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One Unstoppable 79 Series LandCruiser

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Ok, so we might be flogging the 79 Series LandCruiser just a tad, but there’s a pretty good reason for that. We can’t think of a more popular 4WD at the moment and when it comes to touring – there just isn’t anything quite as capable.

Truck-like capabilities, with the flexibility to be set up as a comfortable tourer that can still do the hard stuff when you need to.  Reliability, durability, old school live axles, lots of after-market mods available, a motor that will happily lug an overweight 4WD and caravan around all day – have we missed anything?

Yes, they’re on the pricey side and yes, in standard form they lack a lot of features, but with the right mods and set up, there is nothing available on the market today that will match one. And this big white beast is the panicle of what you can actually do to a 79 Series and there has certainly been no expense spared.

The foundation for this build is the Jmacx 300mm chassis extension and coil conversion, running the Kings 2.5 suspension with remote reservoirs. This ups the GVM on the 79 Series from 3300kg to a whopping 4495kg and the towing capacity is also up 500kg to 4t. Ride refinement and axle articulation is increased from the coils with those big remote-res shocks and airbags in the rear also aiding with towing and soaking up the corrugations on those rough stretches.

Another stand-out feature and the epicentre of its touring capability is the Mits Alloy tray and canopy package. Mits Alloy have designed a tray and jack-off canopy specifically to suit the stretched chassis of the 79 Series and this particular unit features two Engle 95L upright fridges, a 130L under-body water tank, trundle draw and the whole canopy is centrally locked.

Power will never be an issue with a Kick Ass 170A/hr slimline AGM battery managed by a TJM 25A DC-DC battery charger mounted behind the back seat, which believe it or not, is actually just a back-up for the giant Enerdrive 200A/hr lithium battery managed by the Enerdrive 40A AC and DC board with Simarine panel mounted inside the canopy. There’s also solar input thanks to a 180w Enerdrive panel for when the big beast is off the grid. This set-up powers a 2000w Enerdrive inverter and all the 12v power you could ever need while out on the tracks.

Vehicle protection is compliments of a colour coded TJM T13 Outback bull bar, TJM brush rails and side steps which have the big, chunky 63mm tubing to make this 79 Series just a little more bulletproof.

Lighting is an all-Stedi affair with a set of Type-X Pro driving lights up-front and a Stedi 50” double row light bar mounted to the Rhino Pioneer Platform. There’s also two side mounted Stedi micro 13.4” light bars for lighting up the campsite.

Recovering Patrols is handled by a Carbon 12,000lbs winch with synthetic rope mounted in the TJM bar, fitted with a Factor 55 Flatlink shackle as well as a rear mounted Carbon 12,000lbs winch with Factor 55 Prolink shackle which has the cradle integrated onto the Jmacx chassis. There’s an ARB twin compressor and 3L air tank controlled by an Airbag Man air control kit which takes care of tyre inflation as well as supply to the airbags, all mounted in one of the rear toolboxes.

Performance modifications include a Safari Armax snorkel which feeds fresh air onto a Patrol Docta stainless steel airbox. The intercooler was upgraded to a HPD S2 top mount unit to keep that air flow nice and cool. The big hefty beast needed a serious kick in the pants after all the weight gain and was sent off to Streamline Automotive at Beresfield for an ECU tune. The guys up there where happy to wring a big torque increase of over 70% out of the lazy VDJ V8 and still retain reliability. The power is dialled up a whole lot quicker with fitment of an iDrive unit for extra throttle response and drivability. A Torqit 3.5” stainless steel exhaust designed especially for the Jmacx exhaust routing was also fitted from the DPF back for better exhaust flow.

Engine protection is courtesy of a Diesel Care secondary fuel filter and HPD billet alloy catch can. A clutch upgrade was also a necessity and the NPC 1300nm upgrade kit is now part and parcel of the Jmacx kit. As is stopping power and the big GVM kits also include an upgraded hydraulic brake booster. A Harrop diff breather kit to both diffs, transmission and transfer case prevent water ingress to vitals as well.

Interior mods started with the whole inside being stripped out and Dynamat Xtreme sound insulation fitted. The factory front seats were ditched for the sexy looking Recaro buckets and the rear bench received a leather retrim to match the fronts. Not only to the Recaros look a million dollars, but the added bolstering and lumber support means you can spend more time in the saddle on those long touring trips.

Department of the Interior centre console and rear seat side consoles were fitted, as well as Cruiser Consoles overhead console with touch lighting.

 

Communications are handled by a GME XRS370C UHF radio running a GME AW4705B antenna, and a Cel-Fi mobile phone repeater with GME AT4705B antenna.

