Great Things Come In Small Packages

Originally Published: March 2015 Words: Mike Trott Pictures: Mike Trott

Fit a set of 80-Series heavy-duty coils in place of those designed to hold up an LJ70, and you’ll get a suspension lift. The sort of suspension lift that works nicely with a pair of +2” Ironman shocks, in fact, also 80-Series in spec. Just because the springs are from another model doesn’t mean Chris just fetched them out of a scrapyard, though – these were bought new from Milner Off-road

Rear springs are custom jobs made up by Spring Coil in Sheffield. These are mated to +2” Desert Fox shocks from a Mk2 Hi-Lux. You can see one of the truck’s extended bump stops in these pictures, too

The front end looks rather busy, but it’s received less attention than you might presume. The panhard rod sits beneath a Tough Dog four-way coil-over steering damper, which returns sanity to a plot muddled up by the addition of 33” Silverstone Xtremes. Doing something similar is a set of 2-degree castor-correction bushes

At the back, the original axle is controlled by an adjustable panhard rod. Inside it, the factory-fitted LSD has made way for an Eaton Truetrac. Both axles have been refurbished using new bearings and seals

Those who’ve driven a variety of Land Cruisers will tell you that while the old 2.4TD was willing but rough, the 3.0 1-KZT engine that replaced it for the 1994 model year was one of the great diesels of its time. Chris has the early engine in his Cruiser – but he’s completely rebuilt it, skimming the head and re-seating the valves in the process. He replaced all the bearings and piston rings, and the injectors came out to be fully reconditioned. Rough? Not so much. Willing? Definitely

Japanese car culture includes a rich modifying tradition; we’ve spoken to people in the past who reckon Toyota and Co build their vehicles with future mods in mind. The company’s drivetrains are certainly ripe for it; Chris has done his bit by giving the 2.4TD a bit of a warm-up using a top-mounted intercooler from an Impreza, which gets its air through a very boy-racer bonnet scoop

You don’t often hear about people modifying Toyota’s transmissions, and there’s a reason for that. Strong, fit for purpose and resolutely over-engineered, the gearbox, transfer case and even the propshafts are just as they were when the LJ70 left the factory. All you can see here that’s been changed is the X-Eng disc handbrake and, in the background, the polybushes supporting the radius arms’ chassis mounts

The first time we met Chris, his Land Cruiser was parked on its side. Good job he’d made up a roll cage beforehand, then! Using 48mm o/d x 3.8mm wall CDS tubing, he fabricated an MSA-spec six-point external frame which he’s mounted to the bulkhead, with the four remaining mounts running further back to the chassis itself. Where the rear hoop runs in behind the cabin, he added an extra crossmember between the main chassis rails to further brace the structure

The front wheelarches were cut back to leave more room for the big tyres on full bump, before being armoured with 25mm tube

Chris fabricated a pair of rock rails from 3mm box, extending them with 48mm CDS to turn them into tree sliders. You can see the extension to one of the body mounts here, too – there are bigger body lifts than this in the world, but 45mm is enough to do the job so there’s no need for any more

Between them, the front wing bars and tree sliders provide a line of protection running the whole way back along the side of the vehicle

The 70-Series started life with drum brakes on its back axle, which certainly wouldn’t do for a life of muddy British off-roading. These are the Mitsubishi Pajero discs and calipers he installed in their place, using stainless steel braided hoses throughout. He also overhauled the front brakes, so both ends of the vehicle stop at the same time. Definitely a good thing

The rear bumper is another creation by the owner himself. Again, it carries a pair of recovery eyes, which like those up front are positioned to mount in to the end of the chassis rails. There’s a NATO hitch, too, which isn’t something you see every day on trucks of Japanese origin

Buying heavy-duty bumpers for Japanese 4x4s is often an exercise in wallet pain, but to the likes of Chris it’s simply a good excuse to get fabricating. The front unit, which extends downwards into a steering guard and carries a pair of recovery eyes pre-mounted with shackles for when the inevitable happens, is home to a Prime Tech 12,000lb winch running synthetic rope and in-cab controls. Moving up to the various lights on the front of the vehicle, these were rewired by an auto/marine electrician with a view to being as waterproof as possible. Chris fitted the X-Eng lights on the cage himself, along with Wilderness cubes on the bonnet

Vehicles come in all different shapes and sizes – this has and hopefully always will be the case. You could even start to stereotype certain styles of vehicle based on their country of origin: in the West, for example, there are many big, loud and brash vehicles, like the Hummer, because of a place called the United States. Here the only figure that matters is simply how many cubic inches of engine you can fit under the hood.

In Britain, our vehicles aren’t quite so shouty, at least not if you take out the driveways of Alderley Edge. And a Land Rover (or indeed a Jag or Aston) can carry a bit of charm and heritage around with it.

Over in the Far East, things are a little different. The Japanese like to focus on agility and nimbleness, like a black-belt karate expert going up against a seven-foot wrestler. Look at the Mazda MX-5 or even the supercar-slaying Mitsubishi Evo – 2.0-litres and maybe a turbo for good luck will do just fine.

