Owner Covers Basics of Badass Land Cruiser 70 Series Build
Australian 4XOverland YouTuber goes over his current workings and future goals with his Land Cruiser 70 Series.
In Australia, off-roading is an expansive and well-loved hobby. With the varying terrains, cooler imports (like the Land Cruiser F70) and a plethora of aftermarket options, it’s no surprise it’s so popular there. Especially in the Outback, where tough off-road vehicles are a necessity to get around. Though, like most places, an off-road build doesn’t come without hard work and dedication. No off-roader came from the lot with tall tires, a rooftop tent, winch bumpers or auxiliary lighting. The more complicated a build is set to become, the more confusing things can get.
Andrew St. Pierre White from 4XOverland on YouTube made a video in effort to help. From the different types of batteries to use based on amperage, wattage and life span to how to hook up electrics, he’s eager to share his secrets. Quite possibly the Australian David Attenborough of cars, his channel is heavily based on sharing these tricks. But first, he eagerly introduces us to his project vehicle: a Land Cruiser 70 Series. It’s a series of Land Cruiser Americans are deprived of, though we’re no strangers to having cooler cars being withheld. With its 4.5 liter six cylinder turbo diesel, it’s an engine best suited for an off-road king. Especially since it puts out 205 hp and 320 lb ft of torque.
“I received the Land Cruiser just before Christmas,” says White. “And through Christmas break, I’ve worked on it every day since. Almost every evening, lots through the weekend, progress is actually really slow… There’s so much left I have to do, and all I want to do is take it on a run.”
With introductions out of the way, White starts things off with sound insulation. He explains that the product he uses utilizes a thin sheet of aluminum attached to sticky tape to help absorb sound. On top of the aluminum is a layer of thin but dense foam for added acoustic protection. For the firewall and transmission well, he added a much thicker layer of rubber and foam for sound dampening.
Since Australia experiences some extreme weather changes, White also set to thermally insulating the Land Cruiser. His first step was to strip the interior of the original recycled carpet, as he called it, so a much thicker layer of foam can take its place. Once the interior was properly insulated from both sound and temperature, the next order of business was added a 15-liter fridge. Cleverly, the fridge also doubled as an armrest – lending White more comfort for long-distance travel.
Next for White was the most complicated and arguably the most important aspect of all: electrics.
“This is definitely the most complex build – electrically – that I have ever done. I’m going to be doing all of the electrics myself.”
As any good off-roader knows, additional exterior lighting is a must. And White was quick to act. On the front of the car are two, very bright LED ditch lights. Inside the headlight assembly, he upgraded both the actual headlight from halogen to LED, as well as the brights. Then, mounted inside the ARB winch bumper up front are more LED fog lights. Other electrics include the wiring for the fridge, as well as setting things up to power something in the rear. What’s to be put on the bed there remains a surprise.
White concludes the video with swapping out the standard wheels and tires. For good measure, he added internal sensors to monitor the tire pressure in each wheel before adding on sturdy, off-road ready tires.
“It’s always nice to take delivery of a new vehicle and then change its tires because almost every single four-wheel-drive sold in the world today actually supplied with inadequate tires. If you’re ever going to use the vehicle for anything vaguely adventurous, Toyota is no exception to that.”
Breaking away from BFG, which is what he’s always used, White went instead with Falken mud-terrain tires. After road testing and delving deep into product research, he felt Falken was a much better tire for the money. The end results were aftermarket 16-inch rims and 33-inch tires.
The build, White says, is something that he feels will be a four to five-month project for him. He’s not intimidated by this, though. He’s got bigger plans for this Land Cruiser, and we’re very excited to see where he takes it.