Building and Outfitting Threads and Resources...

[That80Series]

Can anyone point me to some good resources on building AND outfitting an 80 for overlanding? I've watched all the TLC 80 videos, which are crazy-OCD, but they also wind up looking pretty much stock when done (other than Joe Rogan's, and even that just has a few extras). Summit Racing is doing an 80 build/outfitting series, but that's just getting started so there's not much there yet. What else is out there--or in here? On building, outfitting, or both? Thanks!

 

[ikarus]

It's kind of a can of worms. These cruisers are getting so old that it's not advisable to slap $15K of offroad accessories on it and go - it's doable, and it's definitely done sometimes - but then you've got all this gear on a cruiser with a blown head gasket sitting in the driveway, or a coolant leak from an old hose, or a broken brake booster, or electrical gremlins, or ...

That in my opinion is why a lot of the 80 Series stuff quickly turns into OCD territory - my own build included. To really be prepared for trips, I want to understand the ins and outs of the rig and get it close to 100% baselined before I'm 4 hours from a tow. So before you know it, that $6K you had budgeted for lockers turns into a starter, an alternator, injectors, heater valve, all new hoses, fusible links, batteries, fuel lines etc etc. to make it bulletproof for the next 25 years, as it was from the factory.

But I guess that's kind of beside the point, what kind of builds are you looking for? Euro style legit overlanding from Spain to South Africa for a year? Aussie style weeklong camping trips on a remote beach? American offroading taking on the Rubicon or Pritchett Canyon? American "overlanding" where you max out your GVWR and drive an hour out of town to take pics for IG? Baja? Alaska to Ushuaia?

I think the beauty of Land Cruisers is that you'll find all sorts of niche builds suited to the terrain the driver likes the most. And mud here is probably one of the best resources you'll find, it's all been done and documented for the most part. Expedition Portal is pretty good too but it seems like a lot of that traffic has moved to FB and social media.

 

[ikarus]

I'm leaving a bunch out but here are some great builds on Mud

Build - Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Box Rocket 1995 FZJ80 Build

Current Photo (Dec 2021) Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr 1995 FZJ80 Moonglow Pearl "Rocinante" Factory Lockers Magnaflow high flow cats/exhaust Nitro 4.88 R&Ps 3" 4xOverland Slinky HD Long Travel Coils 1" Body lift Slinky 2.5 Stage5 dual bypass 12" travel shocks with rebound and compression...

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Dirty Koala Build - Cummins Common Rail + NV4500 + HF2AV Swap

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Broski's Adventure Rig build thread

The day I brought her home. Completely stock with Lockers, Mommy and me mall crawler. Nov. 2015 Scored it for $ 3300.00

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Reconstruction after rollover - building The Champ!

I rolled my 94 and the body is done but mechanicals are fine. I want to pick up an 80 preferably one that's not operational so I have a foundation to build on with my parts. I prefer 94-earlier. I'm in CA so smog is an issue but I think that a newer model engine in and older cruiser would be...

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - DUKE - 1993 HDJ80 / 1HD-T / 5-Speed / 3x Locked / LHD *A slow DIY build / resto*

I’ll start with the history of the truck and purchasing: The truck came from France and legend says it was used for a couple weeks every year to trip to Morocco and back. The owner in France was the original owner until he passed. His daughter sold it to the man which i bought it from in...

forum.ih8mud.com

Little bit of everything in there, rock crawling, overlanding, poptops, diesels, OCD, you name it

 

[jpoole]

American "overlanding" where you max out your GVWR and drive an hour out of town to take pics for IG?

wind up looking pretty much stock when done

Sound like great builds to me. If your goal is getting out there on the relatively mild terrain that "overlanding" implies then catching up on maintenance and only adding what you need or what will be used is a great way forward. Keeping added weight down to a minimum and keeping the center of gravity lower will improve performance and safety. Keeping suspension nearer the factory specs will improve performance in many scenarios. Making fewer mods/changes or additions will help the rig be more reliable and easier to keep functional, etc.

There are a ton of great builds on mud, as referenced above, and a lot of great directions to take an 80 build (and I enjoy seeing almost all of them) but don't be too quick to disregard the more boring approach of making the rig reliable and then getting out there. Sometimes the fun is in the build process and sometimes in the adventures the rig supports and both are legitimate hobbies that can be blended nicely.

This is a good thread to review as well as you make your plans:

If I was to start all over again, I would...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[That80Series]

I'm leaving a bunch out but here are some great builds on Mud

Build - Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Box Rocket 1995 FZJ80 Build

Current Photo (Dec 2021) Untitled by Adam Tolman, on Flickr 1995 FZJ80 Moonglow Pearl "Rocinante" Factory Lockers Magnaflow high flow cats/exhaust Nitro 4.88 R&Ps 3" 4xOverland Slinky HD Long Travel Coils 1" Body lift Slinky 2.5 Stage5 dual bypass 12" travel shocks with rebound and compression...

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Dirty Koala Build - Cummins Common Rail + NV4500 + HF2AV Swap

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Broski's Adventure Rig build thread

The day I brought her home. Completely stock with Lockers, Mommy and me mall crawler. Nov. 2015 Scored it for $ 3300.00

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - Reconstruction after rollover - building The Champ!

I rolled my 94 and the body is done but mechanicals are fine. I want to pick up an 80 preferably one that's not operational so I have a foundation to build on with my parts. I prefer 94-earlier. I'm in CA so smog is an issue but I think that a newer model engine in and older cruiser would be...

forum.ih8mud.com

Build - DUKE - 1993 HDJ80 / 1HD-T / 5-Speed / 3x Locked / LHD *A slow DIY build / resto*

I’ll start with the history of the truck and purchasing: The truck came from France and legend says it was used for a couple weeks every year to trip to Morocco and back. The owner in France was the original owner until he passed. His daughter sold it to the man which i bought it from in...

forum.ih8mud.com

Little bit of everything in there, rock crawling, overlanding, poptops, diesels, OCD, you name it

Thank you!

 

[That80Series]

Sound like great builds to me. If your goal is getting out there on the relatively mild terrain that "overlanding" implies then catching up on maintenance and only adding what you need or what will be used is a great way forward. Keeping added weight down to a minimum and keeping the center of gravity lower will improve performance and safety. Keeping suspension nearer the factory specs will improve performance in many scenarios. Making fewer mods/changes or additions will help the rig be more reliable and easier to keep functional, etc.

There are a ton of great builds on mud, as referenced above, and a lot of great directions to take an 80 build (and I enjoy seeing almost all of them) but don't be too quick to disregard the more boring approach of making the rig reliable and then getting out there. Sometimes the fun is in the build process and sometimes in the adventures the rig supports and both are legitimate hobbies that can be blended nicely.

This is a good thread to review as well as you make your plans:

If I was to start all over again, I would...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks!

 

[96bruizer]

Mud is truly where you go to find anything and everything that has been done to an 80. I Think @ikarus said it perfectly. These are old and expensive to maintain, build and fix. the reliability of the Toyota engineering is here, but age still takes a toll on parts, gaskets, rubber hoses, electronics...etc. Spend a good 5+ hours reading topics here to save you thousands down the line. Keep us posted on your build.