The factory audio system was swapped out for an Alpine touch screen unit with Hema maps built in and a speaker upgrade to DB Drive units gives much better sound clarity and boost than the OEM speakers ever could.

Other touring mods include a Brown Davis 180L long range tank which has been designed specifically for the unique requirements of the Jmacx rear end, a Darche Hi-view 1600 rooftop tent,  270 Eclipse awning on the passenger side and Eclipse 2 x 2.5m side awning on the driver’s side. Roof mounted Maxtrax and shovel holders are mounted to the Rhino Pioneer platform and the whole package is rolling on a set of Method 305 NV HD machined face wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich KM3 tyres which measure in at 315/70 R17.

When it comes to any type of terrain and any long-distance touring, there certainly is no stopping this big 79 Series LandCruiser. It’s a testament to what you can actually do with these things and the capability is far beyond anything else on the market. Keep an eye out for this one around the traps – you certainly can’t miss it!

 

 

79s in the Blood

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The love of LandCruisers can often be hereditary and the passion for owning a heavily modified 79 certainly runs strong in this family. Father David and son Nick have a common family interest in 4WDing and touring and their passion extends to the love of the Dual Cab 79 Series LandCruisers, so it make sense to do a father/son build from start to finish on a couple of big double cabs.

David opted for the traditional and much loved Sandy Taupe while Nick decided to go left-field and order in a brand spanking new Merlot Red 79.  The only thing better than a Jmacx coil conversion is having two on the go at the same time and, well a 79 build just isn’t complete without one these days so it makes sense to have both of these beasts as capable as you can get a 79.

Both vehicles were fitted with the coil spring conversion using Kings remote res shocks giving a GVM of 4200kg at 4 inches of lift. Both kits entail the usual suspects including refabbed diff housing correcting rear wheel track, stronger axles, airbags for load carrying assistance, front heavy duty radius arms, adjustable panhard rods and an NPC heavy duty clutch.

Both vehicles were also fitted with Method 312 Matte Black wheels in a 17×9 inch wrapped in the Toyo Open Country RTs that measure in a 35 x 12.5 inches. From here though, the vehicles start to take on their own personal touches and the biggest point of difference between the two starts with the bar work. While David went with the traditional bar in the way of the TJM T13 Outback bar offering full frontal protection of the big 79’s square lines, and matching TJM brush bars and side steps – Nick opted for a more stylised look while still offering basic protection from the Predator Bar by Offroad Animal along with matching rock sliders. Both vehicles will be recovering Patrols using a 12,000lbs TJM Torq winch with synthetic rope and wireless controllers.

The other stand-out features for both of these vehicles include tray and canopy packages from MITS Alloy. Again, personalised touches included dimensions of the canopies with David going with the full-length canopy and Nick opting for a half canopy, both colour- coded to match the vehicle.  David’s full-length canopy has the complete touring fit-out consisting of a Bushmans upright 85L fridge, sliding draws, Travel Buddy oven and a battery system combining Enerdrive AC and DC charging systems and twin Kick Ass 170 A/h AGM batteries. There are twin wheel carriers mounted to the back.

There is a full on-board air inflation kit by Airbag Man using the TJM Heavy Duty Compressor. This gives David full control of the airbags in-cab as well as being able to run an airline for tyre inflation which is flush mounted into the rear fascia of the tray. Tapered colour coded tool boxes and an under tray trundle draw add to storage capacity and a built-in water tank in the headboard saves room for water storage for remote travel supplies.

Nick’s Canopy is fitted out with a Clearview ES150 Plus drop-down fridge slide and Enerdrive BCDC charging system driving a single 170A/h kickAss slimline AGM battery.  A Travel Buddy 12V oven was also mounted on an overhanging shelf compartment.  Again an Airbag Man on-board Air inflation system was installed using the TJM Heavy Duty Compressor for airbag inflation as well as the ability for tyre inflation. Tapered under body tool boxes and a trundle tray were also a must for Nick for extra storage capacity.

Both vehicles are fitted with Hayman Reece’s top of the range X Bar tow bar which incorporates heavy duty tow points into the bar. Both vehicles are also fitted with the Redarc Tow Prow Elite Version 3 trailer braking units.

David’s 79 is running a Rhino Pioneer Platform on the roof which holds the Enerdrive 180W solar panel and Darche 180 Eclipse awning for protection from the elements.

