Sam Tatiersky of Ashland, MO combined his passion for family and the great outdoors with his talent/skills in this sweet overland 1996 Lexus LX450 build. Quite the project to take on, Sam purchased this one about 4 years ago and took a deep into repairs, upgrades and customization. The results speak for themselves; one bad-ass Overland Lexus LX450.
Sam mentions, “The main reason why I got into this was the people and there is no better way to see this country and make memories with my family and kids than that.”
“The project started as a pretty neglected cruiser out of Texas about 4 years ago – leaking from every gasket”, says Sam. “Over the past 4 years, I have been building it and learning with every modification, like changing the head gasket, replacing seals, bushings, etc.” Sam even did some of his own fabrication work.
After going through the engine, replacing head gaskets, seals, bearings and hoses, etc., Sam boosted power with a Magnuson Supercharger. He also upgraded his cooling system with a blue clutch fan and a 3 core radiator from a 94-95 Land Cruiser.
To clear more undercarriage obstacles, Sam added an Old Man Emu heavy load suspension kit with a 3” lift and Nitrocharger Sport Shocks. To protect that undercarriage gear, custom skid plates were fabricated.
The body exterior was coated with Pro-Tex Liner by SEM Products. Front bumper is by Metal Tech, housing a Smittybilt 12,000 lb winch. Rock sliders are also by Metal Tech, and the rear bumper is a custom kit provided by 4×4 Labs. Sam custom fabricated a swing-out basket that mounts to the rear bumper, for hauling some of his gear out on the trails. A snorkel was added for deep water crossings.
Tires on this overland LX 450 beast are 35” Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac LT315/75R16’s that wrap around nice looking 16 inch rims from Discount Tire.
Finally, the roof is topped with Rhino-Rack load bars that provide a sturdy platform for a Tepui roof top tent to enable Sam and his family enjoy camping on their overland adventures.
Savage Camper will continue to follow Sam and his journey building out his awesome overland Lexus LX450!
