Builds 1997 FzJ80 - Let's Begin a Baseline!

[DirtyPepper]

Will get your knuckles rebuild next month I’m booked out this month. Maybe we can poke around for your electrical gremlins while I watch you clean parts and drink beer!

Soooooo, it’ll be like being 15 again in the garage with my father…only he drank Diet Coke and not beer

Hey, whenever you have the time!
I know you're busy...I saw the thread with that engine update.

I'm definitely game to have those gremlins stabbed.

Let me know what beer you like and I'll bring it!

 

[FMC80]

Man, you’re just rubbing it in at this point

 

[DirtyPepper]

I’m envious that you have so many resources nearby and at your disposal.

Good work working you way to get your cruiser back to its former glory.

Thanks!

Yeah, I don't want to do an over the top build - either a 2' lift or OEM springs/shocks...BUT, I'm planning on a sleeping platform/cargo drawer system that my buddy is designing, so I'll probably need something more "heavy", especially with the swing out tire carrier; I've had her for seven years and I'm finally in a position in my life where I can baseline first and then build.

 

[DirtyPepper]

UPDATE:

Got my '97 back from the glass shop - they kept it over the long weekend to test the main windshield gasket. They went above and beyond to verify that the windshield gasket is not the issue with letting water in.

A few weeks back I did something I didn't want to do and that was to seal up the sunroof with both Flextape and Gorilla weather tape...but only the sides and rear because I figured the front was fine and sealed without issue. Plus, it was covered by the wind deflector. With the amount of rain we had over a week AND mix in the fact that it slowly froze, the shop pinpointed the culprit as the front part of the sunroof allowing water in. Since I have an electrical gremlin(s) present the sunroof won't open or close so they aren't sure if it's just not sealed all the way or if the seal is bad. They noted that the front seal looks good, but have no way of knowing 100% since the other three sides have Tape on it (yeah, yeah, I know...)

SO...they surmise that water filled the drains and slowly froze...since new water had nowhere to go, it filled the pan slowly enough to slowly freeze also, but still overflowed...then that froze...AND THEN since the temperatures bounced back up, it all melted...fast, causing my own flood system.

They pulled as much water out of the floorboards as possible...she's still damp right now, but...at least i know the front windshield gasket is good and held under 90 PSI of air.

I have to mention that the shop went above and beyond to make sure the matter was resolved on their end. I wasn't even charged a diagnostic fee.

Once home, I grabbed a screwdriver and went to take the front wind deflector off of the sunroof so I could seal it up.

And that's when I found out the PO had the visor off at one point ...which means I don't know if he had done anything janky to the sunroof. The DS screw was stock, down to the little plastic rivet in the metal fastener but the PS was a star bolt/screw with an incorrect sized nut holding it on the underside. And...the screw is stripped. And the nut is rusted so bad, it won't move. So, it's doused and sitting. I was able to move the deflector enough to get flex tape on the front...it's sealed and SEEMS to be holding. We had more rain last night and upon inspection this morning, it appears to have held back the water.

No pics of the seal but I'll try to add them later today.


Once summer comes around and provided the electrical gremlins are taken care of (February appointment) and everything seals as it should, I'll update the carpet and do the sound dampening mod...maybe throw in updated seats also.

***

I also added the dual cup holder from @bhicks once the sunroof was sealed and I'm super happy with it.

Small steps forward are still steps forward

 

[avdeveloper]

Thanks for the update. I just opened my driver side door and found chunks of ice and water on the side and the carpet is damp. Looks like I'll have to take mine to a glass shop for this diagnosis and not my neighbor who just replaced the windshield of my other car on the driveway?

 

[DirtyPepper]

Thanks for the update. I just opened my driver side door and found chunks of ice and water on the side and the carpet is damp. Looks like I'll have to take mine to a glass shop for this diagnosis and not my neighbor who just replaced the windshield of my other car on the driveway?

Hope you get it figured out!

Definitely check your sunroof drains also...they might be clogged.

