Kaiden Cook’s Dream Build: A 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser Transformation

More Than Meets the Eye?

Were you a kid with a dream? Did you grow up loving cars and enjoying family bonding over a vehicle that you looked at and thought, “that will be mine one day”? For Southern California local Kaiden Cook, that was his dream with his dad’s 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser. Let’s jump into the history of this Cook family Cruiser.

This Toyota was welcomed into the family when Kaiden was only 3 years old! Ever since then, Kaiden slowly began to form and grow his love for vehicles. As he grew up, so did the bond he had with this Land Cruiser. It brought golden memories such as sitting with his dad and driving slowly around the neighborhood giggling and strengthening the bond between them. . This vehicle was more than just another car on the road or another car owned by the family—it was a bond between father and son.

Later in life, this beautiful machine became Kaiden’s first vehicle! He loved the Land Cruiser, and he drove it it everywhere from sunny California to Kansas, from the airport to high school—this rig never left Kaiden’s side. One day, Kaiden combined his long childhood love of the Transformers movie series and his love for his 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser to bring his dream vision to life.

Kaiden created “Herbie”, just like the VW Bug but bigger and badder in every way. He got the name Herbie from the movie with the VW Bug with the intention of giving the Land Cruiser its own soul and relationship between man and machine. Embracing Herbie, Kaiden and his family kept true to the name for years, promising themselves no matter how many changes or directions they go with the build that it would keep its soulful name.

This fine Land Cruiser is built with nothing short of some of the best names in the off-road industry today. Starting with the color, it is wrapped in a tasteful Vinyl Frog China Blue done by Awthentik Design. The fender flares and lower body are rolled in Line-X to give it that rigid and tough look. Lifted on a Slee Offroad six-inch suspension kit with, powdercoated components in a classy Candy Red to break apart from that colorway on the body. Slee Offroad control arms, Old Man Emu Nitrocharger shocks and a steering stabilizer , Viper 4WD skid plates, and a Redhead upgraded steering box are just a handful of components now featured on the Land Cruiser. ,. Under that suspension are Toyota original axles running 4.88 Nitro gears. Keeping all this suspension and beautiful body work planted on the road is a set of 17-inch Method Race Wheels M304 Double Standard units wrapped in only the best—35-inch BFGoodrich TA KM3 Mud Terrain tires.

The power plant turning those tires is none other than the classic inline 6 1FZ-FE with a Borla Exhaust cat-back touring system—nothing crazy but don’t you worry! Kaiden is going to be throwing a built LS3 in this rig soon, and give it a sound that will sing to any vehicle lover’s ears.

Moving inside of this awesomely built rig, you have original seats reupholstered in beige vinyl and an Autobot logo in silver carbon fiber, which can be found on the headrests, sun visors and even the headlights to make it stand out from all other vehicles. This Toyota is also equipped with an Alpine head unit, retrofit interior LED lights, custom steering wheel by Hellgato, full audio system by Audio Addiction, and a Remin full carbon fiber dash kit.

Starting off with the headlights, Kaiden is sporting a custom set of RGV Pro Lighting with the Autobot symbol inside them with RGBW controls, KC pod lights, fog lights, light bar, and rock lights! Talk about lighting up the night with such a setup! The amount of small detail work that makes this rig one-of-a-kind is unbelievable, and the story it holds is unique of its own.

Every car lover starts somewhere, and many are in the same boat as Kaiden. We share a passion for these vehicles, as for many, it is a memory of a forgotten past, a dream of their childhood, and a piece of them they will not get rid of. For many, these vehicles give them freedom, power of their own choice, and open up a different side of individuals to tell you about their passion and love for the art of building these machines. For Kaiden, even as an adult, he can still look in the backseat and see his three-year-old self sitting there looking out the window as his dad drove him all over. He can still feel the vehicle like he was a little older at five-years-old cruising with his dad for the first time—just barely able to see out the windshield. He fondly remembers the days he was 16 driving it on his own to school, or on backroads feeling the rush of being off-pavement.

For Kaiden, he can still have it all with his ‘97 Land Cruiser, and sometimes that is all he needs to be able to keep going every day. He is always able to turn around and smile at the dreams, the memories, and the bond this vehicle has given him and others around him. This Toyota has won first place in shows like World of Wheels, and has been to off-road capitols like Moab, Utah. In the end, this vehicle will have a story no matter where it goes, and will be the talk of the show. From top to bottom, front to back, side to side, it has been thought of and very well gone through. Thank you to Kaiden Cook for sharing his story of the stunning one-of-a-kind 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser he named Herbie.

UPGRADES

1997 Toyota  Landcruiser

Owner:

Kaiden Cook

Temecula, CA

Vehicle: Year: 1997, Make: Toyota, Model: Land Cruiser 40th Anniversary, Color: China Blue

Engine & Drivetrain: Engine: Inline 6 – 1FZ-FE, Displacement: 4.5L, Upgrades: Borla Exhaust – cat-back touring system, Exhaust Diameter: 2.25 inches, Exhaust Exit Location: Side, Axle Ratios: Nitro gears 4.88 (front and rear), Brakes: Slee Offroad 4-inch longer brake lines

Suspension: Lift: 6-inch Slee Offroad suspension lift with Candy Red powdercoat, Front Shocks: Old Man Emu Nitrocharger, Rear Shocks: Old Man Emu Nitrocharger, Control Arms: Slee billet Control Arms, Panhard Lift Bracket: Delta Vehicle Systems

Wheels & Tires: Tires: BFGoodrich TA KM3 35×12.50,     Wheels: Method Double Standard, 17-inch, powdercoated satin black with gunmetal simulated beadlock ring and satin black bolts

Body & Armor: Fenders: OEM flares riveted, drilled, and Line-X coated, Roof Rack: Viper 4WD P-001, Sliders: Slee Offroad rock sliders, Accessories: Wilco high-clearance tire carrier, Smittybilt Overlander tent (not currently installed), Exterior Finish: Antique Sage Pearl (special 40th Anniversary color), currently wrapped in China Blue by Awthentik Design Group

Interior & Accessories: Seats: Factory reupholstered in marine-grade vinyl with beige and silver carbon fiber accents, Steering Wheel: Hellgato OEM black carbon fiber flat bottom, Audio: Alpine Halo11 iLX-F511 by Audio Addiction, Features: Autobot logo embroidered in headrests, Rosen Sun visors, retrofit LED interior lights, off-road LED controls integrated with Alpine unit, Remin full carbon fiber dash kit