Photos: Blüsteele Clutch
Even before they launched their Survivor Series 4x4 clutch kit, Blüsteele were confident of its capabilities. Decades of experience generally and three years of development work specifically led to that confidence. But there’s no substitute for “real world” testing, so Chris and Dan Rippon at Blüsteele did exactly that, purchasing a brand-new 2019 Toyota VDJ76 LandCruiser GXL wagon last year, fitting a Survivor Series clutch, then finding out just how much it could take.
This ‘Cruiser would also take much more than just a new clutch. . .
70 Series base
While the Blüsteele Survivor Series clutch kits cover a broad range of makes and models, the torque from a turbo diesel V8 puts the greatest load on a clutch, so that made the 70 Series LandCruiser a natural choice.
“We wanted something that was going to put the clutch to the highest test,” Dan Rippon explained. “And the LandCruisers, having the V8 turbo diesel, produce the highest torque.”
While the temptation was to fit the Survivor Series clutch straight away, Dan covered some miles first, ensuring the vehicle was well run in before any mechanical changes were made. ‘Project Survivor Series’ wasn’t left untouched during this period, though.
A bespoke bullbar from ATD Customs in Queensland was one of the first additions. Custom made to suit the 70 Series, the bulbar is linked to brush rails and side steps that were also manufactured by ATD Customs. Some neat additions here include ‘Blusteele 76’ laser-cut into the side steps and LEDs incorporated into the brush rails.
“We got a lot of comments from people about those - they love the LED look,” Dan laughed. “With so many lights, when you put your indicators on, it’s almost like a Christmas tree!”
A set of Kings spotlights were added to the bulbar, augmented by an LED strip from Night Armour in Queensland, fixed on a Rhino Rack roof rack. Combined, this light package is brilliant at lighting up trails.
At the rear, the factory bumper was replaced with a unit from Uneek 4x4 in Victoria. A dual spare wheel mounting system from the same company takes the two different types of rims this vehicle runs, but more on that later.
With more power on the programme, the LandCruiser’s braking needed to be upgraded, too, so Chris and Dan fitted Bremaxx ‘Claw-Grooved’ disc rotors that offer superior cooling efficiency. Matched to these were a set of Bremaxx Heavy Duty ceramic disc pads that offer high temperature performance and reduced dust.
With these parts fitted, and a little over 10,000kms under its wheels, it was time to open the bonnet on Project Survivor Series and get busy!
Increasing Performance, Adding Strength
From the factory, the 4.5-litre V8 in a LandCruiser 70 Series is a pretty mild unit, meaning there’s plenty of performance to be unlocked.
To unlock that performance, Chris and Dan started with a PWR top-mount intercooler and HPD oil catch can. AAA Exhausts and Customs in Queensland fabricated a fully sealed airbox that’s larger than the Toyota factory item. Complementing this is a snorkel from the same company that’s mandrel bent from a single section of stainless-steel pipe.
By this stage, the engine had been run in enough to take the Survivor Series clutch, which Blüsteele sent to LCR Automotive in Victoria for fitting.
As detailed previously, everything you need to upgrade your manual 4x4’s clutch is in a Blüsteele Survivor Series kit - clutch plate, pressure plate cover, thrust bearing, spigot bearing and an alignment tool. In most kits, a rear main seal, new bolts and replacement flywheel is available, too, with Project Survivor Series getting a new chromoly flywheel.
“The Survivor clutch we fitted to the VDJ76 Landcruiser V8 is one of the most comprehensive and complete clutch kits I have ever fitted,” said Lee Cafiso from LCR Automotive. “It comes complete with all the parts to do a proper clutch replacement job. I was particularly impressed that the kit included a genuine NSK thrust bearing.”
Lee also commented on the air freshener included in the kit. An air freshener for a clutch kit? It’s a novelty, but one with a function beyond smelling nice, as it carries instructions for bedding in the clutch. It’s clever touches like this that are typical of Blüsteele’s approach to their products and their care for their customers.
As previously mentioned, each Blüsteele Survivor Series kit is a simple bolt-in replacement for the factory clutch, with no machining, welding or specialty finishing required.
Given all the pre-release testing that both Dan and his dad Chris did, they knew what they were in for with the kit in this LandCruiser (which is Dan’s personal vehicle), but it was still nice to experience how well it worked first hand: “It was excellent – it worked really good,” Dan said.
Proving Performance, Proving Strength
While saying their Survivor Series clutch kit is strong, it was important for Blüsteele to prove it as well, so the LandCruiser was sent to Dynomotive in Victoria for some more underbonnet work.
“We had a goal of achieving over 1,000Nm of torque at the flywheel,” Chris explained. “We sent the vehicle to Dynomotive to achieve that.”
Obviously, 1,000Nm is a big number for an engine that produces only 430Nm in stock spec. But as mentioned, the Toyota t/d V8 has more to offer than its factory numbers suggest, and Dynomotive’s Mark Trounson knew just what gear was needed to deliver that 1,000Nm.
