Installing the Lift Kit

After reading all kinds of things on IH8MUD forums, various vendor websites and overlanding journeys of others, it finally came down to...what do I want to try? Noteably, I read multiple forums suggesting that lift kits greater than 1.75" will create maintenance and wear issues for the vehicle that ordinarily wouldn't occur. I went with a 2.5" heavy duty lift kit from Slee Offroad. Considering the heavier ARB front bumper, Slee back bumper, the planned rooftop tent, single axle off-road trailer and secondary fuel tank, with the help of Christo Slee, I planned for no-road, logging road, creek and small river terrain, outback in the middle of nowhere camping with the family.

I initially ended up with the following parts list by considering the following questions:

• Will the vehicle be a daily driver? Or overlanding/off-road only?
• Will the off-road experience be paved, gravel, dirt, logging, mud, no-road, etc?
• Water? No water?
• OEM curb weight? Modifications that will add or remove weight?
• Towing? No towing? If towing, what?
• Where do you plan to travel? Domestic US? International? If international, what kind of travel?
• How many people will be transported in the vehicle?

Out of this I chose the 2.5" lift, heavy duty believing that at some point I'll get a different daily driver and save this mighty giant for overlanding/outbacking alone. In all fairness, from my time in Zimbabwe and South Africa, I was already familiar with Old Man Emu suspension systems and knew they had a great reputation for dependability out in the bush. Yes, it influenced my choices. Resultantly, my parts list looked like the following:

• OME 2864 Old Man Emu rear coil springs - 80 Series LC
• OME 6000 Old Man Emu Sport Shock - 100 Series Front Comfort Shock
• OME 6002 Old Man Emu Sport Shock - 100 Series Rear Comfort Shock
• 303001 Torsion Bar Set - 100 Series LC
• SOF - Diff Drop Kit for UZJ100, with fit kit
• SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms - 100 Series LC

Because I personally have neither the tools, nor the experience, to install springs, and particularly the torsion bars, I decided to go with a local shop who told me they have experience doing multiple lift kits on off-road vehicles. Two days of work and BAM! I now have a bit of a jump to get into the vehicle.

Overall, I'm pleased with the work. Having no experience here, I've driven been driving, testing, listening and learning to understand how a lift kit changes the vehicle's harmony to original OEM design. I hear noises here and there, look for leaks (finding none so far), have noticed a different behaviour when making tight turns and so forth. It handles differently for sure given the center of gravity is higher. I have more learning to do. No argument. And basically don't know what I don't know about lift kits and OEM performance evolution. However, I'm having a great time and look forward to more experimentation and learning.

Two things of note: a) if I have an issue with bottoming out after attaching a loaded off-road trailer, I'll likely change the bump-stops in the rear springs; and b) I was particularly impressed with the solid upper A-arms. They were a seemingly huge and valuable upgrade from the OEM arms. I like the work Slee Off-Road is doing to compose solutions, not just parts.

Installing Safety Equipment

To prepare for any possible event is an interest challenge. Reflecting on what was required of us in Zimbabwe caused me to consider the requirements of other countries and quite simply, what makes sense whether it is a law or not. After doing some research on what other overlanders have installed, our experience in Zimbabwe and South Africa and complimenting it with what seems to make sense to me at the moment, I decided to purposefully address safety needs. I installed or otherwise packed in the truck somewhere the following items:

• One Badger fire extinguisher rated for trash, wood, paper (A), liquids (B) and electrical equipment (C) in the left rear of the vehicle. It isn't rated for cooking. I'll have to consider that more as we go along.
• Two Life Hammers used for breaking windows and cutting seat belts. One on the right side of the front console for both people in the front seat, as well as, one in the back for people in the rear of the vehicle.
• Three seat belt cutters, one in front, two in back.
• Three weighted base, reflective triangles from AAA in the event of a breakdown stowed in rear cubbies.
• Also in the rear cubbies are three magnetic strobes from Wagan capable of multiple types of flashing red light patterns including SOS. These things cleverly mount anywhere on the vehicle due to their magnetic personality.
• One ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2009 general first aid kit. It isn't huge and definitely doesn't cover all the details necessary for extreme bush first aid/medical needs. However, I'll use it as a baseline implementation.
• One yellow fluorescent utility vest under the driver seat (in Zimbabwe, these were often kept on the back of seats so the police visibly knew you had them).

Purpose and Intro

In a nutshell, this blog serves no greater purpose than to document the evolution of a 1999 OEM Toyota Land Cruiser to a modified vehicle more equipped for overlanding in different parts of the US, South America, Canada and desirably, Alaska. However, the distance between dream, plan and actually doing it requires a planning, money and time.

Furthermore, the details listed in this blog are desirably of useful reference to others in return for the immense value I've gained from reading the journeys of other machine platform evolutionaries, as well as, their overlanding journeys. Basically, we learn from our own experiences and that of others around us. My contribution is at best a drop in the bucket compared to many of which I've read, but a contribution nonetheless that will evolve through time.

You could say I developed the bug for being in the bush and overlanding while living and working in Zimbabwe, Africa. Beautiful people, beautiful country and absolutely beautiful exploration opportunities. Driving with the windows down for hours on end through areas of Zimbabwe where, if you weren't prepared to be completely self-reliant, you were toast required more of me than previous in my life. Thinking about possible situations, potential solutions and whether I was prepared to handle them became mind candy. And the machine platform? A gorgeous 1991 80s series Toyota Land Cruiser. Stick shift, right-hand drive, lift kit and general bush-ready (with a concealed front-end winch) and two spare tires to boot, we were naive and just ambitious enough to go and explore that gorgeous country. And the vehicle? Yeah, saved us multiple times because the Toyota Land Cruiser is a stellar bush capable platform.

I miss it; so am beginning a next chapter in the journey.