Phil Bargman's '76 Toyota Land Cruiser is a mix of fine Japanese styling and strong American components. We would almost go so far as to describe it as having some Yankee ingenuity, but them's fightin' words to a proper southern boy from Piedmont, Oklahoma. The cool thing about our sport is that many of you, like jet fighter test pilots, are willing to risk life and limb to test new ideas on your rigs and push the envelope. Phil has come up with a safe, unusual rig that uses everything from leaf springs to airbags and rolls along on the biggest set of Boggers available.
We don't know if Phil planned on 44s from the start, but it seems like everything was built for them. The 350/350/4.3 recipe gets the power from the TBI 350 engine to the TH350 tranny and through the Atlas 4.3 transfer case. Then all that power drops down to 1-ton axles and hits the ground through those big meats. One of the cool aspects of Phil's rig is the rear suspension that not only uses airbag/air springs but also incorporates a Watt's linkage setup to locate the axle. This system, seen in some cars, involves a propellerlike link mounted to the axle that helps locate it laterally. We always like it when folks take age-old technology and reapply it to build modern-day off-road machines.
The Watt's linkage setup used to locate the rear axle is an ingenious use of old-school hot-rod tech. The disc on the bridge actually turns as the 14-bolt travels, but the links keep it centered between the framerails. The 61/2x27-inch Firestone airbags do spring duty above the housing that carries 4.56 gears and a Detroit. | 
The light blue color and diamond-plate are carried over into the rig with custom covered seats and the spray-in liner coating on the floor. The aluminum dash is filled with a full set of Auto Meter gauges, and the center console is of the lockable Tuffy version. Phil has within reach a B&M shifter, a Grant steering wheel, and a Painless Wiring switch panel--all designed to make controlling his '76 FJ-40 a breeze. | 
Nothing new under the hood, unless you consider the '87 Chevy 350 with throttle-body injection new. There is a Currie air compressor that fills both the front and rear bumpers as reserve tanks, and airs up the rear air springs. To keep the Chebby cool while creeping over Okie rocks, Phil dropped in an Afco radiator. A Flowmaster exhaust expels the hot gases. |
 | 
The 4-inch-lift leaf springs are sitting on top of the front Dana 60. One-ton axles help take the torque from the 4.3:1 Atlas and deliver it to the 44-inch Boggers. To keep everything turning and help traction, an ARB Air Locker hides inside with some 4.56 gears. The Cruiser takes six Rancho 9000s shocks with it to control the bounce while cruising the trails. The supple suspension and big tires on 15-inch Eaton wheels make for a flexible fun rig. To help protect the classic bodylines, the FJ is coated in blue Speedliner and diamond-plate. Without the top--but with the Warn 9000 winch--this big blue bomber weighs in at 5,700 pounds. | |