Brian894x4’s Land Cruiser FZJ80 build thread.

[Brian894x4]

Do you guys mind if I start my own build thread? This rig will be replacing my 1989 Toyota PU SAS and so over the next few months, I'll be modifying it to fit the role that my truck has so faithfully served us for the last 7 years. The '89 truck will be hearafter known as our "legacy expedition rig" and it will be prepped and put up for sale very shortly to clear garage space for the new expedition rig.

The new expedition rig is a 1995 FZJ80.

Initial specs are:
1995 FZJ80, all stock
No lockers, but has at least an ARB rear in it’s future.
85,000 miles.
Previous owner just installed brand new 275/70R-16 BFG A/T KOs a few months ago.
Locally owned rig, I’m the 3rd owner. Two prior owners were ladies. First one rarely drove it and barely put 6000 miles on it a year. Second one drove it as a commuter car.
Color is Moonglow Pearl, which is a fancy way of saying bluish/gray.
Original purchase price in 1995 was $48,000 :Wow1:

It’s very clean and almost in perfect condition. The only negatives are that the leather has sort of cracked, but not ripped. I’ve since conditioned it and that actually made some dramatic improvement to the point that I think it’s savable. The other issue is that there’s a very slight leak from the rear of the engine, that could be a rear valve cover leak or could be a rear main seal. If it’s the latter, I’ve been told that rear main seal leaks are very common on FZJ80s and that I could probably just live with it for most of the engine’s service life.

There’s not a spec of rust anywhere and besides the clean interior and exterior, even the underside is fairly clean indicating that most of it’s usage was on paved roads.

Here’s some initial pics. The very first thing I did was remove the running boards that came with it and also the Toyota bug deflector (it was rubbing up against the hood and damaging the paint.). Also, the 3rd row seats were removed and all of the above will go into storage, since I don’t have much need for any of it right now.

[CLynn85]

Oh Snap! Very nice. After seeing your PU I can't wait to see how this one comes out.

[Brian894x4]

Until I can get the truck sold, the LC will have to sit outside for a while, so my intitial mods will all be low key so as not to draw attention to itself.

In fact, the entire build will be fairly low key, compared to the neon sign that is our truck. Much of our exploring and research involves parking our rig somewhere and hiking down a trail, abandoned logging RR grade or up a closed road towards a fire lookout or abandoned mine. The truck just screamed out "I have lots of goodies for the taking inside me!"

This build will make an effort to compromise having all the necessary accessories and mods, without looking like it's a super spendy truck worth breaking into or trying steal.

My planned approach is keeping the vehicle fairly stock looking on the outside. The notable exception will be an ARB bumper and winch and some sliders. However, there won't be a roofrack or tall lift or tall tires or snorkle.
I had debated the roofrack idea, until it became clear that I couldn't fit in my garage with one, even with stock tires and stock suspension, so that was an easy decision.

This theme will extend to the interior as well. My truck has a dozen gauges and 6 million switches, plus two GPSes, 3 radios and a laptop. A total theft magnet. On the LC, some of these items will still be needed, but they'll be hidden out of view. I already have plans to install my radios inside the center console and external antennas will be easily removable. The GPS will be mounted in such as way as it's easily removable and securable. Same for the laptop. Extra gauges and switches will kept to an absolute minimum, possibily utilizing factory switches when feasable.

I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to set up the interior. I want to retain the ability to carry 3 passengers and myself on a long trip (one major reason for upgrading from the PU to the LC) so the 2nd row seats will remain in place. My initital thoughts are to just carry my gear, tools and spares in easily removable boxes/crates, rather than build a permanant set up like the rear of my truck.

My wife and I are not tall and I think we could manage to sleep fairly comfortably in the back of the Land Cruiser if we pull our storage boxes and out and store up up front and/or outside/under the rig. It's certainly more roomy than the back of my truck ever was. We'll see. A rooftop tent might be in our distant future, as well.

To power everything, I plan on a duel battery system, similier to my truck, but MUCH simplier. I'll be mounting a second battery on the passenger side with a controllable solenoid to seperate the two batteries while the engine is off. For now, the stock alternator will remain. I believe it's 110amps, which should be enough for my needs. I may eventually upgrade, but will probably just stay stock and rebuild it for reliability.

As far as suspension/axle/tire mods. I'm still debating.

I'm fairly certain, I have no intention of lifting the LC. Certainly not significantly. Since this will be an expedition rig that will see 90% highway/dirt/gravel roads and about 10% moderate off roading, I don't see the need for anything taller than 33" tires. I anticipate at least having to change out the front springs to compensate for the ARB and winch and I like the OME's stock hieght kit which would be about 1" depending on weight. But I have research to do in regards to what springs would work the best for my application.

Once I settle on a tire size (I'm thinking eventually, 285/75R-16 MTRs should do nicely) then I have to make a decision about whether I want to go to the expense and hassle of regearing both axles. Once that decision is made, is when I'll add lockers. Either just a rear ARB or ARBs front and rear.

I have ton of little mods planned, like raising the spare, CDL switch, hand throttle, etc, etc.

I haven't had a chance to update my website, but the build will be documented there as well, a little more extensively.

[adventureduo]

Great looking 80. Perfect condition man. I drove to Sacramento from OC to get mine that condition.

I just recently bought mine in July and have been building it rapidly ever since for expedition use. I would love to see another FZJ80 build up. The 4.11's that come stock will be fine for what your using it for and that tire size. I've done the CDL switch and you'll love that too. Slee sells both the CDL switch and the hand throttle. Got my hand throttle on the way.

Keep us up to date!

[Brian894x4]

I like your rig. Very nice. My dream set up. That's basically what I like to end up with in the end, rooftop tent and all. The rack and tent will be much further down the road, however. How does it handle with all that fuel and the tent up top?

CDL switch, 7pin mod, and hand throttle will be done very shortly since those mods are faily straight forward. Beyond that I have to get my truck ready for sale. But once the truck is gone and I can move the LC into the garage, things will start happening quickly.

At first, I said no lift, but now I'm leaning towards maybe an OME 2.5" medium load rear springs and heavy load front springs. Just to get things, like the cat converters out of the weeds.

[calamaridog]

Brian,

I'm going to say that 97% of people don't even see the improvements you will make.

Bling is NOT found on Land Cruisers.

Disable your truck at the trailhead and hike away. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

If the leather bothers you, there are replacements available.

Awesome truck. I look forward to seeing what improvements you make.

[locrwln]

I like your rig. Very nice. My dream set up. That's basically what I like to end up with in the end, rooftop tent and all. The rack and tent will be much further down the road, however. How does it handle with all that fuel and the tent up top?

CDL switch, 7pin mod, and hand throttle will be done very shortly since those mods are faily straight forward. Beyond that I have to get my truck ready for sale. But once the truck is gone and I can move the LC into the garage, things will start happening quickly.

At first, I said no lift, but now I'm leaning towards maybe an OME 2.5" medium load rear springs and heavy load front springs. Just to get things, like the cat converters out of the weeds.

I was going to suggest the lift springs just for the ride improvement. It's hard to believe, but mine rides and handles better with the OME mediums. I still don't have a front bumper or anything, so I didn't need the heavy front springs.

The stock gearing is fine for 285's, so no need to worry about regearing, I did get the Speedo correction gear from Slee for the tranny shift points.

Can't wait to see the build, mines been slow in the making, but handles all of the desert and long road trips, loaded, that I have done. I just got my sliders done. My next big thing is working on a auxillary tank for more range.

Jack

[DaveInDenver]

I'm going to say that 97% of people don't even see the improvements you will make.

Bling is NOT found on Land Cruisers.

Disable your truck at the trailhead and hike away. I wouldn't worry about it too much.

I won't go so far as to say you /never/ see bling on a Cruiser, but the sort of stuff we hang on our trucks I think makes them look less attractive rather than more. For one it makes them unique and stand-out, something that is bad for a would be thief.

Otherwise Drexx is about right on. Add a couple of defeats to make it difficult and just be happy. I put in a Tuffy center console in my Hilux and if they can get in to that quickly and quietly, they deserve whatever's in there. As far as radios, I wouldn't worry. They are after car stereos. CB and ham radios are hard to pawn (and anyone who's savvy enough to recognize a ham radio isn't a CB is probably not gonna be stealing radios) and so they are less likely to be targets.

This is not to say you shouldn't be careful leaving your truck at a trailhead, but basic precautions. It's not so much vehicle theft as content protection. It's pretty common around here to have theft at well known trailheads. This is primarily because the bad guys can watch and know you'll be gone for a certain amount of time. So locking boxes and covers to keep things out of sight are key. They are looking for an opportunity and if all they see are Tuffy boxes or wood boxes with padlocks with nothing interesting sitting out, they are more likely to pass your truck over.

[Scott Brady]

Congrat's Brian. You now own one of the greatest vehicles ever brought to the US, and with low miles too.

I really like the mod concepts and keeping things simple. Even without lockers the 80 is amazing on the trail.

I would consider an OME suspension, mostly to accomodate the loads and limit head-toss. Consider a 275/75 as a replacement too.

[kcowyo]

Congrats Brian!

I really like the color you found. I'm a big fan myself of understated but highly effective mods that don't draw attention. Under the radar is a good place to be.

I look forward to seeing your build. Hopefully you'll be able to figure out an ideal rear storage solution in less attempts than you did with your truck.

And you realize this is going to completely screw up your whole "Brian894x4" thing, right? :mixed-smiley-030:

[adventureduo]

I like your rig. Very nice. My dream set up. That's basically what I like to end up with in the end, rooftop tent and all. The rack and tent will be much further down the road, however. How does it handle with all that fuel and the tent up top?

CDL switch, 7pin mod, and hand throttle will be done very shortly since those mods are faily straight forward. Beyond that I have to get my truck ready for sale. But once the truck is gone and I can move the LC into the garage, things will start happening quickly.

At first, I said no lift, but now I'm leaning towards maybe an OME 2.5" medium load rear springs and heavy load front springs. Just to get things, like the cat converters out of the weeds.

Well it sways a tad when you try and make a quick u-turn hehehe.. but other than that.. it's not bad. The tent only weighs 125lbs.. so it's not that bad since the weight it spread out. The fuel is only in 2 of the cans right now and i havent ever had them all filled at once... i figure if i fill them all, i will be on a long haul through the desert or down into baja where i won't be taking any hardcore trails.

I have the OME 2.5" heavy springs on my rig and love them. They clear the 33x11.50's just fine and have a ride of caddy IMHO compared to other offroad springs i've used in the past. So far they haven't sagged out too much with all the bolt-ons... but we'll see , i still need to get the outback drawers installed, fridge and c02 tank in the back. Fully loaded last time out the rig sat level. Unloaded it sat stinkbug a bit... but i dont mind cause they're for function, not looks.

[Brian894x4]

Brian,
Disable your truck at the trailhead and hike away. I wouldn't worry about it too much.
If the leather bothers you, there are replacements available.

Fortunately, it at least has the factory alarm, which disables the starter, but like my truck, it will have a number of features that make it practically impossible to drive away in. What I worry about is someone breaking in and stealing valuables like my laptop, gps and tools. My Ham has a separate screen that looks like one of those fancy DVD stereos so a thief will likely think it’s a fancy stereo or DVD player, which is why I should I hide it.


Congrats Brian!
And you realize this is going to completely screw up your whole "Brian894x4" thing, right? :mixed-smiley-030:

Oh ya….it’s kind of a bummer. I was less than creative when I came up with that name years ago for another message board. And then I was foolish enough to name my website the same thing, having no clue it would grow into what it is now. Even my logo is based off my old truck. I may eventually redesign the logo, but my moniker will remain the same as will my web domain. It would take me months to change the domain of literally thousands of pages, plus they’d all lose their place in the search engine lists. So, stuck with it I am.

That’s why I’m going to call it my “heritage truck” even after it’s sold. ;)

[esh]

Did you buy it yet?

Saw this and thought you might be interested-

http://bend.craigslist.org/car/274653510.html

or! http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/car/274838731.html

[Brian894x4]

Yep, I bought it. No regrets. If a better deal ever comes up, I'd be willing to buy it too and sell this one. I know I could get at least what I paid for it for it pretty quickly.

The black one in bend looks nice. Wonder what the mileage is and if has lockers. I probably wouldn't do well with Black though.

I've seen about 3 Diesel 60s over the last few months for sale, both here and up north in Washington. All are high mileage base rigs with what appears to be transplanted 3Bs. It doesn't seem like the 3B would have enough power to push the heavy 60?

Hey Ken, if you know anyone who wants to sell an ARB winch bumper for an 80, I'm in the market for one. I'll buy new if I have too, but I'd like to see if there's a used one out there first.

[Mlachica]

Wow, you've got a great platform! I love the color too!

Coincidentally, I'm working out details for a 1995 80 with 90k miles and is also moonstone :jumping:

[SierraExplorer]

The '89 truck will be hearafter known as our "legacy expedition rig" and it will be prepped and put up for sale very shortly to clear garage space for the new expedition rig.

Sad to here that the PU will be sold. But best of luck on the new build. I love the 80's. I have a co-worker that has one. Btw any idea on what you might sell the PU for? :elkgrin:

[dieselcruiserhead]

3Bs are great but yes they just barely have enough juice in my opinion to push them along.. I had a HJ60 which was a tad better powered but still sort of a slug. A 3B in a 40 is even a little tough hate to say.. Anyway, nice rig. Been enjoying reading through all the crazy mods on your pickup on your site. Pretty neat!

