Builds The "Red Rocket" Troopy

[theglobb]

Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Red Rocket coming into my hands, time is FLYING. I've put 27,000 kilometers on it since then and plan to add hundreds of thousands more in the years to come. Also, my buddies and I are planning on driving to CA and back this summer with the Troopy and a 100 series, I'll post a photo of our route we will be taking, if you aren't too far and want to meet up you're more than welcome to! Once the route is set in stone I'll post a photo of it.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I seriously doubt anyone enjoys their Land Cruisers more than you do yours.

 

[theglobb]

I seriously doubt anyone enjoys their Land Cruiser more than you do yours.

I've met so many people and have had so many great experiences due to it already. I guess I don't have much else in my life that I NEED to focus on currently, so I totally agree with your statement haha.

 

[Broski]

If you guys make it to the central coast, I have a big back yard with a fire pit you can pitch a tent 🏕 in.
It’s also the gate way to Big Sur if you come to cail you won’t want to miss that!!!

 

[svsisu]

If you guys make it to the central coast, I have a big back yard with a fire pit you can pitch a tent 🏕 in.
It’s also the gate way to Big Sur if you come to cail you won’t want to miss that!!!

Big Sur is one of my favorite places. Surfing and camping along that stretch of coastline is something you definitely do not want to miss.

 

[theglobb]

Well here's the rough draft of our route, we plan on bombing through all the states till we hit the Badlands, then start taking our time a bit more to enjoy everything around us. After Denver/Boulder we will bomb it back to NC as we will probably be tired of each other and will want to be home by then haha. It'll be 6 of us bringing the troopy and my friends 400,000 mile 100 series along, however, something tells me once we get down south that it will probably just be me and one other person in the troopy, hauling all our supplies, while the rest of them enjoy the luxury of A/C. If anyone seeing this that lives along or close to this route, has info of something we CANT miss that we probably won't know about, has some good local trails to go wheeling at with us, just wants to check out the Troopy if you have never seen one before, or even offer your backyard for us to sleep in (we would be very appreciative), then just shoot me a PM or something and we can figure something out! Should be leaving a day or 2 after we graduate, so around May28th - June 1st. Already have a couple of stops setup with people along the way and would be happy to add some more.

If you guys make it to the central coast, I have a big back yard with a fire pit you can pitch a tent 🏕 in.
It’s also the gate way to Big Sur if you come to cail you won’t want to miss that!!!

Awesome!!! Thank you so much, will definitely take you up on that offer, we already were planning on surfing there so it works perfectly with the route haha.

 

[OGBeno]

Man.

That 3B is going to be hurting in the mountain passes. Good luck. Looks like an epic trip.

Make sure to stop in and see @cruiserdan at the LCHM in SLC. Good time to stop in and see Cruiser Outfitters too.

I'll be down in Avon at the end of the August in my 70 if you are around.

 

[theglobb]

Man.

That 3B is going to be hurting in the mountain passes. Good luck. Looks like an epic trip.

Make sure to stop in and see @cruiserdan at the LCHM in SLC. Good time to stop in and see Cruiser Outfitters too.

I'll be down in Avon at the end of the August in my 70 if you are around.

I'm planning on getting a turbo kit within the next month from either Gerg or Diesel42 to help with the whole mountain pass issue that I had this summer up in our mountains... I'll also be attending college up in our mountains so I will NEED the turbo anyways just to make it day to day for the next 4 years of my life. I'll definitely be stopping by at any well-known Cruiser shops or locations along the way. And do you mean Avon, NC? If so I might be able to make the trip up there, depending on what time in August. I also know that @svsisu lives in the Outer Banks with his red turbo 1HZ troopy, so you could still visit him!

 

[OGBeno]

Correct. OBX.

 

[FJBen]

What a blast! Get that cooling system as good as possible.

I'm 45 mins from Denver, lots of cruiser heads in this area. Would be cool to meet, or if you need help with anything.

 

[Honger]

Well here's the rough draft of our route, we plan on bombing through all the states till we hit the Badlands, then start taking our time a bit more to enjoy everything around us. After Denver/Boulder we will bomb it back to NC as we will probably be tired of each other and will want to be home by then haha. It'll be 6 of us bringing the troopy and my friends 400,000 mile 100 series along, however, something tells me once we get down south that it will probably just be me and one other person in the troopy, hauling all our supplies, while the rest of them enjoy the luxury of A/C. If anyone seeing this that lives along or close to this route, has info of something we CANT miss that we probably won't know about, has some good local trails to go wheeling at with us, just wants to check out the Troopy if you have never seen one before, or even offer your backyard for us to sleep in (we would be very appreciative), then just shoot me a PM or something and we can figure something out! Should be leaving a day or 2 after we graduate, so around May28th - June 1st. Already have a couple of stops setup with people along the way and would be happy to add some more. View attachment 2617219


Awesome!!! Thank you so much, will definitely take you up on that offer, we already were planning on surfing there so it works perfectly with the route haha.

