Builds 1996 Land Cruiser Build - "Kronk" (1 Viewer)

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After some troubleshooting, I found the transmission problem, highlighted here:


I have taken Kronk out a handful of times now. Today I took him for his longest break-in drive yet up to the Valles Caldera. It is a nice drive, and there is about 5,000 feet of elevation gain to get up there, so it is good for varying rpms. Kronk did great. It was really great to get out, also.

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Did you have to modify them mount at all?
Yes. The bottom clamp was interfering with a wire bundle coming off of the relay block. So I just took it off, and slid the canister up higher so the upper clamp would be more centered. Then I just put in a longer bolt for the upper clamp.
 
Next on my list was examination/upgrading of the brake system. I noticed my lspv was seeping. I briefly thought about replacing it with an aftermarket unit, but decided to just get a new OEM unit.
Also, the PO never put in longer brake lines with the lift. So, I decided to spring for a full braided SS kit from Slee.

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Long time with no update. Haven't been doing much work on Kronk - but have been driving quite a bit. He is running like a champ. Was 97 here yesterday and I took him for a long drive in the hills to see how the RD cooling system performed - the temp gauge didn't budge. It is working well. I still want to put in an aftermarket temp gauge, oil pressure gauge, and AT temp gauge. But, for now I am happy.

I did start working on ripping the carpet out of the rig today for a good cleaning. I will start on my sleeping/storage system next. I think while I am in there I am going to put in a new sock filter in the fuel tank.

Hope everyone is doing ok out there.

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I ordered up the parts to make my sleeping/storage platform. I got the back half done, now to start working on the forward folding section. This 80/20 stuff is really cool. Spendy as hell, but pretty fun. I might cut down the height of this a little bit. I have two sets of 500 lb sliders to put drawers in, but I am going to hold off putting those in until I test out the height with a mattress. I think I am going to run the Thermarest mondo king XXL. It is 80" long - just like me (and standard bed lengths).

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Sleeping platform is getting close. Still have to add the drawers and paint. But, it is in. This is pretty much the whole reason I bought a Land Cruiser. I am 6'8" tall (80"), and I wanted an offroad camping rig that didn't have an extremely long wheelbase, but could still fit a sleeping platform that would allow me to stretch out. When this platform is unfolded, it is 84" long. It is a little tall, but I did that to clear the 2nd row seats. I did a test fit without the mattress, and it is going to work fine. I have a couple of Thermarest Mondoking mattresses on order. An XXL for myself (80" long), and the Large for my wife when she comes along (77" long). Going to take it out this weekend and give it a test run.

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So the test run of the sleeping platform was awesome. Some tweaks will be required, but overall it worked really well. However, I have been hearing a rattle for while, so after the trip I investigated and found that my lower rear shock mounts were toast, and the shocks were rattling around. Also, the passenger side rear shock was leaking.

I was planning on buying a 4 inch lift from Slee, but wasn't going to do that until early next year. I contacted Slee and asked if the 4 inch rear shocks would work with my current setup temporarily. They said as long as I put extended bump stops on, I would be OK. So, I have new rear shocks now.

I also noticed that my rear passenger wheel seal was leaking, and my front drivers side brake caliper seemed to be dragging slightly. So, I ordered all new calipers and everything to rebuild the front and rear axles and brakes.

While waiting on those parts, I started the install of my 4×4labs rear bumper.

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Got a little more done on the 4X4 labs bumper kit. I also received the parts for the rear and front axle rebuilds. I made good progress today on the rear axle. I got everything done, but unfortunately, I had to booger up the axle to hub studs getting them out. So, I ordered some new studs, nuts, and cone washers. They should be here Tuesday. I also decided to just get all new brake pads, rotors, and calipers. I made a multi-purpose front and rear hub nut tool after seeing someone else on this site do it. Worked great. Anyway, on to the pictures:

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Finally got the front axle finished up. The driver's side birfield was pretty low on grease. New seals, bearings, calipers, rotors, and pads. Changed the front and rear diff fluid, and did another round of drain and fill for the ATF. Now I can get back to the bumper work.