[Brian894x4]

I'm really just not sure what to ask for it. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open to them. I'm in the process of stripping some of the excess stuff off of it that I want to keep. There's a LOT of wiring in that darn thing, but much of it won't go to anything, once I remove most of my accessories, so I may be removing all that wiring as well.

What I envision to leave on the truck, is all the mechanics, such as lockers, gears, suspension, 35" MTRs, the canopy, the rear storage boxes minus a few things, front and rear bumpers, winch, snorkle, traction bar, T-case skidplate, etc. Basically all the goodies that make it a fun off road rig. I'll be throwing in all my spare parts as well.

What I will likely removed is all of the non-stock electronics, except for possibly the front and rear aux lights and of course the winch. I want to use parts of the duel battery system in the LC and frankly, it's a complicated set up that I wouldn't want to unlease on someone who isn't intimately familier with it. So, whoever buys it will probably get a one battery truck, but at least they'll have a high-amp alternator.

I think the new owner would be far better off with as little aftermarket wiring and electronics as possible, that they aren't familier with. Besides, I have a feeling whoever buys it will probably off road the crud out of it as a trail rig, rather than use it as an expedition rig.

[Scott Brady]

I'm in the process of stripping some of the excess stuff off of it that I want to keep. There's a LOT of wiring in that darn thing, but much of it won't go to anything, once I remove most of my accessories, so I may be removing all that wiring as well.


just a suggestion, but leave all the wiring in place, and when you remove an accessory, label the wire termination with a description of what was there and a number. The number would correspond with a circuit or switch that you could do a simple schematic on.

I am sure the next owner would appreciate all of the wiring work.

I know that I had weeks of wiring work in my Tacoma.

[Dirty Harry]

At first, I said no lift, but now I'm leaning towards maybe an OME 2.5" medium load rear springs and heavy load front springs. Just to get things, like the cat converters out of the weeds.

I think that is a good option Brian. I had the Mediums all the way around and if I had it to do over I would go with the heavies in front. That was with a Bull Bar in front and the rear jump seats removed. If you add dual batteries and a winch to the front the rake would be even worse, but if you are adding a bunch of equipment to the back it might offset that.

Have you seen how Chris Geiger set up the rear of his 80?

http://tlc.off-road.com/tlc/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=264229

I am glad that you were patient and waited for this one, it looks cherry. :bowdown:

[Brian894x4]

Thanks Harry. And thanks for pointing it out to me. I've been all over it and I'm amazed at the condition.

I have a question regarding dust. In the spring/summer months I drive MANY miles on dirt and dusty roads. Sometimes hundreds of a miles of dirt roads in a single trip. I'm curious how the door seals and cabin air system hold up to this.

Of course the rear of my truck was never fully sealed, despite my efforts, so I always ended up with a layer of dust over everything. I sure won't miss that. I imgine the door seals on the LC are top notch, but I wonder if there's anything that can be done to add a "subaru style" cabin air filtration system? Or any tips on keeping the interior as clean as possible on dirt roads, unless the seals and cabin air system is plenty good and i don't need to worry about it.

[shahram]

Congrats on your new Cruiser!

Don't be too down about the leather seats, though. I thought I'd hate them too, but after a few nasty spills (baby formula, barbecue sauce, dog vomit, motor oil, rain water, ad nauseum), I saw the advantage of leather. They wipe up clean and, believe it or not, are pretty comfortable. Throw some liquid vinyl or tape on those cracks, though, because they do have a tendency to spread.

[Skillet]

Nice ride.

Mine has leather and I put some ballistic nylon seat covers on them from SOR, due to cracks. Love them, easy to clean, custom fit and very stain resistant.

They make them for all rows of seats and they color match. Just an idea.

I have done a ton of things to my '93 over the past 18 months, some complicated some not.

Let me know if you want any ideas.


:beer:

Jeb

[adventureduo]

The PO put the spendy toyota dealer seat covers on mine and man they are tight. You can barely tell they're a cover. Come to think of it, i dont even remember pulling them off to check the leather condition underneath!

[adventureduo]

I have a question regarding dust. In the spring/summer months I drive MANY miles on dirt and dusty roads. Sometimes hundreds of a miles of dirt roads in a single trip. I'm curious how the door seals and cabin air system hold up to this.

Pretty well. I dont know if this answers your question.. but i was last in line on a Death Valley run where we ran dirt roads all 3 days. Well i had my windows up and the A/C on because i didnt want to deal with everyones dust being the caboose. Well everything was clean and we never ever felt dirty. Everyone else with their TJ's, YJ's, CJ's and M-715's were covered in dirt.

One of the advantages of having a nice wagon. All the women were wanting their husbands/bf's to get a cruiser after that trip lol

[Brian894x4]

That's great to hear about the dust and door seals, because I'm pretty tired of dust with our old truck.

Now that I've had some time to put some miles on it, including some muddy logging roads, here's my first impressions.

As first, it really seemed quite big, but after a few days, it doesn't feel big at all. In fact, it feels just right. Now, it is definately wide and I don't know how I'd feel about taking on a hairy narrow trail, but on wide open roads and logging and dirt roads it feels just fine. And despite my truck being smaller, the LC's superior handling makes it much easier to drive in almost everyway.

Power is more than adequate on the highway. In fact, being so used to a WAY underpowered rig, I find myself going much faster than I should and having to correct. (I'm not used to being able to go 70 mph ;) ) Not being passed up by loaded semi-trucks on step grades is definately nice, too. I do wonder how it's going to perform with 33s and the extra weight of a bumper, winch, sliders, etc.

This will be my first automatic rig in a long while, besides my wife's prior and current Subarus. When I was younger, I swore I'd never drive an auto. Now I couldn't happier with one. It just makes life so much easier on the highway and off road. I know a 5 speed would be neat to have to better utilize the power of the 1FZ, but I really do like not having to shift all the time. And a few minutes off road proved me that you can have so much more control with an auto. The low range in the LC, however, didn't feel all that low. I suspose that's largely because of a much higher first gear and final drive/tire ratio than I'm used too. But the motor is a low rpm torque monster and should compensate somewhat.

The engine compartment and engine itself is a work of art as far as I'm concerned. I know some don't like the engine layout, but after coming from my pick-up a super tight engine compartment, I love the openness and simplicity of the LC 1FZ. I've noticed a number of features that just scream expedition ready. Like, for example, the dirt trap under the air filter and the fail safe double fan/alternator belt system. Toyota really put some thought into the design of this rig. It's like they truly built it for the African desert, instead of just to "look" like it was made for that.

It definately drinks gas. I averaged 14 mpg on 1/2 a tank of mostly highway driving today. But I can't complain. I knew it wouldn't be great. I also know my truck got about 16 mpg and I had to run super, so in the end, the actual money I lay out for gas won't much more....except that I'll probably drive this one more, because it's so darn fun and easy to drive. Again, like the power issue, I do wonder how a bumper, winch, sliders and camping gear and especially 33s with 4.11s will affect the mileage. Am I going to end up with 10 mpg or :smilies27 single digits?

The room inside is wonderful. One of the best things I like about it. While my truck had a whole 6x5' bed to store stuff, the biggest problem was accessing it. The only easy storage I had was the last few feet of the bed at the rear. Anything stored forward of that was difficult to get too and the cab had literally no storage. With the LC, stuff stored behind the front seats is easily accessed by simply opening the rear doors and the rear storage behind the 2nd row seats is HUGE, yet still easy to access. The area from floor to roof is significantly bigger than my truck's bed to canopy roof, so that's a big plus in terms of storage. I also love how there's no hump in front and in between the 2nd row passenger seats making that a great area to store things. The 2nd row seats fold up ingeniusly and create a ton of room in back. Almost enough for the wife and I to sleep back there. At least in a pinch. Also, carrying at least 2 passengers, plus a ton of gear on a long trip in complete comfort should be no problem at all.

I had a chance to take it on a few muddy logging roads today and I noticed that for a solid axle truck, the suspension soaks up the bumps amazingly! It reminded me of my WCOR long A-arm IFS suspension I had on my truck several years back that just soaked up bumps like a Baja racer. I guess with the way my SAS truck drove, I expected the ride through potholes to be jarring and scary, but not even remotely close. I was really just floored at the size of potholes I could drive through and speed and the LC would barely react at all. I guess I'm "trained" to believe that solid axles are not suppose to perform this good. But not anymore.

The amount of stock articulation surprised me, considering it has sway bars front and rear. I guess that's the nature of solid axles. I can definately see why these things are lifted. I think more and more that a 2" OME lift will definately be in it's future to get things out of the weeds and to improve the break over angle a bit. Handling on the highway is awesome too. To me the suspension couldn't be a more perfect balance of off road articulation and great safe highway handling.

I weighed it today also. The total weight without me in it is about 5200lbs. That's with nearly a full tank and some gear in the back (maybe 150lbs worth). If I had my truck in that same configuration, it would weigh in at about 4900lbs, so the LC is definately heavier and that's without a winch, bumper and sliders. On a side note, I was checking out a co-worker's '01 LC100 and was shocked to see how much heavier it was at least GVW rated for. At least 400lbs more than my rig. I assume that means the curb weight is significantly more than mine as well? Anybody know what accounts for such a HUGE increase in weight between the 80 and 100, because I was all over his rig, and it really didn't seem any bigger than mine at all.

Anyway, that's my first impressions. Bottom line, I absolutely love driving it. It's everything I ever hoped for and fits our needs absolutely perfectly. If the gas mileage wasn't so bad, I'd dump the Subaru Forster and buy a 2nd one for the wife. I don't regret retiring the truck for this rig one single bit. I can't wait to put it to good use this spring/summer.

Next modifications will be a CDL switch, hand throttle, front mudflaps, duel battery set up along with a number of cig plugs. Parts are on thier way to me. Also, radios will be installed and somehow, someway, I'll figure out a way to mount a laptop. I don't really want to drill holes for my truck laptop mount, so I'll probably have to come up with something esle. Any ideas would be appreciated.

I haven't quite figured out the storage situation yet. The more I think about it, however, rear drawers really do make the most sense. I guess that's why everyone has them.

[DaveInDenver]

Wow, lots of great info! I have a few questions/comments below.


I know some don't like the engine layout, but after coming from my pick-up a super tight engine compartment, I love the openness and simplicity of the LC 1FZ. I've noticed a number of features that just scream expedition ready. Like, for example, the dirt trap under the air filter and the fail safe double fan/alternator belt system. Toyota really put some thought into the design of this rig.

If there is one thing I'd like to change about my truck is to make it more obvious where a second battery should go. It's pretty obvious that a 2L-T powered truck would have the battery right where the air box is on the 22R-E. The other place that seems right is where the main fuse box and receiver/dryer for the A/C sit.

So the 80 engine bay is that much more uncluttered? That makes sense, the truck is wider and taller, but the engine isn't all that much longer or wider, so that means there's got to be more real estate under the hood.

I do like the doubled up belt on the important one, but I suspect you'll still be carrying spares. That's a characteristic of people here I'd bet. You could have 3 belts and you'd probably still have a new one in the parts box.


I also know my truck got about 16 mpg and I had to run super, so in the end, the actual money I lay out for gas won't much more.

Power is more than adequate on the highway. In fact, being so used to a WAY underpowered rig, I find myself going much faster than I should and having to correct. (I'm not used to being able to go 70 mph ;) ) Not being passed up by loaded semi-trucks on step grades is definately nice, too.

I have a very similar Hilux as yours was, other than mine is XtraCab and still running IFS. But 22R-E, W56, 5.29, etc. I do still only have 33" tires, which is likely the difference, but I pull 4th gear going up hill (and my average elevation is probably a bit higher), about 50MPH. The engine isn't a monster, but I think as long as its sitting in its power band it isn't given much credit. Mine is happy as can be at 2900 RPM, pulls decent, still gets good mileage. I've always had to run 91 octane, which I don't think is right. But my mileage has always varied around 20. With the 33/5.29 combo I get about 20 to 21.

I wonder if your engine was more tired than you thought?


I guess I'm "trained" to believe that solid axles are not suppose to perform this good. But not anymore.

That training is more of an indoctrination. IFS can never be good in rocks and solid axles are terrible for WOT. A well tuned suspension is a well tuned suspension. With a good spotter, my IFS is not my limiting factor. It's the knucklehead behind the wheel. Just the same, a live beam can be just fine on desert roads. What until you get OME on it!


Anybody know what accounts for such a HUGE increase in weight between the 80 and 100, because I was all over his rig, and it really didn't seem any bigger than mine at all.

The 2UZ engine is probably heavier, I'd expect. Neither the 1FZ nor the 2UZ are lightweight engines. They both have iron blocks, but the V8 is probably a heavy sucker. Frames, drivelines are basically the same. The 100 series might weigh more because of all the gadgets inside and if it had the third row of seats that's additional weight.


Anyway, that's my first impressions. Bottom line, I absolutely love driving it.

The key is that you're happy. I wonder if you'll miss your Hilux after a while. I know that the few years that I owned the FJ40 that I really missed having a pickup, so I went back. The Cruisers are nice, though! Congrats on the new truck.

[locrwln]

Brian,

I know exactly how you feel, if my wife's car didn't get 32mpg, We would drive the 80 everywhere.

