Why LandCruiser 40/70 Series Is Australia’s Most Modified 4WD

Ask any serious 4WD enthusiast in Australia what vehicle they would build from scratch if money were no issue, and the answer comes up more often than not: a LandCruiser 70 Series. Not a modern SUV dressed up with off-road stickers. Not something with a fancy infotainment system and air suspension. A proper, purpose-built, body-on-frame workhorse that has been doing the hard yards across this country since 1984.

The 70 Series is not the most comfortable vehicle on the market. It is not the most technologically advanced. It will not win any awards for interior refinement. And yet it sits at the top of almost every list when it comes to modified 4WDs in Australia, with an entire industry built around upgrading, customising and improving it. There is a reason for that, and it goes far deeper than brand loyalty.

LC Vehicle Was Built for Australia from the Start

The 70 Series LandCruiser arrived in Australia in 1984 with a clear purpose. Before it, the 40 Series had already spent decades earning the LandCruiser’s reputation across the outback, and when the 70 Series arrived, it inherited that legacy and built on it. The trust Australian owners had developed for the nameplate carried straight over, and the 70 Series has been deepening it ever since.

The design brief was originally towards the agriculture and mining sectors, to deliver a rugged and reliable vehicle capable of withstanding the day-to-day abuse these industries often subject their vehicles to.

That was not a marketing line. It was a genuine engineering decision. The vehicle was designed to survive red dirt, extreme heat, flood crossings, isolation and constant hard work. Australia did not just adopt the 70 Series. The Land Cruiser has a special bond with the Australian marketplace, and outside of Japan, there may be no more loyal following than the Aussies. Historically the Land Cruiser gave Australians a necessary tool to advance civilisation in an unfriendly climate like the outback. The outback and the Land Cruiser are linked as a cultural icon.

When a vehicle becomes part of how a country sees itself, it stops being just a product. It becomes something people invest in, look after, improve and pass on. That is exactly what has happened with the 70 Series.

The Platform Was Designed to Be Modified

One of the clearest reasons the 70 Series attracts so many modifications is the simplicity of the platform itself. There is no complicated independent front suspension to work around. There are no integrated body and chassis designs limiting what you can bolt on. The platform is a heavy-duty ladder frame chassis with solid axles front and rear and a drivetrain built to last. That simplicity is exactly what makes it so popular with modifiers. There is no complicated suspension to work around, no integrated body-and-chassis design to limit your options, just a straightforward, over-engineered platform that rewards upgrades.

Put simply, the 70 Series was not designed to fight modifications. It was designed in a way that makes modifications natural, practical and often necessary. When you are building a touring rig meant to cover 3,000 kilometres of remote Australian outback, you want a base vehicle that will work with you rather than against you. The 70 Series is exactly that.

Toyota Left Room for the Aftermarket to Fill

The 70 Series has always been deliberately spartan from the factory. To call the LandCruiser 70 sparsely equipped is a kindness. When it comes to aftermarket modifications, the sky really is the limit. An entire industry exists to support this thing.

That is not an accident. Toyota built a base that works and left the rest to owners and aftermarket suppliers. The result is a vehicle that can be as basic or as fully equipped as the owner wants. Someone using it as a farm truck needs different things than someone setting up a long-distance touring rig. The 70 Series accommodates both, and the aftermarket has built out every possible version of it.

A visit to ARB alone could easily part you with $30,000, leaving you with a solid recipe for a tough, hard working and well equipped rig. But it does not stop there. A number of companies offer extensive GVM upgrade solutions that can even incorporate 6WD conversions, turning a humble LandCruiser into an all-terrain super touring vehicle. Power upgrades are also abundant, with numerous offerings at the extreme end including full ECU remaps that take full advantage of the bulletproof 4.5-litre V8 with big increases in both power and torque. Combined with a turbo, intake and exhaust upgrade, gains of up to 94kW and 320Nm are achievable.

That level of aftermarket depth does not exist for most vehicles. It exists for the 70 Series because demand has built it over four decades.

The Most Popular Modifications and Why Owners Do Them

Understanding what people actually modify on a 70 Series tells you a great deal about why they choose the vehicle in the first place. These are not cosmetic changes. They are practical upgrades driven by how and where Australian owners use their vehicles.

Suspension

Getting your 70 Series suspension setup right is key for extracting the best on and off-road performance and driveability from the vehicle. The number one reason for replacing the factory suspension with aftermarket suspension is to help carry more weight. The factory suspension is designed to suit the factory vehicle so when aftermarket modifications are added, they also add weight and the factory suspension is no longer suited to carrying the additional load. Brands like Old Man Emu, ARB and Dobinsons all build dedicated kits for every 70 Series variant, covering everything from entry-level upgrades through to fully adjustable remote reservoir setups.

Bull Bars and Protection

If there is one mod that almost every 79 Series owner fits first, it is a bull bar. Out in regional and remote Australia, wildlife strikes are a real risk, and a quality steel bull bar protects your radiator, intercooler and headlights from serious damage. Most aftermarket bull bars also include integrated winch mounts, rated recovery points and mounting provisions for driving lights and UHF antennas, making them a genuine multi-purpose upgrade rather than just a cosmetic addition.