Lighting for Nick’s vehicle is a 21.5″ slimline LED light bar by Stedi which is integrated into the top tube of the Off-Road Animal bar and lights up the track while being tucked away nicely and out of harm’s way. David runs the Stedi Type-X Sport 8.5″ LED driving lights which are perfect for turning night in to day.  Both have had the OEM headlights replace with Stedi LED upgrades so no more travelling by candle light as anyone that’s driven the 79 on standard headlights will be familiar with.

Under the bonnet, both of these trucks are running HPD catch cans, Diesel Care secondary fuel filters and HPD upgraded intercoolers for engine protection; and Patrol Docta stainless steel air boxes and snorkels for improved, cleaner air flow.  Both were fitted with the Marks Adapters bonnet strut upgrade to make life a little easier and save the old-school steel bonnet rod from bending under the weight of the hefty overweight bonnet.

Interior features for both vehicles include  upgraded entertainment systems by Kenwood, installed by our good friends at House of Soundz. The interiors were completely stripped out and Dynomat sound insulation fitted for reduced road noise and better interior acoustics. Bushmans Centre Console fridges were installed for keeping stuff cool while on the road and  Department of the Interior custom console with gauges and USB sockets were designed to fit the Bushmans fridges.  GME XRS 370 UHF radios take care of comms and a set of Black Duck 4 Elements seat covers finishes the interiors off just nicely on these two beasts.

The pair of big 70s will definitely be the talking point of many a family get-togethers now and outings on the tracks are family affair. The guys couldn’t be happier with their big rigs and we are happy to be apart of this father/son build. Keep and eye out for these two weapons on the tracks, you certainly wont miss them!

 

 

 

 

 

Stretched Single Cab 79

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Looking for a 4WD that can carry the earth on it’s back and pull the arse out of the sun at the same time? We may just have the answer for you. This is one single cab 79 with a difference! 300mm difference to be exact and the mother of all payloads! So just how much can this ute carry and how did we achieve it? Read on to find out.

When it comes to choosing a new 4WD to suit your exact touring and towing needs, more often than not the standard offerings from all of our manufacturers these days don’t really fit the bill. It really comes down to the tried and tested durability and  servicing/parts network of a LandCruiser with modifications or venturing into the relatively unknown realm (in this country at least) of american pick-up trucks. This was the decision faced by our customer Ian with the plan being to travel with a heavy slide-on camper – maximum payload was required with maximum reliability desired for traveling the remote regions of Aus.

The good news is we can retain that legendary LandCruiser reliability and dependability that so many people have backed over the years in this country, but with a payload and towing capacity that can match and exceed many of the big yank tanks.

The key player to achieving this lies in the chassis which has been modified and lengthened by 300mm. The chassis section is manufactured by our good mates at Jmacx Off-road Solutions and replaces the whole rear section of the standard Toyota chassis with stronger, longer rails, cross members and all the infrastructure to convert the leaf spring suspension arrangement to coil springs in the rear.

At the time of this build a single cab Jmacx chassis extension/ coil conversion hadn’t been done before, so the whole vehicle was put on a truck and sent up to the guys at Jmacx so they could do all the R&D they needed to get the chassis fine tuned to suit the single cab body.

We got the rolling chassis back and went to town on fitting the Kings remote res shocks, coils, airbags and all the other components that come with the kit like radius arms, adjustable panard rods and control arms. The coils have improved ride refinement, axle articulation and down travel, and the airbags assist with load carrying when the 79 is loaded up.

The second part to maximising the payload on this vehicle, was to minimise the weight when fitting accessories. The first step was to fit a lightweight alloy tray that was strong enough for the tasks being asked of it. The tray was custom built by Peninsula Plasma Cutters on the Central Coast and comes in at over 2.5m long and has trundle draw and tapered under body tool boxes. It was built with weight reduction and strength in mind.

An ECB Big Tube alloy winch bar was fitted to the front for protection, again with weight reduction in mind. It houses a TJM Torq 12,000lbs winch with synthetic rope to take care of any recovery duties. The Jmacx chassis also incorporates a rear winch cradle as well, but in the interest of saving weight, no rear winch was fitted.

The extra mods and weight to be carried would also require extra power so with the addition of a Patrol Docta stainless steel air box, HPD ungraded intercooler, Safari Armax snorkel, the big girl was then sent up to Streamline Automotive where they waived their magic wands over it in the form of a Dyno tune. Throttle response was also greatly improved by fitting an iDrive throttle controller in combination with the tune. The engine receives extra protection using a Diesel Care secondary fuel filter and HPD billet catch can.