“The limiting factor is the factory turbocharger,” Mark explained “It’s very small in air flow capacity, is very lazy to come on boost and has a limited upper boost capacity.”
To suit applications where constant high-flow output is required, Dynomotive had already developed a turbo upgrade kit around a Garret turbocharger that includes an external Turbosmart wastegate, stainless-steel dump pipe, new intake pipe, hot pipe adapter and other parts. It would be the ideal unit for Project Survivor Series.
“This GTX-470 turbo kit will test any clutch on the market,” Mark added. “We have seen a fairly popular clutch that is ‘rated at 1300Nm’ fail on the dyno using our turbo kit.”
So, with the prospect of their clutch going “bang” on the dyno, you’d think Chris and Dan may have been worried, but they were confident that the dyno runs would prove the strength of their product and meet their aim of 1,000Nm.
To complement the GTX-470 kit, Dynomotive fitted a full 3-inch exhaust system and related fittings, as well as their own Unichip ECU.
On the dyno, the official result was 745Nm and 200.5kW. That compares to 430Nm and 151kW from the turbodiesel V8 in factory spec. And those dyno numbers are measured at the rear wheels, too, so measuring at the flywheel would comfortably eclipse Blüsteele’s goal of 1,000Nm.
Naturally, Chris and Dan were happy, but Mark from Dynomotive was impressed, too: “The clutch holds up very well. If anything, it feels like it has plenty to spare as far as torque capacity goes.”
For Dan, the benefits of the GTX-470 kit, exhaust upgrade and ECU became apparent even on the drive home from Dynomotive.
“When I first picked up the LandCruiser from the dealership, it felt quite sluggish and really underpowered - especially for a turbo diesel V8. Now, it’s got plenty of power. You put your foot down and feel like you can zoom in and out of traffic!”
As well as more immediate throttle response, there’s power higher in the rev range, too.
“It used to run out of puff as soon as you hit 2500rpm - you could feel there was nothing left in the engine. But now, once you hit 2500rpm, it comes on even stronger, all the way out to around 3500rpm. The exhaust has a really nice note to it now, too.”
The turbo upgrade has also been beneficial on the torque side of the equation.
“Towing is just incredible,” Chris added. “And it does it so much smoother. We have a racing car with a tandem trailer. I’ve towed that with the LandCruiser and the one thing that stood out to me was that, going around a corner, you used to need to change down to second gear to accelerate away. Now, you can leave it in third and it just pulls away.”
On the Road – and Off It
While the dyno testing proved a point, and early use of Project Survivor Series showed up obvious gains compared to its factory specification, the drivability of Dan’s modified 70 Series GXL ‘Cruiser in everyday road and off-road conditions was another matter.
A trip to a favourite off-road track near Marysville saw the LandCruiser put to the test, where Dan said that gnarly inclines were flattened by the engine’s newfound torque. Rougher trails proved the durability of the Survivor Series clutch, too.
“It was quite challenging, because it was pretty wet and a lot of the tracks were really boggy.”
Earlier this year, just before COVID lockdowns came into effect, Dan loaded the family into Project Survivor Series and headed out on a road trip, following the south coast around to Merimbula, then up to Canberra and heading inland into New South Wales before journeying back to Victoria. The route took in a lot of highway driving on the Hume, which proved the benefits of the improved power of the turbo upgrade, as well as the easy shifting made possible by the Survivor Series clutch kit.
“I had my wife and two kids in the car and there were no complaints, so that was good!” Dan laughed.
Ready to Travel
As well as the aforementioned upgrades, other gear fitted to Project Survivor Series includes Pro Comp 16-inch wheels fitted with 31-inch BFG All Terrain T/A tyres, which provided surprisingly little road noise on those long highway stretches.
There’s a reversing camera slung underneath that Uneek 4x4 bar, which has proved to be a handy addition.
In the rear cargo area, a premium lockable drawer system from RV Storage Solutions and a Hayman Reese cargo barrier keeps everything tidy, while a Clearview Easy Slide fridge slider holds the same sort of Engel MT-V fridge that Blüsteele are offering to Survivor Series clutch kit buyers (see breakout).
The Toyota factory front seats were replaced with FPV items that Dan says are much more comfortable, while the basic factory audio system was upgraded with a Kenwood unit.
A longer gear shift lever and centre console upgrade (that includes a chilled compartment) upped the comfort ante even further.
We mentioned those dual spare wheel mounts earlier, which accommodate front and rear wheels with different offsets. Anyone familiar with the 70 Series LandCruiser will know the 100mm difference in its front and rear track is its Achilles Heel, especially in sand and loose surfaces, leading to fishtailing and unnecessary engine strain. Dan has plans to take Project Survivor Series to Fraser Island in the future, so the narrow rear track had to be sorted out.
Different offsets for those Pro Comp alloys on the rear have now aligned the front and rear track, with a set of wheelarch flares from Superior Engineering aligning it visually with the ATD front bar and brush rail set-up.
