When Austin St. One bought this 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser in 2023, it was bone stock and showing 220,000 miles on the odometer. The plan was simple: use it as a daily driver and add a few minor mods to make it more trail-savvy. But as 4×4 builds often do, the plan quickly escalated. Before long, Austin was spinning wrenches and firing up the plasma cutter to create a project built around 42-inch-diameter tires. The end result is an out-of-the-box build packing Cummins turbodiesel power, a solid front axle, and plenty more.
Turbodiesel And A Five-Speed Manual
Austin purchased the 6BT 12-valve Cummins from a shop where it had sat in pieces for about 10 years. It was a project that had been started but never finished. Fortunately, all the components were neatly organized, so Austin had everything he needed to bring it back together. The result is a stout diesel that cranks out 275 horsepower and more than 700 pound-feet of torque. It’s bored 0.020 over, fitted with a modified head, and topped with a Holset HX35 turbocharger. Austin says the block and injection pump are capable of supporting 500 horsepower. Other features include a custom cold-air intake and a 3-inch-diameter exhaust. Cooling duties are handled by the Land Cruiser’s stock radiator and the Cummins factory fan.
Backing the engine is an NV4500 five-speed manual transmission sourced from a second-generation Dodge truck. The transmission’s output shaft was milled down to 19 splines, which Austin says allowed it to mate directly to the stock 80 Series Land Cruiser transfer case. The T-case connects to the NV4500 via a custom adapter plate.
Austin says this drivetrain combo is one of his favorite aspects of the build. “The sound of the mechanical, grungy diesel engine coming from a Japanese classic instantly turns heads. It also gets 20 mpg with 1-tons and 42s.”
Salvage Yard Dana 60 And 14-Bolt Axles
Both of the Land Cruiser’s axles are salvage yard scores. Up front is a Chevy kingpin Dana 60 pulled from an ’80s K30 truck. It has been completely rebuilt and outfitted with an ARB Air Locker, East Coast Gear Supply manual lockout hubs, 35-spline Yukon Gear & Axle chromoly inner and outer shafts, and an ARB diff cover.
Out back is a rebuilt 14-bolt axle sourced from a 1978 Chevy truck. It runs 30-spline chromoly axle shafts, an ARB Air Locker, and an East Coast Gear disc brake conversion and diff cover. Both differentials are geared to 4.56:1. The front differential uses Dana Spicer components, while the rear relies on Yukon parts.
Power reaches the front axle through a Toyota Tacoma rear driveshaft and the rear axle through a Toyota 4Runner driveshaft. Both are double-cardan units that have been tubed with dual-wall construction.
Three-Link Up Front, Four-Link Out Back
The Land Cruiser has plenty of trail-friendly suspension flex. Up front is a Barnes 4WD Enduro Joint 3-Link Suspension Kit paired with King 2.5 14-inch-travel remote-reservoir coilovers. The coilovers’ upper mounts tie into Apollo 9 Motors shock towers, which are part of the company’s Custom Shock Towers & Frame Plates kit.
Out back, Austin reworked the factory geometry to make it play nicely with the 14-bolt axle. “I plasma-cut all the original brackets from the Land Cruiser rear axle and used hybrid versions of them to adapt the OEM geometry onto the 14-bolt,” he says. The resulting four-link suspension runs Ironman 4×4 Foam Cell shocks and 4-inch-lift coil springs.
The Cruiser rolls on massive 42×14.50R17 Goodyear Wrangler MT/R with Kevlar tires mounted to 9-inch-wide KMC Impact beadlock wheels.
Radiused Fenders, Custom Rock Sliders, Gullwing Cargo Area Doors
Exterior upgrades are plentiful. The front fenders were radiused about 6 inches and the rears opened roughly 2 inches to give the big 42s room to cycle. All the wheel wells are tubbed, and the body is protected by custom welded-on rock sliders made from 1.75-inch-diameter DOM tubing. Up front is a Cruiser Company winch bumper fitted with a Harbor Freight Badland Apex 12,000-pound-capacity winch. Out back, an Overkill Racing and Chassis high-clearance bumper improves departure angles. The cargo area also features gullwing doors on each side that swing open to reveal a MOLLE panel system for gear storage.
Set Up For Extended Off-Road Exploration
Inside, Austin configured the Cruiser for functionality and extended off-grid travel. The second-row seating has been replaced with a 300 Ah lithium 12-volt battery system, a 40-amp DC/DC charger, and a 2,000-watt inverter. The system can also be charged via a solar panel, and an Anderson plug is installed for that purpose. Supporting equipment includes a dual-zone Iceco fridge/freezer and an ARB air compressor.
Austin says…
Austin sums up his Land Cruiser by saying, “The vehicle started out as a clean, triple-locked soccer mom car. After I broke my first Birfield joint with the Cummins torque and 42s, I knew that 1-tons were the answer. Some people say that I’ve ruined it, others say it’s the most awesome Land Cruiser they’ve ever seen.” For more on this awesome Land Cruiser check out Austin’s YouTube channel.
Photos: Austin St. One
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