Build 1995 80 Series Land Cruiser Build Thread - "Red"
- Thread starter Phares
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- Thread starter
- #22
Things got busy today but here are some quick photos of my new roof rack from underdawg fabworx. Fit and form is top notch and I've already been getting compliments on my rack. Full write up coming soon...
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That looks real nice brother. Thanks for being a good man Phares. We need more like you. Thanks for the order and as always feel free to ring me anytime. Except when your pooping... dont call or text me when your pooping again.. please.
- Thread starter
- #24
As a disclaimer before I begin this write up I will state that I am not a professional reviewer of products nor do I think anyone with that title should be listened too. I want to hear from people who actually use the product for long term. That being said I have had the roof rack for a week now so this review can and will be updated with time.
What: Underdawg Fabworx Custom Roof Rack
When: January 2015
Cost: 750$ shipped to my door with Powder Coating (price can vary with shipping costs, do not take this as a quote but a ballpark)
The rack arrived from UPS with the typical UPS beat down. The packing was excellently done but nothing can withstand the ineptness of UPS. The cardboard was "rubbed" away in a few places and the powder coating (PC) was rubbed along with it. However the damage was minimal and the PC looks great. The vendor Jason uses does a quality job.
The rack was exactly what I wanted. I wanted a half box to provide security to items being carried on top of the 80 but I wanted to still be able to slide heavier objects off the back of the rack without having to lift them over the rails. Jason was great to work with as far as building what I asked for while ensuring that my requests were given an expert opinion on function and viability.
The welds look beefy and I hope they can stand the test of time. I do not weld so I do not qualify to comment on them. Several friends who do weld though did comment that the welds looks good if a little blocky, but it is a roof rack so the finish of the welds is not a big concern. I'd rather the manufacturer focus on not bending my rack with thermal stress than spend hours grinding down every weld thus raising costs.
The PC color matches the semi gloss black I painted my OPOR sliders (Review coming later)
Installation:
On Jason's recommendation I picked up 6 gamiviti rack brackets. Although similar to putting together a puzzle once they were assembled I measured the distance from the leading and trailing edges of the rack to the first "Slits" in the rack. Jason cut slits in the mounting plates of the rack and this made installation a breeze as far as mounting to the brackets. I then measure that distance along my rain gutter and installed the front and rear bracket. A simple measurement to the middle slit and the final bracket was installed. Borrowing my neighbor, because this rack is heavy, we lifted the rack onto the six brackets. Using 3/8" fasteners we tightened the rack to the brackets and installation was done. All told it took about an hour to do correctly and carefully. You really don't want to put the rack through your back window.
Impressions:
The rack will take the weight. If you review Underworx build thread you will see pictures of multiple people standing atop the racks etc. The effect on the look of the 80 were instant. It gave the truck a more aggressive appearance and all the wives were commenting on my nice "Rack"...The noise level is noticeable and the harmonic frequencies will vary with your trucks setup. The noise levels on my truck seem to peak at around 55-60 and the 70-75 MPH. If I crack my sunroof it minimizes the noise. I have no experience with other racks so I cannot tell you if it is more or less noise than an ARB for example. It does not bother me more than knobby tires have in the past so it is a non issue and a small cost for the added cargo room.
Overall:
I am extremely impressed with the value of this rack and I believe it will add to the enjoyment of all road trips/camping trips because of the ease and ability to load/unload cargo. It also gives me a truck bed effectively for hauling lumber etc. so now I have to explain to the wife why I am keeping the pickup. "Museum piece" is only getting me so far. The rack will accomplish its purpose which is to allow me to carry 4 grown adults with all their gear on an outing be it to a shooting event, sporting event, or beach trip without people feeling cramped. I can now bring the proverbial kitchen sink. If you are shopping for racks you should include Underdawg Fabworx in the comparisons especially if you are on the East Coast or in the Ohio area.
What: Underdawg Fabworx Custom Roof Rack
When: January 2015
Cost: 750$ shipped to my door with Powder Coating (price can vary with shipping costs, do not take this as a quote but a ballpark)
The rack arrived from UPS with the typical UPS beat down. The packing was excellently done but nothing can withstand the ineptness of UPS. The cardboard was "rubbed" away in a few places and the powder coating (PC) was rubbed along with it. However the damage was minimal and the PC looks great. The vendor Jason uses does a quality job.
The rack was exactly what I wanted. I wanted a half box to provide security to items being carried on top of the 80 but I wanted to still be able to slide heavier objects off the back of the rack without having to lift them over the rails. Jason was great to work with as far as building what I asked for while ensuring that my requests were given an expert opinion on function and viability.
