OutdoorX4 Magazine Official Family Overlander Build Thread - 100 Series Land Cruiser

bob91yj · Jul 3, 2015

Check on the price/availability of a complete halfshaft assembly from your local parts store. Can't speak for Toyota parts, but I can get a front halfshaft for my Dmax for less than $200 (factory halfshaft is almost $800). The problem I see with just replacing the boot, is if the boot has been torn, the CV joint has been contaminated. While it may appear to be in good condition, scoring of the hardface on bearing surfaces can lead to failure. Complete halfshaft assembly eliminates that concern.

I'm in the car business (service writer). I've gone this route on numerous vehicles, never had an issue with an aftermarket halfshaft.

Grumps · Jul 4, 2015

Thanks for the advice Bob. I was thinking that route at first and may still need to source some decent replacements.
Luckily, the boots aren't torn. There is some seepage around the inner joint clamps and the boots feel stiff. I'll inspect the bearings once I get them apart and then decide their fate. The truck has 84K miles, so I am hoping to reuse the shafts.

-Andy

TangoBlue · Jul 4, 2015

Grumps said:
Thanks for the advice Bob. I was thinking that route at first and may still need to source some decent replacements.
Luckily, the boots aren't torn. There is some seepage around the inner joint clamps and the boots feel stiff. I'll inspect the bearings once I get them apart and then decide their fate. The truck has 84K miles, so I am hoping to reuse the shafts.

-Andy

I think that's a good plan Andy. As a former Toyota IFS owner that was the most frequent strategy... the axle and birfs were in good shape... the boots were generally the issue and were replaced with an inexpensive OEM Toyota boot replacement kit.

Jeremy M. · Jul 5, 2015

thanks for sharing the details of your build.

Maxcustody · Jul 5, 2015

Great looking rig and love the mods! Excellent article in the latest edition, nice job!

steigergreen · Aug 7, 2015

I am curious about your family of 5 and sleeping accommodations? I am in the same boat, and if I sale my much loved wrangler the Land Cruiser is on my list. HOWEVER, RTT's appear to be to small for the family. At least only 1 RTT.

Phoenix · Aug 7, 2015

steigergreen said:
I am curious about your family of 5 and sleeping accommodations? I am in the same boat, and if I sale my much loved wrangler the Land Cruiser is on my list. HOWEVER, RTT's appear to be to small for the family. At least only 1 RTT.

Family of 5 as well. The vast majority of the time, we have 2 or 3 camping. When we have 5, we use a RTT and a ground tent.

I have the [FONT=Open Sans, sans-serif]Kukenam XL Ruggedized and it easily accommodates 3 adults.

I planned my gear for the norm, rather than the exception. I do find it humorous that those that use it most often, end up on the ground when there are 5 of us.[/FONT]

OutdoorX4 · Aug 11, 2015

Ok, so it's been WAY too long since we updated this thread and since the last post, a LOT has been updated on the Cruiser in advance of 100s in the Hills two weekends ago.

We knew the truck needed to have exterior protection from rock, etc and eventually decided on a rear bumper from the fine folks at Bump It Offroad and Sliders from Metal Tech (Sliders will be posted separately). At first, it was suggested to go with a simple rear bumper with no tire carrier, etc. However, I wanted to get the spare tire out from under the vehicle over concerns that it could eventually get punctured or damage on the tough limestone here in central Texas. Once it was decided to go with a tire carrier, I also wanted to have an easier way to access the Gamiviti Roof Rack than stepping on the tires. So, I chose to add the ladder option to the rear bumper. Lastly, I had been using a pair of AT Overland fuel can holders in the past but they are bulky and a bit of a hassle loading/unloading from the roof. So, we integrated the Rotopax mounts onto the ladder of the bumper and now have a much more efficient use of that space, leaving plenty of room on the roof rack for essential gear. Here's how the build came along and a special shout out to the very nice and knowledgeable team at Woodlands Performance & Suspension here in Spring as they did the bumper install and did a fantastic job!