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

[jcardona1]

AXE MOUNT

Since I already own The Best Shovel in the World, it was only logical to choose the same brand for the axe. Picked up the Fiskars X15 axe on Amazon for about $32. The axe is mostly bling since I don't think I'll use it unless it's the zombie apocalypse and I'm out of ammo

Mounted it to the ladder using a set of Quick Fists. It's really sturdy and won't move, but I'll probably still use a lashing strap around it for peace of mind. The axe handle has a hole at the bottom so I can use a cable lock to secure it with the gas/water cans.

Still working on that darn shovel mount...

 

[2KCruiser]

That looks bad ass. Maybe you can submit your rig for the next season of Walking Dead.

 

[mickeyt]

Does the shovel mounted rub against the vehicle when going over bumps etc.?

 

[jcardona1]

That looks bad ass. Maybe you can submit your rig for the next season of Walking Dead.

ha Thanks! I totally would, but I hate that show

Does the shovel mounted rub against the vehicle when going over bumps etc.?

Truck still isn't driveable but I ended up scraping that idea. Didn't like how it looked. I ended up ordering this jack/shovel mount that goes on the tire carrier. It arrives today so I'll mount it up and let you guys know how it works. It's a new product by Tuff Stuff so I couldn't find any other pics on it. Sold by Truck & Winch.

 

[93yotasr5]

dude i want that decal. " chrome dont get ya home" ive been saying that since i was a wee tot!!!

 

[js93cruiser]

dude i want that decal. " chrome dont get ya home" ive been saying that since i was a wee tot!!!

I want one too! That's bad ass

 

[jcardona1]

Do it! Can't remember the exact site I bought it from but I'm sure you could find some via a Google search. Paid about $2-3

 

[93yotasr5]

I'll check eBay. They usually have everything

 

[mickeyt]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dixie-Tshir..._Tshirts&var=500068708325&hash=item2ebf3d253b

 

[jcardona1]

IT'S ALIIIIIIIIIIIIIVVVVVEEE!

After being parked for seven weeks she's finally alive again! Early last week I torqued on the head and installed the cams then this weekend I did a marathon wrenching session on Saturday. This was actually the first weekend I did any work on it related to the HG job. Putting the intake side back together was a royal pain. Definitely the hard part of the job.

On Sunday I finished up the air box, throttle cables and battery box. Flushed what I could out of the block in the garage trying not to soak everything, refilled with tap water, drained the oil and filled it up with some el-cheap-o oil for now.

Turned the key, let it crank over a few seconds and she roared to life! Greatest feeling ever. Smoked for a few minutes and then it went away. I tried to adjust the timing but had a few issues with jumping the terminals per the FSM. I'll need to post a new thread about that. I'll update this thread accordingly.

Put about 50 miles on it yesterday and so far so good. No leaks, no smoke, runs nice and smooth. I still need to install the hood, flush out the radiator and block again, refill with antifreeze and do an oil/filter change. I want to put a couple hundred miles on it around town before I'm confident it won't blow up during a camping/wheeling trip.

Here's a pic outside of the garage, getting some much needed sunlight

SHOVEL MOUNT

After messing around with this damn shovel for a while I FINALLY figured out a place to mount it. The spare tire mount I posted earlier didn't work well. It works best only with a Hi-Lift jack. When you try to use a shovel only it won't mount securely. So I'll be returning that for a refund.

Ended up mounting the shovel on top of the Hi-Lift and it turned out great. Rock solid. Not even a wiggle. Used 3 muffler clamps with some wing nuts to hold it in place. The middle clamp wasn't long enough so I extended it using a coupling nut and some threaded studs. I drilled two holes into the spade to help secure it for side-to-side movement. Not too bad for about $15 in hardware

 

[2KCruiser]

Good Sh***!

 

[wxm]

Congrats on job well done.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Awesome man!!

 

[KimoSabe]

Cool stuff hope to see you out on the trails

 

[Geert]

Your rig looks great!
What size tires are you running now?

Do you like Duvel? The brewery is 10 minutes from my house

 

[jcardona1]

Good Sh***!

Congrats on job well done.

Awesome man!!

Thanks guys

Cool stuff hope to see you out on the trails

Thanks! You in the Sacramento area too?

Your rig looks great!
What size tires are you running now?

Do you like Duvel? The brewery is 10 minutes from my house

Thanks! I'm currently running the 35x12.50/17 Toyo MTs with 17x9" wheels.

Do I like Duvel? It's only the most beautiful tasting liquid I've ever put into my mouth!!!!!!! LOL. I first tried this beer when I went to Belgium on a business trip a few years ago. Out of all the Belgian ales I tried this was by far my favorite. And it's been getting very popular here in the US in the recent years which is a good thing because it means it's easier to find

 

[93yotasr5]

finally!!!! damn that's come a long way since I saw it parked out in front of your house. looks good. now you'll be able to take her on the GCC first wheeling trip!!!!

 

[jcardona1]

finally!!!! damn that's come a long way since I saw it parked out in front of your house. looks good. now you'll be able to take her on the GCC first wheeling trip!!!!

Thanks man, and I'm looking forward to it! We need to get a date set so I can plan ahead...

 

[jcardona1]

SPARE TIRE & PAINTING THE WHEELS

Finally got a full sized spare tire mounted up. Hopped on CL and found a used 35x12.50/17 ProComp Xterrain with decent tread left. Also ordered a new rim to match the ones I have right now. But you're probably saying it's silver...WTF? Yes, silver! Somewhere along the line I decided I didn't like black wheels anymore. You can't see the pattern or no design to the wheel. It just looks like a black blob from 20ft away. And since my bumpers will be silver, might as well make the wheels match so....

This is one is the silver powdercoat as it comes from the factory

And here's one of the ones I painted. Sandblasted the wheels to get the surface ready, primed and painted with Rustoleum Wheel paint. The color is really close!

And here she is, half done. Just gotta do the fronts now. It's one crackhead project after the other

 

[2KCruiser]

Looks great Jose, got a quick question for you. Does the 3 jerry can setup from Sean's bumper block the tail light at all. Just asking because your pic looks like it does, put it can be just the angle. So now our wheels don't match anymore. But I completely see what you mean, it is a great looking wheel but all the detail is lost in the black.