fall Crawl event where I beat the crap out of the truck. Plus another round trip through Florida.

Before the big long trips I upgraded some storage. Put in the Blue Ridge Overland Gear seatback panels and pouches. Not pictured but also put in there headrest velcro panels (first aid pouch on drivers side and two pouches for kids stuff on the passenger side. Also put in there "attic" cargo netting. Which was phenomenal, we keep 5 rain jackets up there, a compact camping blanket and some towels. This really helped keep stuff accessible but out of the way.

No big mods but Ive done plenty of needed maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, tube seals, coils, and spark plugs got replaced. Some ball joints got replaced. Some other boring but necessary stuff.

Got another set of test results from Blackstone labs and the oil and transmission wear numbers are still looking great. Put a scangauge II in the truck to monitor ATF temperature and engine temps. Truck did phenomenal on the cross country trips, no issues. And the best mod of all was putting two worm drive clamps on the catalytic converter heat shields to stop the rattling when I turn the on. She's basically showroom floor new now.

(in the woods of MN)

 

[ShenValley100LC]

At Fall Crawl I destroyed the passenger side fender behind the wheel landing on a rock or a tree and also bent the bumper up into the front of the fender.

Cant tell in the photo but the ARB bumper was very cockeyed after this. Also took out the tail light, did get replaced for pretty cheap at a scrapyard. You can also see hear the upper hatch is rusting away under the window.

Went on some tight trails with rigs I had no business following. Honestly surprised the side crack wasnt worse, and even the tail light, because I hit them hard and it sounded and felt awful.

I buffed what I could from the scratch but its still there, looks ok but its still pretty obvious. Both front fender are going to need replacing this year (drivers side for rust behind the wheel and the passenger side is hopelessly deformed). I just picked up an upper lift hatch that totally rust free and already color matched from someone from the CLCC that was parting out a truck. So despite these photos it should be looking pretty good soon.

 

[ShenValley100LC]

But the real reason I came back to this thread is because now that my family is having a 4th kid we will need one of the third row seats up in. So my plan for trips is to #1 upgrade the roof rack to a real full coverage roof rack where I can fit more stuff. Then to leave the drivers side drawer as is, put in the passenger side 3rd row seat, put one of the older kids back there, and build a more up right storage/kitchenette up against the 3rd row seat. Has anyone seen this done or seen any good design for something like this? I'm definitely going to simplify the kitchen/bar set up since there will just simply be less room.

 

[TRDdrew]

Glad i could help with the Hatch, if you need anything else let me know i always seem to have a plethora of 100 series parts

 

[ClassyJalopy]

Ok, looks like its been a while since I've put an update on here. Relic Run was in June and it seems like three years ago and the Tiki Cruiser has been through a lot since then. So this gonna be a post and photo dump to catch up to the present where I'm now redesigning passenger side drawer kitchen to accommodate the third row seat since we are having a fourth kid in feb/mar. We put another 20,000 miles on the truck this year (currently at 537,000 miles). I spent 29 nights in 2021 in our tent. We did a half dozen local trips in the blue ridge mountains/Shenandoah valley. 3 trips to OBX. In August we did a big road trip from VA to Devils Lake/Wisconsin Dells then Northern Wisconsin, then north central MN (leech lake), and back to VA. That was about 2 weeks of straight camping which was a blast. Some more trips in the fall plus the CLCC Fall Crawl event where I beat the crap out of the truck. Plus another round trip through Florida.

Before the big long trips I upgraded some storage. Put in the Blue Ridge Overland Gear seatback panels and pouches. Not pictured but also put in there headrest velcro panels (first aid pouch on drivers side and two pouches for kids stuff on the passenger side. Also put in there "attic" cargo netting. Which was phenomenal, we keep 5 rain jackets up there, a compact camping blanket and some towels. This really helped keep stuff accessible but out of the way.
View attachment 2900152
No big mods but Ive done plenty of needed maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, tube seals, coils, and spark plugs got replaced. Some ball joints got replaced. Some other boring but necessary stuff.
View attachment 2900160
View attachment 2900161

Got another set of test results from Blackstone labs and the oil and transmission wear numbers are still looking great. Put a scangauge II in the truck to monitor ATF temperature and engine temps. Truck did phenomenal on the cross country trips, no issues. And the best mod of all was putting two worm drive clamps on the catalytic converter heat shields to stop the rattling when I turn the on. She's basically showroom floor new now.