There is, of course, much more to making a single cab 70 Series LandCruiser into a comfortable tourer, even in the top-spec GXL form. The entertainment system that’s standard in the 79 series is fairly basic so an upgraded unit by Alpine was fitted by the guys at House of Soundz and features upgraded speakers and door pods. The interior was stripped out and sound deadened using Dynomat and mirrors upgraded to full power-fold towing mirrors by Clearview.

A set of Black Duck seat covers were fitted to fit protect the seat fabric and a molded dash mat by No Bull Accessories was fitted to protect the dash from the harsh Aussie sun. A GME XRS 370 and AE4705 antenna pack to take care of communications.

Suspension airbag pressure is controlled inside the cab using the Airbag Man wireless inflation system and the TJM Heavy Duty Vehicle Mount Compressor. The compressor is mounted in one of the under body tool boxes and there’s provisions to run an air hose for tyre inflation as well.

The whole package is rolling on a set of ROH Maverick wheels that are 17 x 8″ in size and wrapped in a set of Mickey Thompson Baja ATZ P3 that mesure in at 285/70R17. So now the figures you’ve all been waiting for. We’ve been able to obtain a 4490kg GVM thanks to the Jmacx chassis extension and coil conversion and the vehicle tared in with all the upgrades, bar work, tray, a full tank of fuel and spare wheels at 2627kg. That leaves a massive 1863kg payload. The towing capacity is upgraded to 4000kg although GCM (Gross Combined Mass) is capped at 7990kg which means that loaded to full GVM (over 1800kg on the back) you can still legally tow 3.5t. No matter what way you look at it, you’ll never get the same figures out of an american full-sized pick-up. Is this the perfect solution for a tow/touring vehicle? Well if it isn’t, it’s pretty much the closest thing we’ve seen to it!

Keep an eye out for Ian’s big rig touring the country. It’s the first Jmacx stretched single cab LC79 in the country, but we’re sure it won’t be the last!

 

Redi Cruisers’ Sandy Taupe Troopy

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Is there a more iconic 4WD on the market than a Sandy Taupe Troop Carrier LandCruiser? We think not, so it’s only fitting that we got hold of one these box-on-wheels machines for our shop and threw everything we could at it to make it the Troopy from hell. We really wanted to show people what we could do with this Troopy and the 70 Series in general, while still making it practical to tour with, as well as hitting some of the harder tracks.

Of course the first thing was to get our good mates from Jmacx involved, with them fabbing up a 4200kg GVM coil conversion kit with some Sandy Taupe colour-coding thrown in…well a lot of Sandy Taupe colour coding actually! Cradle, coils, control arms, panard rods – you name it – it got hit with Taupe! We opted for the Kings remote res shock options for this build as they are the best in the business for load carrying, touring and off-roading which we’re aiming to do plenty of. The 4200kg GVM means that we could throw all the accessories we could at it, without worrying about the legalities when loaded up with camping gear or towing. The certification with this kit also means we can run a fully legal 4″ of lift and 35″ tyres.

When it came to bar work, we thought we would do something slightly different to our normal 79 builds in the way of the TJM T15 Deluxe bar. The fleet style bar, while a little more basic than the traditional T13 Outback bar that you’ve all become accustom to seeing on our big builds, still caters for the GXL owners with it’s slightly wider design to suit factory flares and built in fog lights. There are a set of TJM brush rails and side steps which match the 63mm tubing of the bull bar and give the sills a bit of extra protection if we ever manage to reach them with anything.

The bull bar houses a TJM Torq 9,500lbs Black Edition winch fitted with a Factor 55 Ultrahook winch hook with built in closed system shackle mount.  There’s a set of Stedi Type-X Pro LED driving lights and GME 4705 6dBi antenna also mounted on the bar.

A Kaymar rear bar and wheel carrier offers rear protection for the big girl and a place to mount the spare to get the weight off the rear door. Up-top is the Rhino Pioneer platform for extra storage and provides a good base to mount the solar panel and Darche 270 Awning for the ultimate protection from the elements.  The awning is running Korr adjustable strip lighting with dimmer switches for ample shades of light for the campsite. There’s also 5 of Stedi’s newest light-  the LED Quad 12 driving light. These things are packing a mean punch in series together and turn night in to day out on the tracks. The square look is the perfect alternative to a roof mounted light bar as well. There’s also plenty of camp lighting from Stedi with 2 rear mounted 10W LED’s and a side mounted ST3520 13″ Micro light bar for lighting up the campsite.

We’ve gone to town under the bonnet as well with an upgraded stainless steel air box and snorkel combination by Patrol Docta. We wanted to ditch the leaky old OEM units for something seriously well designed and engineered to handle the sort of conditions that would be thrown at it. They also look mint in the powder coat black finish and the induction noise resonating from the staino snorkel sounds great without being intrusive.

