Amy's Build/Repair thread (LC100 XVR - Pic Heavy) (1 Viewer)

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Joined
May 3, 2011
Threads
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398
Location
Qatar
Amy's Build thread (LC100 XVR - Pic Heavy)

Amy's Build Thread

Introduction:

I moved from South Africa to Qatar early 2011, the job situation in SA was poor when I left and it was either Afghanistan, GOA for some MARSEC work or Qatar. Considering my old man was already living here and could pull some strings I decided to take the easy road and get a cushy high paying office job. (and this place is cruiser HEVAN!)

So I moved over and had to move back in with the parents (not ideal) until my work permit, residence and visa where all sorted out (5 months down the line and they still haven’t been fixed!) and I bought my self the appropriate toys, a 450 enduro for the dunes and a land cruiser.

This is the story of my cruiser… I call her Amy.


A 1998 LC100 Middle East Spec VXR, 4.7A with stock
- Subtank
- Fridge armrest
- Winch (broken)
- Telescopic steering (broken)
- HID hi beam
- NO AHC
- AUX AC system
- A442F tranny (factory rear lockers, push button center locker)
- Cyclonic air filter
- Sunroof
- Aftermarket TV screens and head unit
- Aftermarket solar tint
- Stock wheels, suspension and tyres
- Crap after market headunit

THe Plan was to build her up into the cruiser i have ALWAISE wanted by doing the following:

Initial List
1. Drop running boards (done)
2. 2" Old Man Emu rear Suspension lift (done with build instructions in this thread)
3. Crank torsion bars (done with build instructions in this thread)
4. 12mm body puck lift (not needed)
5. 35" BFG AT's on 17” steelies or Lexus rims (done with build instructions in this thread)
6. Custom bumpers front and rear (banned by Qatari law)
7. GX spare wheel carrier
8. Roof Rack with Spots
9. HID low beams to compliment the high ones
10. Clean up interior (done with build instructions in this thread)
11. New steering wheel (done with build instructions in this thread)
12. Seat covers (done)
13. Clean up Exterior
14. Grease prop shaft (done with build instructions in this thread, I over greased it)
15. Flush radiator (done)
16. Flush tranny (done)
17. Cabin air filters (done with build instructions in this thread)
After a few months however the list had evolved into the following…

New List
1. Fix night time work light wiring issue (done with pics)
2. Clean out throttle body
3. New diff fluid (I know I STILL haven’t gotten around to it)
4. 1 x Front wheel lug replacement
5. Rear door rattle
6. Rear door weather strip
7. Squeaky driver’s door & Door panels, fix with sound deadening
8. Squeaky door panels
9. Check Retighten all suspension components (done)
10. Clunk from RHS when turning right… haven’t been able to diagnose (Fixed= loose body mounts)
11. Extend sway bar links and reinstall sway bars with new bushes (done)
12. Front carpets
13. Bowl of vinegar trick (done)
14. Head light clean out (considering 04+ upgrade)
15. New halogens for fog lights
16. Orange out of rear lights
17. LC100 Dakar style recovery points
18. Buy new winch bracket, wire and install winch (new bracket arrived!)
19. Front pinion seal
20. Finish rock rails
21. Additional 12V outlets
22. New head unit
23. Install Tranny Cooler

still to be done from the intial list

24. Roof rack
25. Roof rack spots
26. Paint
27. HID low beams
28. GX wheel carrier with spot
29. Front interior Refurb (Half Done)

and it all started here, the day i got her :hillbilly:


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She has had an interesting life with an unknown amount of arab owners, no service records and 168 000 kms on the clock, which in the is car market was the BEST combo I could find.

Which means its going to need some serious work and preventative maintenance!!! PERFECT

The first thing to go was the pin striping
(I have never liked it and EVERY LC here has them)

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DAY 1 - Rear Interior Refurb


I went for a short desert ride with my old man and a few buddies on the 450’s this morning, except our short ride turned out to be 130km through the dunes so when I got home I was pretty knackered.

I therefore decided to tackle the interior thinking it would be nice and easy…. Pha so much for that!

When I got her she was very grubby inside and the carpets where hammered,

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I stocked up on all the cleaning products i would need after hours during the week (Friday is the religious day here so nothing is open).

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Everything came out the back. When I saw the carpet out the car I seriously considered just heading down to the upholstery shop to get a new one!

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It may not look it but the floor was covered in dirt and sand that had tuned to concrete, so it was going to need some good scrubbing. The interior panels were also very grubby so they came out.

