[amolpol]

Originally Posted by phamilyman

Incredible story of an amazing vehicle, backed up by your usual jaw-dropping photos

Sorry to be like this, but I am really curious about how you coached / cajoled / convinced your wife to sanction ever increasing amounts for your passion. I'm sure your skills in this domain (notwithstanding your exploits in photography, offroad / onroad driving , motorcycling) will be of great use to man-kind at large!

Thanks phamilyman.

On your question of how I convince my wife, it's a trade secret so I can't reveal everything on a public forum. But lets just say she is equally crazy, impulsive and risk-taking (probably one of the big reasons how she ended up marrying me). I actually have another story to tell on this topic.

The title of the story is, "How I ended up buying a Tiger 800 XCX". I'll put up a separate post for this since it's pretty interesting to understand what all can happen when you own a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Originally Posted by deetjohn

Amazing story this! And your truck looks great. And lovely shots all over this thread.

Please show us the inside of the Land Cruiser. Eager to see how the dash, instrument cluster, center console and the seats look.

Thanks, and I'm going to put up some poor quality pics of the interiors just to get things started here, but I'll try to do another detailed update once I get time to go out with my camera and the LC.

Originally Posted by procrj

That's a beauty Amol and I have had the pleasure to see you drive by a few times over the last few weeks on alpine eco road headed towards rainbow hospital(I think so because how many Tan LCs can there be in Bangalore).

The next time you see a red TUV300 on alpine eco road headed towards ITPL, do holler and we might even do a quick meet while waiting for the traffic to give way

Small world eh, that is my office route everyday. Flash your lights when you see me next time and we'll try to catch up (although its nearly impossible to stop anywhere on that road in the morning).

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Congratulations.

I guess it was you I saw a month ago around Phoneix Market City. I was heading back home from work towards tin factory on the main Itpl road. I was on your left. I didn't fancy the color but your Toyota stood out. I do remember the engine being quite noisy from the outside to the extent that I could hear it with my windows rolled up. The noise insulation isn't the greatest on my car too so I could be wrong about this.

Didn't know so many neighbourhood guys were here in this virtual motorworld. You're right, the engine is noisy, but then its a 6-cyl 4.2 liter, pretty much a truck/bus engine of those times. It's decently insulated on the inside, although I like the growl.

Originally Posted by GTO

I'm envious, you've just owned two of my favourite cars - this LandCruiser & the Thar. Awesome choice man, heartiest congratulations & wish you years of driving pleasure.

The LandCruiser 80 series is what created Brand LandCruiser, at least for our generation. The truck is robust, over-engineered and built to work. In fact, most LandCruiser enthusiasts prefer the 80 series to the heavier, bulkier 100 & 200 Series.

Thanks GTO, what can I say, I'm pretty much living my dream right now

Ditto on your comments about the 80, I didnt want anything but the 80 series. Everything beyond the 80 was very luxury focused and this for me was a deal-breaker. I needed a replacement for the Jeep. I didn't want to shy out on an OTR because I have an SUV, so that's the basic intent, to make it offroad worthy like any other true 4x4. For everything else, there's always the Hilux masked into a Fortuner that I can rely on.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Congratulations on getting the legendary LC80, Amol!

This used to be the ultimate dream 4x4 during my childhood, apart from a Ferrari F40.
Is that AC water dripping below front Axle in this pic? Must be one hell of an AC system working overtime!

Thanks Ace. And yes, it was the A/C water in the pic. This was when I did a trip to Goa with Pozu and we were stuck at Hubli for a good 8 hours because of the protests due to a water dispute between K'taka and Goa. So the A/C was working for quite some time as the day got hotter.

Originally Posted by abishek2222

Congrats Amol. I think see your car everyday morning in the shortcut road between Marathahalli and old airport road. The car is simply imposing and humongous towering over the traffic.

Wow, another one of us to watch out for on my way to office. Next time, flash your lights or wave up!

Originally Posted by karuvally

Congrats for the vehicle... That thing is a keeper.
Ditto for the interior. I routinely drool over the Series 70 and 80s interiors on the Internet.
But I have to say that, the stock look had a much more classy look to it.
And, did you fix that shifting to 4L issue?