Get in touch with Alia176, he has the Moonstone Pearl with black LX450 rims and has a very sweet laptop mount. He whole rig is a great setup.

He has a photo album on Yahoo photos. Go to Yahoo Photos and search for Alia176 and you can check out a bunch of his build/ideas. I tried to link it, but I suck.

Jack

[Skillet]

Very, very nice writeup about a first impression.

That should be a sticky for curious buyers in the Toyota section as it tackles some misconceptions about size and ride quality.

However, with all of the crap I have put on my rig, I am still getting passed by semi trucks going up grades...:D I think my rig with gear and two full tanks is around 7K.

Now you are done for, you have discovered what I truly believe is the best vehicle I have ever driven or owned.

Let the mods begin!


:beer: :safari-rig:

[blupaddler]

I second what Skillet said about grades, you get passed by everyone. I have thought about a turbo, but that's too $$$$.

Great write up and thoughts. Upgrading to the OME will be a huge noticeable difference. I fly down washboard roads @ 45 mph in comfort.


I need to get my 80 weighed as well. It would probably be scary to find out how much I actually weigh.

[Skillet]

It would probably be scary to find out how much I actually weigh.


Funny, I say that same thing every morning before I step on the scale...:26_34_3:

[Brian894x4]

Nice ride.

Mine has leather and I put some ballistic nylon seat covers on them from SOR, due to cracks. Love them, easy to clean, custom fit and very stain resistant.

They make them for all rows of seats and they color match. Just an idea.

Jeb

I am looking for a good set of seat covers. Not because the cracking is so bad, but because I get dirty out in the woods and I would rather plop my dirty behind on an easy to clean seat cover than the nice leather. I was looking at SOR and I only saw the Tuff duck seat covers. Are those the ones you have?

[Brian894x4]

Well....

Going over my game plan for the mods and here's what I've come up with so far.

I've ordered the parts for my dual battery system. Mainly a washer bottle relocation kit and FJ80 battery tray for the driver's side. The dual battery system will be just like the one in my truck utilizing a red top and yellow top Optima. In fact, I'll be taking the batteries out of my truck. A 200amp solenoid will seperate the two batteries with a three position switch controlling the solenoid. Normally, the solenoid will turn on when the ignition is on and will turn off, seperating the batteries, when the ignition is off. The solenoid will also be able to be manually turned off and on. I plan to run all my accessories off of the yellow top battery on the passenger side, so there is no risk of discharging the main starter battery.

Now...can anyone tell me what the stock amp output is on the alternator? I've heard conflicting reports that it's 80amp or 110amps. Also, I've caught some wind that there's some concern with dual batteries and solenoids on the 1FZ, because something about risking blowing up the ECU. Can anyone enlighten me? Is this any riskier than my old truck?

Accessories in the cab will be fed off off of one main feeder line from the auxilary battery which will run to two fuse panels. One near the passenger seat, to power the radios, gps, computer and cig plugs and one in the back cargo area to power additional cig plugs and anything else. The feeder line will have it's own fuse, plus it's own solenoid at the battery that can be shut off while the Cruiser sits in the garage for days at a time, in between trips to prevent trickle discharge. Something I have a problem with in the truck.

I've got to build a labtop mount for this rig, but I'm sort of at a loss, since I don't want to drill holes through the floor or the center console, but no one makes a set up that bolts up, so any ideas would be sincerely appreciated. I only need ideas for how to build and mount to the floor or console, a lower mount with Ram mount ball, as I already have the arm and upper laptop mount ready to go.

I've got pricing for installing ARBs from a local shop that did the ARB in my truck several years ago. They do good work and have decent pricing I think. I'm looking at about $1000 per axle to have an ARB installed, including parts and labor. A little under if I pull out the 3rd and a little over if I drop off the rig and walk away. Once installed, I'll do the plumbing and wiring myself. I was expecting closer to $1500 per axle at least and with this price in mind, I'm seriously considering going with ARBs front AND rear instead of just in the rear.

ARB bull bar and a WARN 9000lb winch is pretty much what I've settled on for the front end. I'd buy it all right now, except I want to keep the Cruiser low key while it has to be parked outside, until I can clear the truck out of the garage. I'm also still trying to find a good deal on used parts, but otherwise, this will set me back about $1600 for both if I have to buy new.

Tires are definately going to be MTRs. Looking at 285/75R-16s. Which will run about $1000 for a set of 5. Ouch! Well, I have a nearly brand new set of 33x12.5-15s on new black steelies that will go up for sale and cover at least part of that cost. I'm still debating on the wheels. It sure seems everyone likes keeping the LC wheels, which means they must be a good wheel. But I really like black wheels, so I'm considering just keeping the stockers and painting them black. That seems like a good way to go. Or just not even messing with them at all.

At first I wasn't going to go with a roof rack, but I really like the African Outback series that Slee sells. I like that it's full size, is extremely low profile, which means it should fit in my garage, that it's hieght adjustable and has a sunroof hatch. And of course that it's aluminum for lightweight. I think it would be a great place to store a few fuel cans and other stuff up top. Of course, it's pricey at probably around $1000 shipped, which is hard to swallow even though I'm sure it's worth it.

How to organize the cargo area is a really tough one. I know drawers would be super convienent and I could build myself some, but I hate to lose the ability to sleep back there, nor do I want to build a sleeping deck and lose the 2nd row seats, so I still have some thinking about this one.

A rooftop tent is probably in my future, hence the huge rack, but thats pretty far down on the list given it's expense.

Suspension will probably be one of the last things I do since I won't know what springs will work best until I build her up and load her down. I'm pretty settled on keeping the suspension as low as possible. Even 2.5" is probably higher than I want to go.

I also haven't mentioned sliders. That's another huge expense and is probably going to be further down the road or my I might do something custom instead, like the truck.

My truck build up literally took years, so it will kind of wierd to do this much in a matter months.

[Skillet]

I am looking for a good set of seat covers. Not because the cracking is so bad, but because I get dirty out in the woods and I would rather plop my dirty behind on an easy to clean seat cover than the nice leather. I was looking at SOR and I only saw the Tuff duck seat covers. Are those the ones you have?


Yes, those are the ones I have. I can only say I like them alot, a great mod.

[blupaddler]

If you still want to keep the second row seats in...I have seen people still put a drawer system in. Once you fold the second row down at night to sleep, that acts as the forward portion of the bed.

OR

Put drawers in, and when traveling without the added company, remove the second row seats (four bolts each, only takes about 5-10 minutes). And you can add the bed extension.



Also, regarding seat covers...I have friends using the Wet Okole's. Kinda pricey, but they like them. They are neoproene.

Good luck.

[Grim Reaper]

Sleeping platform. The best of both worlds.

http://www.yotatech.com/showthread.php?t=38687

I am doing something similar in my 4Runner. The platform actually give more sleeping room because you are up above the folded seats (in the 4 runner at least) and the wheel wells. Then when you need the back seat you just pop off the extension and flip the seat back into its upright position.

Search sleeping platform and drawers here and you will find a bunch of posts.

Biggreen505 had a good thread going with links.
http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1813&page=3&highlight=sleeping+platform

[Highwaystar]

congratulations. Your website helped me decide the direction i wanted to take my pickup when i was building it initially. Good luck with this one!

[Brian894x4]

Thanks for the kind words.

Just finished my first mod on this thing. A hand throttle from Slee Off Road.

This was FAR easier than I ever imagined to install. The cruiser is completely set up for it and it's literally just a matter of snapping this factory throttle cable in place at the gas pedal. Probably took all of 20 minutes and would go even faster, now that I've done it.

Throttle has a pull and twist knob. You twist to lock it and prevent it from pulling out accidently. Not that it's easy to pull out. It has a lot of resistence. Range of pull is very short, but that works out just fine. It looks to be designed so that you can't overrev the engine, but provides enough rpms under load to power whatever you need, most likely a winch.

Slee has awesome and very easy to understand directions in the package, with pictures. It's $51. Another more likely use for me would be to quickly charge up the auxiliery battery while the rig is sitting idling after it's been used all night long.

According to Slee there are some 1993 models that don't have a certain J bracket on the gas pedal that is needed for this for mod. I'm not sure what has to be done. It looked to me like the J bracket was welded to the gas pedal, but I could be wrong.

[Grim Reaper]

On my truck is a open spot near the hand brake the I suspect is for a hand throttle. I wonder if that control would work on my truck.

Do you have a picture of how it attaches to the peddle so I can look at mine and see if it has the correct set up?

[Brian894x4]

I wondered the same and looked at my '89 truck. There's a hole in the dash as well. But I didn't see any bracket on the pedal or near the pedal that would make it an easier bolt on like on the Cruiser. Tonight, I'm going to do a short write up for my site and I'll take some pictures so you can see what it looks like.

I'm just not sure if the mounts are an integrated part of the pedal or bolt on to the pedal. There's another another bracket that mounts near the pedal and I didn't see that on my truck either. That's probably just a bolt on part.

Worst case, the cable, the bracket and possibly a new gas pedal is all that should be needed if one could source the parts from a foreign Toyota pick-up/4runner. I'm not sure how popular the hand throttle was on overseas trucks, though.

[Grim Reaper]

My 86 will probably be just like your 89.

The cruise control mounts under the hood and comes back through the fire wall to pull on the top of the peddle instead of going to the throttle under the hood. the throttle has an extra slot on the bracket though so no telling how they did that on the minis.

[DaveInDenver]

I wondered the same and looked at my '89 truck. There's a hole in the dash as well. But I didn't see any bracket on the pedal or near the pedal that would make it an easier bolt on like on the Cruiser. Tonight, I'm going to do a short write up for my site and I'll take some pictures so you can see what it looks like.

I'm just not sure if the mounts are an integrated part of the pedal or bolt on to the pedal. There's another another bracket that mounts near the pedal and I didn't see that on my truck either. That's probably just a bolt on part.

Worst case, the cable, the bracket and possibly a new gas pedal is all that should be needed if one could source the parts from a foreign Toyota pick-up/4runner. I'm not sure how popular the hand throttle was on overseas trucks, though.
I've looked at my truck for this, too. There is an 'L' bracket on the front of my air plenum that looks like it could be for a second cable. I don't have cruise, so maybe that's it's intended purpose. Anyway, I wonder if it just bypasses the pedal completely and pulls the throttle body butterfly directly? I may certainly be misunderstanding how the hand throttle works on the Cruiser, too. I would expect that a Hilux would have a hand throttle option pretty commonly, since they are used often as commercial trucks that might have accessories. I dunno, maybe not.

[Brian894x4]

Sorry guys, I don't have the pics and info on the hand throttle yet, but I'll try have that up tonight.

Here's a flex pic from a woods trip yesterday, though. I think is this is pretty much max flex, since the front and rear tires were barely touching the ground.

Not bad, especially for a bone stock rig with sway bars still attached. The flex sure makes the tires look puny though. :D

[Shurik]

In reading through, it seems most people tend towards the ARB lockers. Why is that? Being that reliability is king, wouldn't Detroits be a better choice? No airlines/solinoids/electorics to fail, etc. Rather than starting a whole debate, what's your reason for ARBs?




Just some interesting reading on the topic...
http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/locker-1.htm

[Brian894x4]

In reading through, it seems most people tend towards the ARB lockers. Why is that? Being that reliability is king, wouldn't Detroits be a better choice? No airlines/solinoids/electorics to fail, etc. Rather than starting a whole debate, what's your reason for ARBs?




Just some interesting reading on the topic...
http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/locker-1.htm


The biggest reasons for ARBs are drivability, safety and flexibility for different driving conditions. For a part time 4WDs like a Toyota mini-truck, having detroits or any other autolocker up front is not a big deal until you put it in 4WD, then it becomes a bear to steer and drive. Sometimes the steering is even unpredictable making it dangerous to drive at anything other than very low speeds. I used to run a lockrite up front in my PU and I absolutely hated it. Especially for my type of driving where I liked to put in 4Wheel high for moderate speed driving on the logging and dirt roads. Now if you only rockcrawl and put in in 4WD at low speeds, it's not as big of a deal, although there's some debate that it puts more stress on the front axle, which is weaker than the rear axle in many vehicles.

But in the Land Cruiser 80s, you have AWD all the time, so an autolocker up front is a REALLY bad idea. Imagine not being able to turn or make an emergency manuver on the highway. That's exactly what would happen. Even worse, based on my experience with a locked front on dirt roads, it would be unpredictable. Able to turn sometimes and not at all other times.

For the rear, the drivability issues are less noticable, but you do get occasional twitching of the rear, increased danger of major oversteer, and lots of tire chirping and locker noise. In dry weather or dirt roads, this is not a big deal at all. In rainy conditions, it's a little more of an issues, but not so much....

However, autolockers can be very dangerous in icy and snowy conditions. If you have two wheels on the rear axle lose traction on ice, the vehicle can spin out. If you have all 4 wheels lose traction, such as if it an autolocker is in both axles, then the vehicle will for all practical purposes, lose all traction with the ground and it will slide whereever gravity decides to take it, whether that be into the vehicle next to you, into a ditch or off a cliff. And even if you let off the gas, once the slide starts, it's not always possible to recover. Trust me, been there too. In those conditions, open diffs have a major safety advantage.

The thing about ARBs or Toyota electric diffs is that you get the best of all worlds and can choose which type of traction you want for a given condition whether it be open diffs for normal or icy road driving or fully locked for for a serious trail. You can even choose just locking the rear if you want, so if your stuck in snow or ice, you still have some stability from an open front diff, but traction from a locked rear diff.

