TurboDennis
SILVER Star
A lot of you have been asking me to post some details on my build, so here i go.
I also wanted to start this thread to keep track of all the things im doing to the truck and help motivate me to see the project through. And i will try to provide write ups of the unique mods for future reference of this community.
09/023/2023 - Reformatted the original post to make it easier to navigate. Will add additional formatting/updates/links shortly.
What is "The Ultimate 80-series"?
Is it a purpose built rock crawler on 42's that must be towed to the trails? Museum-grade, 100% stock truck? 1500HP hill climb racer? A high quality restomod? A 9000lbs "Overlander" with every possible piece of gear bolted to it? Or maybe something in between?
Everyone has a different idea of what makes an "Ultimate 80-series"...
Mine has basically evolved into this:
An ultra light, ultra reliable adventuring/camping rig with a few important modern comfort upgrades.
To achieve reliability, the truck will undergo a complete mechanical restoration - replacing every possible critical part with brand new OEM (if available), or rebuilt (when new is NLA). Nothing aftermarket will be used in critical areas.
Any addition, any modification to the truck must be:
A) Non permanent
B) Made from advanced materials (such as titanium alloy and carbon fiber) to reduce the weight gain to absolute minimum possible.
"Cucumber" will also combine the best/coolest factory options available from other markets (such as factory PTO winch, console fridge, dual fuel tanks etc)
As a starting point i will be using a 1996 US-spec 80 series that i imported from west coast that has absolutely zero rust. The truck will NEVER be driven in the winter, so it will remain completely rust free.
I've decided to break up the list of things I'm doing/planning into the following categories:
Drivetrain:
- 1HD-FT swap with FTE Turbo, Starter and Alternator - DONE
- H152F swap, which i believe will be the very first such swap in the world - DONE
- Factory e-lockers retrofitted using 100% OEM parts. - DONE
- Custom 3" stainless turbo-back exhaust (original routing) . - DONE
- Set of 255/85r16 shoes. - DONE
- Front mount intercooler (Garrett core + titanium piping) - DONE
- Factory sub fuel tank - DONE
- Titanium side-exit exhaust to replace the current stainless one. PLANNING STAGE
-Lithium starting battery - DONE
- Factory PTO winch using the HF2AV t-case. (most factory PTO-equipped 80's used the HF1 part time case and the 1HZ engine, but i REALLY wanted the HF2AV. These are extremely rare to find with the PTO access plate). Again, this will be the first such swap into a North American 80, to the best of my knowledge. IN PROGRESS
Interior/comfort
- New leather upholstery with cooled and heated seats. - DONE
- Factory console fridge/icemaker retrofitted. I believe this will also be the first time it was done successfully into a North American truck. Not 100% sure on this - I've seen some posts suggesting otherwise, but im yet to see any proof. - DONE
- High end head unit with cameras. - DONE
-Added sound/heat insulation, quality speakers. - DONE
- Modified or retrofitted from another Toyota steering wheel with integrated volume and bluetooth controls. IN PROGRESS
Off road modifications
-Grade 5 titanium rock sliders IN PROGRESS
-Air compressor using the rock sliders as air tanks IN PROGRESS
-Grade 5 titanium front bumper IN PROGRESS
Camping specific modifications:
- Sleeping platform/drawer/kitchen system made from a combination of titanium and carbon fiber. IN PROGRESS
-302 AH custom lithium aux battery in factory location - DONE
- RTT/Awning with custom direct mounts - DONE
- Hot and cold water tanks mounted under the vehicle, using a combination of circulating engine coolant with electric backup for heating water PLANNING STAGE
Mechanical "Baselining on steroids" IN PROGRESS
- "baselining" on steroids. Which basically includes rebuilding or replacing every single major system in the truck with OEM parts to bring it to "new" spec.
Cosmetic baselining. IN PROGRESS
Huge thanks goes to @Rock40 for his amazing build thread with lots of info that has been very helpful to me. As well as @CycloSteve , @gnarlynick2072 , @mtntoys and many others for their numerous informative posts.
Unfortunately i dont have many "before" pictures of the truck. Here's my father helping me load it when i picked it up. I bought it from a lady that was moving from Washington state to Georgia and the truck overheated and seized half way (in Minnesota)
Here's the cucumber back home at the company of an LX450 parts truck, my "built" HDJ81 (now sold) and my daily driver 3rd gen 4runner.
