Wild_South's Land Cruiser 100 Series Camping/Daily Driver Build Thread! (NEW ZEALAND)

[Wild_South]

Wild_South's Land Cruiser 100 Series Camping/Daily Driver Build Thread! (NEW ZEALAND)​

Welcome,

Recently I made the decision to sell my old faithful - my 1997 Toyota Surf KZN185. It was a truck that did pretty much everything I ever needed. It got me to most fishing and hunting spots, and was very reliable over the time I had it. However, after some recent trips with a few more people in the truck, I started to realise how small it really was. Also, when loaded up, it definitely felt like it was struggling. I needed more room, and more grunt.

So, I’ve bought a “Hundy”. Supposedly the best truck ever built. I picked it up a couple of days ago from Nelson, from an elderly couple who have had it from new. To give you an idea of the truck:

1998 Toyota Land Cruiser 100 Series VX Limited (HDJ100R):

• Gun metal grey
• 159,000kms since new
• 1HD-FTE engine
• New Zealand new (not imported)
• Limited model, so heated seats, leather interior, memory seats etc
• Fastidiously maintained with receipts throughout it’s life

The plan is similar to my last truck: to build it into a comfortable daily driver, but also a weekend adventure wagon. We do a lot of South Island road trips, so I was looking for a cushy, smooth open-road driver, which is exactly what the 100 Series is.

The planned mods list is as follows:

• 2" suspension lift
• Maxxis AT980 285/75r16
• 16" black steel rims 0 offset
• MCC Winch bar
• Snorkel
• Roof cage
• Light bar (42" flood beam)
• Spotties (LED, spot beam)
• GPS tracker
• Alarm/immobiliser
• Auberins EGT gauge
• RAM mount for iPad
• Fire extinguisher
• Drawer/storage system
• LED interior lights
• Straight piped exhaust

 

[Wild_South]

BAR, SNORKEL, RIMS AND TIRES FITTED!​

After driving the truck around for a few days to get a feel for it, I decided to start the modifications. I set a couple of days aside to tinker away.

The first thing on my list was to get the new tires and rims put on. As is often the way, spare cash flow is a bit tight, so I am not lifting the truck right away. So, having ordered a set of 285/75r16's I shopped around for advice on the "best" offset to run. I decided to go with 0p.

A lot of my touring is done on gravel/shingle roads, hard rocky riverbeds and dirt - not so much mud (although I will encounter some!). With this in mind I decided I should go for an All Terrain, in order to keep the Cruiser nice to drive with decent road manners for everyday use. I settles on five new Maxxis AT980's and I love them so far!

After I fitted them I noticed a bit of rubbing and also noticed the 20 year old suspension has sagged a bit, causing the truck to sit pretty low. Hoping to wind up the factory torsion's a bit until I can lift her properly with new suspension.

Next was to fit on an MCC Falcon Winch Bar, and the snorkel - both done with relative ease.

 

[Clintnz]

Looking better already! It'd be rare to find an NZ new one with so few km, good score!

Cheers
Clint

 

[gerardines]

Really nice hundy ! low kms, looking foward to see the progress
It's a shame that Toyota never got that engine in the 105 series …