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Rear bumper is ready for paint. Fun project.
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Just spent about an hour reading through your entire build progression. First off, you are inspiring for those who do not have the time, resources, or skills to pull off a such a solid build. Second, I would be interested in hearing how you learned to do most of this work and why you are particularly interested in an adventure rig like the 80?
 
Just spent about an hour reading through your entire build progression. First off, you are inspiring for those who do not have the time, resources, or skills to pull off a such a solid build. Second, I would be interested in hearing how you learned to do most of this work and why you are particularly interested in an adventure rig like the 80?


Thanks for the compliment - I appreciate it. One of my favorite things to do is peruse forums and read build threads - as you said, they are a source of inspiration, and I like seeing people roll up their sleeves and get after it on projects. So hearing that someone else read this and felt inspired makes me happy.

As to your first question, I started learning automotive stuff at a very young age. When I was very young, my Dad used to keep the family vehicles running himself to help save money. It was in helping him that I started learning some of this stuff. My first vehicle was a 1976 Ford F150 4X4 - that rig taught me a lot in terms of wrenching. I have always had a mechanical type mind and I followed that out of high school and obtained degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Through school and jobs, I learned several things, including how to weld (although this last project on the Cruiser was my first welding done in several years and it showed - my early welds on the project were ugly). I never lost my love for tinkering on cars through it all.

I've always loved old vehicles - especially 4x4s. And I always had it in my mind that I wanted to "restore" one. I had seen a few people do it, and I wanted to give it a shot. I had (and still have) a severe soft spot for classic Broncos. My father-in-law had a restored 1976 that was just plain beautiful. So, I found a rusted out 1969 locally for sale and bought it and tore into it. This is where I think I learned the most regarding this kind of stuff. There wasn't a bolt on that thing that I didn't touch, and I replaced alot of the body panels (and found out that I loathe body work). Anyway, I spent 8 years building that thing up and ended up with a pretty awesome ride. I replaced/refurbished everything. I also stuff a fuel-injected Ford 400 into it. It was a torque monster. Before and after below:

bronco11.jpg
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Unfortunately, I really picked a hard time in my life for that project. I was the sole income in the family at the time, and I am not the type to put myself in debt because of a project. That is why it took me 8 years to build it. After building it, I realized that I wasn't really going to enjoy it with the financial situation - these things are expensive. Near the end, it became sort of a stressful thing for me and my family - so I decided to sell it.

Ever since the Bronco, I wanted to get another project, but decided to wait until finances were better. So, I kept working and pushing hard on paying down our mortgage. My wife also started working after the youngest kid went to school. After several years of this, I started thinking about a project seriously. This is where the answer to your second question comes. I knew that I wanted another 4X4 - I love the outdoors and exploring, hiking, climbing, biking, etc. I wanted to build a good, solid camping rig. I originally had the idea of building up an old pickup with an 8' bed and a topper. But then a friend mentioned the Land Cruiser and said it might be "big enough" for me to build a sleeping platform in that I could fit on - which was a requirement for me. So I checked them out - and sure enough, it was just the ticket. The other thing that I decided was that I wasn't going to do a full restore on it - I wanted to build this one while driving it. One hard thing about that Bronco was not being able to drive it for 8 years. I didn't get to enjoy it. That is why I am not stripping everything off of this rig to refurbish it. It is a little hard for my OCD side to do this - putting new stuff on rusty parts makes my eye twitch a little, but I am having fun driving Kronk around, so I am glad I am doing it this way.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded answer. I love this stuff. I actually think that when I retire, I will try to find a part-time gig at a custom 4x4 shop somewhere, or maybe even restore a rig or two to sell here and there.

Thanks for reading.
 
Thanks for the compliment - I appreciate it. One of my favorite things to do is peruse forums and read build threads - as you said, they are a source of inspiration, and I like seeing people roll up their sleeves and get after it on projects. So hearing that someone else read this and felt inspired makes me happy.

