88 Land Cruiser - new to LC (1 Viewer)

[VentoGT]

I think a dark tint would look good or a light tint. I haven't tinted my windows as I think there is enough garbage in them to scratch the tint but maybe when I mod my window motors I'll do it...my passenger window almost refused to roll down earlier today at all

 

[wfdeacon88]

Still raining... Second week in a row. But this is another picture for reference to potential window tint. I don't want it to look unnatural, but definitely think some potential to improve it with some tint.

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[VentoGT]

Tint will look good--I say do it

 

[wfdeacon88]

Tint will look good--I say do it

Thanks. Just wanted to confirm this with you experts.

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[hks3sgte]

Please don't tint the windows.

 

[jhanger]

Great looking cruiser. Before you start modding, think hard about what you want to do with the rig and then go make it happen. GBOGH!! J/k. This is truly the best site for information. Find other cruiser enthusiasts in your area too. Once you get it the way you want it, you'll not want to drive the 4 runner again. For comparison, I'm running 33's on 2.5" OME. I get about 9 mpg and smile every time I'm at the pump!!

Fun in the sunowmud

• jhanger
• Dec 30, 2015

Just a few ruts ...

 

[wfdeacon88]

Great looking cruiser. Before you start modding, think hard about what you want to do with the rig and then go make it happen. GBOGH!! J/k. This is truly the best site for information. Find other cruiser enthusiasts in your area too. Once you get it the way you want it, you'll not want to drive the 4 runner again. For comparison, I'm running 33's on 2.5" OME. I get about 9 mpg and smile every time I'm at the pump!!

Fun in the sunowmud

• jhanger
• Dec 30, 2015

Just a few ruts ...

Agreed, I def don't want to heavily modify it, or eliminate the classic look/stock nostalgia.. But I'm thinking some non-permanent but functional improvements will get it where I need it.

Slightly larger tires, maybe 31st.
Suspension.
Tint. Must be tasteful and still "match" the stock feel, but get rid of the completely clear feeling now that just feels odd to me.

No rush to do any of those as its perfectly fine as is, but it's nice to have some future plans to research and save for.

Noob question, but what are some of the aspects of these trucks that make them the tanks they are? Just want to be more familiar with its capabilites. For example, want to know the strengths vs the 4runner in certain conditions (besides the fact it's entirely more fun to drive obviously ). I've obviously heard the reliability is unmatched by most anything in its class which is awesome.

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[jhanger]

I've only had mine for a little over a year, so Im just past the noob stage and still learning. So far while offloading, I have yet to meet a hill that i could not climb (usually in 2wd), I have been in some really soft, deep mud and never had to be pulled out or use my winch. Mine had 33" mud tires when i bought it, but they screamed down the highway so I bought 33" Cooper Discoverer tires. I haven't seen any difference in offroad performance. I'm not into crawling, but I like hitting the trails and muddles. I think what sets them apart is the low end traction. my 4x4 chevys and cj-5 have been stuck in mud that the cruiser just glides right through. But there are so many guys on here that can tell you everything about these rigs: what they can and can't do (not much). You've got such low miles on yours that you shouldn't have to worry about major upgrades/rebuilds until you're well over the 200K mile mark. I'd definitely do what Lambcrusher suggested and if you go 33's or bigger, then you will need to re-gear her as she will feel underpowered (i'm having 4.88's installed as we speak as well my front and rear axles rebuilt just because its time). Enjoy!

ps Best advice I can give is get your WIFE to love her, then she won't mind when you drop a grand a few times in her!!

 

[jwh2m]

Deacon, I have a similar situation to you- I bought mine, an '89 FJ62, that was planned as a retirement vehicle, preserved well in a garage with regular maintenance for 15 years (!). I saw her sitting as in my pic at a local garage, the wrench told me all about it, and knew a good bit about the owner, the truck, and the 62 in general. Bought her with a little over 93K miles, have put 2000 on it in 5 months. I am sitting on stock wheels and stock-sized tires. So far, belts and an alternator, upgrade of the A/C to HFC coolant, upgrade of the head unit, slip covers from SOR, 2" receiver hitch (bike rack), and a 3 bar Yakima rooftop system (for all my yakima rooftop toys). I DD it, and I have come to agree with the sentiment here- figure out what you want from it and enjoy it. I am determined to keep it pretty stock, as everything I have done is un-doable, if that's a word. I have gotten used to hustling it along when needed and using momentum to keep up with traffic. I can pile my kids into it and go camping (just got back, in fact). I would love to do an OME lift, but my suspension works well (boony-bouncing, anyone?), so I am not going to really think about that until a leaf goes. I am looking forward, sort of, to new tires, as the old ones seem a bit out of round, and I will continue to search and use these great folks on MUD to find things out. I swear, I am going to get the oil galley plug fixed, guys. Mine has tint behind the driver's side windows, and that is actually helpful. Cooler, and more secure. Becomes a bit of a lifestyle, really- you end up telling the story of your truck so often to interested folks that it can start to sound a little rehearsed. Only thing- reading threads on IH8MUD on things you can or should be doing to the truck can get a bit stressful after a few hours. Not everything is possible on a regular basis, unless you are a professional mechanic or similar. I have to remind myself of that occasionally. Welcome and enjoy that ride!

 

[wfdeacon88]

Question... These are the tires on it.

They look literally new... Maybe a few miles on them. Is it feasible to go to a tire place and attempt to trade these in towards some 31s? If so, what type of place is best to go to? A mom and pop type place I assume, or a tire rack type place?

