[apcoleman]

I would like to say this place is great and a big thanks goes out to Woody. I have learned a great deal from everyone and this is a great site.

My 1995 FZJ-80 has been in the family since day one. My father ran a few local dealerships and one of them happened to be a Toyota store so he bought a Land Cruiser. That was May of 95 and almost 11 years later it looks completely different. I got the truck from him in 2002 with 145K on the clock and earlier today I just past 221K. Great thing I love about this truck is that I know that it has been taken care of and will last a good while to go.

Now for the fun stuff.

I have built my truck up over the last two years and I know it will never end. It all started when my front bumper got ripped off one night in DC and I put the ARB on. Then I had to add the lights and everything else just kind of followed.

Current Mods:
ARB front bumper
OME 2.5 heavies up front and mediums in the rear
Slee light harnesses
Hanna Quality sliders
TJM rear bumper w/ swingout tire carrier
ARB front and rear locking diffs
slee air manifold
4.56 gears
285/75/16 BFG at
Warn xd9000 winch w/ synthetic line
IPF 800 driving lights
Uniden pro 520 xl w/ Wilson 3ft on the ARB
Alpine head unit w/ iPod in the glove box
LEDs in the doors and overheads
HIRs. (when they burn out I am going back to PIAAs)
OEM diff lock switch with lights in the dash
CDL switch
OEM cupholder
And a personal favorite, lights in the foot wells for when I drop crap at night.

Bling:
LX corners
Clear turn signals

Future Mods:
Some kind of storage system in the back
Snorkel?

I know I am forgetting some stuff but will make sure to add it when I get a chance

[apcoleman]

more...

[apcoleman]

pictures

[apcoleman]

I think all cbs look bad no matter where they are, so I wanted mine out of sight. I also put an external speaker under the driver seat so I can hear the cb with my music on.

[apcoleman]

I went with the alpine so I could hook up my iPod. I looked at all my options and figured placing it in the glove box would be the best spot.

[apcoleman]

I wanted to keep the OEM look as much as possible so I had my ARBs retrofitted to the OEM switch. I didnt want an ugly ARB switch for my compressor so I bought a rear defroster switch that controls it to keep the factory look.

[apcoleman]

I was looking around at putting LEDs in the truck and I came across www.autolumination.com They were cheap which was a plus, I a figured that I would give them a whirl. I like them a lot in the door and the overheads are nice but not as bright as George's. Considering I outfitted the entire truck for the cost of one of George's I cant really complain right now.

[apcoleman]

Because I drop stuff all of the time I decided I needed some extra lighting down there. I went to radio shack, got a switch and some $5 lights off of eBay shipped. Rates real high on the bling scale but very functional at night.

[Romer]

Nice write-up. What would you say is the difference in feel between stock gears an 4.56's?

[apcoleman]

front bling and me on the RTI

[apcoleman]

Thanks Ken,

I really like the 4.56s with te 285s. It feels a lot peppier around town and on the highway. I dont plan on going any bigger than 33's for awhile so the 4.56 will do just fine.

[apcoleman]

these were taken when a few of us went to GWNF in December

[Heffenoche]

Tony looks like you've done some nice mods since last year at CMCC. Nice wrire up.

[Montana Cruiser]

Looks like a great rig, especially with 221K miles on it! It's very clean for the mileage. I like your out-of-sight install of the CB and I-Pod.

How do you like your winch (do you wish you went larger?) and what did you do to modify the ARB for the synthetic line?

[Felix]

Nice truck, Tony! I like the CB install.

But one thing is bothering me about it. . .

Third Eye Blind?!?!

[apcoleman]

Originally Posted by Montana Cruiser

How do you like your winch (do you wish you went larger?) and what did you do to modify the ARB for the synthetic line?

Thanks for the kind words. I bought a Marlin Crawler Hawse fairlead and that is it. I am thinking about chopping the roller fairlead guide off but cant make up my mind yet.