As to your first question, I started learning automotive stuff at a very young age. When I was very young, my Dad used to keep the family vehicles running himself to help save money. It was in helping him that I started learning some of this stuff. My first vehicle was a 1976 Ford F150 4X4 - that rig taught me a lot in terms of wrenching. I have always had a mechanical type mind and I followed that out of high school and obtained degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Through school and jobs, I learned several things, including how to weld (although this last project on the Cruiser was my first welding done in several years and it showed - my early welds on the project were ugly). I never lost my love for tinkering on cars through it all.

I've always loved old vehicles - especially 4x4s. And I always had it in my mind that I wanted to "restore" one. I had seen a few people do it, and I wanted to give it a shot. I had (and still have) a severe soft spot for classic Broncos. My father-in-law had a restored 1976 that was just plain beautiful. So, I found a rusted out 1969 locally for sale and bought it and tore into it. This is where I think I learned the most regarding this kind of stuff. There wasn't a bolt on that thing that I didn't touch, and I replaced alot of the body panels (and found out that I loathe body work). Anyway, I spent 8 years building that thing up and ended up with a pretty awesome ride. I replaced/refurbished everything. I also stuff a fuel-injected Ford 400 into it. It was a torque monster. Before and after below:

View attachment 2435434View attachment 2435435

Unfortunately, I really picked a hard time in my life for that project. I was the sole income in the family at the time, and I am not the type to put myself in debt because of a project. That is why it took me 8 years to build it. After building it, I realized that I wasn't really going to enjoy it with the financial situation - these things are expensive. Near the end, it became sort of a stressful thing for me and my family - so I decided to sell it.

Ever since the Bronco, I wanted to get another project, but decided to wait until finances were better. So, I kept working and pushing hard on paying down our mortgage. My wife also started working after the youngest kid went to school. After several years of this, I started thinking about a project seriously. This is where the answer to your second question comes. I knew that I wanted another 4X4 - I love the outdoors and exploring, hiking, climbing, biking, etc. I wanted to build a good, solid camping rig. I originally had the idea of building up an old pickup with an 8' bed and a topper. But then a friend mentioned the Land Cruiser and said it might be "big enough" for me to build a sleeping platform in that I could fit on - which was a requirement for me. So I checked them out - and sure enough, it was just the ticket. The other thing that I decided was that I wasn't going to do a full restore on it - I wanted to build this one while driving it. One hard thing about that Bronco was not being able to drive it for 8 years. I didn't get to enjoy it. That is why I am not stripping everything off of this rig to refurbish it. It is a little hard for my OCD side to do this - putting new stuff on rusty parts makes my eye twitch a little, but I am having fun driving Kronk around, so I am glad I am doing it this way.

Anyway, sorry for the long-winded answer. I love this stuff. I actually think that when I retire, I will try to find a part-time gig at a custom 4x4 shop somewhere, or maybe even restore a rig or two to sell here and there.

Thanks for reading.
Appreciate the time you took to detail this out. I hope this truck gives you many good memories. I am currently tinkering, just put on my first lift by myself borrowing tools. As with other ventures in my life, I have learned to enjoy the progression as much as the destination. I do hope to one day feel comfortable with engine work like you did on Kronk. Keep the thread going, I will be following along.
P.S. that Bronco was gorgeous.
Here is my 96:

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Appreciate the time you took to detail this out. I hope this truck gives you many good memories. I am currently tinkering, just put on my first lift by myself borrowing tools. As with other ventures in my life, I have learned to enjoy the progression as much as the destination. I do hope to one day feel comfortable with engine work like you did on Kronk. Keep the thread going, I will be following along.
P.S. that Bronco was gorgeous.
Here is my 96:

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That looks like a big 'ole bundle of fun and joy in that picture. I hope you get some excellent adventures with the family in that thing.

Definitely take time to enjoy the process and the destination will be even better. And don't worry too much about being comfortable with working on things. I have always viewed them as "just machines". No matter how complicated they seem on the surface - they are really just big assemblies of fairly simple components. Just do the research, ask questions, and dive in. You'll mess up, but that is where most of the good learning is done in my experience. Just try not to mess up on critical things like brakes. :):beer:
 

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