Of course, the advantages of autolockers is you don't have to think about turning them on and off and you don't have hoses or wires or CPUs or pumps that can fail. I was attempting a very steep, very loose hill. One of those do or die places, where you didn't want to get stuck going up, because backing down wasn't going to be fun. Well, I forgot to engage the front ARB....and I got stuck. Had I engaged the ARB, I very likely would have made it, and let me tell you, backing down was NO fun at all. An autolocker in the rear will work just fine for most rigs, but, IMO, I would NEVER put one up front again, based on my experience and type of driving I do. But for hardcorse trails, you just have to remember to turn the switch on if you think you're going to need it.

If was seriously concerned about reliability above all else including highway drivablity, I'd probably choose a Detroit for the rear and an ARB for the front. My last set up on my Toyota PU was a Lockrite rear and ARB front and that worked out really well. Of course a Detroit would have been stronger and had I decided to keep the truck I probably would have eventually put a Detroit in there.

With this new Land Cruiser build up, highway and dirt road drivability as well as safety are paramount about all else. I will definately see and need 4 wheel drive and probably at least one locked axle on occasion, as we venture down an abandoned mine or climb a steep trail to a old fire lookout or things like that, but for rig that sees mile and miles of highway duty in between the off road stuff, the option of open diffs makes driving much nicer.

[kcowyo]

I still can't get used to seeing you post up with pics of an 80. It's kind of like when Spiderman traded his red & blues for the all black costume.

Good feedback on selectable vs. fulltime lockers from a guy who knows based on real world experience.

Nice job Brian. :clapsmile

[locrwln]

I finally figured out how to link a photo of Ali's moonglow pearl with black rims. If you go to the album, you can see the rest of the photos.

Go here. (http://new.photos.yahoo.com/alia176/album/576460762313604664/photo/294928803081262641/13)

Jack

[Brian894x4]

Couple of updates>

First, here's my short write on the hand throttle:

http://www.brian894x4.com/LChandthrottle.html

The only mods I've finished so far are some minor things like adding front mud flaps. This weekend, I plan to add the duel battery system and interior wiring for accessories.

Speaking of interior accessories, I racked my brain about how I would install a laptop mount. I didn't really want to buy a whole new mount, and I didn't want to drill any holes in the floor.

So, I decided to remove the center console. It's kind of big and useless anyway, to me. In it's place, I bolted to existing holes, a modified version of the laptop mount I had in my truck.

It's a little hokey and it's just a work in progress. But I like the open space. It does make the interior feel bigger and I like being able to reach behind the seat much easier while sitting up front.

Here's a couple of pics. The hardest part about building a computer mount is making it so that the mount is rock steady. Having run computer mounts for years, the last thing I want is my computer bouncing around while driving on the washboard roads. Using the console bolt holes, the mount is surprising rock solid. The aluminum metal plate gives it additional stability and will act as a mounting plate for other accessories, such as possibly my Ham radio, extra cig plugs, cup holder and a fuse, which you can see sitting on the mount to test fit.

Like I said, it's all a work in progress. Not as clean as I would have liked, but I'll likely make a number of changes before it's done.

[blupaddler]

Nice!

Good webpage on the puter too!

;)

[Brian894x4]

Thanks!

Here's another update. I started on my duel battery project today.

I decided to basically copy what I had in the truck, except this set up is a lot easier with both batteries in the engine compartment. Special thanks to Cruiser Dan over on Mud for being able to so easily supply the FJ80 battery tray and little parts that made this such an easy project. Also, Christo at Slee for having such an awesome product as the washer relocation kit. I was really surprised that the FJ80 battery tray would just bolt right up so easily. Of course, some very minor trimming was needed to clear the radiator, but no biggie. Other than my overprotective heater hose and routing of the connecting wire, the set up almost looks stock.

It's not completely finished yet as I ran out of time, buy you get the gist in the pictures. The Yellowtop optima is my auxliary battery and connects to the main redtop starter battery via a 200Amp Wrangler NW relay.

In my truck, I had a 3 way switch where in one position, the relay would come on with the ignition, and the other position, it would come on manually or it could turned off manually. This allowed me to jump either battery with the flick of a switch or have the batteries just connect automaticly when the truck was started. Anyway, I will probably copy that same system.

On the redtop battery, the battery connection is set up like this. The battery connects to a 200amp fuse, which then splits one wire to the relay and auxiliery battery and one wire connecting to the stock Land Cruiser battery cables. I have a backup cable stored away next to the battery in case the main fuse for any part of that convoluted wiring fails out in the middle of nowhere.

The 40 amp Maxifuse holder on top of the battery is my main interior accessories power supply. I meant to run that off of the auxiliary battery, so I'll have to fix that. That one wire will go into the cab to a central fuse box in between the seats and power all interior accessories, including radios, refrigerator, rechargable flashlight, computer, GPS, other lights, etc, etc.

Once the ARB bumper, winch and off road lights are added, they will be tied directly into the yellowtop battery. In the end, everything that is not stock will run off of the Yellowtop battery. Once the vehicle is shut off, there is no way any of my accessories could drain the main starter battery. But both batteries will be charged by the stock alternator when the vehicle is running and both batteries will power the winch if/when it's needed.

The Optima batteries sit a good bit lower than the stock battery, but I find this much better, as there's more room to work with on top of the battery and there's more safety margin in the event of an accident.

More later as I continue with the project....

(now I just gotta figure out where the heck the ARB compressor is going to go?????)

[Life_in_4Lo]

nice work, you are moving fast!

Slee sells a ARB compressor bracket & related items for a clean install.

[Mlachica]

Looking great Brian!

I'm jealous...I need to get my dual batteries together. About how much did all the oem stuff cost?

Here's the link to the said arb bracket, you'll need the air manifold as well. I need to do this part first because the po mounted the arb where the aux battery belongs. HERE (http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/products_air.htm)

Edit: I really like the heater hose idea, very functional and overprotective!!!

[toyrunner95]

hey was looking at your lap top stand, and it looks like your center console sits on top of it. just a thought, u might want to reverse the bolts, the threaded side might scratch console, thats the problem with my cb mount. now on the flip side. u dont want to scratch the passanger. so u may want to cut the threads off at the end of the nut and use thread lock. thats just a thought.

[Brian894x4]

Here’s a couple of updates on the Land Cruiser. The last week or so, I’ve completed the duel battery project, added a switch console and an auxiliary electric engine fan.

The duel battery project that I mentioned in the prior post is now complete and works great. The system uses two Optimas. A red top starter in the stock location and a yellow top deep cycle on the passenger side.

I used the Slee wiper fluid bottle relocation kit, which is a nice convenience and fit perfectly. Then I installed a FJ80 battery tray and associated parts, including tie downs and bolts, which I sourced from CruiserDan on Mud. Everything bolted in nicely, except for some very minor trimming of the battery tray, which was super easy.

The Yellow top connects to the Red top via a 200 amp relay. A switch in the cable turns the relay on. It’s 3 position switch. Position 1, turns the relay on when the ignition is turned on (automatic). Position 2, turns the relay off manually. Position 3, turns the relay on manually. Normally, I have the switch in the position that allows the relay to connect the batteries, when the engine is started and disconnected when the engine is turned off. If the starter battery dies, then the relay can be turned on manually, via power from the auxiliary battery. If the auxiliary battery dies, then the ignition can turn on the relay.

The auxiliary battery also powers an auxiliary fan that I bolted up. JDM rigs apparently came with an auxiliary electric fan for rigs with rear AC. I don’t have rear AC, but since it was a simple, nearly bolt up deal, I bought a little fan at an autoparts store. This will serve as a back up (although research on Mud indicates that auxiliary electric fans seem to have minimal effect). However, auxiliary fans do improve AC performance at low speed, so it may come in handy on those really hot days in the desert this summer.

I have a single feed line from the auxiliary battery that runs into the cab into a central console switch panel. This powers all of my interior accessories, so that nothing other than the stock OEM equipment is run off of the starter battery.

The center console was built as a stand alone unit that replaces the stock center console. It has an integrated laptop mount. A switch panel houses a volt meter for the auxiliary battery, main power cut off switch for the interior accessories, duel battery relay switch on top, as well as indicator LEDs for the relay, rear flashing lights and auxiliary fan.

On the side of the switch panel are switches for the auxiliary fan, rear flashers, and rear back up lights. Two cig lighter plugs are also located on this panel. Also mounted to this console is the Ham radio, a CB radio (not installed yet), rechargeable mag light, feed line junction box with 3 additional cig lighters.

I haven’t finished this project yet. The feed line will continue to the rear cargo area, where I’ll have a few more cig lighter plugs, some additional lights and other accessories. The feed line will also power the rear flashers and rear back up lights when they are finished.

That’s all for now. Ya, I know I said I was going to keep this project simple. I guess I couldn’t stick to that. But I did do things a little differently. Everything is designed so that it is bolted in with no cutting or drilling and can be easily removed.

I also decided I'm going to go with a 2.5" OME lift after talking with Christo over at Slee. The front will be heavies for sure, but I haven't decided on the rear. I think I will go heavies, since I'll be carrying a full drawer systme, most of my gear, fuel cans, etc.

For a front bumper, I'm also trying to decide between Slee's new product or an ARB. I like Slee's simple design and I'm guessing it's probably better built, but I like the full frontal coverage of the ARB.

And finally to complete my indecision, I'm trying to decide whether to go with 285 MTRs or 295 MTRs. I understand the difference is in section width, about 11" verses 12", both about 33" tall.

[Skillet]

Nice but...

Where will you rest your right arm while cruising down the Highway?

:p

[DaveInDenver]

Can you get your tranny shifter into 'L'? Seems like it would hit that box. Must be why it's sloped at the front?

I know Skillet is being TIC, but that isn't completely a bad question. It took me a couple of days to get the location and height right on my Tuffy so that I could shift the tranny with my elbow at the corner of the arm rest. I still occasionally hit my funny bone on the dang Tuffy lock.

[Brian894x4]

Nope, everything clears just fine. The t-case easily shifts into low and the box is to the right of the tranny shifter, so it clears no problem.

I made the console out of stuff and parts that I had lying around the garage and trying to make the best of what I had. I started out making the laptop stand, which has to be rock solid and bolt up to existing holes. The rest of it grew up around the laptop stand.

As for the armrest, I never rested my arm on the old arm rest anyway (too low). Now if it had a captain arm rest like the back seat, that might be usable. I like having the somewhat open space between the seats and it's much easier to reach behind the seats where there's plenty of storage for items one might need while driving, i.e. maps, drinks, food, etc.

On a seperate note, it looks like I'll be breaking out the wallet big time tomorrow. Placing a big order with Slee. (I hope the wife doesn't read this, LOL!....)

Decided to go with Slee's Shortbus bumper. Debated between it and the ARB. I really like the full frontal coverage of the ARB, but Slee's bumper is just so nice and simple and sturdy in all the right areas. After reading a few install reviews, I was sold. I like stuff that is simple, functional and well made and it looks like Slee's bumper fits the bill. The only downside I see is my AC dryer will be exposed, and probably need relocating and my headlights will be exposed. I had figured with the ARB bumper, I might have put up some wire mesh to protect the headlights. Also aux. lighting options are a bit limited. On the plus side, probably a better bumper to frame mount, better winch set up, better designed tow points, better approach angle and finally, a little lower key if you don't want to attract unwanted attention.

I've also decided to go with Slee's 2.5 OME heavy (front/rear) kit. At first I wanted very little lift if any, but the more I think about it after reading on Mud and emailing Christo, 2.5" makes sense and should improve the overall ride and help with tire clearance since I'll be going to 33s. I picked heavies up front because of the bumper/winch. The rear was harder to decide. Slee's page indicates that 850s are 200-440lbs of extra weight. I think between the Slee drawers (ya, getting those too), fuel cans, generator, tools, gear and camping gear, I should be able to load up the rear to at least 300lbs all the time, and as much as 450lbs + for any long trips.

[DaveInDenver]

Slee's bumper is very nice. It's a response to people who think the ARB is no good for rock crawling, which it most definitely isn't very good at. Personally, I'd like to see a little better radiator protection, but that's just my $0.02.

http://sleeoffroad.com/products/images/bumper/80_arbdeluxe.jpg

http://sleeoffroad.com/products/images/front_bumper/sbb_1_250.jpg

[adventureduo]

I love the cool factory options we can attain.

I ordered mine a few weeks ago. But i don't have the correct pedal. The correct pedal should be in today so i can install mine.


Thanks for the kind words.

Just finished my first mod on this thing. A hand throttle from Slee Off Road.

This was FAR easier than I ever imagined to install. The cruiser is completely set up for it and it's literally just a matter of snapping this factory throttle cable in place at the gas pedal. Probably took all of 20 minutes and would go even faster, now that I've done it.

Throttle has a pull and twist knob. You twist to lock it and prevent it from pulling out accidently. Not that it's easy to pull out. It has a lot of resistence. Range of pull is very short, but that works out just fine. It looks to be designed so that you can't overrev the engine, but provides enough rpms under load to power whatever you need, most likely a winch.

Slee has awesome and very easy to understand directions in the package, with pictures. It's $51. Another more likely use for me would be to quickly charge up the auxiliery battery while the rig is sitting idling after it's been used all night long.

