Builds Finally got my own...Meet BeBe (4 Viewers)

[gregnash]

Ok so a bit of an update on running the Bluetooth Battery monitor. So far it has been really good and given me some solid information. The cold morning start thing just seems to be that the engine doesn't like to crank over quite as easily when the mornings are that cold. We have been having a bit of a warmer spell here so she has been pretty much firing right up. Monitor has been attached the entire time and I have been pulling the info on it pretty much daily.

From the best that I can tell with the monitor, the only real possible issue is the fact that the battery is older and thus the cranking amps are at the low end (according to the monitor) of the what is marked at the acceptable spectrum. Second picture above shows the cranking voltage as being about 10.18v and really it has pretty much stuck right around there (think it has gone up to just under 10.4v now). Other than that no issues. Definitely a worth while investment if you are questioning your battery.

 

[gregnash]

So this FINALLY happened... Thanks at Cruiser Corps for the dash cap, only took me like 4 months to finally have the time to install.
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr
Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

Dash is back in but not everything installed (other than necessities to get around). Waiting on my @NLXTACY Wits' End glove box to be powdered.

 

[gregnash]

Well that's a bummer.... On my way home tonight from softball, much like last time, my dash lights completely went out. Checked fuses that I could find and everything seems fine, so I am guessing it is fusible link AGAIN! Gonna have to check tomorrow in the daylight.
Wish me luck.

 

[87CRUSR]

Well that's a bummer.... On my way home tonight from softball, much like last time, my dash lights completely went out. Checked fuses that I could find and everything seems fine, so I am guessing it is fusible link AGAIN! Gonna have to check tomorrow in the daylight.
Wish me luck.

How many times is again? (potentially as you have yet to verify).

 

[gregnash]

This would be number two if I did officially blow the fusible. Now to find one somewhere... I know I have recently seen one on someone's website but dont remember exactly WHOS site!

 

[87CRUSR]

This would be number two if I did officially blow the fusible. Now to find one somewhere... I know I have recently seen one on someone's website but dont remember exactly WHOS site!

You are correct. There is indeed a vendor. I cant recall who exactly.

 

[HemiAlex]

OEM Fusible Link - FJ60, 1980-1987

OEM Toyota - Fits FJ60 - 8/1980 - 7/1987 The fusible link hooks in at the battery, and protects your Cruiser's electrical system from short circuits. - Fully wired with OEM plugs, ready to snap into your wire harness.

cruisercorps.com

 

[gregnash]

Yup saw that one this morning. Probably going to just buy to have a spare for occasions like this.

Is there any other random places I should look/test? Check all the fuses for my additional power block thinking it may have kicked there for some reason and all were good. Checked all the normal fuse panel ones and everything looked good. I have a small block that is used for illumination to control other things and pretty sure that touched and grounded while driving last night (currently loose and hanging due to glovebox being out) my Illum stuff. The GAUGE fuse looked fine but will replace anyways tonight if fusible link looks good.

 

[gregnash]

Ok so just checked the fusible link and looks fine. No wires are broken, the connectors look fine, everything seems fine. Went back through and checked all the fuses, all of them and they all tested fine.

So the next question is... since this in the "illumination" side of my little bracket that most likely grounded itself and I did not smell anything or hear anything when this happened could I have possibly either,
A) completely shorted out every bulb in the dash, or
B) killed the rheostat that controls the bulbs and thus killed the dash that way?

I will take a bulb out of the dash and see if I can test but really confused at this point.

 

[gregnash]

Sweet!! Found the issue.. apparently the dash/cluster lights are tied to the TAIL LIGHT fuse, not the Gauge fuse...

 

[Willard]

This would be number two if I did officially blow the fusible. Now to find one somewhere... I know I have recently seen one on someone's website but dont remember exactly WHOS site!

I got mine from @beno

Thank You

LCP&C will be ceasing operations on June 1, 2019. We thank you for the many years of support and the pleasure of serving all of you as you build and maintain your vehicles. We hope to see many of you on the trails! Thank you! Onur

www.landcruiserpartsandconsulting.com

 

[Willard]

So this FINALLY happened... Thanks at Cruiser Corps for the dash cap, only took me like 4 months to finally have the time to install.

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

Dash is back in but not everything installed (other than necessities to get around).

Waiting on my @NLXTACY Wits' End glove box to be powdered.

This is what I did to mine, One Issue that has come up, in the heat this summer, I had a corner bubble and then harden, so in the left corner of the gauge cluster I ended up with a bump. I am thinking a heat gun will fix it but will require removal of the cap.
Now the only thing I did different was use industrial glue to seal the cap to the pad.

Other than that I have been super happy with mine.

 

[gregnash]

See the front of mine "clicked" into place however the rear side did not... seems like it is a bit short compared to stock dash which has caused it to not want to sit flush. I attempted to use some of the black rtv that was sent with mine to adhere it in certain points but that did not even stick. I think I am going to have to pull it out to redo at some point.

 

[gregnash]

Well s***... driving to work this morning and heard a slight pop come from the dash. Got to the office and was trying to find what it was and ended up finding two things.

