Hi everyone, I had lurked on these boards for a good year or so before joining about 1 year and a half ago. Reading these threads got me excited to purchased my first 100 Series and start a restoration project that I never would have thought would have taken two years plus to complete, but here I am! And I'm quite satisfied with the finished product.
About two years ago, I was living in very hilly terrain on the North Shore of Long Island in NY and I realized quickly I needed a solid rig to handle the heavy snow and ice on the NY winters on those hills. I started searching around for what people considered to be the best 4WD SUV that could also handle a lot of daily road driving. I've always loved Cruisers and the LX470 kept popping up on my radar as balancing the best of all worlds. So, I decided to find a nice project truck to get to work on.
I responded to a Craig's List ad for a 99 LX470 in nearby Connecticut that wasn't running. The woman who owned it was the 2nd owner and said that it was at her mechanic's shop and she needed to move it that day. Some other guy was interested but I beat him to the punch. Besides not being in running condition, the suspension was shot, AHC didn't work, tires were bald, frame ended up having a bit of rot (that I somehow missed), among other things. Thanks to ih8mud, I knew of a great Cruiser mechanic near me at St James Automotive on Long Island, by the name of Steve Bongiorno. Steve's a super honest, good natured dude who has been working on Cruisers since he bought his own 80 Series many years ago. He agreed to take on the project and off we went. I would have loved to have worked on much of it myself but, at the time, I didn't have the space let alone the time necessary, plus I really wanted an expert build. I can't recommend Steve enough if anyone in the area needs anything done to their Cruiser.
I'll post a brief summary of the build for now and some basic before and after pictures. Happy to post more pics and get into more specific detail at a later time. I just didn't want to delay making my first build thread post. Thanks to everyone on here for providing me with the inspiration, insights and tips necessary for me to complete this thing!
The truck was purchased in August of 2021 and the restoration was completed in July 2023. Once Steve pointed out the frame rot that I missed in the back quarter of the frame, he contemplated welding a fix to the himself but we thought better of it and instead I sourced a 100% rust free frame from Florida, had it shipped to Steve's shop and the restoration began.
Steve and team sanded, POR'd and painted the frame prior to installing it on the rig. They then did an AHC delete and installed Ironman’s Foam Cell Pro 2” suspension kit (Foam Cell Pro 2" Suspension Kit Suited for Toyota 100 Series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470 - Stage 3 - https://ironman4x4america.com/foam-cell-pro-2-suspension-kit-suited-for-toyota-100-series-land-cruiser-lexus-lx470-stage-3/), The team then replaced all the following:
· Brake lines
· Brakes - rotors, pads
· Fuel lines
· Fuel tank
· Fuel tank skid plate
· Fuel injection throttle body
· Exhaust system – muffler, flanges, tailpipe
· Radiator
· Timing belt
· Water pump
· Manifold
· Steering u-joint
· Transmission crossmember
· Front and read wiper arms
· Hood struts
· Driver’s side parking light
· Steering wheel
· Removed floorboards and replaced them with Slee Offroad rock sliders (SLEE - SliderSteps - 98+ LX470 - Set Includes PS & DS Slider. U-Bolt Install Kit. .... - Slee Off Road - https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sok1292/)
· Front bumper with Ironman Classic Offroad bumper (Classic Off Road Bumper Suited For Toyota 100 Series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470 - https://ironman4x4america.com/classic-off-road-bumper-suited-for-toyota-100-series-land-cruiser-lexus-lx470/?sku=BBCD006K1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwldKmBhCCARIsAP-0rfzXwzKJPKwKPz3Af9DDWr_IWi2xyRsTemR5w0IxzqnCVY4ppcNd9T8aAspZEALw_wcB)
· Rear bumper with Coastal Offroad bumper kit – welded by Steve and team St James Automotive Center and powder coated by Long Island Powder Coating
· 35” BV-Goodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires
· Method MR305 17” X 8.5” Race Wheels (305 | NV | Matte Black - https://www.methodracewheels.com/products/nv-black?variant=21894114689)
I'm sure there's a bunch of new parts I'm leaving out for now, but this is the high level summary. A premium package detailing service by LI Mobile Car Guys was necessary to restore the body finish and get rid of all the cob webs from the truck sitting in a shop lot for so long prior to me purchasing it.
