Got a '99 LX in very rough condition.... I might have made a big mistake? (1 Viewer)

[86R100RS]

What a cool project! That looks like fun, and congrats on the purchase.

Keyless entry, starter, locks, e-brake, t-belt, fluids etc all are worthy places to start... but you gotta get rid of those rims ASAP.

These all fit:

Toyota tundra/sequoia factory alloy wheel set w/center caps &lugs -...

Like new condition, these wheels have only 4300 miles on them! Fits 07-20 tundra/sequoia....

tucson.craigslist.org

18s wheels & tires of 2018 tundra trd - auto wheels & tires - by...

Great set 18s stock wheels and 275 /65/18 michelin all terrain tires have 60% tread left miles...

phoenix.craigslist.org

275/65/R18 LTX A/T 2 Tundra Sequoia - auto wheels & tires - by owner...

275/65/R18 take off from a 2017 Toyota Tundra, mounted on alloy wheels. Michelin LTX A/T 2. No...

phoenix.craigslist.org

Tell me about it I hate those rims. My question was are all Tundra rims interchangeable with the LC? I am also still contemplating 16" or 18" both look great but 18" seem more abundant. Thanks for the links, some of these are on my radar already

 

[86R100RS]

"Got a '99 LX in very rough condition...I might have made a big mistake"

I think the biggest mistake people make is buying rusted ones. The fact that it runs and drives and you got it for a steal, means you didn't make a mistake.

Good to hear, I'll keep at it and get it where I want it to be at. Thanks for all the help and encouragement....

 

[jLB]

Great to hear I am not the only one. You describe what I want to do with it as well, first get it mechanically sound again and then the bling. I have to get a new windshield also as mine is broken and I can't stand it. Hopefully there will be no pitfalls.
The horn issue will have to be investigated a bit more. I will see that I get the drain tube cleared.
Love to see some more pics of yours too

I’d suggest doing a little reading on this forum on windshield replacement issues. Many shops do it “wrong” or take shortcuts, that cause much larger issues in the long run. You might want to check with some of the 100 series guys in your area, to find one of the few shops that might take the time, and put in the effort to do it correctly.

If you’re still thinking you got a bad deal, you could drop it off in my driveway with a small ($500) disposal fee...

 

[knewstance]

My question was are all Tundra rims interchangeable with the LC? I am also still contemplating 16" or 18" both look great but 18" seem more abundant.

Any 5 lug Tundra wheel will work with the LC. In some cases you will not easily be able to fit the center caps, but those aren't required specifically.

Looks like you have quite the project ahead of you. I started in a similar situation. You might get some good ideas or inspiration from my build thread linked in my signature.

As long as you aren't expecting your LC to be a daily driver too soon, you can spend some time getting it dialed in and it will be a solid vehicle for you.

 

[Skidoo]

Mistake only based on what you paid for it.

...

Hand brake? don't waste your time. I'm pretty sure they the majority of ours are useless out there.

...

The owner of this Jeep set the parking brake on Black Bear switchbacks yesterday.
Whether it wasn't set or didn't hold is immaterial, I for one think parking brakes are pretty important and go out of my way to maintain it.
It is one of the items inspected at events like Cruise Moab.

 

[86R100RS]

The owner of this Jeep set the parking brake on Black Bear switchbacks yesterday.
Whether it wasn't set or didn't hold is immaterial, I for one think parking brakes are pretty important and go out of my way to maintain it.
It is one of the items inspected at events like Cruise Moab.

View attachment 2463102

100% agreed! TFS

 

[freewill1968]

Gotcha, thank you. I have looked a bit at ARB but so far I have not seen a bumper there that I like. I like the clean look and not all the bars in front of the light and grill, though they might come in handy one day. This will be way down the road as well

Buying a 2021 would have been a mistake
I just bought a 1999 LC for 3,900 and after I got it I need to fix the front diff (F@#K)
I so happy I get to upgrade to ARB air locker and I have the stock rear locker
I'll take a old LC any day

 

[wrigh003]

Buying a 2021 would have been a mistake
...
I'll take a old LC any day

Same thoughts here. Mine's currently a handsome driveway ornament until I get the alternator replaced or rebuilt, but after a quarter million miles, a couple hundred in parts here and there is... expected. All way less spendy than the $1000/mo nut to crack on a (gosh I don't even really care to know how much they are) new LC.

