Builds 80 Build Thread - PreWork & 1 Weekend (1 Viewer)

[Charles4x4]

I haven't posted much, but this forum has been a great source of advice for both fixes and upgrades.

Our Cruiser:
'96 LC with 210K miles, factory lockers, and no rust (exceptional condition)

PreWork:
Over the past year I have done a lot of PM (Thanks CDan for all the parts and advice):
- Replaced Belts
- Replaced Dist. O-Ring
- Valve cover gasket + new plugs
- Rebuilt front axle
- Replaced BPV
- New Brake Rotors and Pads
- New Y-Pipe Back exhaust (local shop) re-routed over the frame with '94 Heat Shields
- Replaced front seat leather
- New early 80 model grill (no more sombrero - thanks EBay)
- HID Headlights (thanks Ebay)

 

[Charles4x4]

Last Weekend:
Then after working with Christo over the past few months, the good stuff arrived (Thanks Christo for all the help and advice):

 

[Charles4x4]

It took us an hour to unpack:

Also picked up a few new additions to my Milwaukee Fuel M18 collection (I already had the Impact Driver & Hammer Drill combo) to make things easier:

I liked the black poweder coat, but decided it wouldn't look great on my sliver/gray 2-tone so I "enhanced" it:

 

[Charles4x4]

Fortunately 4 friends showed up on Friday and Saturday to help:

 

[Charles4x4]

Before and After:

 

[Charles4x4]

Final specs:
- Slee shortbus front bumper, rear bumper with tire carrier / ladder / integrated receiver, and slider steps
- Slee 4" lift with DC front driveshaft, caster plates, and front 20mm spacer
- 5 315x75R16 BFG AT KO2 on stock wheels
- Warn 9.5XPS
- Slee transfer case skid plate, center diff lock switch with 7-pin mod (full control of all 3 lockers)
- 14" LED light bar front + 2 LED pods rear using 2 Slee factory look switches
- Flowmaster 50 series exhaust with above the frame routing utilizing heat shields from a '93 model

On Sunday we went on a local trail with some friends and everything worked flawlessly:

Bringing home some reclaimed wood for a dining room table build for Thanksgiving/Christmas dinner:

 

[ewillis]

Dang...That's how an 80 should look! Nice choice in mods!

 

[surfpig]

Agreed. Nice work.

That garage is bigger than my house.

 

[FZJ80 in KC]

Nice conversion! Color combo looks great too. Very nice work!

 

[baldilocks]

This is one of the fastest transformations yet! Awesome looking rig and your work shop looks pretty sterile too! Which shocks did you go with?

 

[Charles4x4]

This is one of the fastest transformations yet! Awesome looking rig and your work shop looks pretty sterile too! Which shocks did you go with?

Thanks. Used the standard OME NitroCharger L shocks that came with Slee's 4" kit. Seem solid so far. The coil springs are a little stiffer than stock, so cornering is better but speed humps aren't.

 

[Charles4x4]

Agreed. Nice work.

That garage is bigger than my house.

Thanks. Yes, having a 3 car garage is nice. We had a small 2-car garage with a single door on our prior house. Now we finally have a space for my hobbies.

Hope to eventually put in a Atlas lift and buy a 220V Millermatic 212 so I can build my next project a few years from now. Will either be a 40 or 60.

My favorites:

Definitely want 14-bolt/Dana 60 with coilovers on 3 or 4 link front and rear with a 5.3L+ v8.

This project is many years away, so going to enjoy the 80 with the family for now.

Thanks for the complements everyone.

 

[Charles4x4]

Adding one more of my favorites - FJ40 converted to FJ45:

 

[Charles4x4]

I owe a few updates to the build thread.

First, even with a 20mm spacer up front on top of the Slee 4" kit, I still felt like the rear was sitting 0.5" higher than the front.

So I ordered a 30mm spacer and sealed out. Now everything is level. And the 30mm spacer actually rides significantly better than the 20mm option - I guess the extra material soaks up the initial jolt you get from potholes better.

The old 20mm spacers came out:

The new 30mm spacers go in.

 

[Charles4x4]

My family and I are attending the TLCA MardiKrawl event in NW Alabama in a few weeks. I had a handheld CB Radio that we picked up in Moab a few years ago, but it was a pain and eventually stopped working. I needed a new, permanent option for on-trail communication.

So I decided to do the Uniden 520xl CB Radio install in place of the ashtray we don't use:

I then added a 4' stick on the mount on the Slee rear bumper.

I was surprised when the 20' antenna cable I purchased didn't work and had to swap to 50'. In the end 35' would have been perfect, but it wasn't an option. I ended up winding it around the spare tire area (avoiding to put too much in one spot due to potential interference).

I think it turned out great.

 

[Charles4x4]

And for the most exciting update:

 

[Charles4x4]

Let me first say that I love my 315 KO2s. However, while they are exceptional on the road and work well for normal trail riding, I think they look a little small for 5" of lift, haven't gripped the rocks quite as well as a MT, and are measuring 34" (BFGs run small) instead of a true 35.

I will continue to run my 315s during the week to and from work. It should only take me 5 or 10-mins to swap them out with my impact after a trail ride. That should allow me to keep up decent gas mileage and also ensure longevity of the 37 MTs by only running them on the trails.

 

[Charles4x4]

So I did a ton of research and after reading some really convincing reviews, I chose the new 37x12.50r17 Cooper STT Pros.

I honestly have never owned a set of Coopers - I'm usually a BFG, Swamper, or MT/R guy.

I also read horror stories about the old STTs "chunking" in the rocks and quick wear on the road.

But after reading 25+ reviews and realizing the Cooper's cost 25% less and outperform the other options, I was sold. The new STT Pros have fixed all the issues of the past and greatly improved on and offroad performance.

And just look at the detail they out into these tires - a real work of art (I've never seen tread pattern on the vertical face of every exterior lug - crazy):

 

[Charles4x4]

So the only problem is that I now have 37s for 17" wheels that obviously won't work for my 16" stock 80 wheels.

Then I found a great deal on 4 17" 4th gen 4Runner sport wheels:

They were in great condition - almost brand new - and the family was just trying to get the out of the garage.

The backspacing of these wheels is the same as ours, but they have a 30mm offset (1.18") that tucks them in.

In order to push them back out to factory width (allowing the 37s to stuff best without hitting the frame or fenders), I ordered a set of 4 Trail-Gear 1.25" spacers that arrive early next week:

 

[Charles4x4]

So for now I'll just have to wait.

And imagine: