My Land Cruiser History
In 1998 I was planning to start a business, and decided I’d better get a newer vehicle, and a more reliable one as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to obtain credit for the next few years – depending on how the business went.
My wife wanted a Land Cruiser.
My father-in-law had a friend with a car lot, and when we called to have him start looking, he said it wouldn’t be necessary as he had one already. A quick CarFax, and we made an offer.
We were the new owners of a white 1994 FZJ80 with 20,000 miles. It has been our family transportation for about 8 years. I played around with other off road toys – ’76 Bronco, ’71 CJ5, ’92 YJ, ’64 Scout 80, ’72 Scout II, 80 Scout II, but decided to buy the epitome – in my mind – of off road toys 2 years ago when I bought my ’77 FJ40. Working from home, and having the 80 I’ve never really needed a DD until June of this year when I decided to get a real job. I purchased a UZJ100 for the task. The 100 was nice, but every time I fired up Excel and started running numbers for modifications, I struggled with the thought of putting a considerable amount of money into the 100 for some reason. The IFS plagued the back of my mind – even though I’ve seen plenty of evidence you can still wheel with IFS. I did well with the purchase of the 100, so I sold it for a profit. I started sinking my 100 payment (and then some) into the 40, and turned it into my DD. For winter, I decided to get something else to commute in and started looking at BMW M Roadsters, and Mercedes Benz CLK32 AMGs. I made offers on a few of each, but nothing came to fruition.
On September 19th, I was browsing the Land Cruisers on Ebay, and saw one that I was interested enough to call on. I wasn’t looking for one, but it just felt right. After spending a considerable amount of time talking to the dealership that owned it, and running a CarFax, I bought a 1997 Champagne Pearl LX450. The auction link is here.
I flew to the Burbank airport on September 22nd, took a taxi to the dealership, and drove it back to SLC on the 23rd.
Upon minor consideration, I decided to turn the LX into the ubiquitous “daily driver slash weekend warrior”. So, I started acquiring and building.
A phone call to Kurt (Cruiser Outfitters), some discussion, and I had some OME Js, shocks, damper, ARB front, caster correction bushings, and Safari Snorkel on the way. After that, I started to pillage things from my FJ40, as the 80 will see more use, and the FJ40 has been retired until springtime. I installed dual Optima Blue Top batteries with a BEP marine Voltage Sensitive Relay to isolate and manage the batteries - here's a link. For the remote paralleling momentary switch, I bought a clutch start cancel switch from a 4Runner, wet sanded the graphics off of it, printed a dual battery label, and put it in the panel to the left of the diff lock switch. I also converted my hazard switch into a CDL using the same technique, and am on the hunt for another hazard switch so I can have flashers. While working on the switches, I installed a Uniden 510 in the ashtray with an 18” Wilson (I think) antenna to satisfy my immediate trail communications needs.
When the lift kit arrived, I took a Saturday afternoon and installed the springs, and shocks. I didn’t install the caster correction bushings, and after researching here, I’m probably not going to install them – I’ll probably get some plates. While the tires were off to install the lift, I decided to do a simple swap of the tires from the Lexus to the Toyota. Call it Cruiser Socialism, but the wife’s Cruiser now has the Lexus “fancy” wheels, and the LX450 has the “plain” alloys – which I like better. In addition to getting the plain wheels, I also received some BFG All Terrain KOs in a 295 75 16. Things were starting to shape up.
I bought a Car Top Tent and put it on the roof with some Quick and Easy towers I had, and they just didn’t cut it when chasing another Cruiser (DMC) through the west desert. The CTT ended up in the cab with my son and I, and plans for a different rack were under way. Following the example of WildYoats, I fashioned a J-Moose rack, and attached some WildYoats limb risers (which have been put to use on 2 occasions to date). I still have to rivet the strips of aluminum to the top of the rack, but it’s fine for now.
On the inside, I have a few items worth mentioning: Staun automatic tire deflators, Garmin Rino 130 (I’ll probably replace this with something better soon), a detailed Utah atlas, a US atlas, Moab Trail Guide, smallish HP Camera, Benchmade pocket knife, ProComp snatch strap, tow strap, assorted clevis’, 3 million candle power spotlight, basic toolkit, and my favorite item, a leather bound journal that stays in the Cruiser.