The welds look beefy and I hope they can stand the test of time. I do not weld so I do not qualify to comment on them. Several friends who do weld though did comment that the welds looks good if a little blocky, but it is a roof rack so the finish of the welds is not a big concern. I'd rather the manufacturer focus on not bending my rack with thermal stress than spend hours grinding down every weld thus raising costs.
The PC color matches the semi gloss black I painted my OPOR sliders (Review coming later)
Installation:
On Jason's recommendation I picked up 6 gamiviti rack brackets. Although similar to putting together a puzzle once they were assembled I measured the distance from the leading and trailing edges of the rack to the first "Slits" in the rack. Jason cut slits in the mounting plates of the rack and this made installation a breeze as far as mounting to the brackets. I then measure that distance along my rain gutter and installed the front and rear bracket. A simple measurement to the middle slit and the final bracket was installed. Borrowing my neighbor, because this rack is heavy, we lifted the rack onto the six brackets. Using 3/8" fasteners we tightened the rack to the brackets and installation was done. All told it took about an hour to do correctly and carefully. You really don't want to put the rack through your back window.
Impressions:
The rack will take the weight. If you review Underworx build thread you will see pictures of multiple people standing atop the racks etc. The effect on the look of the 80 were instant. It gave the truck a more aggressive appearance and all the wives were commenting on my nice "Rack"...The noise level is noticeable and the harmonic frequencies will vary with your trucks setup. The noise levels on my truck seem to peak at around 55-60 and the 70-75 MPH. If I crack my sunroof it minimizes the noise. I have no experience with other racks so I cannot tell you if it is more or less noise than an ARB for example. It does not bother me more than knobby tires have in the past so it is a non issue and a small cost for the added cargo room.
Overall:
I am extremely impressed with the value of this rack and I believe it will add to the enjoyment of all road trips/camping trips because of the ease and ability to load/unload cargo. It also gives me a truck bed effectively for hauling lumber etc. so now I have to explain to the wife why I am keeping the pickup. "Museum piece" is only getting me so far. The rack will accomplish its purpose which is to allow me to carry 4 grown adults with all their gear on an outing be it to a shooting event, sporting event, or beach trip without people feeling cramped. I can now bring the proverbial kitchen sink. If you are shopping for racks you should include Underdawg Fabworx in the comparisons especially if you are on the East Coast or in the Ohio area.
- Thread starter
- #25
Operation Oil Stop 2015 went into full swing yesterday. I pulled the passenger side exhaust heat shield and inspected the oil cooler. I'd ordered the oil cooler cover gasket in preparation along with the exhaust manifold gasket. Inspection indicated no oil leaking from the cooler. Information garnered from MUD indicated it was super easy to crack the cover upon reinstallation. Those things together made me decide to leave it alone.
So I moved onto the valve cover. What a PITA! Who designed this thing? Anyway, I pulled the spark plug wires, separated the throttle body from the inlet plenum, separated the air intake, contorted my body and removed the valve cover. Every spark plug o-ring was brittle and I spent ten minutes pulling pieces out of the cam shaft channels. I ordered a new valve cover gasket, 6 spark plug orings, and the throttle body gasket. There are two keys that go on the front of the cylinder head. I assume those just pull up and out. Ideas?
When I pulled the valve cover I discovered the PHH! So I'll be doing the PHH kit while I'm in there. I'm currently reading up on it now.
Next I will be moving onto the oil pans and te distributor oring. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
So I moved onto the valve cover. What a PITA! Who designed this thing? Anyway, I pulled the spark plug wires, separated the throttle body from the inlet plenum, separated the air intake, contorted my body and removed the valve cover. Every spark plug o-ring was brittle and I spent ten minutes pulling pieces out of the cam shaft channels. I ordered a new valve cover gasket, 6 spark plug orings, and the throttle body gasket. There are two keys that go on the front of the cylinder head. I assume those just pull up and out. Ideas?
When I pulled the valve cover I discovered the PHH! So I'll be doing the PHH kit while I'm in there. I'm currently reading up on it now.
Next I will be moving onto the oil pans and te distributor oring. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks!
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I remove those plugs that you called keys by using a brass or aluminum drift and a hammer blow to one end and they will rotate up and out. Also inspect you engine wire harness in the area near the EGR tube. Mine was cooked down to bare wires.
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- #27
thanks for the advice @baldilocks! I'll try that and make sure I do the inspection.
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- #28
Things go a lot slower than one estimates when you have a kid! This is my first major project since my son was old enough to interact with. (18 months) it's taking a lot longer than I anticipated! I get to work on it a couple hours when I can but that doesn't add up to a lot of progress over two weeks...
But it's ok. It is certainly a trade off, just one I didn't anticipate. It turns out what I thought was the PHH wasn't but I did change out the firewall heater hoses with some green stripe stuff from phhkit.com. Brett was great to work with! I'm not sure what his mud name is. But thanks!
I got the spark plugs changed out, the spark plug o-rings replaced, the valve cover gasket replaced, and the distributor o-ring replaced. I separated the 2nd oil pan and got it cleaned up. I've almost got the 1st oil pan separated and hopefully will be able to get it out without much trouble. Getting those two things back together with RTV and not screwing it up is going to be difficult.
Still to do is the front main seal and oil pump o-ring. Then fill it back up and start driving it again. Hopefully I will have it done within two weeks but no promises! Pictures and a full write up will occur at completion.
But it's ok. It is certainly a trade off, just one I didn't anticipate. It turns out what I thought was the PHH wasn't but I did change out the firewall heater hoses with some green stripe stuff from phhkit.com. Brett was great to work with! I'm not sure what his mud name is. But thanks!
I got the spark plugs changed out, the spark plug o-rings replaced, the valve cover gasket replaced, and the distributor o-ring replaced. I separated the 2nd oil pan and got it cleaned up. I've almost got the 1st oil pan separated and hopefully will be able to get it out without much trouble. Getting those two things back together with RTV and not screwing it up is going to be difficult.
Still to do is the front main seal and oil pump o-ring. Then fill it back up and start driving it again. Hopefully I will have it done within two weeks but no promises! Pictures and a full write up will occur at completion.
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- #29
In case you're wondering, they never intended you to remove the first oil pan with the engine still in the truck. The second oil pan came clear no problem. The first though is stuck between a random support bar welded between the frame and the number one crank shaft bearing cap bolts...talk about a major pita. I've tried everything but pulling the motor up with an engine puller with no success. Everything is just lifting the frame up and thus the welded bar. Ive acquired a cherry picker and hope to use it tomorrow or the next day. I'm hoping I can get it out without pulling the motor completely. I've removed the drag link that lies behind the front wheels and the sway bar in an attempt to get clearance. I'm not sure about those names but that's close...
If I can get this fixed I'm putting it all back together and driving it. I'll tackle the front main seal later. This job has gone way over schedule...
If I can get this fixed I'm putting it all back together and driving it. I'll tackle the front main seal later. This job has gone way over schedule...
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- #31
So I broke down and bought an engine hoist last week from northern tool. I had a coupon so it was kind of a no brainier. After assembly I hooked it to the front engine hook and lifted. The first inch or so lifted the frame so I was a little bummed. But then a miracle happened and it lifted only the engine! So after getting the clearance I needed I was able to pull the first oil pan.
Since then I ordered and received tie rod ends from Cruiser Outfitters, cleaned up everything, and planned reinstallation. I need to get to the dealership to place an order for parts that I didn't know existed but hopefully we are on the downhill slide. I'm not sure how effective this oil stop adventure has been but at least I'm turning a wrench.
Things that have kept me from working on the LC lately:
Broken AC Fan motor, painting the downstairs, busted microwave (still not fixed), busted garage door roller (happened today), job.
Doesn't life know I've got plans?
Since then I ordered and received tie rod ends from Cruiser Outfitters, cleaned up everything, and planned reinstallation. I need to get to the dealership to place an order for parts that I didn't know existed but hopefully we are on the downhill slide. I'm not sure how effective this oil stop adventure has been but at least I'm turning a wrench.
Things that have kept me from working on the LC lately:
Broken AC Fan motor, painting the downstairs, busted microwave (still not fixed), busted garage door roller (happened today), job.
Doesn't life know I've got plans?
Have you tried ordering OEM parts at Toyotaonlineparts.com. 28% below dealership and they ship out quickly. And they are near you in Virginia I believe.
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- #33
Thanks Baldilocks! It took me a while to find the piece I needed and even the name is strange. Timing cover gasket...I guess it mates up between the oil pan and the bottom of the timing cover. I'll post a picture later. I also intend to include a parts list of everything I've replaced in case anyone else wants to follow my winding path into ridiculousness.
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- #34
I finished putting everything back together today. Good news is that nothing I replaced leaks. The bad news is the front seal leaks while the truck is standing still and whatever sensor plugs in through the bottom of the 1 oil pan leaks too. So I've identified two really bad leaks.
The worse news though is that there is now a "tick" from the bottom of the motor, almost like the crank is hitting the baffle plate or similar. I'm not sure how that's even possible but I turned the truck off after identifying the vicinity of the source.
The truck is back in the garage and I'm making preparations to pull the entire motor in November. I'm pretty angry and not sure yet what went wrong...
Thoughts?
The worse news though is that there is now a "tick" from the bottom of the motor, almost like the crank is hitting the baffle plate or similar. I'm not sure how that's even possible but I turned the truck off after identifying the vicinity of the source.