According to Slee there are some 1993 models that don't have a certain J bracket on the gas pedal that is needed for this for mod. I'm not sure what has to be done. It looked to me like the J bracket was welded to the gas pedal, but I could be wrong.

[DaveInDenver]

Slee bumper in action. A few of the guys from the club were out in Moab, thought you'd like to see these shots.

[Brian894x4]

Nice pics! Thanks for sharing.

[Mlachica]

Wow, lookin good brian. I like the aproach angle on the front bumper. And good choice on the lift, I don't think you'll regret it one bit. Your road handling will feel much better.

[adventureduo]

Love that color rig Brian... hehehe

[waldrtw]

Brian,

The build up looks to be going good! I like the laptop mount. I wish I could have got you one like mine but not real sure where it came from(bought off Ebay). Give me a call sometime I would love to see the rig in person before we move back to NC.

What are you going to do about you Castor correction?? I have the OME 2.5 heavy and have not done anything about the castor and the thing drives like crap! I have the OME bushings that I think I will put in before making the drive to NC. I have heard that they will not fix the castor very well. If you are going to install the bushing let me know and we can do both trucks together.

Tim

[waldrtw]

I might would get the 850J's for the front springs. I wish I would have got them.

Anybody want to buy and OME 850 front springs?

TIm

[Brian894x4]

Hey Tim,

I bought the whole suspension kit from Slee, which I understand includes the Castor correcting bushings. That's the one part I'm not looking forward to installing. I was thinking of taking to a shop with a press, but I was a little worried they wouldn't install them right since they have to be oriented a certain way. I'm not sure if it's possible to screw up or not. If we can figure out a way to install these things ourselves, that would be great! Slee is including some kind of special tool that is suppose to help somehow.

The reason I didn't go with Js is that I was hoping to keep the lift minimal. If I was going to run 35s, I'd do it, but I doubt I'll ever go more than 33s. At least for a while. If the lift turns out to be only 2" or even slightly less, I think I could live with that. I'm a little worried that heavies for the rear might be too much. Even though I carry a lot of weight, I was reading on Mud about guys with heavy steel tire bumpers and drawers and still having the stinkbug affect. I'll probably have less weight than them. I think I might end up sitting rear high for a while until I eventually install some kind steel bumper/tire carrier.

[bluedog]

the stinkbug affect.

What does this mean? Rear lower than the front?

[Brian894x4]

Well I think I means rear higher than the front. At least that's what I meant. Term comes from ih8mud.com

[blupaddler]

Yes, stink bug is exactly that.

I have the J's in front, used to have the 850's. I also have the 864's in the rear. So, my stink isn't as bad as it used to be. :) The only time I am level is when packed up for a trip.



BTW...Good choice on the bumper. The Slee bumper is very nice. I have been thinking about ways to "lighten" up my 80. And that ARB sticks REALLY far out there. If I did it again, I would get Slee.

:chowtime:

[Brian894x4]

I recently ordered a bunch of stuff from Slee. Here it is being brought home from the local freight house.

Got a Slee bumper, 2.5 OME suspension kit, African Outback drawers and some misc. stuff.

On the suspension, I'll be doing 2.5 heavies up front and inititally 2.5 mediums in the rear. I'm going to do the castor correction with the OME bushings, but I can't see any way of doing it without a press, so I'm going to have a local shop press them in for me using a template that I've ordered from Landtank over on mud.

Tonight I put in the African Outback drawers. This thing is beefy and really does easily support the weight it claims. It bolts down using existing bolts in the cargo area, so it's not going anywhere. It was definately spendy, but it's solid and bulletproof, just like the rig it's going into. I was surprised at how much I could stuff just into one side of the drawers. I have all my long tools (shovel, axle, picks, etc) recovery gear, my tool kit, a 2.5 gallon gas can and a bunch of other stuff stored just one one side. This isn't how I'll be set up, but I just wanted an idea of how much I could pack into this thing and I'm impressed. I need to do some thinking on how I want to configure the rear cargo area and what to store in the drawers.

By next week, I should have the lift fully installed, 285/75R-16 MTRs, the Slee bumper installed and a Warn 8000 winch. That will be the extent of major mods for a while. I would eventually like to do sliders, rear bumper, tire carrier and other stuff. Maybe later this spring or summer.

I think tomorrow night I'll tackle the bumper. That looks like an easy install too.

[Skillet]

I like that drawer system.
I almost went with that thing but ended up with the Kaufman drawers.
If Slee had the gray AOB ones in stock before my trip, they would be in my rig.
Let us know how they work out.

Jeb

[adventureduo]

Lookin good dude.

[Brian894x4]

Thanks. Here's a few more pics.

It was packed pretty darn good. Several layers of cardboard topped with with sealed plastic, then placed on top of a pallet which fit it almost perfectly.

The darn thing weighs a lot more than I expected. Just for kicks I put the unopened box on a bathroom scale and came with 125 lbs. That might not be entirely accurate, as I had to support it to stay on the scale. It might be slightly less. The majority of that weight in the in drawer itself. The frame was fairly light and the cover piece is just a piece of carpet covered wood.

The amount of weight the drawer supports is impressive and that's the main reason for spending this much money for a drawer like this. I had to sit inside the drawer to put some smaller pieces together (some assembly required) and I could darn near slide the drawer completely out with me in it and it didn't flinch. And I'm no lightweight either.

The instructions from African Outback leave a little to be desired. I found myself scratching my head a few times trying to figure out what they were talking about. Part of the problem is that the kit is designed for both the 80 and 100 and comes with two sets of instructions for either rig and a bunch of extra brackets and parts that aren't needed if you have an 80 that came with 3rd row seats.

The frame bolts down to the front 3rd row seat tie down bolts and the rear cargo tie down bolts. When finished, two small bolt holes in the cargo area floor are exposed just enough that a bolt won't fit back in so they need to be sealed. I just used RTV.

The frame is completely rock solid once bolted down. Nothing is going to move it, no matter what. However, that means the drawer is not too easily removable if you need the whole cargo area. Basically the upper floor needs to be unscrewed, and then remove the 4 bolts. IT's easier to remove the drawer first, which requires removing the drawer stops, then lift out the frame. Probably would take about 15-20 minutes to remove it.

When loaded down with a few hundred pounds of stuff, the drawer almost slides as easily in and out as it does when empty. I like having the single drawer, because with the center divider removed, it's more versatile.

I found than a 2.5 gallon Wedco nato gas can will fit just perfectly on the right rear cubby hole. I was hoping I could stuff one on the left side too, but it’s just a hair too tight. With no roof rack, aux. Tank, or rear bumper, interior fuel storage is my only option and considering the potential stock range as little as 200 miles, extra fuel is a necessity. I found that the Wedco cans, which are extremely air tight fit just fine inside the drawers. I prefer the 2.5 gallon cans for a variety of reasons…easier to pour, easier to store…and the drawers can support a couple of these with plenty of room left over. One really nice thing about the drawers is that they are just long enough to store standard size axes, picks, shovels and other long tools.

I've got some work to do to figure out how I want to configure the rear. The cooler will probably go where it's pictured, with a slide lock. I'll have to take advantage of the left over cubby holes on either side somehow too. My final thought is that I’d really like a cargo barrier, since I could see myself piling gear up above the rear seats. Slee was out of the half barriers he used to sell. I could probably rig up something cheap. Anyone have any other suggestions?

[adventureduo]

Looks good dude, keep the pics coming bro.:beer:

[Brian894x4]

Installed the Slee Shortbus bumper tonight.

All I can say is that went FAR easier than I thought it would. As expected, the bumper is well made. My favorite design aspects are how it bolts to the frame and where the winching forces are distributed.

The bumper basically C-clamps the two front frame horns and bolts to them via 6 bolts per frame horn. Including 4 huge bolts on the top and bottom of the frame and the 2 smaller bolts that the factory bumper uses on the side of the frame. This thing is "one" with the frame...no doubt. The winch mount plate basically sits in between the two frame horns so I can't imagine the winch forces being distributed any better. It also uses all factory holes and back nuts, so all you need is bolts, no nuts.

The smaller size and relative lightness (I weighed it at about 97lbs on a bathroom scale) make it easier to handle when you to pick it up from the freight house and install is an easy one man operation, because the bumper can be lifted up and slide onto the frame and stay put, before any bolts are installed.

It should be noted, I haven't installed a winch yet, which makes installing the bumper much easier. I'm hoping I can just remove the front grill and drop the M8000 in next week, but if not, it won't be that big of a deal.

My only complaint...not really a complaint...just if I had to pick something I don't like...would be the exposed AC dryer. But I knew that would happen. The bumper was designed for hardcore people who would modifiy the dryer as needed and not sacrafice clearance. Funny enough I made a AC dryer skidplate, but it wouldn't fit with the bumper, so I had to take it off.

The other thing is that I may find that full frontal protection from something like an ARB might have come in handy on the those long drives out in the wilderness when creatures don't exactly get out of the way of headlights.

I purchased this bumper, not for it's rock crawling qualities, but because I knew it would be well made and well designed and I like the fairly low profile design.

So here she is.....

Plans are to have the 2.5 OME lift installed by this weekend, including castor correction. 33s will be installed by Monday and M8000 on Tuesday.

Trying to get this all done before our trip next Friday.

One dilemia I'm having is deciding whether to go with 285x75R-16s or 305x70R-16s. I'm seriously leaning towards the bigger tires. Anyone have any thoughts?

[DaveInDenver]

FWIW, the construction that you describe is pretty much identical to how my ARB is made. On my IFS Hilux, the front frame member is enclosed by the bumper and it will hang on there without any fasteners. It does use about 14 bolts total to hold the thing on, tho. That Slee did it that way is probably because the ARB for the 80 series goes on about the same way. His bumper exists because the people who put ARBs on found that they were trimming them for gain clearance for rock crawling mostly. So it's really a slimmed down bull bar in concept. You are right on about the weight and bulk. The qualities that make a bull bar good, front end protection, make it royal PITA to pick up and put on. More so when you've loaded it with a winch. The combo on my truck (when I get around to buying a winch, some day) will be in excess of 150 lbs easily. Looks good!

[blupaddler]

Brian,

I really like the look of that bumper. The ARB is just huge. Did it come with the light tabs? Or did you fab some up?


Regarding tires...I prefer the 285's. I like the skinnier profile. But, I know Kevin has the 305 MTR's on his and really likes them.

[adventureduo]

Installed the Slee Shortbus bumper tonight.

One dilemia I'm having is deciding whether to go with 285x75R-16s or 305x70R-16s. I'm seriously leaning towards the bigger tires. Anyone have any thoughts?

Bumper looks good.

My comment on the bigger tire issue is this.. do you really need a bigger tire? If it's a expedition rig... you can go anywhere on 33's as you can on 35's. Also, IMHO anything over 33's you need to re-gear. Do you want to re-gear the rig? If you go 305's you'll lose plenty of power. That's just my .02.

[waldrtw]

Brian,

The rig is looking great!! I like the draw system in the back. If I did not have to carry three big dogs in my rig everytime I go exploring I would do something like that too.

As for the tires I am not sure what you should do. I may go with the 305's. I had 285's on mine for about a year of so. They would go anywhere I wanted but looked to small. I now ahve the BFG 295 AT's on and I love them. You can feel the power loss with the big tires. Everytime I drive my wifes LX450 and then get into the Landcruiser it is a big difference in power!

I also ordered the template for Landtank. Let me know who is going to install the bushings.

Where you headed next week?

Tim

[Brian894x4]

Oh ya, there's definately not much room for dogs. Especially the size of yours with the drawer system in there.

That's cool that your wife got a LX450! I would have bought another LC or an LX for Jen, but she drives too far to work to make it economical. Even with the Forester, we're getting killed on gas mileage.

I'm headed to Southern Oregon next weekend for a family get together. So, it will be all road, but I'd like to get it all set up as this would be a good long maiden voyage to work out any potential bugs. Unfortunately, I'm working this week and next with no days off, so I'm cramming this all in the mornings and evenings.

I just got the template from Landtank today. I'm going to have an alignment shop that is near my house press them in. It's a one man shop and he's done other work for me, so I think this will be a simple job for him, especially with the template. I've just got to get the arms off the LC.

As for tires. The 305s I was considering is 305/70R-16s. I'd be going MTRs. Unfortunately, MTRs aren't available in 295s, according to Goodyear's website. Going off of Goodyear's measurements.....

The 285/75R-16s that most people run, are 11.3" wide x 33.1" tall on 8" rim.

The 305/70R-16s that I'm considering, are 12.2" wide x 33.1" tall on 9" rim.

Just to compare to my old tires on my truck...

The 33x12.5-15s that my truck had are, 12.5" x 32.8 on a 10" rim

Unfortuantely, all three were measured on different rims, so it's hard to compare. But I figure the wider the rim, the shorter the tire, by a tiny bit. So, with that in mind, a 305 on a stock 16x8 LC rim will probably end up about 3/4 inch wider than the 285 and maybe 1/4" taller.

Which is fine with me. They wont' be any wider than the ones on my truck and I think they'll fill the wheel wells out a little better than 285s do with a 2.5" lift. But I'm going to do some more searching on Mud.

Here's some more Slee bumper pics in the daylight.

[kcowyo]

Looking good Brian. I never really believed you when you said you weren't going to do many mods to this outfit. ;)

Love the Slee bumper. I saw that one on the 80 he chopped into a truck and thought it was one of the nicer aftermarket offerings out there.

