Dream Tourer: Custom 105 Series

Stefan Fischer is no stranger to the off-road scene, having run his successful YouTube channel AllOffroad 4x4 Adventures for several years.

In that time, he’s built up a wide range of highly modified 4x4s, all in the name of getting out there. And we mean that, too, he loves everything from long-distance desert touring through to low-speed technical driving. As such, his choice of vehicles has changed numerous times over the years.

We’re talking everything from a highly modified D2 Land Rover Discovery, a 110 Defender, and even a 6x6 Pinzgauer have seen pride of place in Stefan’s garage. His latest creation (other than his JK Wrangler on 37s) is this highly modified Toyota LandCruiser 105 you see before you; this one has a fairly major twist, though.

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“I bought this stock and with the 4.5L petrol motor fitted,” Stefan tells us. “I drove it around with the petrol motor for a bit, but it was just too thirsty for any proper long-range touring; it was never going to stay in place for long.”

After teaming up with Jason at Total Care 4WD in Sydney, the decision was made to turf the petrol motor and install the holy grail of Toyota engines, the 1HD-FTE in-line six-cylinder matched to an auto gearbox, all from a 100 Series LandCruiser.

Stefan made the switch to Toyota from a Land Rover Defender, but he refuses to call himself a fan boy of any make or model.

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"Stefan has done everything he could to create the ultimate touring set-up"

“As much as I loved it, I decided to move on the Defender as it was too small for my growing family,” Stefan mentions. “I also had reliability issues with the Defender (his words – don’t send us hate mail) and many rural mechanics didn’t want to work on it. I don’t have that problem with the LandCruiser.”

When weighing up what vehicle he wanted after the Defender, Stefan looked at anything with a solid front axle. A TD42 GU Patrol was considered but would be too expensive to convert to an automatic gearbox. An 80 Series was thought about, but Stefan decided they are getting a bit old now.

There was also a chance for a 76 Series or Troopy, but after looking at how he’d want it set up it would take way too much money and effort. This is how the idea for an engine conversion in the 105 Series came to light as making the most sense, and I for one can’t help but agree.

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Stefan is the sort of bloke who will research products and make informed decisions on what will suit his needs. As such, he travelled from his native Sydney, NSW, to Victoria to have the team at Raslarr Engineering fabricate most of his bar work including the front bar, rock sliders and rear bar. You have to admit, they look pretty damn cool.

After trialling most diff locks on the market, Stefan has chosen to run TJM Pro Lockers in his 105, as well as re-gearing the differentials to 4.88 ratio. This helps spin the 35-inch BFG Muddies and makes the vehicle feel rather peppy with that strong turbo-diesel engine. To keep things legal, Stefan had a Marks 4WD Adaptors speedo correction box installed, as the larger 35s meant the factory speedo was out by 10km/h. Not anymore.

Breathers have been fitted to the differentials and gearbox, as well as some awesome splined drive flanges on the hubs from PJ’s Off Road. No more snapping axle studs with this setup, a wonderful piece of Australian engineering.

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Stefan has decided to leave the power output of the turbo-diesel motor as Toyota intended. After experimenting with turbo upgrades and performance modules, he decided reliability was more important to him than huge power.

Not that the 1HD-FTE is lacking in stock form. To help increase reliability and engine longevity, a HPD front-mount intercooler was installed, but on custom spacers as the air-conditioning was cutting out in really hot conditions without the spacers, due to a lack of airflow to the condenser.

Gearbox-wise, Stefan is running the A750 automatic unit and has modified that with a 2500rpm high-stall torque converter, which makes a huge difference especially in sand and desert conditions. With an aftermarket transmission cooler also installed, Stefan tells us he rarely sees trans temps rise higher than 100ºC. The Nomad Valve Body upgrade from Wholesale Automatic Transmissions also helps in this department.

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When it comes to touring modifications on the 105, I don’t think we have enough space to mention them all. It’s also important to note this 105 is fully engineered, including a GVM upgrade to 4.2 tonnes. Custom (and super sexy) axle housings have been skilfully crafted by Benji the welding wizard from Rampt Customs after the factory units were damaged on Fraser Island. These custom housings helped massively in allowing the engineers to sign off on the GVM upgrade. You can really see Stefan has done everything he could to create the ultimate touring setup.

Stefan also had a bad run with a very expensive set of coil springs. To fix this, he had Solve Offroad make a custom set of King Springs. Icon remote-res shocks can be found on all four corners, which Stefan rates highly. Bud’s Customs radius arms have been installed, as these gave the most amount of castor to suit the roughly four inches of lift. Heavy-duty sway bars have been given the nod, as well as a HD Panhard rod and lowering control arms.

Anything that could be upgraded, has been upgraded. Have you noticed a common theme here? The end result is a suspension package that rides like a limo, yet flexes like a comp truck.

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Starting with the interior, Stefan has a Recaro seat for himself, bad backs suck at the end of the day. From here, he can see the various pillar-mounted Redarc gauges including EGT, boost, transmission temp and 12V displays. Emuwing gullwings are a super-practical addition, allowing easy access to the storage drawers and Bushman fridge in the back of the 105.

For additional storage, a Rhino-Rack roof platform sits on top of the ’Cruiser, which he has two awnings mounted to. One a simple pull-out awning for quick stops and the other a 270-degree unit for longer stays.

The 12V side of things is pretty damn serious in Stefan’s dream rig. As he produces so much content for his YouTube channel, his electrical demands are more than simply running a fridge. Stefan made the switch to lithium batteries a few years ago, and hasn’t looked back. However, he has continually refined the package to the point he’s now happy.

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A sealed and water-cooled 200amp alternator (yes, you read that right) does the heavy lifting in this setup. When combined with a solar blanket and 80W Redarc solar panel, this vehicle can produce more than enough charge. But how about storing that power? Stefan has two 100amp/h DCS lithium batteries, mounted in the engine bay. I can hear you screaming that lithium doesn’t belong in the engine bay.

Well, Stefan has proved this wrong, as the DCS units are rated for under-bonnet temperatures and use. These batteries are charged directly by the alternator, so even if they are both flat (which rarely happens) it doesn’t take long to get them back up to scratch.

This is without a doubt one of the most comprehensively built touring vehicles in Australia, and Stefan has proven this by taking it to nearly every iconic touring destination in Australia. When we asked Stefan if he agreed, he simply replied, “I just love it.”

We do too, mate, if you ever want to sell it, give us a call.