View attachment 2900177
(in the woods of MN)View attachment 2900178

Daang those cam lobes still look new! Hard to believe they have half a million miles on them!

 

[hotdiggitydamn]

Ok, looks like its been a while since I've put an update on here. Relic Run was in June and it seems like three years ago and the Tiki Cruiser has been through a lot since then. So this gonna be a post and photo dump to catch up to the present where I'm now redesigning passenger side drawer kitchen to accommodate the third row seat since we are having a fourth kid in feb/mar. We put another 20,000 miles on the truck this year (currently at 537,000 miles). I spent 29 nights in 2021 in our tent. We did a half dozen local trips in the blue ridge mountains/Shenandoah valley. 3 trips to OBX. In August we did a big road trip from VA to Devils Lake/Wisconsin Dells then Northern Wisconsin, then north central MN (leech lake), and back to VA. That was about 2 weeks of straight camping which was a blast. Some more trips in the fall plus the CLCC Fall Crawl event where I beat the crap out of the truck. Plus another round trip through Florida.

Before the big long trips I upgraded some storage. Put in the Blue Ridge Overland Gear seatback panels and pouches. Not pictured but also put in there headrest velcro panels (first aid pouch on drivers side and two pouches for kids stuff on the passenger side. Also put in there "attic" cargo netting. Which was phenomenal, we keep 5 rain jackets up there, a compact camping blanket and some towels. This really helped keep stuff accessible but out of the way.
View attachment 2900152
No big mods but Ive done plenty of needed maintenance. Valve cover gaskets, tube seals, coils, and spark plugs got replaced. Some ball joints got replaced. Some other boring but necessary stuff.
View attachment 2900160
View attachment 2900161

Got another set of test results from Blackstone labs and the oil and transmission wear numbers are still looking great. Put a scangauge II in the truck to monitor ATF temperature and engine temps. Truck did phenomenal on the cross country trips, no issues. And the best mod of all was putting two worm drive clamps on the catalytic converter heat shields to stop the rattling when I turn the on. She's basically showroom floor new now.

View attachment 2900177
(in the woods of MN)View attachment 2900178

Great update! The fam and I just got back from a beach campsite you recommended some time ago in SC and had a great time so thank you!

Do the kiddos have enough room with the seat back organizer or is it a bit tight?

 

[ShenValley100LC]

Great update! The fam and I just got back from a beach campsite you recommended some time ago in SC and had a great time so thank you!

Do the kiddos have enough room with the seat back organizer or is it a bit tight?

Nice! How was the weather? The oldest is 6 and he still has plenty of room. Had an adult back there last weekend and it seemed to work, dont know how comfortable it was but it worked. The panel itself lays very flat against the seat and the pouches are only 1-3 inches thick. Probably adding two more (one behind drivers seat and one on the passenger 2nd row). Theyre handy for snacks, toys, wet wipes, gloves, trash bags, and ziplocs and all that stuff.

 

[clrussell]

But the real reason I came back to this thread is because now that my family is having a 4th kid we will need one of the third row seats up in. So my plan for trips is to #1 upgrade the roof rack to a real full coverage roof rack where I can fit more stuff. Then to leave the drivers side drawer as is, put in the passenger side 3rd row seat, put one of the older kids back there, and build a more up right storage/kitchenette up against the 3rd row seat. Has anyone seen this done or seen any good design for something like this? I'm definitely going to simplify the kitchen/bar set up since there will just simply be less room.

Considering this same thing as well. Three kids and they are to that age they might want to bring a friend along sooner than later.