tlc4x4

Transcription

tlc4x4

May/June 2009
A Publication of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association
Hosting ab
o
Cruise M er
om
by Ken R
Above: Todd Shirley up to his knees in glacial runoff,
Alaska Cruiser Trek 2008.
Photo by Brian Sapaugh
On the cover: TLCA member Karol Laskowski launches out of one of over 300 river crossings during Alaska
Cruiser Trek 2008. May/June 2009
Table of Contents
Photo by Brian Sapaugh
Trail Leader by Jeff Zepp
2
Trailhead
by Todd J. Kaderabek
4
Horn! Please & Use Dipper at Night
by Karin-Marijke Vis
5
Canadian Post Publications Mail
Agreement No. 40065056
Canadian Return Address:
DP Global Mail
4960-2 Walker Rd.
Windsor, ON N9A 6J3
Dealing With Frame Rot by Thomas R. Bank, II
9
Tech Exchange
with Robbie Antonson
16
A Publication of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association
104 NW Pecan St.
Blue Springs, MO 64014
(800) 655-3810
Event Calendar
24
A First Timer’s Experience
by Alvin Kuenster
26
Chapter Directory
29
TLCA Membership
For Sale
31
Individuals
Photo Shop
31
Truck Tech
by Roger Brown
34
The Open Gate
by Greg Mumm
36
Sight-Unseeing
by Gehn Fujii
38
Chapter Reports
41
Membership Application
49
Merchandise
50
Business Member Directory
51
Trails End
52
Toyota Trails - Issue #3
Toyota Trails is a bi-monthly publication
Printer: American Web, Denver, CO
Membership Services
(800) 655-3810
2,532
Business
39
Chapter
696
Total Membership
3,267
MOVING?
Be sure to notify the TLCA of your new address.
Toyota Trails is periodical mailed, meaning the
post office won’t forward your magazine unless
you upgrade to the First Class option ($15.00).
Email membership@tlca.org, or call Jennifer
Lorincz at (800) 655-3810.
The Toyota Land Cruiser Association (TLCA) and its publication
Toyota Trails are not affiliated with or authorized by Toyota
Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
T oyo ta T r a i l s
2009 TLCA
Officers & Committees
President
Jeff Zepp
PO Box 186
Evergreen, CO 80439
(303) 674-2386
jeffzepp@earthlink.net
Executive Vice President
Timm Buchanan
2905 S. Williams St.
Denver, CO 80210
(303) 619-4075
timmbuck2@yahoo.com
Administrative Vice President
Nick Stone
6020 Lantana Lane
Fort Worth, TX 76112
817-654-3640
diesel42@sbcglobal.net
Marketing Vice President
Art Schramm
418 Main Street
Norwalk, IA 50211
(515) 988-9261
packman73@gmail.com
Secretary
Ross Woody
513 Lockwood Dr.
Vallejo, CA 94591
(707) 235-0247
rosswoody@earthlink.net
Treasurer
Casey Campbell
726 53rd St.
Des Moines, IA 50312
(515) 314-3255
cmcampbell54@gmail.com
Eastern Individual Representative
Thom Placier
123 Winners Circle
Georgetown, KY 40324
(502) 316-3590
Trainthom@aol.com
Central Mountain Individual Rep.
Justin Ward
425 Terrace Dr.
Richardson, TX 75081
(214) 923-5408
tlcarep@gmail.com
Western Individual Rep.
Cory Fillmore
1853 W. Village Park
Salt Lake City, UT 84116
(801) 606-1175
fzj80@comcast.net
Adminstrator
Jennifer Lorincz
104 NW Pecan St.
membership@tlca.org
Advertising Sales Manager
Chris Hatfield
23600 E. Maples Hills Ave.
Parker, CO 80138
303-324-8751
hatfieldcb@yahoo.com
Toyota Trails Managing Editor
Todd J. Kaderabek
8 Corbran Drive
Fairview, NC 28730
editor@tlca.org
(828) 628-8412
Webmaster
Gehn Fujii
273 Piper Hill Rd.
Weston, VT 05161
(802) 779-2710
(802) 824-6123
gehn.fujii@gmail.com
2
Tra i l L e a d e r
S
pring is here and so is the TLCA event
season! Hopefully you’ve spent the long,
cold winter doing your maintenance, modifications and tune-ups to your Toyota 4x4, just as
we have been doing for your club. We have a
lean and mean budget in place, which reflects
the realities of our times, and a robust plan in
progress to get us down the trail and home safely.
We have no shortage of ideas and we need
to continue to roll up our sleeves and implement
these ideas. It takes time, effort and commitment,
and I applaud our members, chapters, officers
and contractors for stepping up to help ensure the
continuing success of TLCA.
Among the ideas we are implementing is a
membership referral program. If you are a current
member and you refer a new member or former
member who has been expired for 6 months or
more, you get $5 off your own renewal. You can
refer up to 6 members, making your own membership free! Kudos to Art Schramm, our Marketing
and Sales Vice President, for not only coming up
with this idea but for working hard to make it happen. You have to send an email to our MSVP and
our Administrator listing who you referred and you
will get a coupon for $5 off your own membership renewal. If you’d prefer to snail mail, there’s
a section on the membership application to fill out.
Online membership application is similar.
Speaking of online, we’d like to welcome the
newest member of our team, Gehn Fujii as our
new Webmaster. He is kicking some serious booty
getting the web site ready for our members-only
clubhouse. What we are doing is making a
members-only section of the web site. There, you
will be able to get stuff the general web wheel-
ing public can’t see, including articles that can’t
be found in the print version of Trails and special
offers for members. We are currently working
on the details but it will allow all existing current
members to get in using a unique user name and
password, and allow a new member who just
signed up or renewed online to get instant access
as well.
We will be adding an International Representative
who will be responsible for the interests of TLCA
members outside the USA. In conjunction, we will
be creating an online-only membership tier, in no
small part to help accommodate our overseas
members where mailing printed Toyota Trails is
cost-prohibitive. Online only members will still be
able to access the same content but at reduced
membership dues. This will be available for everyone, not just overseas members.
Our Individual Representatives, MSVP and I have
been calling and emailing members who expired
recently. It has been GREAT to be able to chat
with so many of you, and I thank you for your
time, and membership renewal. Please include
your current mail, phone and email information
when you join or renew. These will help assure
that we stay connected. And if any of you want to
chat about TLCA, feel free to call or email me, or
any of the members of our board—we’d love to
hear from you!
Happy Cruisin’!
Jeff Zepp
TLCA #4063, TLCA President
18TH ANNUAL GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN TRAIL RIDE
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
G S M T R J u n e 1 5 - 2 1, 2 0 0 9
A TLCA Sanctioned Event/ Hosted by the Upstate Cruisers
A major portion of the proﬁ
proﬁts
ts will be donated to the “Rescue Te llico Fund”
The Upstate Cruisers are proudly hosting the GSMTR 2009
RALLY TO SAVE TELLICO, June 15th-21st.
Even though the US Forest Service is threatening to close the Te llico Trail system,
GSMTR 2009 has NOT been CANCELED!!!
Upstate Cruisers will be present regardless of trail closures to show our support and love for the local
community and the Te llico Trail System. Registration and planning will continue for a week-long wheeling
event as previously planned. If the US Forest Service closes the Te llico Trail System ALL registration fees
will be refunded. If the trails are closed, GSMTR 09 will transition into a long weekend of fund raising
activities, crawling on Crawford Campground’s rock garden, tug-o-war, cook outs, and a drive through
Trail 1, Te llico Plains TN and Murphy NC to show our support for the area.
PLEASE COME TO GSMTR 09 to show your support!
Visit http://upstatecruisers.net/gsmtr.html
for Rally Updates & Itinerary information,
and check back often for event updates and more information coming soon!
The Online Registration Page will be altered for those that want to donate directly to the
Save Te llico Fund.
3
Toyota Trails
Publishing Office
8 Corbran Drive
Fairview, NC 28730
(828) 628-8412
Managing Editor
Todd J. Kaderabek
editor@tlca.org
Design and Production
Evolutionary Graphics
charlie@evolutionarygraphics.com
Technical Editor
Robbie Antonson: techeditor@tlca.org
Advertising Manager
Chris Hatfield
(303) 324-8751
hatfieldcb@gmail.com
Editorial Submissions to:
Toyota Trails
8 Corbran Drive
Fairview, NC 28730
editor@tlca.org
(828) 628-8412
Truck Tech Editor
Roger Brown
P.O. Box 61092
Sunnyvale, CA 94088-1092
Phone: (408) 247-0422
Fax: (408) 247-1246
r.c.brown@ieee.org
Advertising and Editorial Deadlines
January/February issue, due November 15
March/April issue, due January 15
May/June issue, due March 15
July/August issue, due May 15
September/October issue, due July 15
November/December issue, due September 15
Business Advertising:
Space must be reserved by above dates.
For rates and specifications
call (303) 324-8751 or
E-mail: hatfieldcb@gmail.com
Classified Ads:
See “For Sale” section
for rates. Ads run for two issues.
Editorial contributions are welcome and
should be accompanied with SASE for return
of materials. Information in this newsletter
is from varied sources and TLCA gives no
warranty nor claims responsibility as to the
accuracy or completeness.
All submissions to Toyota Trails may be published by TLCA in different media. TLCA
holds copyright over material published in
Toyota Trails, on the web and in promotional
materials manufactured by TLCA.
All material published in Toyota Trails is protected by copyright. No material can be used or
reproduced without express permission of the
Publisher.
Tra i l h e a d
I
’m pleased to report that we have received
a lot of positive feedback on the scaled back
March/April issue of Toyota Trails. We hope
that you’ll enjoy this issue as well and that you’re
taking advantage of the additional content available at www.tlca.org.
A special thanks to Gehn Fujii and Charlie
Covington for working very hard in the preceding
months to get the TLCA website back on track.
Personnel changes had led to some lag in content but Gehn and Charlie jumped right in (with
assistance from others) and whipped things back
into shape. We’re now once again on target for
tlca.org to be a true value-added component of
TLCA membership.
TLCA also needs to extend a heartfelt thanks to
Tornado Alley Cruisers, who generously donated
$500 to TLCA at their February meeting. Their
support of the parent club means a lot to TLCA,
both financially and from a “We’re all one.” standpoint. What’s good for TLCA is good for member
clubs and vice-versa. The more collaboration we
achieve, the better off we all are in the long run.
So thanks again to Tornado Alley—extremely generous and forward thinking of you.
Printer:
American Web, Denver, Colorado.
Canadian Post Publications Mail
Agreement No. 40065056
Canadian Return Address: DP Global
Mail, 4960-2 Walker Road,
Windsor, ON
N9A 6J3.
A Publication of the
Toyota Land Cruiser Association
104 NW Pecan St.
(800) 655-3810
Membership Services
(800) 655-3810
C Printed on recycled paper.
4
In other club related news, please take special
notice of the potential change of plans for the
Great Smoky Mountain Trail Ride. With awareness
that the Tellico trails could still be closed in June,
Upstate Cruisers is keeping an open mind and
may need to radically shift the focus of GSMTR.
Of course, we all hope this won’t be the case but
it’s better to be prepared in advance. More details
to follow but please be aware of this possible
change and do all that you can to support Upstate
Cruisers in hosting this event—and in their continued efforts to keep the trails open at Tellico.
Also club related, mark your calendars for the
weekend of September 24th and plan to attend
the Great American Toyota Offroad Rally in
Seymour, Missouri. This is a new TLCA event
hosted by Green Country Cruisers, Ozark
Mountain Cruisers, Tornado Alley Cruisers,
Tall Corn Cruisers, AR-TTORA and Gateway
Cruisers. It’s an Open Event and promises to be
a premier East Coast gathering of Cruisers from
near and far. More information is available at
www.gatorevent.com.
Finally, I have the sad news out of Texas that
Katemcy Rocks will close in June. This is especially bad news for those of us Southerners who
have enjoyed the Moab-like conditions within a
semi-realistic driving distance. We’ll certainly miss
the Kruse family and all the kind hospitality that
Shain Chapman and Randy Kruse and the whole
K-Rocks gang have provided over the years. Times
change and life rolls on but the loss of this park
(it was leased, the owner did not renew the lease
and plans to build a home and move onto the
property) strikes a particularly depressing chord
for me. Lots of good memories will have to do,
I suppose. There’s an open event at the park on
June 13th and 14th but that’s your last foreseeable
chance out on those rocks. I may go back just for
some brisket though.
Be safe.
Todd J. Kaderabek
Fairview, North Carolina
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
A
s we continue our fantastic journey
around the world in our BJ45 Land
Cruiser, one of the first places we
visit in India is the Golden Temple of the
Sikhs. This mesmerizing place of pilgrimage awakens a deep feeling of curiosity
in us, an eagerness to learn more about
religions and their intriguing places of worship. Obviously we have arrived in the
right country, where a multitude of religions
coexist peacefully. From the holy temple of
the Sikhs we move northward, to a pilgrimage of Hindus amidst Muslim territory.
At the Indian border, Coen fills in both of our entry forms,
signs them and hands them back to the customs official
who answers with a questioning look. “Oh yes, I always
sign for my wife,” Coen says. Whether the official finds
this strange as seen from his own culture or because he
is not used to this coming from Westerners, we don’t
know. After traveling through Iran and Pakistan, we have
grown so used to Coen’s taking care of paperwork that
we don’t give it a second thought. by Karin-Marijke Vis
Zoji Pass, narrow and one-way only—we’ll opt to wait our turn.
5
Border officials mind the crowd wearing
towering headdresses.
Large crowds flock daily to the stands for the border ceremony.
Sikhs with their typical turbans (and an atypical Dallas Cowboys jacket).
The market in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, is a lively place to shop.
6
A menacing, three-wheeled taxi roams the streets in search of passengers.
The daily monsoon makes its presence abundantly known.
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Another day, eating lunch at our office….
Who is the Last to Lower His Flag?
Meanwhile, large crowds flock to the border gate and take a seat
in the stands—as do the Pakistanis on their side of the Wagah
border. Pakistan and India are ethnically of the same stock but after
independence from England in 1947, the rift between the two seems
beyond repair. Feelings of nationalism are fed daily at the opening
and closing ceremonies of the one and only border between the two
countries. Both sides wave flags while Indians shout, “Hindustan,
Hindustan!” and Pakistanis yell, “Pakistan, Pakistan!” Part of this madhouse are officers with towering headdresses swaggering towards
the flagpoles, in a Monty Python’s “Ministry of Silly Walks” manner—
turning the ceremony into a somewhat comical performance—until
they stand next to their rival of the other side. A daily battle ensues:
who can lower the flag slowest—it is a matter of pride that one flag
should not be lower than the other. It seems that the only reason the
flags are lowered at all is the international custom that flags have to
be down by sunset. The thirty kilometres over a smooth, freshly tarred road bring us to
Amritsar—the seat of Darbar Sahib—the most sacred temple of the
Sikhs. We leave our shoes at the entrance, walk through a footbath
and enter the temple. In the darkness of the evening, we stand
transfixed by an awe-inspiring sight: amidst the Pool of Immortality,
surrounded by a snow-white marble concourse, stands a temple with
a sparkling, gold-covered dome and marble-inlaid walls. The Golden
Temple, as it is called in English, receives up to thirty thousand pilgrims a day and all are offered food and lodging free of charge.
Volunteers run the temple—each pilgrim or devotee is free to participate in the cleaning of the site, doing dishes or distributing food.
During nineteen hours of the day, the chanting of the Holy Scriptures
by the priests echoes across the serene lake—it is pleasant to the ear
and induces a sublime feeling of peacefulness. It is a place to linger
but we are on a schedule. The pilgrimage of Amaranth is reaching
its end so we pack up and head north.
The Turbulent Province of Kashmir
On the road to Srinagar, along the ceasefire line between Pakistan
and India, our Land Cruiser weaves on excellent tarmac, thanks to
the political conflict of Jammu and Kashmir, which demands mobility,
speed and year-round readiness on the part of the military. Kashmir
has long been a bone of contention between the two countries. It is
a complicated conflict, the origin of which goes back as far as the
first Anglo-Sikh War in 1846. Nowadays, the Muslims, supported by
7
A Tata truck waits for assistance beside the road.
Pakistan, strive for an independent Kashmir,
which regularly leads to insurgencies and
bombings.
While the tarmac makes for smooth driving—or as smooth as can be expected in a
BJ45—we wonder about the safety of the
twisting mountain roads, as we read the
ominous signboards. “Live for today, drive for
tomorrow.” “Speed is a knife that cuts your
life.” “Give your blood to the blood-bank,
not to the road.” And more suggestive ones
like, “Be gentle on my curves.” The rear of
the trucks give instructions as well: “Blow
Horn” and “Use Dipper at Night”—the
proper means to overtake them. The roadsides are lively and colorful with temples,
monkeys, water buffaloes, wild boars and
holy cows acting holy.
We enter Kashmir on August 15, India’s
Day of Independence. While the rest of
India celebrates, Kashmir feels sinister and
eerie—everything is closed down and the
military are omnipresent. It turns the journey into a tedious one, with military posts
checking our papers every few kilometres.
When we approach the three-kilometre long
Jawahar tunnel, the chaos is complete—the
road widens but is crammed with a disarray
of cars, soldiers and trucks. Where do we
go? One soldier signs, “Stop!” while his colleague next to him indicates “Go on!” while
a third seems to be practicing a tune on his
whistle—his function escapes us all together.
At the entrance of the tunnel stands a menacing looking soldier with a machine gun
at the ready. Slowly we proceed towards
the tunnel, bumping the Land Cruiser along
8
Massive glaciers seen from the window of the Land Cruiser.
and looking around for indications to stop
but we are allowed to continue. However,
upon exiting the tunnel, we hear a concert of
whistling—it appears addressed at us so we
halt. A man accosts us: “Go back!”
Coen looks at him, irritated and says, “Well
actually, we do want to reach Srinagar
tonight, which is not at all likely with all
these checkpoints and we most certainly
won’t go back.” The man’s face turns red and tightens into a
grimace. “Go back!”
“No, we won’t go back. We are on our
way to Srinagar. Please let us talk to your
boss.”
