Mod Advice (1 Viewer)

[Skip9864]

Hello everybody,

So I'm in the process of buying a '96 Land Cruiser. Guy I'm buying from has done a great job of servicing it over the past couple years so once I get it I'm looking to start on some of the other stuff I like on the truck. Just a few questions:

-Is the Slee rear bumper with dual carriers worth the price? Seems like that's the way to go but just curious
-Paint: What is a reasonable cost for a two tone paint job? Not looking to spend a ton but want a decent job of course
-Any advice from you all about any shops in the MD/VA/D.C. area that stand out? I have a couple in mind but would rather hear first hand from people that know their stuff...any and all help is great!

 

[jbatx]

Before dropping that kind of coin I would baseline it well and use it how you intend to. You will learn what you want and need through use.

A "good" two tone paint job will probably run 10k. ...totally subjective.

I cannot speak to slee (or any) dual swingout being worth it in general.. To me, personally?? no.
...Slee makes super nice stuff and it takes time to build. much respect. I just will not do it. Is it really great to have? hell yes... that is why I built my own single.

 

[AlaskanLX450]

What do you plan on doing with the truck? Is it going to be a daily driver/grocery getter? Something to haul the kids around, or something to make it to the ski slopes when all of the Subaru's are stuck in the deep snow?

Or do you plan on wheeling it???

My paint job is of the custom tree and branch pin stripe variety, and my bumper combo is ARB front and 4x4Labs rear. I have some mods to make to the ARB to increase the approach angle and reinforce it a touch after my moose collision, but I am very happy with both pieces of metal.

Being a North East truck that you are looking at, I would investigate heavily into the undercarriage and make absolutely sure to address any rust or corrosion issues that might be present or developing.

Then.... ask yourself sincerely, How much money do you want to put into it? and again, What are your plans with her??

 

[bugsnbikes]

damn - i thought you were going to give the moderators some advice.... that would have been a ballsy first post !

 

[Skip9864]

What do you plan on doing with the truck? Is it going to be a daily driver/grocery getter? Something to haul the kids around, or something to make it to the ski slopes when all of the Subaru's are stuck in the deep snow?

Or do you plan on wheeling it???

My paint job is of the custom tree and branch pin stripe variety, and my bumper combo is ARB front and 4x4Labs rear. I have some mods to make to the ARB to increase the approach angle and reinforce it a touch after my moose collision, but I am very happy with both pieces of metal.

Being a North East truck that you are looking at, I would investigate heavily into the undercarriage and make absolutely sure to address any rust or corrosion issues that might be present or developing.

Then.... ask yourself sincerely, How much money do you want to put into it? and again, What are your plans with her??

At this point I'd use it for some off-roading but nothing too intense...Eventually will sink the money into some bigger tires but might as well wear out the ones on it first. Surprisingly this particular truck has little to no rust damage but good point, definitely something to look out for!

 

[LS1FJ40]

I don't care what the previous owner says or has done to it. I'd still want to make sure she is taken care of maintenance wise before I start dumping money in it.

Paint would be way down the list for me (and is on my list).

Slee's rear bumper is about s perfect as they come.

My advice, drive it, feel it out, then decide what you want to do. Unless you have an endless pile of cash, then start ordering away!!!

 

[shocktower]

Uhhh 2 time paint, maybe you're getting the wrong vehicle, leave the paint go off road it and get your own hunting stripes, if you want a mall crawler get a prius

 

[DirtScaresMe]

Big fan of the slee rear end, you can even clip snowboards to the ladder. The only thing I'd mention is that if you live in a cold climate the pins WILL freeze up if you leave it outside in freezing rain/snow. Not really a big deal unless you need to get in there. The only two "solutions" I've found is using a pencil torch to heat the metal / melt the ice a bit or leave the bumper partially open so at least the pins freeze in the "open" position. You can always latch them shut with the pins "open", but you can't do a damn thing if the pins are "closed" down.

It makes using the roof rack cake.

