Retro 60 Series LandCruiser is all sorts of cool!

The term resto-mod gets thrown around a lot these days but it can mean different things to different people.

While a true vehicle restoration is one that restores the vehicle back to factory specification with the original drivetrain, paint colour and specification, a resto-mod allows for modifications to improve on what is generally an old vehicle to better tailor it to suit the owner’s usage in a modern world.

The modifications can be as major as a chassis replacement that includes better suspension than what the vehicle originally came with, and a new driveline with a more powerful and efficient engine and transmission, but generally the body of the vehicle will retain its original look and style, giving the owner a cool-looking retro rig with modern-day performance and reliability.

There are no hard and fast rules as to what exactly a resto-mod vehicle is, as it can be different from owner to owner and what they want from their classic vehicle.

48

For Victorian Darren Sawyer, his perfect resto-mod is this HJ61 LandCruiser which he has modified to be a better all-terrain tourer without losing its classic good looks.

“It was during Covid so I wasn’t driving my Ford Ranger much and thought I’d rather have an old classic I can work on while in lock down,” Darren told us.

“I’d always loved the 60 Series specifically with the low roof. A couple mates had them so I started reading up on all things 60 and settled on 1987 onwards for the square headlights, and it had to be factory manual with the holy grail engine of the 12HT.”

Despite the price boom of all classic cars during the Covid pandemic, Darren found this tidy example for a reasonable price in Sydney and was able to fly up and drive it back between lockdowns. The drive home  gave him the opportunity to test the Cruiser out and see what it needed.

48

“I drove the Cruiser home to Melbourne and figured if there were any major issues, they would show up on the drive back,” recalls Darren. “It was Smooth sailing overall although it felt like some parts were overdue for replacement in both steering and suspension.”

Darren’s plan for the Cruiser was to give it a polish and tidy up to create a neat touring 4x4 but as so often happens with such projects, that soon blew out to  a full rebuild including body and paint, as well as updating the suspension and steering.

Although the body was in pretty good condition with just a dent in the passenger front door, and the only visible rust being four spots around the roof and rear quarter, Darren doesn’t do things by halves and it soon became clear that a simple polish wasn’t going to deliver the results he wanted for the Cruiser.

48

After being stripped back to reveal anything that needed attention, the Cruiser was sent to Newlook Custom and Restoration in Geelong to cut out the rust and replace the affected areas with new metal and tidy up any other body blemishes before they covered it inside and out with a few coats of the classic Toyota white.

Newlook specialises in classic car restorations and they got the Cruiser looking better than new before sending it back to Darren for assembly to his exacting standards.

After installing Car Builders sound deadening throughout, the search for original materials and parts began. New carpets and headliner were fitted and the door cards were refurbished, while the seats were rebuilt with new foam and covered in NOS original material which is rare as the proverbial hen’s teeth.

48

In fact, Darren became quite adept at sourcing hard to find parts for the 60 going to all corners to find the bits he needed including an original front chrome bumper from Toyota Japan, new OEM mud flaps from a dusty drawer in a Sydney warehouse and a small piece of plastic trim from the dash that he searched for more than two years to finally find on a wrecked vehicle in Queensland. The attention to detail on Darren’s build has to be seen to be appreciated and would be the envy of a concourse restoration.

While this might sound like the Cruiser rebuild was becoming a classic car restoration, Darren wasn’t afraid to replace OE parts with new and improved components.

We’ve often said that Terrain Tamer is a classic Cruiser owner’s best friend when it comes to sourcing replacement parts and Darren certainly tapped into this valuable resource when he needed to.

48

The loose and creaky steering and suspension parts were replaced with a combination of both OE Toyota and Terrain Tamer parts including TT’s parabolic leaf springs at each corner with matching TT shocks. The brakes were refurbished using Terrain Tamer front discs, rear drums and master cylinder to ensure better-than-new stopping power.

One of Darren prerequisites for his Cruiser was the 12HT engine which is regarded by many as the pinnacle of classic Cruiser diesel sixes and, thankfully for him, the 12HT in this rig had been rebuilt and fitted with a hi-flowed CT26 turbocharger, so it was ready for more miles ahead. A stainless steel 3.5-inch exhaust from HiTech Exhaust takes care of the soot with a beautifully crafted kick-down at the tailpipe.

The driveline was up for a refurb and the five-speed gearbox and transfer case were rebuilt at Terrain Tamer with a new Terrain Tamer heavy duty clutch employed everything was refitted to the vehicle. The diffs were also rebuilt with an auto-locking centre fitted to the front housing and an ARB Air Locker in the rear.

48

Inside job

The real deviations from Toyota’s original masterpiece are revealed when you open the back doors of Darren’s Cruiser.

As the plan was to tour long distances, the rear cargo area has been set up with a comprehensive camping and storage system.

Darren worked with the team at The Drawer Company in Melbourne on the design, layout and construction of the custom module which includes a twin induction cooktop, a coffee machine, Dometic fridge and freezer, plenty of storage and inbuilt strip lighting.

48

Tables slide out from the bottom of the units to make food prep and handling easy. The unit sits on a false floor and uses the existing bolts in the rear cargo area so no drilling into the Toyota was needed, and Darren says that it can easily  be removed in less than 10 minutes.

A 90Ah Renogy lithium battery powers the accessories and is managed by a Redarc TVMS with Manager 30 charger and Redvision monitors front and rear so that Darren always knows the condition of his 12v power system.

Adding to the clever storage solutions are a pair of 3XM flip-up windows replacing the rear side glass and these give quick and easy access to the recovery and first aid kits, the TJM air compressor and tank, as well as the Ontap water supply and shower.

48

On the road

Darren’s intention to build a cool retro Cruiser with reliable touring ability has been achieved and the 60 has taken him and his wife Ingrid across the Nullarbor to Perth and back, to Kangaroo Island, plus a bunch of local trips in Victoria. At the time of writing, they were planning a trip to Robe for some summer beach driving.

The trip to Western Australia was always a part of Darren’s plan for the Cruiser as it was to be a trip to visit his mother.

“The car is actually named Julie after my late mother,” Darren told us. “The idea was to build a great touring car and travel over to WA to show her when it was completed. Sadly, just three months after she retired in August of 2022, she passed away from an aggressive cancer.

48

"The 60 was completed just a month later so we drove to Perth as a send-off for Mum and now it will be used to explore all the places her and Dad planned of going to in her retirement."

Darren has plenty of people to thank for their help in building the 60 starting with Ingrid for allowing him to put blood, sweat, tears and a house deposit into a classic Cruiser, as well as Car Builders, Andrew and Tony at Terrain Tamer, Mark Kovacic at Newlook Custom and Restoration, Meander at Detail Mode, DWP Motor Trimming, The Drawer Company Melbourne, Ontap Products, Car Mats Direct, Rubber Seals Australia, Exquisite Auto Parts, Leon at L.C. 4x4 Parts/Car Parts, HiTech Exhaust Melbourne, Redarc, TJM Airport West and, lastly, to his Mum. “She would have/ loved it,” he says.