There’s a HPD high-flow intercooler to keep turbo temps down and a billet catch can to catch any unwanted oil contaminates. This will really come into play when we take the Troopy up to Torqit for some performance tweaks, where they will be playing around with some new technology which we’re pretty excited about. We also fitted a Diesel Care pre-filter to give the engine the best protection from dirty fuel.

Inside, the vehicle has had a complete work over with over-head and centre consoles by Department of the Interior. We’ve added a little Redi Cruisers touch of our own to the consoles which is a sneak peak of something special to come. The floor console is fitted with a Redarc dual battery voltage gauge and a series of Stedi Carling style switches for lighting.  The overhead console houses the Uniden UH9050 din size UHF radio for communications and there is a ton of netted storage compartments to hide all your goodies.

We took the Troopy to House of Soundz at Hamilton so that those guys could work their magic with the sound system featuring a Kenwood touch screen unit with Apple and Android play as well as a set of door pods and DB speakers to suit. Seats are covered by a full set of Black Duck 4 Elements seat covers over the standard Toyota seats. The back has received a once over by RV Storage Solutions with an Easy Access Combo draw system with fridge and cargo barriers. We went with a Bushman DC65-X Upright fridge for cool storage and we’ve fitted out the TJM Heavy Duty 12v compressor hidden away in the wing panel of the draws.

To power the lighting and electricals we’ve done a full lithium battery set-up by Enerdrive comprising of a 200A/h battery, 40A AC and DC chargers, inverter, 180W solar panel, all controlled and monitored through a Simarine panel. There are a series of Enerdrive USB outlets and sockets to run any additional accessories flush mounted into the panel. All the charging units, inverter and breakers were mounted on the side of the fridge barrier to keep them out of the way, but still accessible when the need arises.

The whole package is rolling out on a set of Method Beadlock wheels that are 17×8.5 and a set of Toyo Open Country R/T tyres measuring in at 35 x 12.5/ 17, supplied to the us from the legends at Race Wheels Australia. Even the GXL Troopies miss out on factory flares so a set of  TJM Deluxe flares, colour coded by T&K Restoration were fitted to give that factory look, hide the fat rubber and keep it all on the legal side. Josh and the boys in the TJM Hunter Valley workshop put in a big effort as usual on this one and the results speak for themselves.

We’re all about the big Cruiser builds here at Redi Cruisers and we believe that this Troopy represents a big part of what we do here. It’s built Redi to tour, Redi to tow and Redi to hit the toughest tracks in Australia. We’ve bough together some of the best names in the business to supply the best parts so that we go harder, go further and for longer. If you’re looking to get your own tough build done, then get in contact with us.

 

 

Redi to Rumble

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Doing the big builds are what we’re all about here at Redi Cruisers and more often than not, it’s not just about what we do here but a collective effort by a number of companies working together to achieve the same end result for a customer. We’re all about collaborating with some of the best names in the business to piece together the right products and the right solutions to suit your requirements. The results always speak for themselves and this dual cab 79 is up there with the best of them!

Our customer Terry approached us with some unique requirements and a very particular criteria that he was expecting from his new 79. Firstly, it needed to have plenty of canopy space with the versatility of being able to move things around to suit his needs. Coming from a Patrol, Terry was used to the comfort and refinement of coils springs so for touring, a coil spring conversion was definitely on his list. After doing some research, there was also one last big-ticket item on Terry’s list that was a must have – an automatic transmission conversion.

We knew we had the coil conversion covered has we’ve been doing the Jmacx coil conversions for a few years now. Jmacx have designed and refined their conversion kits to perfection over the years and now, although it’s still quite an extensive process, our working relationship with these guys sees a flawless process in place that makes getting your coil conversion done an easier process than buying a new pair of shoes for the end customer!

This kit includes a GVM upgrade certification to 3900kg and is running 3″ of lift on the Kings 2.5 remote res shocks and air bags to assist in load carrying. We shoe-horned in a Brown Davis 180L long range fuel tank which has been designed by Brown Davis to suit the coil conversions. Exhaust is by Torqit which is a 3.5″ stainless steel, mandrel bent, DPF back system, custom made by Torqit to suit the unique routing requirements of the coil conversion. Torqit are another locally based company here in Newcastle that make awesome performance products.

