If you had the time and resources what kind of rig would you put together for wheeling in the pines? Here's what I would do with my Land Cruiser if the funds were flowing a bit more freely...
Once I got the frame and body up to snuff I'd get rid of the stock engine and swap in a Cummins 4BT diesel, which is basically a 4 cylinder version of what is found in '93-'97 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 pickups. The nice thing about the 4BT is that it has the same bellhousing bolt pattern as a Chevy V8 since they were used in bread trucks/delivery vans with Allison automatics, so I could use a Chevy V8 to Land Cruiser 4 speed adapter. Since Pinelands wheeling usually gets pretty wet and can sometimes involve odd angles I'd be killing two birds with one stone with an engine that could run upside down underwater (with a snorkel of course).
Next I'd go for a modest lift, maybe 4". With trimming of the rear wheelwells I'd be able to run 35" tires no problem. I've seen some Mickey Thompsons which might do pretty well in dry sand as well as wet sand/mud conditions-I think they're called Baja claws. They have almost a Chevron tread and some pretty beefy sidewall treads as well. The stock axles (4.11 gears) would be just fine, but I'd add ARB air lockers in the front and rear for maximum traction. I'd also add power steering to clean up the slop inherent in Land Cruiser steering and to save my arms after a long day of 4 wheeling!
As for the body I'd have some fun...I'd remove the top and doors and just go with a bikini top in case of rain. The entire inside body tub would be Rhino Lined and fitted with those one piece plastic and foam racing seats so I could just hose it all out. The stock roll bar would be thrown out for a beefier one tied into the frame, and some even beefier front and rear bumpers complete with heavy duty tow points and storage would be installed. I'd also opt for a PTO winch up front...Toyota PTO boxes are hard to find but they're worth their weight in gold. A Braden 10,000 lb up front would be nice.
That's all I can think of at the moment, anybody else care to share their dream rig?
Later,
Matthew
Once I got the frame and body up to snuff I'd get rid of the stock engine and swap in a Cummins 4BT diesel, which is basically a 4 cylinder version of what is found in '93-'97 Dodge Ram 2500/3500 pickups. The nice thing about the 4BT is that it has the same bellhousing bolt pattern as a Chevy V8 since they were used in bread trucks/delivery vans with Allison automatics, so I could use a Chevy V8 to Land Cruiser 4 speed adapter. Since Pinelands wheeling usually gets pretty wet and can sometimes involve odd angles I'd be killing two birds with one stone with an engine that could run upside down underwater (with a snorkel of course).
Next I'd go for a modest lift, maybe 4". With trimming of the rear wheelwells I'd be able to run 35" tires no problem. I've seen some Mickey Thompsons which might do pretty well in dry sand as well as wet sand/mud conditions-I think they're called Baja claws. They have almost a Chevron tread and some pretty beefy sidewall treads as well. The stock axles (4.11 gears) would be just fine, but I'd add ARB air lockers in the front and rear for maximum traction. I'd also add power steering to clean up the slop inherent in Land Cruiser steering and to save my arms after a long day of 4 wheeling!
As for the body I'd have some fun...I'd remove the top and doors and just go with a bikini top in case of rain. The entire inside body tub would be Rhino Lined and fitted with those one piece plastic and foam racing seats so I could just hose it all out. The stock roll bar would be thrown out for a beefier one tied into the frame, and some even beefier front and rear bumpers complete with heavy duty tow points and storage would be installed. I'd also opt for a PTO winch up front...Toyota PTO boxes are hard to find but they're worth their weight in gold. A Braden 10,000 lb up front would be nice.
That's all I can think of at the moment, anybody else care to share their dream rig?
Later,
Matthew