The boss enlightens us with the message
that we should have registered before entering the tunnel. “So we’ll do it here,” we
say pragmatically, growing tired of these
bureaucratic rigmaroles. “No, you have to
go back, you should have stopped,” we
are told once more. We observe that if they
had wanted us to stop at the entrance of
the tunnel, we surely would have got the
Story continues on page 13
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
t
o
R
e
m
a
r
F
h
it
W
Dealing
by Thomas R. Bank, II
I
bought my 1985 short bed Toyota pickup when it was three
years old. For thirteen years, it was my daily driver during
the week, getting my belongings and me back and forth
to college for two years and then getting me to
work as I established my career. On weekends
it served me well for recreational and construction duties.
As a recreational vehicle, it did light trail duty:
hauled mountain bikes, caving and rappelling gear and canoes; served as a mobile
tent; and did community service in floods
and snow. In recent years,
as a construction vehicle,
it hauled nearly all of the
materials to build a 1,500
sq. ft. garage/workshop
for myself, as well as towing
equipment home when I needed
to visit the rental yard. Only the
concrete, masonry block and
drywall were brought in by delivery
vehicles. In contributing to the building
of this workshop, the truck was ultimately
an instrument of its own rebirth. Here in
The author’s 1985 short bed pickup and the new frame.
9
the Northeast, weather limits the scope of driveway projects and a
garage is nearly a necessity for anything more than changing the oil
and other routine maintenance (unless you have some level of masochistic tendencies).
12th Annual
Pacific Mountain Cruisers
TLCA of Northern California
Swap Meet,
Show & Go
Sponsored by tlca
Saturday, July 11, 2009
9 am to 3 pm
PMC invites all TLCA Members
and Toyota Owners to their 12th
Annual Event Located in Sonoma
County, just one hour North of
San Francisco.
Land Cruiser, Hilux & 4Runner.
Prizes given to top winners!
The Swap Meet: Sellers sign up early, limited spaces.
The Show:
From San Francisco, Take Hwy 101 North to
E. Washington off ramp in Petaluma, CA. Take E. Washington West
for 5 miles to the Holy Ghost Hall at 4699 Bodega Ave. E. Washington
turns in to Bodega Ave. Follow signs.
Directions:
PMC is proud to offer Event T-Shirts! (Limited Quantity)
There will be Vendor displays, Lion’s Club Food Booth, Raffle, TLCA
Merchandise booth and more!!! Spend the day with PMC.
For further information, contact Chris Ward at (707) 579-0888 or
visit our website at www.tlca.org
Entry and Participation Fees:
Entry Fee:
$3.00 donation, kids under 12 free!
Purchase a T-Shirt and get in Free!
Seller Fee:
$10.00 per Truck, $15.00 for Truck & Trailer.
Show Entry Fee: $10.00 per truck
All Game Participants must pass TLCA Safety Inspection
and Checklist!
10
So the little truck and I have quite a history together. I have wanted
to build the truck since I purchased it but school, career and other
responsibilities always seemed to get in the way—if not just for the
simple fact that as a daily driver, it had to be back together by the
end of the weekend to get me to work on Monday morning.
So what brings a person to the decision to rebuild a nineteen-yearold truck with 172,000 miles on it instead of paying a visit to the
local dealer’s lot? The personal history and the fact that I never did
get to build the truck in the first place have something to do with it.
The fact that automakers are making compact trucks more and more
car-like is another issue. Barring that Toyota decides to import the
78/79 series Land Cruiser into the US, I don’t see a new Toyota
that would suit my needs. Finally, the recent interest in building the
solid axle Toyotas and the wealth of parts and upgrades available
for them makes the proposition very compelling. The ability to share
ideas and information over the Internet alone has brought our farreaching Toyota community together.
Unfortunately, the first obstacle to this buildup is the current state of
the truck’s frame. From my firsthand experience with this truck as well
as a few others—and as evidenced by numerous forum threads on
Toyota related websites—there is a known issue with the frames on
these trucks rusting out. The biggest problem seems to be that the
frames accumulate debris within the frame rail, trapping moisture
and rusting from the inside out. Areas that salt the road in winter only
compound the problem, trapping salt residue along with the debris to
speed the corrosion along. By the time a problem becomes visible, it
is usually fairly advanced. The common location for these problems is
behind the cab, where the frame rails curve up to run under the bed.
Debris collects at the bottom of the slope and problems are usually
first seen in this area.
Several people have said that keeping the debris cleaned out of
the frame goes a long way to solving these problems. I had always
been conscientious about cleaning my truck up after four-wheeling
but my attention was more towards visible mud and cleaning out
the brakes and drivetrain and I gave little thought to the inside of
the frame rails. I never gave much thought to the cumulative effect of
over a decade of four-wheeling. Since the corrosion works its way
from the inside out, it is hard to say exactly how effective keeping the
frame rails cleaned out may be. It certainly helps control the problem
but only time will tell whether the corrosion is still present.
My first indication of any problems was when I took the truck in for
the annual state safety inspection when the truck was fourteen years
old. The mechanic turned up three holes in the frame between the
sizes of a quarter and a half dollar. We tapped around with a hammer and the frame seemed fairly sound, so I ended up MIG welding square pieces of 1/8" bar stock over the holes to get it to pass
inspection. Three years later, I noticed holes opening up around the
patches and investigated further, quickly revealing a much larger
problem. I ended up using a needle scaler to clear away all the
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
weak spots in the frame. For those unfamiliar with it, a needle scaler
is like an air chisel but with about twenty 1/8" diameter rods instead
of a solid chisel. Often used for cleaning weld slag in production
welding settings, it will knock away loose scale and rust while leaving solid metal intact.
I went over the frame from above the rear axle to the front of the cab
on both sides of each frame rail with the needle scaler. Sweeping
up afterwards, I ended up with a five-gallon bucket over half full of
rust and debris, along with several fairly large holes in my frame. The
one that surprised me the most was a large hole on the outside of the
frame rail under the passenger door that was over a foot long and
at least 3/4 the height of the frame rail. Before I had started, there
were no holes showing in this location and only the sound of tapping
on the frame rail with a hammer had led to my suspicions that something might be wrong.
In order to repair the frame this time, I cut pieces from 1/4" steel
plate to the height of the frame rail and long enough to cover the
holes by at least an inch or two on either side. Using 1/8" 7018
electrodes in my arc welder, I welded the plates in place. The repairs
passed inspection and there have not been any further problems in
the past two years. However, ever since the first round of repairs, I
have known that I was only buying myself time before the next area
rusts through. Further, building the truck is only going to lead to heavier and stouter components, which will mean taking the truck out for
more hardcore four-wheeling. Components and use will only increase
the stresses on the frame.
Although the repairs allowed me to pass inspection and bought me
some time, I quickly decided that the final solution would have to be
to start with a new frame. I wanted to have the confidence that the
frame would handle anything that I threw at it rather than find that it
was the weakest link. It seems that with the combination of a known
problem and the level of interest in the older Toyota pickups and
4Runners, there would be offerings for replacement or custom built
frames.
Bed supports and rear of frame.
built of rectangular structural steel tube in three increasing levels of
cross sectional steel area. The Level I frame is about 10% heavier
than stock and offers a lifetime warranty for road use and a ten
year warranty for trail use. The Level II frame is about 50% heavier
than stock while the Level III frame is about twice as heavy as stock.
Both the Level II and III frames offer a lifetime warranty, whether the
vehicle sees road or trail duty. I opted for the Level II frame, wanting
additional strength over a stock frame without increasing the weight
unreasonably.
Matkins built the frame to stock specs using the diagram in the back
of the factory service manual and a junkyard frame as a threedimensional reference. The modifications that I had Matkins make for
my frame were all omissions rather than additions. The front shock
mounts, motor mounts and rear spring hangers for the front springs
were left off the frame in order to accommodate longer travel shocks,
From a familiarity with the street rod crowd, aftermarket frames are
nearly a necessity as original frames age well past five decades and
high horsepower V8 engines are routinely swapped in. Custom tube
frames are appearing for truggys in the rock crawling arena but I
was looking for something more close to stock form. Replacement
Jeep frames of several styles are becoming more popular, and advertisements for them are not uncommon in the mainstream four-wheeling
magazines, but I saw nothing for Toyotas. Checking with local
shops, they dealt more with the sprint car crowd and seemed hesitant
to take on something significantly different.
I briefly considered building my own frame but felt more confident if
I started with a solid basis to build upon rather than starting totally
from scratch. I got a lucky break when I noticed that one of the Jeep
frame fabricators had started to list Toyotas in their magazine ad. I
placed a call to Matkins Extreme Frames in Billings, Montana, who
quickly divulged that although the ad referred to Land Cruiser frames,
they would be willing to fabricate a pickup frame for me.
Matkins offers two basic styles of frames. Their mandrel bent frames
offer an OEM look and some cost savings. Their extreme frames are
The brackets for the parking brake.
11
as near to factory as possible, while building
a much more substantial and stout frame. In
truth, I did not expect the full extent of this
level of attention to detail. I was impressed
enough with Matkins through photos of their
fabrication work and discussing the project
over the phone for me to order the frame
cross country, sight unseen. It is not until you
see the frame in person that you fully appreciate their craftsmanship.
Anyone familiar with a second generation
Toyota truck frame will instantly recognize the
shape of this frame for what it is. From a distance, one could be easily fooled into thinking that it was in fact a stock frame. I am
confident that this frame will provide a solid
base upon which to rebuild my truck.
Photos by Thomas R. Maybank, II
The front of the frame with spring hangers.
an engine swap and longer springs that
are planned for the truck. Similarly, the rear
shock mounts and front spring mounts for the
rear springs were left off to accommodate
longer travel shocks and longer springs for
the rear. It seemed to make more sense to
fabricate these items during the buildup as
relationships can be measured and test fitting
can be done before final welding.
The front bed mounts and parking brake
brackets illustrate the attention to detail that
Matkins took in building the frame. There is
a lot of custom fabrication to make the frame
Matkins Extreme
P.O. Box 1533
Billings, MT, 59103-1533
(406) 248-3797
http://www.matkinsextreme.com
matkins@matkinsextreme.com
Looking for a great wheeling
event this Fall?
Join us for the first ever
Great American
Toyota Offroad Rally
Located just 30 minutes to the
East of Springfield, Missouri
Southern Missouri Off Road
Ranch is home to over 930
acres of Wheeling from Easy to
Hardcore.
The event will have many
family activities, competitions
and Beginner Friendly runs.
Registration is now open
at www.gatorevent.com
12
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Horn! Please & Use Dipper at Night
continued from page 8
message, what with all those machine guns
at the ready. At last one of them takes out
a form, crosses out “Leaving Registration”
and changes it into “Arriving Registration.”
Thank heavens. After months of registering
at so many points in Pakistan, we know our
passport and visa numbers by heart and
scribble them down. Strangely enough, this
is accepted without comment, no passport
is checked, we are free to go and the Land
Cruiser sputters out of the inky darkness of
the dimly lit tunnel.
Amaranth Yatra
According to legend, it was at Amaranth,
one moon lit evening, where the god Shiva
taught his student Parvati the reincarnation
theory. To reinforce this story, every year an
ice pillar grows in the Amaranth cave, reaching its maximum height during the full moon
of August. Hinduism is full of symbols and
this ice pillar is the symbol of the lingam, or
phallus, of Shiva, and one of the most common objects of worship in India. The cave
is the symbol of Parvati and the womb of
the universe. For Hindus, this is more than
enough reason to declare the cave sacred,
which has resulted in thousands of pilgrims
flocking here each year to walk to the cave
to make an offering or to convey their pleas
to the gods.
“Baltal? Please go down here,” a soldier
indicates. Slowly we drive down and
between the hills looms an encampment—a
chaotic and drab collection of rags, cloths
and plastic pulled over sticks to form tents.
The area is thronged with donkeys, horses
and people—weary looking people in rags
and blankets warming themselves around
fires, looking up curiously when our Land
Cruiser passes by. The place oozes grubbiness and is covered with garbage. “What
are we doing here, we don’t belong here,
let’s go,” I agitate in silence. I don’t vent
If by “nature” you mean bare mountains....
Locals steaming hot chai masala tea.
In Amaranth, the wealthy wing in, the middle class rents horses and the rest walk—on shoes if they have them.
13
Prayers etched on stones lie outside to send their
messages into the universe.
The fully kitted out BJ45 provides shade for some relaxed days in Leh.
thought of a Hindu sanctuary being blown
up in this Muslim area must be a nightmare
for the organization—but after a thorough
check with metal detectors, a body search
and a search of our daypack, we get the
green light. Soldiers are posted all along the
way, safeguarding the pilgrims. Between the
pilgrims struggle donkeys—for a few rupees
they will carry a pilgrim all the way up.
Others choose to be carried on a kind of litter by four men. “This must be a way to gain
points for their karma,” I remark. “Yeah, and
a lot of money,” Coen, the more skeptical
of us, answers. The wealthy have their own
way of doing things: they go by helicopter.
these feelings but have the impression Coen
shares them. “Let’s see if we can park the
Cruiser near a police post,” he says. Our
feeling of uneasiness subsides quickly when
we take out our petrol stove. It attracts a
crowd of people who want to taste our stew.
They are curious, friendly and some speak
English. Soon we are deluged with information and tips about the sixteen-kilometre hike
from this point at 2,700 metres to the cave
at 3,950 metres—and of course, the sixteen
kilometres back down. Why were we so
nervous coming here? The people make us
part of their pilgrimage and it doesn’t bother
them in the least that we are foreigners and
not Hindus. We feel welcome.
The atmosphere is exhilarating. Pilgrims
happily walk at a steady pace, chanting
and shouting, “Bom-bom-boley!” or “Jaiboley!”—some sort of holy greeting whose
meaning nobody can explain to us. The
scale of the organization is overwhelming,
not only in terms of security but there are
also medical checkpoints where free assistance is given to the exhausted or to those in
need of band-aids for blisters. All along the
route, free food and drinks are distributed,
including tasty curries, vegetable chapattis
with curd (yogurt) and hot milk-tea, warming
our chilled bodies. At the top, the glacier
and snow-covered valley have turned into a
bustling bazaar with an incredible display of
color and festivity—an anthill of food stalls,
accommodation tents and merchants selling
all kinds of religious paraphernalia.
We join the hordes at seven in the morning,
sharing the narrow, muddy tracks with some
two thousand others. Security is tight—the
The cave is one hundred and fifty metres
high and is reached after ascending numerous steps. At the top, pilgrims are exuber-
Topping off all diesel tanks is essential before
heading into the mountains.
14
ant. They chant and cry out for happiness,
“Bom-bom-boley!” while announcing their
presence to the gods by ringing large bells.
The temple radiates religious liveliness from
every nook and cranny—an overwhelming
setting of colors and decorations, flowers,
pictures, burning incense, chatting and shouting pilgrims. The lingam—the chunk of ice,
protected by an iron fence—seems only a
tertiary element within the whole exercise!
Zanskar Valley
The narrow Zoji Pass is the invisible boundary line between green, wet Kashmir and
dry, sunny Ladakh—and is as if we have
stepped into another galaxy. East of the pass
All the wheels are still on the vehicle—clearly a
recent accident.
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Ladakh, “Land of High Passes” and the perfect place for a Land Cruiser.
lies the entrance to one of the most remote
parts of the Indian Himalayas, the Zanskar
Valley, with only one—unpaved and potholed—road going in and out. Suddenly the
view from the Land Cruiser changes—frayed
prayer flags color the road and the few houses that dot the landscape. We have entered
Buddhist country. The religious liveliness of
India is already overwhelming—within two
weeks we have changed our greetings from
“Namaste” for Hindus to “Sta sriakal” for
Sikhs, “Salaam Aleikum” for Muslims and
now “Jooley” for Buddhists.
The road twists and turns around the mountain slopes, our BJ45 following a sparkling
river. Glaciers are a common sight, sometimes almost reaching the road. The feeling
of solitude is enormous, there are hardly any
signs of civilization and the lives of the few
people who do live here are tough in this
unfriendly climate.
Amidst these desolate mountains, a valley
widens out, consisting of dry riverbeds. In
the distance stands a red-bricked monastery
against a background of whitish, grayish
mountains: the monastery of Rangdum.
Brightly colored prayer flags, flat stones with
carved mantras and a hushed silence surround the monastery. Monks clad in dark
red robes receive us, their traditional, torn
robes a contrast to their modern watches
and the solar panels in the courtyard. Other
than for these two contemporary aspects, the
place radiates ancientness: the dark temple
is musty and moldy, cluttered with antique
books, offerings, prayer shawls and frayed
flags—all covered with a layer of dust. It
seems that things are only added, never
thrown out. Looking at it rationally, it is a
large collection of old junk but somehow the
place demands respect and we stand transfixed in silence. The rays of the sun peeking
through dusty windows add to the ambience
of mystery and ancientness.
A monk prepares tea on a wood fire and
offers us a cup. It is salted milk-tea and not
our favorite. With it they serve dried yak
cheese with a very strong and peculiar taste.
Their English is limited, as is their factual
knowledge, one monk claiming the monastery has existed for two hundred years while
another says four hundred. The image of a
group of men living here for centuries, sending prayers into the universe and worshiping
a statue is intriguing. Bells toll and the monks
enter the temple to say their prayers while
ringing tiny bells. For us, it’s time to return
north, to Ladakh, “The Land of High Passes,”
a stunning desert at high altitude.
And our Land Cruiser awaits….
Photos by Coen Wubbels
Coen will never acquire a taste for yak cheese
or salty butter-tea.
15
Send technical questions to:
Robbie Antonson: TechEditor@tlca.org
Questions should be separate from
other correspondence, and should
be detailed but as brief as possible.
To have your question published you
should include your city and state
with your correspondence.
with Robbie Antonson
Te c h E x c h a n g e
Improving Fuel Economy
A big concern I have seen and heard about
our wonderful Toyota trucks (Land Cruisers,
Trucks, 4Runners, Taco’s etc.) is fuel economy. Especially when we load them down
for the long trip or the weekend getaway.
Most EPA testing on fuel economy was a bit
of sham in the past (still is in my mind). Most
people are not aware that they tested the
truck on a track going 55 mph. These days,
they simulate the process with an indoor
dyno. Then came the indoor dyno with a
wind machine (to simulate a headwind).
How real world unrealistic can they get? But
this is just an estimate of how much fuel the
vehicle will consume and is only for comparison with a similar vehicle in the same
class. Most of us will not see the figures they
estimate on the highway.
Why am I heading down this road here?
