Masanori Tsuda has been playing in the dirt since childhood. At the age of nine, he was driving a Suzuki Jimny in the densely wooded mountains around Nara, Japan, where his father worked as a forester. Since then, he's built and driven a variety of trail machines, including a Lexus-powered Mitsu-Jeep that's been a winner at Japanese rockcrawling championships. But Masa and his brother Naozumi, a fabricator who has built competition drifters and drag racers, are always seeking new challenges, so they decided last year to build a long-travel rock racer for the 2007 UROC series. As if that wasn't enough, the brothers constructed a UROC-spec concrete crawl course, as well as their own Mini Rubicon-using 1,500 10-ton truckloads of imported rocks-as a proving grounds for their handiwork. Hey, like we said, these guys like a challenge.
The Tsudas based their buggy buildup on a Toyota FJ100 Land Cruiser Prado, known Stateside as the Lexus GX-the same basic platform as our late Project TraiLex, albeit with solid axles and selectable diff-locks that you can't get in the States. While it may look like it's been overhauled from the ground up, it's actually a good example of leaving well enough alone; the stock Prado frame, while chopped, has been retained, and the engine, transmission, and axles were all still bone-stock at the time we spied it, in Japan last autumn. By the time you read this, the Tsudas' flexy TraiLex will have made its debut at the Supercrawl World Championships, held last December in Las Vegas-though it's also due to be sporting some built Dana 60s under that long-travel suspension by then.
 Perched between (what's left...  Perched between (what's left of) the Prado's framerails is the 32-valve 4.0L Lexus V-8-complete with the factory shroud, no less-used in the Lexus LS/SC passenger-car line from 1989 to 2001. This '98-'01 VVT-i version produces a rated 290 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque, and is still mated here to the stock Lexus four-speed and an Atlas transfer case. Also visible is the Greddy auxiliary oil cooler, and the filters and air intake have been relocated high in the open engine bay. |  At the time we shot this rig,...  At the time we shot this rig, it was still a work in progress. A stock 8-inch, 30-spline front axle from an FJ100 (non-U.S.) Toyota was waiting to be replaced by a Currie-Antirocked and Rock Logic-prepped Dana 60 (which we saw on a palette in Masa's shop), though the RL hydro-assist for the owner-fabbed and Heim-jointed crossover steering was already plumbed up. The quite-unusual (but also quite functional) three-link front suspension utilizes unequal-length longitudinal arms and a Panhard-rod-type setup to control axle movement, while 16-inch-travel Fox 2.5 air shocks let the 37-inch Nitto Mud Grapplers on 17-inch custom KMS bead locks keep a steady contact patch, even in big-flex situations. Just out of the photo, nestled in the custom front bumper, a Ramsey X6000 winch with synthetic rope is on hand for extractions. |  When photographed, the rearend...  When photographed, the rearend was similar to the front: a stock 32-spline FJ100 Toyota piece waiting to be swapped out for a Rock Logic-built Dana 60. The rear three-link suspension also utilizes Fox 16-inch-travel air shocks along with a beefy center torque arm to keep the axle from over-rotating under load. Note the clean Yukon driveline, sparkling Atlas transfer case, and Tsuda-fabbed exhaust-by the time you see this rig at the 2007 UROC series, that undercarriage will likely be dirtier than what you see here. Note also the Greddy radiator at the top of this photo, which was relocated behind the driver seat in case the Cruiser needs improved airflow, and to protect against big water. |
Gauges? Who needs gauges?...
Gauges? Who needs gauges? The cockpit of the Cruiser is an epitome of minimalism. A custom carbon-Kevlar seat and Greddy steering wheel locate the driver and vehicle, respectively, though sharp eyes will notice the lack of a harness--like we said, the Cruiser was a work in progress when we shot it. For low-buck building, you gotta love the stock floor-mounted tranny shifter and console, though there's also an added panel for the diff-lock switches, and twin sticks for the Atlas below it. Behind the driver is a single Optima Red Top and a Jaz fuel cell. All the custom cagework was fabbed by Masa and Naozumi at Tsuda Racing's shop in Gara, Japan.
GENERAL
Owner: Tsuda Racing, Gara, Haibara Prefecture, Japan
Vehicle/Model: Custom Toyota Prado/GX rock buggy
Estimated Value: $40,000
ENGINE
Type: 4.0L Lexus 1UZ-FE V-8
Aspiration: Stock EFI
Output, hp/torque (lb-ft): 290/300
DRIVETRAIN
Transmission: Stock four-speed automatic
Transfer case: Atlas two-speed
SUSPENSION
Front: Custom three-link, Panhard rod, 16-inch-travel Fox 2.5 air shocks
Rear: Custom three-link, torque arm, 16-inch-travel Fox 2.5 air shocks
AXLES/DIFFERENTIALS
Front: Toyota FJ100 8-inch; factory diff-lock
Rear: Toyota FJ100 8-inch; factory diff-lock
Ring-and-pinion: 4.30:1
WHEELS/TIRES
Wheels: 17x8.5 custom KMC bead locks
Tires: 37x13.50R17 Nitto Mud Grapplers