Man, make sure you document this trip! Can’t wait to follow along.

 

[svsisu]

Correct. OBX.

1980's 70 series mini meet and greet, in Kinnakeet?

 

[theglobb]

What a blast! Get that cooling system as good as possible.

I'm 45 mins from Denver, lots of cruiser heads in this area. Would be cool to meet, or if you need help with anything.

Its water pump has 15k miles on it, new thermostat, and I just did a coolant flush 3 days ago. I wish my water temp gauge still worked but it crapped out after 6 months :/ however, my EGT's running 65-70ish mph are 700-900f, and when I'm at 55mph and below it's always 400-600f. I'll have a spare alternator, and fuel filter as well. Anything else I should go through?

Man, make sure you document this trip! Can’t wait to follow along.

Oh, I'm bringing at leastttt 264 GB of memory in SD cards for my camera, which can take great photos, as y'all have seen, and pretty solid videos too. Needless to say, it will be VERY documented.

1980's 70 series mini meet and greet, in Kinnakeet?

I'd down just depends when in Aug, I'm pretty sure college starts up early for me, like Aug 15th or a little bit later than that.


If anyone has any tips, recommendations, or things I should double-check on the troopy or just in general I'll be happy to hear! In the near future, I won't have a point in my life that I'll just be able to disappear for 4-5 weeks without any responsibilities, jobs, family, who knows what else. So I gotta do it now

 

[svsisu]

Its water pump has 15k miles on it, new thermostat, and I just did a coolant flush 3 days ago. I wish my water temp gauge still worked but it crapped out after 6 months :/ however, my EGT's running 65-70ish mph are 700-900f, and when I'm at 55mph and below it's always 400-600f. I'll have a spare alternator, and fuel filter as well. Anything else I should go through?

Oh, I'm bringing at leastttt 264 GB of memory in SD cards for my camera, which can take great photos, as y'all have seen, and pretty solid videos too. Needless to say, it will be VERY documented.

I'd down just depends when in Aug, I'm pretty sure college starts up early for me, like Aug 15th or a little bit later than that.


If anyone has any tips, recommendations, or things I should double-check on the troopy or just in general I'll be happy to hear! In the near future, I won't have a point in my life that I'll just be able to disappear for 4-5 weeks without any responsibilities, jobs, family, who knows what else. So I gotta do it now

I would strongly recommend a good coolant temperature gauge. They are relatively cheap, and although not the best solution it's very easy to install in the rad hose with an adapter fitting. I don't know what 3B's do when turboed, but it will probably run hotter than it does now. On my 1HZ, egt's stay below 1200 F pre-turbo when hitting it hard, or on long, steep hills, but it is very easy for the coolant temps to rise quickly under certain conditions if I'm not careful, and I'm very glad I have a good temp gauge to moderate the pedal. Most of my "normal" driving egt's are around 600 F.

If you don't make it here in Aug (or sooner) we can likely meet up in the mountains. My folks live about 45 min from Boone (near Spruce Pine) and I try to get up there a few times a year.

You are setting yourself up for a great experience, and I think you will find it is definitely possible to disappear for 4-5 weeks (or more) in the future. Definitely do it now, but keep doing it too.

 

[Broski]

Well here's the rough draft of our route, we plan on bombing through all the states till we hit the Badlands, then start taking our time a bit more to enjoy everything around us. After Denver/Boulder we will bomb it back to NC as we will probably be tired of each other and will want to be home by then haha. It'll be 6 of us bringing the troopy and my friends 400,000 mile 100 series along, however, something tells me once we get down south that it will probably just be me and one other person in the troopy, hauling all our supplies, while the rest of them enjoy the luxury of A/C. If anyone seeing this that lives along or close to this route, has info of something we CANT miss that we probably won't know about, has some good local trails to go wheeling at with us, just wants to check out the Troopy if you have never seen one before, or even offer your backyard for us to sleep in (we would be very appreciative), then just shoot me a PM or something and we can figure something out! Should be leaving a day or 2 after we graduate, so around May28th - June 1st. Already have a couple of stops setup with people along the way and would be happy to add some more. View attachment 2617219


Awesome!!! Thank you so much, will definitely take you up on that offer, we already were planning on surfing there so it works perfectly with the route haha.

Just PM me when your a few day's out, Lots of good surf around here

 

[mt72]

Too bad the border is still closed with Canada I would of come and meet up!

 

[gilmorneau]

Get that cooling system as good as possible.

Yup. All the stuff you already did, plus check your hoses if you haven't already, and not just the big ones that go to the radiator--all the little ones, too. Maybe even carry spares, since they don't take up a lot of room, and they might be hard to find along the way. Viscous fan coupling working OK? Belts? Another easy spare to carry.

Anything else I should go through?