About two years ago, I was living in very hilly terrain on the North Shore of Long Island in NY and I realized quickly I needed a solid rig to handle the heavy snow and ice on the NY winters on those hills. I started searching around for what people considered to be the best 4WD SUV that could also handle a lot of daily road driving. I've always loved Cruisers and the LX470 kept popping up on my radar as balancing the best of all worlds. So, I decided to find a nice project truck to get to work on.
I responded to a Craig's List ad for a 99 LX470 in nearby Connecticut that wasn't running. The woman who owned it was the 2nd owner and said that it was at her mechanic's shop and she needed to move it that day. Some other guy was interested but I beat him to the punch. Besides not being in running condition, the suspension was shot, AHC didn't work, tires were bald, frame ended up having a bit of rot (that I somehow missed), among other things. Thanks to ih8mud, I knew of a great Cruiser mechanic near me at St James Automotive on Long Island, by the name of Steve Bongiorno. Steve's a super honest, good natured dude who has been working on Cruisers since he bought his own 80 Series many years ago. He agreed to take on the project and off we went. I would have loved to have worked on much of it myself but, at the time, I didn't have the space let alone the time necessary, plus I really wanted an expert build. I can't recommend Steve enough if anyone in the area needs anything done to their Cruiser.
I'll post a brief summary of the build for now and some basic before and after pictures. Happy to post more pics and get into more specific detail at a later time. I just didn't want to delay making my first build thread post. Thanks to everyone on here for providing me with the inspiration, insights and tips necessary for me to complete this thing!
The truck was purchased in August of 2021 and the restoration was completed in July 2023. Once Steve pointed out the frame rot that I missed in the back quarter of the frame, he contemplated welding a fix to the himself but we thought better of it and instead I sourced a 100% rust free frame from Florida, had it shipped to Steve's shop and the restoration began.
Steve and team sanded, POR'd and painted the frame prior to installing it on the rig. They then did an AHC delete and installed Ironman’s Foam Cell Pro 2” suspension kit (Foam Cell Pro 2" Suspension Kit Suited for Toyota 100 Series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470 - Stage 3 - https://ironman4x4america.com/foam-cell-pro-2-suspension-kit-suited-for-toyota-100-series-land-cruiser-lexus-lx470-stage-3/), The team then replaced all the following:
· Brake lines
· Brakes - rotors, pads
· Fuel lines
· Fuel tank
· Fuel tank skid plate
· Fuel injection throttle body
· Exhaust system – muffler, flanges, tailpipe
· Radiator
· Timing belt
· Water pump
· Manifold
· Steering u-joint
· Transmission crossmember
· Front and read wiper arms
· Hood struts
· Driver’s side parking light
· Steering wheel
· Removed floorboards and replaced them with Slee Offroad rock sliders (SLEE - SliderSteps - 98+ LX470 - Set Includes PS & DS Slider. U-Bolt Install Kit. .... - Slee Off Road - https://sleeoffroad.com/products/sok1292/)
· Front bumper with Ironman Classic Offroad bumper (Classic Off Road Bumper Suited For Toyota 100 Series Land Cruiser/Lexus LX470 - https://ironman4x4america.com/classic-off-road-bumper-suited-for-toyota-100-series-land-cruiser-lexus-lx470/?sku=BBCD006K1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwldKmBhCCARIsAP-0rfzXwzKJPKwKPz3Af9DDWr_IWi2xyRsTemR5w0IxzqnCVY4ppcNd9T8aAspZEALw_wcB)
· Rear bumper with Coastal Offroad bumper kit – welded by Steve and team St James Automotive Center and powder coated by Long Island Powder Coating
· 35” BV-Goodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires
· Method MR305 17” X 8.5” Race Wheels (305 | NV | Matte Black - https://www.methodracewheels.com/products/nv-black?variant=21894114689)
I'm sure there's a bunch of new parts I'm leaving out for now, but this is the high level summary. A premium package detailing service by LI Mobile Car Guys was necessary to restore the body finish and get rid of all the cob webs from the truck sitting in a shop lot for so long prior to me purchasing it.