Well, to make a bit of a point. You can get
really decent fuel economy if you go slower
and take the time to look around you as you
drive. Start out slowly—it not a drag race at
the light. Allow sufficient time to get to your
destination. So what if people are passing
you? They may not see the things you will
see by going slower. I am guilty of going
fast with my 80 and suffering the dollars
flying out the wallet (heck, 9-10 mpg at 85
mph is not that bad for a 3+ ton truck). With
the Cruiser, I mostly travel (on highway) at a
reasonable 65-70 mph. I return 14-16 mpg
for how I drive. Most back roads I travel are
typically around 60 mph and at this speed
I return 15-17 mpg. Not diesel figures but
a good return nonetheless. Tires play a big
16
part of this—the more aggressive, heavier
tire, the less fuel economy. AT or highway
treads are the tires I mostly travel with. Some
of the keys to getting better fuel economy
are to not overinflate the tire too much (check
the tire before a trip and at least twice per
month); maintaining your vehicle for best
economy (tune up, air filter, wheel bearing,
gear lubes, ATF change); do not overload (if
you can help this); and drive slower.
One point, if you caught it, was to not overinflate the tires. This can lead to wandering
if you have the pressure too high and poor
braking on loose surfaces (and slippery conditions). You can wear the tires quicker by
presenting less tread on the road. Once the
center is gone, it’s time to replace the tire. If
you have oversized tires on your truck that
can carry more weight than stock, a good
pressure to start with is around the OEM
specs. Then if you live on a street with pavement that will show marks, you can spread
a patch of chalk on the street, drive through
this chalk and see the pattern. If you see a
nice full footprint that shows all the markings
of your tire pattern (side to side), then great,
you have good tire pressure. If you only see
part of the side-to-side pattern, then you may
still have too much pressure. Once you find
the ideal pressure for your tire, you can then
monitor it. If you have an excessively overinflated tire, your ride will be harsher and you
are only typically affecting the mpg by a little
bit on these heavy trucks.
Looking at the sidewall, you can see how
much weight the tire should be able to carry
at the maximum pressure. This is the max rat-
ing and I personally only use this in the rear
when I have loaded my truck down a bunch
or when towing. I may not even go to that
extreme. Most of the time, with a full load in
my 80, I run about 40 psi in the rear and
35 in the front. I do have a drawer system,
extra 40-gallon tank with fuel, tire carrier,
fridge, food and gear, plus a roof rack with
gear. The last time I checked my fully loaded
80 with me on the scale at a truck stop, I
was at 6,750 lbs. And I still needed to add
the wife and kids.
The chalk method can also let you see what
the tire footprint looks like at different tire
pressures. Sort of a fun experiment if you do
not have much to do one Saturday. Lets you
see how tire pressure affects the length of the
contact patch and shows that at a certain
pressure, the contact grows not that much
more. More information for when you are
on the trail and need to know how your tires
perform at different pressures.
If your vehicle is not stock (most of us do
not have stock vehicles), you will have
changed things mostly for the worst. When
I was younger (around the time of Woolly
Mammoths, according to the kids), I had
an 85 4Runner that did great on fuel when
stock. I rebuilt the motor, put headers on, a
new cam and got better fuel economy. Well
over 24 mpg with a load, extra fuel tank,
bigger tires, no re-gear. That was a nice
return on the fuel I put in.
With today's modern engines and EFI systems, this is harder to do. On the 80 series,
I did not get the fuel economy return that I
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
was looking for when I rebuilt the engine and re-geared the truck. So
I made it heavier by adding an extra fuel tank to get back the range
I wanted. It is nice to have in-flight refueling. I do wish that Toyota
would offer us here in the US the option of getting an extra fuel tank.
And I drive slower and hit the roads that are not traveled as often.
Take the time to see more things on the way. Many of us drive older
vehicles that were not designed for the highway speeds we have
today. Then we wonder why we do not get good fuel economy.
Putting the Beep Back Into an FJ62
I recently was working on an FJ62 for a good friend in Santa Fe,
New Mexico. His horn would not work when cold but when the
temperature was warm, it would work. I took apart the plastic shroud
around the steering column and cleaned up the connections the best I
could (without taking the steering wheel off). When this did not work,
I removed the steering wheel. I cleaned all really well and it worked
after putting it all back together. It was a warm afternoon so the next
morning I went to make sure it worked—it did not. But what I did not
notice the first time around was that when I put the steering wheel
back on, the steering wheel was not pushing down the spring-loaded
contact. This did not allow for good contact. I again removed the
plastic around the steering column and the steering wheel. I then
removed the turn signal assembly from the steering column. I then
flipped the turn signal assembly over and noticed that there was a
c-clip that did not allow the contact from going through the retainer
in the assembly. There was a wire on the end of the contact that
was a tight slip fit. Anyhow, I removed the wire and the c-clip and
replaced the spring with a spring from a ballpoint pen. This spring
was a bit longer and stronger than the stock one. I put the contact
back in and used the wire slip fit connection to not allow the contact
to come through the assembly. This in effect gained me about 3/16"
more travel. This was enough to allow the horn to work for a yet
undetermined time period. So if you have similar horn problems, take
the time to take it all apart and check it out. This little trick could save
you from replacing the turn signal assembly.
Block Corrosion
I do a bunch of engine work. One thing I am seeing more of is that
the block is not flat. In looking at the block to determine if it needs to
be removed for a resurface (maybe even a rebuild), I am also seeing
more etching and pitting on the surface of the block. After cleaning
the block real well (with whatever method you like), I use a true bar
and feeler gauges to help me determine if all is well. To me, one
of the most critical areas is where the firing ring sets on the block.
Recently I have seen 2 blocks that needed to be removed from the
truck and sent to a machine shop because there was not enough
metal under where the firing ring sets to seal the combustion out of
the cooling. While you may not notice this at first, after you assemble
the engine back together, some time down the road, you will. This
lower section will allow combustion gasses to get into the coolant
and over time, will break down the gasket and the surface of the
block. Thus leading to another head gasket failure in the future.
Note the corrosion evident on the cylinder—not terrible but definitely not
good.
Todd Had a Good Idea?
In one of the last issues of Trails, a question was asked, if I have any
tricks to help get fan belts on an FJ60 or FJ62. In my response, I did
not have any real tricks, just time-honored methods. Todd had suggested cutting the fan shroud. Well, I worked on a truck just recently
that had the fan shroud cut in half (horizontally). This was a first for
me. While I did not need to work on the belts, this looked OK. I still
would not take the time to take this off, as I would need to mess with
the A/C condenser that can sometimes be a pain, but it was clean
and supported the shroud well. I could see where it could save some
time once it was done. So here is a different approach to doing the
fan belts. To do this, I believe that you would need to remove the fan
(4 nuts on the studs on the fan clutch). Then you would remove the
shroud and cut it in half. Install the lower half and the fan back on
the fan clutch, then install the upper shroud. Good luck with this.
Take a look at the photo here. If you look at the lower right quadrant
of the cylinder, you will see a very thin margin of silver next to the
cylinder wall. On the other side of this is a low dark spot from etching and corrosion. While this is not as bad as I have recently seen,
it is close. On the right side of the margin of silver, it is .002 lower
than the surface of the rest of the block. If there were no margin at
all, I would send the block out to get surfaced. One of the recent
blocks I saw was one that a friend did himself about a year ago.
He was leaking fluid and getting little bubbles in the overflow when
doing the bubble test and decided while I was around to do the
head gasket again. He found the coolant leak; it was one of the
freeze plugs at the back of the head. The compression leaks were
coming from not having any margin of metal for the firing ring to set
on. One place on his block was .002 lower than the surface of the
block. His decision was to pull the block and do a minor rebuild on
the block. The machine shop he used would not mill the block with
the pistons and crank in the block. So he cleaned his pistons, had
17
the machine shop hone the block very slightly and he installed new
rod bearings and piston rings. The main bearings were near new
looking. The pistons cleaned up very well. There was no abnormal
cylinder wall wear. So when he is finished with this project, he
should have a good running engine for a bunch of years ahead.
So what can we attribute the etching or corrosion to? All coolant has
corrosion inhibitors and stabilizers for electrolysis. Over time, these
additives break down. So I think the biggest cause is not changing
out the coolant often enough. Next are head gasket materials and
dissimilar metals in the engine and cooling system. Big rig truck
engines usually have sacrificial anodes to allow the coolant to attack
instead of the engine components. Some cooling systems on the big
rigs also have filters with extra additives to help fight the electrolysis.
There have been some great discussions on some of the different
forums as to what you and I can do to prevent this. Some have gone
so far as to install a Fleetguard filter and head for coolant to pass
through and keep up the additives in the coolant. One way is to do
a flush and fill yearly with whatever type of coolant you choose to
use. I do not believe that the long life coolant is as long life as the
manufacturers believe. The high dollar coolants need to be flushed
and filled yearly in most of our older rigs, in my opinion. It is all a
choice—good luck with this.
Extracting a Wagon Radiator
The first time a person goes to remove a radiator from a Cruiser
wagon (FJ60/62, 80), he or she may wonder how in the world do
you get to the 2 upper bolts? All you usually see is two round washers with a welded stud end, no hex head or nut. Well, some pull the
grill and then undo the condenser (usually 4 or more bolts that can
be a pain to remove as well) to get to the 2 nuts. That seems a bit
difficult to me so I go about it a little differently. I remove the cross
member that holds the latch assembly. It usually is 3 bolts on each
side, some bolts that hold different stuff on to the cross member. Then
I can sneak in a long handle gear wrench to get the nuts off. This
has been easier for me over the years for both the 60/62 and the
80 series Cruisers. On the 80 series, you need to remove the latch
from the frame member and remove the center support from the frame
member. Typically with 80s as well, you will need to remove the battery box. Of course I put it back the same way that I found it.
You’re Grounded
If you have some funny stuff going on with your electrical systems,
check your ground wires. Even if they look good, pull them off and
clean the terminal and the area where they are mounted. If you want
to help control corrosion, use some silicone dielectric grease. This
will help the ground maintain good contact for many years. Not only
do this to the first one that you touch, do it to all of your grounds.
Dielectric grease is a helpful product. I usually use the grease to
help with the connections of my wiring harness. This grease will do
many great things. It helps the seals to stay lubricated, helps keep out
water, helps when you next need to take things apart. Keep a tube
18
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
around when you work on any electrical
connection. One other great use for this stuff
is when you work with o-rings that will not
stay in place while you assemble your work.
Like when you have something to mount and
it is vertical. Your o-ring needs to stay with
the part you are attaching to the vertical
plain. Use a little bit of this grease and the
o-ring will stay while you are installing the
part. You will thank yourself later.
glass cap. The first turn on all I got was rust
with water. So I did it for 5 gallons until I got
good fuel from the line before it goes into the
carb. It runs fine now, the only thing is that
when I feel it warm and the temp. gauge is
not going up and the truck won’t start back
up. Will the temp sensor have anything to
do with that? And is there any way I can
get a layout of where all the vacuum lines
belong?
Thank you for your time, B. Mejia
Bits & Pieces
Most of us do wheel bearings from time to
time (hopefully every 30k miles or less). One
trick I was describing to a buddy the other
day is for this task. On the front solid axle,
after you get to the nut that’s next to the thrust
washer, loosen and remove this nut, the thrust
washer and the outer bearing. Put the nut
back on the spindle until it is even with the
end of the spindle. Grab the rotor with both
hands at approximately the 3 and 9 o’clock
positions. Push back towards the dust plate to
give a little slop. Then pull hard towards you.
Hopefully if you pull hard enough, you will
leave the inner bearing and the seal on the
spindle. Just a little trick that helps you save a
step or two. All you have to do now is take
off the nut to get the bearing to clean it up.
On a final note, take the time to look at the
TLCA website. Look at some of the discussions going on in some of the threads of the
forums. Take a little time to get involved with
the TLCA and your local club. The world is
changing and if you do not take the time
to get involved with stuff that you are passionate about, it will change without your
involvement, for better or worse.
Have fun with the spring and summer; keep
the wheels on the ground and your eye
peeled to wonderful sights we have to see
as we travel this wonderful earth.
Mysteries of a 1987 FJ60
Hi Robbie,
For some reason, I’ve had my carb rebuilt
by TLC Performance. I installed my carb
and instead of connecting the gas line to
the carb, I cleaned the fuel tank and the fuel
lines. I poured fuel into the carb and put a
rubber hose to the fuel and let it purge into a
Hello B. Mejia:
First, what part of the world are you located
in? This will have a bearing on what vacuum
diagram to use. Your best source for a diagram would be for the country you live in. If
you live in the USA, you can get a field service manual for your year. If this truck was a
USA version, on the inner fender there was a
diagram (on passenger side) for your vacuum
hoses. If this is gone, you might be able to
get a new one from Specter Offroad. I think
Toyota may no longer produce this diagram.
I had tried several years ago to get one for
a 1988 FJ62 and could not. Maybe this has
changed.
As for restarts with a warm engine, all vacuum hoses should be hooked up properly.
First place to look is if you have the proper
amount of fuel in the bowl (look in the sight
glass). Next is if the choke is working properly and releasing to allow no restriction. If
all the vacuum hoses are hooked up right,
then you should be good to go.
Is the accelerator pump working properly
(will it squirt fuel into the throat of the carb)?
Did the carburetor come adjusted? You did
not mention if you adjusted the idle and the
fuel mixture setting. If all the vacuum hoses
are not hooked up, then your start problem
could be attributed to this. If the carb did not
come adjusted, then you will need to do this
as well. A Field Service Manual is your best
friend if you plan on keeping this FJ60 for
many years to come. It has specs and pictures
that will make it easy to work on your 60.
The FSM or a Max Ellery’s repair manual
would do you good. I have found the USA
versions of Chilton’s not to be very helpful
and a waste of money. I believe that I got
my copy of Max Ellery’s manual from Specter
Offroad.
As for the temp gauge not working, again,
a field service manual would give you some
specs to work with. The first place I would
look is the fuse that supplies the power for
this circuit. Next is to test the sending unit to
see if it has shorted out or is open (meaning
no flow of electricity). This is done with a volt
ohmmeter, set to ohms or sound closed circuit
test. The FSM will have specs for you. If the
sensors check out, then either the gauge or
the wiring is at fault. The temp sensor should
not have anything to do with the engine not
starting.
Do you have enough coolant in the radiator
and overflow tank? Only look in the radiator
when the radiator is cool to touch. If you do
not have coolant in the radiator, the gauge
may not work.
If you can answer some of the questions I
have asked, I may be able to help you further if you want.
Thanks, Robbie
Magical Mystery Part
Hi Robbie,
I have recently acquired another Land
Cruiser for the herd. This one is a 1984
FJ60. I wanted something simpler to work
on than the 98 UZJ100 and bigger than the
75 FJ40. The other day I was pondering the
mass of vacuum tubes under the hood of my
new beauty and noticed an open vacuum
connection on the air cleaner. Referring to
the vacuum diagram sticker, I saw it was
supposed to connect to a small gizmo and
from there to the distributor. After a quick
trip to the local auto parts store, I replaced
the missing section of vacuum tube. So far
I haven’t noticed any difference in how the
truck runs. Since all this vacuum control stuff
is new to me, could you tell me what the
missing parts does?
Dan Johnson
Hello Dan:
I think it is the valve that allows air from the
cabin into the distributor to vent the fumes
of the spark of the rotor and distributor cap.
This air is then sucked into the air cleaner.
This is one way Toyota used to keep water
out of the distributor and still allow the venting that is necessary inside the distributor.
One hose should be hooked up to an electrical vacuum switch that is turned on at certain
times to allow the flow of air from the cabin
19
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20
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
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21
PLAY NICE
Stay on designated
trails and be
courteous.
to the air cleaner. It’s a fairly clever way to help the F series engine
drive in stream crossings.
Have fun with the old iron.
Later, Robbie
LED Bulbs Causing Problems?
Robbie,
I recently upgraded to LED bulbs in the cluster in my 1995 FZJ80.
The next morning, I went to drive to work and my A/TP light came
on as soon as I put the rig in gear. I originally thought about the
bulbs, but dismissed it because the light is not on when in park and
the light is extremely bright when in gear (unlike the air bag light,
which will be dimly lit if there’s an LED bulb). The transfer case feels
like it is definitely in gear.
Ige
Hello Ige:
FullPage(bw)wBleed
2/7/05
2:38 PM
Page 1
The condition that I know of when the light comes on for sure (without looking at the FSM) is when the temp sensor reads too high. The
other is when the shifter is in neutral for the t-case. So I agree that
maybe you did not create this with adding LED lights to your dash so
then you can look at the sensor for the shifter for the t-case. Or look
at the sensor for the ATF. Either you are grounding out the switch for
the neutral indicator or the temp sensor is grounding out. Or a wiring
harness glitch is happening. Is coolant dumping on to the wiring harness from the PHH or that coolant pipe? This can cause some shorting of wires sometimes as well.
Later, Robbie
Rebuilding Land Cruiser Engines
Robbie,
Is there anyone in the New England area that can rebuild a Land
Cruiser engine for a reasonable price? I blew the engine on my 95
Land Cruiser but everything else about the truck is great. It seems
impossible to find an engine for less than $2,000 and then there’s
labor. My engine still runs but clearly something blew. It shakes
fiercely and my buddy did a compression test and said it was bad.
Thanks, The Effman Family
Hello Effman Family:
I am sorry to hear that you have some problems with the 1fz engine
in your truck. First thing I would do is find out what is actually the
problem—if it is only a head gasket, which may be repaired for close
to $2,000 (depending on the shop) and what exactly is wrong. So
my first thought is to identify the problem. Take it to a good Toyota
independent shop that has worked on the 80 series Land Cruiser.
One group of guys that could help you with finding a shop is the
Gotham City Land Cruiser club (www.gclcny.com). I am sure that
someone in the club is near you and could suggest a good shop for
your truck.
22
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
If it is a messed up engine (and not just a
head gasket or injector) and you can not
find a used one with low miles for a reasonable price locally, see if you can find one
on eBay or Craigslist (I have had a couple
of buddies find good deals on eBay). You
may be able to find one under $2,000. But
before I put that in, I would have the head
gasket done, the oil pan resealed and the
front and rear crank replaced. Why you
may ask? It is a whole bunch cheaper (and
easier) to do all this work outside of the truck
than in between the frame rails.
