shame on the issue but glad you got it resolved.
On separate note any if the family do falconry?
On separate note any if the family do falconry?
Build Abu Dhabi 80 Series: Build Thread
- Thread starter Honger
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- Thread starter
- #62
I know a few locals, Emiratis, who do falconry. But we don't. It's quite an expensive hobby to do properly. Beautiful birds. There's a market where you can go buy equipment and buy/sell birds as well as specialist veterinarians.
Prior to toasting that con-rod bearing I had been lamenting to my wife that I felt like I'd given over too much of the vehicle's oversight to the shop I have do the work here. Since it's cheaper to send it to a shop, and I've found a great shop here, I'd let my grasp of the vehicle's needs slip a bit. Following the engine rebuild I've resolved to completely reverse course on that issue.
They vacuum hoses were aged, a few were cracking, and I thought I heard a vacuum leak noise now and then.
While futzing about I managed to break the air intake hose... so that went on the list.
As well as the hood bumpers.
And a new overflow bottle as the old one was brittle and the hose getting rundown.
I also replaced the throttle cable, distributor cap, and distributor rotor while I was in there.
Then I had the shop clean the whole engine bay up for me.
Next up is redoing some of the wiring harness where the loom/tape is old and crusty.
Hi Honger,
I am an expat living in Dubai.
I bought a LC100 with 1FZFE a year ago and it is 210000 Kms done.
It runs and looks like brand new.
However, the infamous clunk/thud noise is coming from the drive train.
I am looking for a garage who knows what they are doing. Would you please let me know the contact details and location. I dont mind going to Abu Dhabi for regular maintenance.
Cheers.
I am an expat living in Dubai.
I bought a LC100 with 1FZFE a year ago and it is 210000 Kms done.
It runs and looks like brand new.
However, the infamous clunk/thud noise is coming from the drive train.
I am looking for a garage who knows what they are doing. Would you please let me know the contact details and location. I dont mind going to Abu Dhabi for regular maintenance.
Cheers.
- Thread starter
- #64
From a trusted guy in Dubai:
"AAA garage is probably the best. Saluki is also very good for 4x4's and drivelines, etc. I often use JAS Motors in Al Quoz, but only if the manager Arish is in town, they are good value for money compared to the others, but really only if you can deal with Arish."
I could refer you to my guy here in Abu Dhabi, but honestly you'll be better off in Dubai, especially with the reference from my friend.
Mebar is also a fantastic outfit. They do some phenomenal work. And don't forget to go to the Custom Show Emirates in April!
Hi Honger,
Thanks a lot for your immediate reply.
Thanks a lot for your immediate reply.
Nice rig, looks much better without that mickey-mouse grill, would you by any chance remember the part number for the round hood bumpers ? Thanks.
It's always nice to see other fellow land cruiser enthusiasts in the UAE.
Where did you have your engine rebuilt?
Where did you have your engine rebuilt?
- Thread starter
- #69
- Thread starter
- #70
A place here in Musaffah called Grace Auto Repair. They'd done a 1FZ for a friend of mine a few years back and he had been really happy with their work. When I called them they asked all the right questions. Kept me update by photos on Whatsapp throughout the whole process.
- Thread starter
- #71
Been awhile since I've posted... kinda got sidetracked by my FJ40. But the 80 has still been doing plenty of camping trips. I've fixed a few things and made a few modifications...
The electric auxiliary fan was toast...
So I snagged a new one and took care of that.
Used some of my Overland Metric hardware from @davework.
The electric auxiliary fan was toast...
So I snagged a new one and took care of that.
Used some of my Overland Metric hardware from @davework.
- Thread starter
- #72
Also designed a roof rack and had it fabricated at a shop in the industrial area nearby.
GoPro mount and mounting point for my dune flag...
Maxtrax mounts...
It has worked out great for strapping down tents and camp chairs as well as mounting a shade awning (removed at the time I snagged the photos).
GoPro mount and mounting point for my dune flag...
Maxtrax mounts...
It has worked out great for strapping down tents and camp chairs as well as mounting a shade awning (removed at the time I snagged the photos).
- Thread starter
- #73
I continue to get out with the 80 on a frequent basis in the cooler months. This past spring I drove with some buddies across the Rub Al Khali here in the UAE. We drove down to about 5 miles away from the Saudi border and then headed into the dunes. It was a two-day drive and one buddy with a Jeep ended up putting his differential through his oil pan and had to be towed out. It was an epic drive and the 80 was in her element.
Epic thread, keep up the good work and keep posting pics of your adventures 
When you say Church, what kind of church do you go to out there in Abu Dhabi?
When you say Church, what kind of church do you go to out there in Abu Dhabi?
- Thread starter
- #75
Epic thread, keep up the good work and keep posting pics of your adventures
When you say Church, what kind of church do you go to out there in Abu Dhabi?
Thanks for the encouragement!
I attend the Evangelical Community Church of Abu Dhabi. We are the main English-speaking church that meets in the Evangelical Center, a building that hosts about 80 separate Christian churches on land granted by the rulers of the UAE. I'm actually an elder in the church here. The UAE is very open and tolerant of other faiths as there are so many expats here.
- Thread starter
- #76
So with all the sand driving here in the UAE I do a lot of airing down... and airing back up... and I use a Bushranger Blackmax portable compressor to air up. But I'd managed a good deal on an ARB compressor and hose kit and wanted to have truly on-board air.
After some measuring designing I got a 4mm aluminum plate laser cut to fit in my rear-driver's-side fender well. It uses existing holes and bolts right in. (any interest in these?)
Got everything lined up...
Had a little help from the princess...
And mounted with an extension line that exits the fender well under the jack location...
...and connects to the ARB hose jack mounted on an aluminum bracket that is bolted into a factory captured nut on the frame.
And the switch is mounted in my nice accessory switch area.
After some measuring designing I got a 4mm aluminum plate laser cut to fit in my rear-driver's-side fender well. It uses existing holes and bolts right in. (any interest in these?)
Got everything lined up...
Had a little help from the princess...
And mounted with an extension line that exits the fender well under the jack location...
...and connects to the ARB hose jack mounted on an aluminum bracket that is bolted into a factory captured nut on the frame.
And the switch is mounted in my nice accessory switch area.
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- Thread starter
- #77
The 80-series has lost it's family car status... it's now my daily driver to work (short commute) and the camping car. So the rear area got some tastefully modification to suit our trips.
Gutted all the rear-seat appurtenances (even those brackets and seatbelts are gone now)
Custom cut some 3/4" plywood to make a little deck...
Used some longer bolts and the original tie-downs to secure the deck...
And the fridge/freeze is secured in place.
Next is to build a nice chuck box kitchen that attaches to the deck.
Gutted all the rear-seat appurtenances (even those brackets and seatbelts are gone now)
Custom cut some 3/4" plywood to make a little deck...
Used some longer bolts and the original tie-downs to secure the deck...
And the fridge/freeze is secured in place.
Next is to build a nice chuck box kitchen that attaches to the deck.
- Thread starter
- #78
So after ten years of living in the UAE we finally made a long trek to go camping in neighboring Oman. Sheesh... I can't believe it took us this long to do this.
The eastern most beaches of Oman are known for sea turtle nesting. It tapers off in November/December... we went in October. Our neighbor spent 10 years as an expat in Oman before moving to the UAE, so he knows the area quite well and hooked me up with a remote beach to camp on the first night. He nearly guaranteed we'd see turtles nesting...
A 1.5 hour delay in crossing into Oman plus just generally slower progress than we expected due to some potty breaks (my wife plus an 8, 6, and 3 year old) got us in to our camping area late... like 9PM. We managed to find our way down a rocky ridgeline to the beach but there were no apparent areas to camp near the beach. It was dark and the kids were breaking down... so I trekked back up the rocky ridge and we camped on the plateau area just up from the beach. We slept to the sound of waves crashing and a cool breeze. I'd intended to set an alarm to walk down to the beach in the middle of the night to check/watch for turtles, but just crashed instead.
The next morning we went down to the beach and played on the beach, explored the numerous old sea turtle nests, and made lunch under the shade awning. We saw at least two nesting spots that were obviously fresh, from the night before. Darn! We missed it. But from the tracks it's apparent that a fox did NOT miss the nesting and had helped himself.
Here's a few aerial shots of our lunch spot on the beach. You can see some vehicle tracks in the straight-down shot... but if you look closely toward the right of the pic you can also see the fresh tracks of the turtles having nested. Also, the entire beach was pock marked with nesting spots... they are massive!
After lunch we headed up north along the coast and check out Wadi Shab. Did a little hiking and exploring and resolved to come back the next day. We left and went searching for another camping spot and struck pay dirt... another beach that some locals referred us to. Had a nice area all to ourselves. No sea turtles but plenty of shells!
The next day we hit Wadi Shab early and hike the whole thing all the way back to the pools. A wadi is basically a "wash" and it's where water flows from the mountains out to the coast... sometimes more full than other times. Wadi Shab is fed by a series of pools that you can swim/hike/clime through until you get to a very deep pool that is fed from a narrow "crack" in the cliff face. The kids were in floaties so they couldn't get through the crack... but my wife and I took turns swimming through the crack and you end up in a cave that has a waterfall. Pretty cool! Swimming through the crack is kinda nerve-racking... I had to put my head under to squeeze through and nearly chickened out!
Here we are hiking through the wadi on our way up to the pools...
After completing Wadi Shab we drove up Wadi Tiwi. There are several villages up this Wadi so there's a narrow paved road that climbs up and down the Wadi with several stream crossings. The views were stunning.
All in all an amazing trek. My wife and I are kicking ourselves for not doing this sooner... albeit this has really been the first winter where all three kids can handle the distance/time for something like this. And with the desert just outside our front door we're a bit spoiled.
