Pictures here!: http://www.lcool.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=1400
After a couple of years of trying to turn my JK Wrangler Rubicon into a tourer but never quite getting past the lack of power and space, the welcome addition of our son Harry to the family triggered the search for a larger more suitable 4WD. After a couple of months of research I settled on a 76 series Landcruiser based on the 70 series reputation as unbreakable, its comparative electronic simplicity compared to other 4WDs on the market and of course....its engine. It just stood out to me as the ideal vehicle for our circumstances. Being advised it was a 4 month wait was not welcome news neither was the additional 2 week delay which seemed endless. I finally picked up the keys in early March and my first impressions were; this is friggin huge, steers like a tank, first gear should be call ½ gear and how I am never going to be able to park this monster? It had been four long months driving my loving wife’s generously donated Ford Laser which I remain eternally grateful for, since the test drive so perspectives had changed a bit. After tentatively navigating it through the side streets and a short stop at home to install the baby seat we headed out to give it a run. The anticipation mounted as we approached the first set of hills, which always meant the inevitable drop back into second in the Jeep, and we weren’t let down. The cruiser drove over them in 5th gear like it was flat; the smile nearly split my face. I must have driven it up every hill I could find in the first month and smiled every single time. It still makes me smile! I’ve put nearly 5000 kms on the clock since then and it hasn’t missed a beat. Its excursions so far have been limited to day drives on local tracks except for Easter where the family packed up and headed out for a 5 day trip with some friends. The weighbridge had us at around 3.4t on the way out which was about ½ a tonne over where I’d hoped to be this is an issue I have to sort out soon. Anyway, even loaded to the gunnels it effortlessly transported us over the blacktop to the dirt and it only got better from there. Off-road low-range was like we weren’t carrying any gear at all. It was pick a gear point and shoot the whole way. Breathtaking really considering the weight and very reassuring were you thinking of using the beast as a tow vehicle. The trip had some great off-road sections through the Deua National Park and it constantly amazed me how easily it dealt with everything; steep ascents and descents, water crossings and obstacles on the track, it seemed the only limiting factor was the driver! Highway driving is not bad either. It gets up to and holds the speed limit without any problems at all and even has some go left over for passing. It only has noticeable issues holding the speed limit on steep winding hills which is fair enough when loaded with 5 days worth of camping gear, water etc. Cornering speed is something that has taken me a little bit to get used to and I’m sure my heart actually stopped on a couple of corners that snuck up on me during the trip. It was probably never close to rolling but it scared the crap out of me.
Changing from 2WD to 4WD is simple and Hi to Lo is easy but when moving back into Hi it took me a few goes before I stopped ending up in N or 2WD. Engaging the diff locks is also a pretty simple system. The cabin noise is pretty good considering it’s a V8 diesel with roof rack and mud tyres. You definitely know you’re not in a sedan but its well within tolerance. The sound system is very average and is on the list for an upgrade at some point. It is my daily drive which is ok here in Canberra; mostly wide streets and easy to get around with not too much traffic, but if I had to confront heavy traffic every day I would probably have chosen an auto Pajero or Prado. I am just shy of 6ft 4in and initially the seating position felt a little uncomfortable but I quickly became used to it and now it’s not an issue. The seat itself is adequate but after about 2.5 hours I notice that I’m sitting down and by 3.5 hours I’m out for a walk around and stretch.
One thing that I have come to appreciate is how the large amount of glass and high sitting position make for excellent visibility. Anyway, I’ve had some mods done to it, as you’d expect, which I think have turned it into a pretty good tourer, not perfect but a great platform on which to tweak over the next few years. The mods are listed below and besides the isolator that was supplied by the Toyota dealership melting and being replaced with a redarc, which is probably a better outcome anyway, everything else has gone to plan, give or take.