Out comes the old drivetrain
My daughter Kate sizing up the 1HD-FT
And the brand new H152F
I also wanted to start this thread to keep track of all the things im doing to the truck and help motivate me to see the project through. And i will try to provide write ups of the unique mods for future reference of this community.
09/023/2023 - Reformatted the original post to make it easier to navigate. Will add additional formatting/updates/links shortly.
What is "The Ultimate 80-series"?
Is it a purpose built rock crawler on 42's that must be towed to the trails? Museum-grade, 100% stock truck? 1500HP hill climb racer? A high quality restomod? A 9000lbs "Overlander" with every possible piece of gear bolted to it? Or maybe something in between?
Everyone has a different idea of what makes an "Ultimate 80-series"...
Mine has basically evolved into this:
An ultra light, ultra reliable adventuring/camping rig with a few important modern comfort upgrades.
To achieve reliability, the truck will undergo a complete mechanical restoration - replacing every possible critical part with brand new OEM (if available), or rebuilt (when new is NLA). Nothing aftermarket will be used in critical areas.
Any addition, any modification to the truck must be:
A) Non permanent
B) Made from advanced materials (such as titanium alloy and carbon fiber) to reduce the weight gain to absolute minimum possible.
"Cucumber" will also combine the best/coolest factory options available from other markets (such as factory PTO winch, console fridge, dual fuel tanks etc)
As a starting point i will be using a 1996 US-spec 80 series that i imported from west coast that has absolutely zero rust. The truck will NEVER be driven in the winter, so it will remain completely rust free.
I've decided to break up the list of things I'm doing/planning into the following categories:
Drivetrain:
- 1HD-FT swap with FTE Turbo, Starter and Alternator - DONE
- H152F swap, which i believe will be the very first such swap in the world - DONE
- Factory e-lockers retrofitted using 100% OEM parts. - DONE
- Custom 3" stainless turbo-back exhaust (original routing) . - DONE
- Set of 255/85r16 shoes. - DONE
- Front mount intercooler (Garrett core + titanium piping) - DONE
- Factory sub fuel tank - DONE
- Titanium side-exit exhaust to replace the current stainless one. PLANNING STAGE
-Lithium starting battery - DONE
- Factory PTO winch using the HF2AV t-case. (most factory PTO-equipped 80's used the HF1 part time case and the 1HZ engine, but i REALLY wanted the HF2AV. These are extremely rare to find with the PTO access plate). Again, this will be the first such swap into a North American 80, to the best of my knowledge. IN PROGRESS
Interior/comfort
- New leather upholstery with cooled and heated seats. - DONE
- Factory console fridge/icemaker retrofitted. I believe this will also be the first time it was done successfully into a North American truck. Not 100% sure on this - I've seen some posts suggesting otherwise, but im yet to see any proof. - DONE
- High end head unit with cameras. - DONE
-Added sound/heat insulation, quality speakers. - DONE
- Modified or retrofitted from another Toyota steering wheel with integrated volume and bluetooth controls. IN PROGRESS
Off road modifications
-Grade 5 titanium rock sliders IN PROGRESS
-Air compressor using the rock sliders as air tanks IN PROGRESS
-Grade 5 titanium front bumper IN PROGRESS
Camping specific modifications:
- Sleeping platform/drawer/kitchen system made from a combination of titanium and carbon fiber. IN PROGRESS
-302 AH custom lithium aux battery in factory location - DONE
- RTT/Awning with custom direct mounts - DONE
- Hot and cold water tanks mounted under the vehicle, using a combination of circulating engine coolant with electric backup for heating water PLANNING STAGE
Mechanical "Baselining on steroids" IN PROGRESS
- "baselining" on steroids. Which basically includes rebuilding or replacing every single major system in the truck with OEM parts to bring it to "new" spec.
Cosmetic baselining. IN PROGRESS
Huge thanks goes to @Rock40 for his amazing build thread with lots of info that has been very helpful to me. As well as @CycloSteve , @gnarlynick2072 , @mtntoys and many others for their numerous informative posts.
Unfortunately i dont have many "before" pictures of the truck. Here's my father helping me load it when i picked it up. I bought it from a lady that was moving from Washington state to Georgia and the truck overheated and seized half way (in Minnesota)
Here's the cucumber back home at the company of an LX450 parts truck, my "built" HDJ81 (now sold) and my daily driver 3rd gen 4runner.
Out comes the old drivetrain
My daughter Kate sizing up the 1HD-FT
And the brand new H152F
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