Espostoa 1995 FZJ80 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 3, 2018
Threads
3
Messages
51
Location
Los Angeles
Website
www.bustaphoto.com
This is gonna be more of a note taking/ checklist place for me. I will be posting links to products and other MUD threads when I find a fix to something I need or add/upgrade to the rig. I will also be updated the thread when ever I do some work on her with some pictures (they don't call me Bustaphoto for nothing). There is a bunch of stuff I need to get going on the truck again as it cam prewired for all sorts of stuff but none of it is hooked up as it was connected to an AUX battery, but there is no VCS or DC DC converter. The PO used to be on here years ago, he had a site 4WDTrails.net anyone remember him?

Here are some pics from the craigslist page how could you say no to this? Paid $10k:steer:
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Engine/Mechanical


Interior/Exterior


Camping


Galley


Upcoming Upgrades


First Beauty Shots

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@Fj81 Camping Labs RTT Crew in the house!!!!

Before I bought the TLC I researched a little and its how I found ih8mud.com, according to everything I can find there is no more camping labs as of 2012ish heard he was a great supporter on here. As you can see from the images the cover is way far gone and might only last my first test trip, a new cover is on the short list. I found some replacement ones and from what I can tell most of these RTT tents are similar in size, it just seems crazy cuz the cover is pretty snug.

The tent also hadn't been opened in years so it had a good amount of Mildew and algae growing in there. There was also a peculiar smell I needed to get rid of. I decided to go with Wet & Forget Outdoor which worked pretty well. We also did this trick we found on Youtube with baking soda and some vinegar. I must say it is way cleaner and it doesn't smell anymore, there is still more scrubbing to do but it's wayyyy better now and sleepable. The foam pad that was in there was turning all sorts of colors so we through that one out and are probably gonna pickup an anti condensation mat , we have an EXPED SYNMAT HL DUO LW that will go up there for sleeping too.

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We are going out this weekend for a test run to see what we really need as far as camping goes. We do a lot of camping but most of what we bring is for shelter, sooooo I'll be leaving a lot of usual stuff at home. I will report back with any new findings.
 
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Sooooo I got to do a full shake down on the rig this weekend for my B-Day. We drove on the Angeles Crest Highway through the Angeles National Forest, I must have stopped like 8 times to take pictures of the rig with scenic backgrounds only to get home to a Memory Card Error :/

So here are some phone pics from the trip.

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We got to use our never used Canopy but nets they made the perfect cover from the sun and privacy from other campers, we also got to setup our camp shower of the roof rack , never really had a place to put it before we setup a lean to we took a shower every day and night it was great!
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We where really happy with the RTT it felt really nice once you are up there, we dolled her up with our Exped sleeping pad and our sleeping bags. We also layout yoga matts on the bare floor first, needless to say it was very comfy.

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We are still trying to figure how to pack this thing this was our first attempt, I was impressed by how much actually fit with minimal effort
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Chillin in the rig
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I also got to practice my bush mechanic skills:hillbilly:, picked up a wheel skins steering wheel wrap cuz holding onto the steering wheel was gross and sticky + it gave me something to do while enjoying the campgrounds

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This is a knife!
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Cleaned the old adhesive off, does anyone know a product that will restore this foam a bit?
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I'll post a finished shot when I get back in the car.

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On other advancements I needed a way to hold my RTT cover together (its really falling apart) and a way to keep some firewood up on the roof rack. Before the trip I stopped by Orielly’s and found this Reese Towpower cargo net which magically was a perfect match for the ARB roof rack it was snug as big too
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Nice photos and cruiser! I've been drooling over RTTs for a bit now.

Especially like the Toña photo. Reminds me of Nicaragua. :)
 
I cheated for that one! Thats here in the US at TDS 2018 in Ocotillo Wells, CA.
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This one was in Managua!

The RTT was nice, setup took me a while because I am fumbling around without a good routine. One you get the hang of it, then you dont run back and forth and setup is quick. The step sliders help!
 
@dranven thanks! I can agree with @Fj81 that having the sliders helps a ton, I also have a ladder I keep in the truck to make it easier to get to the hard to reach areas. I felt like I was standing on the plastic corners of the rear bumper way too much. I can't wait for a rear bumper thats nice and sturdy all the way around
 
Just picked up some tires, found a guy on Craigslist in SoCal with a couple sets he is selling 4 at a time for $700 seemed like a good deal to me! He’s still got a couple sets left BFG K02 285/75/r16 if anyone’s interested here’s the craigslist link
BFG 285-75-16 KO2 A/T BRAND NE

... now to get them mounted
 
....and mounted, I felt butterflies in my stomach on the way to the shop to pick her up after her new tires where put on, so exciting to be excited for new tires lol
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What do you think did is the correct way to mount tire white logo side out? Or did the shop install these correctly with them in?
 