- Factory front and rear electronic diff locks
- Dual battery system with redarc isolator and two 12v outlets in the rear
- Toyota steel bulbar (winch compatible) and side rails
- Water Watch – a second fuel filter to protect engine from water (http://www.responsiveengineering.com.au/8263/Water_Watch_System/What_is_Water_Watch?/)
- Old Man Emu heavy duty 2 in lift and Steering dampener (ARB - Fyshwick)
- 166 litre Longranger replacement fuel tank (ARB - Fyshwick)
- Kaymar Rear Step tow bar with dual wheel carrier, telescopic camp light, high-lift jack and HF antenna attachments (ARB - Fyshwick)
- 6th wheel – Stock Toyota 76 series GXL 16’’ alloy
- BFG 265/75/16 KM/2s all around
- ARB Deluxe steel roof rack with mesh floor, wind deflector, Kaymar shovel and high-lift jack holder, dual jerry can holder and foxwing attachments. (ARB - Fyshwick)
- ARB compressor (under the bonnet) with pump points in front and rear bumper (ARB - Fyshwick)
- IPS XS Driving lights (ARB - Fyshwick)
- Radiator insect screen (ARB - Fyshwick)
- 4WD Interiors Outback Twin drawers with fridge slide on RHS, Cargo barrier, top shelf and centre divider, 2 x side storage boxes and baby seat anchor points (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- ARB 47lt fridge
- Outback Front tow/recovery points (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- 4WD Interiors Roof Console with GME TX3220 UHF Radio (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- Reversing Camera (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- Dept of the Interiors replacement centre console with additional cup holder and tray
- 3 additional 12v outlets in the cabin, one always-on and the others on-ignition (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- Blackduck front seat covers (Loving Wife)
- 55lt Boab water container secured between front and back seats (Opposite Lock)
The reversing camera is something that I will always do with vehicles from now on. It makes reversing much simpler, not to mention quicker and of course safer with a crawling baby around home and the campsite. The Longranger fuel tank sits nice and high, taking nothing away from the vehicles clearance but, on the down side, it takes a couple of tanks to get used to how the stock fuel gauge represents the amount of fuel left. It being larger and a different shape than the stock tank it definitely isn’t a uniform drop across the gauge. We nearly had a disaster running down the first full tank as the gauge plummeted to empty from the ¼ full mark. Luckily we managed to sneak into a servo on what must have just been fumes.
The Kaymar rear bar is as you would expect; simple, strong and effective although it would be great if they used LEDs in their camp light. I’ve had a second light switch installed in the cabin so I can flick the rear light on easily if I need more light when reversing. The bar makes a great step to access the roof rack and the Jack carrier fits my axe perfectly so another thing out of the cabin and easily accessible. The bar has also has a HF antenna mount which will be handy when we head North. The two spare wheels on the back means a rubbish bag on one and a dirty laundry bag on the other keeping the inside of the car free of dirty clothes and more importantly rubbish bags that no matter how I secure them always end up leaking/ripping and not to mention stink after a couple of days, especially with a baby on board....
The Water Watch fuel filter system is designed to let you know if there is water in the fuel even before it gets to the vehicles fuel filter. This is obviously important with all engines and especially so with common rails due to the high pressures at play. I saw it as an insurance policy. The only down side is the circuit check it does at start-up uses extremely loud and piercing beeps to confirm everything is fine. Eventually I rang Jason at AutoBasics who installed it and he was good enough to sort it out the next day by taping up the speaker to mute the noise. Perfect mod, still audible but doesn’t wake the baby anymore (cardinal sin!!).
For the suspension upgrade, I went for the heavy duty OME 2in lift option but with all the other weight added to the rear and no corresponding weight (i.e. winch) on the front (yet!) ARB reverted to softer coils on the front for the time being and will reassess the need for the heavy coils once a winch is installed. It currently sits slightly raised in the rear when empty of gear and flat when fully loaded which is perfect. I think rear leaf springs are ideal for this type of set-up as they seem to just soak up weight.
If I had my time again I wouldn’t have invested in the 6th stock wheel but just replaced them all straight up with 16x8s to allow fitting of the larger sized KM/2s. The stock wheels do look a little undersized with the lift even with BFG 265/75/16s KM/2s fitted. I think the extra surface area of larger tyres would be much better for getting all that weight through muddy areas. That said, the 265/75/16s did a great job of getting the truck and family down very steep and greasy tracks on the last day of the Easter camping trip but at the time I really felt that the bigger tyres would have made it safer again.
The ARB rack is solid and just the right length for the oztent. The mesh floor is a great option for packing all the different sizes and shapes of gear that I put on the roof. It is still easy to tie gear down through the mesh and there are no issues with things falling in-between cross bars. The Kaymar jack and shovel holder is brilliantly effective and really simple to use. The foxwing attachments initially caused an issue when fitted as per the instructions because the fixing plate did not clear the feet of the racks which meant the awning couldn’t be attached. After trying to work out something myself and giving up I asked the guys at ARB to have a look and they fixed it within the day through a simple but ingenious mod that extended the face plate out far enough to secure the awning. They also glued some rubber on the back of the awning that allows it to rest on the rack without rattling which has the effect of providing more support to the fixing system.
