Introduction & History:
I bought my truck in Arizona during March of 2004 with 89k miles. It is a 40th Edition with factory lockers. The 80-series Land Cruiser is the perfect vehicle for my needs … out of the box off road performance, potential for modifications for more off road performance (see below), excellent durability/reliability & room for a family of four for extended exploring & camping.
Current Modifications:
- ARB Old Man Emu 850 (Heavy Load) front and 860 (Medium Load) rear springs with Bilstein Monotube Shocks B46-1477 (front) & B46-1478 (rear)
So far I really like this OME/Billy combo. Better road manners then the OE set up. I just finished a camping trip in the UP of Michigan with some extended dirt road driving. No problem with the wash board roads … truck stuck like on rails & I didn’t bottom the suspension out at all. The OE suspension had problems with both.
- BFG All-terrain KO (LT285/75R16) on OEM Aluminum Wheels (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper LTB (33x13.50-16) on 16x8 Rock Crawler model 51 steel wheels (wheelin’ tires)
For a true off road tire I can’t say enough out these Super Swampers & this is a great size for an 80 with a 50mm OME lift.
- Slee Off Road Slider-Steps
The first check I did was to use my High-lift to jack the truck up and change the front tires … no problem. They also did their job at CMCC this year and my 4 year old son loves climbing into the Cruiser with them.
- CDL switch with Cruiser Dan “Pin 7” mod
I love a tighter turning radius on the trail in low open than a locked FJ-40. Also disabling ABS (in four high lock) while running on gravel road is much more controllable & safe.
- Routed rear diff breather into fuel filler area
- Garmin GPS V
Older GPS but I love its flexibility. I do a lot of Geocaching & it is great to change from car nav mode to hiking nav mode in seconds.
- Delphi XM SKYFi2
Any satellite radio is a great feature for long and/or remote travels.
- Radio Shack Mini Mobile CB (Cat # 21-1703) in ashtray slot
- Yakima cross bars with Loadwarrior (& extension) & Bungee cargo net
Nice set up, but I wish I went for the Megawarrior & extension. When packing for a trip you always are looking for more room.
Also, I went with the 66” cross bars … the recommended is 58” for the 80 according to Yakima. I wanted the extra bar width to add bike carriers or other items.
Future Modification Plans (ever changing)
Near term, over the next 1 – 3 years (family expedition vehicle):
- ARB Bull Bar
- 12000 lb. Warn winch
- Kaymar external tire carrier on OEM bumper
- Dual battery setup (Brand TBD)
- ARB Fridge/Freezer (Size TBD)
- Draw / Storage system
- Safari Snorkel
- Slee AC Dryer Skid Plate
- Slee T-case shield
Long term, over the next 3 – 10 years (full on recreational off road vehicle):
- Slee Off Road 6" Lift Kit with 14” Bilstein shocks
- Rear bumper w/ spare tire mount (Brand TBD)
- BFG All-terrain KO (37x12.50R17) (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper Bogger, 37x13.00-16 with Staun Internal BeadLock System (wheelin’ tires)
- Chevy Small Block 383 cubic inch “Stroker” motor with TBD transmission
- 4.88 ring and pinions
- Longfield chromoly birfs and chromoly inner axles
- Mark's Adapters Crawler Box
I bought my truck in Arizona during March of 2004 with 89k miles. It is a 40th Edition with factory lockers. The 80-series Land Cruiser is the perfect vehicle for my needs … out of the box off road performance, potential for modifications for more off road performance (see below), excellent durability/reliability & room for a family of four for extended exploring & camping.
Current Modifications:
- ARB Old Man Emu 850 (Heavy Load) front and 860 (Medium Load) rear springs with Bilstein Monotube Shocks B46-1477 (front) & B46-1478 (rear)
So far I really like this OME/Billy combo. Better road manners then the OE set up. I just finished a camping trip in the UP of Michigan with some extended dirt road driving. No problem with the wash board roads … truck stuck like on rails & I didn’t bottom the suspension out at all. The OE suspension had problems with both.
- BFG All-terrain KO (LT285/75R16) on OEM Aluminum Wheels (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper LTB (33x13.50-16) on 16x8 Rock Crawler model 51 steel wheels (wheelin’ tires)
For a true off road tire I can’t say enough out these Super Swampers & this is a great size for an 80 with a 50mm OME lift.
- Slee Off Road Slider-Steps
The first check I did was to use my High-lift to jack the truck up and change the front tires … no problem. They also did their job at CMCC this year and my 4 year old son loves climbing into the Cruiser with them.
- CDL switch with Cruiser Dan “Pin 7” mod
I love a tighter turning radius on the trail in low open than a locked FJ-40. Also disabling ABS (in four high lock) while running on gravel road is much more controllable & safe.
- Routed rear diff breather into fuel filler area
- Garmin GPS V
Older GPS but I love its flexibility. I do a lot of Geocaching & it is great to change from car nav mode to hiking nav mode in seconds.
- Delphi XM SKYFi2
Any satellite radio is a great feature for long and/or remote travels.
- Radio Shack Mini Mobile CB (Cat # 21-1703) in ashtray slot
- Yakima cross bars with Loadwarrior (& extension) & Bungee cargo net
Nice set up, but I wish I went for the Megawarrior & extension. When packing for a trip you always are looking for more room.
Also, I went with the 66” cross bars … the recommended is 58” for the 80 according to Yakima. I wanted the extra bar width to add bike carriers or other items.
Future Modification Plans (ever changing)
Near term, over the next 1 – 3 years (family expedition vehicle):
- ARB Bull Bar
- 12000 lb. Warn winch
- Kaymar external tire carrier on OEM bumper
- Dual battery setup (Brand TBD)
- ARB Fridge/Freezer (Size TBD)
- Draw / Storage system
- Safari Snorkel
- Slee AC Dryer Skid Plate
- Slee T-case shield
Long term, over the next 3 – 10 years (full on recreational off road vehicle):
- Slee Off Road 6" Lift Kit with 14” Bilstein shocks
- Rear bumper w/ spare tire mount (Brand TBD)
- BFG All-terrain KO (37x12.50R17) (daily driver tires)
- Super Swamper Bogger, 37x13.00-16 with Staun Internal BeadLock System (wheelin’ tires)
- Chevy Small Block 383 cubic inch “Stroker” motor with TBD transmission
- 4.88 ring and pinions
- Longfield chromoly birfs and chromoly inner axles
- Mark's Adapters Crawler Box