There are a few items I’ve acquired, but haven’t installed. First, a Helton hot water/shower kit, which I will install the same day I tackle my PHH. I have that scheduled for February. I have a 20# CO2 tank that is being modified by a friend (a firefighter who owns a fire extinguisher/tank/valve business) so it can air up tires while laying on its side – making it so I can mount it horizontally on a rear fender, and slide a window open to inflate my tires. I have a 60” cast Hi-Lift; I need to fabricate a basic mount for the J-moose rack. Finally, I just bought another domain – www.97fzj80.com. There isn’t anything up yet, but hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday I’ll get something going.
The Cruiser community in SLC is top notch, both the people and the Cruisers. Plenty of eye candy here for ideas, a lot of ingenuity, and being around so many outstanding vehicles makes decisions on what to do next very easy.
My list of to do’s will probably be finished sometime next spring, as I’m on a pretty strict budget, but I think I have everything planned out. I’m in the process of making homemade sliders, I have the steel, most of it cut, and some of the pieces welded. I’m hoping to have them done in the next couple of weeks – time permitting. Rear bumper and tire carrier – ARB most likely, love the beefy look, and I need to trim out the stance a little – possibly dual spares. Up front will be a Warn M12000 and some undetermined fog lights. For interior electronics, I will be adding a Yaesu FT-8800r dual band radio and I’m leaning toward the Sony MEX-BT5000 head unit as it has integrated Blue tooth hands free capabilities, ipod controller, and XM radio integration. For speakers, I will more than likely install Boston Acoustics 6.5” components front and rear, and a Boston Acoustics G512-4 Sub.
When I add electronics, I will be adding heavy gauge wire from the battery to a switched distribution block with a fuse box/panel under the driver’s seat, and another switched fuse box/panel in the rear for additional 12 volt plugs, power inverter, ARB Fridge, and 2 amps.
Due to the number of co-pilots I have, I need to leave one of the rear seats mounted, so that gives me ½ of the back for storage/fridge. I’m not sure what I’m going to build back there, but some kind of storage/subwoofer solution will materialize. Add a hand throttle, and we're done.
In 1998 I was planning to start a business, and decided I’d better get a newer vehicle, and a more reliable one as I wasn’t sure if I would be able to obtain credit for the next few years – depending on how the business went.
My wife wanted a Land Cruiser.
My father-in-law had a friend with a car lot, and when we called to have him start looking, he said it wouldn’t be necessary as he had one already. A quick CarFax, and we made an offer.
We were the new owners of a white 1994 FZJ80 with 20,000 miles. It has been our family transportation for about 8 years. I played around with other off road toys – ’76 Bronco, ’71 CJ5, ’92 YJ, ’64 Scout 80, ’72 Scout II, 80 Scout II, but decided to buy the epitome – in my mind – of off road toys 2 years ago when I bought my ’77 FJ40. Working from home, and having the 80 I’ve never really needed a DD until June of this year when I decided to get a real job. I purchased a UZJ100 for the task. The 100 was nice, but every time I fired up Excel and started running numbers for modifications, I struggled with the thought of putting a considerable amount of money into the 100 for some reason. The IFS plagued the back of my mind – even though I’ve seen plenty of evidence you can still wheel with IFS. I did well with the purchase of the 100, so I sold it for a profit. I started sinking my 100 payment (and then some) into the 40, and turned it into my DD. For winter, I decided to get something else to commute in and started looking at BMW M Roadsters, and Mercedes Benz CLK32 AMGs. I made offers on a few of each, but nothing came to fruition.
On September 19th, I was browsing the Land Cruisers on Ebay, and saw one that I was interested enough to call on. I wasn’t looking for one, but it just felt right. After spending a considerable amount of time talking to the dealership that owned it, and running a CarFax, I bought a 1997 Champagne Pearl LX450. The auction link is here.
I flew to the Burbank airport on September 22nd, took a taxi to the dealership, and drove it back to SLC on the 23rd.
Upon minor consideration, I decided to turn the LX into the ubiquitous “daily driver slash weekend warrior”. So, I started acquiring and building.