Toyota engines are not cheap to rebuild
with factory parts. I just rebuilt one for a
customer about 3 weeks ago. His cost on
parts exceeded $3,000 really quickly. The
machine shop was another $800 or so for
the block and head work. And labor is labor
and only should be looked at in the local
market area. You would be looking at 35-40
hours to R&R the engine and rebuild it. I
do not know what your market charges for
labor. Aftermarket parts can be hit and miss
for Toyota products. I personally would stay
away from parts made in China (but their
quality is getting better all the time). I use
Toyota parts and a multi-layer steel head gasket if the customer desires. Beware of some
of the aftermarket head gasket kits and full
rebuild kits that may contain the older style
of head gasket that Toyota has upgraded
from. The new head gasket has more steel
in the design. This allows the head gasket to
remain more stable.
I hope you can find what you want for the
price you want.
Good luck, Robbie
What To Do With This FJ40?
Robbie,
Just a little dilemma. I have a 76 Cruiser
FJ40 and it has many miles and signs of
age i.e. rust, dents and dings. I was going
to restore it and then looked at the cost and
decided that it was easier to junk it and
start over. A friend said to me, the body is
thrashed, the frame is good, the motor is
supposed to be rebuilt, no one knows how
long or miles ago, just the infamous recently.
Which as you know, can mean anything.
The motor sounds good but runs stumbling.
I did drive it home 250 miles sight unseen
when I bought it. The odometer says 127K
last time it worked. Steering well! Good
hardtop. Rusted through floorboards driver
side and rear fenders around wheel wells. I
hope you are getting the idea?
The question is that I have a small block
V8, auto trans, both with 12K miles, 203
and 205 t-cases, a Dana 60 w/ARB and a
Corp 14 Bolt w/Detroit 4.56 gears, many
brackets and assorted this, that and the
other. Enough to build a new something.
The dilemma is that most of my Toyota
friends are purists and a couple of other
friends are get ‘er done kinds. I fall somewhere in the middle.
I want to wheel the Rubicon and other trails
with a very capable vehicle and I like the
sort of people I have met that are Toyota
enthusiasts. Most importantly, my son followed in my footsteps and is in the USMC
and will deploy for the third time in Sept.
And I want to be done when he returns. Any
advice for the Toyota learner?
Utahbeemer76usmc
Hello Utahbeemer76usmc:
I really do not know what you are asking of
me. So I will venture to guess. Is it OK in the
TLCA bible if you make a tube buggy or use
a frame and build a running Cruiser with a
bunch of parts taken from other trucks or rigs?
If this is your question, then I do not know
what the TLCA bible says. But hey, we are a
group of good-natured guys and gals out having fun in our public lands (for the most part).
I would say if you want to build it and you
have the gumption to start with a 40 frame
and have a tube chassis or other combo,
then have fun. I see a Utah bit in your e-mail
address. You may want to check with local
laws to see if this will be a trailer queen or a
road warrior. Utah has some real interesting
laws as well do most states. So I would start
with what your objective may be and then
check the laws to see if the two will mesh.
There are lots of Toyota bodied rigs that
start out with one thing or the other and then
progress to a different form. As long as it
is safe to drive and meets the laws you are
working with, it’s all good. I have a friend
that had a beautiful Tacoma that was lifted
and solid axle. He rolled it once and fixed
it. The next time he rolled it, most sheet metal
was ruined. He then tubed it and made it a
buggy for his family that is safe and fun to
use. But it became a trailer queen and could
not be driven legally on the road anymore.
Choices are fun if you have the time, energy
and tools. Have fun.
Later, Robbie
FJ62 With a Custom Lift?
Robbie,
Hey, I have a 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser
FJ62 and am trying to figure the cheapest
way to put a lift on it so I can run at least
35" tires. Every Toyota person I talk to says
my suspension setup is so odd that they have
never seen it before. It is all stock but solid
all the way. I want it to be one of a kind
but a current divorce has caused financial
struggles and makes it harder to make my
Toy the way I want it for me!
I would like to know if you could give me
any insight on what I need to do. Should
I go with a suspension lift or a body lift?
What’s easier? What all do I have to change
to make fitting 35" tires under it possible?
Please let me know which direction to go.
Thanks, Randy Rue, Amarillo, Texas
Hello Randy:
So, you make it sound like you have a nonstock suspension. Can you give me some
hints on your truck’s setup and currently what
size tires you are on? Body lifts have their
plusses and negatives. This depends on how
high the body lift is, of course. I personally
like suspension lifts as you are usually getting
more suspension that is functional if you do
it right. Maybe a balance of both would fit
your needs.
Spring over is usually one way to achieve
what you want with minimal out of pocket
costs if you do your own work. But many
that do a SOA usually do a shackle reversal
at the same time. This requires welding and
some reworking of the steering. When doing
a SOA, the rear axle usually gets a locating
rod to prevent too much pinion up and down
movement, which has been known to break
pinions under certain conditions.
What are you trying to build this truck for?
Expedition or rock crawling or somewhere
in between? Why 35" tires? 35" (even 33")
tires would require re-gearing the differentials
and you would be way out of the power
band of the 3FE for normal use.
Later, Robbie
23
Event Calendar
Leaky BJ45
Most TLCA chapters organize trail runs and social meetings for their
members. If you are not affiliated with any chapter, this is a great
opportunity to meet some local Cruiserheads, see their rigs, and
exchange stories—who knows, you might enjoy the company so much
that you’ll become a member right there and then. Look up your nearest chapter in the Chapter Directory.
C o mi n g
up
Cruise Moab
i n
20 09
McGrew Trail Ride
April 29–May 3, 2009, Moab, Utah
TLCA Sanctioned Event hosted by
Rising Sun Four Wheel Drive Club
Contact: Tim Nakari, (303) 250–7573, or
Matt Farr, (303) 770–1069
July 25, 2009, O’Brien, Oregon
TLCA Sanctioned Event
hosted by Pacific Mountain Cruisers
Contact: Jeff Bomke, (707) 457–3692
Great Smoky Mountain Trail
Ride
August 8, 2009, Jefferson County Stadiums,
Lakewood, Colorado
Contact: Ige Gustavson, (303) 416–0362
June 15–21, 2009, Tellico Plains, Tennessee
hosted by Upstate Cruisers
Contact: Marshall Shepherd,
trollhole@upstatecruisers.net or
(864) 414–0563
Great American Toyota
Offroad Rally
June 17–21, 2009, Rubicon Trail, California
TLCA Hosted Event
Contact: Tony Twiddy, (707) 431–0604, or
Rubithon@tlca.org, or TCTwiddy@comcast.net
PMC Swap Meet
Cruisin’ The Woods 2009
July 11, 2009, Petaluma, California
Hosted by Pacific Mountain Cruisers
Contact: Ron Safreno, (707) 321–7960
Coal Mine Cruiser Classic
July 9–11, 2009,
Rausch Creek Off–Road Park, Joliet, PA
hosted by the Gotham City Land Cruisers
Contact: David Crum, (973) 600–9178 or
fj40s@optonline.net
Black Hills Cruiser Classic
July 15–18, 2009, Black Hills, South Dakota
hosted by Dakota Territory Cruisers
Contact: Greg Mumm, (605) 718–9125
September 29, 2009,
Brown’s Camp, Oregon
TLCA Open Event
hosted by Cascade Cruisers
Contact: Gary Kipp, ctw2009@verizon.net
Southern Cruiser Crawl
October 9–11, 2009,
Superlift ORV Park, Hot Springs, Arkansas
hosted by the CottonLand Cruisers
Contact: Jeff Murrah, (601) 954–9558 or
info@cottonlandcrusiers.com
N o n - S a n cti o n e d
Ozark Cruiser Crawl
June 5-7, 2009, Superlift ORV Park,
Hot Springs, Arkansas
For more information:http://forum.ih8mud.
com/trails-events-expeditions/
5th Annual Cruiser Days
July 11, 2009,
Deas Island Regional Park,
Delta, B.C., Canada
Hosted by Coastal Cruisers
Contact: Bill Wilkinson, omriv@telus.net
FJ45 Run
September 5-7, 2009,
Deer Valley, California
Contact: Georg Esterer,
georgesterer@yahoo.com
24
I don't know if this is the proper way to go but being on the road
all the time, it is easier for me to write an email than to post to a
forum.
We have been losing water on our BJ45, 3B engine. I replaced
a few freeze plugs that were leaking but this did not resolve
anything. Something else must be wrong. I will have to look for a
place where we can put the whole system under pressure so as
to see if there are more leaks.
Do you know why my overflow bottle is always empty? It
shouldn’t be, should it?
Rising Sun Rally
September 24–27, 2009, Southern Missouri
Offroad Ranch, Seymour, Missouri
A TLCA Open Event
hosted by Green Country Cruisers,
Ozark Mountain Cruisers, Tornado Alley
Cruisers, Tall Corn Cruisers, AR TTORA
and Gateway Cruisers
Registration at www.gatorevent.com
21st Annual Rubithon
Hey Robbie,
Ev e n ts
Best regards, Coen Wubbels
Hello Coen:
My first guess on why you do not have coolant in the overflow
is that you are sucking it back in when your engine cools down.
This is preceded by the coolant escaping somewhere, besides
staying in the cooling system. You do have a pressure cap (usually rated at 13 psi or .9 bar), right? So your oil level stays
the same? If you have more oil than before, some of it may be
coolant. Has your oil turned milky colored? If so, you may have
a bad head gasket or a crack in the head or block. I hope this
is not the case and you just have some more external leaks.
Besides the engine, how about any heater hose lines or lines
going back to a separate heater in the back of your Cruiser?
Some hard lines have been known to leak on older Cruisers.
When the engine gets warm, the fluid will have some thermal
expansion. This is where the cap comes in. In simple terms, the
cap controls thermal expansion of the fluid up to a point. Then
if the coolant is overheated, it will escape out the cap to the
overflow. Then if the coolant is even more overheated or the cap
is not working right, the overflow is then overfilled and coolant is
then put on the ground. Then when the coolant is cooling, it can
suck it back into the radiator, thus leaving no fluid in the overflow. So if you have leaks (either internal or external), the fluid
goes away or goes into the overflow tank.
6th Annual Fall Crawl
If I am reading your email right, you are always losing coolant
from the overflow bottle, never having too much in it? Do you use
a coolant besides water? If so, are you losing it out the tailpipe?
Usually a sweet smell mixed with the exhaust (again a bad head
gasket) can be detected in this case.
8th Annual Surf N Turf
If you can find a shop with a pressure tester that replaces the
radiator cap, you may be able to use this tool to find all the
external leaks.
October 2-3, 2009,
Rausch Creek Off Road Park,
Joliet, Pennsylvania
Hosted by Bay To Blue Ridge Cruisers
Contact: John Embrey, (540) 850-6248 or
jmembrey@comcast.net
November 6-8, 2009,
Pismo Beach, California
Contact: Jim Brantley,
(805) 474-9265
Hope all is well real soon, Robbie
Photo by Robbie Antonson
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
COAL MINE CRUISER CLASSIC
ten years of fun in the sun
and the rain
and the dust
and the mud
and the rocks
Join us at the 10th Annual Coal Mine Cruiser Classic
July 9-11, 2009 at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park, PA
for applications and info please visit
www.gclcny.com
25
A First Timer’sExper
by Alvin Kuenster
It all started as I was driving home from work and there she
was on the corner. A cherry 1994 with an ugly front bumper
and cheap roof rack. I was in love. I drove past her for a
few days, then broached the subject with The Boss. She had
always liked the look of the 80 series and was agreeable to
getting one. I robbed Peter to pay Paul on some things and
freed up enough funds to make my purchase. She was mine!
I then began the Internet search for other Cruiserheads and resources—little did
I know the super-size can-o-worms I was opening. First, I found TLCA. I sent in
a request for information and was sent a membership application along with a
copy of Trails. The issue featured 80s on the Con. A great magazine chock full of
rigs just like mine! Now I was really hooked. I joined immediately and continued
my search for Cruiser stuff. I asked around about lifting my Cruiser and one guy
said he had heard of Old Man Emu and that some guy in Colorado sells it. I
Googled Old Man Emu and came up with ARB and was then pointed towards
Slee Offroad.
Alvin and Zoe Kuenster pose for a father-daughter
moment in the sun.
After lifting my rig, I continued my search for information and someone suggested
I try IH8MUD. Once I found MUD, I saw the horizon open up in front of me. My
eyes were sparkling with wonder and anticipation. What a great resource! From
MUD, I found my local club, Copper State Cruisers, and started to make friends
in the Cruiser world. I started learning about the capabilities of my rig and some
driving skills to boot.
Meanwhile, I had been reading each issue of Trails and I started to dream of the
time I could go to a TLCA event. The rigs, the trails, the people—I wanted to be
26
rience
The Nevada backcountry provided a perfect
place for Zoe to explore.
a part of it. This seemed like the perfect way
to include my family in outdoor activities. I
began taking my daughter on almost all of
my off-road adventures. She loved it and I
knew that when the time was right, I would
pack up the rig, put my girl in the 80 and
make a trip to a TLCA event.
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
in Las Vegas and if necessary we could ditch
the event and go see Grandma. Plans and
preparations were made and my excitement
level rose throughout the summer. I talked the
event up to my club and gained the interest
of two other members to join Zoe and I as
the Copper State contingent.
It was a mad scramble to make sure all was
ready for the event. My stereo deck started
to fry and I didn’t even get the gears and
front locker finished until ten days before
the event. There was just enough time to
put some easy miles on them before I hit
the highway to Nevada. Then I made sure
everything was oiled, greased, tightened
and cleaned up for the trip. Tools, spare
parts and fluids were organized and
packed. Camping gear was packed and
food was purchased and ready to put in the
cooler.
Zoe and I were tingling with anticipation. As
we set off from Tucson at 5 a.m., my mind
began to race. How would my girl handle
this, how would the rig take the road trip,
would I have a catastrophic head gasket
failure in the middle of nowhere? Aaaaahhh!
As the sun began to rise on our first day of
the adventure, I realized it was going to be
OK. Tortuga ran beautifully and the road trip
was fun. Zoe fell asleep and I stared at the
road in front of me thinking about what was
about to unfold. We made it to Mesquite
and Zoe woke up and we hit the dirt road
to the camp spot. My grin grew from ear to
ear and Zoe couldn’t sit still.
We were one of the first to arrive so we
had lots of good choices for camp spots.
We introduced ourselves and set up camp.
The tent went up and the bedding went in
and some warmer clothes were donned.
We chatted with Steve, Vicki and Matt
from Southern Nevada Land Cruisers and
watched others arrive for the event. The FJ
Cruiser Trail Teams rolled into camp with
2 FJs and trailers of gear in tow. I couldn’t
believe we were finally at a TLCA event! I
must have told everyone who would listen
that this was our first event and first fatherdaughter trip. We finally settled into the tent
for the night and listening to the soft sound of
my girl sleeping, all I could think about was
tomorrow’s run.
We chose the easy, scenic run for our first
day. Steve led the run and with us we had
Doug and Sue from Alberta in a BJ74,
Mark in his blue FJ45 pickup, a couple of FJ
Cruisers, a 62, some 80’s and various other
rigs. The trail was beautiful and Zoe and I
enjoyed the day of easy driving and taking
pictures.
Once back at camp, the Trail Teams set
about making dinner for everyone and
showing movies of their adventures. We got
to meet many more people and Zoe was
quickly becoming the camp sweetheart. Tales
were told and Mark broke out his guitar and
began singing. As the cold beers flowed,
the singing grew louder and everyone was
in great spirits. As I put Zoe to sleep, I lay in
the tent listening to the reverie around the fire.
Then the mods list got kicked into overdrive.
My wife wondered what she had done,
agreeing to this whole Land Cruiser thing.
They say that beauty is in the eye of the
beholder and to me, “Tortuga” is a thing of
beauty. 4" lift with OME springs, 315/75
r16 Cooper Discoverer STT tires on black
steel rims, custom front bumper, Slee sliders,
transfer case plate and rear control arms,
flareless and Durabak’d, homemade storage
deck in the rear, 700 watt stereo, custom
exhaust, 4.88 gears, ARB front locker and
Aussie rear locker…. She was ready to
make her appearance at the ball.
I chose the 30th annual Glitter Gulch
Gambol for our first TLCA event. This event
was held in October and I decided now
was the time to see if Zoe and I could handle a trip away from home and away from
mom for 5 days. Worst case, my parents live
What I had been waiting to see—Cruisers at a TLCA event!
27
Pacific Mountain Cruisers & TLCA bring you
the 9th Annual
July 25, 2009
Join us for a day-long ride
on the historic McGrew
Trail as we travel from
O’Brien, OR to our camp
on the wild and scenic
Smith River, CA. Our route
will follow a wagon trail through
one of the most remote parts of northern California
and southern Oregon and the remains of the largest
Oregon fire of the century.
Highlights
S tock rigs are welcomed and encouraged
◆ Exclusively TLCA members—inquire to become a member
◆ Potluck dinner & camping on the banks of the mighty Smith River
◆ Only $40/vehicle registration—
covers run T-shirt & dash plaque
More Info:
◆ TLCA Sanctioned
Jeff Bomke (707) 457-3692
◆ Incredible vistas
or bomkehome@hughes.net
◆ Opportunities to explore
Tony Twiddy (415) 431-0604
or cruiserfan@att.net
◆ Limited to 75 vehicles
◆
R e g i s t r at i o n F o r m
(please print)
Deadline July 7, 2009.
Name_ _________________________________________
Address_________________________________________
City______________________ State____ Zip_ ________
Phone or Email___________________________________
Model and Year Toyota____________________________
TLCA #_ __________________ Driver’s T-shirt size_____
Registration Fee ($40 per truck)
________
Extra shirts by pre-order only $20 each
No./Size: S___ M___ L___ XL___
________
Total ________
Payment by check or money order only!
Make payable to Jeff Bomke
No refunds after July 7, 2009
Mail full payment and
registration form to:
28
Jeff Bomke
PO Box 273
Gasquet, CA 95543
Saturday dawned and we decided to take the moderate trail this
time. It started up the canyon from camp into a boulder strewn creek
bed. Going was a little slow at first as everyone got into the technical driving. Somehow I managed to shear off 2 valve stems and
I was sitting on the side of the trail thinking, “How am I gonna fix
this?” Along came the trail leader, Joel, with spare valve stems and
Robbie and the SNLC president schooled me on how to break a
bead with my Hi-Lift and replace the stems. We reseated the tires
with my CO2 tank and in about half an hour we were back on the
trail. Everyone pulled together and helped the guy in need. The rest
of the trail went smoothly and I was happy to have learned a new
trick and I got the opportunity to use my new front locker.