Something the glass shop noted...as they do most of ther Land Cruisers in the Portland area (including 60/62 models), they noted that if a shop does the gasket that doesn't follow the FSM and water gets in and then freezes, it'll crack the gasket. That's why they pressure tested mine to 90 psi...and since that held, and they let water fall (on a decline) for over 30 minutes with no trace...they went with it coming from the sunroof.

I hope that also helps with the diagnosis!

 

[avdeveloper]

Hope you get it figured out!

Definitely check your sunroof drains also...they might be clogged.

Something the glass shop noted...as they do most of ther Land Cruisers in the Portland area (including 60/62 models), they noted that if a shop does the gasket that doesn't follow the FSM and water gets in and then freezes, it'll crack the gasket. That's why they pressure tested mine to 90 psi...and since that held, and they let water fall (on a decline) for over 30 minutes with no trace...they went with it coming from the sunroof.

I hope that also helps with the diagnosis!

I checked my sunroof and I did notice a plastic trim cracked off. I wonder if ice broke that or it has been broken before. I'll go get the windshield gasket replaced. That hasn't been replaced since we got it. It most likely is still the original lol

 

[DirtyPepper]

A much deserved UPDATE.

This was a big one off the “To Do” list for me.
Shout out to the shop I went to who deals specifically with auto electrics. The three guys there have a combined 100+ years of working in the auto industry, predominantly on auto electronics.

Three hours and the issue was resolved. I’ve had the Land Cruiser almost 8 years and except for a brief moment after it coming home, the windows have never gone down. The sunroof hasn’t opened, either. The radio would occasionally work but a few years ago it just completely stopped. The clock would work from time to time, same with the cigarette lighter (for charging)…gauges would work but not the gauge lughts. AC controls all worked and so did those lights…door lights worked but two of the three dome lights wouldn’t…door locks would lock themselves…mirrors wouldn’t move…a whole bunch of electrical gremlins seemed to have found a home…until this past Friday.

After years of not having any of the above mentioned…it’s all been fixed. In the span of three hours, I now have the ability to drive home with my windows down and it’s great! I’ll need to replace the motors (I think) as they are SLOW to come up, even with some spray silicone. And three of the five door lock actuators are bad…no big deal since I was locking it manually anyways.

This was one BIG thing of a “To Do” to check off the list. I’m a lot more comfortable heading out on a trail now that I can charge a phone and bring the window down to talk to a spotter or watch the trail on the side.

The problem?

Water corrosion…mostly. Which was due to the sunroof not being sealed due to it not having power. All of the behind the dash, at the kick panel, and at the fuse box electrical points were cleaned, and with power restored to the sunroof, the 1/16 inch that was opened (and flex taped) is now sealed…so, electrical connection points were cleaned of corrosion, a relay that was bad was replaced, and we found WHY the P.O. placed a circuit breaker buss in the fuse panel; a wire in the door panel wiring loom came loose and was leaning on the sharp edge of the door sheet metal under the panel…after almost thirty years, the vibrations cut through the insulation and when the hot wire hit the metal, BAM! it finally fried everything. Hence the breaker. Before finally frying everything it would make contact and simply short things out…hence the intermittent stereo and clock.

Fuse connections were found to be “widened” so that was corrected also.

It’s all fixed now.

I cannot begin to explain how happy I am.

The next “big fix” is the front end knuckle rebuild and then I can get to doing a moderate 2” OME lift and armor

Definitely putting this into the “what did you do with your 80 this weekend”

 

[DirtyPepper]

More photos including the offending wire in the door panel.

I never knew the dash cluster was that dirty until I saw it at night

But since he had the entire cluster out, he went ahead and replaced all the bulbs with new ones as they all were original and “looking real tired”.

 

[DirtyPepper]

 

[DirtyPepper]

UPDATE for 2/18/23:

I'll try to grab and add some photos tomorrow...It started to mist/sprinkle on Saturday morning while we had the sunroof open so my buddy and I were more concerned about getting the lines cleared than getting photos...BUT...I spent Saturday (early) getting the last of the Flex/Gorilla tape off of the sunroof (Yeah, yeah...I know. But it was needed) so we could check the sunroof seal now that the sunroof, actually, you know...closes all the way.

