Mark Lacey is a true off-road enthusiast. He began off-roading with his family at a young age and has turned his passion into a fun and profitable business. You see, Mark owns ARB Rockhampton, the largest ARB dealership in Queensland, Australia's beautiful northeastern state. With the vast potential this area has for off-roading, it's no surprise that Mark's passion is shared by his many customers.
Mark and his crew are proud of their products and the quality of the work they do. This can be seen in his unique vehicle that is fondly referred to as the Forty Shorty. Now, the Forty Shorty is not a purpose-built rig for tackling boulders or mud but rather an all-around four-wheeler built for fun. This Cruiser is equally at home prerunning a rally course, competing in an outback challenge, blasting down the beach, or cruising the boulevard.
Mark's Forty Shorty began life as a BJ-42 Land Cruiser hardtop with a four-cylinder diesel engine. While a later model Cruiser would have been easier to work with, Mark wanted the classic old Toyota look that screams off-road to all who see it. So, the work began by stripping the Land Cruiser completely and rebuilding it from the ground up.
In the transformation process, the top was removed, the wheelbase was lengthened by 100 mm (4.08 inches), and the factory doors were trimmed to make steel half-doors. In addition to cutting down the factory doors, the original tailgate was modified to allow for easier loading and unloading of the bed-mounted spare tire. In the interior, VDO gauges were installed along with a B&M shifter, Recaro seats, and a custom rollcage.
Mechanically, the Cruiser was upgraded with Toyota front disc brakes and power steering, an OME suspension with anti-reversion shackles, and LTR shocks. In addition, ARB Air Lockers were installed in the diffs and an ARB Bull Bar was customized and chrome-plated before fitting it on the front to hold the Warn 8274 8,000-pound winch.
The drivetrain is the best feature of this superior 4x4. The stock four-cylinder diesel was replaced with a Holden HSV fuel-injected 5.0L V-8. As if that were not enough, a CAPA Vortex belt-driven supercharger adds 11 psi of boost to give this Toy the ability to really squirt the dirt. The Holden is mated to a Turbo 700 automatic tranny and a Toyota factory two-piece transfer case.
The final touch was the license plates, reading TOY 08. These came from Mark's '78 FJ-45, which has also been extensively modified and converted to a V-8. Many of the concepts used on this truck were tested on Mark's original truck over the 14 years he owned it. Of course, this Cruiser was silver too.