January 2014 | Volume 7 | Issue 1

Some of you may know me from my other build Wikid.  I still own her and she is resting happily in my driveway, until I decide what direction I will take her.   

Last fall, I had no intentions of buying a new FJ, but then the new colors were announced. I saw a few pictures of the 2013 Trail Teams and thought the color was interesting.  After I found a few pictures of it I decided I needed to see one in person, especially since it seems colors and computers can vary quite a bit.

I contacted Camelback Toyota to see when one showed up, then got the call and drove down to see one.  I still wasn't planning on purchasing, but after I saw it that all changed.  December 12th, 2013, I took delivery of my New 2013 Cement TT edition.  It didn't have the upgraded stereo, but that was actually a good thing, since it would be taken out almost immediately.

Back in 2000, when Steve Eagan started the business he was primarily a Toyota guy. Occasionally doing different projects for people he knew.  As the business began to grow, so did the need for a larger shop and more help.  Through 2010, Steve was a one man show with an occasional part time helper. Steve basically built the bumpers, shipped them out, and was his own accountant, salesman, and etc.  In 2010, Nathan Wright and his father came in to help take CBI from a one man army to what you see today. 

If you've read many articles of mine in the past, or have followed FJC magazine at all, you know what a fan of the FJ I truly am. I love the fact that it really is multi use, and you can take it to the mountains and drive it to work the next day.
Unless you have a 3year old & an infant to haul to the mountains.

When we found out our baby girl was on the way, we knew we would need a new more family friendly SUV for our weekly trips to the slopes. The search was short lived when we found a low mileage '07 GX470 w/KDSS on Christmas Eve 2012.
The GX, for those who haven't had the pleasure, is basically a Lexus badged version of the Land Cruiser Prado that's available overseas. What's more, the GX is built on the 120 platform which means that many mechanicals are shared with the FJC as well as the 4th gen 4Runner. Needless to say, it’s a great vehicle.

An increasing number of people are taking personal electronics and 12volt refrigerators on their camping and overlanding trips, and we are no exception.  While these devices allow us to bring some creature comforts from home, they add extra load on our vehicle’s battery.  If left unchecked, these loads can deplete the battery charge and leave it without enough power to start the engine.  While many choose to add a dual battery system to their vehicles, we felt adding a solar panel to the vehicle’s 12volt system would be a more simple solution to extending the battery’s charge.