The truck is back in the garage and I'm making preparations to pull the entire motor in November. I'm pretty angry and not sure yet what went wrong...
Thoughts?
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- Thread starter
- #35
I spent last night at work thinking about what may be making the noise and I've come up with 4 possible situations.
1: I misaligned the 1st oil pan somehow and the lower timing chain gear is now hitting the oil pan and making the noise. But I feel like that would be a constant rub and not a "tick". Also, I'm not sure how you can misalign approx. 25 screws/bolts.
2: The oil pump is making the noise because there are voids in the impeller and if it runs it will eventually vent itself. Having the oil drained completely and not pre-filling it per FSM direction made me think of this. I couldn't pre-fill it due to the orientation of the stuff when I took it apart. (I'm hoping this is it)
3: 1 and 2 are completely wrong and I have no idea what it is. I need to tear everything apart to figure it out.
4: The noise has always been there and I never noticed it. I find this highly unlikely as it is a distinct "Tick".
No matter what I need to drive it a couple miles for its annual safety inspection to renew the registration before I tear into it again. We will see how that goes...
1: I misaligned the 1st oil pan somehow and the lower timing chain gear is now hitting the oil pan and making the noise. But I feel like that would be a constant rub and not a "tick". Also, I'm not sure how you can misalign approx. 25 screws/bolts.
2: The oil pump is making the noise because there are voids in the impeller and if it runs it will eventually vent itself. Having the oil drained completely and not pre-filling it per FSM direction made me think of this. I couldn't pre-fill it due to the orientation of the stuff when I took it apart. (I'm hoping this is it)
3: 1 and 2 are completely wrong and I have no idea what it is. I need to tear everything apart to figure it out.
4: The noise has always been there and I never noticed it. I find this highly unlikely as it is a distinct "Tick".
No matter what I need to drive it a couple miles for its annual safety inspection to renew the registration before I tear into it again. We will see how that goes...
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- Thread starter
- #36
I just drove it 4 miles with speeds up to 45mph. Showing good oil pressure. "Ticking" noise is still evident...It leaks a good 25mL from the front oil seal when I park it...Not going to be doing much of anything until I fix that anyway...
I believe the sensor in the forward face of the oil pan is the crank position sensor. Sorry to hear about these issues but it's good to see you are planning a new attack with confidence and enthusiasm. All too often guys post on here looking for all the answers right now and seem petrified at the thought of rolling up their sleeves and digging in and learning as they go. You keep on writing and I will keep on reading.
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- #38
My father was in town and listened to the truck. He said he couldn't hear anything. I drove the truck more and haven't had any issues. I'll be tackling the crankshaft sensor, the front main seal, and the front seat gears over the next couple of months.
We will see how everything goes but right now everyone just says I'm imagining the noise...
We will see how everything goes but right now everyone just says I'm imagining the noise...
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- #39
I've had trouble finding motivation the last several weeks as I'm working nights and it's tough to get off the couch at two am when everyone is sleeping. But tonight I went out and replaced the gears in my driver seat with the gamiviti gears. The PO had a set he never installed. I need to do the passenger seat but I'll have to order those parts. Gamiviti's installation instructions were super helpful so there isn't much to be said about the task. Except I'm happy I accomplished something finally again.
I drove the 80 to work the other day because I wanted to run it again and it is still dropping about 2-3 tablespoons of oil when I turn it off out of the front main seal and the crankshaft sensor. So hopefully tomorrow night I'll drain the oil and get the crankshaft sensor done. After that we'll evaluate the priority for the crank shaft.
Im going to watch some expedition overland and scour the forum in search of motivation now...
Yeah, 3 Am.
I drove the 80 to work the other day because I wanted to run it again and it is still dropping about 2-3 tablespoons of oil when I turn it off out of the front main seal and the crankshaft sensor. So hopefully tomorrow night I'll drain the oil and get the crankshaft sensor done. After that we'll evaluate the priority for the crank shaft.
Im going to watch some expedition overland and scour the forum in search of motivation now...
Yeah, 3 Am.
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- #40
I replaced the gears in the passenger side seat and it tested out just fine. I've also pulled the crank shaft sensor. Despite what all the drawings show there is an o-ring installed, but it must come with the sensor because the guys at the parts counter couldn't order me a new o-ring. Since it was smashed flat (and partly on purpose by design) I just sealed it up with Permatex. It's not a pressure boundary and I figured if it was good enough for the oil pans it's good enough for the sensor. As soon as I get a couple of days off I will tackle the Front Main Seal, inspect the water pump, and replace the oil pump seal. Of note, I did not need to drain the oil to replace the crank shaft sensor o-ring.