Back at camp for the evening, the SNLC crew was cooking up a
feast. The cold beers flowed and out came the guitar. Laughter and
friendship ensued and once again I listened to the sound of singing
as I put Zoe to sleep.
The next morning, Zoe and I picked up garbage around our camp,
packed up, said our goodbyes and headed on to Vegas to spend a
couple days with the folks before heading back to Tucson. This trip
was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I made friends, put
faces to names and finally tasted a nice piece of the TLCA culture.
Every one of the people I met will remain in my fond memories.
Thanks to SNLC and TLCA for a great first time! That’s what it’s all
about.
Photos by Alvin Kuenster
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Chapter Directory
Alamo City Land Cruisers
714 Arizona Ash
San Antonio, TX 78232
Brett Naquin
(210) 393-5922
alamocitylandcruisers@gmail.com
Battle Born Cruisers of
Northern Nevada
Dan R. Johnson
806 Packer Way
Sparks, NV 89431
rusty.tlc@gmail.com
www.battleborncrusiers.org
Bay to Blue Ridge Cruisers
John Embrey
873 Kellogg Mill Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22406
jmembrey@adelphia.net
Bayou State Land Cruiser
Assoc.
P.O. Box 271
Youngsville, LA 70592
www.forum.ih8mud.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107
www.bslca.com
info@bslca.com
Beach ’N Toys
Ron Parker
654 McGavran DR.
Vista, CA.92081
rparker46@hotmail.com
mail@beachntoys.com
wwwbeachntoys.com
Bluegrass Cruisers
Thom Placier
123 Winners Circle
Georgetown, KY 40324
(502) 316-3590
Buckeye Birfield Syndicate
Mark Van Meter
2700 Zollinger Road
Upper Arlington, Ohio 43221
(614) 306-4866
Capital Land Cruiser Club
Felix Stump
517A E. Howell Ave.
Alexandria, VA 22301
(240) 997-9244
felixstump@gmail.com
Cascade Cruisers
Bill Wright
billybongo63@msn.com
(503) 539-1705
Channel Islands Cruisers
Oxnard, CA
Ken Welch
(805) 485-5740
kenwelch1@verizon.net
Central Valley Crawlers
Cacy Frazier
2710 Bright St.
Tulare, CA 93274
(559) 303-3798
megolfer21@comcast.net
www.centralvalleycrawlers.org
Coastal Cruisers
Steven Tetu
81 Moray Street
Port Moody, BC V2H 3M2
(604) 461-3540
cruiser@uniserve.com
Colorado Land Cruisers
Mark Janzen
6 Studio Pl. Unit B
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
(719) 473-7257
info@coloradolandcruisers.org
www.coloradolandcruisers.org
CottonLand Cruisers
Jeff Murrah
P.O. Box 5071
Jackson MS 39296
601-954-9558
murrah40@bellsouth.net
Dakota Territory Cruisers
Rhonda Mumm
P O Box 2238
Rapid City, SD 57709
605-718-9125
rhondamumm@rushmore.com
www.dakotacruisers.com
Minnesota Toyx4’s
Greg Kemper
P O Box 270574
Vadnais Heights, MN 55127
651-429-3989
gkemper@aol.com
www.mntoyx4.com
Southeast TLCA
Roger Theurer
2124 Walden Ridge Rd
Manchester, TN 37355
(931) 841-0672
RgrTheurer@aol.com
www.stlca.org
Deep South Cruisers
Hal Hall
1445 Caribbean Circle
Alabaster, AL 35007
205-664-8723
halhall@bellsouth.net
Mountain Transit Authority
Phil Johnson
905 Susan Ct.
Gilroy, CA 95020
(408) 847-7828
pjohnson@netgate.net
Florida Land Cruiser Assoc.
9680 N Enellia Ave
Citrus Springs FL 34433
JD Dixon
352-637-5399
newsletter@flca.org
www.flca.org
Mountaineer Cruisers
Steve Lindsley
611 Oliver Ave.
Fairmont, WV 26554
info@lindsleyart.com
Southern Nevada Land
Cruisers
John A Day
P O Box 26872
Las Vegas, NV 89126
702-873-4013
john@casaday-hollow.com
www.snlc.org
Georgia Cruisers
Kevin Schulte
180 Allen Road, Suite 104-S
Atlanta, GA 30328
404-307-8502
klschulte@esamjones.com
www.gacruisers.com
Gold Coast Cruisers
Wally Boggess
P.O. Box 681
Somis, CA 93066
(805) 523-7628
mpguy@aol.com
Gotham City Land Cruisers
Metro NY, NJ, CT
www.gclcny.com
Mark Woytovich
markw@gclcny.com
(212) 995-2808
Green Country Cruisers
Deano Kothe
9915 E 136th St N
Collinsville, OK 74021
918-371-3511
ourtlc@aol.com
www.okoffroad.com/gcc
High Desert Cruisers
Shawn Williams
210 Montana Wells
Rio Rancho, NM 87124
swilliams@bernco.gov
www.hdcruisers.org
Hoosier Cruiser Club
Jim Klubens
755 Raccoon Run
Greenwood, IN 46142
jklubens@sbcglobal.net
(317) 881-2682
Jefferson State Cruisers
2208 NW Highland Ave.
Grants Pass, OR 97526
(541) 472-1603
Garett Winn
www.jeffersonstatecruisers.com
info@jeffersonstatecruisers.com
Lone Star Land Cruisers – DFW
Tom Watson
6510 Turner Way
Dallas, TX 75230
469-855-5882
twatson@dallas.net
www.lslc.org
Lone Star Land Cruisers –
Austin
Austin, TX
www.lslc.org
Casey Moore:
seymore@gmail.com
David Gonzalez:
david.gonzalez@gmail.com
Los Angeles County Cruisers
Mark Algazy
437 N. Moss St.
Burbank, CA 91502
(818) 953-9230
www.thetrailcrew.com
Northwest Cruisers of Idaho
Brian Thompson
10438 Lancelot Ave
Boise, Idaho 83704
thusimos@excite.com
www.nwcruisers.com
Northwest Florida Toyota Land
Cruiser Club
Raymond Towner
309 Greenoak Drive
Crestview, FL. 32539
(850) 902-0774
rayray57@hotmail.com
Olde North State Cruisers
Jerry Davis
103 Rosaler Court
Cary, NC 27519
(919) 523-0699
mtbcoach@nc.rr.com
www.oldenorthstatecruisers.com
Pacific Mountain Cruisers
Dave Thomas
12 Margaret Dr.
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 945-0870, ext. 12
dthomas@tiogaconstruction.com
www.pacificmountaincruisers.com
Peace Canyon Toyota Swamp
Donkeys
Charla Downey
9712 92 Street
Fort St. John, B.C. V1J 5C9
(250) 794-1238
pctswampdonkeys@gmail.com
Rain Country Cruisers
Don Hill
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
(360) 424-8962
www.raincountrycruisers.com
Razorback Land Cruisers
Gary Clough
4500 Burrows Ave.
North Little Rock, AR 72116
(501) 912-4524
clough@taggarch.com
www.razorbacklandcruisers.com
Rising Sun Four Wheel Drive
Club of Colorado
Matt Farr
P.O. Box 260175
Lakewood, CO 80226
(303) 918-7099
www.risingsun4x4club.org
Rocky Mountain Land Cruiser
Assoc.
Bruce Loewen,
3321 56 St. NE
Calgary AB
T1Y 3Y7
info@rmlca.ab.ca
www.rmlca.ab.ca
SoCal TLCA
Christopher Farmer
Orange County, CA
(714) 745-1187
www.socallandcruisers.com
South Sound Cruisers
2603 Kempton St. SE
Olympia, WA 98501
southsoundcruisers@yahoo.com
www.southsoundcruisers.org
Tall Corn Cruisers
Art Schramm
418 Main Street
Norwalk, Iowa 50211
(515) 988-9261
packman73@gmail.com
Tornado Alley Cruisers
Chris Rech
1417 Rural St
Emporia, KS 66801
rech.christopher@gmail.com
www.tornadoalleycruisers.com
Toyota 4x4’s of Texas
Greg “Buck” Buchanan
1415 North Loop West, Ste. 740
Houston, TX 77008
(832) 798-9043
www.t4x4t.org
buck@t4x4t.org
Toyota Trail Riders
3308 Preston Road
Ste 350, PMB #207
Plano, TX 75093
(972) 877-4367
valkyrie@toyotatrailriders.com
www.toyotatrailriders.com
Toys 4 Fun
1543 N. Maple, Suite B
Fresno, CA 93703
Membership@toys-4-fun.org
www.toys-4-fun.org
Toys on the Rocks
P.O. Box 546
Placerville CA 95667
David Thomas
dthomas@d-web.com
530-622-6655
The Texas Land Cruiser Club
of Houston
Roy Evans
Roy_Evans@tlcc-houston.org
www.tlcc-houston.org
True North Toyota Landcruisers
Paul K Kozmin
P O Box 176
Moorewood, ON K0A 2R0 Canada
paul_k_kozmin@hotmail.com
www.landcruisers.ca
Upstate Cruisers
Steve Springs
steve.springs@gmail.com
www.UpstateCruisers.net
Wasatch Cruisers
Troy DeMill
2747 E. 3600 So.
Salt Lake City, UT 84109
Troy.DeMill@imail.org
(801) 274-2469
Washington Timber Toys
P O Box 6561
Bellevue WA 98008
Tim Davidson
425-562-8014
toyfj40tim@aol.com
White Trash of the Elwood
Chapter
Kowboy Holt
Elwood, TX
www.elwoodwhitetrash.com
Yankee Toys
David Morin
9 Elm St.
Windsor, VT 05089
sporin@gmail.com
www.yankeetoys.org
29
Wed July 15: Registration
Thursday, Friday, Saturday
Trail Rides
Registration is $145.00
and includes
The Dakota Territory Cruisers Will host
the 12th Annual Black Hills Cruiser
Classic July 15-18, 2008. The BHCC
2009 will be based out of Wild Bills
Campground (www.wildbillscamp.com)
on Highway 385 and the road to Galena
just minutes from Deadwood. Cabins
are also available, for an extra fee
Questions call : Rhonda Mumm
605-718-9125, 605-391-2171
Black Hills Cruiser Classic July 15-19, 2009 Registration
1 Saturday night meal ticket
Event dash plaque,
4 nights of camping
3 days of trail rides
Passengers are $35.00 and include
x 1 Saturday night dinner ticket
x Event dash plaque
x 4 nights of camping
x 3 days of trail rides
Not camping the event fee is $120.00
and includes all passengers
x 1 Saturday night dinner
x Event dash plaque
x 3 days of trail rides
x
x
x
x
Driver’s name__________________________________________________Phone__________________________
Address________________________________________________City________________State____Zip________
Vehicle type______________________________________e-mail address_________________________________
Camping (includes dinner, dash plaque, 4 nights camping)………………………………….$145.00_____________
# of passengers (includes dinner, dash plaque, 4 nights camping)…………#[ ] ...…..…@ $35.00_____________
Not camping ( includes 1 dinner and dash plaque and passengers)……………………..…..$120.00_____________
# of T-shirts XXL__ XL__ L__ M__ S__ #of Children's t-shirts L__M__S__ ……….…@ $15.00_____________
We accept check__ Visa__ Mastercard __ Please check One
Total______________
Card Number_____________________________________________________ Expiration Date________________
30
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
TERMS
For Sale Items: Members: 15 lines FREE. Each line is
approximately 36 characters long (excess lines will be billed).
• Non-members: $10, up to five lines, $1 per additional line
(payment must be submitted with ad).
• Ads must include Name, City & State
• Ads will run in two issues of Trails – we appreciate if you
notify us if item is sold
Photo Shop ads: $20.00 for members, $30.00 for nonmembers. Submit B&W, color print or slide. Ads run for two
issues but may be extended upon request.
Send ads to: editor@tlca.org or
Toyota Trails, 8 Corbran Drive, Fairview, NC 28730
Photo Shop
1987 BJ70 3B diesel, 5-speed.
This truck has been in sunny
Tennessee and garage kept
for 20 years. Not driven in salt
or slush. Many add-ons: ARB
lockers, Auburn limited slip, 4:56
gears, EMU suspension, sport
seats from a JDM model, etc.
Properly serviced. If you want
a Cruiser that will stay with a
40 on the trail but is almost as
comfortable as an 80 and knocks down 23-24 mpg, this is it. 101,283 miles.
100% reliable and trouble free. Not a project truck but one you can drive
and enjoy. $16,500, Steve at (931) 729-5033 evenings. Centerville, TN
Fo r S a l e
May/June
Parts
• Looking for left and right side manual side mirrors for an FJ62. Used and in
good shape. Contact Charles at (757) 410-4057.
• 20 years of fj 40, 45, 55, 60 cruiser parts. West coast body tubs, windshield frames, trannys, transfers, axles, doors, hoods, boxes of electrical
parts, lamps/lenses etc. Come and look and give me one price for all. Dale
Kowalcyk, Alexandria PA 16611 814-937-9555 cruiser74@comcast.net
• Stuff for my long gone 1996 3.4L 4Runner Limited
Good/Used: Timing Belt; 82C Thermostat
NIB: 2 Front Bilstein shocks #F4-BE5-2450-H0; 2 Rear Bilstein shocks
#F4-BE5-2451-H0; 2 16" Napa #60-1657 winter wipers; 2 17" Bosch #40717A
wipers; Oil Filters 2 Napa Gold #1348, 1 Fram #PH3614; 3 Toyota OEM V-Belt
#99364-20870-78; 3 Toyota OEM V-Belt Vane Pump #99364-21070-83; 2 Toyota
OEM V-Belt Alt. #90080-91090-83; 1 Wagner #7443 Rear Brake/Tail bulb; 2
Wagner #7440 Rear Turn Bulbs
Manuals: Haynes #92076 - Toyota Tacoma '95-'98, 4Runner '96-'98, T100
'93-'98; Chiltons #8163 - Toyota Pickups/Landcruiser/4Runner 1989-1996;
Toyota #EWD264U - 4Runner 1996 Model Electrical Wiring Diagram; Toyota
#RM479U - Automatic Transmission - A340F, A343F; Toyota #RM480U - 1996
4Runner Engine, Chassis, Body, Electric
smokeybreeze@gmail.com, St. Paul, MN
March/April
Vehicles
• 1978 BJ43 Restored to Original - 300,754 KM - B Diesel Engine. Comes w/
original soft-top plus spare. Custom Hardtop currently installed. Toyota
“Freeborn” Red – Beautiful. LHD Truck - Everything is Perfect. Must sell
to make room for 2 BJ70’s. Considering any offers or trades over $US30K.
Contact me via email @ toddsquad2@gmail.com, Ontario, Canada
• 1977 FJ45 Restored to original. 45,758 KM 2F Engine. Newfields, Front
Disc Brakes, Fuel Injection, Electronic Ignition, Power Steering, Two piece
Headers, Full Stainless Exhaust, Belton Australian Suspension. Dune Beige
in Color Beautiful LHD Truck Everything is Perfect. Must sell to make room
for 2 BJ70’s. Considering any offers or trades over. $US20K. Contact me via
email @ toddsquad2@gmail.com, Ontario, Canada
Parts
• FJ40 and FJ55 parts. I have over 40 years of parts in my shop. Give me
a call and I might have what you are looking for. I am located near Santa
Barbara, CA. (805) 558-5437, (805) 686-3088 or www.fj55landcruiser.com
31
18443CabeToyota:Layout 1
1/15/08
9:44 AM
Page 1
FJ55 REPRODUCTION 1/4” GLASS SEALS
These FJ55 cargo weather strips are an excellent
reproduction of the originals made with high quality
materials for factory quality fit and durability.
-DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME-
Each + Tax
OR
Per Pair + Tax
Limited to stock on hand. Prices subject to change without notice.
FJ55 TAILGATE UPPER GLASS SEAL
An excellent quality reproduction made with superior
materials for even better durability than the original.
Each + Tax
-DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOMELimited to stock on hand. Prices subject to change without notice.
32
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
SERIOUS THEFT PROTECTION
& HEAVY DUTY STORAGE
FJ-40 & FJ-Cruiser Stereo
& security consoles, roof
Manufacturing the worlds finest security & storage
storage, light bars,
solutions in the USA since 1989 and backing them
with a LIFETIME WARRANTY. Visit our website with overhead consoles, &
rear cargo secure storage
over 200 different products for over 35 vehicles.
www.tuffyproducts.com/tt 1-866-44-TUFFY (1-866-448-8339)
For years Master-Pull has supplied the off road community with
superior recovery equipment. We introduced both kinetic tow ropes
and synthetic winch lines to the offroad world. Today we continue to
supply the U.S. military, competition rigs, and your average weekend
warrior with the best synthetic ropes and recovery gear available.
has a braided cover that
protects its Superline
core from abrasion making
it the ultimate winch line.
is the strongest rope
of its kind. Period.
5/16” = 21,000 lb
3/8” = 26,500 lb
tow rope uses the power
of kinetic energy which
aids in vehicle extraction
and shock absorbtion.
33
If you are searching for, building,
modifying, or maintaining a Toyota
4WD mini-truck (Pickup, Hilux,
4Runner, Surf or Tacoma), send
your Truck Tech questions to Roger
Brown at TruckEditor@tlca.org or
r.c.brown@ieee.org. I’ll try to answer
your questions with authority! And
please be sure to provide a valid
return address in your e-mail if you
want a faster reply.
with Roger Brown
Tr u c k Te c h
3rd Generation 4Runner
Chassis Dimensions
$50. So that would probably be the most
direct way to get the information you are
looking for.
Hello;
Roger
I’ve been searching for information on
4Runner frames and found your site. I’m
interested in trying to salvage a good 2000
4Runner complete engine and drive train
and try to fit a good 1989 4Runner body on
it if possible. I’ve found mechanical drawings
for the 1985 and 1993 frames but can’t
seem to locate one for the 2000 frame. I
know they are different. If you have any idea
on where to obtain these mechanical drawings I’d appreciate the feedback. Otherwise,
I’m trying to get lucky and find a good body
(or parts) to pop back onto the 2000 and
rebuild it. These things don’t stand up too
well in a rollover.