Now that my electronic gremlins are no longer present and with the tape removed I'm happy to say that the sunroof seals completely. Once we verified it sealed properly we opened it back up and checked the drains, and…hoh’boy, were they bad. The drain holes were plugged solid with muck and the pan had so much dirt and debris in it...it literally looked like someone filled a pepper shaker with dirt and shook the dirt into the track and railings. The drain hole was plugged solid; black gray ooze mud sitting there, laughing at both of us as if to say, "Come at me bro..."

And we did...we punched away the muck, wiped the drain openings clean, and then snaked each line with thick wire. Then came back with a double punch of compressed air. The sunroof still closes slower than I would like...most likely need to get into the rails and spray some silicone lubricant, as well as clean the rails. But I'm happy it's now sealed.

And it rained all last night...doesn't seem to be a drop of water or condensation in my rig. This all has appeared to quell my water seepage into the cab/behind the dash/drain to the floorboard.


Next big fix will be the front knuckle rebuild and then I can get to going on pricing sliders and order the rear swing out, get the lift, armor...etc.

 

[DirtyPepper]

UPDATE.

Been on a few local 4x4 runs with the old girl and her handling is amazing considering she's sitting on stock 26 year suspension.

With that in mind, I did take some measurements from the center of the hub to the bottom edge of the wheel wells, per notations in other MUD threads. here are the results:

Front DS: 20.5"
Rear DS: 20.5"
Front PS: 21.5"
Rear PS: 20.5"

So, there's a bit of sagging, but...26 years.

I'm still on the fence about going with the following:

OEM Springs and shocks
OME 2" lift kit (Medium or heavy)
Dobinsons 2.5" lift kit

Still planning on ordering the rear swing out from @GGM - happy to see there are some additions and corner armors being added into the options. I'd planned on ordering at the first of the year but I wanted to get a few other things done first.

I added the VeePeak ODBII reader and tethered it to my old iPhone. I was using THIS OBDII Reader (Android only) and it was tethered to my 10" Samsung Tab-A but it just took up too much real estate; I wanted something closer to eye level...so, I dropped the $30 for VeePeak and $10 for OBD Fusion since Torque Pro doesn't talk to Apple and...I'm really happy. Also picked up a 4K "Action" Cam...I know a lot of people came at me in another FB forum, saying, "Shoulda just bought a GoPro" but honestly, I don't know how much I want to stop and fiddle with a camera set up every 1/4 mile. So, after the $40 coupon they gave me and an additional 20% off, the camera came in at $39 and it's good so far. I'll post video soon.

On 4/19 she goes into the doctor to hook up the stereo.
The PO had installed an entire set of speakers that are stock size and also installed a 250watt Kenwood head unit Which was destroyed by water intrusion), PLUS he installed a 450 watt Kenwood amp, which has been verified as working perfectly. When the electrical gremlins were routed out I had a chance to look at the front door speakers and yep, professionally installed to match the factory. So, PO went to some trouble...so, with the current head unit that a buddy had purchased a while back and never used sitting in the spot (KENWOOD DDX418) the shop is going to hook it all up and see how it sounds. I'm of the opinion that if the PO went to all the trouble of finding correct sized speakers AND installed an amp of that size...it SHOULD be OK. And if not, I have new speakers ready to go from Amazon.

The shop will also put in the Center Diff Lock OEM button (and do the mod) I ordered as well as add a front/rear facing camera and USB port.

I'd install them myself but I don't have a garage.

