builds

2014- Prior to Tear Down

Well after lurking and drooling for years, I am excited to be starting my own build thread. This isn’t my first 40 but it might as well be. My first car at 15 was a blue ‘74 that had been rolled. My dad said he would match what I saved knowing I couldn’t save much! I saved up $300 bucks and...

She whispered “I’m alive” today for the first time in twelve years... As sweet a sound to my ears as honey’s taste to an emergent spring’s bear. Her frame-off restoration is nearing completion - interior is planned, and weatherstripping is being figured. But this weekend she purred - and then...

Here is my build thread for a 1991 3FE FJ80 Land Cruiser. I'll be using this thread mainly as a build and maintenance log (at least for the halfway informative and interesting stuff), re-documenting my questions I have along the way and information I found helpful to address those questions...

Well my first Cruiser is base lined now, so I suppose I should start a build thread as the fun mods begin. After trading in my 15' Tundra Platinum my garage was without a Toyota for 2 years. Then I went down the Land Cruiser YouTube rabbit hole, which let me to google and finding Mud. After a...

I own a 1985 FJ60 2F that for the better part of the last 25 years has been a “seasonal” vehicle used as the primary vehicle at my in-law’s vacation home near Glacier National Park and more recently as my hunting/camping truck in Bloomington, Indiana. As my daughter will earn her license in...

I bought this from the original owner last weekend. I have all receipts from the last 37 years. I knew of this truck 25 years ago (worked with the guy) and it has sat since 2012 un-driven, mostly stored indoors. Was repainted a different color years ago - started life as metallic gray. Now, it's...

1986 Toyota Pickup Standard Cab, Standard Bed, 2WD, 22R, 4 Speed. So, I have never done a build thread before, or even posted on this forum, so I figured I'd dive right in. I'm sure people love seeing new builds, and it'll be good for me to help keep track of my own progress. I have typically...

This past summer, I had a number of encounters while out on the road that made me realize that a low-slung Miata was not the ideal camping vehicle. While it's an absolute joy to drive, my '90 just wasn't cutting it as a camping vehicle. Nor was my Mazdaspeed 3. It got really frustrating trying...

Hey folks, welcome to the tales of Cara the Cruiser. I bought Cara off an old widow in October 2019 at 172,000 miles and have had all sorts of adventures and struggles. I had very little experience wrenching before but a lot of appetite and desire to learn. It's been a grand time learning how...

It is finally time to start a build thread. I purchased a 1978 FJ-40 in 2011 fully intending to rebuild it at the time. Up until now other projects have gotten in the way. When I bought it my wife thought it was just as rusty as "Mater", the tow truck from cars. The name has somehow stuck. This...

Hi All, Short introduction to the 40- & 55-Series Tech: I’m Yves from the Netherlands, I’m an electronic engineer and am an electronic engineer with my own company. As most on here I love Land Cruisers and am the owner of a Land Cruiser HDJ100 with the 1HD-FTE 4.2L turbo engine. I use it as...

After taking forever to get my act together and stacking parts it's time to start the engine swap on my truck. A 4.8l Chevy motor is getting swapped in. I've got two months to get it finished. When mocking up the headers and engine mounts I was able to get the mounts to clear by moving...

So I just bought a CE 1997 FZJ80 from @flow. He was generous enough to sell me the fruits of his labors. The advert can be seen here. I'm not new to Toyota's, but I am a fairly novice mechanic. I've previously owned a 1995 Pickup, 1985 FJ60 (all too briefly), and a 1988 Samurai (that was...

Why consider a Lexus GX460 as a family overland vehicle and a daily driver? The first episode of a 10 week series following our build journey. We discuss the Pros and Cons of the GX460 and things to look for when shopping for a preowned one.

First off, Im not a professional Im going to post things here as I go. One because I want to document some of this stuff and two maybe it will help someone else. "Pearl" as by father in law called her was bought new in 1987 and was his primary car. The sales slip says it came into the US...

What's up everyone! First I must say thanks to all the members here that post and share their information on 200 series here. I wouldn't have gain so much valuable information to help make my build out possible. I've learned so much information that allowed me to move in the direction of my...

I have had a few folks ask if I have a build thread, so I figured I probably should start one to document some of my modifications and answer any questions. I'll work on getting better pictures this week and as the build progresses, but this will get me started. I've gathered lots of info and...

Well, it's finally happened after 4 years! I promised myself when I got into post-secondary that I'd buy myself an 80 series when I graduated my program. While I was in school I swear I spent half my study time studying course material and the other half researching Land Cruisers (ha). Was an...

I'm starting this build thread to document my Land Cruiser's progression. My goals are to keep the Land Cruiser light and close to a family daily driver but lightly modified enough for light off-roading and occasional intermediate/difficult trails. Immediate needs are minimal with goals of...