Shortly after Craig committed to join, he suggested a new certified installer of his for his Plant Drive components, who I had never heard of, but also quickly became close with over several long conversations over the phone -- Scott Oncken of
Eco Off-Road. Clearly a man after my own heart as well, someone who works on Rovers and cruisers and specializes in diesel conversions, and is tremendously knowledgeable and does some of the cleanest mechanical work I have ever seen. He was once a Washington D.C. officer of some sort (Secret Service or something along these lines) who eventually left to go to Wyotek to learn about cars (no small, or inexpensive feat as one of the best automotive schools in the country) and started this company and manages to only work on only older vehicles by choice.
He had a recently acquired 1966 FJ45 Short Wheel Base, Removeable Top Land Cruiser Pickup (the cream of the crop of FJ45 pickups) and (I just recently put 2 and 2 together that it is a truck that I know well from when a gentleman named Dukes owned it up in Jackson Hole) - yes, this is the famous blue Land Cruiser pickup that was in Wilson/Jackson for all of those years for any tourist to Jackson Hole who might have seen this truck and it's also been in dozens of catalogs over the years. Scott decided in about January or February (fairly last minute) to quickly hammer out a diesel conversion and all other modifications to make it an expedition vehicle as well, and bring it on the trip, and was also working on it down to the wire much as I was on my own truck. Scott has highlighted the build here, on the
ih8mud.com forums, for anyone interested in checking it out. He also managed to break his hand from a piece of metal that was caught in a drill press, about 1/2 way through the build (so we thought there was no way he would finish) and showed up in a cast. Yet remarkably, he finished it, and on time...
The only mechanical issue he had, for a virgin truck, was a freak rear broken shock mount and a brand new alternator, off ebay, that failed about 1000 miles in. Both were two things that were completely out of control and neither impacted anything, and that he had only these small issues is simply remarkable. Here is a photo of him tinkering with something, along with Kurt Williams, on the FJ45, and then another shot from the rear. Specs are a Cummins B 3.3 Turbo Diesel (a nice quiet super reliable and relatively inexpensive Cummins that was brand new direct from them. This should be the engine all people install rather than 300tdi or HO 2.8), with a Toyota 5 speed Land Cruiser transmission (the famous H55F), and Plant Drive components as well.
A work of beauty...
.
. I was just talking with Kurt tonight and he has some really good ideas in terms of 2011 planning. The truck WILL be on the trip. I am sooo excited... 
