Useful Research Material

Turns out, every single bolt, part and piece on this 1999 Toyota Land Cruiser is an interesting conversation all by itself or in combination with other parts and pieces contextual to the problem at hand. The longer I study and contemplate, the more details I seem to want.

• What problem do I want to solve? Or What goal do I want to achieve?
• What are the possible interpretations of my problem, question or goal?
• What are the possible solutions?
• Which possible solutions are applicable or useful?
• What do I want to know thereafter?

In the beginning I didn't know what I don't know. So I jumped into everything and anything I could find. Through time there are some things that have become more interesting to me than others. This could possibly mean I have no interest in some subjects; it could also mean I don't understand them well enough to know why I do or do not care. So I continue grabbing everything that I find in order to learn. And I've noticed some patterns useful to me.

• There are user group portals where people collectively share their knowledge, experience, kit and journey complete with pictures, experiential anecdotes and biases (of course)
• There are media portals that seem to transcend the industry/hobby and provide pointers for people to dig deeper on one subject or another through time
• There are media portals and clubs that seem to be associated to regions/like interests
• There are vendors and service providers who provide plenty of reviews, comparisons, details, tests, videos and kit/hobby builds

What I've found is there are some "go to places" to which I always seem to gravitate. I'll read anything and most everything I can find on these matters to begin refining what I think is a problem statement. Then, as I research the particular problem statement I tend to spend a lot of time comparing and contrasting vendor/service provider suppositions discern what seems to matter and what seems person-to-person preferential. Then, when I hone in on a solution path, I begin reading about implementations of said solution paths, results, experiences, etc. that did not come from the vendor itself. All in all, all things being equal, I spend weeks, sometimes months, soaking in and soaking on a the pros, cons, variabilities and such of a particular solution before I make a change/purchase. Sometimes it seems faster, but I'm still soaking on some things that I started researching over a year ago. There is no need to solve a problem until it needs to be solved. I proved this to myself when I purchased the wrong winch, had to return it and then do research on what I should actually have purchased (for me, Warn M12000). Solving a problem before I need to solve it increases the probability that I solve the wrong problem. So I tend to wait until the real problem reveals itself, followed by the seemingly most sensible solutions revealing themselves thereafter.

These aren't even close to the sheer number of options out on the interwebz and I'm not sponsored by anyone. I'm only sharing stuff that has been useful to me so far on this build.

• Overland Journal magazine
• IH8MUD user group portal
• Toyota Land Cruiser Association user group portal
• Four-Wheeler magazine/portal
• Off-Road magazine/portal
• Slee Off-Road vendor/service provider/kit builder

These have so far turned out to be my "go to" sites when looking for information about nearly anything. However, the reality is I've been trolling twenty or thirty sites more regularly looking at options, reading articles, hearing personal user stories and even watching overlanding and how-to videos off YouTube, Vimeo, Vine and vendor sites. Learning is out there and I'm enjoying the journey.

At the end of the day when I've exhausted as many options as I can find to learn, compare, ponder and decide, I talk to a buddy or two who have experience stripping and building vehicles from the sandblasted chassis on up to the drag racer, off-roader or WWII military jeep. Research is great. Experience is immeasurable. Besides, websites and books only tell you what to do, what worked and didn't work for them; true friends tell you when you're being stupid.

Completed Modification List

This is the master list of changes made to the 1999 Toyota Landcruiser platform:

1. ARB winch bullbar sourced from Just Differentials
2. ARB winch bullbar fog lights and LED parking/turn signals sourced from Slee Off-Road
3. ARB Intensity LED Lights, stock Toyota switch, switched for bright usage only
4. Warn M12000 Self-Recovery Winch with Fairlead
5. Factor 55 Pro Link, 16k lbs load rating
6. Slee Off-Road rear bumper with spare tire and ladder swing arms and digital license plate light
7. K&N Air Filter
8. Slee Off-Road primary battery tray replacement
9. Slee Off-Road secondary battery tray
10. Safari Snorkel
11. ARB 12v High Performance Compressor with ARB pump up kit
12. IBS 12v/200A second battery management system
13. DieHard Platinum 31M battery with military connectors
14. DieHard 34/78DT battery with military connectors
15. Fusebox run to back of truck for additional USB and 12v receptacles
16. Old Man Emu 2.5" Heavy Load Kit (coil springs, front/rear shocks, torsion bars, slee diff drop kit, upper control arms)
17. ARB front and rear airlockers, stock Toyota switch
18. Powerstop rotors, front and back
19. Toyota brake pads
20. Slee Off-Road braided stainless steel brake lines, front and back
21. Piranha Diff Breather Kit
22. Front Runner Branch Deflector Wires
23. Front Runner Spare Tire Mount Braai Grate
24. Wild West Off-Road heavy-duty high clearance lower control arms
25. Slee Off-Road skid plate system
26. Slee Off-Road tube sliders
27. NIITO Trail Grabber M/T 285/75R16 tires
28. Front Runner roof rack platform
29. Front Runner Ratcheting Spade/Shovel Mount Bracket
30. Front Runner Roof Rack Mounted Axe Bracket
31. WeatherTech Tub Floor mats
32. Escape Gear front and rear grey seat covers
33. Outback drawer system, two drawers, one slider top
34. Cobra SoundTracker CB and Firestick Antennae with quick-disconnect and heavy duty spring sourced from Right Channel Radios
35. Hi-Lift Extreme jack
36. Slee Off-Road Hi-Lift Jac-Kof Tool kit with wheel and axle strap
37. Napa all-weather windshield wipers
38. Napa high-pressure bonnet lifts
39. ARB 15k lb snatch block
40. (2) Crosby S-281 Sling Saver Screw-Pin Shackle 7/8" Pin WLL 4.5 Ton sourced from Quadratech
41. (6) Crosby G-209 Galvanized Screw-Pin Shackle 3/4" Pin WLL 4.75 Ton sourced from Quadratech
42. (2) ARB 3/4" D-Ring shackles
43. ARB recovery damper

Mounting the Snorkel

After a bunch of research I chose the Australian Safari Snorkel product based upon a few considerations important to me.

• What material is the snorkel made of and how will it wear through time, particularly with sun exposure?
• How is the vent opening designed to manage dust, rain and general rubbish?
• How does the snorkel mount to the vehicle and does it appear to be designed by abuse versus street appeal?
• General perception of popularity among other consumers and contexts in which they were/are used (Australian outback versus San Francisco street shows, etc.)
• Cost (though admittedly I'm generally not willing to go cheap now and pay for it again later if and when it breaks at an inopportune time
• I generally pay attention to what products are produced for bush terrains like South Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Canada, Alaska and Australia. I figure if it works in SA and Australia and is still popular with consumers, that's my baseline for comparison.

I found the directions worked exactly as written. A genuine pleasure for sure. No guessing. Follow the instructions, use the enclosed template. Worst case scenario I figured was a trip to the body shop to fix my mistakes and start over. Wasn't necessary. Everything worked.

The instructions required me to cut a 4.5" hole in the quarter panel for the ventilation tube, as well as, smaller holes for the mounts points. Not being an experienced body shop guy, I did a bunch of research on the drill bit necessary to cut through the quarter panel with precision, while minimizing what I speculated was a high probability of "jumping out of my hand" due to the 4.5" cut size.

I ended up purchasing a Lenox from Lowe's for the 4.5" hole cut saw, as well as, an Irwin step drill for the smaller mount holes. I used a Makita Hammer Drill in drill mode for the 4.5" cut and a normal drill for the others. A friend of mine was going to video the large cut, particularly hoping to video the jump so we could both laugh, cry and puke if it happened; however, the blade cut through the quarter panel so fast his camera hadn't even focused for a snapshot. We were both surprised. The step drill however, expectedly, took longer because I was over-cautious about drilling too big a hole and messing up the whole effort in a single mistake. Messing up due to naivete is one thing; messing up because I was careless is another. Experienced body shop people likely do this stuff in their sleep.

Very important in every one of the hole cuts was drilling in initial pilot hole first. After that the step drill and the mandrel both had a safe place from which to start doing the deed and kept the bits/blades from jumping. Because the front quarter panel changes angles due to the wheel well flare-out, the 4.5" saw didn't mount flush to the truck when I began the cut, so care had to be taken to manage positioning as the entire saw finally dug in and finished the job.

Because I knew that the snorkel would come back off later to do body work, I did not put the wheel well cover back in, nor did I waterproof any of the tubing connections as recommended. After the body work, then the waterproofing. In order to mount the new rubber connector from snorkel to air filter box, we simply greased the inside of the rubber "S" connector to make it slip into place easier. So while you're doing the work, make it permanent if you know you're not going to futz with it again later. In this case, I knew this was the dry mount before the bodywork to be followed up again later for more purposed waterproofing.

Seriously, on this one, the instructions and template worked. Following the directions made this work without a hitch for me. The purchase price for me was around $450 with free shipping from Seven Springs Customs Complete Off-Road. The packaging was great with no issues of travel damage. Go to the manufacturer website, choose your make, model and engine type and make the order.