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The whole inside got a good vacuum and then a scrub
Look at the colour of the water!!! it was bad.

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Then it was time to tackle the carpet but it was 50 degrease so I had my industrial fan set up to keep me “cool” while I worked… (like a good desert survival guide, I went through a litre of water an hour.)

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Carpet scrubbed with vanish carpet cleaner, some spray on foam, and a deck scrubbing brush (like you use on yachts) and hosed down took 30min to dry in the heat with my fan 

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While waiting for the carpet to dry I started on the side panels, the first thing to sort out was the elastic for the first aid kit and chevron. It had become very stretched over time.

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Once the panel is off its an easy fix, just pull out the old staple, take up the slack and re-staple. (I love easy fixes with great results)

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Then each panel got a scrub with a light scowering pad, sponge and Mr.Muscle, then a polish with some interior silicone polish, with a great result.

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While I was on a roll, the seat pockets needed to be done so the panel came off (just pull the top hard and it pops off an lifts up)

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Flipped it over and cut off the press stud,

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Then shortened the elastic as you can see in the above pick. Tied a small knot in the end and had to use a screw driver to force the knot into the place where the small plastic lug used to be.

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I realised that the trim was coming off it, but that was an easy fix with some contact adhesive and sandpaper to roughen up the edges.

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With the carpet just about ready to go in I scrubbed all the plastic fasteners and gave them the same polish as the side panels.
(before pic)

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and then everything went back in

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All the door panels got the same scrub and polish treatment without being removed and the front carpet which was in better condition just got a very good vacuum. (my passenger door pocket is torn  will need to glue in a splint or get a replacement.)

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and finally a before and after shot from a half a day’s work

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Other smaller issues tackled throughout the day.

- Ratting number plate was pop riveted into place with rubber spaces and washers.
- Lower back door carpet and plastic trim was removed from hardboard, scrubbed and re-glued and stapled to hardboard before being reinstalled.
- Lower back door stabiliser bar was rattling so it got some wine corked ends to stop the rattle.
- All the seat covers went in the wash with vanish to get the stains out (I love vanish  ) they will be going back on, leather is just too hot when the car has been sitting for an hour in the sun here, and the final aim is to have a great desert vehicle at the end of the day.
- While the covers where off I rewired the rear TV screens and treated the leather.
- All of the plastic trim on the seats go the scrub polish treatment.
- The interior lights had new bulbs all round, only 1 was working when I go the car.
- The front light, sunglasses, sunroof panel was remounted; one of the clips is broken so I had to fab one out of some thin metal.
- I had to ad 14 interior panel clips throughout the day, Toyota supplied them for free.

Tomorrow its onto to the running gear, scratches, filters and fluids…

NOTE: I Should have bought some sound insulation from an audio shop and installed it at this point! Its cheap easy to install, and makes a big difference when applied to the wheel arches. (Its just not that easy to find in Qatar)
 
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boy she was ridden hard and put away wet! but now she's been rescued. just don't let her start to think she's too much of a :princess: or she'll start getting all snobby on you and want to start hanging out at the malls with all of her new Rover friends...:)
 
man that rocks, well done. Can't wait to see more.
 
Great job cleaning her up!

Please tell us more about the factory winch setup. Close up pics of the winch, bumper support, and controls would be greatly appreciated.
 
You put a little elbow grease into that job! Nicely done.
 
Good job. I always enjoy these type of threads for some odd reason.
 
Day 2 - Finding All the Problems

My hands where so shot today (after yesterdays ride and work) all I got around to doing was:

- Replacing one of the front headlights
- Flushing the radiator
- Removing the running boards
- Removing the mud flaps
- Wash and polish to see what paint damage was scratch on the paint and what was through the paint. Unfortunately it looks like I may have to have 2 or 3 panels re-sprayed.
- Clean out air filter


She will go for a new timing belt and water pump this week.


There were no photos from today as everything was in dirty greasy places and wouldn’t have made any good pics so here are all the "BEFORE" pics I took when I got the car showing what will need to be done.
(Some duplicates form my reintroduction thread)

General Observations / Aesthetic issues found


100 000 rand in local currency, looks pretty pathetic.

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Back carpet. Eish this is going to be a much bigger job with all the seats and console coming out.