 

[jbatx]

Uhhh 2 time paint, maybe you're getting the wrong vehicle, leave the paint go off road it and get your own hunting stripes, if you want a mall crawler get a prius

...or a 200

 

[inkpot]

Check out 4x4 Labs for rear bumpers

 

[Grench]

Big fan of the slee rear end, you can even clip snowboards to the ladder. The only thing I'd mention is that if you live in a cold climate the pins WILL freeze up if you leave it outside in freezing rain/snow. Not really a big deal unless you need to get in there. The only two "solutions" I've found is using a pencil torch to heat the metal / melt the ice a bit or leave the bumper partially open so at least the pins freeze in the "open" position. You can always latch them shut with the pins "open", but you can't do a damn thing if the pins are "closed" down.

It makes using the roof rack cake.

I have one of the original series Slee single swing out bumpers. Yes, the vertical pin can get iced up pretty bad. Smack the pin sleeve a few times with a hammer - problem solved. UNLESS you've failed to properly re-grease the pin & sleeve periodically and then have some rust & ice inside the pin. I've found that waterproof marine grease gets the best mileage in the pins (clean & grease yearly) and the pivot bearings (pack it full of marine grease and cap securely - good for many years.)

 

[Grench]

Hello everybody,

So I'm in the process of buying a '96 Land Cruiser. Guy I'm buying from has done a great job of servicing it over the past couple years so once I get it I'm looking to start on some of the other stuff I like on the truck. Just a few questions:

-Is the Slee rear bumper with dual carriers worth the price? Seems like that's the way to go but just curious
-Paint: What is a reasonable cost for a two tone paint job? Not looking to spend a ton but want a decent job of course
-Any advice from you all about any shops in the MD/VA/D.C. area that stand out? I have a couple in mind but would rather hear first hand from people that know their stuff...any and all help is great!

Note on PO service:
Did you have a competent mechanic go over the truck before you bought it? They should have checked the condition of the fluid in the diffs & transfer case, oil, brake fluid, coolant, hose & belt condition, etc. Look up base lining here. Stick a camera through the wheel well and check the status of the PHH.

Slee's stuff:
Slee's stuff is worth what he charges. Great equipment.

Paint:
My truck is now three tone. Quarter panel rust had come through in multiple wheel wells. Got that fixed and found out that applying black bed liner to the bottom 1/2 of the truck was way cheaper than repainting moonglow grey metallic. I also have a LineX'd roof that originally was pretty closely color matched. The sun has fixed that so now it's kind of three toned.

Shops:
If you're asking about shops, then you're unlikely to be planning to put in the sweat equity that a lot of us have in our trucks. You're about to get a lesson in economics. Brand new in '96 this was a $55K truck. $55K in 1996 is the equivalent of approximately $87K in today's money. Parts have increased through time proportional to that. Tack on a service station standard parts mark up on top of the Toyota parts price and it can get pretty nuts. If you're going to have someone else do the work, it can often times be cheaper to have the work done at a Toyota dealership simply to avoid the double markup on the parts.

 

[jbatx]

..If you want an offroad worthy two tone and you can do it yourself, maybe $500 all in, using any liner material available.

 

[SWCruiser]

I think your better off driving it awhile and then coming up with your list with both personal experience and that of the guys here. All slee stuff is well tested and great quality but I personally don't like swing outs. I open the the back of my rig often and have no desire to add one more step to that process. I keep my tire underneath. It's just under 35 but you don't need that big. 33s are fine for your uses unless you really like the way 35s look. I like the look better. A rear Bumpers was the last thing on my list. In fact still don't have one. I'm more interested in functional things suited to my uses like dual batteries, fridge, and sub tank.

 

[Fj81]

Do what I did, hit the classifieds section and get stuff. I got my tires and front bumper, rear tire carrier and a few odds and ends. Lots of nice people here on the forum selling stuff. I think the most money I have spent to date on my LC was the OME lift kit which I got new from @cruiseroutfit . Just drive it and see what comes up for sale. If all else fails you can buy new.

 

[Formulaonehd]

Hello everybody,

So I'm in the process of buying a '96 Land Cruiser. Guy I'm buying from has done a great job of servicing it over the past couple years so once I get it I'm looking to start on some of the other stuff I like on the truck. Just a few questions:

-Is the Slee rear bumper with dual carriers worth the price? Seems like that's the way to go but just curious
-Paint: What is a reasonable cost for a two tone paint job? Not looking to spend a ton but want a decent job of course
-Any advice from you all about any shops in the MD/VA/D.C. area that stand out? I have a couple in mind but would rather hear first hand from people that know their stuff...any and all help is great!