Thanks karuvally. I agree that the stock looks are awesome, but I had to move away from them because of the offroad duty that is intended for my vehicle. This isn't going to be a cruiser for me, but a work horse on offroad expeditions.

About the 4L issue, actually there was no issue to begin with, it was just a mis-understanding between me and the car. When we bought the car we knew that the 4wd was working but the 4L was not engaging. It was presumed that it could be because the lever had jammed up due to non-use and it should be an easy fix. Then when I gave the car for the clutch replacement, the mechanic told me that the connecting lever between the 4wd shifter and the transfer case had probably worn out and I will need to find a replacement assembly for it. That started a wild goose chase to find the part nos and availability of the part. A few phone calls and emails later, I got a quote and a one month lead time to procure it. Apparently nobody had any ready stock and it had to come all the way from Japan. I wasnt very happy with it especially since the upgrades had arrived from ARB and morally I shouldn't put all of that on a 2wd car. But then the miracle happened. I was reading one of the TLC forums and saw a few owners complain on how hard it is to move to shifter to 4L in some of their cars. Then it struck me that I've never forced the lever to move, only tried to move it normally. That evening, I tried hard and within a matter of 30 secs, it slotted to 4L. I quickly took it out to test whether it works fine, and there's absolutely no issues with the crawl. It transforms into a real monster that can climb anything pretty easily, no more waiting for the turbo to kick in. Since then, the lever is becoming better to work with, so the initial assessment was indeed true!

Originally Posted by spyder_p8

Absolutely epic. While i was watching this, my 4 year old son came from behind and literally shouted. " Wow Papa, Toyota Monster " . This land cruiser is surely a Boy's Toy. I am sure this is a showstopper on the streets. Lovely pics as well. I would loved to see the interior of your truck. That would have helped me imagine myself on the driver's seat

It is a boys toy, hope the pictures do the magic for you

Originally Posted by karthikd21

Hope you have great and safe drives on your new drive. please keep updating on your experiences specially with any maintenance that would come up in the future

Thanks Karthik. Maintaining the beast is actually a project in itself, but the pleasure of driving it outweighs everything. Quite a few stories have happened already, but I'll keep that for some day later when I have the time.

[vdm295]

Congratulations on your acquisition of LC 80 which is surely a head turner. The desert tan colour just looks awesome on this hulk & with those mods to the suspension & the black steel rims it still enhances the look.
Wishing you happy driving for many more year with this hulk.

[mallumowgli]

Amol - that is one passionate purchase.

You started with a photo of two burly bearded men and your kid on the bonnet of the safari photo, the followed up with the one of your kid on a Thar and now you have an LC. Wonder, what would come next and further on as your child grows up!!

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by amolpol

Maintaining the beast is actually a project in itself, but the pleasure of driving it outweighs everything. Quite a few stories have happened already, but I'll keep that for some day later when I have the time.

Spotted your behemoth today morning near Graphite signal. Quite a sight I must say. And man, you really have a lot of patience to drive such a massive car in and around Whitefield area during a weekday. Driving my Endeavour in the same stretch was a nightmare.
On a different note, the ARB sticker pasted behind does not suit the car(Personal opinion).

[shankar.balan]

Does 4L work on it now?
What was the problem with it?

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

Does 4L work on it now?
What was the problem with it?

There was no problem, just a misunderstanding. The 4L works like a charm, just needed the initial push.

Originally Posted by PrideRed

And man, you really have a lot of patience to drive such a massive car in and around Whitefield area during a weekday. Driving my Endeavour in the same stretch was a nightmare.
On a different note, the ARB sticker pasted behind does not suit the car(Personal opinion).

Driving anything in Whitefield is a nightmare after 8.20am.

On the ARB decal, I too think that its a bit too loud when compared to the overall character of the car. Will probably take it down after a while. The transformation will continue for a bit more so it'll evolve.