FWIW, I'd stay with 285's and get a Long Ranger Auxillary Fuel tank, but that's just me hypothetically spending your money.

[Brian894x4]

Ya, that idea lasted about a day didn't it. :D

I actually always intended to get a bumper and winch and upsize the tires to 33s. The big debate for me what what lift, if any. That was a hard decision and I'm still a nervous about how it will turn out.

Now, I haven't gone out and bought sliders, or a rear tire carrier or roof rack or snorkle or tent or anything like that...so when I'm done with these current mods, it will still be a fairly simple build.

Fuel is definately going to be an issue, when stock range can be as low as 200 mile on a full tank. The auxilery tanks look expensive and complicated so I'm hesitent to go that direction just yet. Plus I'd need a rear tire carrier for the spare. I would absolutely love a OEM 13 gallon spare tank. But unfortunately they're rare as hen's teeth these days.

After the lift and tires are finished, I'll be taking a break from any major mods for a little bit. But eventually, ARBs will be installed and I'm considering regearing to 4.56s. Then sliders and possibly a rear bumper and tire carrier fo some kind. But now that you mention it, some kind of auxiliery fuel tank might still be in my future too.

[blupaddler]

FWIW, I'd stay with 285's and get a Long Ranger Auxillary Fuel tank, but that's just me hypothetically spending your money.


Even though KC does a really good job of spending other people's money, and I blame my spending on him btw. He is right. (there i said it)


Judging by your pickup. I know you are very mechanically inclined. The aux. tank isn't that difficult. Just time consuming wiring everything and running hoses, pump, etc. And, after a 10 day Baja trip where I went over 600 miles before needing to fill up (still over 1/4 tank). The aux. tank is probably the best mod, next to the fridge. They are making a 24 gallon aux now as well as the standard 44 gallon. From what I have read the 13 gallon sub tank will still allow you to fit your spare under the vehicle...But, for they require more effort than the 44 gallon to install.



Seeing the side profile of the Slee bumper almost makes me want to sell my ARB...:confused:

[Brian894x4]

Hmmm,

24 gallon tank would be nice. Is that Man A Fre?

[blupaddler]

Yeah, I think them. I want to see a 24 in person. My 44 doesn't hang down that far at all. My main concern is the 300# or so back there when I am full, believe me I can feel it. Check over at mud though, I know someone did a write-up on one recently.

Or call Sean (?) at PV Cruisers. He brought in a bunch a while ago.
www.pvcruisers.com

[Brian894x4]

Well, I'm getting cold feet on the 2.5" lift. After looking at photos of them on mud with 285s, I really don't like the set up. I originally wanted to go with 285s with a low lift OME and now I really wish I did that instead. The few rigs I've seen with that set up look REALLY good to me and I think would have worked out better for our purpose.

Now I have to decide what to do.

When I saw this rig over on the Mud FAQ http://image.boompa.com/images/users/j/jd/jditom/rides/dsc06493-132_525.jpg
I realized my mistake. This is the rig I want to build. I believe it has low lift OME springs, bumper and 285 tires. That's where I want to be. Not where I'm headed.

[blupaddler]

You said you're getting the heavy front and medium rears?

If so, you will be fine. And probably be level too.

The winch and bumper should help out with the front. And the drawers + your equipment will balance things out.


As an 80's sound once said..."don't worry, be happy!"

[DaveInDenver]

I originally wanted to go with 285s with a low lift OME and now I really wish I did that instead. The few rigs I've seen with that set up look REALLY good to me and I think would have worked out better for our purpose.
I'm probably completely clueless, but my OME catalog doesn't seem to indicate a difference in lift heights. They list springs by light, medium, heavy, etc. When you say a low lift, are you talking about lighter spring rates? My OME catalog is from 1998, it's the bright yellow one with all the Australian vehicles names (Hilux, Navara, Holden, etc.). In any case, I think OME heavy springs with a winch/bull bar and drawers will be a good combo, you will ride nicely off highway fully loaded.

[Skillet]

don't rule out the 4" comps in the rear. They worked great for me!

[blupaddler]

O.T...What's in the tube?


Oh, and how come I can't find the reply from Brian that was emailed to me at 1218am?

[Brian894x4]

blupaddler...

Sorry, I deleted that post. I've had a change of heart again and I guess I'll install the 2.5" lift this weekend. I began to realize that in reality even if the lift ends up a little taller inititally, it will be weighed down and think I can live with how it should turn out. Well, see. Like you said, Don't worry...be happy.

Dave...

They probably called them the "light" springs back then. It's OME 861 and OME 862 springs. Basically, the front provide about 0.4 inches of lift with a hundred pounds and the rear provides as much a 0.9 inches, depending on load. Considering most LCs are sagging at least 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch, the total lift with these springs is probably closer to 1.5" all around. They're basically heavy duty stock springs.

But after talking to a few guys that run them, after putting on a rear bumper and other gear, they're already contemplating 2.5" lift to compensate and maintain the same lift, which is probably around 1 to 1.5" above stock.

Since I already have the parts, I'm going to go ahead and slap in the 2.5" springs tonight and castor correct on Monday.

Now my big decision is which tire size. 285/75R-16s or 305/75R-16s. Both being a little over 33" but the 305s are a lot wider. Skillet has 305 BFGs on his rig and they look good to me with his set up. I can get the 285s today, but I'd have to order the 305s. I think the 305s would look much better, but the 285s are cheaper and probably would return better fuel economy. It's also a lot more common size, if I ever have to replace a tire.

[DaveInDenver]

They probably called them the "light" springs back then. It's OME 861 and OME 862 springs. Basically, the front provide about 0.4 inches of lift with a hundred pounds and the rear provides as much a 0.9 inches, depending on load. Considering most LCs are sagging at least 1/2 inch to 3/4 of an inch, the total lift with these springs is probably closer to 1.5" all around. They're basically heavy duty stock springs.

But after talking to a few guys that run them, after putting on a rear bumper and other gear, they're already contemplating 2.5" lift to compensate and maintain the same lift, which is probably around 1 to 1.5" above stock.

Now my big decision is which tire size. 285/75R-16s or 305/75R-16s. Both being a little over 33" but the 305s are a lot wider.
That makes sense. I'd stick with the heavy springs. From what I know about you, you pack like me...heavy. The Cruiser is heavier and will drive heavier than your Hilux did, so I think light springs would make it feel too cushy and out of control. I'd personally go with heavy springs even if it lifted more than I wanted. You are talking about an inch or two at the most, I wouldn't worry too much.

I'd go with the 285 tires, I don't like the look of wider tires. I like the profile of a 33x9.5 or 33x10.5, looks more old school and I'm old school kinda guy. The weight of the Cruiser will be a better match with the wider profile, though. I think 12.50 wide tires on any Hilux is just too wide to get a good footprint, particularly at street pressure on the road (like snow packed roads).

[Skillet]

O.T...What's in the tube?

Hawaiian sling, fishing poles and some tent poles for a wind break.

[Brian894x4]

I'd go with the 285 tires, I don't like the look of wider tires. I like the profile of a 33x9.5 or 33x10.5, looks more old school and I'm old school kinda guy. The weight of the Cruiser will be a better match with the wider profile, though. I think 12.50 wide tires on any Hilux is just too wide to get a good footprint, particularly at street pressure on the road (like snow packed roads).

I know what you mean about narrow tires. I like narrower, but I think they look and work best when the rig is stock or nearly stock hieght.

I went and looked at a set of 285 MTRs and put them on hold for me. The 305s are a good bit wider, but I think the narrower 285s will work fine.
The 305s are more expensive and hard to source.

I'll be installing the lift tonight after work. If I can get that done, then tires go on tomorrow and castor correction on monday.

[Brian894x4]

Got the springs put in tonight. Still don't have the OME shocks installed as they haven't arrived yet.

Front is 850 heavy and rear is 860 medium.

Front measures 22.25" from center hub to bottom of fender flare. Rear measures 23.75 from center hub to bottom of flare. I'd be interested to see how this compares to anyone's lift and set up. If I recall correction, my stock set up was around 19.5 for the front and about 20 for the rear.

I expect the front to drop an additional .25 or more inches once the 80lb winch is installed.

The rear is fairly light at the moment. The drawers are installed and a few tools are in place, but it's by no means loaded up. I'm glad I have the 863 rear heavies here in the garage as well, because I can see needing to upgrade to them in the future with a bumper or possibly even as is, loaded up for a trip.

First impression is that standing next it, it sure feels tall. Looking at from the front, it doesn't look tall at all and from the inside it feels like it did stock, mostly.

..anyway, it's definately as tall as my truck is now or taller. I've only got a few inches of clearance left with the garage and the 33s will reduce that by at least an 1". So, I'm cutting it close.

First impression driving. There's definately subtle twitching feeling around town that is more prevelent on the highway. The steering feels light and unpredictable, especially during braking on the highway. All attribued to the lack of castor correction I assume.

The front springs really soak up the bumpers. It's quite amazing. The rear are still pretty stiff and feel like they want at least a hundred or more pounds, before they're "in the zone".

Except for the quirky handling due to no castor correction, the LC seems to handle turns at least as well as before.

The only concern I have is at 50-60 mph I thought I could hear a very faint and very slight growling or possible vibration. I'm really hoping I don't bad U-joints or other issues. And the wife probably won't be happy when she tries to climb in. I sort of hinted that this rig wouldn't have much lift if any....

...otherwise, I think this will work out just great! I hope the caster correction returns the handling to stock. By the way, does anyone know how much the rear brake level is suppose to be corrected for this type of lift?

I'll be installing 285/75R-16s MTRs in a few hours and castor correction on Monday if things go right.

Pictures later. Right now, I'm going to bed. Ya, it's 4am.

[Brian894x4]

Got the 285/75R-16 MTRs installed.

Here's what she looks like today.

[Skillet]

Looks fantastic.

You are well on your way, my friend.

:safari-rig:


Jeb

[Brian894x4]

Thanks.

I only have few miles on these tires and lift, but I like it so far. The power loss I was expected was minimal and in fact in the very little city driving I'm done so far, I can't tell the difference. We'll see how it does on the highway.

[jeffryscott]

that is a thing of beauty.

[Brian894x4]

Worked on a few things tonight after work.

I decided to remove one of the 2nd row seats and utilize the space. This is basically our recreation vehicle and it's very unlikely that we'll need to carry more than 1 other passenger beside my wife and I. Besides, the rear seat that is left is sort of a seat and a half and two skinny people would probably squeeze in there.

The extra space just happens to be the perfect size for my Engel refrigerator (small 22 quart model) and two 5 gallon water jugs. I normally carry one 5 gallon jug for a daytrip, but at least two for any one trips. I love these cheap water jugs. Simply pull it out and lay on the tailgate or some other flat surfaced and instant tap water with a faucet.

The refrigerator and water containers are tied down using the old seat bolts. I also like finally being able to reach my cooler from inside the cab area, unlike my truck, where I had to stop and fish for stuff in the back of the bed area.

Without a roof rack and no rear tire carrier, storing jerry cans is no easy task. Even with 2.5 gallon, sealed Wedco cans. I finally just tossed them in one of the drawers. Which isn't going to be a good long term solution as that space could be much better utilized for tools and other gear.

So, some kind of auxiliery tank is definately on the next. Possibly the next major project if I can find something. So far, I'm not having any luck finding anything in stock anywhere.

Finally, I used Slee's light tabs on the bumper to mount a full size 60" highlight and retain the lights. I'm not sure how this will affect engine cooling in the summer, however.

[Redline]

Very nice! I congratulate you on your choice of 285s. To many people in the 4x4 world 285s are "narrow 33s", which technically they are, only the 255/85 being narrower. But to me they are plenty wide at about 11.5-inches, and for most uses I think much better than the wider 305s you were considering.

Narrower but not narrow, less weight, less rolling resistance, much more common size if needing to buy tires while on a trip, more tire tread choices; lots of positives.

Older Land Cruisers are very cool, and yours is looking very set-up and ready.



Got the 285/75R-16 MTRs installed.

Here's what she looks like today.

[blupaddler]

Brian,
The 80 is looking really good.

Good luck with the aux. tank. I can't remember if I posted up www.pvcruisers.com before, if not check with them for the tank. They put together a group buy every now and then. And just keep an eye out on mud as well.


Also, since you removed the seat...Here is a good strap-down device that works really well, which I used.
You can get them at any REI or climbing type store. They fit perfectly with the 14mm bolt from the seats.
I believe the company is metolius.
edit: www.metoliusclimbing.com

[DaveInDenver]

They are called bolt hangers, they're used for bolting climbing routes. They used to be 5/16" (roughly perfect for an 8mm bolt), but they are all now 3/8" (roughly for a 10mm bolt). Funny thing is that I use then as anchors in my truck, too. They work great to spread the load of the bolts on a fiberglass topper to keep the sill from cracking. I used the last of my 5/16" Fixe hangers when I installed the 'Nest. Been a few years since you could still get 5/16" hangers. They are designed to hold climbers in a fall, so the rating on them (at least my Fixe) is 40kN, about 9000 lbs. So, IOW, a few tie downs, a 'biner or whatever isn't going to be a problem. In fact when you start strapping things down you'll see the bed rails begin to bow before you hurt a hanger.

