CUSTOM: MSA 4X4 6WD LC200

AFTER MORE than six months of hard slog, the finish line is almost in sight for completion of this epic 6x6 Landcruiser 200 build dubbed Project Supercruiser by the bloke who dreamed it up, Shane Miles, proprietor of MSA 4x4. Based on a brand-new 200 Series Landcruiser VX, the Supercruiser has been stretched by Mick Mcmillan at Australian Expedition Vehicles (AEV), kitted out with a JMACX 6WD system, crafted by the bodywork specialists at David Taylor Spray Painting & Panel Beating, equipped with top-shelf Icon suspension and wheels, fitted with TJM protection equipment and a Trig Point canopy, had Warn winches mounted front and rear and a Brown Davis long-range fuel tank underneath, been tagged with new compliance plates, and registered as a heavy vehicle that can legally seat up to seven occupants.

Once the vehicle was registered Shane picked it up from AEV in Townsville and drove it down to MSA 4x4’s HQ on the Gold Coast, where the next (and final) complicated stage of the build recently commenced.

UNDER THE BONNET

IN A QUEST for longevity, engine modifications have been limited at this stage to fitment of a PWR intercooler and a Safari ARMAX ECU system. The 4.5-litre twin-turbo-diesel V8 breathes through a Safari ARMAX snorkel and exhaust gases exit through a custom exhaust system.

“We ran twin 2.5-inch pipes back from the DPFS and they have nice, quiet resonators on there,” says Shane Miles. “It’s got the standard twin mufflers at the front and then twin 2.5-inch pipes all the way back to the twin resonators, and both DPFS have been retained.”

Take one look at the seven-metre-long Supercruiser and you can imagine there’s a fair bit of added weight, but Shane says

he’s quite happy with the performance it delivers, especially after fitment of the ARMAX ECU.

“We’re going to be around the five-tonne GVM mark when we’re full so, in a way, it will be like towing a ’van. So we’ve dropped a little bit of performance, but with the intercooler, the Safari ARMAX and the snorkel, it brings the performance right back up,” he says.

The ARMAX has several user-selectable modes to suit different driving conditions including towing and off-road driving, but perhaps of more importance are the built-in protection systems designed to prevent engine and driveline damage – the system constantly monitors the vehicle’s exhaust gas temperature (EGT) and if abnormally high the ECU decreases the amount of fuel injected into the engine, reducing load until a return to normal EGT levels.

The Landcruiser’s standard alternator has been flicked in favour of a fully sealed 220amp Rapid-power alternator. This not only provides much more output than the OE 3094 unit, but, because it is fully sealed, it’s not prone to damage when driving in wet and muddy conditions as is the case with the vehicle’s original alternator, located in a vulnerable position at the bottom of the Cruiser’s engine.

Further engine protection is provided by Direction-plus, which fitted a Provent oil separator kit (catch can) and a Provent fuel/water separator, the latter equipped with an alarm to prevent potentially costly engine problems.

UP TOP

THE Rhino-rack Pioneer Platform over the vehicle’s cab is affixed via a Backbone mounting system, and it sits close to the vehicle’s roofline for a low-profile look. There is, however, enough room for the Lightforce LED work lights on either side, as well as a Lightforce LED light bar up front. The platform is also home to an ikamper Mini, which is a new pop-up tent from the manufacturer that’s still to be released to market, and it will be home to Shane and his partner Tameka when on big trips. It should be noted that all of this kit fits above the cabin without interfering with operation of the vehicle’s sunroof.

A much bigger ikamper Skycamp 4X is mounted to another Pioneer platform that’s bolted to the Trig Point canopy, and this will be home to the couple’s kids.

“When it’s open, it’s slightly larger than a king-size bed, so the kids, still being reasonably small, should all fit up there (they range in age from nine to 13),” says Shane, adding that if

the oldest 19-year-old wanted to tag along on family trips

he would these days likely do it in his own vehicle.