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....and mounted, I felt butterflies in my stomach on the way to the shop to pick her up after her new tires where put on, so exciting to be excited for new tires lol
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What do you think did is the correct way to mount tire white logo side out? Or did the shop install these correctly with them in?

It just comes down to what you like. Most people dont like the white lettering outside. I had the tires on my Dodge Ram with the letters out!
 
It just comes down to what you like. Most people dont like the white lettering outside. I had the tires on my Dodge Ram with the letters out!

I enjoy them either way, this way is more subtle I don't wanna stand out more than I already do lol... Next step is gonna be to figure out how to clean out those wheels, I've also started ripping out some of the extra wiring in the car trying to get it back to stock as possible under the dash and hood look like a rat nests...
 
Whoa! It's been a while since my last update I kept putting it off and now its even hard to remember what has been done...

Lets start with the wiring, I had issues starting the car a couple times and took to it to the shop. Soooo long story short he had issues trouble shooting the starter issue because of some mystery solenoids, I had him rip out all of the old wires and electronics form the car and we brought the car back to it factory electrical configuration which was actually a god send, now all my lights work fuses go to the correct places an trouble shooting is "normal". Now no matter where I get stuck anyone should be able to look at the car and figure it out. I will add a second battery system to power all my accessories from here on out so that the stock wiring is untouched for the most part.

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All in all we removed over 50lbs of cables and accessories.

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This did mean that I no longer have CV wiring and amps, Fog Lights, HID headlights, AM/FM Radio Wiring, Compressor Wiring, or Fuse Box in the back but thats fine Id rather do it right and my way so that I know how everything comes together. There were some nightmares awaiting in this pile o cables.

I added a rear view mirror extender, Its a JDM thing you wouldn't understand 😉

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She's still looking good though. Next up Joshua Tree National Park
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Man o Man Joshua Tree Nation Park is AMAZING!!!! We stayed at the Jumbo Rocks Campground with a couple friends, and toured all the normal spots.

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We also did Geology Tour Road and 18 mile dirt road that teaches you a whole lot about the geology in the park and how it relates to the rest of the south western US.

The road is super mellow and was a great first "long" off road drive, I would recommend it to everyone!
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Went with my buddy in a stock F-150
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Obligatory Sqaw Tank Photo Spot
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At the turn around point about 12 miles into the 18 mile loop, you can see the road we came up in the distance...
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The truck did great, this was the first real trip after all the maintenance and new tires and such sooooooo good she did good lol!
 
Finally got my mounting brackets for my Hi-Lift Jack now I look official and read to conquer the trails :hillbilly:, I also just the other day got the neoprene cover (not pictured) for the jack as it was leaking little rust droplets all of the side of the car when ever it would rain, and the sounds it makes while up there is really annoying, this helped a little with the noise. Also just recently picked upside accessories for it since its really kinda useless without them LM-100 Lift-Mate, next I want their Off-Road Kit and the base

Orange Season in SoCal
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Nice rig! Havent modified my truck as much as you but it still goes anywhere I want to go! I've got a 95 as well with OME stock height springs on 32s. Triple locked and white too!
 
Grand Canyon

From LA we drove to Needles, AZ and slept at the road side BLM Lake Havasu District Dispersed camping from there we drove the next 4 hours to our destination camp spot for the trip in the Kaibab National Forest FR-328 Plenty of space out there for all the rigs, I met up with the same buddy with the F-150 this time they had their Airstream with them (they live full time in the Airstream, last trip was like a vacation for them) Man-o-Man is it nice to have a whole house with you when you camp. Ah Luxuries. This camp ground was great just a mile outside of the main Grand Canyon National Park gates.

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And my buddies Airstream Back to Back

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The only way to describe the Grand Canyon is Massive and Truly Awesome

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On the way back we stayed the night at a dry lake bed just outside of Las Vegas also a great place with all the space in the world would make a great meet up spot for multiple vehicles El Dorado Dry Lake Bed I was able to grab one of the best pics of the cruiser yet at this location.

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All in all 4 fill ups at just over 1k miles not bad considering I'm hauling a RTT and Rack. Next Adventure will be Big Bear in July. Im gonna try to get out a couple times before then hopefully just for an overnight.
 

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