[Brian894x4]

I got the OME castor correction bushings installed. Took the template, the press tool and the arms to a local shop to do it for me. Once I got there, we had a little "oops" moment as we realized that even with the template it was possible screw up how the bushings went in depending on how the control arm was oriented. But we got it figured out.

The shop tried used the tool to press out the old bushings but to no avail. They finally burned them out and then pressed the new ones in. It matched the template, but I was stilled worried, because even a fraction off and the bolts weren't going to go back in. But the front of the control arms bolted up just fine.

The rear mount was a little interesting. They were about an inch low and 2-3 inches forward of the hole. I guess partly because the axle had shifted. With the axle on the ground under the full weight of the Land Cruiser, moving it was not easy. I finally got a large ratchet strap and pulled the axle back. This is where you want jackstands under the rig just in case the LC decides to turn you in a pancake.

Once done and torqued I test drove around town. It's hard to say what difference the castor correctors had on the drivability, because my seat time without them was limited. But suffice to say, the LC drove prefectly fine and in reality I couldn't even tell I had a lift on it, and I guess that's the goal. It's really strange to drive a rig about as tall as my old truck, but that handles about 500% better.

That same shop will do an alignment for me on Thursday and we'll see what it looks like.

Sorry no pics. I was kind of sick and I just wanted to get it done. I will say that I highly recommend getting Landtank's template on Mud. It really does take the guesswork out of the job and it's worth every penny of $10. Especially when dropping the stuff off at a shop and having them do the work.

[Brian894x4]

Here's some more recent mods.

I couldn't find a cargo barrier, so I sort of had to make my own. Using some shelving that I found at a hardware store, I basically bolted down to create a barrier. It's actually much stronger and has worked out much better than I expected.

Also added a few jerry can mounts and some 2.5 gallon jerry cans. 5 gallons is not exactly a ton of extra fuel, but its better than nothing.

The Wedco cans are super air tight and while it's never an ideal situation to store fuel inside a vehicle, if one had too, these are the cans to use.

More later....

[teotwaki]

Brian,

I love this thread both for the great ideas as well as the decision process leading up to the mods. I also like your exploration web site with the write ups and pictures. :clapsmile

[adventureduo]

Dude! Brian! Love the shelf i idea for a barrier! What size shelf did you use? I can't find a barrier anywhere , let alone a 1/2 barrier for someone with drawers. Mind if i steal your idea? :hehe:

[hoser]

I have a couple of these that I might make into cargo net. They are very strong. I just have to figure out a way to mount/secure them. 58"W x 37"H

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Heavy-Duty-Cargo-Climbing-Net-58-W-X-37-H-NEW_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ63690QQihZ007QQitem Z170108811825QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

http://i9.ebayimg.com/02/i/06/82/cd/98_1.JPG

[Brian894x4]

Dude! Brian! Love the shelf i idea for a barrier! What size shelf did you use? I can't find a barrier anywhere , let alone a 1/2 barrier for someone with drawers. Mind if i steal your idea? :hehe:

Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

I kind of stole the idea from mud, but I took it a step further. My goal was to make a barrier that was rock solid, wouldn't make noise, i.e. squeak, and would actually stop something if it had too.

The shelving is pretty standard wire shevling, but I'm not exactly sure of the size. I think it's about 4' x 1.5" or thereabouts.

The 3rd row grab handles are perfect places to bolt from the top using L brackets. The African Outback drawers have the wood top deck, which allows for things to be easily screwed and secured from the bottom. Each shelf has a lip on it and I pointed the lip down on both shevles. The bottom lip of the bottom shelf allowed for screws and washers to be used to screw it down.

The hardpart is securing the two halves together. Wire ties or small hose clamps were attempted first, but they just don't do the job. The two halves have to behave as one to be effective, otherwise they squeak and rattle and aren't as strong. So, I used bolts and washers and a lot of them. This works great.

The whole thing needs to be rock solid, because even with two halves behaving as one, the metal can vibrate and be annoying, so I added braces and additional bracketry at the bottom end. Then covered the top and the center (with the lip) with pipe insulation. Mostly just for looks.

So far it seems to work. I'm sure the real cargo barriers are much better and safer, but it definatley keeps things away from the passenger compartment when needed and should stop reasonable stuff. I figure the shelf material itself will give way before any of my mounting bracketry. The only thing I don't like is that it's not easy to remove, if I need more room to haul something long.

If needed, I'll take some measurements and more pics when I get back into town later this weekend.

:Mechanic:

[Brian894x4]

Added some updates on my rig on this page on my site:

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLCInterior.html

That's a subpage to my page dedicated to my Land Cruiser,

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLandCruiserFZJ80.html

Which is a subpage of...we'll you the idea...:)

The gist is that I added some Ham radios and a few other mods to the interior over the last few weeks and finally got around to posting some better pictures.

[Skillet]

Awesome.

[Mlachica]

nice, you've got all the cool gadgets.

sorry if I you answered this already. Any plans to use oem switches with your lockers and the dash indicator? I think you mentioned you were going to use the arb switches. I did mine this week and it was actually quite simple and it only took a couple hours.

[Brian894x4]

Actually I would like to use the OEM dial switch, but I don't have a wiring diagram so I wasn't sure how that would work. I'd love to hear how you did it, especially with the dash lights working.

[Mlachica]

Here's the link to the write up I followed on mud...

http://www.forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=39028&highlight=arb+factory+switch

The oem rotary switch has three pins. One + in and 1 out for rear and 1 out for front. Just ohm it out to see which is which. The pin by itself is the positive in. Dig for the factory switch and splice into it.

Here's the writeup for dash removal...

http://www.forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=99481&highlight=dash+removal

I think the rest is covered in the first thread...if you have any questions just pm me.

[pismo62]

Thanks for the great write up Brian. I just read the entire thread. I picked up a fzj80 a couple months back, and this helps with the planning. I also enjoyed cruzing through your web site, lots of info. Thanks for making it availible. Enjoy :)

[Brian894x4]

Thanks for the kind words Guy, I just saw the post now as I was getting ready to add the following updates....

I finished upgrading my cargo area today.

Gone is the custom cargo barrier and installed is a new full width deck that I made and bolted to top of the African Outback drawers.

This allowed me to store a few things back there a little more effeciently, including gas cans and a new Powertank.

The reason I removed the barrier is that it was permanantly attached and not easily removable incase I needed to load up a large item or wanted to sleep back there.

I plan to eventually source an African Outback half barrier, but until then, I rigged up what I call a "quarter" barrier. It will make up for not having a left rear seat, but it's not really designed for protection, since it doesn't go all the way to the roof. But it is pretty strong, if anything were to hit it.

Pic 1) shows a sleeping bag (wife likes green flowers, what can I say?) layed out in the back

Pic 2) shows the AO drawers opened up with tools, spares, gear stored inside

Pic 3) shows the over all view with the drawer closed. This is what I normally carry, when I'm not packed for a long trip. Lately, we've been doing a lot of day trips into the local Coast Range Mountains for our abandoned logging railroad research.

[Brian894x4]

On the left is the 10 gallon Powertank. I decided to go with a C02 tank for a number of reasons, but mainly because I really like how fast they fill up tires and being able to easily reseat a bead if needed and not having to deal with the plumbing of an air compressor and tank.

So, I removed my air compressor and air tank. The ARB compressor will eventually go back to the engine compartment where it belongs and power my air lockers.

On the right is 7 gallons of spare fuel in 3 gas cans. (There's one next to the drawers too) Storing fuel inside it not necessarily a good idea, but at least these the Wedco cans are super air tight. Never a hint of fuel vapor. And right now I don't really have a choice.

I use 2.5 gallon gas cans because they are easier to fill and store. I have a couple more that I will probably also carry on any particular long trip, which would give me up to 12 gallons of extra fuel. For where I go, I shouldn't need any more than that.

A spare tank and rear tire carrier just isn't in the budget right now and a roof rack won't fit with my garage. Only inches to spare as it is.

Also, here's another shot of the rear passenger area and the new "quarter barrier".

[Brian894x4]

The sides of the new deck also lift up to access the storage areas on either side of the AO drawers.

I like this set up a lot. The Powertank and fuel cans take up less space than I thought they would. Partly because they occupy space that I previously wasn't able to use.

Oh ya, and I installed George's LED domes and map lights, plus some superbrightleds for the doors. AWESOME is all I can say about that!

[Mlachica]

great work brian. I like the deck work.

What superbright led's did you get for the door?

[Brian894x4]

Thanks much. I went with the WLED 5-LED Wide Angle LED bulb (white). Based on what I read on numerous mud threads, that one seems to cast light in more directions giving you better light towards the ground and interior floor with the door open. I'd say it works OK. It's the only one I've tried. Certainly brighter than the stock bulb.

That was the easiest mod I've ever done and they shipped super fast. I got 'em in my mail box in about 2 days. I ordered a few more plus some dome lights from them for my other cars. And some small accent LEDs that I'm going to install to light up various interior places when needed.

I also got their LUXART LED Module - SBL brand. It's only 1 watt, but should work pretty good as an engine light and another rear light. I have one attached to the inside rear glass. When the hatch is up, it shines directly onto the tailgate and directly into the drawers when opened. Works great!

And of course, George's LEDs are awesome. Very spendy, but worth it. I almost only got one dome, but I'm glad that I bought both domes and the map light is just amazing.

[alia176]

[QUOTE=hoser]I have a couple of these that I might make into cargo net. They are very strong. I just have to figure out a way to mount/secure them. 58"W x 37"H

I have a similar net from Wraingler.com (meant for a 4runner). Hopefully this pic will help you understand the mounting points:

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p146/alia176/Misc%20Folder/PB220022.jpg

The two black bars on the windows are simple 3/4" conduit with each end flattened. They basically prevent someone from easily getting into the vehicle and also for tie down points for the cargo nets and other stuff as needed.

Cheers.

[Brian894x4]

The two black bars on the windows are simple 3/4" conduit with each end flattened. They basically prevent someone from easily getting into the vehicle and also for tie down points for the cargo nets and other stuff as needed.

Cheers.

I like that idea of the bar in the window using the seatbelt bolts. I may have to try that in my quest for the securiest vehicle ever.

[Brian894x4]

Latest mod is the African Outback roof rack. I mentioned this in another post, but I thought some might be interested in looking at other photos of the build, if you're bored this weekend.....

This is my main Land Cruiser page:

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLandCruiserFZJ80.html

This page (towards the bottom) has some photos and info on the new AO rack and fuel can carrying set up. Just a quick a comment. I don't really plan on carrying fuel up there unless I expect to actually need it, which is only on very long range remote trips.

Normally, I carry some spare parts, my Pull-Pal in its case, and recoverying and digging tools, such as the axe, shovel, and other tools for our excavations.

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLCExterior.html

I have a few new pictures on this page:

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLCAction.html

As soon as I can find the time, I'll be updated this page with some new articles and photos from a few recent trips this past summer:

http://www.brian894x4.com/INSEARCHOFHISTORY.html

We just took a trip to Southeastern Oregon a few weeks ago. Basically, the Hart Mountain area. This was our first real fairly remote multi-day outback trip in this rig. Until now it's been mostly road trips, beach trips and weekend trips to the mountains. The LC performed absolutely flawlessly. I was surprised as how well it handled and the power and even fuel economy, despite the roofrack and 6550lb weight.

I managed a highway average of about 14 mpg. With low speed off roading combined, it was a significantly less, though. Ironicly, the better than expected fuel economy, meant that I didn't any of the extra gas.... Although topping off at every single fuel oppertunity helped too. Over $4/gallon in remote Eastern Oregon, though. I had planned for a worst case average of 10 mpg, just to be safe.

It was so nice to be able drive in absolute comfort on the highway and then be able to run moderate off road trails in between. Such a huge departure from my old truck, which was great off road, but exhausting to drive on the highway and very uncomfortable.

I absolute love this rig! :wings:

[locrwln]

Over $4/gallon in remote Eastern Oregon, though. I had planned for a worst case average of 10 mpg, just to be safe.

It was so nice to be able drive in absolute comfort on the highway and then be able to run moderate off road trails in between. Such a huge departure from my old truck, which was great off road, but exhausting to drive on the highway and very uncomfortable.

I absolute love this rig! :wings:

Those kind of gas prices hurt.

That is why I sold my Taco and went back to an 80, the comfort. I know it has been said, but for the size, capability, features and price the 80 is real to impossible to beat.

Jack

[Brian894x4]

Having the old Honda CRX as my daily driver helps out. Sort of offsets the fuel economy of the 80. :)

[upcruiser]

Wow, looks great. I'm digging that front bumper.

[kcowyo]

Nice update Brian.

I really like the short 2.5 gal cans on the roof rack, nice low profile. You're so nice to let others drive your LC. If that was mine, it would be hands off for everybody!

:ar15:

[esh]

I knew I should have checked in with you. We've been travelling in the same areas recently..

I've changed my config around a little.. more room to carry junk, lower COG, but.. more room to carry junk. :(

Let me know if you guys head out during the winter!

http://130.94.161.162/images/Exploring2007/PrairieFarmCamp/IMG_0075s.jpg

[Brian894x4]

Ken,

Good to hear from you! Nice set up too. :D


Nice update Brian.

I really like the short 2.5 gal cans on the roof rack, nice low profile. You're so nice to let others drive your LC. If that was mine, it would be hands off for everybody!