Going through this now. being old cars as most above have already pointed out, don't throw away money you dont have until you feel out the car.
Basic mods first, this depends on the current mods but if its standard heres some points:
1) Tyres/rims - inner tube protection if you are going offroad (Faulken wildpeak are my favourite personally)
2) Roofracks, Bullbar, rear bar, spotties etc - You can do lights yourself, Slee rear bar is the way to go if you need (keypoint NEED) extra spare tyre.
3) Stereo system - Plenty on offer search this forum for threads
4) Lift kit - A good 2" or 2.5" lift kit will breathe life into the ride comfort and ground clearance for 4WD. Old Man Emu made in Australia are supposedly the best made for the 80 with many other cheaper options still adequate though.
5) radiator - check if its an original rad, if its looking a bit worse for wear replace with a Koyo or CDAN rad (moderator on this forum)
6) There are many other mods you can do, this forum talks about them daily as you can see. $$$
7) One last thing is your Pesky Heater Hose PHH, check that it has been replaced and make it a priority if not.

IH8MUD is your one stop shop to the best info in the business. There is a reason ppl all over the world are on this site.

Happy 80 cruising!

 

[LINUS]

I will not ever badmouth a Slee product, but I'd only justify the $$$ if you fully expect you bought a rig you'll sooner sell a kidney than the 80. No joke.

I have a Hanna bumper / sliders ---that was a main feature of buying the LX450 it came attached with (and it was a pretty bada$$ pink panties example).
Hanna quit making them, and seriously I'd reclaim it if my 80 was ever totalled by whatever means.

I have floated 2 80's now for shy of a decade (black Betty been mine since '00, had the 450 for ~5-6 yrs & a 40th for shy 2 yrs) --& really it was great. I loved the parts my black 80 "inheirited" from the 450, and really I've no qualms my black 80 will be in my driveway until the day I simply get told to surrender my driver license.

I'm not married but I keep my 80 as a 2nd DD only to my Tundra - but if something happened to the Tundra I'd walk right back into another backup 80. They are only different & I still own a supercharger I could slap on my 80 & do the towing I bought the Tundra for.

Just be sure this 80 is really going to be a permanent fixure for quite some time, otherwise you'll take a bath on depreciation between maint you do/pay for & any mod pieces you buy.

And really, don't pay for a 1st rate paintjob - if you're adding armor you expect to see REAL use, occasionally that means your damage may spill over onto sheetmetal.

You don't need to bedliner the whole thing, but really you can do amazing things with proper prep & prep products (go to the local body shop paint vendor, let them see the issues you want to tackle vs following internet general advice) - between proper sanding/masking, and getting factory colors in bombcans (they do it @ real body shop paint vendor stores) - maybe even some clear if it's mettallic paint from the factory.

That alone will keep the paint nice enough to roll into a valet-parked fancy resteraunt (or wherever) & you'll not have a mild stroke when you add 'trail pinstripes' --- these a working rigs, and a repaint on one will buy you a totally refreshed 1FZ or ~1/2 of a LS3 or diesel conversion if those are more your flavor.

You might also check out Iron Pig Offroad - they are out East & make a bumper that would be fitting in compare/contrast with Slee. At least you'll see some variations you might like about the IPOR bumper.

My $.01 (I'm having a 1/2 off sale).

 

[Fj81]

My truck is now three tone. Quarter panel rust had come through in multiple wheel wells. Got that fixed and found out that applying black bed liner to the bottom 1/2 of the truck was way cheaper than repainting moonglow grey metallic. I also have a LineX'd roof that originally was pretty closely color matched. The sun has fixed that so now it's kind of three toned.

I think I saw your truck getting on I80 East near Lincoln this weekend, my first thought was "I wonder if he is a Mud member"

 

[Skip9864]

Much appreciate everyone! Especially when it comes to something as simple as pain, I might just have the gold trim over the wheel wells painted black instead of the whole truck done...the original green isn't in that bad of shape

 

[Grench]

I think I saw your truck getting on I80 East near Lincoln this weekend, my first thought was "I wonder if he is a Mud member"

Around 10 AM on Saturday? Probably me then. I'm not aware of any other trucks in the area that look like mine. There are a few other 80s and LX450s, but mine is... unique-ish.