1997 Land Cruiser Troop Carrier Build

[reldred]

Don't talk to me about a 1HZ troopy being underpowered until you drive a 70 series that's had it's GVM increased to 4500KG with that same engine. I could get out and jog up a hill quicker than my rig can drive :sombrero:

 

[redthies]

What part of Sydney did you end up in Matt?

 

[MattScott]

What part of Sydney did you end up in Matt?

I'm in the Blue Mountains.

 

[redthies]

I'm in the Blue Mountains.

I've done a fair bit of climbing out there. I love it around Katoomba. The old houses with the view off the cliffs are awesome. You should have plenty of local spots to play with the Troopy!

 

[MattScott]

I've done a fair bit of climbing out there. I love it around Katoomba. The old houses with the view off the cliffs are awesome. You should have plenty of local spots to play with the Troopy!

Most definitely, Katoomba is a cool town. We find our selves around Lithgow quite a bit to get on the tracks.

 

[MattScott]

The stock headlights were pretty average, so we opted for a set of Narva (Truck-Lite) LED replacements.

At first I wasn't a big fan of such new lights on an old vehicle, but now I dig it! The test will come once it's dark, but if they're anything like the headlights on my JK, they'll be great.


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[Seeka]

View attachment 272172

The second step will be to get rid of the terrible ambulance bull bar on the front and replace it with something a bit more ... visually pleasing. It also sits quite low which isn't great for my approach angle. I've already found it acting as a shovel on more technical tracks. Along with this I'll outfit it with a newer winch and rebuild the old Superwinch that's on there for another day. A roof rack is also in order, and right now I'm looking at doing a Front Runner Slimline II. It's lightweight and has a bunch of interesting accessories that can be taken on and off when needed. During this 'stage' it'll also receive a 50mm suspension lift with a set of adjustable shocks — which admittedly will be a bit extravagenet for the low-tech leaf suspension.

The third step is building an interior system that allows for storage and sleeping. My design is inspired by what Scott Brady did with the Expeditions 7 vehicles, but the sleeping system will not be built at fridge height, rather it will be lower and allow for more mobility once inside. The fridge will be mounted on top of the drawers towards the rear. The current plans call for two one-metre long drawers on in the back, with the front half being a large hatch that can be removed to allow for seating and a small table.

Congrats on the troopy! I was lucky enough to have found a 2003 model with crazy low km (34,000), working warn winch, roof racks and dual batteries. Paid a bit more than $11K though! A couple things we've found...

We have the slimline on our troopy and are reasonably happy with it, but have found it difficult to find the accessories we were interested in (particularly the universal gas bottle mount). We ordered a ladder at the same time but were later advised they are no longer available. Otherwise it looks great on the troopy and has a low profile for city driving.

A note about the bullbar, from memory there's a common problem with a certain brand bullbar (arb?) blocking access to the rated recovery point. I recommend checking that out - there are a tone of frustrated forum posts from people struggling to find workarounds.

Cup holders - super cheap auto stocks a cup holder that clips onto the vents that works like a charm. I couldn't find it on the website though. Blocks the vents slightly but we've found the aircon super frosty, so one and a bit vents each is sufficient.

Fridge - if you haven't got one already, check out bushman brand. We've been extremely happy with it so far. It comes with interchangeable lids so you can have 35L for a smaller trip and up to 57L(?) when you need more space.

Your plan for the sleeping platform sounds interesting, although I'm having trouble visualizing it. Look forward to seeing what you come up with.

 

[MattScott]

Opposite Lock is taking over Front Runner distribution, so accessories should be a bit easier to get.


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[NM-Frontier]

Interested in how the Truck-Lites work out for you, I'v been looking at them for my 74 and been on the fence one how they might clash on the older truck.

 

[MattScott]

Interested in how the Truck-Lites work out for you, I'v been looking at them for my 74 and been on the fence one how they might clash on the older truck.

It's interesting, I've had them on two different vehicles, and the Truck-Lites you can buy in America seem to be significantly brighter than the NARVA imported units that has been brought to Australian spec.

Loved them in America, will probably take them off here, they're that bad.

 

[shmabs]

MattScott,

That's terrible to hear about the lights, what specifically was terrible with them?

I work for the U.S. Forest Service in Fleet Maintenance and all the operator of the fire trucks swear by the Truck-Lites. Now that they are reasonably priced (199 each) I expect to see a lot more of them.

Mike

 

[MattScott]

Just the light output to be honest, quite weak.

Keep in mind these are the Australian spec lights made in partnership with Narva.


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[MattScott]

Remote reservoir shocks on a Troopy. Admittedly, it's complete overkill, but I need to test them for work, so why not! More pictures coming soon of the new suspension which includes a 50mm lift and grease-able shackles.

 

[MattScott]

So, it's getting close!


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[Yuman Desert Rat]

Gorgeous