Builds Abu Dhabi 80 Series: Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[Honger]

I've been enjoying reading through several build threads on here lately and as I'm starting to do more "building" with mine I figured I'd start a thread. I'll use this as a place to share my mods, my tinkering, and my travels around the area.

The rig is a 1997 FZJ80 that I picked up nearly three years ago. It only had 144,000 km (89,400 miles) on the odometer. I bought it off the original owner, a Scottish expat who had custom ordered in 1997 with all the off road options. He used it for camping and exploring the UAE and he told me that's what it was for. He had all records, including the original sales invoice. Bought it for AED 35,000 which works out to $9500.

Here she is all cleaned up. I get her cleaned top-to-bottom once or twice a year and she still cleans up nice.

Some of the nice, GCC-spec goods that she came with

• Part-time 4WD
• Sub fuel tank
• Lockers
• Manual throttle cable
• Center-console fridge
• Swingout spare
• Pintle hitch
• Rear AC
• Cloth interior

Mods to date:

• Auxiliary power feed into the cab (100-amp fused in the engine bay, feeds a 12-slot Blue Sea fuse box under the passenger seat)
• Power outlet in the rear cargo area for my Engel 45
• OEM snorkel

Mods planned:

• Dual battery system
• New wheels (thinking FJ Cruiser steelies)
• Roof-top tent
• OME or Bilstein shocks (need to make up my mind)

 

[Honger]

Currently at 210,000 km (130,000 miles)

Maintenance Performed
- Front axle rebuild (new seals and repacked)
- AC condenser and evaporator replaced
- All control arm bushings and sway bar bushings replaced
- Replaced two sets of fender flares... ugh!
- All interior, non-guage lighting LEDs

Maintenance Planned
- Drop fuel tank and repair the broken baffle that bangs around
- Rear diff needs adjustment or replacement (whines when under power)
- All 4 shocks
- PHH

 

[Honger]

Some of those GCC spec goodies...

 

[Honger]

Here's the snorkel freshly installed... note they put the intake on backwards, that has since been corrected.

 

[bmac1996acc]

Rear Cool!!!

 

[Honger]

We bought the 80-series to explore and play in the desert. One of our favorite ways to do that is to load up some food, the grill, and camp chairs and head out for a BBQ. Whenever we have friends visiting it's a required event. We also do with friends from church several times a year (during the winter).

Here we are picnicking in Liwa (epic scale desert, about a 2.5 hour drive)

And grilling out near Sweihan (only about a 20 minute drive)

A nice family photo we took while grilling out last time.

 

[Honger]

As mentioned above, Liwa is the desert in its most epic form. Liwa is actually an oasis city on the edge of the Rub' Al Khali (The Empty Quarter). This is the largest sand desert in the world with dunes up to 250 meters high. It goes on as far as the eye can see and camping out there is like nothing else. This past winter we had more rain than usual and I had the privilege of camping right after two rainstorms. Every time I go camping out there I see something new and am left in amazement.

From a "man camp" we did this past winter:

In March we went for the last time of the season and me and a buddy took our boys out for their first camping trip to Liwa. My boy loved it! Here he is in the backseat while I scale a dune:

And here he is poking around with a stick he found. He couldn't get enough of walking up and down the dunes!

 

[OGBeno]

Are you sure you have PT? I see no manual hubs up front. :hmmm:

Regardless, very nice specimen.

 

[SeaDrifter]

she looks clean. cool pix too

 

[Honger]

No manual hubs, but I've got this button...

And when I push that button the green 4WD light comes on. I also don't have the "Full Time 4WD" badge on the truck. I'm willing to admit that I'd just assumed I have PT based on that. I'm willing to stand corrected if I've interpreted the button and the light wrong.

 

[musthave]

Beautiful land cruiser, great pictures too!

 

[DSRTRDR]

cool pics

 

[greentruck]

No manual hubs, but I've got this button...

And when I push that button the green 4WD light comes on. I also don't have the "Full Time 4WD" badge on the truck. I'm willing to admit that I'd just assumed I have PT based on that. I'm willing to stand corrected if I've interpreted the button and the light wrong.

I'm not up on all the overseas badging on the 80 series. I know that we don't get the Full Time 4wd badging, but all North American-spec 80s are full time 4wd...which makes me suspect that the H4 button may simply be a center diff lock switch on a full time system. That's a very common mod here -- lots on the forum here if you search.

BTW, great pics, nice truck, happy family. I'd like to see more of your adventures whenever you get a chance.

 

[steph92fr]

Nice rig and cool pics.

 

[TrickyT]

Great pictures! So you can walk on the sand barefoot and not burn your feet?

 

[Funner]

Great pictures! Looks like you have a fun family that enjoys the LC as much as you
The pictures of the dunes are awesome, would love to run around there in my 80. I am surprised out how hard packed the sand is in all the pictures. Very shallow tracks left by the truck and footprints. Is that just because of the rain, or is it pretty firm like that in most places?
As far as the green button goes, I too suspect it is a CDL or center diff lock button. Likely you have what we all have which is an AWD vehicle. It would not technically be in 4wd until you locked the center differential so in essence the 4H makes sense at least until you shift the transfer case into low
Looking at the terrain, it doesn't seem you would need much other than maybe a small lift to avoid some high centering on a dune and or a winch with a pull pal. What mods are you seeing there?

 

[60wag]

Was there ever a front axle disconnect system like was found on some US spec 4Runners? They were part time 4wd without manual hubs.

 

[Tapage]

nice 80 ..

Curious about ..

1. how much raise your rpm the throttle cable .?

2. how salty it's that desert .. I mean you need to be worried about rust like beach salt .?

 

[mdandashly]

I lived in Dubai for a year a while back. Miss the standard console fridge and the aux tank.

Confused about the snorkel though. The country gets 1-3 days of rain per year and everything stays pretty dry.

As for the dunes, I miss them. They are surprisingly firm in most areas that don't see a lot of traffic.

 

[mdandashly]

I lived in Dubai for a year a while back. Miss the standard console fridge and the aux tank.

Confused about the snorkel though. The country gets 1-3 days of rain per year and everything stays pretty dry.

As for the dunes, I miss them. They are surprisingly firm in most areas that don't see a lot of traffic.