Suzukis are the perfect example of good things coming in small packages, as every off-roader knows. It’s something the Japanese do well – sushi is another good example, along with kei cars, haikus, Hello Kitty and Hitomi Tanaka (who is at least small in height, if nothing else).

But there’s an old Toyota which fits the phrase just as well, too.

Chris Tupper is the proud owner of one very tricked-out LJ70 Land Cruiser. Admittedly, his chosen colour scheme for the vehicle does slightly contradict my previous point about loudness (canary yellow could never be described as quiet), but bear with him.

‘When I first got my LJ it was a horrible bronzey beige colour, which had to go,’ says Chris in a tone of disapproval. ‘Initially I was going to go with all black or maybe white, which is always a good Japanese colour – I wanted it to stand out. Then a can of cheap paint came my way, labelled as Ford Signal Yellow.’

No army will be recruiting this for stealth missions any time soon. But they would still be impressed by what it’s capable of.

The LJ70 was one of the last Toyotas to come to Britain with live axles front and rear. It’s one of the reasons why Chris has always wanted one and over the nine years he’s owned the truck, he hasn’t had to scratch his head for a solution to replacing an independent set-up.

‘I’ve always been a Toyota man and have had them for the last 20 years,’ he says. ‘I got into them when I purchased a 1983 Mk1 Hi-Lux in 1994; it was a bit of a monster truck.

‘I soon started to have fun off-road, as well as it being my workhorse, which I needed for my work in forestry. They’re just so reliable, that’s why I’ve stuck with them for so long.’

After his Mk1 sadly bit the dust in 2001, Chris moved on to a 1989 Hi-Lux Surf for a couple of years. But this wasn’t what he really craved. Too expensive from new, Chris had to wait for his dream truck.

But good things come to those who wait. ‘I’d always wanted an LJ70. It’s one of the only models on coils, and the reliability and the fact it’s different to a Land Rover is what stood out.’

Having got his truck as an MOT failure, he spent the next year and a half cutting rust out of it while it remained stationery on the drive. By this point, his son Matthew had come along and now he uses the excuse that that’s who he built the truck for! Luckily, with several years left before those sweet wrappers turn to beer cans, Chris has plenty of time left to enjoy his son’s toy…!

‘He absolutely loves it!’ says Chris. ‘I’ve been taking him laning since the age of five, he was a little sceptical at first, but it’s got to the point now where he tells me where I can and can’t go in my Land Cruiser!

‘We got him some off-roading DVDs of the Aussie Outback for Christmas and he’s been watching them ever since!’

It’s been a long process, getting this 1989 Cruiser to where it is now. In total it spent a full four years on the drive before Chris even got to experience what his new companion could do off-road. In the meantime, he fabricated all the relevant parts he needed to make it go from super to seismic – that’s the downside of doing everything yourself.

By simply collecting items over time, Chris managed to get his oriental express into the right shape for any terrain. It took some inspiration from a certain Nick Bolt to give him the idea about converting it into a pick-up, however, after he saw Nick’s orange LJ in TOR back in 2007.

‘He showed the conversion was possible,’ explains Chris, ‘It’s building the stuff yourself and getting it right that’s the most rewarding part. Fabricating the roll cage, for example. I did the pipework bending and it wasn’t easy getting the angles right, but once I finished and got it to MSA spec, you realise how much all the hard work and research have paid off.’

Once the LJ was prepped and ready to go out and hit the rough stuff, the byways of Britain are where you’d normally have caught this vibrant machine. But as time went by, the competitive side of off-roading caught this owner’s attention more and more. We stumbled across Chris’ LJ last September when he was taking part in a punch hunt at Muddy Bottom 4x4 – he’s a member there, and also of the Four Wheel Drive Club.

‘Now it’s got to this stage, I enjoy the competing more. This is why after nearly ten years I’m still working away on it! I want to get new diff locks, a rear winch and more power. I’ve just fitted some 35” Silverstone Xtremes on too.’

If it’s possible, Chris is going to look for a way to lower the ride height, but not so much that it affects the travel of the axles aboard his compact crusader. The rear disc brake conversion required a significant amount of Chris’ time too – he says he had to re-think the location of the calipers three times.

He’s happy now, though. Or at least Tupper Junior approves of the bright yellow ninja. Chris will continue to compete in his Land Cruiser – with direction and advice on what is and isn’t possible from Matthew.

Remember, some things may come in small packages – but they can pack a punch much stronger than you would ever think possible. Sushi made with fresh wasabi, for example, could take your head off, and Hitomi Tanaka could have your eyes out.

A Land Cruiser is probably a lot less hazardous than either of those, and the joy you get from it is a great deal longer lasting. It’s still a small package, though, at least in LJ70 form – but in its mighty off-road ability, this is a truck that can go head to head with the biggest and best.

Great Things Come In Small Packages

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