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Next Level 79 Series LandCruiser

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We just keep going bigger, and just when you think you can’t get any bigger – along comes this next level 79 Series LandCruiser build! It really is the next level here for us, being the first portal axle conversion on a 79 that we’ve done. The results speak for themselves – the portals really make it stand out from anything we’ve built before, but the overall build is a work of art and the customer couldn’t be happier with his dream build being completed.

For those not familiar with the portal axle, the conversion involves mounting a small gear set to the end of each axle tube to transfer final drive from the original axle position to a lower axle position. Effectively this raises the diff height without altering the suspension. Yes, that’s right – we are talking a total of 6” of true lift without altering the suspension!

The kit is a feat of engineering genius, designed and manufactured by Marks Adapters and has a whole heap of other benefits other than just lifting the vehicle. The rear track is also corrected and in addition, the overall track is widened by 80mm adding to vehicle stability and improving axle articulation.

The kit is engineered to a GVM increase of up to 3950kg for the 79 and can be engineered with 35” tyres. The portals themselves have a reduction of 16% between the cogs meaning that on 35” tyres the standard gearing is retained, so no more of those laggy take-offs from the lights after the big rubber is fitted.

The kit also comes with a slotted rotor brake upgrade to ensure that the big beast can pull up with the higher GVM loading.

No change to the original suspension geometry, means panhard rods and control arms stay flat reducing bump steer and with shorter coils you get less body roll, superior stability and better overall handling than a 6” suspension lift can offer.

The extra unsprung weight of the portals, bigger tyres and higher loading capacity means that heavy duty springs and shocks are still a must and on this build the OEM gear was traded for a combination of TJM Pace & XGS gear to get the big Merlot chariot handling its best. Remote res shocks and 600kg load springs take care of the added weight and improved handling.

Of course, there’s much more to this build than just the undercarriage. The other big mod that was performed to get even more out of the tried and trusted 79 Series LandCruiser platform was a 300mm chassis extension. This has improved weight displacement over the rear axle, further improving stability and handling with a heavy load.

Another big-ticket item is the Mits Alloy tray and canopy package. Mits Alloy have designed a tray and canopy package to suit the extended chassis of the 79 Series LandCruiser and this one is finished off with an Enerdrive lithium fit-out, Clearview drop-down fridge slide and Dometic CFX 75 Dual Zone fridge. The canopy package also includes the usual suspects such as built-in water tanks in the headboard, jerry and wheel carrier, trundle draw and tapered toolboxes.

Barwork is by Offroad Animal and includes the Toro front bar and rock sliders for sill protection. The front bar houses a Carbon 12k winch with synthetic rope and a set of Stedi Type X Pro driving lights. The extra track width called for some wide flares and a custom front set were supplied by Mick Tighe 4×4 and colour coded to match the rich Merlot red bodywork.

A Patrol Docta stainless steel snorkel and airbox combo supplies clean air to the intake and a Torqit 3.5” stainless steel exhaust is fitted from the DPF back for better exhaust flow. Other mods under the bonnet include a Diesel Care secondary fuel filter and HPD billet alloy catch can. An NPC 1300Nm clutch was fitted and touring range is now also improved with a 180L long range replacement tank by Long Range Automotive.

A Rhino Pioneer platform with the new Backbone mounting system was fitted to the roof for extra storage and a mounting point for the 180w Enerdrive solar panel. There’ also a Darche 270 awning for protection against the elements at the campsites. There’s enough lighting mounted to the platform to give off 360 degrees of light including two Stedi 13.4” micro light bars.

Interior mods include a Department of the Interior centre and rear side consoles as well as a full set of Black Duck 4 Elements seat covers. Windows were tinted and a set of OCAM weather shields fitted. A TJM Heavy Duty Compressor was fitted behind the rear seat for tyre inflation and also for engaging the free-wheeling hubs.

A Marks Adapters high clearance tow bar improves departure angles and a set of Clearview Next Gen towing mirrors also aid in the towing department. The big beast is rolling on CSA Hawk wheels that are a 17x 9 with a +40 offset and wrapped in Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 all terrain tyres which measure in at 315/70/17.

It’s definitely the next level when it comes to Cruiser builds and our customer could not be happier with his dream build. Can we top this one? It’s a big machine so it’s going to be hard to beat!

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!