Ian's baby
For such an undertaking, we considered our vehicle options long and hard. Land Rovers look cool, but have serious drive line issues. Anything American would cause problems due to lack of parts. Therefore: Toyota, The vehicle of choice for those who need a tough and reliable mode of transport. This decided, we put our Omani friends to work, searching for an appropriate vessel. Less than a week later, a friend managed to pull over an innocent commuter on the highway. The guy was driving a neglected, but still kicking 1981 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45LV Troop Carrier on his way to the local school. It was love at first sight; if you fuzzed your eyes a little. It oozed potential and had sufficient character for the task. with only minimal haggling, we managed to take possession...sorry school girls of Bidiya! Massive dollops of TLC were required for this TLC...This meant having it completely rebuilt. The work started, then continued, then parts were sourced, then modifications were made, then creature comforts inserted. After just over a year later we eventually ended up with this trans-continental vehicular beast.
A couple of the minor modifications included…
- rebuilt 2f Engine bored .50 over
- rebuilt transfer case and 4-speed transmission
- new Toyota carburetor
- new water, oil, power steering and fuel pumps
- new oil cooler
- cold air intake w/snorkel
- rebuilt starter, power steering gear box, clutch, and brake systems
- new 90amp automatic alternator, a/c compressor
- Pertronix electronic ignition
- complete EZ wiring throughout
- all new hoses/rubber
- tons of spare parts
- Hi-Lift jack
- 3.73 gears
- rear Aussie Locker
- new universal joints
- free flow side exhaust
- Old Man Emu 2.5” heavy duty suspension w/Dobinson shackles
- 5x275/75/16 BFGoodrich A/T KO Tires
- 5xAluminum Volk racing wheels
- AC Delco heavy duty dual battery set up w/isolator
- all new weather stripping and windows
- on board air compressor
- custom bull bar
- custom roof rack
- custom rear tire carrier
- custom snorkel
- custom front bumper w/winch channel
- Ramsey 8000pro winch, rebuilt
- six tow points
- light cages
- 8 spot lights
- 100liter Long range fuel tank
- 120liter water tank w/heated shower
- interior cabinets w/water storage, Waeco fridge/freezer, sleeping platform, clothing storage, food storage etc…
- overhead & center consoles
- 100series seats
- interior lighting
- folding cooking shelf/stove
- side and rear custom awnings
- roof rack box storage system
- custom Dolphin gauges, interior switches
- GPS/Audio systems
- crazy anti-theft
- power inverter
and one partridge in a pear tree....
for further info, check: http://forum.ih8mud.com/expedition-builds/283876-troopie-finally-finished.html
that said this is the more or less final product:
