Builds 1974 Pua'a

[gonzopancho]

I got these from SOR.

(Nobody is pointing out that I don’t have the gaskets in yet…. Well, I have the left one in and ran out of daylight.)

That was Tuesday. Now it’s Saturday. Fought Covid all week. Not especially happy with the fit here.

 

[gonzopancho]

Spent some time with that fuel separator, the canister under the hood, the check valve and an air compressor with the regulator set to 40 psi.

Seems to all work but who knows what I might have dislodged. Won’t know more until I fill it up.

Pulled a bunch of what looks like interlocking floor mats out of the inside of the rear quarters. I can only surmise that it’s cold in Montana and Alaska and that someone was trying to insulate the back of the truck.

Installed a new gas cap. Kinda like the old one better, will try to find a new seal.

Tired and I didn’t really do much. Will fill it back up and maybe wash it after dinner or tomorrow.

 

[gonzopancho]

Washed most of the dust from Jarbidge and bugs from Wyoming off.

 

[gonzopancho]

When your wife gets tired of your lack of Land Cruiser reliability (and air conditioning), so she provides her own solution, because you’re headed to SAS with the pig…

 

[scrapdaddy]

You'll have to give a true review of it when you get back.

 

[gonzopancho]

You'll have to give a true review of it when you get back.

I’m sure the pig will be even more fun at SAS than it was at PP24.

Oh. The 250? Last time we bought a new car was early 2011.

I was gonna drive the 74 (Pua’a 2) over to the dealer, but she said, “it’s a great flex, but it’s too hot and smokey today.” (There are nearby fires, and I don’t have AC in Pua’a 2,… yet.)

So we took the F-350

<lots of waiting around>
<sales guy shows after 26 min>

Her: “LandCruiser, white”
<test drive>

Sales guy: “is this your first Toyota?”
Her: “tell him”
Me: quiet
Her: “tell him”
Me: “no, it’s not our first Toyota”
Her, to the sales guy: “ask him how many!”
Sales guy: “how many?”
Me: “none newer than 1997”
Sales guy: “oh, that’s really old”
Me: “I blew it up last Saturday…”

The specs say they’re close to an 80 in terms of OAL, track width, clearance, weight,… but it feels small inside, and the dash is like a pinball machine. Tons of alerts and flashing lights, which we wants me to quiet down.

It seems OK given the little bit I’ve driven it. A great grocery getter for Colorado. Full-time 4wd, rear and center diff locks, sway bar disconnects. Lots of ECU-assist gimmicks (crawl mode, and it will hold at a light or on a hill with your foot off the brake.)

The hybrid drive (battery) is a little clunky. You lift and it wants to wait to disconnect because you might apply the brakes, and it wants to be able to regenerate, and then there is a ton of woah if you so much as drag the pedal a bit.

It’s not tricked out (not a “First Edition”, but not stripped, either. Has the artificial leather, but heated & ventilated seats. Does the whole “merged camera” view of your surroundings when you fire it up, just in case there is a tricycle behind you. Has lane holding and collision avoidance. It will do the “cruise control in traffic” thing but we don’t commute so… eh.

That said, it’s not a lead coffin like the 300, and we both hated the FJ Cruiser when it came out. (She bought a 62 instead.)

She followed me back home (she doesn’t see that well at night.) The LEDs in the turn signals seem super bright to me, headlights aren’t too bad.

It’s supposed to get 25mpg on the highway. 17 gal tank. Wants premium gasoline.

 

[Pigeaten]

At least she got a LC

 

[gonzopancho]

At least she got a LC

She’s the reason I get to have a few. When we met she had a new 89 HiLux. She wanted a 62, but couldn’t afford one.

 

[Pigeaten]

Lucky man

 

[gonzopancho]

Pretty close dimensionally on the body

 

[PabloCruise]

I was thinking of doing the same pose with mine…lol

Let's do a side-by-side compare!

 

[PabloCruise]

75% of a lift arrived.

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3/4 lift...

 

[PabloCruise]

Got the 4th spring.

Vacuumed and wiped out some of Jarbidge that came back inside the pig. Needs a real bath.

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I like the sticker!

 

[PabloCruise]

Too much turbo, maybe.

Um, said no one. Ever.

 

[PabloCruise]

Pretty close dimensionally on the body

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Maybe they realized they had already achieved perfection...

 

[gonzopancho]

Made it to Ouray for SSS.

The fuel tank seems to not leak out the fill neck anymore. Filled it back up in Arvada, trailered it over the hill to Ouray, and it wasn’t leaking when I checked it just past the Eisenhower Tunnel or in Glenwood Springs when I stopped to fuel the Ford.

Still not leaking here in Ouray.

When I filled it in Meridian, ID (altitude 2600’) before PP24 in Jarbidge, NV (6200’), it was leaking out the neck before I’d gotten out of the station and continued to leak the next day.

Arvada is 5500’, Ouray is 7800, but there are a couple 10,000 and 11,000 passes on I-70.

 

[SNLC]

Use non-ethanol if you can.

Cheers

 

[gonzopancho]

Yankee Boy Gulch (SAS #8)

Away from the mire.

 

[gonzopancho]

Low rider don't use way too much gas now
Low rider don't drive too fast
Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip and see
Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip with me

 

[RUSH55]

Who in da uddah 55?