Builds "Thing 3" FJ80 build (1 Viewer)

[jasonc]

Hello everyone! This is my 2nd Land Cruiser, and hopefully this thread will help me keep track of my progress.

My dad and I each bought a 1991 Land Cruiser last year, and named them "Thing 1" and "Thing 2," so, obviously, we named this one Thing 3. We bought this one with a blown head gasket (we think/hope) because it was such a good deal, and was in such nice condition, other than the head gasket. It's an early 1991 FJ80 with many add-ons, and almost 300k on the odometer.

I couldn't believe how good of condition it was in when we first saw it, and it was already built exactly how I would have put it together. Here's the first picture I took of it:

It came with an ARB front bumper, Kaymar rear bumper with a swing out tire carrier, new 31x10.5 tires, a Safari snorkel, PIAA lights, 2.5 inch suspension lift, and other things I'm probably leaving out. It had very few dings on it, and the paint was in incredible condition. Here's some more pictures:

 

[jasonc]

The first thing I did after we got it here was inspect it to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time, and found a few really small things.

I had to glue on this small little piece of plastic that had broken in the driver's side armrest area

I discovered that the dome light assemblies didn't have the switches, and after a few hours trying to install a new switch with no success, I caved and bought two new assemblies
Before:

After:

 

[jasonc]

Tonight I tried to diagnose a stereo problem using the electrical troubleshooting section of the FSM
it said I should replace the stereo, so I took it out to discover this nest...

I'm not sure what I'm going to do about this, but leaving it like that isn't probably a good option. Hopefully I'll get that sorted out...

 

[Alleycats]

So what makes you think the head gasket is toast?

 

[LS1FJ40]

What year is this one? A 1991 as well? I'm curious as well about why you think it's a head gasket. 3FE's just don't have head gasket issues.

That's a helluva nice rig though. Enjoy.

 

[jasonc]

So what makes you think the head gasket is toast?

Cylinders five and six have almost no compression, and from what I've researched, when adjacent cylinders lose compression, it's usually a crack in the head gasket between the two cylinders. I could be wrong though... The truck has just under 300k miles so it could be plenty of other things.

 

[jasonc]

What year is this one? A 1991 as well? I'm curious as well about why you think it's a head gasket. 3FE's just don't have head gasket issues.

That's a helluva nice rig though. Enjoy.

Yes, this is a 1991 as well. And just the adjacent cylinders losing compression, but it could be warpage or something else, too. Not ruling other things out, but the adjacent cylinders make me assume head gasket.

 

[jasonc]

I started rebuilding an old Hi-Lift jack today, and hopefully should be finished sometime next week. I'm wire-wheeling everything, replacing the hardware, and painting it black and red.

 

[jasonc]

I picked up a Hi-Lift fix-it kit today from a local store, and just finished getting most of the rust off of the center tower. I love how it looks right now, but it would rust terribly if I don't get it painted soon. I'll go back over it tomorrow before painting to make sure I didn't miss any spots after it got dark.

 

[jasonc]

I picked up nice and shiny hardware today, and started painting

 

[LS1FJ40]

Clear coat the raw metal with a matte clear. That would look cool as hell!

 

[jasonc]

Clear coat the raw metal with a matte clear. That would look cool as hell!

I almost did, but decided against it and just went with red and black. The only clear coat I could find wouldn't stick to metal [emoji14]

 

[jasonc]

Waiting for paint to dry... Hopefully it'll be finished tomorrow. I also picked up a new handle piece and am considering making a shovel attachment, we'll see how that goes.

 

[jasonc]

I just finished getting it all put together, and it turned out perfect. I think I might have the 3 1/2 foot handle cut down 12 inches, and then I'll make the shovel attachment. It functions perfectly, especially after hitting it with some lube. I'm very impressed with this.

 

[jasonc]

I'm surprised how this jack went from being locked up to functioning perfectly. Hi-Lift makes some very high quality jacks.

 

[jasonc]

Just restored another Hi-Lift, not sure what I'll be doing with this one though...

 

[jasonc]

I also removed the battery, charged and checked it, and redid some minor wiring stuff. Still no luck with identifying problem with stereo [emoji21]

 

[jasonc]

I just finished up the shovel attachment for the handle, and once I add a few more things, it will officially be done [emoji1]

The Hi-Lift jack handle is attached to the shovel head in this picture

Just the shovel attachment

I think I'll round up a few more things for the recovery kit, and then I'll be ready to roll

 

[jasonc]

I noticed that the bumper was sagging on the passenger side just a little bit. This broken bumper support looks like it will be an easy fix, but I'm not sure why the PO would do this in the first place.

 

[jasonc]

Just had this truck taken into the shop for the first time since we got it to check everything out, and now we have a little list of things to do. This includes a valve adjustment before they can do a compression test to diagnose the cylinder compression loss. One thing they also pointed out was a rounded off fill (?) plug on the transfer case, and I have been working to try to get it off with no luck. I'm actually considering buying a welder so I can weld a nut on. PO problems continue...
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