Builds 1991 VX Unstoppable build

[monke south]

I'm looking for some good input as I begin the monumental task of rebuilding and modifying this 80 series. The kids in the village call it the "VX Unstoppable"!

After driving around for a few weeks, here is a list of problems and/or things that I need to fixed.

1) definite charging issue the charge gauge is all over the place and the batteries are often dead
2) headlights not working
3) Power windows operating very slowly front passenger not working at all
4) Front driver side window is plexiglass
5) no keys for the vehicle.
6) The vehicle has no ignition
7) The back hatch handle is broken off
8) The suspension is very tired
9) The sunroof is siliconed closed
10) The truck will not go into gear in less the "red button" is pushed.
11) no gear shift lever
12) 15 inch rims need to be replaced as there is very limited selection of 15 inch tires here in Papua new guinea
13) brakes are squeaking
14) exhaust is very rotted
15) Front bumper side molding is falling off
16) no spare tire
17) Dashboard Missing screws and /or Connecting tabs broke it off
18) Swaybar bushings are shot
19) Front passenger side wheel hub leaking oil
20) hand throttle cable is broken

I'm sure the list will grow, that's a good start though. I've got a pretty good idea of the modifications I want to do to fit what we do here in New Guinea.

I'll be using this cruiser as my daily driver, which means something completely different here in the highlands of Papua New Guinea. I will use it to bring in supplies from town, about three hours away. Only about half of the road is sealed the rest is Ruted out gravel. I also travel back into the villages anywhere from 15 minutes away to eight hours plus. The roads to the villages ranges between stone roads, red clay and black muck! We get anywhere from 350 to 400 inches of rain a year so it gets pretty wet and muddy. Basically it's a 4wd paradise.
Often I use the trucks for an ambulance so it's pretty important to be able to get in and out as quickly and safely as possible.

My TLC 75 troop carrier has done a excellent job over the last years, but I'm really excited to get this 80 fully kited out, and put into service!!

 

[monke south]

First things first wheels and tires.
I bought a set of black steely's down on the coast (17hr drive away)as well as a set of 315/75/16's Kumho MT51s

I've had these on my TLC 75 and they seem to work very well. They are significantly cheaper then the Bridgestone or Dunlop equivalent. I always laugh when I read reviews about people complaining about getting 45,000K out of a set of tires. I don't think I've ever got 20,000K!!

 

[monke south]

It's truly amazing the difference wheels and tires make. It seems amazing to me that Toyota made it so that 35 inch tires fit without any kind a lift!

I have also pulled off the front bumper so I can design a new bumper. It looks pretty good even without the front bumper!

 

[jdayment]

Looks great excited to see the build come along

 

[Hurleyburly]

Subscribed! That troop carrier looks BOSS! Can't wait to see where you take it. It does look better without the front bumper.... hmmmm. Might try that on mine! What do you do in PNG, if you don't mind me asking.

 

[monke south]

Thanks, the 75 is amazing. I put an aftermarket turbo and intercooler on it, it also has lokka diff lockers front and back.

I am a Baptist missionary. I have the ACE Christian school K-12, Bible College, print shop, and work with about 45 churches within the Wiru tribe.

 

[monke south]

The cost of shipping any 80 series bull bar into the country would cost more in shipping then cost of the bumper itself.

And.....

I really don't have the equipment to build with metal. However if I asked the local workshop to build a bumper it wouldn't come out well at all.

So......

Seeing how I know wood better than I know metal, I figured I'd start my front bumper build with some wood. I build a template out of plywood. With a pattern to go off of the men at the workshop didn't excellent job.

 

[monke south]

I've had to jumpstart the cruiser a few times now it is most inconvenient. Seems the batteries are not getting a full charge.

I replaced the alternator and both batteries at the same time.

Not sure what's going on as the charge indicator gauge is still showing that the output is good some times (13.6 +) and not so good at other times (12.0). The low-voltage light has actually come on twice now!
My son Trevor and I went through and checked and cleaned all the grounds, at least all that we could find, and yet the problem persists.

The truck seems to charge best right after its started, and for about an hour. Then it seems the charge indicator starts getting closer and closer to the centerline.

I'm still researching this hoping to find the issue, any ideas or input would be welcome.

 

[Lumpskie]

I can tell I'm going to like this thread already!

It seems like 1HDT alternators tend to be a little weak. At idle, mine doesn't seem to put out much power at all. I get a reading around .1 volts above battery. Once the engine spins a bit (800-1000 rpm) my alternator puts out 13.6 or 13.7 volts. It seems like, living in your area, doing the 12v start conversion (if you are 24v start) would be really handy. Then, you could use your non-starter battery to jump start yourself!

Out of curiosity, which mission organization do you work with? I almost became a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship, about 10 years ago. I still think of what my life might have been like if I went that direction!

 

[monke south]

I can tell I'm going to like this thread already!

It seems like 1HDT alternators tend to be a little weak. At idle, mine doesn't seem to put out much power at all. I get a reading around .1 volts above battery. Once the engine spins a bit (800-1000 rpm) my alternator puts out 13.6 or 13.7 volts. It seems like, living in your area, doing the 12v start conversion (if you are 24v start) would be really handy. Then, you could use your non-starter battery to jump start yourself!

Out of curiosity, which mission organization do you work with? I almost became a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship, about 10 years ago. I still think of what my life might have been like if I went that direction!

I was reading last night on this very topic found a great right up on another form that will be very helpful. I think I will pull the starter off of the 75 and see if it will bolt up, or if it needs some modification. Here is a link 12 volt starting conversion on a 1997 24 valve manual 80 series LandCruiser

Does anyone know if a 70 series 1HZ starter will fit??

 

[monke south]

I had a aluminum roof rack that was on my TLC LJ78, (that Cruiser met it's demise do to a drunk driver, yes, even in the jungle) that was a bit bent up. My boys straightened it out using some 2x4s and a hi-lift jack.
After a test fit it looked to tall. So they cut 2in off the bottom of the leges. That put the rack about 1in above the roof of the truck. The brackets that held the roof rack in place were lost in the accident, so Trevor made new ones out of the 2in pieces that they cut off the bottom. A few coats of mat black paint and it looks much better. My boys did a great job!

 

[monke south]

March 7th the goodies started to arrive!!!
Some of these parts I ordered before I even finalized the deal for the 80!

On a trip to town (about 3hrs one way) my son Connor and I picked up first box!!

 

[Khmerbarang]

Thanks, the 75 is amazing. I put an aftermarket turbo and intercooler on it, it also has lokka diff lockers front and back.

I am a Baptist missionary. I have the ACE Christian school K-12, Bible College, print shop, and work with about 45 churches within the Wiru tribe.

View attachment 1668988

I ass

Thanks, the 75 is amazing. I put an aftermarket turbo and intercooler on it, it also has lokka diff lockers front and back.

I am a Baptist missionary. I have the ACE Christian school K-12, Bible College, print shop, and work with about 45 churches within the Wiru tribe.

View attachment 1668988

It seems you and I are in similar situations when it comes to parts and the need to do much of the work ourselves. I live in Cambodia.
How did you tune the 75 after the intercooler. I assume it didn’t have one when you put in the aftermarket intercooler. Everything I’ve read says you need to put it on a dyno after intercooler install. I’m curious, as I want to do this mod on my 80 and there are no dynos available in Cambodia. Great thread by the way. I love the

 

[monke south]

To help with bush track driving, lights were the next thing on the list.

I just needed to figure out a good mounting bracket design. The 42in light bar fit perfectly on the roof rack, inset just a bit to keep it protected.

A little flat bar and a few hours later, we came up with this.....

You can't see the bracket in the first picture but I thought everyone would enjoy it nonetheless, at least you can see the light bar!

The light bar wiring I ran through the back door. The flashing tape works great holding the wires in place. The trailer wiring kit with plug works perfectly, and makes it easy to remove the roof rack if needed. I repurposed an 80 series emergency flasher switch as the light bar on off switch.