Think specifically about things that A: would put you out of commission if they failed, and B: you wouldn't be able to find at any NAPA or whatever. You'll have a support vehicle, so you're never likely to be more than an hour from an auto parts store or a mechanic of some kind.
Bring a Factory Service Manual and some tools. You'll probably never use any of it, but you'll sure be glad you have it if you do need it.

I would strongly recommend a good coolant temperature gauge.

This, yes. You don't mention if it's the factory gauge that's not working or an aftermarket one. If it's the factory one, it shouldn't be too hard to put right. Probably a faulty sender or wiring.

I'm planning on getting a turbo kit

Yes, a turbo will really wake up a 3B, but you don't want it too awake. Moderate boost, and careful monitoring of engine conditions will serve you much better than maximum power if you want to maintain reliability. Remember, when Toyota made a turbo version of the 3B, they completely redesigned the motor, they didn't just add a turbo and go.

Definitely do it now, but keep doing it too.

Oh, HELL yes! ^^


If you're going through Nashville, TN--Prince's Hot Fried Chicken. Oh, man that sh*t is good! Damn spicy hot, though, so there's that.

Looks like you're planning Interstate 15 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas? I dunno, I haven't been on that road for a while, but from what I recall, folks drive really, really fast there. Might not be optimal for a 3B Troopy. Maybe detour up to Death Valley, which is an interesting destination anyway. Some pretty good trails there.

And on the way back home from Colorado, you can stop in Cawker City, Kansas. Home of the world's largest ball of twine. Really. lol

I've driven across this great land of ours, coast to coast, three times in 3B powered Troopies. Here's a list of everything that went wrong along the way:

-Not
-A
-Single
-Thing

Have a blast! I'm jealous.

 

[theglobb]

I would strongly recommend a good coolant temperature gauge. They are relatively cheap, and although not the best solution it's very easy to install in the rad hose with an adapter fitting. I don't know what 3B's do when turboed, but it will probably run hotter than it does now. On my 1HZ, egt's stay below 1200 F pre-turbo when hitting it hard, or on long, steep hills, but it is very easy for the coolant temps to rise quickly under certain conditions if I'm not careful, and I'm very glad I have a good temp gauge to moderate the pedal. Most of my "normal" driving egt's are around 600 F.

If you don't make it here in Aug (or sooner) we can likely meet up in the mountains. My folks live about 45 min from Boone (near Spruce Pine) and I try to get up there a few times a year.

You are setting yourself up for a great experience, and I think you will find it is definitely possible to disappear for 4-5 weeks (or more) in the future. Definitely do it now, but keep doing it too.

Okok I'll definitely put more time into trying to troubleshoot what went wrong with my aftermarket gauge, if not I guess I'll just have to dish out more $$$ for another one, appreciate the info though, don't feel like blowing a HG or cracking the head in the middle of Death Valley, or in general... Also, my buddies and I (like 10-15 of us) are planning on going to the OBX sometime in May, I'll keep you updated on the certain dates that will form and we can meet up then for sure. And don't worry, I'll definitely keep adventuring whenever I'm given the chance, for as long as I have a Land Cruiser at my disposal

Too bad the border is still closed with Canada I would of come and meet up!

Hey, you never know what might change in the next 2-3 months if more and more vaccines start rolling out, things are bound to start becoming more and more open. Shoot me a PM if the Canadian border opens up again

Yup. All the stuff you already did, plus check your hoses if you haven't already, and not just the big ones that go to the radiator--all the little ones, too. Maybe even carry spares, since they don't take up a lot of room, and they might be hard to find along the way. Viscous fan coupling working OK? Belts? Another easy spare to carry.

All my hoses have luckily been replaced as well by the PO, and the 1 and only belt I have was also replaced so I'm all good in that department.

Bring a Factory Service Manual and some tools. You'll probably never use any of it, but you'll sure be glad you have it if you do need it.

I have one of those, and we are going to bring about every metric tool known on earth, always gotta be prepared for a 3 am engine swap in an Autozone parking lot

You don't mention if it's the factory gauge that's not working or an aftermarket one

My bad. It's an aftermarket one, the factory still works but I wouldn't trust it with the life of my engine.

you don't want it too awake. Moderate boost, and careful monitoring of engine conditions will serve you much better than maximum power if you want to maintain reliability

This is one of the reasons why I would like a turbo sooner than later, I'd like to get any possible kinks out of the system, as well as messing with fuel, timing, boost, etc etc to get a solid performing and reliable motor out of it.

Really appreciate all the advice, I'll probably end up needing a lot more once I acquire a turbo kit hahaha. Also if the dates line up I'd love to come visit you while I'm near.

 

[TonyP]

I would detour over to Moab. There are plenty of trails a 3B Troopy can enjoy there.

 

[theglobb]

I would detour over to Moab. There are plenty of trails a 3B Troopy can enjoy there.

Heading there right after Salt Lake City Can't wait, it's going to be a blast.