Builds Evolution of a Land Cruiser: My 80's build thread (5 Viewers)

[Broski]

RCV 300M REAR AXLES

While working on the brakes and checking my rear bearings (which happened to be completely loose), I noticed my OEM axles (long side) was chewed up and twisted. This was surprising to see because I'm very gentle on the throttle and try not to have lots of wheel spin and hop. This sucked cause I wasn't planning on having to upgrade axles so it was an unexpected expense.

OEM shafts held up well but I knew it was time for an upgrade. The Nitros twist if you so much as look at them funny so that only left the $1k RCV 300M axles. Pricey as hell, but a one-time expense since I know I'll never break these.

The new RCVs sure are pretty. The flange is drilled for 6 dowel pins vs 2 one the original setup. The shafts are also machined to prevent the infamous stuck twisted axles in the elocker collar. They also use a 2-piece design with a separate drive flange like the front, nice.

Rather than use that OEM studs and cone washers, I decided to get rid of even more fuses and upgraded to 7/16" ARP bolts since I was already getting the hub machined for additional dowel pins. These things are like 3x cheaper then the metric ARP studs for our hubs.

Back from machining. 6 dowel pins, 6 big ass ARP bolts, bye bye third member!

Since I had the hubs apart, I decided to replace all bearings, races, and seals because who knows how long I rode on the loose bearings.

And here it is all back together. I did have to grind down the heads of the ARP bolts in order to clear the wheels as they stuck out past the edge of the hub a tiny bit.

And a picture of what my Cruiser does best lately...sit on the pavement :/

Nice touch, with the lug nuts

 

[Box Rocket]

That's a beef rear axle setup. I'm hoping my OEM rear shafts are not in the same condition but I don't hit the hard trails as often as you do. Would love the upgrade to the 300M's but not looking forward to the expense.

 

[spyduh]

Now I want to buy 300Ms. I need to stop looking at your thread. It's making me broke. Stupid land cruiser addiction. Why are they sooooo expensive.

 

[jcardona1]

That's a beef rear axle setup. I'm hoping my OEM rear shafts are not in the same condition but I don't hit the hard trails as often as you do. Would love the upgrade to the 300M's but not looking forward to the expense.

Now I want to buy 300Ms. I need to stop looking at your thread. It's making me broke. Stupid land cruiser addiction. Why are they sooooo expensive.

We should have all bought Jeeps. Everything is so much cheaper and so much more bolt-onier

 

[dcguillory]

Well I seem to be one of the few. I love the new look!

 

[Grandlooser]

I certainly don't hate the new look, but am struggling to love it as well. Probably just need pics with it flexed out on some rocks and it will all make sense.

 

[jcardona1]

HOOD LIGHT

You know I gotta say, this has to be one of the top 10 most useful mods. Can't believe I didn't do this sooner. Ordered the waterproof LED strip as shown on some other MUD threads. Got the 24" version with 60 LEDs in the cool white color for $29.99

Waterproof Linear LED Light Bar Fixture - 390 Lumens | Super Bright LEDs - http://www.superbrightleds.com/moreinfo/aluminum-light-bars/wlf-xw60smd-series-60-high-power-led-waterproof-light-fixture/680/

The light seems to be really well built. I see this lasting for a long time. Mounted it under my hood using some 3M double-sided tape right behind the rubber seal

I ran the wiring behind the insulation and zip-tied it to the windshield washer tubing

I didn't want some fancy pants pressure switch to have the light turn on when the hood is opened. I don't always need the light on and sometimes I leave the hood open in the garage for hours. So I bought a tiny push-button switch at Radio Shack and installed it on the battery tie-down bar. Soldering the wire to the tiny terminals was not a fun task.

AND THE RESULT! Here's how it looks in my garage with all the lights off. This is a very accurate photo of the real output. This little light could prove invaluable on the side of the road or at the campsite at night. Heck, even in my garage I'm often in need of a bit more light.

So shut up, buy the light and slap it on.

8 year update! LED light strip still works great and is super useful. Found myself wanting more light sometimes, especially while working near the master cylinder and booster. So I added 2 more rock lights up in the corners. It's kinda bright now.

Last night I was working on aiming the new headlights. The Morimotos sure have a nice beam pattern and sharp cutoff

 

[AZ4ME]

\

Maybe paint the part that surrounds the amber corners the same color as the headlight buckets and it will blend a little better?

 

[Grandlooser]

Or bring some black into the headlight surrounds? A little time with electrical tape could give an idea before doing it. I'm also liking the look more the more I look at it.

 

[bwakeling]

I think it looks cool

 

[2fpower]

Well, I think @kelly saad 's work is amazing... and with a name like Kelly, you can't find a better person in my opinion. I never met a dude named Kelly that was not a stand up, salt of the earth kind of person.

Now, "Jose" that is a whole other story.....

EDIT : My son is awesome with colors says you need to get clear DEPO side lights and paint the trim edges the same color as the grill grey.

 

[jcardona1]

Well, I think @kelly saad 's work is amazing... and with a name like Kelly, you can't find a better person in my opinion. I never met a dude named Kelly that was not a stand up, salt of the earth kind of person.

Now, "Jose" that is a whole other story.....

EDIT : My son is awesome with colors says you need to get clear DEPO side lights and paint the trim edges the same color as the grill grey.

Here's a rendering of the clear corners and darker headlight bezels. I think the dark bezels look cool, but I'm just not feeling the clear corners. Never been a fan of clear corner lights on these trucks, especially with the color of my truck. Would you do it?

 

[spyduh]

amber corners look better.

edit: unless you smoke the clear lens. Otherwise your color combo goes better with amber

 

[Broski]

That why we need options, I like and run clear corner lenses. And I think they make your new setup look better
But for me round head light just look wrong on a 80
In the end it’s what you like the best.

 

[cahill]

May look better with the trim around the corner lights the same gray as the bumper as @2fpower 's son said. I prefer the amber corners and those colors tie in with the orange in other parts of your build but think it may look good/better with the trim painted gray.

 

[on the rocks]

I'm on a looong mission to ditch the markers altogether. Just got to get around to it lol. How about gutting the marker frame and adding a matching mesh to the grill or have it fabbed by the guy that build the grill to match to wrap around without the maker at all. Any legal marker issues you have the bumper or add LED inside. Also get additional cooling into the fenders and engine bay as a bonus. Or close it in at the body shop...

 

[Broski]

The clear corners go with the clear head lights, but the kid right the trim needs to match the grill and bumper

 

[White Sheep]

I like Amber better.

 

[Grandlooser]

Blacked out corners.

 

[White Sheep]

Here's a rendering of the clear corners and darker headlight bezels. I think the dark bezels look cool, but I'm just not feeling the clear corners. Never been a fan of clear corner lights on these trucks, especially with the color of my truck. Would you do it?

Again, I like amber, but these are pretty cheap if you want to test the look.

Thread 'Louisiana: OEM clear corner lights' For Sale - Louisiana: OEM clear corner lights - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/louisiana-oem-clear-corner-lights.1251913/