Custom 4x4: 2014 N70 Toyota Hilux

FOR decades Toyota’s LandCruiser has been the be-all-to-end-all off-road, the top dog, the king of the mountain and the go-to option for anyone who likes their beer cold and their dirt red. Looking back, it wasn’t hard to see why. Affordable, capable, rugged, reliable, comfortable, and endless other adjectives. The point is, if you wanted to drive tough tracks, camp on the beach with your mates, or set off for the big lap, the LandCruiser was the clear choice.

Over the last 10 years we’ve seen that drastically change, and it’s all thanks to Swiss Army knife builds like Blake’s oh so clean and twice as capable N70 Hilux. As LandCruisers got bigger, heavier and more expensive, the Hilux has stepped up and filled every role perfectly, and young blokes and blokettes all around the country are taking notice.

“I think they’re a great all-rounder,” Blake tells us. “I wanted something that could drive long distances comfortably, and tackle any tracks I wanted to take on.”

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Like most young blokes’ rigs, Blake's 2014 HiLux has been a slow evolution as ideas and funds slowly morph the build, but the current iteration is no doubt the most impressive. Starting from the ground up, Blake’s gun-metal grey ’Lux is now sitting a full five inches closer to the clouds with a combination of components and creative thinking. Up front, Radflo 2.0 diameter struts fill each wheel well, with Phat Bars blacked-out coils bumping their ride height up three inches over stock. The swaybar has been binned for more travel, and PSR upper control arms have been fitted to make the most of the available suspension travel. Blake’s also fitted a Phat Bars diff drop to give the OEM CV joints a fighting chance at life.

Moving back, Blake’s binned the Toyota leaf springs and swapped in a set from an RG Holden Colorado, their longer length matched with 190mm extended shackles from Phat Bars gives the ’Lux a taller rider height but, more importantly, a smoother ride and increased travel. A 50mm body lift from VMN rounds out the package.

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Of course, all that ground clearance is good for nought without the ability to get traction to the ground and, in that regard, Blake’s held very little back. Each corner of the ’Lux now sports a set of aggressive Maxxis RAZR mud tyres weighing in at 305/70R17, or a hair under 34 inches tall in the old money. To fill the guards out perfectly and help keep rotating mass down, he’s wrapped them around lightweight American Racing ATX 202 alloy wheels with a -12 offset bumping out the track width slightly. Larger diameter DBA drilled and slotted rotors help reign in the extra rolling mass to ensure the big ’Lux pulls up quicker than a stock one. Up front, Blake’s ‘massaged’ the pinch welds on the firewall to ensure the tyres don’t foul on full bump, and he’s given the cab mounts a haircut while the plasma was fired up. In the rear, traction is never an issue thanks to an ARB Air Locker ensuring both mud tyres get equal drive.

As the ’Lux is Blake’s daily driver and beach-camping weapon, reliability was paramount, so under-bonnet modifications have been kept fairly minimal. Between the chassis rails lies Toyota’s near legendary 1KD engine, a 3.0 litre four-cylinder common-rail turbo-diesel capable of unreal performance with minimal modifications, and Blake’s unit is backed up by a five-speed automatic box for ease of use on- and off-road. It’s breathing far easier now with a three-inch mandrel-bent exhaust and high-flow catalytic converter picking up spent gases straight off the turbo and setting them free right before the rear diff; a Phat Bars snorkel ensuring the intake side flows just as freely.

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Toyota leaf springs were swapped for a set from a Colorado, for a smoother ride and extra ride height

The guys at G&L Performance wired up a HKS F-CON iD, a piggy back aftermarket engine control unit, before strapping it to the dyno and winding the wick up to 180hp and 550Nm at the rear wheels. Inside are twin pillar-mounted gauges helping keep an eye on boost levels as well as exhaust-gas temperatures, while a ScanGauge monitors everything from engine coolant temperatures to fuel consumption.

Moving to the outside and the solid foundation of performance and capability starts making for a seriously capable do-it-all platform. At the tip of the spear, so to speak, is a Muzzbar from SEQ Fabrication. The high-clearance bar not only improves approach angle, it also armours up the headlights and radiator support in the process. Tucked inside the bar is a 12,000lb winch, while Stedi Type-X lights in the main hoop light up country tracks with the power of 1000 suns, and are teamed up with a set of custom headlights for a little extra bling. Moving down the flanks and there’s a combination of off-the-shelf and custom again. Underneath is a full suite of under-body armour from Phat Bars covering everything from the radiator to transfer case in plate steel, while up on top a modified ARB platform rack has been tucked in tight to the body, trimmed down to minimise overhang and fitted up with a 130W solar panel feeding down into the Redarc dual-battery system.

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A Motop rooftop tent and close-fitting forward platform keep drag to a minimum

Moving up the back and you’re face to face with an absolutely epic home-brew tray Blake’s pieced together. He’s used a combination of 2mm-thick steel box section for the frame and uprights, with 3mm alloy checker plate giving a flat deck for a floor. Underneath, colour-coded toolboxes from SEQ Fabrications give handy storage space while up on top of the uprights, a Motop rooftop tent gives him a quick and easy place to rest his head at night up out of the sand; optional roof racks give a home for surfboards on beach runs. Down below, a hard-mounted space case on the passenger side stores the electronics, light switches and spare parts. On the passenger side an ARB Elements fridge keeps the beer cold, and a slide-out kitchen next to it provides ample prep space for cooking up a campfire feast. Onboard air and a water tank and shower set-up complete the camping package.

With Blake’s full build coming in cheaper than you’d pay for a similar-year model LandCruiser, it’s not hard to see why the younger generations are flocking to the Hilux in droves. Comfortable, capable, infinitely customisable, and a ticket to endless adventure, the Hilux has well and truly earned the crown for the new go-to 4x4.

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The 3.0-litre turbo-diesel has been dyno-tuned to 180hp and 550Nm

TAKE CONTROL

WHEN pushing an engine past the manufacturer’s performance levels, the aftermarket normally come face to face with a whole bunch of roadblocks. In some cases it’s mechanical: the turbo can’t push any harder, the injectors are at their limits, the crank will turn into a pretzel if you make it spin one RPM faster. Other times the drivetrain is capable of producing more power; it’s the electronics that are holding it back. This is where tuning comes in to play.

The approach to tuning the factory (or upgraded) set-up is largely limited by the factory ECU’s ability to be customised. In some cases they’re easy to tap in to and tune, other times they’re locked down harder than Fort Knox.

A ‘stand-alone’ engine management system replaces the entire factory computer, where as a ‘piggyback’ ECU works in conjunction with the factory computer. The right unit for you is a combination between your vehicle’s requirements and your tuner’s ability to safely use potential upgrades.