Ragin ’87 Returns!
Because we share such a strong passion for Land Cruisers with the majority of our clients, it’s common for a professional relationship (I.e. building a Cruiser for someone) to turn into a friendship (using our Cruisers together!) This bond we form with people all over the world is really one of the most gratifying parts of what we do. Our experience with the owner of this special FJ60, “The Ragin’ 87” is a great example of this happening.
This Stage 3 FJ60 / FZJ80 All Toyota resto-mod is the result of this great journey. It’s been through a couple of variations over the last few years and the finished project is one of our coolest custom FJ60 builds ever.
Key Features
- Body off restomod FJ60 on an 80 series chassis. (Read more below)
- Satin 416 Dune Beige paint, 2 tone blackout accents
- 2UZ 4.7l Toyota V8 / H55F 5 speed transmission.
- 2.5” OME lift with BP51 shocks, DVS arms, and upgraded sway bars with disconnects
- Nomad 17”-10 Convoy wheels with 37” tires
- ARB locking differentials and dual ARB compressor
- Modified ARB front bull bar with Warn winch and Baja Designs LP9 led ligjts
- PRLC rock sliders
- EZ Awn K9 roof rack
- PRLC dial swing out rear bumper with 35” spare and Yeti basket
- Leather interior, modified Tuffy center console, Rear drawer system with custom Lithium house battery system and integrated solar.
The 60 Series / 80 Series Mashup
Sometimes called FJ140s or FJ142s, (both terms bother me by the way…just because you combine 2 vehicles doesn’t mean you can rename them), the 60 series Land Cruiser body on an 80 series Land Cruiser frame is a very popular build configuration these days. They compose about 1/3 of our restoration schedule. The reason? The modification is a lot of bang for the buck!
The chassis portion of a restoration or restomod takes hundreds of hours to complete (done correctly) It’s a lot of work!The time, and the resulting cost for that part of a stage 3 build isn’t going to vary much between the a 60 series chassis and an 80 series one. The 80 series chassis offers superior suspension, braking, and steering to the 60 series, so if you are going to restore a chassis anyway…why not restore a better one?!
There are other options to get some of the benefits of an 80 series chassis. There are kits to fit just the 80 series axles and suspension under the 60, and even an 80 series style suspension using 60 series axles, but in our opinion both of those fall short of the full chassis swap. For one, they rely on unmistakably inferior aftermarket engineering and also introduce the possibility of more human error.
The only real argument against using an 80 series chassis is that you are arguably taking a Land Cruiser off the road, but we’ve sourced dozens of derelict 80s for the swap that likely weren’t going to see the road again anyway, and there are plenty left.
Jeremiah Proffitt