1985 TroopCarrier

Engine - 12HT 4L
Transmission - - H55F 5-speed manual
Suspension - Koni Heavy Track shocks & OME leaf springs
Tyres - BFG K02 All Terrains
Equipped for - Touring

Thanks for sharing your troopy with us all the way from the US. There seems to be a massive resurgence in the old troopy back in the states. What kind of cars did you have before the troopy and then what made you pick the troopy?

You know, I’ve always had a thing for beat-up old vehicles. Before I was old enough to drive, my parents bought my brother a 1986 Ford F150. The faded green paint and square body style piqued my interest and when the truck finally made its way to me, I was in love. It really created this sense of romanticism for me; the short wheel base (by American standards) paired with the four-speed manual transmission and 4x4 melded so well in my mind.

Since the day I let the truck go I’ve been searching for something that gave me that warm fuzzy feeling to drive. A few years ago my partner, Olivia bought an absolutely mint 3rd gen 4Runner. This was our introduction to Toyotas and it had quite a strong impression on the two of us, but I was still searching for something less refined. I had my sights set on a Land Rover Series III 109 or early model Defender 110, but Olivia slowly convinced me to stick with Toyota.

When our Troopy first went up for sale just a few miles up the road, we knew we had to buy it. At the time the price was way outside our budget, but after six months of waiting the price had dropped and we had saved more money. A few phone calls later we were test driving it and a week after that we were driving it home. At the end of the day it was the simplicity and durability of the Troop Carrier platform that sold us.

While Troopcarriers (1hz) are very common in Australia the 12HT conversion isn’t, can you tell us a bit about the conversion and why you went with the 12HT?

The guys at The Fit Garage are truly to thank for the 12HT conversion. When they imported the vehicle a few years ago, they replaced the old 2H with our current engine. The 12HT was a huge selling point when Olivia and I were looking at buying the Troopy. The mechanical timing and fuel injection met our criteria for simplicity and were kind of the cherry on top in terms of finding a robust vehicle. Alex had also done a great job of maintaining the vintage vibes of the vehicle and it has been a dream to drive.

You’ve already got the Trakka Pop top on, what other plans do you have for the old troopy?

We are in the process of rebuilding the interior as I type this. About two months ago we stripped everything out and repaired a ton of rusty body panels. After that we sprayed on Lizard Skin thermal and acoustic insulation which has made huge improvements for our comfort. The 12HT really makes a lot of noise. I also replaced door and window seals while tinting the glass and painting the sliding window frames. Tinting those 35 year old windows was a painful process. Now we are building a kitchenette and storage bench. Inside we will have a 75Qt fridge, dual burner stove, and the biggest sink we can fit. Eventually we will modify the Trakka top to give it a little more strength and help it survive another 35 years.