- AC surround broke in multiple spots where I had tried to repair... *sigh* someone needs to make these with a 3D printer already
- Noticed that the two lower outside screws on the gauge cluster popped through and broke the holes %^&*er!!!

So looks like I am going to be looking for a new gauge cluster surround here in the near future.

 

[Prairie Swamp]

35 year old plastic giving up the ghost. Not sure there's anything you can do preventive wise. Sucks.

 

[KWalkerM]

Sweet!! Found the issue.. apparently the dash/cluster lights are tied to the TAIL LIGHT fuse, not the Gauge fuse...

Wish I had seen this earlier. You can trouble shoot the lights on the fly. The heater fan and taillights should on the same fusible link wire. If the heater fan cuts and the lights its the fusible link. I dont use the OEM fusible since blowing one in BFE South Texas. Fusible wire can be found at autoparts stores. Just splice in the same gauge AND length wire. Then you can swap it easily if it blows later on. I am working on a more permanent cleanup set up with o ring terminals and wingnuts this summer.

 

[gregnash]

Well time for an update...

Truck has been running flawlessly with zero issues (aside from my damn stereo being on the fritz). Recently purchased a CoverCraft windshield shade and damn while those are expensive, soooooooo worth the money. Thing is solid built and fits PERFECTLY. I literally have been going through the cheapo Costco/Target/whatever ones on a yearly basis just because the spring/surrounds end up braking after continual collapsing. So figured I would spend the money and grab something purpose built!

Wife and I have been traveling so much this year that I have had almost zero time to work on the truck. Still haven't completed putting the dash fully back together. However I did finally paint my glove box from @NLXTACY Wits' End and get that installed. Was having some trouble getting the screws aligned but haven't really messed with it all that much. Pretty sure it is probably something to do with my dash reinstall not being properly aligned.

Outside of that, not much to report on the truck. However, I will be pushing this fall (once things quiet down a bit travel-wise) to get the paint cut-n-buffed and looking uniform and fix a few spots I have noticed. Outside of that I will be cleaning the interior and then probably next spring put her up for sale.

Things have changed enough in our lives that;
A.) we need a towing vehicle (so looking at 100 series LCs), and
B.) we need something that is a little more "modern" as a second vehicle

I have no issue going out on the cold mornings and starting the truck up, letting her idle to warm up and whatnot but we have come to the determination that as a second vehicle, we need something more "modern" than that. Next year the 4Runner will be paid off and we have been talking about getting a camper since we borrowed our family's small one last year. With us getting older and the dogs, a camper just ends up being more "useful" for us. Plus add that to the fact that many of the campgrounds that we have frequented over the years have now become more RV/Trailer friendly and leaning that way, makes it hard for us as tent campers. Since our schedules are so busy we usually book our camping at least 6 months in advance. But with the changing trend for camp spots, this has become next to impossible if you don't have an RV, Trailer, Tent trailer, etc. Trying to book a "tent" site is slim to nil for the most part now and if a campground does have them, usually you cannot pre-book. Mind you this is not for all of them but many of the California parks that we normally like to stay at, ESPECIALLY around Tahoe.

Most of the campers we are looking at are going to be under 4500lbs loaded so while that is in the capacity of the 4Runner it is towards the heavier end and was something we noticed gave us a bit of issue last year. This is where the 100-series comes in with its' V8 and 6500lbs towing capacity. So for about the next year I will be focusing more on making BeBe appealing to the buyers market. With everything I have done, hoping I can get between $6k and $8k for her but don't know how realistic that is with prices being all over the place. I really hate to get rid of her but necessity calls it and having two more capable vehicles instead of one and a toy (no pun intended) is more desirable for us. Been looking for anything between a '99 and 2005 100-series, less than 250k, non-nav and non-AHC which looks like will cost me around $11k depending.

 

[gregnash]

BeBe got some new shoes!!!
Last week was walking by her in the driveway and noticed a nice screw right between two lugs on the S/T Maxx's. Was in the front passenger tire. They are all down to about 3/32" so it was time for new shoes anyways, and the S/T Maxx got a good 28k out of them with multiple offroad trips and at least a yearly trip to the local petroglyph site that normally has one tire casualty every year. Really wanted to go with the S/T Maxx again but just couldn't do it with only having had them for just under 5yrs (would have been 5 in November). Seeing as she gets daily driven and during the warm months takes multiple trips up to Tahoe and weekly trips to Reno for softball night I decided that she needed an actual mileage rated tire.

Being that we have had good luck with Cooper tires in the past, liked the Cooper AT3 LT on the wife's 4Runner, I figured I would go with what was available which was the AT3 XLT. This has a slightly more blocky sidewall lug than the plan LT, not quite like the S/T Maxx but close. Anyways, first 60 miles was put on them and liking them so far. One main thing I noticed (and the plain LT does the same thing) when they are new like this, the tread tends to grab the lines in the road more and thus you can hit sections where you feel like you are getting tossed around a bit. I do remember the wife's did this for the first few hundred miles but it has calmed down since.

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

Untitled by Greg Fisicaro, on Flickr

 

[TRAIL TAILOR]

32X11.50R15LT ?

 

[gregnash]

32X11.50R15LT ?

Negative J... those are the 31x10.50x15 Discoverer AT3 XLT.