Upgrading 200. Where to start??

[bluemax009]

Finally finished on my 60 and my hands are too idle. I've had my 200 about a year and now is the time to start upgrading on her. In my opinion the 200 is the perfect specimen of vehicle. Just not sure where to start investing time and money. Any ideas?

 

[gaijin]

Finally finished on my 60 and my hands are too idle. I've had my 200 about a year and now is the time to start upgrading on her. In my opinion the 200 is the perfect specimen of vehicle. Just not sure where to start investing time and money. Any ideas?

For what activity do you wish to optimize the performance of your 200?

Rock crawling?

Beach/sand?

Overlanding/excursion?

Highway/DD?

Mall cruising?

Each would dictate a different set of modifications.

 

[snobdds]

Defining your goals is always a good place to start...

 

[pdxlc200]

The easiest and best place to start is probably with a moderate lift. It will just make about everything on and offroad better.


Entry:

If you are looking for a really solid entry level lift, I would look at Old Man Emu. My only real advice is to to make sure you get the appropriate spring weight. If you don't plan on getting a steel bumper or winch, then I would go with the light springs up front (with a 2.5 lift), coupled with medium rear springs (no height, not even the .75 inch). This will give you nice handling and level ride.

Ps. TJM and Ironman 4x4 both have very nice kits (the TJM comes with some level of height adjustability).



Intermediate:

If you have deeper pockets and want something adjustable, the entry point is Radflo coilovers, or if you have more budget go with Icon coilovers. This is also a great time to get a set of Total Chaos upper control arms. You will still be using your Old Man Emu rear shocks and springs with this setup



Best:

At this point, you can add a pair or Radflo or Icon rear shocks, but you will still need use the Old Man Emu rear springs.



After the lift you might want to look at getting some 33' tires vs. the stock 30's. However, you can't do this without rubbing until you get the lift. Some people (me included) purchased the TRD 17' alloy wheels at this time, which coupled with 33' all terrain tires provide great on and offroad capabilities and have no rubbing.


After tires and lift... well the list can get pretty long hehe.

1. Front bumper
2. Rear bumper
3. Sliders
4. Dual Battery Setup
5. Roof Rack
6. Snorkel
7. Air compressor
8. Rear Lockers
9. Front Lockers
10. Etc...

 

[Desert Nomad]

I second all posts above. If modding for touring/overland/offroad. Personally I'd get a lift, smaller rims bigger tires, lockers front & rear, bumpers front and rear, swing wheel & jerry can carrier, roof rack, winch, aux fuel tank as well as lights.

These you can get whats more fun is mounting rocket launchers on the roof rack and filling the aux tank with oil and connecting nozzles at the back to spray it out, should make freeway driving fun.

Seriously now these are all on my list minus the last two, some I have others not yet. And for which brand to go for it goes back to personal preference, looks, quality, availability and budget.

Whatever yoy go for post up pics and lots of them it's nice seeing how other people mod their trucks.

 

[bluemax009]

So it looks like unanimously to start with a lift. My objective is to build an all around expedition/excursion vehicle with the overarching theme of the build being endurance. I kinda figured a lift with suspension kit would be a start. Do you think the shocks I take off the 200 could be refrabicated to assemble on the 60. That's recycling.

 

[bjowett]

Do you have a budget in mind?

 

[bluemax009]

Ummm. Not really. When it comes to the trucks (my 86 fj60 and 2010 200) I allow myself a lot of latitude and autonomy

 

[BulletHead]

Pickup that ARB bumper in ATL first.

 

[bluemax009]

Do you have a contact number or email.

 

[bluemax009]

Sorry didn't see your earlier post. Just got in touch with him.

 

[RTaylor]

My objective is to build an all around expedition/excursion vehicle with the overarching theme of the build being endurance.

You don't need much, so don't overdue it without making your own judgment based on your experience. Better tires (285 ATs), suspension upgrade (Radflo, OME, etc as mentioned earlier) and perhaps bumper/slider protection. These will get you to the next level and you can further enhance from there. Enjoy the journey.

