Lloyd Robinson has built up his 79 series DC Toyota Land Cruiser as a go-anywhere back country tourer for himself and partner Glenda so they could travel the backroads and beyond of New Zealand

The V8 turbo diesel could easily handle all of the situations thrown its way and the blank canvas of a cab/chassis offered opportunities to build the canopy the way Lloyd wanted it to be.

Up front there’s an OL Big tube steel winch bar to protect the vehicle and house the 12000 lb Kingone winch with synthetic rope. Protecting the flanks are the 63mm scrub bars and steps mated to the bulbar, all finished in matt black powder coat.

Under the nose there are more protection plates from Roadsafe as well as extended recovery points.

And the canopy?

The idea is that the truck is self-sufficient so Lloyd and Glenda can camp anywhere they please as long as it is permitted. To that end the ‘Cruiser has an ARB twin motor compressor for pumping up the tyres after a day on the hills. It’s quick too, as it is connected to a five gallon tank under the deck and has connections for the air hose on both sides of the canopy.

There’s also a dual battery system, very simple, the motor charging the main battery first, then the auxiliary battery. The system will isolate the main battery when the motor is stopped so it is always good to start the motor in the morning, basically leaving the battery in the rear to do all the work overnight.

To read the full story in the October 2016 issue of NZ4WD go to Zinio.com (September 26) or purchase your own hard copy