2013 Toyota Land Cruiser LC200 Build Intro

My first real foray into Overlanding started with a common story among many in the community that could simply be summed up in two words, Land Rover. Unfortunately my L322 Range Rover came to an untimely demise that would have me in search of a new truck. Having grown tired of all the little quirks of my Rover I decided that I would have to venture over to the dark side and see what Toyota had to offer.

I’ve always been a fan of the looks and capabilities of the FJ Cruiser, and if I was single I would pull the trigger on that truck in a heartbeat. The reality though is that I needed enough space to carry at least 4 people in comfort, and have enough room for my pup and our gear. Throughout my search I kept looking at the 200 Series (LC200) Land Cruiser, but quite frankly there was little information about them in the US market and I could only find one person that had actually done a comprehensive build of their truck. It also didn’t help that it looked like a giant Sienna. Finally I decided to try to reach out to some current owners to get some feedback and after that I decided to pull the trigger on an LC200 Cruiser.

I initially searched the used market, but anyone who has searched for a used LC200 (or any Land Cruiser) can tell you that you might as well go ahead and buy new because they barely depreciate. After deciding to buy new I reached out to a friend at a Toyota dealer, and since the price was right I took her home.

First Day Home

My Land Cruiser is a 2013 that was purchased in March of 2012, all 2013 models only came in one trim package which included all the bells and whistles. This means heated and cooled seats, a center console cool box, radar cruise control, a center locking differential, 360 surround cameras, and anything else that you would need for a day on the trails or a trip to Neiman Marcus.

After spending a year driving the truck in it’s stock form I decided that in order for me to tackle more challenging terrain I would have to start making some modifications to the truck. I followed the same approach as Ben which was to overcome the weaknesses of the truck, yet keep it practical enough to remain a daily driver.

Growing Up

Current Modifications

Tires:

BFG KM2s’s 285/75/17

Exterior Modifications:

ARB Front Bumper

Kaymar Rear Bumper w/Swingout

Warn M12000 Winch

Slee Offroad Sliders

17” TRD Wheels

Suspension:

OME 2” Lift

Total Chaos Uni-Ball Upper Control Arms

Interior Modifications:

ARB Outback Rear Storage Drawers

Weathertech Floor Liners

Electrical:

SPOD The Source

Sears DieHard Marine Platinum Group 31M

Cobra C75 WX ST w/ 5 ft FireStik

Current Setup

I will be going into much more detail on specific components of the build in dedicated posts; both things already completed as well as some new modifications and improvements still to come.