To OP - if you're into that for $3500 you did real good, ugly wheels and all. A rattle can of plastidip can knock down some ugly in the meantime for <$100, if you just can't stand em. Other than that, just get the crucial stuff done so it'll drive (even if you have to pay someone- sounds like you'd probably still come out at least even, if not ahead of the game), chip away at the rest, and you'll be on the trails soon enough.

 

[86R100RS]

Same thoughts here. Mine's currently a handsome driveway ornament until I get the alternator replaced or rebuilt, but after a quarter million miles, a couple hundred in parts here and there is... expected. All way less spendy than the $1000/mo nut to crack on a (gosh I don't even really care to know how much they are) new LC.

To OP - if you're into that for $3500 you did real good, ugly wheels and all. A rattle can of plastidip can knock down some ugly in the meantime for <$100, if you just can't stand em. Other than that, just get the crucial stuff done so it'll drive (even if you have to pay someone- sounds like you'd probably still come out at least even, if not ahead of the game), chip away at the rest, and you'll be on the trails soon enough.

wrigh003, you are correct, mostly. I am rectifying the wheel issue as I got original 16" wheels and new tires today. Couple 100 in parts is more like a couple of thousand. I have spent about $1,600 just in parts to get it baselined again. And I am pretty sure I need to spend some more $$ to make it reliable 99.999%. Interior cosmetic upgrades are another grand+ but then I know what is in the car and how well it is done. After that the off road outfitting will start slowly, one part at a time.... It is about the journey and I am enjoying it. New LC flirt with the $100k barrier. Not an option for me, nor would I want it anyway.

 

[JunkCrzr89]

I drove up to Prescott and helped @86R100RS get the engine compartment baselined over the last couple of days. He and his wife are great folks who kept my belly full of good food and incredibly delicious beer

Issues that we found and fixed:
- Starter was failing (reman of unknown age, but was a Toyota branded reman)
- driver side intake manifold gasket had a small leak
- both valve cover gaskets had been puking oil onto the exhaust manifolds for years
- two of the water bypass pipe gaskets were leaking (one on each the front and rear bypass pipes)
- water pump had been leaking long enough for some crusties to develop
- front crankshaft seal had been leaking for a loooong time
- passenger side camshaft seal had a small leak
- 6 spark plug tube seals were hard as rocks and allowing oil into the tubes
- 7 ignition coil shafts were cracked and/or the boots were brittle
- 4 spark plugs were overtorqued and required soaking in PB Blaster for 1.5 days and very careful incremental loosening and re-tightening to get them out without stripping threads or breaking a plug. All 8 plugs had some ash and were old (but at least were the correct Denso units)
- all 8 fuel injector vibration insulators and grommets were either hard as a rock or cracked
- PCV valve had never been changed and hose had been chewed by pack rats
- two oil cooler hoses were leaking
- multiple evap/air hoses were cracked
- water inlet housing did not have an o-ring and instead the groove was filled with permatex/FIPG
- an incorrect thermostat gasket was used (too large), so permatex/FIPG had been used to seal the water inlet to the water inlet housing
- all 4 radiator hose clamps were worm-drive clamps that had been over tightened and cut into the hoses
- heater Ts and hoses had been replaced within the last 5 years, but one clamp was a worm-drive clamp. Found the correct constant tension clamp under the intake manifold laying next to the starter
- timing belt idler pulley bearing was bad
- thermostat, radiator, radiator cap, fan clutch, fan bracket, timing belt, timing belt idler pulleys, timing belt tensioner, and a couple of ignition coils were no-name-brand Chinesium aftermarket parts

AND PACKRATS HAD TAKEN OVER!!!

Filled 1.5 grocery bags with the leaves, twigs, sticks, rocks, etc that the wood rats had piled into the valley under the intake manifold.

Anyways, we cleaned everything up and fixed all of the aforementioned issues with brand new Toyota/Aisin/Denso parts from Partsouq, RockAuto, local stealership, etc. It’s about 98% buttoned up, but there were a few parts that we didn’t have and had to order, so waiting for those to come in and the engine baselining will be complete.

 

[MJK]

^^^ That is AWESOME man!