BUILD: Third time's a charm - LX450 (1 Viewer)

[Cruiserhead05]

So awesome!!

What didn't you like about the Corbeau seats?

Don't get me wrong, they're fine seats for the money and others may like them for good reason. These are just my nit-picky complaints:

• The cushions are a bit stiff - by comparison, rebuilt 80 seats with new cushions and new leather is a much softer seat to me
• The recline function seems like it needs more options. In one setting, I feel I'm seated too upright, but adjust one notch back and I feel I'm leaned back too far
• The headrest does not seem to be structured in a way that you can actually rest your head on it while cruising (and looking forward). To use it, you'd be looking at the top of the windshield. The simple fix has been to add a 4-5" thick headrest cushion

 

[OGBeno]

Maybe I missed it Brandon: who did the swap? Very clean work.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Maybe I missed it Brandon: who did the swap? Very clean work.

Horsepower Solutions in Newport News, VA. I originally pursued a cruiser-specific shop but between shipping charges, backlogs and wanting to lean on the shop who did the work after the swap was complete, it made sense to stay semi-local (they're 2.5 hrs away). They did this swap for @azcrackshot a few years back so they had experience with the wiring, 6-speed auto and the owner use to be a toyota guy (Mr2, Supra, etc). As a result, they really enjoyed the project.

A lot of what they do is high HP chevy builds so as I was leaving, they did remind me that there is room under the hood for a CTS-V supercharger. Crazy. Reliability is still a major desire and with double the 1FZ power, I don't think that'll be in the cards anytime soon.

Here is a pic of their shop. Super clean.

 

[OGBeno]

Solid. Looks like a great choice now that you will be peeling out and doing street racing.

 

[arndog123]

Very Nice!

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Solid. Looks like a great choice now that you will be peeling out and doing street racing.

Ya, Ya, Ya. I did weigh the expected flack from you, @OTRAMM and some others for putting a chevy in it, but I knew you'd forgive me one day.

 

[Willy beamin]

very nice finished product. congrats!

 

[OGBeno]

Ya, Ya, Ya. I did weigh the expected flack from you, @OTRAMM and some others for putting a chevy in it, but I knew you'd forgive me one day.

Oh no. I’m actually stoked you did what you did. I fully support well-done conversions.

I’m looking forward to seeing it in person.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Cross posting the dyno pull (also in the V8 thread), as well as the dyno printout. This is power at the wheels (part-time). EDIT: video belonged to shop and has since been pulled but dyno sheet is shown below.

Feedback from the owner was that HP numbers would be higher, if we weren't losing power gain above 4500 rpms, largely due to the stock intake. The LS makes max HP around 5900rpm and torque at 4600rpm (from what I've read). Comparing this to @NLXTACY numbers, this all seems in line with what we'd expect, relative to stock 1fz numbers. Would be curious of input from others though.

So far, in my driving, I've rarely felt the need to go above 3500rpms, as the motor moves the truck along beautifully from a start, up to 3500.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Focusing on the long list of little items that make a difference.

Swapped out the LX450 center console with a clean FZJ80 version so I could get the center cubby that is missing in the LX version.

Added some @bhicks cupholder goodness.

 

[iptman]

Can you post a pic of the transmission shifter in the console?

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Can you post a pic of the transmission shifter in the console?

I still need to get the shift boot completed. Upholstery shop in newport news was backed up and I didn't want to delay delivery of truck for something I could have done locally. Pollet is down the street from my office but he too is several weeks behind. Until then, I'll live with it.

Shifter is from a '12 Chevy Malibu with manual mode option. You can also see the gear indicated in the background here. With the 6-speed, trying to retain factory shifter was more trouble than it's worth...I mean, we cut out the toyota motor for a chevy. At this point, what's a shifter

 

[Perfected]

Holy crap your rig is beautiful. Goals right here. Maybe someday...

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Perhaps I’m behind the times, but had a pair of old 100 or 200 front tow points and realized they work perfectly with the 80 and ARB bumper. Stock 80 recovery points won’t work due to ARB but these are plug and play.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

More punch out.

modified 9011 low beams
new OEM steering shaft seal - 1" body lift adds some stress but still seems happy
rear depos - verdict is still out

 

[Cruiserhead05]

After seeing an old thread with a steering wheel @jonheld had done, I opted to follow his path. Installed this over the Thanksgiving weekend and have only driven once with it. Crazy the difference it makes in the overall driving experience.

Work was done by Craft Customs in TX. Super quick, super nice to work with and the finished product is awesome. I opted for the perforated sides, ergo inserts at 10* and 2*, as well as some additional padding. Wouldn't have changed anything. Certainly not a cheap upgrade, but well worth it relative to the money we all spend on other goodies.

The donor wheel came from a salvage 80 series that Classic Cruisers was parting out. Nice to see old parts getting some new life.

OE wheel with slip cover (now for sale)

Swapping over the cruise control mechanism which had been modified for the dakota digital cruise control on the LS

Up close

Wrapping up install, which was surprisingly easy

Finished product.

 

[bryson]

I re-covered the steering wheel in my 80 as well, and it is amazing how much more pleasant it is to drive now. Definitely a worthwhile upgrade/update.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

Over the years, I've run a variety of "storage solutions" in the rear of several 80's. I've honestly enjoying keeping this one wide open and nothing significant in the back, but it was time to get some organization in place.

Here is what I started with; blank slate. The PO put all new OEM carpet in so wanted to keep it protected. Specter 2nd row seats covers, "attic" rack, @LandCruiserPhil Air compressor mount and Anderson power poles run to the rear are visible here.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

First order of business was getting hardware to secure the "base plate" to the floor. My local Ace has the correct pitch hex head bolts, but the heads are so large they end of getting in the way.

Found these slick, recessed, allen head bolts on belmetric.com. At $15/ea, they were pricey but worth it.

 

[Cruiserhead05]

The "base plate" is 3/4" birch plywood with the two wings attached via pocket hole screws. Kreg jig makes quick work of these. For anchor points, I opted for UScargo L-track sections, secured to the plate via t-nuts/nutserts.