The rear Pioneer platform also provides a fitment point for a rear-facing Lightforce LED work light, a reversing camera and a Cel-fi Smart Repeater Booster antenna on a neat ‘n’ tidy GME fold-down bracket.

UNDERNEATH

HAULING up the hefty Supercruiser is a new brake package from Rugged Brake Systems. The standard front brakes have been replaced with the company’s Extreme Big Brake Kit which consists of slotted rotors designed specifically for four-wheel drive use and big six-piston calipers manufactured from lightweight aircraft-grade aluminium. The four brakes at the back have been upgraded with Rugged’s Blackline pad-and-rotor kit.

Traction comes courtesy of the Cruiser’s Mickey Thompson ATZ P3 tyres and locking diffs are fitted in all three axles.

“ARB Jindalee fitted a pair of Air Lockers,” says Shane. “They go in the front and the third diffs, because the centre diff (in the JMACX 6WD system) is already fitted with an Eaton mechanical soft-locker.”

To prevent corrosion to the Supercruiser, two ERPS (Electronic Rust Prevention Systems) have been fitted. “One runs around the chassis and there’s a separate one running around the vehicle’s cab,” explains Shane.

ELECTRICAL PACKAGE

THE MSA 4x4 Supercruiser will never run short of electrical power thanks to the fitment of six Revolution Power Australia 60amp/h slim lithium

batteries, DC to DC charging and a Redarc Redvision system. “That gives us 360amp/h to run the two fridges, the lights and all the other stuff,” says Shane.

“We also put a second starting battery in – the newer 200 Series only has one starting battery where the earlier 200s had two – so we put the second battery back in there, and then the alternator leads to two BCDC1250 battery chargers to charge the six lithium batteries, and then there’s a Redarc Battery Management System (BMS) and the Redvision system, which is controlled via a touchscreen at the rear left of the canopy at a nice height and a nice angle.

“There’s also a 1000W Redarc inverter that leads to a double 240V power outlet just under the Redvision screen, and another double power outlet inside the cab, so we can charge camera batteries and stuff.”

OUT BACK

AS YOU’D expect, the attention-grabbing MSA 4x4 Supercruiser’s Trig Point canopy has been kitted out with, you guessed it, a topnotch MSA 4x4 drawer system, and the company’s innovative

THERE’S 360AMP/H TO RUN THE TWO FRIDGES, LIGHTS AND ALL THE OTHER STUFF

drop-down fridge slides and fridge barriers.

“We put 1170mm drawers on the bottom and stacked 1030mm drawers on top of them,” says Shane. “On the driver’s side there are four drawers and a DS50 Fridge Drop Slide that will hold a Snomaster 60L fridge, and this has one of our new Fridge Barriers that lines up perfectly with the top of the stacked drawers.”

On the other side of the vehicle, there’s another Drop Slide, back-to-back with the other one, so the two Fridge Barriers line up at the front of the Trig Point … and then next to that is a Side Drop Slide, which houses a gas cooker with a barbecue plate on top. The cooker’s two gas bottles will be housed in a specially made storage box, and will be installed by a gas fitter, tested and signed-off.

“Across the top of the whole lot (the drawers and Fridge Barriers) is one big, flat deck for storing stuff, like bags and chairs and things like that,” adds Shane.

DONE AND DUSTED

PROJECT Supercruiser has taken significantly longer than expected but Shane Miles says he can now see light at the end of the tunnel, and can hardly wait to hit the road to get down and dirty in his new rig. His family is no doubt looking forward to getting away in their awesome new six-wheeler as well.

We’ve lined up a photo shoot with Shane and his mighty Toyota/aev Supercruiser in a few weeks’ time, so we’ll finally get to see how this six-wheeled beast performs on and off the road. Make sure you keep an eye out for a full feature in the next issue of 4X4 Australia.

THE CANOPY HAS BEEN KITTED OUT WITH A TOP NOTCH MSA 4X4 DRAWER SYSTEM