Patriot Campers’ 6x6 Toyota LC79: 2017 Custom 4x4OTY contender

PATRIOT Campers’ Justin Montesalvo knows how to get your attention.

Vote for the Patriot Campers' 6x6 LC79 to win 2017 Custom 4x4 of the Year

A raft of top-notch camper trailers – and then the Super Tourer 4x4 builds – has seen the hard-working Queenslander and his team garner loads of respect in the four-wheel drive touring world.

And, as you can see with this off-road work-of-art, Patriot Campers ain’t slowing down. This 6x6 Land Cruiser 79 stole the recent Melbourne 4X4 Show.

The build is epic and started with the team stripping out the back end of a brand-new LC79 ute and then effectively cutting off the back end of it. The reason for this was the fitment of a complete JMACX 6x6 system to replace the standard rear axle/leaf spring setup.

The JMACX replacement entailed new rails mounting the coil spring suspension and trailing arms, but with this vehicle actually using height-adjustable (up to 100mm), self-levelling Airbag Man airbags (in lieu of coils) and prototype TJM remote reservoir shocks. Both diffs are also JMACX jobbies; the rear keeps the factory Toyota locker, the front is a Detroit soft-locker.

Justin was keen to go bigger than the 35-inch tyres that the JMACX setup usually features, by fitting 37-inch Mickey Thompson MTZs and +35 offset ROH wheels, and then – just because that wasn’t enough – he worked with Marks 4WD Adaptors to fit a set of its portal hubs to each axle.

These hubs give the Super Tourer an additional 150mm under-diff clearance and – due to their gear reduction – help compensate for the larger rolling stock. It’s a lot of weight to carry around, but GSL Fabrications came to the party and Justin gave them free rein to up the grunt from the TDV8.

The result: Fitment of GSL’s 100% kit that, as you may guess, signifies a 100 per cent increase in torque.

This LC79’s tray and canopy setup is a new Super Tourer design chock-full of storage; flip-up covers on each side allow access to the fridge/freezer and the canopy also features slide-out drawers, as well as fuel filler covers and space on the tray for two of those oversized 37s.

On top of the canopy you’ll find a solar panel. There are more storage compartments under the rear sills, plus a full-width slide-out drawer under the tray’s rear end.

Barwork is courtesy of TJM, with the front bar including an integrated TJM Torq 12,000lb winch. The interior is full leather, with the essentials (such as Hema HX-1 and UHF radio) and the trim/colour matching perfectly with the exterior and reflecting the quality of this entire build that goes above factory-spec level in terms of fit and finish – and desirability.