Thanks, Gino Romero
Air Flow Meter Mounting
Angle
Hello Roger;
My name is Neno. I live in Croatia and own
a 1995 Toyota with a 22RE engine. I read
your article on TPS adjustment and it helped
me a lot. It worked out great but I have one
question. On my model truck the TPS is on
the left side of the motor and after I put on
the K&N filter now it’s leaning a bit downward. The hood would not otherwise close.
Does this angle downward affect the flap
door on the TPS?
Hi Gino;
Usually those drawings are found in the
Factory Service Manual, so the best bet
would be to obtain a copy of one for the
2000 or similar model 4Runner. I have some
links to sources for these manuals on the web
page below.
http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/FSM.shtml
Short of getting a hard copy of the manual,
you can download the later model information from: http://techinfo.toyota.com.
From this site, you can access most 1990
and above vehicle information for a small
charge. You can get a one-day subscription for about $10 or a month of access for
34
Thanks, Neno
Hi Neno;
OK, just to clarify things a little, the part you
are referring to would be the Air Flow Meter
(AFM). That is the part with the flap inside
that measures the air flowing into the engine.
It should not hurt the readings very much, if
any, at that angle. That air vane, inside the
AFM, is pretty well balanced since it has to
handle the normal forces of cornering, accelerating and braking, as well as off-angle
terrain.
Roger
Diesel Engine Swap
Information
Hello Roger;
The recent Toyota Trails (Jan-Feb 09) showed
new Toyota trucks with the 3.0-liter D-4D
diesel engine, made in South Africa. Toyota
USA seems brain-dead for not making this
available here (in the US) in trucks and the
FJ Cruiser. So, what is involved in getting this
diesel engine for a swap into older Toyota
rigs? Mine is a 1994 4Runner with the 3.0
liter V6, now with 192,000 miles I’ve driven
since I bought it new, including lots of Utah
and Arizona. We also had an FJ40 for
years, and we drooled over our Canadian
neighbor’s BJ-series Cruisers. I see VW has
awards for its new, clean TDI, and BMW is
promoting its diesel engine. If Toyota remains
comatose, what other engine swap possibilities are out there for a diesel engine swap
into rigs like mine? Better climbing, low-end
torque and better mileage. Seems like a nobrainer to me. Perhaps a feature article from
you might be in order? There are lots of us
interested in this.
Thanks, Mike Aune
Hi Mike;
I think you are in effect preaching to the
choir. I would buy one in a heartbeat! Not
sure of Toyota’s exact reasons for not bringing diesel engines into the US. They certainly
offer them in other parts of the world. I
imagine it is a combination of the US consumer’s impression that diesel engines are
underpowered and noisy, based upon the
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
type of engines that were put into vehicles
back in the 80’s when the auto makers last
really tried to push those engines into the US
auto market; and the confusing US and state
emissions regulations. Aside from VW and
Mercedes, I think most of the other diesel
offerings were dropped in the US market.
I personally have driven a VW diesel for
several decades now and think it is a great
power plant. Granted, the original 1.6 liter
naturally aspirated diesel engine that VW
used was a little on the anemic side, but
their newer 1.9 liter engines are really nice.
I have one of these engines in my daily
driver and it is a world of difference from
the smaller 1.6-liter diesel engine. You actually have to try hard to keep from spinning
the tires off the line. They feature a larger
bore and a longer stroke, both of which add
up to loads more torque. You can get that
engine in indirect and direct injected versions
and with and without a turbocharger.
In fact, the VW diesel engines are becoming
popular power plants for the smaller 4WDs,
starting with the Suzuki Samurai and now
the Toyota 4Runners and pickups. This was
mainly due to the development of engine/
transmission adapters that were originally
designed for the Samurai swaps. In order to
upgrade the drive train on that vehicle, the
Toyota transmission, transfer case and axles
are often used. So the VW diesel engine
adapters were designed to fit the Toyota
transmissions. There are a couple of good,
detailed write-ups on some of the Toyota
pickup/4Runner web forums, links below.
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/
showthread.php?t=574419
As well as a thread on installing Toyota diesel engines.
And a whole web forum devoted to diesel
engines in Toyota vehicles.
http://www.toyotadiesel.com/forums/
So there are lots of options out there, it just
depends on what your needs are. For the
Samurais, the 1.6D and 1.6TD engines
are popular, while on the Toyota trucks,
the added power of the 1.9TD or 1.9TDI
engines are a better fit. I have some basic
VW diesel engine data on the web page
below.
http://www.4crawler.com/Diesel/index.
shtml#EngineSpecs
And this is a photo of 1.6TD VW diesel
engine dropped into a Toyota pickup,
(photo courtesy of Randy, “sami guy” on the
Pirate4x4 forum).
Nice thing is that VW retained similar
engine and transmission attachment points
over all those engine models, so they are
quite interchangeable.
Roger
Toyota Trails Back Issues
Available as single copies for just $4 each or as complete Collector’s Sets
for $24. Order online at www.tlca.org or see page 50 for more info.
35
by Greg Mumm
The Open Gate
I
n my last column, I identified legislative action as one of the top
concerns of OHV folks for this year. I want to confirm that as a
priority focus. I spent this past week in Washington discussing
our issues with congressional representatives, many likely from your
own state. I certainly have sore feet and legs to show for my efforts
but more importantly, it was time well spent. Recreation’s battles are
won by communicating with those who can make a difference.
The mood in Washington was definitely different on this visit with a
different power structure now in place. But I have to tell you, those
I had meetings with were still happy to have the contact and our
perspective on the issues. Many of them weren’t even aware of some
of the issues or why they were so important. Some are only getting a
one-sided perspective and that “one-side” wouldn’t be what I would
call “your side.”
I cannot stress to you how important it is that you find ways to
develop relationships with your local representatives. We cannot let
the politics of Washington cloud the vision for recreation in the local
districts. We can help to keep their vision clear by being a resource
to them. I have said it before and will say it again, we can meet
with them in Washington but you validate our efforts by having the
backyard chats with them. The single most effective voice to your
Congressperson or Senator is still the voice of a constituent. Take the
time to learn who your congressional delegation is and make contact. We’ve made it simple for you through a link on the BRC website at http://www.sharetrails.org/rapid_response/. All you need to
do is type in your zip code and the system will provide the contact
information.
I would like to offer just a couple of tips to make development of
your relationships with your congressional representatives more successful. First of all, be courteous, polite and concise. These people
really are busy and appreciate it when we are cognizant of that.
Be memorable but stay focused on the issues. Let’s face it: those who
stand in opposition to access often frustrate us and it is easy to sidetrack on a rant. Let the issue stand on its own two feet. Often, the
opposition won’t do that in their visits and your visit will then stand
out because of the merit. If it is a personal visit, be sure to take along
36
a one-page synopsis of what you are talking about to leave with
them. It will help you stay on track.
The same goes for electronic communication and especially with
phone calls. Leave them with the knowledge that if they need more,
you are happy to provide it to them. It gives you a good excuse to
contact them again and when they come calling for that additional
information, be sure to deliver. Say what you are going to do and
do what you say you will. When you make your presentation, be
sure to include the economic impacts—pro or con as the case may
be. In today’s economic situation, this is vital because everything
relates back to the dollars gained or lost to a district because of
an action or inaction. Another very important thing to remember in
your presentation is that you don’t have to be an expert. They don’t
expect you to be an expert unless you claim to be an expert. What
matters is that you convey to them in terms that are clear and honest
why it is important to you and to your community.
To keep more up to date on the issues, visit our website at
www.sharetrails.org and sign up for our alerts or our RSS feed
burner. BlueRibbon Coalition is stressing the importance of these
“backyard congressional chats” because we need your help. You
are important and you can make a difference. This is just one more
example of how.
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
June 16-21, 2009 N 21st Annual Run N www.rubithon.com
Recession Rubithon 2009
Name
Membership#
During the worst recession since the 1930’s,
Address
Phone
Rubithon is striving to provide value to TLCA
members by keeping registration costs down.
City
New unit pricing will allow attendees to
Skill Level: Wheeled the Rubicon Trail before?_______ Type of truck?_______________________
choose only what items they want beyond the
standard registration fee.
State
Zip
E-mail
Check here if you can provide a raffle prize to donate at the event o
To confirm your attendance and guarantee
Indicate run preference. All runs are $70 thru May 31. $100 starting June 1.
ordered merchandise, we must receive your
1) _____ Tuesday 9 AM at Loon Lake (Larry ‘Yodaman’ Kitihara)
registration by May 31. Registrations after
this date will be charged a late fee of $25. No
refunds after 5/31.
2) _____ Wednesday 7 AM at Loon Lake (TBA)
3) _____ Wednesday 8 AM at Loon Lake (Andy Pollock Wagon Run)
4) _____ Wednesday 2 PM at Loon Lake (Mudrak Double Locker Run)
The Rubicon Trail is one of the most
challenging trails and perhaps the most
threatened trail in the U.S. Rules, restrictions
5) _____ Thursday 7 AM at Loon Lake (Big Jim Adams, Straight Thru)
6) _____ Thursday 9 AM at Loon Lake (Bill Jackson, Buck Island)
and guidelines are actively enforced.
7) _____ Thursday Night Buggy Run, 6 PM Little Sluice (Tom Wayes)
Minimum vehicle requirements: 33" tires,
8) _____ Marlin Sweep Run (Marlin Crawler & crew)
and either a single locker or lower gearing.
All vehicles must have: Hi Lift Jack, front and
9) _____ Solo or Club Group (Georg, MTA, Toys)
Plan to arrive 1 hour before listed departure time.
For run description, call or visit www.rubithon.com
rear recovery points, a strap (no chains or
metal hooks), fire extinguisher, first aid kit
and personal toilet. Gloves are required for all
spotters who may need to stack rocks.
All attendees must be TLCA members. If you
are not, you can include your membership
dues on the registration form. Your truck
must meet or exceed minimum TLCA safety
requirements. If not, request approval directly
from Rubithon Chairman.
Unit Pricing for 2009! Purchase exactly
PREMIER PACkAgE (indicate your meal (2) and shirt (2) preferences below):
Registration Fee: (includes Dash Plaque and 1 Grand Prize Raffle Ticket):
$ 70
Friday dinners @ $15:00 ea
Beef: ____(qty) Chicken: ____(qty)
$________
Event T-shirts @ $15.00 ea
S:___ M:___ L:___ XL:___ 2X:___
$________
Child sized
S:___ M:___
TLCA Membership w/ 1st Class Postage (will be added if current) @ $50.00
Rubithon Hoodie @ $45.00 ea S:___ M:___ L:___ XL:___ 2X:___
with unit pricing. Premier Pack for 2009
(USA funds only, checks/money-orders payable to TLCA)
1st Class Membership, Goody Bag and an
extra Grand Prize Raffle Ticket.
$________
(Remember, Premier Package includes all above and more for $200.00)
which items and how many of each you want
includes event fee, 2 Dinners, 2 T-shirts, TLCA
$200
— or —
$________
ToTAL $________
Payment Method: Cash o Check o Money-Order o VISA o MasterCard o
For credit card: Name as it appears on card: _______________________________________
Card #: __________________________________________________
Exp date: ____________
PLeAse APPLY bY MAY 31
Registering early will help make sure we
have the right amount of food, t-shirts,
PLeAse MAke YouR check/MoneY oRdeR PAYAbLe to tLcA. Send application to:
etc., and will protect the sanity of your
Rubithon Registration 2009 P.O. Box 210, Windsor, CA, 95492, U.S.A.
cheerful Rubithon committee.
Phone: 707-431-0604 • Fax: 888-860-8361 toll free
We thank you!
E-mail: Rubithon@tlca.org
37
SightUnSeeing
by Gehn Fujii
The photo in the Craigslist ad was small and poor in quality. It portrayed
a near-stock FJ60 that looked somber and gray, like it had nothing to
prove. The description was brief and no more inspiring than the photo.
It read, “1986 Land Cruiser, 258k miles, runs good, leaks oil. $1,800.”
I called the number.
The author and travelling companion, Caroline Tucker.
The seller provided more details about
the Land Cruiser, telling me it was rust
free and that it ran well. “Well enough
to drive across the country?” I asked.
There was a pause. “Sure,” he said
finally, which sounded to me more
like, “Why not?” It seemed he was as
compelled by the idea as I. And so I
agreed to buy it sight-unseen, a decision my father would consider an act of
naïve recklessness but that I will call a
leap of good Cruiser-faith.
North of Death Valley, highway 168 stretches east into the distance.
38
I am no different from many of those
who stake a claim to the group of
fanatics politely referred to as Land
Cruiser “enthusiasts.” Inherent to this
title is the obsession of acquiring more
Cruisers and spare parts, which is precisely why I bought this FJ60. Almost
20 years of Toronto winters had taken
its toll on my 1986 HJ60, perforating
the floors, dissolving the rockers panels
and swelling the frame. I needed a
donor for a new body and none are as
clean or as solid as those found in the
dry West.
An engineer named Ken Kellogg of
Mount Shasta, California, owned this
Land Cruiser. I spoke with Ken several
times confirming its condition and
arranging the logistics of the transaction. He explained that the Cruiser had
been abandoned somewhere outside
of town and a local mechanic was
called to tow it in. When the owner
was finally tracked down, he didn’t
have the means to pay for the tow or
storage so the shop took the vehicle as
collateral and offered it to Ken, who
owns a 1972 FJ40. Ken had originally
planned to fix it up but soon decided it
was too much of a project. Fortunately
for me, a project was exactly what I
was looking for.
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
I’ll admit that, in time, I probably could have
found a comparable Cruiser that wasn’t
3,000 miles away from Greenville, South
Carolina, but the fact of the matter was
that this one was a bargain and the perfect
excuse for a road trip. I had been working full-time for quite a while and hadn’t
yet taken a day off. I needed a vacation
and with the July 4 holiday right around the
corner, the timing was perfect. I decided to
celebrate my independence by driving the
Cruiser across the country.
As is often the case, planning the trip on a
college budget was a fairly involved process. Travel arrangements to Mount Shasta
included a plane, a metro, a train and a
bus. I spent several weeks making these
arrangements and plotting the route back to
South Carolina. Packing on the other hand,
was the easy part. My luggage consisted of
a duffle bag with about 30 pounds of tools
and underwear—mostly tools—and I took my
camera and iPod as carry-on. I would be living in a truck for four days, so there was little
else I needed.
I left on Monday, July 2nd, and arrived in
Mount Shasta 24 hours later. It was late
afternoon when I finally stepped off the bus
atop a hill at the base of the impressive,
snow-capped peak for which the town is
named. It wasn’t long before
Ken arrived and we drove up to his house
nestled on an opposing slope with a spectacular view of the mountain.
I was relieved to discover that the Cruiser
was exactly as Ken had described. Though
the body was rust free, it did show signs of
age. It had been cheaply repainted and was
heavily faded by the California sun. There
was minor damage to the left rear quarter
and driver side rocker, and the interior was
filthy and worn. While these flaws are
expected with an abandoned, 21-year-old
truck, the more unfortunate defects included
the radio was missing, the air conditioning
didn’t work and the power steering wouldn’t
hold fluid. But ultimately these were all
“options” and many FJ40 owners had been
managing without them for years.
Since I had taken care of all the paperwork
ahead of time, the final transaction didn’t
take long. I set off before dusk for Redding
to stock up on supplies. The hour-long drive
was both scenic and pleasantly uneventful.
After spending a couple hundred dollars at
Wal-Mart, I retired to a motel both exhausted
from the long day of travel and anxious of
those ahead.
Ken Kellogg and his trusty companion about to
bid farewell to their FJ60.
There’s nothing like the addition of a woman’s
satchel to mess up an otherwise perfectly good
pile of manly Cruiser parts.
I awoke with the sun the next morning to
take a closer look at the Cruiser before the
long day of driving. Everything checked
out fine but my main concern was the tires,
which were bald and dry-rotted BFG All-
39
camping lab
campinglab.com
Terrains. I probably should have replaced them but I had a full-sized
spare and AAA membership so I decided to see how far I could get.
I filled up with gas and headed east.
My destination that day was Las Vegas by way of highway 395,
which meanders down the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains through Reno. I had recruited a copilot, Caroline Tucker,
who was flying into Vegas that night and would accompany me the
rest of the way. To get to highway 395, I climbed the Sierras along
highway 44. The Cruiser never missed a beat and chugged along
without complaint. The cool mountain air was a refreshing way to
start the trip but made me wary of the desert that lay just ahead.
Highway 395 was a spectacular stretch of road. Rolling desert hills
contrasted with vast lakes and the tall peaks of the Sierras to create
a truly unique landscape. Hours rolled off the clock without notice.
As I pressed south through Reno and Carson City toward Bishop,
California, the mountains tapered away and the lakes dried up,
replaced by vacant desert and dry heat.
Story continues on page 45
The Navajo Trail off of highway160 in Arizona.
40
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Chapter Reports
Bluegrass Cruisers
Well, it’s been awhile since I’ve filed a chapter
report but I thought it would be a good time to
let everyone know that the Bluegrass Cruisers
are still going strong here in central Kentucky.
We closed 2008 with 17 members on the roster and I’ll highlight
some of our activities of the past few months.
We’ve had several good wheeling trips over the past few months.
GSMTR is always the highlight of our wheeling year and several
members once again made the trek. While they were there, the club
made a donation to the SFWDA, the group that’s trying to keep
Tellico open for all of us to enjoy. A large group of members went to
Harlan in the summer and Peter Brown organized a 3-day trip exploring the Daniel Boone National Forest over the Labor Day weekend.
In the middle of all this, we took a break to have our annual pool
party at Rod and Cathy Derr’s home. Amazingly, once again I failed
to poison anyone! Our Christmas potluck was very well attended
and went very well until I somehow left the party without Rashmi
Brown’s famous macaroni and cheese leftovers! (She always makes
extra just for me. It’s good to be the Prez!)
One of the highlights of our year, though, had to be doing volunteer
work during National Public Lands Day, which Toyota sponsors every
year. The 2008 event was at the Salato Wildlife Center in Frankfort,
KY, which is designed to educate the public about Kentucky’s wildlife
resources. Rickey Jones, our Vice-President, volunteered the use of our
Cruisers to clean up an old unauthorized dumpsite. We winched and
pulled out many heavy items ranging from car frames to old appliances and filled a 40' roll-off dumpster with non-recyclable trash, to
boot. 6 members of our club, along with friends and family, participated in the event, which also coincided with the 2008 VolunTour
Across America. Toyota is the sponsor for the tour and this year’s
national spokesman for Take Pride in America was Clint Eastwood.
