Hello all,
I am playing catchup with this thread, finally beginning to document the next chapter in the life of an awesome 1994 FZJ80. The original build thread can be found here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83671-The-Baja-Bus-1994-FZJ80-Build?highlight=krazytoy
By way of introduction, my name is Jon and I am very new to the community of overlanders. I live in the Boston area and am an avid freshwater flyfisherman. I have fished a ton in Maine, principally in the Moosehead Lake area between Greenville and Brownville (no, I did not make that up). I have fished Montana and Colorado for trout, Norway and New Brunswick for Atlantic Salmon and Sweden for giant Arctic Char, trout and Greyling. Of all the fishing I imagine myself doing, the mountain West has captured my heart. Nearing the ripe young age of 60, I realize that if I want to get serious about fishing my way through the Rockies, I had better get started.
The general plan is to follow the sun from Santa Fe to Alberta and back again, fishing the shoulder seasons and avoiding extreme heat or cold by travelling in the appropriate direction for the time of year. It's a pretty general plan, but it would allow me to fish new water every day and never run out.
What brought me to ExPo was my research on what kind of vehicle would best suit my needs on such a journey. I researched RVs, pop-ups, truck campers and 4x4s, finally ending up with krazytoy's Baja Bus. He had thoroughly documented his build, so I felt very comfortable with a long-distance purchase. If you want to know why I bought this particular truck, this page from his build thread says it all:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83671-The-Baja-Bus-1994-FZJ80-Build/page22?highlight=krazytoy
1) Truck takes you to amazing hard-to-reach fishing;
2) Jason is a fanatic about doing things right.
So in October 2013 I flew to Boise ID, stayed with a cousin whom I hadn't seen in nearly forty years, and met Jason to pick up the cruiser.
The Baja Bus was exactly what I had imagined – from a distance. Up close it was larger than life. Not a bad thing, I had just never stood next to a lifted Land Cruiser before. Dang, they are tall! I drove Jason back to Idaho Falls and set about getting to know my new acquisition.
Before I had even met the vehicle I knew there were a few things I needed to add or change. Jason is a slender youngster who had installed these microscopic racing seats in the front spots. I could feel my ample rear end bruising up just by looking at the pictures. So I bought, and he graciously installed, two much more civilized seats, which are not only more accommodating but also RECLINE! I am sure I am not the only one who benefits from a quick roadside snooze on long trips, so this feature was a must.
Jason also installed for me a locking center console from Tuffy. As I would likely be travelling armed, locking storage was a necessity. And, it has cup-holders. All the comforts, right? Jason documented these additions in his build thread, so I refer you there for details.
After dropping Jason I had a few days to kill and went fishing. The South Fork of the Snake was in fine fettle, with low water and all-day dry fly fishing. I tested out the suspension by driving down a steep embankment right to the shoreline. No problem.
I fished for the day, only to return to the truck to find the battery dead as a doornail. Some IDIOT had left the key in AUX position all day after rolling up the windows. I was parked down a narrow dirt road over a 6' embankment and there was no way your average fellow traveler was going to be able to give me a jump.
I walked out to the main (dirt) road by the Heise Bridge and tried to look forlorn at passing motorists. Before long wouldn't you know it, an FJ40 pulled to a stop and asked if I needed help. He said, “Oh, you're the guy parked on the river?” Not there a day and I'm already famous. I acknowledged that I was, despite which he drove me back and, before I could say “I understand if you don't want to go down there,” he was diving over the edge and pulling up next to the 80. With night falling, the two LCs kissed and exchanged electrons, and both plowed back up the bank with no difficulty. My rescuer was very gracious, reluctantly accepting enough money for a six-pack. Domestic.
Properly chastened at my lack of preparation, I soon spied a roadside Sears and purchased a Diehard Platinum all-purpose vehicle-starter/inverter/USB charger/tire-and air-mattress filler. Pretty nice device, especially when you are stuck down a riverbank with a dead battery. Not that that would ever happen.
After a couple more days at the Heise Bridge and vicinity, I headed to Salt Lake City to meet up with Kurt Williams of Cruiser Outfitters, who would handle the installation of an Ezi-Awn K9 Roof Rack from Paul May at Equipt. As part of his build Jason had removed the factory rack in preparation for a custom roof rack, but he elected to save the new rack for his next build. So I was rackless, and needed a way to transport bulky items such as the third row seats without using all the interior space I would need for sleeping. The rack install was hardly plug and play, or whatever the vehicular analog is. Paul May said mine would be the first to go on an 80 Series, so no one had any experience with it. (The LC80 on his web site is mine, just after the install at CO). Getting everything levelled was a challenge, with six points of contact and leveling in all three dimensions at once. Now that it is done, I can remove the rack easily with six set screws (though I haven't dared try it).
I headed back north to collect the remainder of the Bus' gear from Jason and install a roof-top travel bag to protect it all cross-country. Everything I wouldn't be using went into the bag. Two Jerry cans went on top also. And finally, the dark October evening having settled in, I said my goodbyes to Jason, he to his Beloved Bus, and off I went.