Mits Alloy had us covered when it came time to putting together an alloy tray and canopy package that met Terry’s requirements for touring and, as always, the local Newcastle -based manufacturer came up trumps on this build with this amazing looking graphite lift-off design. It incorporates an under tray trundle draw, 35l poly water tank on the headboard, tapered tool boxes and built-in kitchen bench table.

The inside of the canopy is fitted with an Enerdrive DC and AC charging system using a 125A/h lithium battery which powers the Dometic CRX110 upright fridge and all the lighting throughout the canopy. There’s also an under-bonnet dual battery system running a Redarc BCDC charger on a custom bracket by Perth Performance Diesel powered by a Centruy Dual Force AGM battery which feeds power to the canopy system off the alternator and also works as a back-up to run canopy accessories. Hidden in one of the tapered tool boxes is a TJM HD air compressor to control airbag inflation and tyre inflation as well.

We enlisted the help of our good mates at All Four x 4 Spares for the auto conversion and after the coil kit was completed, we shipped the vehicle off to the boys over at Kotara for them to install the 6-speed Wholesale Automatics kit. The transmission is the same box used in the LC200 but using an upgraded torque converter, valve body and transmission cooler so the box is even stronger and more reliable than the standard item and is adapted to suit all the standard 70 series components and transfer case.

The difference in the way the big beast drives now is like chalk and cheese. Imagine the ride-refinement of coil springs and an auto cog swapper combined with the rugged build and durability of a bulletproof 79 dual cab ute. This is definitely the best of both worlds!

There is, of course, a lot more to this build as well. TJM bar work is the order of the day with the T13 Outback bull bar, TJM side steps and brush rails to suit. The bar work has all been colour coded Graphite and houses the TJM 12,000lbs winch with synthetic rope and there are a set of Stedi Type-X Pro LED driving lights for day-making.

There’s a Safari Armax snorkel feeding clean air into a Patrol Doctor stainless steel air box and there’s a HPD high-flow, top-mount intercooler helps keep air-flow nice and cool.

Further engine protection is helped with the fitment of a Diesel Care pre-filter on a custom-made bracket by Perth Performance Diesel which also houses the diff breather filters.

The interior was completely gutted and sound deadened using Dynomat before any mods were made.  Front and centre of the interior is an Alpine in-dash head unit with Hema maps installed, front and rear speaker pods, all fitted by House of Soundz at Broadmeadow. A Cruiser Consoles over-head console houses the GME UHF and extra storage. The centre console was fitted by the guys at All Four x 4 as part of the auto conversion and houses the display panel for transmission readings.

There’s a set of Clearview power-fold, electric towing mirrors for seeing around the canopy and a Rhino Pioneer platform up-top for extra storage. The big grey beast is rolling on a set of Pro Comp Series 74 Trilogy alloy wheels that measure in at 17 x 8” and a set of BF Goodrich KO2 All Terrain tyres that are a 285/70/17.

Building a 79 like this is like conducting a symphony of an awesome team of fitters, suppliers and accessory manufacturers to achieve the end result. Here at Redi Cruisers we are all about the customer being able to come to the one place to build their dream Cruiser. Terry is over the moon with his new 79 that is that perfect mix of refinement vs durability. Keep an eye out for his awesome rig out an about on the tracks.

Off-road Taupedo

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The 76 Series Landcruiser wagon is fast becoming the weapon of choice for those that want to get down and dirty, and do some serious off-roading. Add one Jmacx Coil Conversion with 4 inches of lift and 35″ tyres and you are looking at one truly unstoppable combination. Colour choice is a no-brainer for this caliber of 4WD. Sandy Taupe – is there any other colour?

After a bit of inspiration from previous builds that we’ve done and a love of the almighty 70 Series, our customer Adam approached us to build the ultimate track tackler with the Sandy Taupe theme to run not only on the top side of the wagon, but the undercarriage as well. The Jmacx coil cradle, panard rod, control and radius arms all received the Sandy Taupe treatment before they left the sunshine state and lobbed on our workshop floor.

This set-up was done on Kings remote res shocks all round with the assistance of Airbag Man airbags in the rear coils giving this big wagon a completely legal four inches of lift on 35 inch tyres with an upgraded GVM to 3900kgs. As usual the Jmacx conversion has enhanced the off-road ability of the 76 ten fold.

Setting the look of this weapon right off is the Method NV Machined face wheels which measure in at 17×8.5 inches and they’re wrapped in a set of BF Goodrich KM3 mud tyres measuring 315/70/17 or 35 inches of chunky goodness in the old scale.

Bar work is the TJM T13 Outback steel winch bar, brush bars and side steps and the bar houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch for recovery and a set of Stedi Type X Pro LED driving lights for turning night into day.

