Alright, I think it is time to start a build thread!
I'm a noob and did not grow up working on cars. Everything I learned was either here on Mud or back in Tacomaworld, with some Youtube University in between.
I first got into Toyotas 4x4 seeing some modded Hilux driving around town where I grew up and thought it would be cool to own one eventually.
In 2015 I got my first job in the US and almost immediately my '01 Escape blew a HG, I thought it would be a good time to go find that Toyota 4x4. I ended up with a 1st gen Tacoma, that my girlfriend (now wife) named White Lightning. (funny enough, we now own a '22 White F150 Lightning
)
Early in the pandemic, we decided to move back to the PNW from Michigan, and to make the move easier, I sold the Taco to a buddy of mine, on a condition that if he would ever sell it, I would be first in line to buy it (which it happened, I bought it back, but ended up selling it again
)
The day I sold it! And I kept the wheels and tires.
Once we moved, the search for the 80 started. My wife grew up with an 80 and an 100, so she was onboard!
It was the beginning of pandemic and the used car market was starting to get crazy, so it was getting tricky to find one to buy. I knew I wanted a 95+ and preferably a Land Cruiser over an LX (foreshadowing).
I had a couple hits locally but nothing worth pursuing. So I expanded my search and ended up finding a nice '96 LX450 in West Sacramento. It came with ARB front bumper and a 1st gen Smittybuilt winch that has never been unspooled. The truck also had no signs of ever being offroaded. So I flew down to take a look and got it!
232k miles on the clock but running like a champ, except for an EGR code that got dealt with later.
The day I got it, somewhere between California and Washington.
Yes, it came with the ugliest wheels available.
How it sits today
The plans have changed back and forth a lot on my 5yrs of ownership, but as of now it is part daily driver, part adventure rig, part my tinkering toy.
More than anything, now that my kids are a bit older, I just want to get out more with them.
The truck was sidelined for about a year and a half when the kids were born and we had 3 cars. But we went back to 2 vehicles and the 80 went back in rotation and got a full baseline treatment by Torfab.
I'll try to list and upload photos of all the mods Ive done so far and keep this first post as updated as possible.
Ongoing projects:
Redoing a lot of my aux electrical, adding a house battery and all the stuff that goes with it
First side of drawers are done, need to make the other side which will house the fridge.
Future plans:
Dissent rear bumper
Gullwings hatch system
Scheel-Manns (if Im feeling wild)
Considering/planning and engine swap for next winter
Eventually I want to deal with exterior cosmetic stuff (paint and Tupperware)
Exterior:
ARB Front bumper with Smittybilt 9.5k winch
WKOR sliders
Prinsu Rack
Ebay knock off snorkel
Wheels and tires:
Falken Wildpeak A/T3W 285/75R16 and SCS Ray10s 16x8, -12 offset
BFG KO2 315/70R17 and Rough Country Steelies 17x9, -12 offset
Suspension:
Ironman 2" springs withIronman Nitro Gas shocks (shocks blew with less than 10k miles)
OME Nitrocharger Shocks
DeltaVS 3" long radius arms
DeltaVS Panhard lift bracket
LCP Severe Duty rear sway bar links
Whiteline rear swaybar
Interior:
3rd row seats removed
Homemade drawer system (ongoing project)
HuracanFab Tailgate storage lid
Wolfbox rearview mirror/dash cam/backup cam on DeltaVS mirror mount
Blaupunkt Frankfurt stereo
Rockville SS8P powered subwoofer
Midland 15watt GMRS
Engine:
Blue fan clutch
HuddExpo EGR plug kit
Electrical:
Bussmann RTMR fuse/relay box on a custom mount (for sale)
LiTime LiFePo4 100ah house battery
Battery charger + switch panel is an ongoing project that Ill post more once I have everything
Lights:
PO had some sort of HID/Xenon low beam thingy, not sure what it is, still researching what I want for head lights (quads, projector, etc)
Hella Black Magi 500 (getting ready to ditch those)
Diode Dynamics C2 SAE amber fogs
I'm a noob and did not grow up working on cars. Everything I learned was either here on Mud or back in Tacomaworld, with some Youtube University in between.