Originally Posted by mallumowgli

Amol - that is one passionate purchase.
Wonder, what would come next and further on as your child grows up!!

Thanks mate. Pozu is slowly starting to like the LC. Until now she said that the jeep was better, but now she says she likes the LC equal to the jeep.

I've got no plans of changing anything in my garage for a while now. Pretty much everything is built for a purpose and built to last so I'm on the edge of achieving nirvana.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by amolpol

I actually have another story to tell on this topic.

The title of the story is, "How I ended up buying a Tiger 800 XCX". I'll put up a separate post for this since it's pretty interesting to understand what all can happen when you own a Toyota Land Cruiser.

So here's how the story goes:

Sometime in February the LC went into slumber because of the clutch. With a busy schedule at work it was nearly impossible for me to get it fixed temporarily while the new clutch kit is delivered. Days passed and I didn't have any clue on when I'll be able to get the monster back on the road.

I was on a few business trips so effectively I wasn't here too much to be inconvenienced, especially since there's Ola, Uber and a multitude of other taxi operators now. But this couldn't go on like this if I had to send it for repair and/or upgrades in the future which was in the plan anyway. So that triggered a discussion on whether I should get another car for my regular office commute. This discussion had come up earlier when I owned the Thar as well but I've never wanted to have a car with no emotional connect - a commuter. However, this time I was at the verge of letting go of my prejudice and settle for a hatch for city chores.

I started with the thought of keeping it really low budget, so it was the Alto --> Celerio --> i10 Grand as the initial options. I didn't even want to test drive any of them, coz I knew I wouldn't like any of them (no offence to anyone, but it's hard to "like" something smaller after the Tfort and the LC). It was going to be a blind game of just go and buy any one that is available upfront. Then came the Polo GT TSI and i20 and the Baleno. I checked the Baleno and it looked decent on the outside although it was going to be the same swift engine etc. But when the guy told me that waiting period is 6+ months, I politely thanked him and walked out. The TSI and i20 were now the real contenders and both seemed like a pretty good option to save on some tax with the company lease plan. I got the quotes for both and was on the verge of finalizing which one goes for processing, just then lightening struck me!

It was now almost end of February when my wife who had been seeing my dilemma dropped the bomb one day. She said, "Do we really need a third car? I mean do you really need a car as a standby for your LC or anything else also will do. If it's only going to be for you, then you could consider buying the bike that you always wanted!"

Now, it can't ever get better than this....never ever!



The very next day of that conversation, we were at the Triumph showroom, looking at the Tiger. We both had liked the Tiger Explorer 1200 a few months ago when we had been there. The guys had a pre-owned 1200 specimen for sale at that time which was hardly used, and the price was almost similar to a new 800 XcA. That was gone for now, but it was okay, it would've been a bit of an overkill for city use anyway. My eyes were set on the 800 XcX and luckily enough they had a black in stock. I did a test ride and loved the ride, handling and the sitting posture. So we just booked it, never have I bought a vehicle that quickly ever before!



The delivery was promised within a week after all the paperwork was completed. The timing was perfect, it was my most awesome birthday gift!

It arrived just a couple of days after my birthday, but that wasn't going to dampen my spirits. I've done about 3000kms since then, and I can confidently say that the Tiger is a perfect companion for the LC!

My garage is now fully complete with three awesome rides, both onroad and offroad!

[dyer_made]

Originally Posted by shankar.balan

The stock car is what I love best. So clean and simple the lines are. Completely no nonsense and functional.
The Go anywhere DNA just shrieks at you, even at stand still.
I am reminded powerfully of an old Desmond Bagley book called Flyaway which features an adventure set in the Maghreb, Algeria, Niger, the Sahar and the Rub Al Khali, involving a Toyota Landcruiser amongst other things...

Attachment 1551134

See this one...an old gen Toyota in a similar shade...in a desert setting...Wadi Rum.Jordan.

Oh yes, That was the Landcruiser driven by the American. I forget his name....Luke byrne.

by the way , they also burned a brand new Land Rover in that book as well.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by dyer_made

Oh yes, That was the Landcruiser driven by the American. I forget his name....Luke byrne.

by the way , they also burned a brand new Land Rover in that book as well.

