This customer wanted to build a big, stable Troopy for touring. One of the weaknesses of the 70 series Landcruisers is their relatively narrow track. So, for this build, we installed our custom wide-track kit which uses custom Dwiz diff housings front and rear to increase the track width by nearly 100mm on the front and close to 200mm on the rear, all on 315/70R17 tyres with offset rims giving it an excellent scrub radius. The hardware fitted to the axles is mostly factory 70 series with some 105 series components, which makes servicing them simple.
To give the vehicle some stance and clearance off-road, we added a 3-inch suspension kit. Our customer also wanted to increase his GVM, so we spec'd and tested everything at 4.2T. To keep the ride respectable at this height, we included some heavy-duty parabolic springs which, although capable of carrying the weight, still give a far better ride than conventional leaf springs – not as good as a set of coils, but a big step in that direction. To finish off the suspension, we used some Blackhawk radius arms and a set of Dobinson remote reservoir shock absorbers.
The braking on these Landcruisers is another weakness, especially when the GVM is lifted to 4.2T. To sort this, we added an upgraded Terrain Tamer brake booster and our custom 200 series brake upgrade kit. This kit allows the fitment of 200 series Landcruiser brakes onto the 70 series. Like with the axles, the serviceable parts are all Toyota and available anywhere in Australia. The difference, as you would expect, is significant and well worth the expense.
To certify a build like this, we need to perform brake testing as well as the infamous lane change test. We have tested a lot of big Landcruisers, and this was easily one of the best-handling rigs we've tested.