I also think 9k was the right choice and figure that and a snatch block will get me out of anything that I am going to get into. If not, I hope im wheeling with reffug and his 12k

[TiredIronGRB]

I like the clean no scratches look, mine was like that once

[Cruiserhead05]

Tony,

Love the 80.

Its been fun watching it grow. Love the cb install

[TroutRunner]

Ditto on the CB install.

TR

[tacomafj-80]

Sweet Rig. Ya Got To Love The Fact That The 4.56 Gears And The Arb's Get Used.

[Biff]

Sweet rig, love the way you setup the ARBS. I also installed ARB's with 4.56's and haven't looked back. Was it hard to wire the compressor to the Toyota switch?

[fzj80kidpen]

Nice rig,
Mine is that classic white as well.
I also did the heavy front medium rear spings, good move.

[apcoleman]

Originally Posted by Biff

Sweet rig, love the way you setup the ARBS. I also installed ARB's with 4.56's and haven't looked back. Was it hard to wire the compressor to the Toyota switch?

Victor,

Later today I will try and pull that switch out and get a shot of which prongs were used. I wanted to originally use a hazard switch but was not able to map it out very well. Also the orange light on the defroster switch lights up when the compressor is turned on.

[Biff]

Originally Posted by apcoleman

Victor,

Later today I will try and pull that switch out and get a shot of which prongs were used. I wanted to originally use a hazard switch but was not able to map it out very well. Also the orange light on the defroster switch lights up when the compressor is turned on.

Thanks Tony, that would help. I'm in the process of doing the same thing you did with the rotory dial for teh ARB lockers, but never thought about the compressor switch.

[reffug]

Originally Posted by apcoleman

If not, I hope im wheeling with reffug and his 12k

Anytime you need me bro just holler........

Really nice write up T.

Great looking truck and you have done an excellent job on alot of those mods.

House is actually here so maybe by the middle of May or so.......

[topend yobbo]

Very nice wagon mate , looks like you have done a good job.White is the best colour for an 80 though.
Have you used the syn winch rope full on yet?
Want to know as I would like to change my busted a$* wire rope.
Will it pull you out of the mother of all bog holes without breaking?
What if mud and grit get caught between the fibres and file them away?
Does it feel strong?
Do you like youre OME lockers better then any of youre mates OEM lockers?

[apcoleman]

Originally Posted by topend yobbo

Very nice wagon mate , looks like you have done a good job.White is the best colour for an 80 though.
Have you used the syn winch rope full on yet?
Want to know as I would like to change my busted a$* wire rope.
Will it pull you out of the mother of all bog holes without breaking?
What if mud and grit get caught between the fibres and file them away?
Does it feel strong?
Do you like youre OME lockers better then any of youre mates OEM lockers?

I had superwinch x9 crap out and I installed the Warn a few months ago so the only thing it has pulled has been my dad burnt tractor out of the woods. The synth rope is much easier to deal with compared to the steel wire and is pretty easy to clean. It has gotten pretty dirty so I spooled it out and washed it and it doesnt seem to hold any dirt.

I really like the ARBs because I dont have to wait for the locker to engage or rock back and forth like some people with electrics have to. Just my opinion and I know there are plenty of people who would disagree with me.

[wileetoyote]

Originally Posted by apcoleman

I really like the ARBs because I dont have to wait for the locker to engage or rock back and forth like some people with electrics have to. Just my opinion and I know there are plenty of people who would disagree with me.

Your right...I have the factory lockers on my 80 and ARB's on my 4Rnr and although its a small nuisance, the e-lockers are definately more finicky than the air-lockers. My front air lockers will stick if my steerings bound up but dis-engage easily enough once the load comes off. Can't say the same for the 80.

Nice rig and write up... very clean factory look for all that capability!

WET

[DirtyHarry]

Originally Posted by Biff

Sweet rig, love the way you setup the ARBS.

Me too. Very clean and stealth, I like it.

[NorCalDoug]

Excellent write up!


You put a lot of thought into your mods...I like!
I think I'm going to do the interior floor light deal on the wife's 80