Builds '97 40th Build (5 Viewers)

[thetoyotaman]

What part number did you use on the pads?

 

[sbman]

I used RAYBESTO SPGD502M Professional Grade; Metallic

More Information for RAYBESTOS PGD502M

I bought them from rock auto for $45

 

[sbman]

Finally time to post some more recent mods.

Installed a harbor freight badlands 12K winch into my costa fabrications bumper @RDC76 . They were on sale for silly money $299 so I couldn't pass it up. Had to notch a factory bracket that holds up the lower valance to get it to clear the winch frame. Also mounted the trans cooler a bit cock-eyed to make room for the winch body.

I put it in backwards, so I later had to swap it side/side. I put the control box in front of the battery.

Very happy with the result.

 

[sbman]

I decide to add a second battery as well. Purchase a used battery box off an early model from a local scrap yard. Relocated the washer bottle with the Slee kit, and installed the box. Just a bit of trimming required to get it to fit around the radiator nicely.

I decide to run the positive lead under the radiator core support for maximum protection. I double insulated it and strapped it to the OEM harness that also runs under there.

Once the core support is back in place, you can't even tell it's there and it's so out of the way you couldn't damage it unless you really tried hard.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Very nice. I saw that same sale on the winch. I was thinking the same on the battery. Where did you ground it?

 

[sbman]

I needed some additional circuits under the hood for things like the dual battery join circuit, my light bar, ARB tiny air compressor (runs the locker) etc... Bought a waterproof bussman relay/fuse box and a whole bunch of metri pak stuff to wire it in. Had a bracket custom fabbed to mount it on top of the cruise control unit. Nice clean install.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Looks great! You should do a write up on how you do wiring.

 

[scottryana]

That is funny, that is exactly the setup I started back in March 2015.... Mine is still in a box somewhere though. haha.

 

[sbman]

The crunchy sound up front ended up being a U-joint going bad on the front drive shaft. Turns out it was vibrating badly also but I hadn't noticed it, the truck drives a lot smoother with the new U-joints.

I also replaced the bearing in the A/C idler pulley, this bearing was making a lot of noise.

I rebuilt a power steering pump and put it in place to eliminate leaks from the back of the pump.

 

[sbman]

I'm looking for the part number for the fuel return hose that exits the fuel pressure regulator on the fuel rail as illustrated:

Offending hose is circled in red have looked at all the parts diagrams and can't find this one.

 

[bryson]

95334-06010 if my Google-fu is right.

 

[sbman]

Finally put some new tires on the Cruiser. I've been running Duratracs since I got the cruiser and frankly, I hated them. The thing is they lasted a long time. They were incredibly noisy, vibrated, tracked poorly, the worst tires I've ever had on any vehicle. I had them because I bought some LX 450 wheels that came with a couple of brand new ones, so I bought two matching ones to have a full set. What a mistake.

I went with BFG K02 in 285 75R16 on the same LX450 wheels. It's like driving an entirely different vehicle, so much smoother and better handling. I can hear all kinds of things now, like the engine, the stereo, sometimes even my kids talking to me. Previously all I could hear was the roar of the lugs on the duratracs (which wore terribly unevenly). It's like I've been driving on gears instead of tires all this time. Why did I wait so long?

 

[OREGON85]

Haha! I have Duratracs on mine and love them. If you asked me what I like about them I’d mention how quite and smooth they are. That said the Duratracs are the least aggressive tire I have ever owned, so maybe it is just a matter of perspective.

 

[Road Apple]

• Depo glass headlights and LED bulbs

If you’re going to install Depos, highly suggest taking the extra step to load them with HID’s. Bought mine from the Retrofit Source. Couldn’t be happier with the huge improvement in light. The beam cutoff helps out drivers coming your way.

 

[sbman]

Haha! I have Duratracs on mine and love them. If you asked me what I like about them I’d mention how quite and smooth they are. That said the Duratracs are the least aggressive tire I have ever owned, so maybe it is just a matter of perspective.

Yes I'm a the other end of that, Duratracs were the most aggressive tire I've had. The wear patterns were terrible which from my understanding can be improved with very frequent tire rotations. I also found the sidewalls to be unacceptably weak, having suffered a puncture at the hands of a small stick that wouldn't have hurt my normal walking shoes.

If you’re going to install Depos, highly suggest taking the extra step to load them with HID’s. Bought mine from the Retrofit Source. Couldn’t be happier with the huge improvement in light. The beam cutoff helps out driver coming your way.

That was a long time ago, hadn't thought about the Depos in a while. If I do a conversion, I'll definitely factor in the light pattern to not blind oncoming drivers. I'm seeing a barrage of people 'upgrading' their headlights (locally, in a wide range of makes/models, cars and SUVs) and blinding everyone by doing it poorly, and not giving a crap, it's rude and obnoxious.

 

[sbman]

After not much work on the cruiser for the past couple of years, I had a bunch of stuff that needed to be addressed and spent the last couple of months completing a bunch of deferred projects.

• Starter solenoid not working part of the time (rebuilt starter w/OEM parts)
• Misfire and rough idle (Replaced injectors)
• Checked the wire harness at EGR and re-insulated while I had the upper manifold off
• New air filter
• New spark plugs
• Oil change
• Fixed issue with aftermarket keyless entry (had lost it's programming)
• Fixed an issue with the rear hatch latch adjustment
• Removed rear factory "sub woofer"
• Installed a JVC double din android auto/carplay head unit, bypassing the stock amp(s)
• Added a backup camera to the JVC as well as forward facing camera and DVR to capture both front and rear like a dash cam
• Installed the wit's end quarter panel mount I've had for years but hadn't installed
• Replaced the heater valve on the firewall, the old one crumbled when I bypassed the rear heater
• Removed and bypassed the rear heater
• Installed Rosen visors
• Installed Gamiviti gears on both seats
• Installed a new fender mount for a dual band HAM antenna, was using a mag mount on the roof w/ the wire going out the door
• Completely stripped interior and carpets out and deep cleaned everything

Sometimes you just have to deal with all the little stuff that adds up, the cruiser is much nicer to drive now with all those issues resolved and some upgrades made. The Rosen visors were the biggest user upgrade, maybe better even than the deep cleaning although the new stereo is really nice too.

There's still things left to do though.

• Drivers side mirror hardware has broken and tape is holding it from rotating
• Replace the windshield which took a rock hit a few months ago