It is a good light that puts a lot of light on the sides, very helpful. I also like that it's more low-profile. The lights on my 75 tend to get caught up in vines every once in a while.

 

[monke south]

I ass

It seems you and I are in similar situations when it comes to parts and the need to do much of the work ourselves. I live in Cambodia.
How did you tune the 75 after the intercooler. I assume it didn’t have one when you put in the aftermarket intercooler. Everything I’ve read says you need to put it on a dyno after intercooler install. I’m curious, as I want to do this mod on my 80 and there are no dynos available in Cambodia. Great thread by the way. I love the

After i installed the turbo and intercooler I played around with the boost and fueling until I came up with a good mix that kept my temperatures in the right range as I went up a very steep long climb. Not very technical but it seems to of worked. I probably left some power on the table. The good thing is the truck always runs cool. Not much of a help but that's what I did.

 

[monke south]

More parts have arrived it only took three weeks, and that's with the best shipping service we have here DHL. After Superior Engineering in Australia Sent the package it took two days to arrive in Port Moresby ( The capital city of Papua New Guinea) then 19 days to get to Mt Hagen, It's only a one hour flight! It's just normal, it's the way it's going to be. We call it PNG time.

There is still a few more parts from Superior Engineering coming, they are on backorder.

I'm stoked!!

 

[Khmerbarang]

After i installed the turbo and intercooler I played around with the boost and fueling until I came up with a good mix that kept my temperatures in the right range as I went up a very steep long climb. Not very technical but it seems to of worked. I probably left some power on the table. The good thing is the truck always runs cool. Not much of a help but that's what I did.

No - that is a great help. That is what I was thinking of doing and it is proof of concept.

 

[monke south]

The exhaust on this VX is so rotted out it shouldn't be too much of a headache. Should it??

All in all it wasn't to bad, one of the nuts holding the dump pipe to the turbo was stripped off so we spent several ( when I say several I mean 6, when I say we I mean Trevor) hours with a grinder and other miscellaneous methods and tools trying to get it off. Only a little bit of damage to part of the threads. The rest of the removal went pretty easy.

The install was almost perfect. Everything fit just as it should. Props to legendex for a great product.

I wish I would've ordered the rubber mounting brackets. We sheared off the rusted bolts on two of the three brackets, when we were removing the old system.

I was scheduled to head to town the next day so we finish the install by wrapping strips of innertube around the brackets to hold it in place. After getting back the next day we cut the inner tube out and replaced with newly purchased mounts.

This is the legendex "berserker" exhaust system. It's a straight through 3 inch, dump pipe to tailpipe. It's actually not as loud as I thought it would be.

In one of the pictures you can just see Trevor under the truck, at night, sparks flying.

Sounds fantastic!!

 

[monke south]

I can tell I'm going to like this thread already!

It seems like 1HDT alternators tend to be a little weak. At idle, mine doesn't seem to put out much power at all. I get a reading around .1 volts above battery. Once the engine spins a bit (800-1000 rpm) my alternator puts out 13.6 or 13.7 volts. It seems like, living in your area, doing the 12v start conversion (if you are 24v start) would be really handy. Then, you could use your non-starter battery to jump start yourself!

Out of curiosity, which mission organization do you work with? I almost became a pilot with Mission Aviation Fellowship, about 10 years ago. I still think of what my life might have been like if I went that direction!

We are independent Baptist sent out of our home church in Meridian Idaho.

I was here in PNG with my parents (89-94). In 93 I went through MAF's flight school and got my private pilot license. I have always hoped to fly here. The Pangia air strip is just 200 yards from my mission station. Maybe some day.

 

[monke south]

On board air is the next item on the list of things to do.

First we made a bracket to mount the ARB twin compressor. I wanted it high and not in the cab of the truck. Trevor and Aki got pretty creative with the bracket. It attaches in four places so it should be strong enough to take some serious abuse.

We used a repurposed Toyota defroster switch to turn the compressor on and off. A little creativity with the included stickers and I think the switch turned out pretty good.