Ah yes my man! You do know your
Bagley then.
Luke Byrne is right.
He called those LC's stinkpots!

And yes, that fool Paul Billson bought a brand new Land Rover and flew it to Algiers and drove it into the desert. And yes, Kissack and his goons burned it to a crisp with the best part of 50,000 Quid in a suitcase inside...
Damned good books Bagley wrote!

[Uthappa]

What an absolutely superb vehicle your Land cruiser is. Kudos to you for all the time, energy, patience and money (of course) spent in turning it into a proper overlanding and offroad beast. I'm hoping to replicate your purchase soon, as I share your longstanding passion for the 80 series. I hope to ping you for advise and pointers.

[Altocumulus]

Had the pleasure of spotting your monster an hour or so back from Yamalur junction to Kundanhalii Gate. Tailed you for sometime as well. A definite head turner no doubt and it towers over all the other vehicles on the road.

[Mosalf]

That is not my car but a pic I have to show friends what not to do.


I have LC 80 in Abu Dhabi and i happy to say after driving a nicely modified FJ I was quite surprised at the sand duning abilities of a manual 80 series land cruiser.

It's truly the best off-roader in the world.

[thatfastdude19]

Land Cruisers have always been quite well known for their off road abilities. They have pretty good and bullet proof drivetrains and their chasis and suspension too are pretty good for off-road purposes (Good articulation and travel). So with good rubber a stock LC can show some impressive abilities off road.

[Uthappa]

Originally Posted by amolpol

" I had paid the tax in March itself to avoid any issues with the RTO and getting the transfer done was a breeze.

By this time it was already July and the ARB stuff that I had ordered back in February had finally reached India. Don’t ask me why it took so long to get here, but it did. Anyway, this was still a good timing since I had finished all RTO formalities and the upgrades could begin."

Hi Amol,

I've identified a Prado that I intend to purchase. Could you help with the following:
1. Figuring out the tax formalities in Bangalore. Did you use a contact/agent? If yes, could you connect us?
2. I intend to install a lift kit. Can this be ordered online/by telephone or is a visit to the ARB dealer overseas mandatory? Again, if you could connect me to the dealer you procured your accessories from, I would appreciate it.

Thanks.

I'm not sure, I have done this quoting right as this is my first shot at it. If not, mods, please guide.

[amolpol]

Originally Posted by Uthappa

Hi Amol,



I've identified a Prado that I intend to purchase. Could you help with the following:

1. Figuring out the tax formalities in Bangalore. Did you use a contact/agent? If yes, could you connect us?

2. I intend to install a lift kit. Can this be ordered online/by telephone or is a visit to the ARB dealer overseas mandatory? Again, if you could connect me to the dealer you procured your accessories from, I would appreciate it.



Thanks.



I'm not sure, I have done this quoting right as this is my first shot at it. If not, mods, please guide.

Dear Uthappa

If you have the invoice for the vehicle then calculating the tax is no issues. Else you have the risk of RTO wanting to use the current value of the vehicle or some other values based on their own logic which may make matters complicated. If not the invoice of your own car you should at least try and secure if for a similar model in that year or so which will help. I didn't really go through an agent because I did have the original invoice and import documents for my car, but I'll suggest you to have one to make it a bit easier. Unfortunately no reference that I can provide, sorry!

For the lift kit, we had an ARB dealer in Bangalore from where I sourced all parts. Now I hear he's shut down (Everything4wd) but I may be able to get you some alternate references. Zac is the dealer for Ironman in Bangalore which is another well known alternative brand for 4wd mods that you could consider. Will PM you details in a few days once I'm back in India in a couple of weeks.

The prado already has height adjustable suspension since a few years now so you may want to check on that before you plan the lift kit. It may be better that you check on some of the online forums on the type of upgrade you could do in terms of 2" or higher etc. Its also important to choose the mods based on the purpose you need, for example, having a raised suspension changes driving manners or having a bullbar needs higher capacity springs etc.