:ar15:

Thanks. The low profile is one reason I got the 2.5 cans, but a 5 gallon can laid on it's side will also be just as low profile. But what makes the 2.5 gallon cans so nice is that they are sooooo much easier to manipulate to fill without getting gas all over yourself, the rig and the ground.

[adventureduo]

Looks good man. Whats the deal with the orange strobes? I've always thought of mounting one for people to find base camp at night. Also, do you have some kind of rubber covers over your door mirrors?

[Brian894x4]

Looks good man. Whats the deal with the orange strobes? I've always thought of mounting one for people to find base camp at night. Also, do you have some kind of rubber covers over your door mirrors?

The main purpose is to keep people from hitting my rig when I have to park in precarious places as part of our historical research projects in the back country. The light has been known to keep bad guys away from the rig as they think we're close by and it lets authorities know who we are and why we're there. We also do some research for the State Forestry Department, for their cultural resources department and a few other agencies.

Since we explore places that are far off the beaten path away from typical parking and recreation areas, our vehicle would otherwise raise red flags to Police, Rangers, Game Wardens, etc. So, I have it clearly marked with who we are, what we do and the lights, etc. It's definitely helped out.

Another purpose is if anything were to happen to us while away from our vehicles, we would be extremely hard to find, as we're usually exploring a place that hasn't seen humans in years or is definately not well known, so I leave the strobes on as they use very little power and would last for days and this would make my rig easy to spot from the air, especially at night. In a "lost in the woods" situation, finding the rig is half the battle. I always tell my wife or whoever is left behind, the general area of where we are going and the fact that our rig would be spotable at night by aircraft.

I have one strobe in the back and one on the roof, just so the rig can be seen coming from both directions. The back light is hard bolted to the rack. The front light is mag mount to the roof, but hardwired to a switch. Both can be turned on indepedently.

The mirror "bras" are from Specter Off Road.

http://www.sor.com/sor/cat274.tam?xax=28188&page%2Ectx=cat274%2Etam

They work OK. Since my mirrors are painted and were getting scratched up from branches, I figured what the heck. They kind of flap around though, hence the wire ties to hold them in place.

[adventureduo]

Theose bra's are pretty cool.. .i didn't even know they existed!

I might have to order a set.

[alia176]

Sorry if this was mentioned already but can I get the make/model of the Aux cooling fan? I like the design of it.

[LexusAllTerrain]

Looks very nice, how did you mount does rear lights in the bumper? or hitch?:oops:

[Brian894x4]

thanks all for the kind words....

aila176: I'm not sure of the make and model of the fan. Sorry. I just went into an autoparts store and picked one out that looked like it would fit.

If I were to do it over again, I'd go with a Japanese spec Toyota factory aux fan, which I think can be sourced from "CruiserDan" over at www.ih8mud.com The factory fan will also line up with the factory bolt holes. I'm not sure how easy they are to source, though. I'm sure ih8mud.com probably has some alternative suggestions including exact models, etc. I'll see what I can find and report back here.

Also, this particular one, I don't think has as much air flow volume as others that can bought. If you remove the grill, take some measurements, you can find tons of aux. fans on the web. For next summer, I'm considering looking for a higher volume replacement. Although it's much easier to do this mod without a new front winch bumper in the way. :)

-------

eurorom: The rear lights are attached using the factory pintle hook bolt holes. Not a great place to put them though, because they've been knocked around plenty just backing into hillsides and stuff. I think I'm going to relocate to the rear of the roof rack at some point.

[alia176]

I have an aux fan from a 4Runner but not overly impressed with the air flow. But then again, I don't know what a good air flow is to begin with!

Thanks.

[adventureduo]

Dan can get the JDM fans .. but they run about $299 or something like that all said and done.

[Brian894x4]

New update:

Installed some new switches for the lights and rear locker....

I had switches to control these things, but decided to do something a little different.

First, the George LED tasklight map light replacement, was just awesome. I did that mod a while ago, but it did have one drawback. It was actually too bright for use while driving at night. So, I installed one of these as a switch for it.

http://www.theledlight.com/pdf/controls/mini_dimmer.pdf

You can see in the picture that the dial switch is located on the left dash panel. This turns the map light on, controls it's brightness and turns it off. I would say it dims to about 30% before shutting off and then you have a pretty continous choice in the 30-100% brightness range. I'm very happy with it. But I'm not 100% sure how this would affect the circuitry of the George LED, or if it hurts it at all. So far, so good, though.

Two other 3 position switches control the front fog/off road lights. The fog light dash switch can be turned on manually, or turned on, which allows a finger switch on the shifter to turn the fog lights on/off.

The reason for this is that my fog lights are too bright for on coming traffic, so I want to be able to turn them on/off just as I would the hi beams and having a switch on the shifter, makes it very convient to switch the lights on and off quickly and hassle free. Before I had to constantly try to find the dash switch in the dark and it was a hassle.

The off road light switch has three positions. Off...manual on...and on with the high beams. This is the position I use most often. It's nice to able to turn them just turn on and off with the high beam switch. This was not easy to wire up, because the Land Cruiser headlights have constant positive power and are ground switched. The auto off switch, add complication too.

Finally, the locker switch. I don't have factory lockers. Instead, I'll be running an ARB pump and rear air locker. The pump will in the engine compartment using Slee's bracket. Bracket is already installed, but the pump is not in quite yet. Neither is the rear locker, although it's sitting in my garage.

I decided to go with just a rear air locker and no front locker for the time being to save money.

I'm using the factory locker switch. The switch is very handy. Its has one power imput and two power outputs. Once hooked up to power, one output has power at the first switch click (front locker) and then both outlets have power at the second switch click front/rear locker).

The way I wired it up, the first click will turn on the air compressor. The second click will continue to power the air compressor and turn on the rear locker. I've also added two LEDs to indicate which is powered. I know I could have hooked up the dash lights and installed the bulbs, but I just didn't want to remove the cluster.

If I decide to eventually go with a front locker, I can easily add another switch to power the compressor and wire up the locker switch to fire both lockers.

[Mlachica]

Nice work Brian, I really like the theory behind the switch on the shifter. In my tacoma it was kind of pain to reach for my fog lights when there was oncoming traffic.

[Brian894x4]

New update....

So my lockerless 80 is finally half lockered. I put an ARB in the rear finally got the project finished over the weekend. It's been a long drawn out project, mainly because I could never find the time to take the 80 in to get the locker put into the diff.

Land Cruiser Northwest here in Portland installed the ARB into the diff for me. I wired and plumbed it and used the factory locker switch myself.

Slee's ARB air pump mount is a pain to install, but an absolute genious design! I have no idea how I would have mounted a pump in the engine compartment without it. The pain comes from the tight working quarters to get the mount installed, but it's a breeze once the mount is actually installed. The air pump just slides right in and it works great, even for the full size compressor that I have.

The air manifold block is another Slee part that relocates the ARB compressor relays to the firewall, where there's more room. The block uses two already predrilled holes in the firewall (at least I had the holes and used them). The block also allows the use of additional accessories, like a guage (I didn't use on) plumbing to an air tank (I didn't use that either) and an air hose fitting.

I did add an air hose fitting and have the ARB air hose from my truck. This will be my back up tire air source, with the powertank being the primary tire air source.

I used the factory locker switch but wired it up a little differently for this set up. The switch has two positions. Position one turns on the ARB compressor. Position two, fires the rear locker. While in position two, the ARB compressor still gets power, thanks to how the switch is designed, making it perfect for this type of set up.

If/when I add a front locker, I'll just add a seperate switch for the compressor and wire the dial switch conventionally for the front/rear lockers.

So far so good. No leaks, unlike the ARB in my truck. I had no idea you could fire and turn off the ARB multiple times without the compressor coming back on, when everything is sealed properly.

I'd like to put one up front, but it's so much $$$$$. Considering that it's primarly an overlander and not so much a hardcore trail rig, it's hard to justify the expense of a front ARB. I know it could come in handy in the snow or getting me unstuck from some muddy trail, but I've got other plans that I'd rather invest in first...

Next on the list is Metal Tech sliders, as soon as they get a set assembled for me later this month...

[Mlachica]

Just curious, why metal tech sliders? I need sliders...

[waldrtw]

Brain,

I put the MetalTech sliders on mine right before I moved to NC. They are great you will really like them.

Tim

[LexusAllTerrain]

Brain,

I put the MetalTech sliders on mine right before I moved to NC. They are great you will really like them.

Tim


Any pictures available?

[waldrtw]

I can get some tomorrow.

[Brian894x4]

Just curious, why metal tech sliders? I need sliders...

It was between Slee, Hanna and the Metal Tech. I like all three. I was thinking about the Slee step sliders, but decided against them after seeing detailed pics, because I don't like how they hang kind of low. I don't really like the look either, although I'm sure they're a fine product that work as advertised.

Metaltech is a local company to me, which I can just drive over and pick up a set and actually even have them install them for me for a nominal fee, which makes my life a lot easier. That pushed it over the top for me. I don't have to worry about paying freight costs, finding a freight house to have them shipped to, etc.

But I also really like Metaltech's design over the others. They are a bit lighter, which I like. I like the kick out design, I REALLY like the cat protection, since my lift is only 2.5" and minimal and I like the design that allows for an airtank or battery to be stored in the open space between the frame and slider and bolted directly to the slider. I don't know if I'll use the option, but I like having the ability to put something there at some future date.

The kick out is something you don't see on most 80 sliders. There's arguments against them, if you do a lot of rock crawling. But I'm more likely to find myself up against a tree or hill side on a narrow trail, so the kick outs really make sense for my application.

And finally, I think they look cool. :D

Thanks Tim, I'd like to see your pics too.

[waldrtw]

Here are a few pics I found from this past summer of the MetalTech sliders. If you look close you will see the big oil puddle in the driveway. That is what happened to the Birfs on my 3500 mile drive from Oregon to North Carolina!!

[Brian894x4]

Looks good Tim!

Were the birfs a total loss or were you able to just repack and reseal?

[waldrtw]

I was able to repack and reseal. I have not had any problems since.

Tim

[lacrits68]

Those kind of gas prices hurt.

Jack

hi!

could not resist....here in Sweden we pay 7,50$ for a gallon gas and even more on dieselfuel!! Govenment takes out high taxes on gas! ( and dont forget annual roadtax, for my disco 2 -99 1700$. :(

you guys have like 50% off....sale on gas!

--Jan--

[Photog]

hi!

could not resist....here in Sweden we pay 7,50$ for a gallon gas and even more on dieselfuel!! Govenment takes out high taxes on gas! ( and dont forget annual roadtax, for my disco 2 -99 1700$. :(

you guys have like 50% off....sale on gas!

--Jan--

How much of your income do they take in taxes?

[Brian894x4]

hi!

could not resist....here in Sweden we pay 7,50$ for a gallon gas and even more on dieselfuel!! Govenment takes out high taxes on gas! ( and dont forget annual roadtax, for my disco 2 -99 1700$. :(

you guys have like 50% off....sale on gas!

--Jan--

Well, we're catching up to you. As our dollar crashes in value, it just makes it that much worse.

It's interesting that diesel is more expensive over there too. Same here. I still can't figure out why, since it should be much cheaper to refine. In the old days...like the 1990s...diesel was always the cheapest.

[lacrits68]

How much of your income do they take in taxes?

hi!

Up to 55 000$ a year around 33% and over it 50% or more!


https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sw.html#Econ

GDP in Sweden is aprx 37 000$ ( in US 46 000$)

--Jan--

[lacrits68]

It's interesting that diesel is more expensive over there too. Same here. I still can't figure out why, since it should be much cheaper to refine. In the old days...like the 1990s...diesel was always the cheapest.

Hi!

What i understad it has not that much to do with pruduction cost, price is calculated after demand and production capcity!

as allway....hi demad, hi prices! Here in Europe diesel cars ( regular familycars) are very popular, and demad on dieselfuel is skyrocketing!

correct me if im wrong!

--Jan--

[Oskar Pilot]

Just wondering...are you done for now??? I've been reading your build and have been impressed! Nice job! More please! Walt

[Brian894x4]

Thanks much! Well.....

I'm not exactly done....I haven't really updated this thread with everything, but I have most of the latest mods on my website:

http://www.brian894x4.com/ExpeditionLandCruiserFZJ80.html

The next planned project is upgrading the alternator to a 150amp Tundra/Sequoia unit. I've got all the parts. It's just a matter of installing it.

I figure I'll PM all the coolent/heater hoses at the same time and do some other PM work, so it will probably be an all weekend project and I'm still gathering other parts.

What I would like to eventually is add Metaltech Sliders and some kind of rear bumper/tire carrier set up....I'm liking Slee's set up so far. And probably do an ARB snorkle as well.

Problem is, I'm having a hard time justifying to myself (and the wife) spending thousands more dollars on a rig that gets 11-12 mpg considering current gas prices and with a recession coming up and other issues, that means we really should be saving money instead of blowing it.

So, for now, things are progressing fairly conservatively. I'm generally very happy with the set up right now and it wouldn't kill me if I just left it like it is for a while. But I have my dreams.

At least I have something to look forward too. Building is half the fun. Once it's all done, things get kind of boring. :D

[KANZ]

Hi Brian,

I love your truck - because I love my new one as well. Same color as yours, a 1997 with 133000 on it. I removed the bug deflector and the rear deflector first thing. The next thing todo is the Automatic trasnsmission flush and replacement of all fliuids for synthetic fluids and 1" spring spacers all around.

Take care, just wanted to share this.

Harald