(For more information on how to support this in your area, go to
www.takepride.gov.)
Although the weather has been rough so far in 2009 with ice storms,
snow and temperatures below normal, we continue to meet at Rod’s
garage every month. 12 members braved the sub-freezing temperatures in January to do some “bench-wheeling” around the fire and
8 were at the February meeting to help with Rod’s power-steering
conversion. We discussed future trips to Windrock, Daniel Boone
National Forest and GSMTR, as well as the possibility of a longer
road trip to another TLCA event.
Hope to see you on the trail!
Thom Placier, President
Rising Sun Four-Wheel Drive
Club of Colorado
Throughout the Cruiser community there exist
very special individuals that we are truly
grateful to know because with little fanfare they go about giving of
themselves to help others. These individuals have a true zest for life,
are never without a smile and make a positive impact on the lives
of many –even people they never meet. For those that were blessed
to know Phil Simmons, he was truly one of these special people.
We lost Phil to cancer several years ago and to honor the spirit of
being an individual who brightens the lives and helps others to be
better, Rising Sun has established the Phil Simmons Award. This is a
very special award and being a recipient means the individual has
touched the lives of many in a positive way and recognizes their contributions to the club and the larger community we serve. This year’s
award recipient, Bill Morgan, has tirelessly represented the off-road
community efforts to be responsible stewards of our natural resources.
Congratulations Mr. Morgan and thank you for being one of those
people in our lives that makes a positive difference.
For the third year in a row, Nathaniel Miller has been successful in
preparing people to become amateur radio operators. This year’s
Rising Sun Ham Radio Class culminated in an exam session where
20 individuals passed the Level 2 exam. Participants attended three
2-hour class sessions and put in many hours of study on their own
to prepare for the exam. The exam session was administered by
club members who rallied together to become certified Volunteer
Examiners (VE) and formed a Rising Sun VE Team. Increasingly, amateur radio is demonstrating it is a great safety and communication
tool on the trails and we are excited about the growing number of
people the club is introducing to this technology.
We mixed things up a bit for our March monthly meeting and devoted the majority of time to a Trail Leader education program. Cruise
41
Moab Trail Boss, Greg Luer, did an excellent
job. The feedback from the club membership and guests was very positive. This
event is one that has an upside for everyone
involved; even if you don’t Lead or Gun on
a trail run, knowing what is involved makes
you a safer, informed participant. For those
on the fence about stepping up to lead trail
runs, this program was just the thing to get
their feet firmly on the ground.
In other club business of note, Heather
Royston visited us from the Georgia Cruisers
during our February meeting. Heather
shared with us the land use issues relating to
Tellico. While only a couple of members in
attendance have actually run Tellico, many
expressed a desire to be able to do so in
the future and requested additional information on how to get involved. Following the
meeting, club commander Ken Romer initiated a motion to contribute funds from Cruise
Moab to the Tellico cause. As a member of
the TLCA community, it felt like the right thing
to do and the club membership felt so as
well. In short order, a check for $1,000 was
on its way from the club.
Matt Miller needed to get a snow run
fix so he posted up an impromptu run of
Switzerland Trail. We had 11 rigs answer
the call and all had a good safe time. We
found plenty of challenge for all involved.
This was one of those runs where we had
two guys with the same name, in three pairs,
i.e. Randy, Matt and Marco–fortunately nicknames made it easy to keep track of who is
who.
That is the update from here in the Rocky
Mountains, so long from the Rising Sun Club.
Ricardo Maestas, Event Coordinator
Georgia Cruisers
Four Wheel
Drive Club
Greetings from the
Georgia Cruisers in hot’lanta! Well, it’s
March 1st when I am writing this and we
are having our infamous 1-day snowstorm
that only happens every 10 years. The snow
will be gone by tomorrow, so that’s the good
news.
Our club is a very active Toyota Four Wheel
Drive community with over 60 members. We
have a meeting and a trail ride every month.
42
To start off the 2009 wheeling season, we
tried a new spot for the club, called Morris
Mountain, in Alabama. It was muddy from
the winter rains. But it always makes for a
fun time. I was not able to attend this ride,
so if you would like to see a full write up,
there is a link on our website listed below.
trail ready to be opened whenever it dries
out.
The February Trail Ride was held at a private
landowner’s property. We gain access to
the property for wheeling through regularly
scheduled workdays. The club cleans and
maintains the off-road trails. In exchange for
our work, we have ready access for events
and rides that the club sponsors. It is a winning situation for both parties. During our visit
this time, we cut up a fallen red oak tree that
blew over last winter. We cut and split the
wood where the tree had fallen and hauled
it back to the lake/camping area to be used
at a future campfire. Things went very well
until the haul road started to thaw out, which
made for a muddy mess after 20 or so trips
with fully loaded Mini Trucks and Tacoma’s.
Around 2pm, we had cut as much wood as
possible and we were ready to wheel on the
trails. The recent rains made for a very slippery run. The 256-acre property has a large
number of trails so we played around until 5
pm and headed home.
A friend of mine was over at the house with
his FJ62 one day and my wife commented
that it was the kind of rig we needed. She
really hates when I drive the UZJ100 through
creek beds and brush. My friend of course
had to share this with everyone in a post
on the clubhouse forum. We all know about
peer pressure and how guys act as enablers
for our addictions, before I knew it I was
dragging my wife out to take a test ride in a
nice FJ60. It was a pretty sweet rig, Detroit
lockers F&R with 4.88 gears, 9000# Warn
winch, huge bull bar, and practically no rust
by FJ60 standards. The interior was immaculate; my wife didn’t wrinkle her nose like she
does when we get in the FJ40. We decided
to think about it and talk it over. This is code
for me making frequent mention of the merits of the FJ60 series of trucks and what a
shame it was to beat the 100 up like I was
doing. I was a lot like the little kid going on
about the Red Rider BB gun in A Christmas
Story. All of us who have Cruisers by definition have understanding wives, any normal
wife wouldn’t put up with our addiction. So
eventually I found myself handing over the
required amount of cash and driving home
in our new addition. What does all of this
have to do with the TLCA Board of Directors
meeting?
If you would like to see pictures from
our recent events, visit our website at
GACRUISERS.COM.
Thomas Lloyd, Georgia Cruisers
Battle Born
Cruisers of
Northern Nevada
Well I missed everything
that happened as far
as club trail runs go since the last report.
There was a trip to Panamint Valley which
everyone reported to have a good time on
and an informal snow run that looked like
fun from the pictures. Nobody that went on
either of those trips wants to gain fame by
writing a paragraph for publication so that’s
about all I can say.
We have a preliminary club overnight trip
scheduled for the summer, Bolivia in late
April or early May, Rubicon sometime in
June, a high altitude run out of Bishop in July
or August, Fordyce in early August for the
built rigs and Barrett Lake helping get the
I don’t have any more club stuff to report so
I’ll tell you about my new Land Cruiser and
how it made me miss the last TLCA BOD
meeting.
She: How about taking me to dinner?
Me: Well I have the Land Cruiser meeting
on the phone tonight.
She: Isn’t there a new Land Cruiser in the
driveway?
Me: Where did you want to eat tonight
dear?
My apologies to the TLCA Board of directors
and delegates that made the meeting, I’m
sure you understand the circumstances.
Dan Johnson TLCA delegate
Wasatch
Cruisers
It’s difficult to write for
the future but I can
guess what Wasatch
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Cruisers will have been up to since the last
issue of Trails.
Rain Country
Cruisers
You’ll be cracking open the pages of this
issue of Trails about the time most of us are
cleaning the red sand off our truck after
what has obviously been a wonderful Cruise
Moab. Rising Sun does an excellent job of
organizing the event and it’s a privilege for
Wasatch to be a part of it. This year we
hosted an overnight run to the San Rafael
Swell, no doubt introducing attendees to an
amazingly rugged and beautiful portion of
our state. Additionally we helped lead and
gun runs during the 4-day wheeling adventures in Moab.
Hello fellow Toyota enthusiasts, Rain Country Cruisers is
back and going strong. 2008
President Don Hill set out to
revive our club by successfully bringing in
new members, organizing functions and
runs, and bringing a new face to our club. In
2008 we became a chapter of TLCA, went
from 3 members to 12 members, including
many current prospective members soon to
be nominated. A new club logo and a new
website were also made to gain exposure.
Our April event was a spring show and
shine/bbq that helps us break out of winter
doldrums. It also gave us a chance to chat
with club members we don’t see very often,
check out all the winter modifications and
plan for the summer runs.
One of the highlights of our year, and one
that would entertain any gearhead, happened in March. We are lucky enough
to be sponsored by a local dealership,
Menlove Toyota/Scion. They recently finished an 18-month transition to their new
facility. They had an open house for our club
and prospective members. This was just a
bit more than a walk around the new facility.
As part of the new facility the owner built
his own ‘bat cave’ under the showroom to
house and display his incredible car collection. While claiming many Mopar muscle
cars, Roads Runners, Coronets, Cuda and
various Mustang models including a GT500,
there were a few more unique and germane
items to the audience. An 82 FJ40, an FJ60,
a one owner 1972 (I think) Corolla that
was originally purchased at the dealership
and brought back into the fold, a 1000 hp
Supra and others. Hopefully by next years’
open house there will be a GT2000 in the
‘cave’ as well. We are very lucky to have
the financial and professional support of a
dealership in this economy and Wasatch is
very grateful to Menlove Toyota Scion.
Summer is around the corner and our
Rubicon run will have most of us working to
be ready for that adventure but I’m sure we’ll
find time to work in a few more runs in the
meantime as well.
Dave Connors
Our club convoy of FJ40’s, FJ62’s and minitrucks take us on our little adventures, and
brings us back. We had a few Snow Runs at
the beginning of year to the Sedro-Woolley
Mountains. Plenty of snow allowed for lots of
trail breaking, a few winching opportunities,
and sledding for the families. Groups of 5-6
vehicles made for great camaraderie and
vehicle support resulting in no breakdowns
or injuries. The local Walker Valley area
has provided our vehicles with many visual
upgrades, challenging terrain, plenty of mud
and snow, and good times by all.
In August we took three FJ40’s and one mini
truck to Naches. We went for a short run on
a very dusty trail on Friday night, where the
only casualty was Wayne’s CB antenna. The
next day we made it about halfway through
the trail when Wayne’s truck decided it was
hot and needed some extra ventilation, in the
form of a gear through the side of the transmission. That pretty much ended the day,
but Wayne drove it back without incident.
After getting back to camp the mini was put
back on the trailer, and when he attempted
to take a short cut over a ditch, the trailer
got extremely high centered and the tow rig
stuck. It was bad enough that the mini had
to be unloaded to get the trailer unstuck. All
in all a fun weekend.
Cruis’n the Woods 2008 was a good trip
for several members of the club. 4 members
with 3 rigs made the trip to Oregon, Don H.
with his kids, Ross with his dad, and Doug
C with John along for the ride in nicely built
and maintained FJ40’s. We even picked up
a new member, Tony K. in a well-built FJ62
with his family. The Friday Toyota run was
well worth it according to Tony. Saturday’s
Poker run got a bit of a late start but was
eventually won by one of our members,
Doug C. The map and clues got a bit confusing, but Tony’s 14 yr old son got us back
on track with his navigation skills.
A new year brings new adventures and a
new Presidency. Rain Country Cruisers is
now in the hands of Eric Burch, and combined with the support and extraordinary
effort that all the members gave to our club
in 2008, we now have the momentum we
need to make 2009 bigger and better.
Check out our website at www.raincountrycruisers.com, and we hope to see you on
the trails.
Eric Burch, President
Bayou State
Land Cruiser
Association
The BSLCA has had a
lot of the same and a
lot of new since the last chapter report and
we wouldn’t have it any other way. 2008
ended with the typical slow down of activities based on the over-scheduling of family
duties that all of us face around the holidays,
but the group made sure the last several
months of the year held a lot of memories
first. As always, this was done while keeping true to our Chapter goals of being good
stewards of the land, our sport and our
community.
In the early fall several members of the club
joined Cruiser Enthusiasts from all over as we
took part in the Southern Cruiser Crawl in
Alabama. The group was well represented
by our diverse rigs including trucks, 40’s,
80’s, and 4Runners. A good time was had
by all and we again wish to give kudos to
the Cottonland Cruisers for a great event. In
November there was an attempt to spend a
weekend camping and riding at Catahoula
Recreation Park, but Mother Nature had
other plans, which led to an early departure
and a BSLCA first… a group turkey fry at
a rest stop along the side of the highway!
The year was then capped off by the one
event that we are most proud of and that is
our involvement with the US Marine Corp.
and their Toys for Tots program. The 2nd
Annual Toyotas for Tots event was held at
several area merchants and the local mall
over the two weekends prior to Christmas.
The involvement and outcome was greater
this year than last, as we were able to raise
over $4,000 and literally truckloads of toys
43
to give to the parent program. Almost everyone took time out of their
busy schedules to help with this event and I speak for all of us when
I say nothing feels better than being able to help those that are less
fortunate. We appreciate the TLCA’s help and support with this event.
The 3rd Annual Toyotas for Tots is already being greatly anticipated.
Only a couple of months into 2009 and we have already had a few
events that are bringing us all back together to enjoy the rigs and
the time together. So far the club has enjoyed one ride at Catahoula
Recreation Park (mother nature was a little more agreeable this time),
a successful day of cleaning our Adopted Highway, a couple of
Wrenching Sessions as well as a couple of meetings. The upcoming
calendar includes our annual Crawfish Boil, another club ride and
plans to head to Arkansas in the summer.
All told the tradition continues as BSLCA members continue to buy
rigs, sell rigs, work on their rigs and regularly welcome new members to our club. Until the next report… we wish health, happiness
and safe travels to all.
Eric Anderson
Gold Coast Cruisers
Two good things.
One: We feel pretty good that we had 19 rigs
out of our 21 members come to the annual
inspection and barbeque. We were the guests
at a location to which FJC wheeler John Penfield had familial connections. Lemon orchards everywhere. Great spot! Hope we can use
it again. With 3 inspectors, members found out what improvements
needed to be made.
Two: Calico. We had 19 rigs on the run to Calico (just outside
Barstow near I15 and & I40) in late February. Best run that we can
remember. Most had arrived by dinner. Lars, with his family, brought
his roll-up travel trailer. Adam, who’s ably manned FJC can get over
anything, provided the spark of the trip as his GPS led him up the
wrong trail in the dark while he was hauling a trailer for the first time.
He had made it thru Friday pm LA traffic, thinking he could handle
anything. Now he knows he can.
As he started up the dirt roads, he came to a Y in the route and the
GCC sign had no arrow! He took what appeared to be the logical
left plus his GPS says he was heading right for camp, but he encountered more than the usual rough spots. He came to a screeching halt
after climbing, in the dark, with his roll-up travel trailer, over three
ledges. He’s stuck. He has no bars on his cell. Adam is thinking,
“Wow, what have I done.” He needs a helicopter. As he is moving about checking the damage to the trailer, his cell rings. Danny
Gomez is on his way, knowing Adam took the left, not the correct
right. Once on site, Danny leaves Megan to console Adam and
rounds up the guys. Led by Lars, they manage to 180 the trailer by
hand and make it back to camp. Adam relates, “In the morning, I
hug everyone in camp and thank them all twelve times. There were
actually people working on my trailer! I thank my lucky stars that I
have great friends and a great club to belong to. I honestly don’t
know what I would have done short of a helicopter to get out of
there without those great Gold Coast Cruisers! You guys are the best
44
and thank you again!” Word has it that Adam has replaced his plastic rear bumper guards with a real steel bumper. Good for him. Have
plans in that direction myself, once some money frees up.
Saturday dawned with clear skies and no wind, not normal for Mule
Canyon in February. Laurie and Debbie prepared scrambled eggs,
potatoes, and heaps of bacon for the camp crew consisting of 26
members, wives, kids, and guests. The Calico Mountains are honeycombed with mine shafts and the one we entered ended on the
opposite side of the mountain in a huge chamber with rock pillars
at odd angles supporting the roof of the cavern. We had to watch
our heads so we didn’t damage the rocks on the top of the tunnels
with our scalp sacrifices. Onward to Philips Canyon while passing
through the Clay Hills, an interesting drive along the crests of steep
hills, down through steep cuts, and over crests steep enough to not
know what lay ahead until the back tires clear the crest. Philips was
a rock trail with ledges and lots of boulders that require wheels on
rock rather than straddling. We stopped at Adam’s Waterloo, and
inspected the gouges in the rocks made by the undercarriage of his
trailer. All the while wondering how he got up the trail at all, and
decided it was his many years of off-road driving experience and
blind luck.
We ate lunch at the bottom of Duran canyon and then watched
Dave and his crawler 88 4Runner tackle the Gate House, a seemingly impossible rock formation. Four drivers decided that Duran was not
for them, and the rest of us started up the trail about 3:30 pm. Four
hours later we crested the trail after putting Caltrans to shame with
our skillful road building. Many straps and winch events transpired
as we climbed one ledge after another. It was dark by the time Brian
Worthen cleared the last ledge. Thinking that the exciting part of the
run was over, we, to our great surprise had to climb a rock-strewn
trail in the dark. The sounds of skid plates, drive shafts, shackles,
and things on rock was heard all the way to the top of the mountain
where the road finally decided to be friendly. We got back to camp
where Laurie and Debbie again treated us to a home cooked meal.
After an excellent campfire, cookies, tales of driving prowess, and
sniveling over small tweaks to sheet metal, we all turned in.
Sunday morning, a few members left early to chow down at Peggy
Sues and head for home, while the rest of the crew followed Mike
Carter to the overlook. The view was spectacular; the trip back to
camp took a tad longer than expected. Rumors have it that Mike got
lost, but he maintains he was simply showing everyone the entire trail
system. With nineteen club Toyotas, and one guest Jeep, we had a
great time, saw and experienced some beautiful geology, ate well,
and enjoyed the fellowship of a bunch of great folks. Those on the
trip are as follows: Wally Boggess, Michael Binns, Tim Burnette,
Adam Caldwell, Mike Carter, Lars & Celia Dennert and kids, Danny
& daughter Megan Gomez, Mike Hampton, Laurie Hopkins & guest,
Ed & Dee Jones, Ben & Lauren Lawley, Cliff Linder, Joey Lux, John
Penfield, Scott Penfield & Guest, Brain Scott, Dave Thomas, Brian
Worthan, Vic Uemura, and Janusz Zastawnik.