Front Knuckle Rebuild
Still pending but I'm debating picking up a new set of birfs also. Mine aren't clicking but...I don't really want to have to do the knuckles again once I'm in there and then everything is buttoned up. But, we'll see how they look when I pull them out. Who knows, maybe the PO did them. I know the PO replaced the fuel filter, valve cover gasket, and u-joints prior to my taking ownership, at least, this is the presumption form my shop as they've noted these items "look too new" to be original, and, "Hey, at least they used OEM parts!". And since *I* didn't replace them, the assumption that the PO did stands (at around 199k miles when purchased...currently at 222,xxx miles)

Summer Project
I've been thinking about pulling the carpet and replacing it. With so many years of water intrusion the carpet is a sad shade of its former self. With that in mind, I've been watching a thread by @dnp - looks like they offer a really good carpet set for the 80 that a lot of people like. If I do this, I'll do the sound deadening mats/insulation, and since the seats will be out, I'll probably replace the fronts with either a set from a Jetta or an Audi A4s that I can pull from any of the local yards near me. Although, I do wonder if the seats form a same year Camry or LS400 might fit directly...?


And hey, if you're following this thread, thanks for reading and adding any comments. And as always, the MUD community is amazing.





Thanks,

 

[avdeveloper]

UPDATE.

Been on a few local 4x4 runs with the old girl and her handling is amazing considering she's sitting on stock 26 year suspension.

With that in mind, I did take some measurements from the center of the hub to the bottom edge of the wheel wells, per notations in other MUD threads. here are the results:

Front DS: 20.5"
Rear DS: 20.5"
Front PS: 21.5"
Rear PS: 20.5"

So, there's a bit of sagging, but...26 years.

I'm still on the fence about going with the following:

OEM Springs and shocks
OME 2" lift kit (Medium or heavy)
Dobinsons 2.5" lift kit

Still planning on ordering the rear swing out from @GGM - happy to see there are some additions and corner armors being added into the options. I'd planned on ordering at the first of the year but I wanted to get a few other things done first.

I added the VeePeak ODBII reader and tethered it to my old iPhone. I was using THIS OBDII Reader (Android only) and it was tethered to my 10" Samsung Tab-A but it just took up too much real estate; I wanted something closer to eye level...so, I dropped the $30 for VeePeak and $10 for OBD Fusion since Torque Pro doesn't talk to Apple and...I'm really happy. Also picked up a 4K "Action" Cam...I know a lot of people came at me in another FB forum, saying, "Shoulda just bought a GoPro" but honestly, I don't know how much I want to stop and fiddle with a camera set up every 1/4 mile. So, after the $40 coupon they gave me and an additional 20% off, the camera came in at $39 and it's good so far. I'll post video soon.

On 4/19 she goes into the doctor to hook up the stereo.
The PO had installed an entire set of speakers that are stock size and also installed a 250watt Kenwood head unit Which was destroyed by water intrusion), PLUS he installed a 450 watt Kenwood amp, which has been verified as working perfectly. When the electrical gremlins were routed out I had a chance to look at the front door speakers and yep, professionally installed to match the factory. So, PO went to some trouble...so, with the current head unit that a buddy had purchased a while back and never used sitting in the spot (KENWOOD DDX418) the shop is going to hook it all up and see how it sounds. I'm of the opinion that if the PO went to all the trouble of finding correct sized speakers AND installed an amp of that size...it SHOULD be OK. And if not, I have new speakers ready to go from Amazon.

The shop will also put in the Center Diff Lock OEM button (and do the mod) I ordered as well as add a front/rear facing camera and USB port.

I'd install them myself but I don't have a garage.

Front Knuckle Rebuild
Still pending but I'm debating picking up a new set of birfs also. Mine aren't clicking but...I don't really want to have to do the knuckles again once I'm in there and then everything is buttoned up. But, we'll see how they look when I pull them out. Who knows, maybe the PO did them. I know the PO replaced the fuel filter, valve cover gasket, and u-joints prior to my taking ownership, at least, this is the presumption form my shop as they've noted these items "look too new" to be original, and, "Hey, at least they used OEM parts!". And since *I* didn't replace them, the assumption that the PO did stands (at around 199k miles when purchased...currently at 222,xxx miles)

Summer Project
I've been thinking about pulling the carpet and replacing it. With so many years of water intrusion the carpet is a sad shade of its former self. With that in mind, I've been watching a thread by @dnp - looks like they offer a really good carpet set for the 80 that a lot of people like. If I do this, I'll do the sound deadening mats/insulation, and since the seats will be out, I'll probably replace the fronts with either a set from a Jetta or an Audi A4s that I can pull from any of the local yards near me. Although, I do wonder if the seats form a same year Camry or LS400 might fit directly...?


