Silver Lining

After spending a bit of time travelling in the outback its quite easy to make a unanimous decision that the 79 series is pretty much the people’s choice when it comes to touring this great country of ours. So with the popularity stakes being so high on a particular vehicle it’s hard to make one stand out from the crowd. However this is one 79 Series that is not only a capable off-roader but also looks a million dollars.

After taking some inspiration from our own previous 79 Series build and seeing what we can do to these trucks, owner Glenn contacted us and basically asked us to replicate what we had done to ours,  with some additional unique features and touches added along the way. Glenn didn’t have time to run around sourcing the vehicle from dealerships or to run all over town looking for the various bits and pieces required for the build, so we set about organising everything for the build including the purchase of the car itself.

We started with the full complement of TJM bar work including the T13 Outback bull bar, brush bars and side steps which feature 63mm tubing throughout as well as the TJM Front Under Body Guard. The bull bar houses the TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch with synthetic rope and Factor 55 Prolink hook to winch all those Nissans out that are encountered out on the track.  Also bolted to the bar is a set of Lightforce HTX driving lights which use a combination of HID and LED technology to bring you the best of both worlds of a night time by providing up to almost 2km of light with a good range of spread also coming form the LED outer lights.

For added storage a Rhino Pioneer Tradie rack was fitted and additional campsite lighting was fitted compliments of 2 Lightforce Rok 20 work lights fitted to the platform, underslung so as not to impede on the storage area of the platform.

The tray and dog-box canopy was supplied by Thorburns & Sons Fabrications and the colour coded combination really sets this 79 apart as well as being highly functional as a touring vehicle. The slim-line angled under body tool boxes give the tray a better departure angle and dual spare wheel carrying capacity makes this 79 even more versatility for remote area touring. It also has a built in trundle tray and 65L water tank for extra storage, utilising the underside of the tray which leaves more room for beer and swags on the top side.

Another stand-out feature of this truck is the Jmacx coil spring conversion kit which (just in case you’ve been living under a rock recently) does away with the factory rear leaf springs in place of coil springs, includes an upgraded rear axle housing which evens the wheel track front to rear and also comes with upgraded axles which are 200 times stronger than the Toyota OME gear. The end result is improved ride quality, improved axle articulation and travel, and a bulletproof rear end. The kit is also certified with a GVM upgrade, taking the 79s maximum gross vehicle mass to 3900kgs at 3 inches of fully legal lift.

The 70 series single turbo V8 diesel is known for being more of a big lazy engine than an outright powerhouse, so power mods were always on the cards for this truck once a bit of weight and bigger tyres were added. An upgraded stainless steel airbox, intake piping and snorkel by Thorburns Fabrication was added for increased airflow before sending the truck up to Ashley at Streamline Automotive in Beresfield for an ECU remap where they massaged around about 50% more torque out of the 4.5L oiler. A ceramic coated 3″ mandrel bent stainless steel exhaust was knocked up by Jmacx to improve gas flow, whilst catering to the unique route the system needs to take to make its way around the rear coil spring cradle. A Torqit Pedal Torq module was also added for improved throttle response and reduced turbo lag to get the big heavy beast off the mark a bit quicker.

Engine protection comes courtesy of a Diesel Care pre-diesel filter and a HPD billet alloy catch can. An Exceedy heavy duty clutch was fitted to handle the power, weight and tyre size upgrades and power is delivered to the ground through a set of Pro Comp Series 69 alloy rims that measure 16×10 inches and a set of Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 all-terrain tyres that measure 315/75 16 or 35 inches in the old scale.

A Long Range Automotive 180L replacement tank gives this 79 a better touring range A TJM 25A DC solar charger  and a 110A/hr Ultimate Extreme AGM battery takes care of power needs and a Redarc Tow Prow Elite and breakaway monitor take care of towing duties along side the Hayman Reese heavy duty tow bar. Rearward vision whilst towing is also made easier with a set of Clearview towing mirrors.

The interior of this 79 series has been left far from untouched as well with Department of the Interior supplying both overhead and centre floor consoles for some added interior storage and cup  holders. The basic Toyota sound system was replaced with a Kenwood full infotainment unit including 8 inch subwoofer, Kenwood Navigation, reverse camera and a dual headrest DVD system for back seat passengers – supplied and fitted by Stefan at House of Soundz in Kotara. The seats are well protected by a set of Wetseat seat covers by Inland Australia and the floors are well covered with a set of Sandgrabber mats by No Bull.

There’s no doubt this is one of the best looking 79s getting around and the amount of time and attention to detail that’s gone into the build is reflective of the end result. Every aspect of the build was orchestrated by us to save the customer hours of painstaking groundwork. It’s certainly a head turner and a more than capable tourer – and one I’m sure we will see around the tracks getting dirty.