Engine and Performance

Some of the most popular performance upgrades include diesel fuel filtration kits, intercooler fans, breathers, cruise control additions, billet flywheel upgrades and various combo kits. Exhaust upgrades are one of the most rewarding changes an owner can make, reducing backpressure and freeing up power and torque that the engine already has but cannot fully use through the factory system.

GVM Upgrades

GVM upgrades are one of the most important and most overlooked modifications for touring setups. Companies offer kits that take the 79’s GVM up to 4,000kg or more, legally and with full engineering compliance. This is not just about avoiding fines. It is about making sure your brakes, suspension and steering are rated for the weight you are actually carrying. If you are building a touring rig, get the GVM sorted early as it influences almost every other decision you will make.

Body Parts and Accessories

Doors, bonnets, guards, grilles, headlights, tub components and cabin accessories are all regularly replaced and upgraded on 70 Series builds. This is particularly common on older series vehicles being restored or refreshed, and on working vehicles that have taken genuine damage over time. Quality aftermarket body parts allow owners to keep their vehicles in service without paying dealer prices, and in many cases the aftermarket parts offer better fitment for specific modifications than the original components. For quality Land Cruiser body parts, accessories and cabin components built specifically for the 70 Series range, I Love Cruiser carries an extensive range of aftermarket parts for the 40, 45, 47, 73, 75, 76, 78 and 79 Series at pricing that makes sense for owners who want quality without paying over the odds.

It Holds Its Value When Modified Properly

One of the strongest arguments for building a 70 Series properly is what happens to its value over time. Unlike most vehicles that lose money the moment a modification is fitted, a well-built and compliant 70 Series often commands a higher price on the used market than a stock example.Quality modifications including suspension, GVM upgrades and protection are seen as genuine improvements rather than customisations, and buyers in the second-hand market actively seek out well-built rigs.

This changes the economics of modifying entirely. When you spend money building a 70 Series properly, you are not just spending money on the vehicle. You are investing in something that retains that investment. For buyers of used examples, a well-modified 70 Series represents better value than a stock one in many cases because the hard work is already done.

Four Decades of Community Behind It

The 70 Series has been in production since 1984. That is over 40 years of owners, builders, workshops, forums, social media groups, parts suppliers and specialists all developing knowledge and product around the same platform. That community is one of the most important and most overlooked reasons the 70 Series leads the modification space.

When you buy a 70 Series and decide to build it out, you are not starting from scratch. You are stepping into a world of accumulated knowledge, tested solutions and proven builds. Some people have already solved every problem you will encounter, and the parts to fix those problems exist in abundance and at competitive prices.

That depth of support simply does not exist for most other vehicles. It has been earned over four decades by the 70 Series community, and it is one of the reasons first-time buyers so often become lifelong owners.

The 2024 Updates Only Made It More Attractive

Far from ageing out, the 70 Series picked up meaningful updates for 2024 that brought it to a wider audience without losing any of what made it special. The 2024 LandCruiser 70 Series brings major updates while retaining the legendary off-road capability and durability the nameplate is renowned for. The new 2.8-litre four-cylinder produces 150kW and 500Nm, enabling a 3500kg towing capacity and a 38.51:1 crawl ratio. Key off-road credentials, including a 33 degree approach angle and 700mm wading depth are retained.

The addition of a six-speed automatic transmission opened the 70 Series up to buyers who wanted the capability without the manual gearbox, and that move came directly from feedback from Australian owners. Australian engineers invited their Japanese counterparts on a tour of Australia to understand why the LC70 should be equipped with an automatic transmission. Once the engineers from Japan understood why the LC70 was important to the market, they could see why the automatic transmission would be beneficial to those who relied on it.

That relationship between Australian owners and Toyota’s engineering team is remarkable and it is part of why the 70 Series continues to evolve in the right direction.

What This Means for 70 Series Owners

If you own a 70 Series or are thinking about buying one, the modification culture around this vehicle works strongly in your favour. You have access to a wider range of aftermarket parts than almost any other 4WD in Australia. You have a community with decades of build experience behind it. You have parts suppliers who know the platform inside out and can point you in the right direction. And you have a base vehicle that is genuinely built to reward the investment you put into it.

The key is sourcing parts from suppliers who actually know these vehicles. The difference between a quality aftermarket part and a poor one shows up quickly on a vehicle that works hard, and for a vehicle you depend on in remote areas that difference matters a great deal.

Whether you are starting a first build, refreshing an older series, or replacing worn components on a working vehicle, the right parts are out there. I Love Cruiser specialises entirely in aftermarket LandCruiser parts for the 70 Series range with over 20 years of experience in the off-roading industry, competitive pricing and free expert consultation to help you find exactly what your build needs.

In Short

The LandCruiser 70 Series did not become Australia’s most modified 4WD by accident. It earned that position through four decades of proven performance, a platform that rewards upgrades, a community that has built deep knowledge around it, and a cultural connection to the Australian landscape that no other vehicle can match. Every modification done properly makes it more capable, more valuable and more ready for wherever you take it next.