A Kaymar rear bar with single wheel carrier takes care of protection for the departures off-road and also gets the weight of the heavy 35 inch tyre and wheel off the back door.

The factory two piece Toyota snorkel was scrapped in favour of the higher-flowing and better sealed TJM Airtec snorkel. A HPD catch can and Diesel Care primary fuel filter was also fitted for giving the engine the maximum protection from fuel and oil contaminates and prolonging engine life.

The standard GXL flares were colour coded to match the Sandy Taupe theme and a set of Bushranger Flexi Flares were fitted to keep the law at bay with those big boots. The chrome GXL grille and mirrors were also blacked out for a tougher look.

A Rhino Pioneer platform was also fitted with a Darche Eclipse 2.5m side awning to beat the harsh Aussie elements while out and about on the tracks. The platform is 2.1 m long, giving plenty of extra storage room up-top for all the camping gear and has a Stedi 51 inch Slimline light bar for additional nighttime off-road driving enhancement.

One of the biggest downfalls of the 70 Series Landcruiser is the factory sound insulation leaves a lot to be desired. To rectify this, we completely stripped the interior out and fitted Dynamat Xtreme sound deadening to the doors and floor dramatically reducing road noise and body panel vibration.

The centre console was upgraded to the Department of the Interior Full Length Floor Console and an overhead console was fitted with a unit from Cruiser Consoles. A GME XRS370 UHF radio was fitted with the AE4700 All-terrain series antenna to take care of communications with that neat hide-away look.

The interior was finished off with a set of Black Duck 4 Elements seat covers and some Lightforce factory style switches to keep all the lighting switches looking neat and tidy.

This Sandy Taupe 76 wagon is one weapon of of an off-roader and well set up to take on the hardest tracks this country has to offer. Keep an eye out for Adam and his beast out on the tracks.

 

 

 

Stretched 79

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It all started with something simple – a bare bones, plain-Jane white 79 Series Dual Cab -brand new, but looking a little on the sad side to be honest! I know – let’s chop it up and make it longer! That was the call from business owner Michael and the plans were set in place for our new shop 79 Series.

But it wasn’t as simple as that. I know we’ve said it before, but this thing turned in to the biggest build we’ve ever done…literally. The foundation of this Goliath 79 is the chassis built by Jmacx Engineering which has lengthened the wheelbase by 300mm, displacing the bulk of the loaded weight further forward of the rear axle, and making the big girl more stable on and off the road. There’s more than meets the eye with this seriously heavy duty chassis though, as it also incorporates the coil cradle to complete the coil spring conversion without the need for an additional bolt-in cradle. The beauty of this set-up is the ability to legally raise the maximum GVM to 4490kg and the towing capacity to 4t. With a lower tare weight than most yank trucks available here – this leaves the payload on the stretched 79 greater than anything else on our market.

With that in mind, we set about loading this thing up to tackle anything this country’s harshest conditions can throw at it. Michael had plans to not only build a 79 with the works, but something that met his needs for touring, work and everyday driving. The next stand-out feature is the custom built alloy tray and jack-off canopy built by Mits Alloy.

Mits Alloy are a company based locally to us, that had already been building awesome trays and canopies for some of our customers, so we got them involved in the build early on in the piece to come up with some with a solution to suit the modified chassis. The end result is capable of utilising three fridges including the custom Waeco CFX100 beer keg fridge complete with built in beer taps. Other additions include the Dometic 110L upright fridge and the Waeco CFX75L Dual Zone fridge on the Clearview ES220 Plus drop-down fridge slide. After all – you can never have too much room for beer….and food!

The fridges and all the lighting are powered by the Enerdrive 12v/240v management system running a 200Ah Enerdrive lithium battery all mounted in the canopy.  The system receives charge from the alternator via a TJM 25a DC/DC charger and Century Dualforce battery mounted under the bonnet, and there’s also solar input into the system for remote charging.

The DB Drive 36″ sound bar provides fat beats for the campsite and is controlled via Bluetooth through your phone and the canopy is finished off with Stedi work lights and LED strip lighting through-out.

There’s room in the under body lockers for the on-board air inflation kit by Airbag Man and it’s controlled via the TJM Connect accessories management system. This takes care of inflation of the air bag suspension on the fly and has flush mounted air fitting for running a hose to the tyres for inflation.