And hey, if you're following this thread, thanks for reading and adding any comments. And as always, the MUD community is amazing.





Thanks,

I too wish I had a garage. The cost of getting some of these things done at the shop would have gotten me a nice car shed installed next to the house.

 

[DirtyPepper]

I too wish I had a garage. The cost of getting some of these things done at the shop would have gotten me a nice car shed installed next to the house.

Yeah, I get that. I haven't dumped a lot into mine yet (just parts costs as I've been doing the work myself) but still...it's a pretty chunk of change that I could put someplace else. But, she's one of my "Babies", the other being my DD (2011 Avalon Limited).

 

[DirtyPepper]

Quick update:

SPEAKERS/SOUND:
A few weeks back the shop inspected the speakers the PO installed. They had some Sony speakers installed that were cut to match the stock speaker cutouts and grill...the front two were good, but the rear door speakers are pretty much toast; they work but, in the sense that there's music. Lots of treble and not a lot of bass, but, something is better than nothing and it's better than the little Bluetooth speaker I utilized. The stock sub was horrible. Moldy, cracked, flaking in other places. The factory amp was also horrendous to look at...New speakers, a sub, are being ordered soon..I'll utilize the PO Kenwood amp they installed (working / 450 watts). Until then, I'm fine with it...I have tunes and that's good. I'm going to wait to do a full speaker update until I yank the carpet out and sound deaden the floor...it'll make running new wires a lot easier with everything out.

CDL / JDM hazard switch & USB port:
Installed the CDL switch, which was easy...just pulled out the SECURITY tab and inserted the CDL switch from a Rav4 (same part number). I was also able to source the JDM Hazard switch...it had to be dremmeled a little to sit flush, but it took about 10 seconds. The cool thing about both switches is that they light up and can be adjusted via the dash light nob on the left. And yes, the red JDM switch triangle is incorrect...this one came out of the Toyota 4x4 van and was vertical. it doesn't bother me. The USB port is courtesy of @Outsane (SolveFunction) and it's really well printed and secure. I'll definitely purchase another one soon!

Dashcam and backup camera:
Installed a good dashcam that records on a continuous loop which also has a camera facing inwards to the driver/passenger. Backup camera works great but I've realized the double Din deck with camera...how it's positioned in the rig doesn't really do anything for me. The backup camera is good to have but, the angle for glare makes it almost impossible to utilize. It's honestly ALMOST made me change my mind in having a double-din stereo with a touch screen and go back to a double-din with no screen...or back to a single-din.

Ignition System Update:
Updating the ignition system over Memorial Day weekend...the OEM wires indicate "2011" on them and I know they'll go for at least 20 years but I want peace of mind so they will be swapped out for OEM again. A buddy of mine keeps telling me to go with either "NKG" or "Magnecor" wires with the latter being more expensive than OEM. I'm going to go the OEM route...I also have OEM plugs, cap, rotor, and dizzy-o

Over the same weekend, I'll also take the time to do an oil change...I'm just over 3k miles since Aug 2022 - I'll send a sample into Blackstone, mostly for peace of mind. I'll also install the Black Rhino side awning (if there's time)...this will be installed into the factory roof/luggage rack. it appears it'll work. I'm just hoping the rails will hold. If anyone has already installed an awing on the factory rails/luggage rack, please let me know if I should proceed or not.


Front Knuckle Rebuild
Still pending


Rear Tire Swing Out (by @GGM )
Hoping to FINALLY make my order either by the end of June or July...I'll order the updated swing out (PS), table, license swap, and LED. Ultimately, I'll also order the secondary swing out for gas cans, but not right now.


