Dragging My 96 Into The 21st Century

[blhfla]

Not exactly a build thread, thought I might chronicle the process of modernizing my 96 in case others may find some some of these products and/or ideas useful. I include direct reference to products I purchased where available. Others may have done some of these things to their rigs, or some similar things, I am just assembling everything into one thread so it is all in one convenient place. I will also attempt to explain my rational behind my actions, as I am sure others may prefer to do things differently, this way hopefully my motivation will be understood, if not accepted.

I started with a neglected 96 with 295,000 miles I won at auction for $875 but paid $1400 for with fees. It needed HG, PS pump, steering box, master cylinder, A/C and miscellaneous maintenance items. This is my first LC but I knew it was a good platform and I planned on putting a Cummins 6bt in it but just went ahead and put $4500 in it to get it back on the road for now. If it ever dies, I will do the diesel conversion with a smile on my face. The mechanic that did the job worked for Toyota for 14 years and had an LC as his company vehicle (lucky SOB).

So my goals were to improve the seating, sound system, lighting, all terrain capability, comfort, longevity, performance, security, efficiency and protection. I am going to try to implement solutions that are repeatable by most whom may not have access to more sophisticated methods (expensive tools and/or skills) applying the KISS principle as much as possible.

The first objective was to get it back on the road which included the HG, brake master cylinder, power steering pump, steering box, new plugs and wires (some were duct taped!), fan clutch, oil and coolant flush and change, filter changes, hoses, etc. A/C completely replaced sans condenser. But it is good to go now, compression before was 160, 175, 175, 180, 180, 120, 1 through 6. Now it is 180 across the board. It runs and drives the way it should (underpowered as it is but that is because it is a nearly 6000 lb. BIG FAT PIG – the 6BT will fix that later). Now it is time to move on to making it a more 'desirable' machine.

My first objective was the seats. Mine were horribly torn and deteriorated. There are thankfully a few options available which several other threads here have addressed, I chose to go with Lseat (1990-1997 Toyota Land Cruiser J80 Custom Real Leather Seat Covers (Front)) because of cost and value. Since I have so much I intend to invest in this vehicle I have to go with the best 'bang for the buck' wherever possible. I am very pleased with the results. I chose the bisque color which is not a perfect match for the beige seats, but it is close enough for me. I also went with the perforation option and it has made a significant difference in the Texas summer heat. The seats cost me about $340, and I had them installed at an upholstery shop including an electric heat kit from Sonic Electronix (The Install Bay IBHS1 Dual Universal Car Seat Heater Kit) that cost $80. I also put in seat extension brackets from Wits' End (Wits' End, Solutions for Problems You Didn't Know You Had) at $150 each, as well as the Gamviti gears (seat parts) for $40 (my seats wouldn't move) while the seats were out. The shop only charged $250 for all that work, so for less than $1000 I now have a fresh leather front row with the upgrade to allow the seats to move back an extra 2 inches, which makes a big improvement in comfort.

Next I need to get the rest of the vehicle cleaned up.

 

[blhfla]

Continuing with refreshing the interior I decided to replace my worn out floor mats. When I got the vehicle at auction, it was absolutely filthy. Stains everywhere, covered in a layer of dust and dirt from sitting for over a year at auction. I paid $120 to have it professionally cleaned at a detail shop and everything came out quite well, the carpets were clean enough to keep, but now I needed to protect them as the floor mats were either worn through or too badly stained. I looked for used ones but they weren't that great and the sellers wanted a lot for them, so I found these custom fit online from Quality Car Mats (www.qualitycarmats.com) for about $145. I got the complete set in brown tufted nylon with serged edging, and they match and fit quite well. Now my interior is like nearly new! Later I will replace the wood trim on the dash, I found a kit from Dash Kit Specialties (Toyota Dash Kits, Wood Dash Kits, Trim Dash Kits, Wood Grain Dash Kit, Carbon Fiber Dash Kit, Molded Dash Kits) for about $150.

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The next addition was a simple one too. I had the windows tinted in limousine tint but that still left the windshield vulnerable to the brutal Texas sun, so I added “The Shade” from CARiD (Dash Designs® - Shade™ Retractable Sun Shade) to it. It does keep the vehicle much cooler and the seats/steering wheel aren't on fire when you get in. It is so convenient to use that I use it all the time – it works like an accordion so there is no awkward folding/storing involved when removing it, just slide it out of the way. It only takes a few seconds to cover/uncover the windshield so I use it even when parking for only a few moments. Well worth the $40.

 

[skyline223]

Kudos to diving straight in. You got in cheap from the start and replaced the HG - safe to say you are further ahead than if you bought a running LC with an original HG for the same amount that you have invested now.

Those seats came out incredible! The perforation is great as well. It really modernizes the look for sure. I've also found a windshield sun shade to be absolute necessity in the southern heat.

Great job so far with the build, looking forward to future updates.

 

[blhfla]

Thanks, I've put "The Shade" in all of my vehicles, it really is a great solution for a sun screen. I just got the original receiverCD/tape deck replaced with a nav HU, hopefully tomorrow I will post an update.

 

[excessive]

Looking good , interested to hear about your other solutions

 

[Bsclly]

I don't see many other 80's that have had the radio replaced. I went for a single din radio and a pocket above it but the way that touchscreen is looking is making me rethink my decisions lol

 

[blhfla]

I started getting tired of being restricted to radio stations for music so next I replaced the radio. I also wanted to add navigation and a backup camera to help with my trailer so I bought this Jensen VX7020 unit (made by Audiovox) from Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KRLICIE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for about $150 and this Esky backup camera (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005Q65JHM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) for about $25. I got this Scosche TA021 wire harness adapter (Scosche 4-Speaker Power/Connector for 1987 and Newer Toyota Models - Walmart.com) for about $10 from my local Walmart as well as this Scosche 400 watt RMS amplifier wiring kit (Scosche 680W 8-Gauge Wiring Kit for Single Amps - Walmart.com) for $25. As far as replacing head units goes, this was perhaps the easiest one out of dozens that I have ever done. Four screws to remove the dash console, four screws to remove the radio bracket, and enough room to route all the harnesses without cutting up the anything.

Following is a somewhat detailed presentation of the steps I performed to replace the head unit. I ended up using a long phillips screw driver, soldering iron and solder, heat gun and shrink tubing, wire cutters and crimpers, common 30 amp automotive relay, and this 24 inch 2-in-1 pickup tool (handy if you drop a screw under a seat .

View attachment 1323819


First I determined which wires to mate between the head unit wire harness and the Scosche TA021 wire harness adapter. I then striped about 1/2 inch from the ends of each pair of wires and twisted the strands (like a rope). I cut about an inch or so of the heat shrink tubing for each pair of wires to be soldered together and slipped the tubing onto the wire with the longest length (to be the furthest away from the heated joint so it has a less likely chance of shrinking when the wires are soldered). Then I formed an X with the wires - one from the left and one from the right, with the cross occuring at the midpoint of the striped sections and wrapped the right wire around the left wire working away from the joint and vice-versa, left wire around right wire in opposite direction (going the other way). This produces a very thin, flat inline splice and with practice a very uniform one too. Heat up the soldering iron and "tin" the tip (just touch the solder to it to form a small puddle of solder). Apply the tinned tip of the iron to the spliced section of wire, trying to get as much of the tip surface touching the wire. Next touched the solder to joint repeatedly until it started to melt onto the wire, getting just enough to cover the joint. Then pulled the solder and iron away. If there was excess solder on the joint I just touched the iron tip to it to draw off the excess. Then after the wire cools down for a moment, (no longer hot to the touch), slide and center the heat shrink over the joint and melt it with the heat gun. I repeated the process for all the wires that needed to be joined. Most of the wires are color code matched, but the two that are not soldered together are for the parking brake signal (pink) for the DVD lockout - more on that later, and the reverse signal for the camera (green). The parking brake wire got a spade connector attached because it goes to a relay and the reverse wire got a bullet connector attached because it is the easiest to pull apart. Now all the wires can be disconnected easily (and not cut) if the radio must come out.

Now it was time to remove the old radio, but first you have to remove the dash control panel console. Also it is a good idea to disconnect the negative battery terminal before messing around inside the console around the wiring. There are only four screws to remove two behind the ash tray and two behind the empty tray above the radio. To remove the ash tray pull it out and press down on the lever at the top of it and pull it out the rest of the way.

The tray above the radio has two plastic tabs at the top that have to be GENTLY pulled down to release the tray. Mine were nearly impossible to do and I tried using a small flat screwdriver but they broke - 20 year old plastic. Not a big deal for me the tray just slid back in later and is fine.