Piggy-backing the canopy is the Jmacx coil spring rear-end which uses a combination of Kings 2.5 remote res shocks and heavy duty coils with Airbag Man High Pressure airbags in the rear to assist in stabilising the load. The rear coils provide a much more refined ride, better axle articulation and the refabricated diff housing and upgraded axles provide added strength to make the rear-end bulletproof, even with the added weight. Can’t winch forward? The Jmacx chassis has its own rear mounted winch cradle which houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq winch perfect for getting out of those tricky spots.

Power upgrades are curtesy of Streamline Automotive who preformed a remap on their dyno. This combined with a HPD upgraded intercooler, TJM Airtec snorkel and Patrol Doctor Air box have increased power by 42% and torque is up a massive 68% over the stock numbers. It’s more than enough to get the big girl up and sprinting off the mark. Exhaust gas is flowing hard and fast thanks to the Torqit 3.5 inch stainless steel system made specifically to suit the unique routing of the extended and coiled rear end of the Jmacx chassis. There’s a HPD catch can and Diesel Care Pre Filter system for better engine protection.

A heavy duty clutch is a necessary upgrade once you start adding weight, power and/or bigger wheels on the 79 and a requirement for the 4490kg GVM Upgrade. The clutch supplied with the kit is by NPC and they are our go-to supplier for clutch upgrades.

Barwork is all by TJM with the T13 Outback bar up front, brush rails and side steps, all running 63mm tubing. The bar houses a TJM 12,000lbs Torq Winch and a set of Stedi Type X Pros light up the night up- front. Giving a good spread of side lighting is two 11.5 inch Stedi light bars mounted under the headlights and two GME antennas take care of communications, with one for UHF and one as a phone booster.

A Rhino Pioneer roof platform is fitted with more lightwork from Stedi including a 41.5 inch slimline lightbar up-front and two side facing 11.5 inch slimline light bars to light up the campsite. A Rhino Sunseeker Awning is bolted to protect patrons from the elements whilst attending the beer keg fridge, and the platform also has a Rhino hi-lift jack and shovel holder for extra recovery gear storage.

The interior has received the once-over with over-head and centre consoles from Department of the Interior that house the TJM Connect control panel and a Uniden 9080 UHF radio. Seat covers are care of Black Duck and there’s a Kenwood in-dash entertainment system front and centre, running upgraded speakers and a slimline subwoofer behind the back seat. The whole interior has been soundproofed using Dyno Mat to reduce panel vibration while the stereo is cranking and to reduce road noise.


The whole package is rolling on ROH Maverick Alloy wheels measuring at 16x 8 inches and a set of 315/75 R16s by BF Goodrich which are a KM3 mud terrain tyre. If you’re in the market for an ultra-tough touring truck that has a payload unlike anything else on the market, then give us a call to find out what we can build for you. We’ve built this truck for a purpose and no matter what your purpose we can build one to suit your needs –  ready to tour, ready to work or just ready to hit all the hard tracks – Redi-built by Redi 4×4!



 

 

 

 

LandCruiser 79 Build

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Before we take to the 79

Before we take to the 79

DSC_3515lNeed some inspiration to build your work truck into something that stands out from the rest? Over the next few weeks we’ll be bringing you updates as we transform this sedate looking 79 series LandCruiser into a twin air-locked, fire breathing work-truck from hell.

Craig and the boys in the TJM Hunter Valley workshop will be all over this thing like a rash for the next few weeks and with owner Alex sparing no expense, the boys will be giving it their all to make sure that every little detail is covered. Not to mention the guys from Jmacx will be waving their magic wand over this truck. Yep, that’s right…I said the J word. This thing will be rolling out of our workshop with a full coil sprung rear end and GVM upgrade.

Looking for something to fulfil his work needs as well as a truck to do some serious touring and bush work, owner Alex took some inspiration from our own 79 series LandCruiser and decided to go the whole hog with the build, including the Jmacx rear coil conversion. This will be the first time a Jmacx coil conversion has been done on the new single cab 79 with the upgraded ANCAP safety rating so the boys up there at Jmacx are excited to see how the new fit goes. There’s been a few changes made to the interior of the new single cab too, so the guys at the Department of the Interior are also keen to get their gear into the new model.DSC_3507l

With a list of mods and accessories including chip, exhaust, custom snorkel and air box, dual battery, suspension, wheels and tyres, lights that will turn night into day, that awesome rear coil conversion and enough bar work to make Mad Max envious just to list a few things, this 79 series will be transformed from a basic work horse to a touring weapon.

We love nothing more than when get a bare bones project like this and take great satisfaction in handing the keys back to the owner with all the hard work paying off for the end result to put a smile on their face. So stay tuned to this page for regular updates on Alex’s 79 build, the details on the work we’re doing, the products we’re fitting and the benefits of those products.