My LC shop and I talked at length the last time I was there about the lift and tires. It was advised that I should get all the weight on FIRST, and then we'd install the lift (most likely OME Heavy/Heavy) - the plan is to have the dual rear tire swing out from GGM, a front bull bumper from ARB with winch, and then the back cargo area will be turned into a sleeping deck/drawer system. Once that's all done, or at least the front and rear bumpers, we'll do the 2" OME lift and throw on (most likely) 285's...I still bounce between 285's and 305's...a friend recommended splitting the difference and going with 295's recently.

 

[avdeveloper]

Quick update:

SPEAKERS/SOUND:
A few weeks back the shop inspected the speakers the PO installed. They had some Sony speakers installed that were cut to match the stock speaker cutouts and grill...the front two were good, but the rear door speakers are pretty much toast; they work but, in the sense that there's music. Lots of treble and not a lot of bass, but, something is better than nothing and it's better than the little Bluetooth speaker I utilized. The stock sub was horrible. Moldy, cracked, flaking in other places. The factory amp was also horrendous to look at...New speakers, a sub, are being ordered soon..I'll utilize the PO Kenwood amp they installed (working / 450 watts). Until then, I'm fine with it...I have tunes and that's good. I'm going to wait to do a full speaker update until I yank the carpet out and sound deaden the floor...it'll make running new wires a lot easier with everything out.

CDL / JDM hazard switch:
Installed the CDL switch, which was easy...just pulled out the SECURITY tab and inserted the CDL switch from a Rav4 (same part number). I was also able to source the JDM Hazard switch...it had to be dremmeled a little to sit flush, but it took about 10 seconds. The cool thing about both switches is that they light up and can be adjusted via the dash light nob on the left. And yes, the red JDM switch triangle is incorrect...this one came out of the Toyotha 4x4 van and was vertical. it doesn't bother me.

Dashcam and backup camera:
Installed a good dashcam that records on a continuous loop which also has a camera facing inwards to the driver/passenger. Backup camera works great but I've realized the double Din deck with camera...how it's positioned in the rig doesn't really do anything for me. The backup camera is good to have but, the angle for glare makes it almost impossible to utilize. It's honestly ALMOST made me change my mind in having a double-din stereo with a touch screen and go back to a double-din with no screen...or back to a single-din.

Ignition System Update:
Updating the ignition system over Memorial Day weekend...the OEM wires indicate "2011" on them and I know they'll go for at least 20 years but I want peace of mind so they will be swapped out for OEM again. A buddy of mine keeps telling me to go with either "NKG" or "Magnecor" wires with the latter being more expensive than OEM. I'm going to go the OEM route...I also have OEM plugs, cap, rotor, and dizzy-o

Over the same weekend, I'll also take the time to do an oil change...I'm just over 3k miles since Aug 2022 - I'll send a sample into Blackstone, mostly for peace of mind. I'll also install the Black Rhino side awning (if there's time)...this will be installed into the factory roof/luggage rack. it appears it'll work. I'm just hoping the rails will hold. If anyone has already installed an awing on the factory rails/luggage rack, please let me know if I should proceed or not.


Front Knuckle Rebuild
Still pending


Rear Tire Swing Out (by @GGM )
Hoping to FINALLY make my order either by the end of June or July...I'll order the updated swing out (PS), table, license swap, and LED. Ultimately, I'll also order the secondary swing out for gas cans, but not right now.


My LC shop and I talked at length the last time I was there about the lift and tires. It was advised that I should get all the weight on FIRST, and then we'd install the lift (most likely OME Heavy/Heavy) - the plan is to have the dual rear tire swing out from GGM, a front bull bumper from ARB with winch, and then the back cargo area will be turned into a sleeping deck/drawer system. Once that's all done, or at least the front and rear bumpers, we'll do the 2" OME lift and throw on (most likely) 285's...I still bounce between 285's and 305's...a friend recommended splitting the difference and going with 295's recently.



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Funny, I just ordered the kit from blackstone an hour ago. I'm due for another oil change and I plan to do it myself. I was thinking of refilling it with rotella, but am curious what you plan to use?