The dashboard control panel then just pulls out from the console, but all the wire harnesses will only allow a few inches of play, so I detached most of them so I could move it out of the way.

To be continued because apparently there is a limit of 5 pics per message and I have used them all.....

 

[blhfla]

Next I removed the four screws holding the radio bracket to the dash. Two on the left and two on the right. A magnetic tipped screwdriver would be nice to ensure they don't fall into the console, otherwise the pickup tool comes in handy .

Now you can slide the radio out and disconnect the harness and antenna. The left and right brackets that hold the radio to the console are attached to the radio by four screws on each side. The new unit reused the bracket to mount it to the console, so I just removed the screws and transferred the bracket to the new radio. There was one small tab on each side that hooked to the old radio but there was no corresponding hole on the new radio so I just gently flattened it with a hammer (when it was unattached of course). I test fit the new radio and it fit fine so I moved on to the harness. The harness was a bit tricky because the Cruiser has an integrated harness, one complete wire set for using the [junk] stock amp behind the glovebox and another set for bypassing the amp. When you pull the stock radio out you will see it connected to a white connector on one set of the harness wires. There is also an unattached grey connector on the other set of harness wires, just laying back there (at the bottom of the pic next to the big white connector which was connected to the factory radio). This is the connector that is needed and it is the amp bypass set.

I connected the adapter harness to the grey harness, the connectors are all different sizes so they can only match up to the appropriate mate. In the picture there is also a blue wire that is "piggyback" spliced into the factory harness with a blue three way blade splice; that is the remote amp turn-on signal wire on the factory harness side. I tapped into it there to provide power to energize the 30 amp relay that is needed to permit DVD operation while the parking brake is not engaged (BTW that 3 way splicer is too big, it needs a (red) 22 gauge but that is all I had at the moment). If you follow it up to the very top right corner you can see where the relay is about to disappear onto the other side of the console adjacent to the glovebox (well you can see the attached red spade connectors anyway). I will explain how this is done shortly but first a 'safety notice': watching DVDs with the parking brake not engaged, ie., "supposedly" while driving is probably not a good idea and the government frowns on it which is why the manufacturers design the unit to not permit DVD operation while the vehicle is moving (although it is possible to drive with the parking brake on!!! Our government - the smartest ones in the room!). However, passengers should not be restricted as they are not driving (although sometimes some of them think they are, even from the back seat), so this bypass is for the purpose of allowing them to have the option to watch DVDs if they so desire to pass the hours of a long voyage. Also, some music is only available on DVD, such as a recorded concert so how else is the driver supposed to be able to LISTEN to that particular MUSIC if the DVD won't play? You don't have to watch it to just listen to it. Now back to our thread, already in progress.

After connecting the adapter, then came the antennas (radio and GPS), subwoofer output RCA cables (hooked up to some RCA patch cables to be used later on the subwoofer project), reverse camera video RCA cable and activation signal wire, microphone cable, and parking brake signal wire (for the Big Brother DVD lockout). After connecting them all I zip tied them to keep them easy to maneuver out of harms way.

Now I just pushed the wire assemblies off to the left, except for the RCA cables (subwoofer and camera - both to go to the rear of the vehicle), the remote amp turn-on and parking brake signal wire which all got stuffed up and to the right corner and then back down the other side of the console, adjacent to the glovebox (you can also see this if you look back two pictures also).

Next I will show the wires on the other side of the console coming down adjacent to the glovebox and how the relay is wired but looks like I hit the 5 pic limit again and it is past bedtime so it will have to wait for now.

 

[NorCalDoug]

nice work!

 

[98 SNAKE EATER]

I like the shade

Will it fit behind the rear view mirror so that it's closer to the windshield without kinking?

 

[FloridaCruiser22]

How do you like the new double din radio? I'm in the market and still exploring, there's so many options out there!

 

[yotasavg]

Nice work so far.

 

[blhfla]

After running the RCA cables (pre-amp and camera), remote amp turn-on wire and parking brake wire (connected to the relay) to the right of the console I ran them down the side of the dash between the console and glovebox.

Now for the relay details. Auto sound system manufacturers have been designing video capable head units with a DVD playback lockout feature to supposedly prevent ability to playback DVDs while the vehicle is moving. This is an asinine attempt to restrict freedom of drivers for several reasons. First it is not effective, as it is activated by the parking brake circuit. This assumes that the vehicle cannot be moved while the parking brake is engaged. I don't know about yours, but I can drive my Land Cruiser all day with the parking brake engaged. So much for their system. Second it prevents (supposedly, again) other passengers from enjoying the video even though they are not driving (although some may think they are, even from the back seat). Third, what if the driver wants to merely LISTEN to the DVD, not watch it? I have a Sting concert recording on DVD that is unique, the only way I can hear it is on the DVD, that is the only format that live concert was released on. Anyway, it is possible to bypass the lockout feature and you may choose to do it or not, that is your choice. If you do, here is how you may do it. Until recently, most systems just used continuity in the parking brake ground circuit to signal the radio. If the parking brake was engaged then the parking brake wire from the radio, attached to the parking brake circuit connector at the back of the parking brake handle had continuity because the connector was touching the handle closing the circuit. When the brake was released the connection was lost (a gap exposed between the brake handle and the connector) and the circuit opened and continuity was therefor lost. To bypass this just permanently connect the parking brake signal wire from the radio to ground and the brake is always "on". But the manufacturers didn't like that they were outfoxed so some changed the design so the continuity is polled after the ignition is on. You could install an inline switch to toggle the ground cirduit open/closed to kick the ground signal to the radio, but why do that when a relay can do it automatically for you? So here is how to wire the relay.

Using a common Single Pole Double Throw (SPDT) 30 amp automobile relay, you can send a ground "signal" to the radio after the ignition is turned on. The opposite pins 85 (hot) and 86 (ground) complete a circuit when 85 gets power from the remote amp turn-on wire. It cannot get power until the ignition is on and the radio is on which then sends the signal down the amp turn-on wire, so the criteria for establishing ground after ignition turn on is satisfied. Once the circuit is closed the it moves the switch on pin 30 (output - to the radio parking brake wire) from pin 87A (dead - not connected to anything so NO ground continuity by default when off) to pin 87 (ground - connected to pin 86 which is ground) thereby establishing ground continuity to pin 30 - AFTER the ignition is on and the relay is energized. This will work on most systems sold now, although some may actually require special devices, code entries, or maybe just grounding the wire as in the past.

Note in the pics above pins 85 (hot) and 86 (ground) on the left and right each have two wires attached to the spade connectors. On the left 85 has the remove amp turn on wire from the three way blue blade connector splice to the factory harness from several pictures back, and another wire to carry the amp turn on signal out to the future amp to be installed later. On the right 86 has the ground wire which goes to chassis ground and a jumper wire that goes to pin 87 completing the ground to it. The empty pin on top is pin 30 that gets the parking brake wire from the radio. It is normally connected internally via switch to pin 87A in the middle that is not attached to anything (dead), but when power is on the switch is "pulled" to pin 87, the ground, thereby connecting pin 30 to ground via the internal switch, thus passing ground continuity to the parking brake signal wire attached to ping 30 and the radio is happy to play the DVD. Note that I crimped and soldered the wires to the spade connectors because I am a bit distrusting of crimp connections.



Since the stock amp is bypassed, the wiring needs to be removed and the amp as well. To do this first remove the passenger side dash speaker. There is a screw at the bottom.

 

[bryson]

FYI, most newer DVD/blu-ray head units are requiring multiple pulsed inputs of the park brake, so you can't fool them with a simple relay anymore. There are micro-bypasses available (for marine, off road, etc. use of course) that make it seamless. And, the micro units are the size of a penny (seriously) with 3 wires to connect (ground, remote output from HU, and park brake input to HU.) Easy peasy.

You can't fault the manufacturers for the parking brake requirement - much better for them to go this route than to deal with countless lawsuits from idiots and insurance companies that claim the movie they were watching was the cause of an accident... Once it's bypassed by the end-user, that removes the liability from the manufacturer (in theory...?)

 

[blhfla]

And then two tabs at the top. Simply pull it out at the bottom and down.

Then unplug the connectors from the amp.

Remove the screws holding the amp bracket. Here are the holes where the bracket screwed into the passenger side of the dashboard.

This is where the new monoblock micro amp for the 10" subwoofer will mount, perhaps with the same bracket. The blue wire is the remote amp turn-on wire from the relay waiting for an amp to hook up to.


All that is left to wrap up the head unit install is to do the driver's side and then put it all back together.