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headrest TV’s I need to get working… not that I have many lighties in the back to keep entertained ;)

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Stained front seat and damaged arm rest, I priced re-upholstery and it was R 400.00 per bottom of each seat to be replaced. Not worth it considering they aren’t using proper leather. Ill start to trawl the crash yards.

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Front winch remote is missing, no cue if the winch works. I plan to wire the winch up to the areal up/down switch but will do it when the front bumper comes off to mock up a steel one.

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Space for a second battery or compressor.

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Aux radiator and fan for ME spec AC

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Most of the “Rear Cool” vents are broken.

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A bad re-spray that was done over the pin stripe that has begun to peel.

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Fortunately the only rust spot on the car is on the same panel as the above paint peel, and a bit on the bonnet. (The bonnet also has some big stone chips so that will be nose as well)

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Both side rails where damaged and 3 of the 4 mudflaps where partially torn, no big ussue, they wall would have come off anyway.

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We call this “Arab rash” just about every car has it here, hence the reason for steel bumpers fornt and rear.

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Need to get some LED tail lights to match the front HID and soon to come Lexus rear lights… as well as a new seal.

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Continued below...
 
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I will have to recover speaker covers (easy job) and have all the steps touched up when I have the front panel done.

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Damaged leather seats

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I will get a replacement steering wheel form the crash yards.

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Loose drinks cup cover, nothing a few grub screws cant fix, but the console will have to come out to do it.

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The previous owner seemed to “fix” the squeaky steering wheel rub.

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Broken front grill (those holes do not line up) and the gold on the grill is rubbing off.

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Not sure how to fix this, maybe shoe die or just find two replacements at the crash yard.

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Lots of this

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Some of the guys wanted to see some pics of the fridge form my intro thread so here you go.

Open the first top flap and you get 2 drinks holders and some space for whatever.
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Open that second flap and you get access to the CD shuttle and fridge top. (fridge is operated by 1 push button on/normal/max/off)
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Its big enough for 4 big water bottles or a six pack or six 750ml coke bottles and a bit more..
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I priced some items at the car accessory shops last night and will pick up the following soon. (Prices in South African Rand for my local club forum LCCSA)

- Lexus LED tail lights R 1200.00 - (changed my mind, ill just be doing the Orange out mod)
- New front Grill R 800.00
- New head unit with reverse camera R 2000.00 (head unit) R 800.00 (rear camera)
- Darker tint R 150.00 (It’s so common here that its VERY cheap)
- New Seat covers R 1400.00 I have subsequently washed my old ones with the intention of putting them back on.

Thats all for this weekend :flipoff2:
 
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Day 3/4 - Dash & AC Filters

I am at work in the week (Sunday to Thursday here) so only small things have been happening after I finish work. Thankfully because everything closes between 1pm and 4pm the junk yards are open till 8pm and the car shops and workshops are open till 10pm.

So it’s take something apart on evening one, get parts on evening two and reinstall on evening three.

This is what has been done so far:


- Replace steering wheel
- Replace lights in dash cluster
- Clean dash cluster
- Build in Aircon Filters
- Replace gearshift know with OD button
- Fix drinks holder cover

So here we go… LOTS OF PICTURES

I got in on Sunday morning (remember we work on Sundays here) and switched on the AC to be greeted by a huge wave of dust and god knows what else coming out of the air vents, indignantly I pulled the glove box out grabbed the screw driver off the floor and sure enough… no ac filters. So I picked some up on the way home and took some photos.

Glove box came out easily with two screws.

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Then there is a mini bulkhead that had to came out, don’t pull it out too hard because there are two light switches missing (My one is missing the left hand light but my buddy at the scrap yard is finding me one.)

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Both pieces had a quick wash… WARNING: the missus never likes to find cruiser parts in the kitchen drying rack “and NO it does not matter that you have just washed them Justin SIMON Floyd” she always uses my middle name when I’m in the dog box.

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I got two air filters for a later model VXR, the guy at the parts counter was 100% sure they didn’t make them for my one. :scratch: Fortunately I was able to make them work but I had to take the full cover off the AC box not just the thin air filter cover. :thumright:

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Then my steering wheel came off last night as well, it was trashed… I managed to get a “new” one at the scrap yard for 800 bucks with a small nick in it. (I couldn’t find matching XVR wood trim so I just went for a stock GX-R one).

Getting the old wheel off was easy and I was going to do it anyway to get the dash out (not sure if you will be able to get it out with the wheel in.
First the little plugs on either side of the of the wheel. Then unscrewed the screws that became visible (Don try pull them out, they have little seats they sit in, just unscrew them until they spin freely in place and the airbag can come off.)

