Unassuming 80 Series LandCruiser is anything but ordinary

Jason Robson is what psychiatrists like to call a nut. A Toyota nut that is. To label him a fan of the brand would be underselling his passion for these vehicles.

In fact, at the time of writing, this tidy HDJ80 is his 16th Cruiser. He’s owned them all too, from an old V8-converted HJ47, to utes, to Troopies, to several 80s, to no fewer than six (!) 200s, to the 300 Sahara… get the picture?

Right around when COVID was locking us all up and the Great Toilet Paper Wars of the early 2020s were being waged, Jason decided he wanted a project to distract him from the Spicy Cough, so he went hunting for a factory turbo-diesel 80 (which for non-Cruiserheads is the pick of the model run).

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He found this beaut example with 350k on the clock and an upgraded Sahara-spec interior. The ideal blank canvas.

Looking to build a tourer and a bit of a fun toy for quick missions into the High Country and longer trips up to Queensland, Jason set about turning this wagon into the 80 Toyota really should have built from the get-go. The result? Pretty damn hard to fault, really. Heaps of power, plenty of comfort and the timeless sex appeal of 1990s body panels. Perfection. Here’s how he turned an old favourite into an unassuming monster…

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That engine

The first stop was made at Off Track Concepts in Cobram, where the 1HD was surgically removed from the engine bay and the frame rails were prepped for its replacement.

Now, you could be wondering why you’d rip out a perfectly good 1HD, and what you’d even replace it with, but after having owned half a dozen 200 Series Cruisers already Jason knew just how good the 1VD-FTV 4.5L quad-cam twin-turbo V8 diesel could be.

The team at Off Track got to work. Being the first 1VD into an 80 Series there was a lot to contend with. As with most conversions, getting the engine mounted (on custom mounts) is actually the easiest part.

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Wholesale Automatics provided the AB60 six-speed auto from the two-hundy to factory 80 transfer case adapter, and once that was sitting in the chassis, all that was left to do was everything.

A one-off airbox and fan shroud was built by On Track as were the numerous other little mounts for things like the turbo and injector drivers, the ECU and the custom intake piping. Race Radiators built a new cooling pack around a PWR core while custom AC lines and a vacuum pump from an LC79 were recruited to supply vacuum to the brake booster.

The fun was only just getting started. From there the sump was exchanged for an LC79 unit to clear the front diff, but that too required extensive custom work to miss the turbo and allow the turbo oil pickup and a drain tube to be grafted in. Oh, and then the dipstick hole was covered up, so that needed to be relocated as well.

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The auto transmission did not fit in the standard 80 Series tunnel, so that necessitated reshaping and plenty of modification for the shift lever and new transfer case location – which in turn led to the tailshafts needing shortening and lengthening respectively.

This was all before the wiring side of things; one of the biggest challenges was getting around the immobiliser and CANBUS system on the 200, which needed extensive ECU tuning to get Mickey Mouse. Then a custom loom had to be made in order to get all of the dash and factory features working harmoniously. But that’s the price you pay when you’re pushing the envelope.

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After all of the countless hours, custom parts and freshly made-up swear words, the final package is nothing short of amazing.

With a Just Autos tune (with multiple maps able to be dialled in) the VDJ280 is now punching out an impressive 340hp at 3100rpm and 875Nm on the dyno rollers. To top it all off, a VDJ79 Scoop was grafted into the 80’s bonnet, which is really the only giveaway (other than the cranky burble from the custom three-inch exhaust) that this thing is an absolute ball-tearer. It all looks factory too; such is the quality of Off Track’s work.

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It's what's inside that counts

Jason’s 80 had copped a Sahara interior upgrade by the previous owner, which is the fancy-pants Cruiser model.

As such, he didn’t really need to do much to the cockpit to make it a nice place to spend a few hundred kays. The Sahara seats look after the lower back, the Sony head unit with Pioneer sub and speakers take care of the ears and the 340hp under the right boot takes care of the mental health.

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The cargo area was massively churched up with the addition of an Off Track Concepts aluminium twin-drawer system.

The 3D scanned, designed and CNC cut and folded setup features a pull-out table with cutlery storage, pull-out pantry, inbuilt cargo barrier, and a parcel shelf, and it’s powder coated in gloss white with black accents.

It even has space to incorporate the 55L poly water tank and the 200Ah of lithium battery goodness tucked down the side. The 12v trickery is overseen by a Renogy 50A DC-DC charger and Victron battery monitor, while a 2000W Renogy inverter supplies 240v should Jason feel like plugging in a microwave or charging up any stranded Teslas.

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The bolt-ons

An ARB Deluxe bar leads the way, with after-dark illumination by a pair of Stedi LED driving lights.

Speaking of lights, the stock kerosene lamps were ditched and replaced with some JTX headlights, which score all of the cool points and put out a butt-load more light while they’re at it. There’s also a Carbon 15,000lb low-mount winch should Jason find himself door-handle deep in the High Country mud, something that doesn’t happen too often thanks to the Air Lockers slotted into the diffs at either end.

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The suspension, given the rest of the vehicle’s modification level, is surprisingly stock.

Jason bolted in a set of 50mm coils and Pedders shockies, which was enough to clear the 315/75R17 Maxxis Razrs wrapped around the trick 17x9 Dirty Life Roadkill beadlocked alloys. Larger brakes from a late-model 80 were also bolted up in order to bring the whole show to a halt in a timely manner. Jason also made his own rear bar from an SDF Bars DIY kit… because it wouldn’t be right for a welder’s vehicle not to have some sort of custom barwork.

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What's next?

It’s been a long and extensive process to get the big 80 to where it is, so Jason wants to get out and enjoy the fruits of his labours, with a couple of trips up north in the works as well as his usual forays into the Victorian bush.

Jason wanted to thank the guys from Off Track Concepts, Race Radiators, Wholesale Automatics. Laurie Alan from PPG Australia, Just Autos, and Rheece Whitehead from Diffco in Frankston for their help along the way. And we’d like to thank Jason for setting the bar, if not for 80 builds, then at least for engine conversions for the next little while. Onya mate!