Any idea if these have any sort of value? I just don't like how they look too small for the size of the truck.

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[wfdeacon88]

No idea why they posted upside down.. gives me a headache looking at it. My apologies.

 

[jhanger]

No idea why they posted upside down.. gives me a headache looking at it. My apologies.

Maybe a privately owned, local tire shop might give you some credit for those tires, but you'll probably get more money just listing them on craigslist.

 

[collk22]

@wfdeacon88 Welcome and congrats on your new purchase. I'm also a fellow Demon Deacon (class of 06) so to the Deacs!

As to your question about strengths of the FJ62 vs your '15 4Runner - I think you'd be hard pressed to find any significant, objective advantages of the FJ62 over the 4Runner. The comfort, technology, power, etc., of the 4Runner far exceed what the 62 brings to the table. That said, the 62 is always going to be more fun to drive, as long as you don't mind slowing down a little Accept the 62 for what it is, what it's limitations are, and enjoy the hell out of driving it.

I drove mine from Charleston to Arizona, through Colorado to Jackson, WY, and back in September - 30 days living out of that thing and it was great!

 

[wfdeacon88]

@wfdeacon88 Welcome and congrats on your new purchase. I'm also a fellow Demon Deacon (class of 06) so [emoji481] to the Deacs!

As to your question about strengths of the FJ62 vs your '15 4Runner - I think you'd be hard pressed to find any significant, objective advantages of the FJ62 over the 4Runner. The comfort, technology, power, etc., of the 4Runner far exceed what the 62 brings to the table. That said, the 62 is always going to be more fun to drive, as long as you don't mind slowing down a little Accept the 62 for what it is, what it's limitations are, and enjoy the hell out of driving it.

I drove mine from Charleston to Arizona, through Colorado to Jackson, WY, and back in September - 30 days living out of that thing and it was great!

That sounds like an incredible trip. Thanks for the info. Looking forward to driving it on some trips this winter to the NC mountains.

Cheers and go deacs ....it has been a rough few years to be a wake fan though!

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[collk22]

Also, You might want to check out the Olde North State Cruisers sub forum under the "clubs" section - lots of knowledge available through those guys and you might be close to one of the chapters.

 

[gregnash]

@wfdeacon88 Welcome and congrats on your new purchase. I'm also a fellow Demon Deacon (class of 06) so to the Deacs!

As to your question about strengths of the FJ62 vs your '15 4Runner - I think you'd be hard pressed to find any significant, objective advantages of the FJ62 over the 4Runner. The comfort, technology, power, etc., of the 4Runner far exceed what the 62 brings to the table. That said, the 62 is always going to be more fun to drive, as long as you don't mind slowing down a little Accept the 62 for what it is, what it's limitations are, and enjoy the hell out of driving it.

I drove mine from Charleston to Arizona, through Colorado to Jackson, WY, and back in September - 30 days living out of that thing and it was great!

Couldn't agree more... They are two completely different vehicles from two very different era of driving. Back for the 62 55mph was the legal speedlimit on most highways and that was considered fast in anything but a small sports car.

We have an '11 4Runner SR5 and my 60, both are used for very different criteria though we love them both. The 60 is our dirty mountain biking, hiking, beach day, dog hauling, camping rig where as the 4Runner is our long distance driver, commuter and "family" vehicle. So trying to compare the two as an Apples to Apples comparison won't work, they are like Apples and Pineapples, both have the word "apples" in them but they are VASTLY different.

 

[wfdeacon88]

Couldn't agree more... They are two completely different vehicles from two very different era of driving. Back for the 62 55mph was the legal speedlimit on most highways and that was considered fast in anything but a small sports car.

We have an '11 4Runner SR5 and my 60, both are used for very different criteria though we love them both. The 60 is our dirty mountain biking, hiking, beach day, dog hauling, camping rig where as the 4Runner is our long distance driver, commuter and "family" vehicle. So trying to compare the two as an Apples to Apples comparison won't work, they are like Apples and Pineapples, both have the word "apples" in them but they are VASTLY different.

yeah I definitely know that they aren't comparable in terms of use, ride, function, etc.. I was moreso just interested in the 4x4 effectiveness for around town 'difficulties' that might happen.. like 5 inches of snow in town, would the LC do better in terms of navigating around town, going up hills on snow, etc. Probably no difference, but was just curious which one I would choose to drive 30 mins to work in the snow, slush.

 

[gregnash]

See now that is all personal preference. There really is not difference in the kind of situation unless there is a huge difference in how the two vehicles are setup. If they are setup reasonably the same, no real lift, no super mudders on one and All-Season tires on another, then you should be just fine in either. With all the weather we have been having here (couple mornings waking up to 3"+ on the ground) I have been driving the 4Runner but that is because my 60 has been down. Is one more "sure-footed" than the other, I don't think so they both have done great in the same offroad scenarios that I have put them through. The 4Runner has the extra luxury but I love my 60 and seriously miss not being able to drive it for the last 4wks.

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

Nice looking rig wfdeacon88.
that is a nice and clean truck. install a trans cooler on it to keep that auto tranny cool. i ride on 32 inch BFG's without any modification. although i am due for a new suspension. that is a great color!
congrats and enjoy!

 

[wfdeacon88]

Nice looking rig wfdeacon88.
that is a nice and clean truck. install a trans cooler on it to keep that auto tranny cool. i ride on 32 inch BFG's without any modification. although i am due for a new suspension. that is a great color!
congrats and enjoy!

Great color indeed! Yeah one day I will get some of those tires.. They look great.

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