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Be careful with the airbag, after watching an episode of Mythbusters I have a new appreciation for they force they can put out. If it goes off face down it will launch the mounting 20meters into the air. 8O (Store facing up, away from any static build up or electric source)

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There are two sneaky screws as well as the one under the steering column that need to be undone to get the covers off.

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Once my column was exposed I decided to sort out another issue I have had which is the up down electric adjustment (again I will get a functioning one form the scrap yard in the future) but for now I just undid both bolts that secure the motor, screwed it out a few rotations to lift the wheel to the right height for me and then put back the mounting bolts. My fingers in the pic show the motor and one sides mounting bolt.

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Then it was time for the dash to come out, I knew some of my lights were out so wanted to get in there to give the inside of the cluster a clean and replace some bulbs. Watch out when pulling off the following piece of trim, the light dimming switch has a short wire and connection.

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I found it easier to remove the 4 brass screws at the bottom holing the clear plastic cover in place, remove the clear plastic face and then unscrew the dash and lift it out (buy removing the plastic face you can rotate the whole unit forward and it comes out easily. You can see them in the below pics, they are either side for the large screws.

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You can see two white pin houses at the back of this picture, the larger silver screw bolts secure the dash unit to these and again they don’t come out they are mounted into the dash unit. I kept my car on with the indicator going, when the dash went dead I knew it was ok to pull on it to get it out.

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Then the whole thing went inside to be taken apart and to receive new bulbs, some guys have said it is necessary to keep a map of which screw goes where, on my unit every screw is identical bar two so I dint bother.

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My new bulbs, dif plug thingies and oil filter from Toyota. (diffs and oil to be done asap, you will see why soon)

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Then it was time for everything to go back in with the new bits.

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Here is my new and old wheel.

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Everything goes in as it came out, take note of the power steering setting you have to make sure it is in the middle of its 5 rotations. i.e. rotate it all the way to the left, 2.5 turns back and then put the steering wheel back on with the wheels pointing straight ahead.

Taaadaaaa :cheers: you can see my wheel is much higher after adjusting the electric motor.

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One of the other parts I picked up on a whim at the scrap yard was a new shifter, if you have a look at the above and below pic you will see the white plastic showing through. (If you are getting a new shift knob make sure you get the over drive button with as much wire as possible, you will see why shortly)

Getting the centre dash off is easier than I thought.
High low knob comes off.

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Rubber ring around the shifter comes out.

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Use a screw driver to undo the clips holding the shifter surround.

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Then reach under the whole cover and pull up. There are two clips in the front, two just behind the shifter on either side and one under each cup holder. (Pull hard but slowly)

Once I was in there I saw that the bulb that is supposed to illuminate the shifter surround had burned out. It was easy to replace by taking apart one of the functioning bulbs that came out of the dash (just remove the bulb from the small bulb housing it comes into. i.e. grab the actual bulb and its plastic base and pull them apart. The bulb can then go into the mounting for the shifter surround)

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If you remember some of the earlier posts my drinks cup cover had come off, so I redid the spring that sets the mechanism and used a washer to ensure it didn’t spring back out of place. Then I used three new grub screws with some nuts as thick washers to remount it.

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Next it was time to put the new shifter on, the OD button comes out easily if you tape up a screw driver and pry it out. Then you have to cut the wires coming out the back of it. Remove the two screws on the front of the shifter and you can pull the shifter up and off. (Be careful, as you pull the shifter up, the thumb button will pop out and you can lose the spring. I spent 20 min searching for my one :x )

Once the shifter is off I joined the OD wires with the long wires form the new shifter with the OD button already installed (see why you want long wires) I taped everything up and pulled it thru SLOWY. There are two rubber grommets at the top and bottom of the shaft you have to pull it through.)

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Tested the OD button before I put everything back together.

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All done :wink:

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Last job for tonight was to install my new back lights, I got two covers for free from the scrap guys with my steering wheel. As there was one still in the car I now have a spare. Cleaned out and reinstalled they are far brighter and now the cops have no reason to pull me over.

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(The sponge was to stop it rattling instil I got the new lenses, I keep a packet to them with some cable ties in my tool box to sort out rattles on the go :)

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Thanks to Mud members and LCCSA members for older instructional posts and bits of info :beer:
 
insane coverage of your upgrades/fix'r ups. Love it. Keep it coming, I'm learning here.
 

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