The eastern most beaches of Oman are known for sea turtle nesting. It tapers off in November/December... we went in October. Our neighbor spent 10 years as an expat in Oman before moving to the UAE, so he knows the area quite well and hooked me up with a remote beach to camp on the first night. He nearly guaranteed we'd see turtles nesting...
A 1.5 hour delay in crossing into Oman plus just generally slower progress than we expected due to some potty breaks (my wife plus an 8, 6, and 3 year old) got us in to our camping area late... like 9PM. We managed to find our way down a rocky ridgeline to the beach but there were no apparent areas to camp near the beach. It was dark and the kids were breaking down... so I trekked back up the rocky ridge and we camped on the plateau area just up from the beach. We slept to the sound of waves crashing and a cool breeze. I'd intended to set an alarm to walk down to the beach in the middle of the night to check/watch for turtles, but just crashed instead.
The next morning we went down to the beach and played on the beach, explored the numerous old sea turtle nests, and made lunch under the shade awning. We saw at least two nesting spots that were obviously fresh, from the night before. Darn! We missed it. But from the tracks it's apparent that a fox did NOT miss the nesting and had helped himself.
Here's a few aerial shots of our lunch spot on the beach. You can see some vehicle tracks in the straight-down shot... but if you look closely toward the right of the pic you can also see the fresh tracks of the turtles having nested. Also, the entire beach was pock marked with nesting spots... they are massive!
After lunch we headed up north along the coast and check out Wadi Shab. Did a little hiking and exploring and resolved to come back the next day. We left and went searching for another camping spot and struck pay dirt... another beach that some locals referred us to. Had a nice area all to ourselves. No sea turtles but plenty of shells!
The next day we hit Wadi Shab early and hike the whole thing all the way back to the pools. A wadi is basically a "wash" and it's where water flows from the mountains out to the coast... sometimes more full than other times. Wadi Shab is fed by a series of pools that you can swim/hike/clime through until you get to a very deep pool that is fed from a narrow "crack" in the cliff face. The kids were in floaties so they couldn't get through the crack... but my wife and I took turns swimming through the crack and you end up in a cave that has a waterfall. Pretty cool! Swimming through the crack is kinda nerve-racking... I had to put my head under to squeeze through and nearly chickened out!
Here we are hiking through the wadi on our way up to the pools...
After completing Wadi Shab we drove up Wadi Tiwi. There are several villages up this Wadi so there's a narrow paved road that climbs up and down the Wadi with several stream crossings. The views were stunning.
All in all an amazing trek. My wife and I are kicking ourselves for not doing this sooner... albeit this has really been the first winter where all three kids can handle the distance/time for something like this. And with the desert just outside our front door we're a bit spoiled.
- Thread starter
- #79
7.5 years of ownership... 180,000 kilometers of driving... my first Land Cruiser... so many memories... priceless.
My family's time in the UAE is drawing to a close. I've not given this thread as much attention as my 40-series thread... but the 80 has seen far more action here and has made far more memories. It being a 1997, it's too "young" to be imported to the USA. If I used a registered importer I may have been able to do it... but it isn't DOT exempt yet so making it compliant would have likely been costly. I made the tough decision to sell the truck and soothed my grief with a 1991 FJ75 Troopy which will become the family camping wagon.
The buyer was interviewed at length before I agreed to make the sale. He's around MUD so I'll let him chime in if he'd like.
I thought it would be nice to post an introspective series of photos to wrap up my 80-series ownership (for now). I may own an 80 again some day, who knows... but Goldilocks will always have a special place in my heart.
My last trip to Liwa with her...
My last camping trip with her in Al Wathba...
Our last family trek... to the fossil dunes for a cookout...
With some of my fleet including the "new" FJ75...
At a recent gathering of Cruisers in the UAE; shown here alongside my 40-series...
And bidding her farewell...
My family's time in the UAE is drawing to a close. I've not given this thread as much attention as my 40-series thread... but the 80 has seen far more action here and has made far more memories. It being a 1997, it's too "young" to be imported to the USA. If I used a registered importer I may have been able to do it... but it isn't DOT exempt yet so making it compliant would have likely been costly. I made the tough decision to sell the truck and soothed my grief with a 1991 FJ75 Troopy which will become the family camping wagon.
The buyer was interviewed at length before I agreed to make the sale. He's around MUD so I'll let him chime in if he'd like.
I thought it would be nice to post an introspective series of photos to wrap up my 80-series ownership (for now). I may own an 80 again some day, who knows... but Goldilocks will always have a special place in my heart.
My last trip to Liwa with her...
My last camping trip with her in Al Wathba...
Our last family trek... to the fossil dunes for a cookout...
With some of my fleet including the "new" FJ75...
At a recent gathering of Cruisers in the UAE; shown here alongside my 40-series...
And bidding her farewell...
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