 

[DirtyPepper]

Funny, I just ordered the kit from blackstone an hour ago. I'm due for another oil change and I plan to do it myself. I was thinking of refilling it with rotella, but am curious what you plan to use?

When I began baslining last August, I switched to Rotella 15/40 (dino). I did a lot of research about it here on MUD and spoke with my LC shop...it has more zinc in it and, from what I understand, WAY downstream, the negative effect can mabe/kinda-sorta eating your cats...but only after 100k miles (or more) of using nothing but Rotella. The zinc (from what I understand) helps keep the engine a lot more clean.

I'm sure there are others who read this that can confirm or counter that

This next change will be Rotella (again) with the OEM filter.
The OEM filters I picked up via Amazon are in a three pack for $19 (at the time of purchase, Aug 2022)...and I picked up my Rotella via Walmart Online for $14/gallon in Vancouver, WA. the other day which was $3 less than going INSIDE the store to buy it.

 

[avdeveloper]

When I began baslining last August, I switched to Rotella 15/40 (dino). I did a lot of research about it here on MUD and spoke with my LC shop...it has more zinc in it and, from what I understand, WAY downstream, the negative effect can mabe/kinda-sorta eating your cats...but only after 100k miles (or more) of using nothing but Rotella. The zinc (from what I understand) helps keep the engine a lot more clean.

I'm sure there are others who read this that can confirm or counter that

This next change will be Rotella (again) with the OEM filter.
The OEM filters I picked up via Amazon are in a three pack for $19 (at the time of purchase, Aug 2022)...and I picked up my Rotella via Walmart Online for $14/gallon in Vancouver, WA. the other day which was $3 less than going INSIDE the store to buy it.

sweet. I'll go try that. I have a fresh pair of catalytic converters.

 

[DirtyPepper]

5/28/28 and 5/27/23
UPDATE: IGNITION SYSTEM, Front Carpets, & WellVisors

I'm going to break this up into a few posts since I can't add more than a few pics at a time...

I work from home and the day was closed out by 11:30a for the long holiday weekend, so, I did what any normal person would do...I took the Bissell ProPet wet/dry vacuum out to the Cruiser.

I've had the Cruiser since 2015 and in that time, I've done nothing more to cleaning the interior except running a vacuume in it and putting UV protectant on the rntire dash system after cleaning it late lat summer. On friday I took the cleaner to the floormats and front carpets. After three hours, the end result was this:

DS was not clean at this point...PS had been cleaned. Talk about a difference. Now, for context, I watched a video on a Cruiser build a long time ago where the guy mentioned he saved his arm from scrubbing by using an impact drill with a carpet scrubber on it...so, I did that to agitate the carpet (with Purple Power cleaner) and then used the vacuum to soak up all of the dirt. Believe me, it helps having 20v of DeWalt drill moving that brush disc! The water turned out BLACK, most likely due to water intrusion over the years and more than likely mold/mildew deep into the fibers.

 

[DirtyPepper]

5/28/28 and 5/27/23
UPDATE: IGNITION SYSTEM, Front Carpets, & WellVisors Part II

I also changed out the ignition system on Saturday. PO used NGK spark plugs which I changed back to OEM along with an OEM cap/rotor; the wires are OEM and stamped from 2011 (If I remember correctly) so I don't feel a need to change them yet...but I probably will by the end of the summer.

Spark Plug photo in order of Cylinders from left to right: 6-5-4-3-2-1
Not a lot of oil buildup...I've put 24k miles on her in the time I've owned her.

Plugs were super easy to get to and remove...a lot of people seem to note that #6 is a PITA, but only insomuch as it took a little more torque behind it before it cracked free. Outside of that? Easy.

Distributor points were well worn and there was a good amount of corrosion on the rotor.
Also wiped out the intake a little...was surprisingly clean whcih made me happy.
I realized I was about 500 miles over on my oil so I changed that out with another round of Shell Rotella Dino 15-40w with an OEM filter...grabbed a sample after it began to flow out...I'll send that out to Blackstone for analysis.

And "Luna" was there...she's definitely a good girl but not much of a helper.