I am playing catchup with this thread, finally beginning to document the next chapter in the life of an awesome 1994 FZJ80. The original build thread can be found here:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83671-The-Baja-Bus-1994-FZJ80-Build?highlight=krazytoy
By way of introduction, my name is Jon and I am very new to the community of overlanders. I live in the Boston area and am an avid freshwater flyfisherman. I have fished a ton in Maine, principally in the Moosehead Lake area between Greenville and Brownville (no, I did not make that up). I have fished Montana and Colorado for trout, Norway and New Brunswick for Atlantic Salmon and Sweden for giant Arctic Char, trout and Greyling. Of all the fishing I imagine myself doing, the mountain West has captured my heart. Nearing the ripe young age of 60, I realize that if I want to get serious about fishing my way through the Rockies, I had better get started.
The general plan is to follow the sun from Santa Fe to Alberta and back again, fishing the shoulder seasons and avoiding extreme heat or cold by travelling in the appropriate direction for the time of year. It's a pretty general plan, but it would allow me to fish new water every day and never run out.
What brought me to ExPo was my research on what kind of vehicle would best suit my needs on such a journey. I researched RVs, pop-ups, truck campers and 4x4s, finally ending up with krazytoy's Baja Bus. He had thoroughly documented his build, so I felt very comfortable with a long-distance purchase. If you want to know why I bought this particular truck, this page from his build thread says it all:
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/83671-The-Baja-Bus-1994-FZJ80-Build/page22?highlight=krazytoy
1) Truck takes you to amazing hard-to-reach fishing;
2) Jason is a fanatic about doing things right.
So in October 2013 I flew to Boise ID, stayed with a cousin whom I hadn't seen in nearly forty years, and met Jason to pick up the cruiser.
The Baja Bus was exactly what I had imagined – from a distance. Up close it was larger than life. Not a bad thing, I had just never stood next to a lifted Land Cruiser before. Dang, they are tall! I drove Jason back to Idaho Falls and set about getting to know my new acquisition.
Before I had even met the vehicle I knew there were a few things I needed to add or change. Jason is a slender youngster who had installed these microscopic racing seats in the front spots. I could feel my ample rear end bruising up just by looking at the pictures. So I bought, and he graciously installed, two much more civilized seats, which are not only more accommodating but also RECLINE! I am sure I am not the only one who benefits from a quick roadside snooze on long trips, so this feature was a must.
Jason also installed for me a locking center console from Tuffy. As I would likely be travelling armed, locking storage was a necessity. And, it has cup-holders. All the comforts, right? Jason documented these additions in his build thread, so I refer you there for details.
After dropping Jason I had a few days to kill and went fishing. The South Fork of the Snake was in fine fettle, with low water and all-day dry fly fishing. I tested out the suspension by driving down a steep embankment right to the shoreline. No problem.
I fished for the day, only to return to the truck to find the battery dead as a doornail. Some IDIOT had left the key in AUX position all day after rolling up the windows. I was parked down a narrow dirt road over a 6' embankment and there was no way your average fellow traveler was going to be able to give me a jump.
I walked out to the main (dirt) road by the Heise Bridge and tried to look forlorn at passing motorists. Before long wouldn't you know it, an FJ40 pulled to a stop and asked if I needed help. He said, “Oh, you're the guy parked on the river?” Not there a day and I'm already famous. I acknowledged that I was, despite which he drove me back and, before I could say “I understand if you don't want to go down there,” he was diving over the edge and pulling up next to the 80. With night falling, the two LCs kissed and exchanged electrons, and both plowed back up the bank with no difficulty. My rescuer was very gracious, reluctantly accepting enough money for a six-pack. Domestic.
Properly chastened at my lack of preparation, I soon spied a roadside Sears and purchased a Diehard Platinum all-purpose vehicle-starter/inverter/USB charger/tire-and air-mattress filler. Pretty nice device, especially when you are stuck down a riverbank with a dead battery. Not that that would ever happen.
After a couple more days at the Heise Bridge and vicinity, I headed to Salt Lake City to meet up with Kurt Williams of Cruiser Outfitters, who would handle the installation of an Ezi-Awn K9 Roof Rack from Paul May at Equipt. As part of his build Jason had removed the factory rack in preparation for a custom roof rack, but he elected to save the new rack for his next build. So I was rackless, and needed a way to transport bulky items such as the third row seats without using all the interior space I would need for sleeping. The rack install was hardly plug and play, or whatever the vehicular analog is. Paul May said mine would be the first to go on an 80 Series, so no one had any experience with it. (The LC80 on his web site is mine, just after the install at CO). Getting everything levelled was a challenge, with six points of contact and leveling in all three dimensions at once. Now that it is done, I can remove the rack easily with six set screws (though I haven't dared try it).
I headed back north to collect the remainder of the Bus' gear from Jason and install a roof-top travel bag to protect it all cross-country. Everything I wouldn't be using went into the bag. Two Jerry cans went on top also. And finally, the dark October evening having settled in, I said my goodbyes to Jason, he to his Beloved Bus, and off I went.
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