Ashton Montesalvo, son of Justin, the Director of Patriot Campers and a Patriot Games YouTube personality, bought his first car at just 16 years old in 2021. He used money saved from working school holidays for many years at his dad’s company. His first car was always destined to be an iconic 4WD. But, no one imagined it would become a serious custom build that would attract admiration around the globe.
While Patriot Campers is well known for top-quality and over-the-top 4WD builds, which also actually get used properly, Ashton’s build took on a life of its own over the 18+ months it took to complete. It took not only the normal talented custom fabrication crew at Patriot Campers and top-notch parts suppliers, painters, and engine tuning specialists, but also Ashton and his twin brother, Christian, to get the build across the finish line while keeping its original vision intact.
In the end, this “first car” was built into the Patriot Campers SuperTourer FJ79. Think of it as a classic Land Cruiser 40 series pickup (FJ45) with a full Land Cruiser 70 series (LC79) driveline. Oh, and a bazillion custom parts to bring it all together so seamlessly.
This is not a body swap onto a new truck, but instead a full custom upgrade package of a classic Australian ranch truck. The truck’s soul remains while offering Ashton modern reliability, comfort, and capability.
Patriot Campers FJ49 Origin Story
Let’s take a moment to stop ogling the photos of this jaw-dropping custom truck and talk about how it came to be what it is today. First up was a local Gold Coast find on Gumtree — Australia’s version of Craigslist — that ended up with a quick purchase. This FJ45 ranch truck was well-loved but had been restored a bit and upgraded over the years. It came with the anemic 4.2L I6 2F gas engine.
The first trip out in the truck was a proper off-road and camping weekend at Gordon Country off-road park. It of course ended with the truck on a flatbed. Negotiating a long, deep “bog hole,” the engine and transmission ingested a bit more water and mud than it could handle. Old seals, no snorkel, and some judicious use of the skinny pedal ended things pretty quickly in these conditions.
Combining Old & New
Reliability and capability were the first concerns when considering options moving forward with the truck. But, Ashton also insisted that it keep its old-school looks and charm. Throwing the old body on a modern Land Cruiser chassis would have been much easier. It wouldn’t, however, have kept the soul of the old vehicle.
With those goals in mind, a wrecked ex-mining 2011 V8 diesel Land Cruiser 70 series pickup (LC79) was sourced. It donated its drivetrain, axles, font springs, and air conditioning to the project. Both trucks then came apart. At the same time, loads of other custom parts to make everything come together were sourced or made in-house at Patriot Campers.
Rolling Right
It was no small task to wedge the big, wide, modern turbo-diesel V8 and transmission into the narrow FJ45 chassis and body. Once chassis mods were completed a new custom radiator, intercooler, and fan setup was installed. This setup was needed for both proper cooling and because the stock systems with the VDJ engine would have been too large to fit in the FJ45 bodywork.
Tons of GSL upgrades are also under the hood, with a stainless steel exhaust allowing the engine to breathe properly. On the dyno, the FJ79 is seeing about 200 horsepower at the wheels. There is still plenty of room to improve that in the future once reliability has been dialed in.
Axles were also swapped out. Harrop Eaton ELockers were installed at both ends and a JMACX HD diff upgrade was installed in the rear. The wider 70 Series axles were also fitted with PCOR Signature 261 Wheels wrapped in 35-inch BFG KO2 tires.
Attaching that rolling stock to the truck is a custom coil sprung front end — utilizing 70 Series parts — and a beefed-up leaf spring setup in the rear. The coils up front help provide a ton of flex for hard-core off-road obstacles. They also smooth out the ride for long-range touring comfort. While doing a coil conversion in the rear was considered, it was skipped — for now at least. This decision was made due to costs and trying to stay true to the original character of the truck.
Classic Land Cruiser Style Retained
On the classic style OEM front bumper sits an equally iconic Warn M8274 winch. The front end is also upgraded with X-Ray Vision LED headlights and custom billet touches.
The front fenders retain the iconic general shape, but are actually custom units shaped with flat plate and lots of tubes. This was done in order to retain the classic look while also being road legal by covering the tires. The LC79 track width is considerably wider than the original FJ45.
This tube work flows into new running boards, rear fenders, and a rear tow bumper. It also flows upwards into a custom exocage, built for safety and as a place to mount the X-Ray Vision lights and Maxtrax Xtreme traction boards.
Sure, Justin and his company wanted to see this build with a modern PCOR flatbed system on it. But, Ashton stuck to his guns and kept the original bed and old-school styling. The truck bed floor was rebuilt in the classic styling, but much stronger. In the bed, a custom mount holds a full-size spare against the cab, a HiLift jack, and a Dometic fridge.
Patina Added
The original plan for this build was to just clear coat over the well-patinaed paint. But, once all the shiny new parts were coming together another plan was needed, as it just wouldn’t have looked right.
Ashton’s desire to keep the build looking like an old farm truck remained. But, a proper new paint job was required to prevent rust and help blend things in with all the new parts. To this end, a custom airbrushed patina happened and really solidified the restomod look of the build.
FJ49 Interior
The finishing touches were, of course, the interior. The inside of the cab was painted the original color, and left looking new, versus matching the patina of the exterior. Classic-looking seats and upholstery were used, but upgraded with bolsters to provide comfort and support when bouncing around off-road.
Behind the classic Nardi steering wheel sits a clean metal dash that features mostly analog gauges. It also features HVAC vents, a Redarc Redvision digital control panel, and an EGT/boost gauge. Some custom trim panels and classic switches complete the old-school look with some new-school flair.
Ashton has always wanted a starry night headliner in a vehicle, so he made it happen in his custom truck. A custom roof console to mount radio equipment into was also built.
Patriot Campers FJ49 Debut, Use, and Future
The Patriot FJ79 build debuted at the Brisbane 4×4 Show 2022. It got a massively positive response from the big local crowd. However, the build really got the world’s attention when it showed up at The SEMA Show 2022, the largest car show in the world, in the Toyota booth.
Just after SEMA, we got to do a photo shoot that produced the images you see here. Directly after our shoot, the truck rolled off toward some classic U.S. off-road destinations.
It was brought into the U.S. under a 1-year temporary import permit, as we’re not allowed to have the big turbo-diesel Toyota motor here. It has been making the rounds in the U.S. at car shows with Toyota.
The Patriot Games TV crew also has more big adventure plans for this custom truck while it’s on North American soil. Be sure to check out the Patriot Games YouTube channel for even more about how this build came together, the adventures it’s been on, and the ones it’s embarking on soon.
Patriot Campers FJ49 Build Sheet
Wheels & Tires: PCOR Signature 261 wheels, 35” BFG KO2 tires
Powertrain & Driveline: Built Toyota VDJ engine, PWR Performance radiator & intercooler, GSL engine Mods & tune, stainless steel exhaust, Harrop Eaton E-Lockers, JMACX HD diff upgrade
Accessories: Custom bar work & ExoCage, Warn M8274 winch, Maxtrax Xtreme, twin air compressor, X-Ray Vision LED lighting (headlights & 2 lightbars), Dometic CFX 55L fridge/freezer, Redarc (Redvision TVMS, Manager 30, 350W inverter, EGT/boost gauge, TowPro electric brake controller), Mega Life lithium batteries, GME XRS Connect UHF radio, Nardi steering wheel, custom upholstered seats, custom starry night headliner, custom overhead console