A phone call to Kurt (Cruiser Outfitters), some discussion, and I had some OME Js, shocks, damper, ARB front, caster correction bushings, and Safari Snorkel on the way. After that, I started to pillage things from my FJ40, as the 80 will see more use, and the FJ40 has been retired until springtime. I installed dual Optima Blue Top batteries with a BEP marine Voltage Sensitive Relay to isolate and manage the batteries - here's a link. For the remote paralleling momentary switch, I bought a clutch start cancel switch from a 4Runner, wet sanded the graphics off of it, printed a dual battery label, and put it in the panel to the left of the diff lock switch. I also converted my hazard switch into a CDL using the same technique, and am on the hunt for another hazard switch so I can have flashers. While working on the switches, I installed a Uniden 510 in the ashtray with an 18” Wilson (I think) antenna to satisfy my immediate trail communications needs.
When the lift kit arrived, I took a Saturday afternoon and installed the springs, and shocks. I didn’t install the caster correction bushings, and after researching here, I’m probably not going to install them – I’ll probably get some plates. While the tires were off to install the lift, I decided to do a simple swap of the tires from the Lexus to the Toyota. Call it Cruiser Socialism, but the wife’s Cruiser now has the Lexus “fancy” wheels, and the LX450 has the “plain” alloys – which I like better. In addition to getting the plain wheels, I also received some BFG All Terrain KOs in a 295 75 16. Things were starting to shape up.
I bought a Car Top Tent and put it on the roof with some Quick and Easy towers I had, and they just didn’t cut it when chasing another Cruiser (DMC) through the west desert. The CTT ended up in the cab with my son and I, and plans for a different rack were under way. Following the example of WildYoats, I fashioned a J-Moose rack, and attached some WildYoats limb risers (which have been put to use on 2 occasions to date). I still have to rivet the strips of aluminum to the top of the rack, but it’s fine for now.
On the inside, I have a few items worth mentioning: Staun automatic tire deflators, Garmin Rino 130 (I’ll probably replace this with something better soon), a detailed Utah atlas, a US atlas, Moab Trail Guide, smallish HP Camera, Benchmade pocket knife, ProComp snatch strap, tow strap, assorted clevis’, 3 million candle power spotlight, basic toolkit, and my favorite item, a leather bound journal that stays in the Cruiser.
There are a few items I’ve acquired, but haven’t installed. First, a Helton hot water/shower kit, which I will install the same day I tackle my PHH. I have that scheduled for February. I have a 20# CO2 tank that is being modified by a friend (a firefighter who owns a fire extinguisher/tank/valve business) so it can air up tires while laying on its side – making it so I can mount it horizontally on a rear fender, and slide a window open to inflate my tires. I have a 60” cast Hi-Lift; I need to fabricate a basic mount for the J-moose rack. Finally, I just bought another domain – www.97fzj80.com. There isn’t anything up yet, but hopefully over the Thanksgiving holiday I’ll get something going.
The Cruiser community in SLC is top notch, both the people and the Cruisers. Plenty of eye candy here for ideas, a lot of ingenuity, and being around so many outstanding vehicles makes decisions on what to do next very easy.
My list of to do’s will probably be finished sometime next spring, as I’m on a pretty strict budget, but I think I have everything planned out. I’m in the process of making homemade sliders, I have the steel, most of it cut, and some of the pieces welded. I’m hoping to have them done in the next couple of weeks – time permitting. Rear bumper and tire carrier – ARB most likely, love the beefy look, and I need to trim out the stance a little – possibly dual spares. Up front will be a Warn M12000 and some undetermined fog lights. For interior electronics, I will be adding a Yaesu FT-8800r dual band radio and I’m leaning toward the Sony MEX-BT5000 head unit as it has integrated Blue tooth hands free capabilities, ipod controller, and XM radio integration. For speakers, I will more than likely install Boston Acoustics 6.5” components front and rear, and a Boston Acoustics G512-4 Sub.
When I add electronics, I will be adding heavy gauge wire from the battery to a switched distribution block with a fuse box/panel under the driver’s seat, and another switched fuse box/panel in the rear for additional 12 volt plugs, power inverter, ARB Fridge, and 2 amps.
Due to the number of co-pilots I have, I need to leave one of the rear seats mounted, so that gives me ½ of the back for storage/fridge. I’m not sure what I’m going to build back there, but some kind of storage/subwoofer solution will materialize. Add a hand throttle, and we're done.
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