1997 3x Locked LX450 "The Falcon" Build (1 Viewer)

[kolbydmc]

Hello all! I finally decided to start my build thread for this thing since I plan on ACTUALLY keeping this one for a while (you'll see what I mean soon).

First things first, here it is. I recently bought this 1997 3Xlocked LX450 from my good friend Drake Dischler.
It had 242,000 miles and now has 250,000 since it's my daily driver. Stock H/G but tons of prior maintenance done to it. Its sitting on a 2.5 OME lift with what I believe are Tough Dog shocks. Non winch ARB bumper up front and N/A in back, complete with metaltech sliders.

Plans are to keep building it up, some 35s, rear bumper and a roof rack then trips, trips, trips!

Now a little history of my trucks over the years.


In 2011 I had caught the bug and my first vehicle was a 1997 4Runner with one problem... IT WAS 2WD!! (and was very ugly)

I absolutely loved that thing, I gave it the TLC it deserved! I threw a cheap paintjob on it and went to my first Lone Star Toyota Jamboree where it performed very poorly! It sure was a blast though.

Here it was in its final form: (Excuse my childhood friend)

Two weeks after my second jamboree in this rig I decided I really needed 4WD, so I sold it and bought a 2001 4runner

I had swapped the locker over and my treadwrite tires yet it never really left the pavement. I had it about 6 months before making my biggest upgrade yet.

I finally bought my dream truck! A 2011 FJ Cruiser, dead stock, used from toyota and began building it. (Next Post)

 

[kolbydmc]

The Fj was HEAVILY wheeled all over Texas, Moab, and Colorado

It it's final form it was an absolute beast! I did ruin the driving pleasure with the 35" kevlars without re gear though.
It was with me for 150,0000 miles and just over three years before I foolishly decided to sell it for fuel efficiency reasons. I kick myself to this day for that one. It never even broke a CV!

Please excuse all of my glory shots! Anyway yea I sold it, and bought a small Scion FR-S as a daily. Within a few months I found a deal on a 1994 Land Cruiser and hopped on it!

 

[kolbydmc]

The 94 received the 35's from the FJ (I kept from the sale) it had been ragged out but only had 134,000 miles. My dad and I installed a J lift and got a white paint job (it was green).

Kept it for about a year before selling to try out a Lexus GX470 (Somewhat of a mistake)

I picked up a 06' GX470 completely stock and had big visions with it.

It just had one huge flaw, the 8" rear. My Fj had the 8.2 and I wheeled the piss out of it and never had one issue, the second time I took the GX out the inevitable happened... SNAP

I had to abandon it on a trail overnight after my group tried for about 2 hours to recover it. The next day some friendly jeepers came along and spent half their day helping me get it out. My buddy had to give me a tug home.

The GX drove great on the road and was alright offroad but it was just too weak for my needs. Back to an 80 it is! (Next Post)

 

[kolbydmc]

I was over the GX at this point and wanted another 80, as you see I caught the bug that I see many of others have this forum have. TOYOTA FEVER

I have also been trying to recover that feeling I had with the FJ as it was "The One" Many Foolish decisions along the way and more to come.


I had been lurking on the classifieds section for a few weeks as I had found a buyer for the GX and found a clean 3x Locked 1996 LX450 in San Jose, CA for sell by a fellow Mud Member. Of course, you guessed it, I hopped on it. My Dad and I flew to Oakland from Houston, Texas with cash and a mission and drove the 80 straight back non stop 1,800 miles and 28 hours. Back in time for work Monday morning.

That following summer (this passed summer) it made the yearly jambo trip and took me again to Moab, UT and Ouray, CO.

I might do a write up on here from that moab/ouray trip as I haven't posted much of it. Life came up and I needed to get rid of it as I had two cars that I couldn't afford. Between the 2016 Corolla and this cruiser one had to go, and as you see I made the wrong choice.

I thought I wasn't going to be wheeling for a few years and that was scary. I was blessed with a raise and promotion at my workplace a few months after the sell of that cruiser so the first thing I did was sell the corolla so I could get back into it. Thank you for sticking with me through that little retrospective, I only posted out that timeline (2011-2019) Since No truck since my first one had a thread. Now to talk about this current cruiser!

 

[lost10mm]

You had me from hello. Looking forward to reading the rest. Quick question: what did you decide on for paint on your vehicles and what was the price range? I'm buying an 80 next weekend and considering a fresh paint job since it'll be my daily, but I do plan on wheeling it quite a bit and don't want to fork out a ton of money on paint that will acquire some custom pinstriping on the trails.

 

[kolbydmc]

As I said above my buddy was selling a clean 80 he had only had for a few months, and my eyes were on it since he bought it.

This one will be my daily driver from now on and please stick around to see it grow! I'll be posting prior trip reports here as well. Stay tuned.

 

[kolbydmc]

You had me from hello. Looking forward to reading the rest. Quick question: what did you decide on for paint on your vehicles and what was the price range? I'm buying an 80 next weekend and considering a fresh paint job since it'll be my daily, but I do plan on wheeling it quite a bit and don't want to fork out a ton of money on paint that will acquire some custom pinstriping on the trails.

Haha good! I used Macco and they only charged $700-$900 each time. They did a good enough job to satisfy what I needed. However, I have seen my first truck around town recently and that paint looks awful now, but it has been 9 years!

 

[Bludozer]

Welcome Have become more partial to the LX variants as of late. Nice truck!

 

[tacocat]

I bet the GX axle was a result of the extra weight and torque from the V8. They're good trucks, just seriously ugly. FJCs are cool rigs, but I do not miss the rear barn door or the rear clamshell doors that always wanted to slam on you when parked off camber. You also couldn't roll both windows down unless you wore a hat.

 

[kolbydmc]

Welcome Have become more partial to the LX variants as of late. Nice truck!

Thank you! I love the way they look, but they also look really good deflared! Thinking about it...

 

[kolbydmc]

I bet the GX axle was a result of the extra weight and torque from the V8. They're good trucks, just seriously ugly. FJCs are cool rigs, but I do not miss the rear barn door or the rear clamshell doors that always wanted to slam on you when parked off camber. You also couldn't roll both windows down unless you wore a hat.

It has been debated several times over on GXOR, I know it would've been a great truck with tat 8.2 rear. Super good truck, just not for me. And your reasons for not liking the FJ are the reasons I haven't gone back! They for sure have their flaws.

 

[BILT4ME]

This one will be my daily driver from now on and please stick around to see it grow! I'll be posting prior trip reports here as well. Stay tuned.

I'll bet you said that about every other truck you owned........

Until you sold it!

Looks to me like you've thrown a ton of money at some other trucks just to get rid of them........

 

[tacocat]

I picked up one of the first ones in California back in October 2006. I hear the 2010+ with the updated engine are quite a bit better. The GX had the same stupid rear door.

They really sucked during winter steelhead season as all the snow and rain would get on your stuff.

 

[OffRoadScott]

Good looking rig. Looking forward to seeing where this build goes.

 

[kolbydmc]

I'll bet you said that about every other truck you owned........

Until you sold it!

Looks to me like you've thrown a ton of money at some other trucks just to get rid of them........

As I’ve said above, stupid decisions have been made. Self awareness is the first step!

 

[patrickk]

One things like about the 80 vs the FJC, is the complete lack of blind spots in the 80. Other than the tire hanging off the back of the truck... I felt like I was in an MRAP inside my FJC.

 

[kolbydmc]

One things like about the 80 vs the FJC, is the complete lack of blind spots in the 80. Other than the tire hanging off the back of the truck... I felt like I was in an MRAP inside my FJC.

I did love feeling like the FJ was a tank, but being able to see is nice. And I love the rear sliding windows!

 

[kolbydmc]

Recently installed an ebay snorkel.

Threw out the crappy rivets and used some screws along with 3M Marine adhesive.

This being the second ebay snorkel install on an 80 that I've installed, I've noticed that both times I was unable to re align the air box to fit in its three mounting points due to the lack of a bend in the supplied snorkel rubber hose. I chopped this ones hose down a bit to make it fit the best I could. I also found it quite impossible to reach the back two or three bolts at all to property mount it. Overall you cant beat $60-$80 in my opinion and it's firmly mounted up!

 

[kolbydmc]

My local cruiser group decided to take a run up to Barnwell Mountain Rec area for the weekend. Ironically enough, my previous land cruiser with it's new owner was apart of the group! I got to follow and admire it all weekend.

Arrival at camp.

Made the decision to sleep in the truck for the weekend as my trailer project lacks a RTT set up for now!

Set up camp and hit the trails for a night run.

 

[kolbydmc]

Morning views ~~

I was quite cold through the night but my "sounds for sleeping" got me through! As you can see below, Oscar was a warm and toasty boy that woke up happy thanks to his buddy heater.

After some Jimmy Dean frozen breakfast on the camp stove, we re grouped with the rest of our pack that had just arrived at the park.

Now for some glory shots.