Players who are keen on off-road vehicles and pickups have no prejudice against second-hand or old cars. Even a ten or twenty-year-old car can still surpass the hot new cars on the market in their world. Mitch Kleinstein bought his first pickup in 1994, a 1993 Toyota Hilux. Since buying this car, Mitch hasn’t changed another car. Over the past 20 years, this Toyota pickup and Mitch himself have continued to grow.
Now this Hilux uses a 4-inch lift kit, ARB Air Locker differential locks are installed on the front and rear axles and 32-inch tires are replaced, and the suspension part has also been targeted for upgrades. The pickup truck we see now is the result of Mitch’s nearly a year’s work. For Mitch, this state is already very ideal, but it is still not perfect. The body is painted in camouflage, which is also very individual.
Let’s take a look at the chassis. The front suspension of the original model is independent suspension, but now we see the fixed axle non-independent suspension specially customized by Mitch, which is indeed one of the necessary equipment for hardcore off-road. The control arms have also been strengthened to withstand more pressure, the steering system uses products from PSC Motorsports, and the new hydraulic power steering system has also become lighter.
The fixed position of the air shock absorber of the front suspension has also been strengthened, and U-shaped pipes are welded to the frame to improve strength. The ORI three-link structure with a 14-inch stroke has a wide range of availability, which can not only meet the comfort of Mitch’s daily use, but also provide sufficient ground clearance for outdoor off-roading on weekends.
The rear axle housing is also from Trail-Gear Rock Assault products, and of course the ARB differential. The four-link structure and 16-inch travel shock absorption can ensure the performance of the car. In addition, the brake system of the rear wheel has also been upgraded, and the performance of the Trail-Gear disc brake has been significantly improved compared with the original brake.
Under the hood is still the original 3.0-liter V6 engine, and there are no major changes. The exhaust system has been upgraded to a product from Genie Performance in Australia to make the engine breathe more smoothly. In addition, the battery has also been upgraded and replaced with an Optima YellowTop battery, which guarantees energy and reliability.
In order to reduce the impact of rocks on the chassis, Mitch equipped the pickup with a chassis guard to protect important components such as the transfer case and universal joints. It can be seen from the color matching that the owner Mitch seems to have some funny talents, and the purple guard plate also adds a little color to the chassis.
The space in the cargo box is really not wasted at all. It is full of tool boxes, spare fuel tanks and various spare parts, and it can be self-sufficient for long-distance travel. In addition, the tube rack in the cargo box is not only used to fix the partition, but also to provide support for the shock with 16 inches of travel.
A full-size spare wheel was mounted on the cargo lid, and rearward-facing searchlights were added to the luggage rack.
The interior basically maintains the original factory configuration, but a roll cage is added.
The front part of the car was removed from the original bumper and replaced with a new guard bar and a Warn winch was added. The rear bumper was not removed but a tubular guard bar was installed.
