Once-in-a-lifetime 79 Series LandCruiser

There's been a seismic shift over the last few years. In a world that never shuts off, surrounded by constant notifications and interconnectivity, the latest generation to get their driver’s licences are shunning the big city lights and heading deep in to the heartland of Australia.

Fluent in diff locks. At home in a swag. They’re not just keeping 4WDing alive for generations to come, they’re responsible for it exploding in popularity.

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Hunted Engineering tray is designed to swallow a flexing 35-inch tyre

The owner of this once-in-a-lifetime Cruiser you’re looking at is just 21. Every spare dollar Jack earns goes in to this rig, and every spare moment he has the spotlights pointing towards the bush. His weekends spent far beyond where mobile reception runs out.

So how does a 21-year-old bloke build a Cruiser? Like most builds these days, the heavy lifting was done before the Sandy Taupe dual cab had ever been registered. A shopping list worth of modifications are all made 100 per cent legally through the Second Stage Manufacturing scheme.

The stretch

Before work even began on the suspension, Jack had the team at Ultimate Stretches in Sydney’s west slice and dice the factory frame, bumping the wheelbase out an additional 300mm. The popular modification not only has the obvious benefit of allowing a 300mm longer tray to be fitted, but it also means that tray can carry its weight directly over the rear axle, rather than entirely behind it like the stock configuration. Those who have driven a stretched rig would know the end result is a 4x4 that’s far less twitchy at freeway speeds, and far more planted when towing.

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Thinking laterally

If you’re not a suspension guru, then the differences between a triangulated or parallel four link probably aren’t the kind of thing you discuss at Sunday barbecues, but there’s a reason people pay thousands to convert from one to the other. The set-up most factory coil-spring rear-ends run is known as a parallel four link (also a five link, but let’s not complicate things yet, yeah?). Four arms go forward from the rear diff. The two lower ones hold the diff in location. The two upper ones stop it from flailing about under acceleration and deceleration. You’ll need a way to stop it going side to side too, that’s known as lateral support and is done with a fifth arm called a Panhard.

A triangulated four link works similar, but with a few differences. The two lower arms still hold the diff in location, and the two uppers still stop it from flopping around. The key difference is, instead of the two upper arms going straight forward, they’re angled in to a triangle. That provides the lateral support letting you do away with the Panhard rod, and with less binding in the suspension bushes allows for more and easier articulation off road. So why don’t they come that way from the factory? Quick answer, packaging. To work properly, a triangulated four link needs to occupy the real estate where the exhaust and fuel tank would normally live, so it takes far more work for the welder to package.

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Big coils and fancy links are a sure-fire way to flex

Suspension

From here the crew at AE Co 4x4 got to work installing the full suite of Superior Engineering kit. Up the back, a whole new diff housing is in place. The Diamond Diff housing bumps the rear track out to match the front, it also houses the factory rear locking differential and sports huge 300M RCV chromoly axles, making for one hell of a package. Ditching the factory leaf springs, the set-up also upgrades the rear end to a smooth-riding coil-spring arrangement. Heavy-duty lower arms do the lion’s share of the work, with adjustable triangulated uppers dialling in the pinion angle. A set of front and rear Superior Engineering 2.5-inch body remote-reservoir shocks help keep the ride floating like a butterfly.

Up front, Superior Engineering radius arms free-up articulation on the factory front axle. They also correct the castor back to stock after four-inch lifted coil springs threw it all out of whack. A Superior Engineering Panhard rod, comp-spec tie rod, and comp-spec drag link ensure things stay where they should even after big wheel lifts.

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With new real estate in the wheel arches, a set of Method Race Wheel 312s were spec’d up and wrapped in 35-inch BFG KM3 mud tyres – they punch in at 17x9-inch with a -12 offset. A Bendix dual-diaphragm brake booster and braided lines all around rein in the new weight better than stock.

Combined, this set-up not only increased the Cruiser’s Gross Vehicle Mass to a portly 4T, but does so completely legally in all states, even with the big lift and bigger tyres.

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ARB scrub bars and heavy-duty side-steps protect the flanks

Exterior upgrades

As good-looking as all that kit is, no outback tourer is worth its salt without a solid bullbar up front. To that end, an ARB Deluxe unit proves more than worthy of the job. With large tubes and colour-coded scrub bars feeding down in to heavy-duty side-steps, it’ll perform as good as it looks. The factory ARB foglights have been swapped out for a set of LED units from Stedi. They team up with Stedi’s Type-X Pro spotlights for a nearly 30,000 lumens worth of roo-spotting power. A Carbon 12,000lb winch also got the nod.

Moving backwards past the Pioneer roof rack and Clearview Next Gen towing mirrors, a mammoth steel tray from Hunted Engineering is serving duties. It’s designed to be just as good at taking a hit off road as it is to make touring easier, with ample storage options. With the additional 300mm of wheelbase, front storage boxes have been added to match the rear, while a full trundle tray slides out from the back for bulk storage. The tray floor itself is rubber-lined and covered in tie-down points, the space cases giving dry storage that can be easily removed. A water tank hides underneath, while weatherproof 12V outlets on the headboard link to a dual-battery system.

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Carbon winches are some of the lightest on the market, but still provide plenty of pulling power

Up top, an Aussie-built hard-shell rooftop tent from Camp King Industries ensures Jack always has a comfortable spot to lay his head after a long day on the tracks. A huge Bush Company free-standing awning provides 12m² of covered area, without a single pole in sight.

Creature comforts

On the inside, Jack has kept things looking neat while still making a comfortable place to punch out big kays. A full Car Builders sound-deadening kit massively drops internal noise as well as insulates the cab, making it warmer in winter and cooler in summer. Department of the Interior is responsible for a full-length centre console, speaker pods, door pockets, and a sub enclosure behind the rear seat. A pair of One Stone armrests cover the door tops, while an extensive stereo set-up with Pioneer, JL Audio, Focal and Audio Control components brings the noise.

Under the bonnet

Of course, with all the extra weight from touring mods, a little extra oomph when you squeeze the loud pedal is always going to be welcomed. Up front, the factory 4.5L V8 turbo diesel sucks cool, clean air through a Safari Armax snorkel; a high-flow Unifilter air filter ensures it stays bulldust free. A Legendex three-inch stainless-steel exhaust handles the spent gases, while an NPC 1300Nm clutch and Down Under Diesel tune put as much power to the ground as possible.

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While there’s no doubt there are a swag-full of differences between the way Jack’s built his Cruiser and how some of our older readers would, it’s hard to deny how good it is seeing the younger generation getting out and exploring the far reaches of this country. If the future is stretched V8 Cruisers and mud tyres, the future is looking bright.