Bob Phinney
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
Sight Unseeing
continued from page 40
The ultimate question of the journey was if the Land Cruiser would
actually make it. The truck was admittedly a heap of spare parts so
the odds were not in its favor. Regardless, it had been running great
and I was feeling confident—that is, until I was somewhere between
nothing and the middle of nowhere.
The longest leg of the trip that was devoid of settlement connected
the diminutive towns of Big Pine, California and Beatty, Nevada,
through the desert just north of Death Valley. It was over a hundred
miles of desolate, two-lane highway. Expanses of flat, arid plains
ended abruptly at steep, raw mountain slopes, and Cattle Crossing
signs indicated miles of open range. By the time I turned east out
of Big Pine on highway 168, the sun was reaching for the western
horizon.
I was about 50 miles outside of Big Pine, and hadn’t seen another
car or person since I left, when two-thirds of the way up the second
mountain pass, the engine coughed and began losing power. I
shifted into second gear and it caught itself but only briefly. Before
long, I was bucking in first gear at a mere crawl. The engine would
constantly stall so I’d release the clutch and try to start it again before
losing momentum. This charade continued for a good 15 minutes
and the crest of the hill didn’t seem to be getting any closer.
I began to suspect that my father might have been right, that a
premature end to the trip was possible and, considering the circumstances, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. But amid the thoughts of
defeat streaming through my head came a single, conclusive realization that washed away all of my anxiety: vapor lock. Of course! The
increased engine load coupled with the reduced under-hood airflow
at low speed was causing the incoming fuel to overheat. I sighed
with relief, my vigor restored. I would dread traffic lights and hill
climbs for the rest of the trip but at least the condition wasn’t terminal.
Letting the carb cool down, off Nevada highway 266, after struggling with
vapor lock.
Cooling duct for the carb to help prevent vapor lock—dryer hose is poor
man’s chrome.
The FJ60 hallucinating its way along highway 163 in Arizona.
45
The Cruiser eventually limped and sputtered its way to the top of the
pass and when I finally reached highway 95, stars had replaced the
setting sun. Highway 95 was a straight shot to Las Vegas and I was
able to catch up on some lost time. I was even able to relax enough
to enjoy several fireworks displays as I drove through small towns
along the way. The night was dark but from a hundred miles outside
of Las Vegas, I could see the city’s glow in the southern sky. It wasn’t
long before Sin City appeared, a chandelier of beaming lights and
flashing neon suspended in a black void.
Caroline’s flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:30 p.m. so I had just
enough time to check into the motel before heading to the airport.
Fortunately, her flight was on time and for the next three and a half
hours, we strolled through the city and checked out the casinos,
including the MGM Grand, the New York and the Bellagio. Caroline
lost $10 at a roulette table and I lost $6 on an overpriced slice of
pizza. The night air never cooled as we expected it would. Depleted
and dry, we returned to the motel and the comfort of air conditioning.
Having grown up in Vermont, I had never read a weather forecast
predicting sun and clear skies with the same amount of dread as
I did when I awoke the next morning in Las Vegas. It was 9:30
a.m. by the time we left the city and the temperature was rapidly
approaching triple digits. Later, we found out that it had reached
116 degrees in the Nevada desert that day. Sure, it was a “dry
heat”—at that temperature, dry heat is the only possible kind.
But we were prepared. To keep cool, we used a method I had
developed the previous day. We loaded the Cruiser with about eight
gallons of water, a cooler full of ice and a household spray bottle.
The trick was to keep the windows open and our bodies wet using
the spray bottle, which was kept on ice. We frequently dunked our
t-shirts in the cooler water as well, a technique I also employed with
a bandana that I wore around my head. Surprisingly, it actually
made the heat bearable but the blue “A/C” button in the dash still
mocked me out of the corner of my eye.
The day we left Las Vegas was the most challenging on our schedule. Our goal was to see the Hoover Dam, Historic Route 66, the
Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert and Monument Valley and arrive
in Colorado Springs—where I had arranged to purchase a pair of
axles—by dawn the next day. The distance would total over 1,000
miles and achieving our goal would require a very efficient sightseeing strategy that balanced warranted stops with drive-by tourism.
First up was the Hoover Dam, where we stopped just long enough
to take photos and ponder the consequences of it giving way before
proceeding on toward I40 and Route 66.
The original plan was to drive a 90-mile segment of historic Route
66 in Arizona from Kingman to Seligman. In the end, we drove
only about a mile of it. We missed the exit to Kingman, an error for
which I’ll take the blame, but rather than turning back, I looked for
an alternate route. I found one on the map but the GPS displayed no
such road. My prior experiences placed my trust more in favor of the
map, so we went for it.
Regrettably, the stretch of road that looked so welcoming on paper
presented itself quite differently firsthand. Under different circum46
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
two motels and an old gas station where we couldn’t buy fuel—but
could buy just about any piece of 50’s-era Route 66 memorabilia
that we could fathom. A handful of old cars were on display, all of
which looked about as weary as the highway itself, and appeared
to have contributed heavily to the casting of the animated movie,
Cars. Lunch at the Roadkill Cafe was decent, though not as refreshing as the air conditioning.
The next stop was the Grand Canyon. We veered north off I40 west
of Flagstaff onto highway 64. Here, the desert seemed to sympathize with us more than it had in Nevada, as passing clouds brought
temperatures back to the low side of 100 degrees. It even attempted
to rain but the drops must have evaporated before they reached the
ground because only about five managed to moisten the windshield.
The Grand Canyon, as we discovered, is a somewhat understated
name for the immense chasm it is intended to describe. We spent
about half an hour walking around the rim of the canyon but could
have spent one hundred times that hiking around and exploring its
expanse. However, there were just too many miles to cover by the
following morning so we loaded back up and set off having enjoyed
the opportunity to stretch our legs.
The Grand Canyon—much bigger than it looks on TV….
We continued northeast on scenic highways to drive across the
Painted Desert. The slightly cooler temperatures lingered throughout
the afternoon but strong winds stirred up a dust storm outside of
Cameron, blanketing the panorama in an orange haze as heat lightning cracked in the east. Fortunately, the storm was small and isolated and after a few miles it passed. When we reached the Painted
Desert, the air was clear and the late afternoon sun cast extruded
shadows. The striped hillsides, rich with color, looked surreal in the
yellowing light, unlike anything I had seen before. Even the clouds
took on impressive formations as if not to be outdone.
stances, the winding path of deteriorated asphalt and potholes would
have been quite alluring but our worn out tires were in no shape for
such abuse. We turned back to the interstate but mistakenly took the
westward on-ramp and drove about 15 miles in the wrong direction.
When we finally got straightened out, we settled on eating lunch and
buying our souvenirs in Seligman, where Route 66 reunites with I40.
At Kayenta, we turned north for the Utah border and Monument
Valley. Unfortunately, our greedy stops earlier in the day had
deprived us of daylight by the time we reached the monuments. We
squinted wishfully into the night, hoping to catch a glimpse of their
ghostly silhouettes, but it was too dark.
Seligman was an eerily quiet town where souvenir shops seemed to
outnumber its residents. There were a couple of restaurants, one or
In order to reach Colorado Springs on schedule, we drove in shifts
through the night. At one point, while at the wheel, I was pulled
Descending toward Kansas on I70 in eastern Colorado.
47
inarticulate as I proved to be, it’s a wonder he didn’t arrest us on the
spot. I suppose he decided there was no way I could have made
it all up because he let us go and recommended that we spend the
night elsewhere.
out of my semi-conscious trance by a puzzling and sporadic thunk.
I immediately suspected a mechanical problem and began to diagnose what it could be. Within a few minutes, I had determined that
the noise was coming from the front passenger side of the Cruiser
and identified its origin to be Caroline’s head thumping against the
side window with the pitch and sway of the road. I considered waking her but she was finally getting some sleep and obviously wasn’t
too bothered by it. However, when she woke up later for her shift,
she complained that her head was sore and couldn’t figure out why.
We arrived in Colorado Springs on schedule and spent the better part of the morning picking up the axles before having lunch
and pressing onward to take advantage of the daylight. As we
descended out of the mountains, the rocky peaks and rolling hills flattened out to the open, golden fields of the Midwest. Our destination
was Kansas City, Missouri, and by the time we arrived it was night
once more. The GPS directed us to the nearest Motel 6, just off the
interstate. Unfortunately, it was fully booked but the clerk directed us
to another budget motel just a mile up the road. We left the parking
lot and headed down a road parallel to the interstate. We could
already see the other motel’s neon sign but less than halfway there,
blue lights flashed in the rearview mirror.
The officer slowly walked up to my window with his flashlight in
hand as a large dog barked in the background. “Do you know how
fast you were going?” he asked. We had been on the road for over
40 hours straight and were not looking our best. I was exhausted,
filthy, mildly delirious and honestly had no idea how fast I was
going. I muttered a response but he didn’t seem to be listening. He
was more interested in our cargo as his flashlight panned across the
jugs of water and axles we had in the back. “Let me see some I.D.
please, you too ma’am.”
The remainder of the trip was somewhat of a blur. Fatigue was
beginning to catch up with us, as our destination grew ever closer.
The next day, we slept late into the morning before climbing back
into the Cruiser for the home stretch. Our route took us through
St. Louis, where we stopped long enough to take a picture of
the Gateway Arch and get some ice cream, and then Nashville,
Tennessee, where we met some friends for a cheeseburger that evening. We contemplated staying the night but home was now only
hours away and we longed for a good rest in our own bed. We
pressed on, again through the night, and finally reached Greenville,
South Carolina, at 4:00 a.m. When I awoke later in the day, it felt
like the trip had been a dream until soreness and exhaustion convinced me that it had actually taken place.
I never thought that four days of physical exertion, insufferable heat
and sleep deprivation could ever be considered a vacation, but
somehow it had been just that—a break from the nine-to-five monotony and cubical claustrophobia. I’ll admit there were times when I
felt absolutely miserable and cursed myself for having conceived of
the idea in the first place. And though she denies it, I know Caroline
must have felt the same. She would agree, however, that those fleeting moments of doubt and even regret were ultimately what made
the trip worthwhile.
As much as the trip was about new experiences and spectacular
scenery, it was also about an old Land Cruiser. In those four days, I
realized that I don’t need to be on a mountainside in four-wheel drive
to appreciate these old trucks. And while the drive may have been
more comfortable in a Cadillac or more sensible in a Prius, it was
the character of that beat up Cruiser that legitimized the road trip. In
any other vehicle, it would have been a commute—but in the Cruiser,
it became an adventure.
Photos courtesy of Gehn Fujii
At this point I did my best to explain why someone from Vermont was
driving with a passenger from South Carolina in a vehicle registered
in Vermont but originating in California, en route to South Carolina
through Kansas City. By the time I was through, I had managed to
confuse even myself and became starkly aware of how suspicious it
all must have sounded.
Apparently there had been a drug trafficking problem along that
particular stretch of budget motels. The officer had seen us pull out
of the Motel 6 in an “old, beat up truck with out of state plates” and
suspected that we might be drug runners. Looking as we did and as
48
The Cruiser cleaned up and home in Greenville, South Carolina—never
was there any doubt….
M AY • J U N E 2 0 0 9
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Busi n e ss m e m b e r dir e ct o r y
4-Wheel Auto
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155 Hunters Cove
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4320 Aerotech Center Way
Paso Robles, CA 93446
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541 N Palm Ave
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720 SW 34th Street
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4960 NW 165th St., Unit B21
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5041 Grisham Drive
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26366 Sutton Rd.
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3841 Quest Ct. #13
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Aurora, CO 80011
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568 Concord Rd.
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11812 Main St., C-104
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
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PO Box 821
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Salt Lake City, Utah 84102
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604-944-0382
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6326 Main Avenue #40
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916-990-0419
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John D. Bailey
PO Box 1095
Thomasville, GA 31799
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Roger Hatch
260 West Deuce of Clubs
Show Low, AZ 85901
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Maple Ridge, BC V4R 1E3 Canada
kodiakcustom@shaw.ca
www.kodiakcustomvehicles.com
(604) 817-0510
Landcruiser Specialties
15055 S. Loder Rd. A2
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 518-1656
nkt@landcruiserspecialties.com
www.landcruiserspecialties.com
Luc Auto Service
1166 Victoria
Lemoyne, Quebec 54R 1R2
Canada
lucautoservice@hotmail.com
Mark’s Off Road Enterprises
Mark Algazy
437 N Moss St
Burbank CA 91502
www.marksoffroad.net
818-953-9230
Markvanmeter.com
2700 Zollinger Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43221
vanmeter@vanmeteroffroad.com
(800) 331-8025
Marlin Crawler
1543 N. Maple Ave #B
Fresno, CA 93703
559-252-7295
marlincrawler@aol.com
Metal-Tech Cage LLC
Mark Hawley
1000 Commerce Parkway Ste. A
Newberg, OR 97132
(800) 839-0684
www.metaltechcage.com
Mark@metaltechcage.com
Mountain States Toyota
7300 N Broadway
Denver, CO 80221
(303) 302-8888
www.mountainstatestoyota.com
andrea.borrego@mountainstatestoyota.
com
North Country Land Cruisers
Madison, NH
khkp@verizon.net
www.northcountrylandcruisers.com
(603) 986-0071
OK Tire Store
910 Dowdell Ln.
St. Helena, CA 94574
Seansoktire@sbcglobal.net
(707) 963-2343
Outback Offroad Gear
775 Black Bird Ln.
Greenwood, IN 46142
(317) 534-9680
outbackoffroadgear@
insightbb.com
Over the Hill 4x4
6941 N Roberts Ave
Portland, OR 97203
503-289-4547
oth4x4@overthehill4x4.com
PACOL, LLC
4649 Sierra Court
Duluth, GA 30096
(770) 403-8026
tlcpartes@gmail.com
www.pacolonline.com
Phil’s Toy Store
Auto Maintenance, Inc.
605 E. Chatham St.
Cary, NC 27511
919-462-0021
phil@philstoystore.com
Proffitt’s Cruisers
Jeremiah Proffitt
P.O. Box 322
Cory, CO 81414
jeremiah@proffittscruisers.com
www.proffittscruisers.com
(970) 874-1272
RADD Cruisers
261 Rovere Pl.
Nanaimo, BC Canada
V9V 1G3
Rob Lassman
rclassman@shaw.ca
RealWheels Cover Company, Inc.
3940 Tannahill Drive
Gurnee, IL 60031
(800) 982-1180
www.fjcruiseracc.com
Red Line Land Cruisers
9455 N. Log Rd.
Calhan, CO 80808
(719) 210-0101
rlmotorsports@hotmail.com
www.redlinelandcruisers.com
Red Line Motorsports, Inc.
9455 Log Rd.
Calhan, CO 80808
(719) 210-0101
rlmotorsports@hotmail.com
Rocky Mountain Cruisers
Ronald B. Korzen
1835 West Baker Ave.
Englewood, CO 80110
(303) 978.0420
Rmcruisers@aol.com
www.rockymountaincruisers.com
RPM Off Road
1804 Volunteer Pkwy
Bristol, TN 37620
jmiltier@rpmoffroad.com
Safari Ltd.
1005 Pitkin Avenue
Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 245-5898
info@safari-ltd.com
www.safari-ltd.com
San Diego Trux
7730 Formula Pl.
San Diego, CA 92121
john@sdtrux.com
San Juan Off Road, LLC
Jason Reekers
173 Goldmine Dr.
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(970) 264-5500
www.sanjuanoffroad.com
Scott Gesik’s
Collision Spec Inc
3232 NE Hwy 101
Lincoln City, OR 97367
541-994-9466
gesikautobody@hotmail.com
Slee Off-Road
Christo Slee
4565 N Highway 93 Unit 2
Golden, CO 80403
info@sleeoffroad.com
www.sleeoffroad.com
(303) 278-8287
Slocruisers
John Russo
2181 Blythe Place
Cambria, CA 93428
fjparts55@charter.net
Specter Off-Road, Inc
21600 Nordhoff St.
Chatsworth, CA 91311
(818) 882.1238
Sor@sor.com
www.sor.com
Sporto Motoring Accessories
PO Box 42238
Cincinnati, OH 45242
(800) 977-5350
sporto@sportomotoring.com
www.sportomotoring.com
Steve’s Off Road
10710 Dallas Hollow Rd.
Soddy Daisy, TN 37379
(423) 332-0642
Tentrax
30470 Seely Ln.
Eugene, OR 97405
(541) 484-9885
www.tentrax.com
george@tentrax.com
TLC, Inc.
14743 Oxnard Street
Van Nuys, CA 91411
(818) 785-2200
Jward@tlc4x4.com
ToyotaFJ40forsale.com
10458 White Granite Ct.
Oakton, VA 22124
terry@toyotafj40forsale.com
(540) 455-6616
TPI
2951 Cages Bend Road
Gallatin, TN 37066
615-826-8854
www.tpi4x4.com
tpi@comcast.net
Trachtech, Inc.
9622 123rd Ave. SE
Renton, WA 98056
Trucking Motion
Charlie Otero
8011 SW 40 St.
Miami, FL 33155
(305) 261-5424 ext.15
charlie@truckingmotion.com
www.truckingmotion.com
Under the Hood
308 Palm Avenue
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Jaya Lozano
underthehood@cox.net
West Coast Cruisers
P.O. Box 506647
San Diego, CA 92150
Michael Hein
tlcruiserman@westcoastcruisers.com
Xploreperu4x4
Loma del Pilar 158 Surco,
Las Gaviotas 1635 Surco
Lima, Peru
albertosilva26_3@hotmail.com
51
Tra i l s E n d
Steve and Suzie Crase venturing up
Colorado’s Argentine Pass (Rising Sun’s
Adopt-A-Trail) to an elevation of 13,207'—
and people called the 80 series mall
Cruisers….
Photo by Suzie Crase
52
want freedom
install traction
Eaton Posi
Detroit Locker
Eaton ELocker
Detroit Truetrac
Available for:
Land Cruiser
Tacoma
Tundra
T-100
4 Runner
Pick-up
Professional racer or weekend warrior?
Limited slip or locker? Clutch style or gear drive?
Electronic or automatic?
Only Eaton - offers them all.
EatonPerformance.com
•
800-328-3850
Performance Products Division • 26101 Northwestern Highway • Southfield, MI 48076
an Eaton® brand

tlc4x4

Transcription

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