 

[blhfla]

I like the shade

Will it fit behind the rear view mirror so that it's closer to the windshield without kinking?

It is designed to fit as shown, not behind the mirror. It works great, I have it on all my vehicles, my sister has one and now my neighbor too. It's great! The vehicle is much cooler, the seats and wheel don't burn you and it only takes literally a couple seconds to deploy/retract so I use it all the time because it isn't a PITA.

 

[blhfla]

How do you like the new double din radio? I'm in the market and still exploring, there's so many options out there!

I love it I put a Clarion double din in my 2002 Dodge Dakota and it was a PITA compared to this one (because of the Dodge, not the Clarion). I had to cut the dashboard framing with a reciprocating saw, make a custom bracket out of sheet aluminum, yada, yada, yada.... This one was a piece of cake and it fits purrrrfect. Only thing I don't like is the glare from the sunlight bouncing off the seat and center console makes the map a bit difficult to see but it isn't too bad. I think it is because it is located lower in the dash while my Dakota is at the top. Also I have to look down lower to see the map but I wear big boy pants now so I can handle it.

As far as the Jensen goes, I actually like it better than the Clarion. The USB song navigation is easier IMO (side bar scrolling instead of tedious "screen swiping" on the Clarion) and all the features work well. I can also set the initial turn on volume of each music source (at least somewhat) whereas I can't on the Clarion. I like the Clarion and it works flawlessly, but the Jensen seems a bit more convenient. Have only used the navigation once so far but it worked well. The DVD plays well also, I listen to a Sting live concert DVD all the time (but not watching it of course).

Also the speakers, junk that they are, seem to sound MUCH better without the amp, or else the Jensen HU is just that much better than the stock Matsushita. For the price it was the best option, I got it for just over $250, and I was able to pay with rewards points so I laid out $0 cash

Oh yeah almost forgot, the bluetooth pairing to cell phone works great and the caller volume/clarity is great also.

 

[blhfla]

FYI, most newer DVD/blu-ray head units are requiring multiple pulsed inputs of the park brake, so you can't fool them with a simple relay anymore. There are micro-bypasses available (for marine, off road, etc. use of course) that make it seamless. And, the micro units are the size of a penny (seriously) with 3 wires to connect (ground, remote output from HU, and park brake input to HU.) Easy peasy.

You can't fault the manufacturers for the parking brake requirement - much better for them to go this route than to deal with countless lawsuits from idiots and insurance companies that claim the movie they were watching was the cause of an accident... Once it's bypassed by the end-user, that removes the liability from the manufacturer (in theory...?)

Thanks for the reply, that is what I was referring to when I said "This will work on most systems sold now, although some may actually require special devices, code entries, or maybe just grounding the wire as in the past." Just depends on which system you get. I went with the relay because besides being about 80% less, I had some laying around. If this was an Alpine or Pioneer unit or similar I would probably had to have used a bypass device of some sort, just another reason I really like this Jensen. And I don't blame the manufacturers for protecting ourselves from ourselves, that's the government elite's job! The bussinesses just have to be the cronies playing the game they're told to play. Of course that makes the products more expensive, forcing us to pay for something we don't want anyway, instead of for making a better product. Thank you Uncle Sam!

 

[Dork]

Interesting regarding the parking brake switch requirement.

The Pioneer head unit (AVH-X4800) that I just bought two months ago had a parking brake lead, but looking at the wiring diagram, I realized that it just goes to ground when the parking brake is pulled. Put the wire to the same ground lug as the system ground instead, and suddenly I can do anything I want with the unit at any time I'm driving: no relay, no bypass unit, no nothing, just works.

They must just not have gotten the notice yet about making it "safer".

 

[blhfla]

Now for the driver's side. The microphone RCA cable and the reverse signal wire have to come out on the driver's side so the mic can be positioned in a prime location for picking up the driver's voice and the reverse wire can go to the driver's kick panel area. First I had to run them from the dash console area to the left and down into the driver's footwell area. But to make access easier the panel under the steering column must be removed, it is held in place by four screws. Here they are from the top left going clockwise.

Upper and lower screws.

There are also two pins that guide the panel in place.

Simply pull it straight out after removing the screws, paying attention to the pins. I then removed the worthless speaker attached to the panel. Now I could feed the microphone cable and the reverse wire behind the driver's side dashboard console frame and down to the footwell.