Builds Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread (2 Viewers)

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Don't chop the top till you lean it into a tree. Push that full body as far as it will go. The body keeps it clean inside, and warm in the winter.

Any plans for the passenger slider? Darn Exhaust is right in the way.
 
Don't chop the top till you lean it into a tree. Push that full body as far as it will go. The body keeps it clean inside, and warm in the winter.

Any plans for the passenger slider? Darn Exhaust is right in the way.

Remind me how harsh the winter is in Sacramento? Install some seat heaters and get over it.
 
Don't chop the top till you lean it into a tree. Push that full body as far as it will go. The body keeps it clean inside, and warm in the winter.

Any plans for the passenger slider? Darn Exhaust is right in the way.

I'm slowly working my way around the truck. Going for the left rear quarter, rear bumper, right rear quarter and eventually to the rocker/slider on the passenger side. ETA summer of 2018 :)

Remind me how harsh the winter is in Sacramento? Install some seat heaters and get over it.

Hey! We do get into the 50s. And on rare occasions water falls out of the sky :flipoff2:
 
Remind me how harsh the winter is in Sacramento? Install some seat heaters and get over it.


So, there are these mountains, really close to sacramento and @jcardona1 has been known to go to them. Even in the winter.
 
THE SWAYBAR PROJECT

I think it's about time sombody tried this on an 80! Just placed the order with RuffStuff while they have their 20% sale going. Started by ordering just the swaybar. I will be getting the truck weighed and will drive to their shop to get the final specs worked out in person (these are built to order and custom-tuned individually). This will be a rear application. With the 3 link in front I can see no easy way to fit a swaybar up there so I'm going to try to improve the rear setup as the stock bar is bent to s***, limits flex and feels like it doesn't help on the freeway.

This is no doubt extreme overkill with a price to match. Even Dan says these aren't intended for the average weekend wheeler but I need something better and there are no off-the-shelf solutions which will work for me.

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As you can see, NO room here:

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Even less after hydro assist

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Plenty of room back here. I could either run the bar in front of the axle (inside the upper link crossmember) or behind where there's even more room:

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Some pics for reference

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After a 3 month wait my custom sway bar shaft finally arrived! Now to put it in the garage and add it to the ever-growing list of projects. I still need to order the sway bar "kit" and arms so I'll wait for their next big sale.

I knew RuffStuff had their shafts machined by another shop but didn't who it was. Now I know, Kick Ass Offroad!

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hi ! looking forward to it.
Yours is beefier than mine but maybe something like this would work for you too :

it's just a try... as I said yours should be way better
 
hi ! looking forward to it.
Yours is beefier than mine but maybe something like this would work for you too :

it's just a try... as I said yours should be way better

That is an insanely clean frame! Wow!

I like your upper linked suspension. Do you have a thread with more pictures? That would look good on a portal setup....
 
Nice! What do the arms outside the frame look like?
I will see what I have. This one is quite old actually (maybe 4 years...) it's a rally purpose 80 :)

That is an insanely clean frame! Wow!

I like your upper linked suspension. Do you have a thread with more pictures? That would look good on a portal setup....
Yes I do. It's there : 80 rear wishbone suspension link
Well it's not really a thread but it gives an idea :)
 
I will see what I have. This one is quite old actually (maybe 4 years...) it's a rally purpose 80 :)


Yes I do. It's there : 80 rear wishbone suspension link
Well it's not really a thread but it gives an idea :)
Sorry for the Hijack Jose.

Thanks for the link. @jfmallot I have read that one several times over the last year, but it used the old upper link mounts, not like the pics you have above. I really like that design you show above.
 
The thread is mine. It's barely the same design but using the OEM mounts as supports
 
@jcardona1

First of all, beautiful truck. Your attention to detail in impressive! Second, stunning photos! Such a pleasure to follow your build with visuals. And lastly, I may have missed it but the marlin gears are so worth it, you will be pleasantly surprised! It really is a game changer. With Brian's link setup and marlins gears, my old 80 crushed fordyce, start to finish without any body damage. Great work, would love to see some fat removal!
 
Almost 2 months without an update....... hmmmm do I hear the rumbling of some major changes???
 
@jcardona1

First of all, beautiful truck. Your attention to detail in impressive! Second, stunning photos! Such a pleasure to follow your build with visuals. And lastly, I may have missed it but the marlin gears are so worth it, you will be pleasantly surprised! It really is a game changer. With Brian's link setup and marlins gears, my old 80 crushed fordyce, start to finish without any body damage. Great work, would love to see some fat removal!

Thanks man! Sure do miss seeing your 80 around. And I'm glad you had all those pics from the 3link build as they helped a lot. :cheers:

Almost 2 months without an update....... hmmmm do I hear the rumbling of some major changes???

Wish I could say yes there are some cool things in the works but unfortunately, nothing. Been tied up all year with house projects since we bought a new home this year. Hopefully next year things settle down a bit and I'll have more time for the truck. I do have a bunch of things to work on, just no time lately.
 
TAILGATE STORAGE PANEL

copypasta from my separate thread...

Tailgate storage panels have been a popular mod lately. Lots of different options from the WG lid, DIY boat hatches and several aluminum panels. The 80 series is perfect for this mod with the tailgate/hatch combo. Adam at Back Bay Customs (@Notch) was kind enough to allow me to be a beta tester of his new tailgate panel. While they may be new in the FJ80 world they are no stranger to custom car builds: Photo Gallery | Back Bay Customs Let's hope they continue to make products for the 80 market.

Okay on to the pics! After removing the carpet panel and the 3 access covers, temporarily attach the frame with as many bolts as you can. The frame is keyed to all the original plastic clips which makes alignment a breeze.

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Place masking tape along the inside edge of the frame. This will be how you create the template for the cuts.

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For the sides and rear part of the frame, place a mark 3/16" from the outside edge of the tape, where the inside edge of the frame was. For the part at the bottom of the tailgate facing the cab, you go 1/16" from the outside edge.

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Mark your lines all the way around with a straight edge.

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And cut! There will be 4 braces to cut through.

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Here you can see the braces you will be cutting. 2 on top, 2 on bottom.

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Brace.

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Empty cavity.

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The braces need to be trimmed back a bit for the aluminum frame that gets installed. This can be a bit tricky due to the tight space. I used a small cut off wheel and finished it off with a flap wheel on my angle grinder.

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Inner aluminum frame installed after cutting away the brace.

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Inner frames with rubber tape installed.

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After that you're ready to attach the outer frame. The inner frames serve as a stop for the lid.

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Bracket for the lift strut. Very nice.

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continued...
 
And installed! I've seen a few tailgate storage panels in person and while I haven't seen them all, I can already tell this is one of the nicest options out there. Everything is extremely well machined and fits together beautifully. Adam thought of everything and I'm really not sure what could make this any better. Recessed latches would be cool but not sure how much more expensive that would be. Anyway, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

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And there's just something about tailgate storage panels with a rifle sitting on it that looks so cool :cheers:

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What I love about your truck is how well it mixes rockcrawler/expedition use. It's exactly what I'm shooting for with mine.

And that's a nice tailgate storage!
 
I'd love to be a beta tester for all the goodies you have back there and promote them here :)
as always nice work :)
 
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Is it just me or are the pictures on this page now gone?
 

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