 

[bluemax009]

You don't need much, so don't overdue it without making your own judgment based on your experience. Better tires (285 ATs), suspension upgrade (Radflo, OME, etc as mentioned earlier) and perhaps bumper/slider protection. These will get you to the next level and you can further enhance from there. Enjoy the journey.

Yeah. Great advice. I just can't see adding too much stuff that will make it so much more competent off road.

 

[BTUMAN]

Few things mentioned above done.

 

[jetstream23]

The easiest and best place to start is probably with a moderate lift. It will just make about everything on and offroad better.


Entry:

If you are looking for a really solid entry level lift, I would look at Old Man Emu. My only real advice is to to make sure you get the appropriate spring weight. If you don't plan on getting a steel bumper or winch, then I would go with the light springs up front (with a 2.5 lift), coupled with medium rear springs (no height, not even the .75 inch). This will give you nice handling and level ride.

Ps. TJM and Ironman 4x4 both have very nice kits (the TJM comes with some level of height adjustability).



Intermediate:

If you have deeper pockets and want something adjustable, the entry point is Radflo coilovers, or if you have more budget go with Icon coilovers. This is also a great time to get a set of Total Chaos upper control arms. You will still be using your Old Man Emu rear shocks and springs with this setup



Best:

At this point, you can add a pair or Radflo or Icon rear shocks, but you will still need use the Old Man Emu rear springs.



After the lift you might want to look at getting some 33' tires vs. the stock 30's. However, you can't do this without rubbing until you get the lift. Some people (me included) purchased the TRD 17' alloy wheels at this time, which coupled with 33' all terrain tires provide great on and offroad capabilities and have no rubbing.


After tires and lift... well the list can get pretty long hehe.

1. Front bumper
2. Rear bumper
3. Sliders
4. Dual Battery Setup
5. Roof Rack
6. Snorkel
7. Air compressor
8. Rear Lockers
9. Front Lockers
10. Etc...

Thanks for this. Very helpful. I'm not really an offroader but I want to equip and protect my 2009 LC for some overland type activities and camping. I'm looking for a slight lift/leveling and likely no new front bumper or bull bar immediately.

My question would be if I go with the stock-weighted OME setup for a 2" lift suspension, and then decide to add an ARB front bumper down the road, will I have to change out the springs to support that? I don't want to do the 200 lb. OME setup now without a the heavier ARB bumper and have the ride suffer and become to stiff/rigid. Does this make sense?

 

[pdxlc200]

If you are only going stock for now, I would get the 2 inch OME lift with light springs up front. Yes, you will need to upgrade just the front springs in the future when you get a bumper. This is what happened to me, and instead of getting a heavier OME spring I just upgraded to a Radflo coilover at this time.

For the rears do a zero lift medium or light setup in the rear.

 

[RTaylor]

I'm not really an offroader but I want to equip and protect my 2009 LC for some overland type activities and camping. I'm looking for a slight lift/leveling and likely no new front bumper or bull bar immediately.

You should strongly consider the Bilstein adjustable struts and rear shocks. Those who have installed these report positive feedback and their stance becomes more level. Don't overdue it. Remember, you're starting with a Land Cruiser. It's a very capable rig right off the lot. If we were talking about modifying a Ford Explorer for your intended uses, then we might need more drastic measures.

 

[pdxlc200]

Also might want to consider the Ironman 4x4 kit, with foam core. http://www.ironman4x4.com/html/toyota/95.html

 

[Billfish]

Funny thing Bluemax, I am going the other way.

I'm on the look out for a tidy FJ62 to start messing about with as a bit of a hobby/project. Thinking of combining a 62 body on 80 series bones with a fully rebuilt 4.2 turbo diesel donkey. Just love the 60series classic lines. Should keep me busy for a few years.

 

[bluemax009]

You're right, the 60 body style screams classic. Keep me posted. I'd love to see what you come up with when I finally get my 60 reassembled I'll be sure to post pics.