I first got into Toyotas 4x4 seeing some modded Hilux driving around town where I grew up and thought it would be cool to own one eventually.
In 2015 I got my first job in the US and almost immediately my '01 Escape blew a HG, I thought it would be a good time to go find that Toyota 4x4. I ended up with a 1st gen Tacoma, that my girlfriend (now wife) named White Lightning. (funny enough, we now own a '22 White F150 Lightning
)Early in the pandemic, we decided to move back to the PNW from Michigan, and to make the move easier, I sold the Taco to a buddy of mine, on a condition that if he would ever sell it, I would be first in line to buy it (which it happened, I bought it back, but ended up selling it again
)The day I sold it! And I kept the wheels and tires.
Once we moved, the search for the 80 started. My wife grew up with an 80 and an 100, so she was onboard!
It was the beginning of pandemic and the used car market was starting to get crazy, so it was getting tricky to find one to buy. I knew I wanted a 95+ and preferably a Land Cruiser over an LX (foreshadowing).
I had a couple hits locally but nothing worth pursuing. So I expanded my search and ended up finding a nice '96 LX450 in West Sacramento. It came with ARB front bumper and a 1st gen Smittybuilt winch that has never been unspooled. The truck also had no signs of ever being offroaded. So I flew down to take a look and got it!
232k miles on the clock but running like a champ, except for an EGR code that got dealt with later.
The day I got it, somewhere between California and Washington.
Yes, it came with the ugliest wheels available.
How it sits today
The plans have changed back and forth a lot on my 5yrs of ownership, but as of now it is part daily driver, part adventure rig, part my tinkering toy.
More than anything, now that my kids are a bit older, I just want to get out more with them.
The truck was sidelined for about a year and a half when the kids were born and we had 3 cars. But we went back to 2 vehicles and the 80 went back in rotation and got a full baseline treatment by Torfab.
I'll try to list and upload photos of all the mods Ive done so far and keep this first post as updated as possible.
Ongoing projects:
Redoing a lot of my aux electrical, adding a house battery and all the stuff that goes with it
First side of drawers are done, need to make the other side which will house the fridge.
Future plans:
Dissent rear bumper
Gullwings hatch system
Scheel-Manns (if Im feeling wild)
Considering/planning and engine swap for next winter
Eventually I want to deal with exterior cosmetic stuff (paint and Tupperware)
Exterior:
ARB Front bumper with Smittybilt 9.5k winch
WKOR sliders
Prinsu Rack
Ebay knock off snorkel
Wheels and tires:
BFG KO2 315/70R17 and Rough Country Steelies 17x9, -12 offset
Suspension:
Ironman 2" springs with
OME Nitrocharger Shocks
DeltaVS 3" long radius arms
DeltaVS Panhard lift bracket
LCP Severe Duty rear sway bar links
Whiteline rear swaybar
Interior:
3rd row seats removed
Homemade drawer system (ongoing project)
HuracanFab Tailgate storage lid
Wolfbox rearview mirror/dash cam/backup cam on DeltaVS mirror mount
Blaupunkt Frankfurt stereo
Rockville SS8P powered subwoofer
Midland 15watt GMRS
Engine:
Blue fan clutch
HuddExpo EGR plug kit
Electrical:
LiTime LiFePo4 100ah house battery
Battery charger + switch panel is an ongoing project that Ill post more once I have everything
Lights:
PO had some sort of HID/Xenon low beam thingy, not sure what it is, still researching what I want for head lights (quads, projector, etc)
Hella Black Magi 500 (getting ready to ditch those)
Diode Dynamics C2 SAE amber fogs
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