Having the compressor tucked out of the way under the bonnet, the switch in the cabin and pump points in the front and rear bars is a very neat package and makes airing up as quick and easy as it can be. I find that I use the front connection mostly because it’s so accessible and the rear one only if someone behind needs air which is rare, so in hindsight just the front would have been sufficient. I use balloons to keep the muck out of the connection points which is a cheap and effective method but not all that elegant. Having the front tow/recovery points is great for peace of mind but they are tucked up quite high relative to the bottom of the front bar and could cause recovery/tow straps to rub, depending on the situation. I haven’t tested them yet but either way they could be needed to get out of a pinch, so happy to have them.
The drawer system is another mod that I highly recommend for this type of setup. The fridge slide is also the top of the RHS drawer and is a bit stiff and squeaks but that will probably be sorted with some grease and more use. Besides that the drawers work perfectly and the side boxes, top shelf and centre divide really help with packing gear into the back. One drawback of the side boxes is that it restricts access to the cavities under the side wings of the drawer setup. This is only really an issue on the same side as the fridge because you can’t get the side-box out to access the cavity without removing the fridge - achievable but quite awkward with the centre divider installed. I remove the centre divider and side-boxes when not camping but leave the top shelf in to maximise the useable space in the back. It’s a quick job to put them back in so not a drama. Another great thing about these drawers in particular is anchor points for baby seats can be installed on the rear of the drawers directly behind the back seats which mean no straps across the storage area to above the rear barn doors, a little thing but a great idea that works!
The roof console is a great way to avoid having to modify the dash to install a UHF/HF radio and the LED lights are great for map reading or just seeing in the cabin at night but the storage compartment is difficult to open i.e. not an easy one handed job as you would hope. This maybe because it’s new and could loosen up over time. The internal wires also vibrate against the roof console outer casing causing an annoying sound, another small fix up job for me at some point!
The replacement floor centre console is great. I think it lacks two small things; a latch for the lid and an insert for the top of the main storage bin, other than that it’s a winner. The main storage bin is a cavern which is useful but limited in application because there is nowhere to put smaller bits and pieces out of the way. I am trying to find a tupperware container or similar that fits snugly across the top and still allows the lid to close which I think will work well. The console is much higher than the stock one and also padded on top which gives you somewhere to rest your left elbow, again a little thing but makes a noticeable difference to comfort. The guys at Pride Auto had a great idea and installed an additional 12v power outlet on the very front of the console which means you can leave your phone (or any other gadget) on charge in the additional pocket without wires stretching across the cabin. I know once upon a time we didn’t have cup holders but not having water bottles rolling around at the passengers feet is a bonus, not to mention if you both enjoy a coffee from time to time. The additional cup holder, storage tray, power outlet and higher padded console lid make a noticeable difference to the convenience of the otherwise sparse cabin and its well worth the investment. The guys at Pride also did a fantastic job of modifying the ash tray with another two 12v power outlets taking it to 4 in the main cabin; three wired to the ignition and one always on. The workmanship is spot on and it looks stock which is a nice touch. The Blackduck front seat covers haven’t been used in anger yet but they fit well, were easy to install and look and feel good so far.
As the only backseat passenger is 6-month old Harry there are no problems with having the 55ltr Boab water container strapped down across the rear foot well. It does mean you need to open the rear passenger door whenever you need water but that’s not too much of a hassle. Longranger sell a 54ltr under body tank which would be a nice addition one day, not only does it come with an electric pump, from the photos it looks like it is positioned nicely to provide some added protection to the rear diff lock electrics that sit on the front right of the rear axle.
Of course like all 4WDs, the truck is an ongoing project and I have list of things planned for when the opportunity (read “cash”) comes to hand. Already booked in with the team at Pride Auto for when the front underbody guard finally arrives (been on backorder from TJM since March!) is an override switch for the dual batter isolator and a tidy up of the connections into the auxiliary battery.
I love the beast and I find driving it a real pleasure. I look for any excuse to get it out and about. I can see it in the work car park from my desk (yep, awesome view!) and all I want to do is jump in and head bush. Here are a few things on the list still to do, but let me know what you think, I’m open to ideas.
Planned Mods:
- override switch for the battery isolator (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- TJM front underbody guard, been on back order since March (Pride Auto – Phillip)
- Winch
- Cruise control
- 54 litre Longranger water tank
- DPChip
- 3 Inch Exhaust System (not sure which brand as yet)
- Front Seat Upgrade
- 16x8" rims and 285/75/R16 KM/2s
- LED driving lights
- Stereo
- HF Radio
