What started out as a donor vehicle purchase for my 97 LX has now turned into a resurrection project. I originally picked Swamp Thing out of the woods where it sat for 4 years as it was one of the infamous "ran when parked" vehicles. At the time, I was looking for some donor parts, rocker, panels, and a frame portion (thanks New England roads) so I really didn't care what the driveline was like.
I went and looked and it was very solid, straight, only had minimal surface rust underneath and originally hailed from Georgia, but it had a few issues. The window was left down for a few years letting the funk of 4 seasons wreak havok on the gray leather interior and essentially turning it into a moldy mouse brothel. The owner originally parked it due to an electrical issue that kept draining the battery and the transmission would only shift manually. All that didn't matter, I needed the skeleton.
Fast forward a week and I get it home where my wife immediately questions my sanity. I tell her, it's just parts, I'll strip it and it'll be gone. So I power washed the dark emerald exterior and it seemed to have a little life left to it. I hogged out the interior in a hazmat suit then roll it into the garage to put it on jacks. Underneath was surprisingly clean for a vehicle that even sniffed New England and I started to feel a little guilt creep in about cutting it up. I figured, maybe I should see if it will run.
I put a battery in and tried to fire it up. Turned over good, had great compression, but no spark, no fuel. I did remove the mouse condo from the air filter prior to trying. Bad fusible link. Replaced that and a shot of starting fluid and it started right up coughing out years of nests, skeletons, and acorns that were stuffed way up in the tail pipe. A little fresh gas and it sounded beautiful with only 200k on the clock. Smoother than my 97 with 257k. Now I REALLY felt bad if I was going to cut this up.
Now I needed a plan. The driveway was getting full and I was getting the hairy eyeball from the wife about the collection of vehicles. So I came up with my plan and this is where I'm going to track it. I sold my triple locked 97 LX450 to fund this adventure!
What it is:
1993 Land Cruiser, Dark Emerald Green with Gray interior. Rear drum semi-float rear end. Stock everything.
The goal!
Originally I was going to work on the interior and a few gremlins then run it. Working with my friend, who is also a Land Cruiser guy, the plan that had started to come together was now a little bigger than I planned. What's on deck now? Full rust remediation and paint underneath and inside. The floors have surface rust in a few areas from the years of weather inside so everything is getting stripped, sanded, treated, and painted. We also picked up a donor 3x locked 94 with a blown motor that will supply me new front and rear axles along with everything needed to add the lockers. 2" Ironman lift, new 285/75/16 sneakers (TBD), new front seats...something comfy enough for road trips and trails. Fingers are crossed to this on the road for spring! Join me in my nightmare!!!
I went and looked and it was very solid, straight, only had minimal surface rust underneath and originally hailed from Georgia, but it had a few issues. The window was left down for a few years letting the funk of 4 seasons wreak havok on the gray leather interior and essentially turning it into a moldy mouse brothel. The owner originally parked it due to an electrical issue that kept draining the battery and the transmission would only shift manually. All that didn't matter, I needed the skeleton.
Fast forward a week and I get it home where my wife immediately questions my sanity. I tell her, it's just parts, I'll strip it and it'll be gone. So I power washed the dark emerald exterior and it seemed to have a little life left to it. I hogged out the interior in a hazmat suit then roll it into the garage to put it on jacks. Underneath was surprisingly clean for a vehicle that even sniffed New England and I started to feel a little guilt creep in about cutting it up. I figured, maybe I should see if it will run.
I put a battery in and tried to fire it up. Turned over good, had great compression, but no spark, no fuel. I did remove the mouse condo from the air filter prior to trying. Bad fusible link. Replaced that and a shot of starting fluid and it started right up coughing out years of nests, skeletons, and acorns that were stuffed way up in the tail pipe. A little fresh gas and it sounded beautiful with only 200k on the clock. Smoother than my 97 with 257k. Now I REALLY felt bad if I was going to cut this up.
Now I needed a plan. The driveway was getting full and I was getting the hairy eyeball from the wife about the collection of vehicles. So I came up with my plan and this is where I'm going to track it. I sold my triple locked 97 LX450 to fund this adventure!
What it is:
1993 Land Cruiser, Dark Emerald Green with Gray interior. Rear drum semi-float rear end. Stock everything.
The goal!
Originally I was going to work on the interior and a few gremlins then run it. Working with my friend, who is also a Land Cruiser guy, the plan that had started to come together was now a little bigger than I planned. What's on deck now? Full rust remediation and paint underneath and inside. The floors have surface rust in a few areas from the years of weather inside so everything is getting stripped, sanded, treated, and painted. We also picked up a donor 3x locked 94 with a blown motor that will supply me new front and rear axles along with everything needed to add the lockers. 2" Ironman lift, new 285/75/16 sneakers (TBD), new front seats...something comfy enough for road trips and trails. Fingers are crossed to this on the road for spring! Join me in my nightmare!!!
. Still need to pull the headliner which I’m dreading. I can feel nests up there. Debating on fixing the wiring harness or throwing a new one in. Also some of the extra wires I found that were laying live in miscellaneous areas.
. She likes this one and can already see driving it. So that’s it in a nutshell.
