How do you take the seat backer down? Is it just held by clips?
Builds I happened upon a 100 Series 4 month build (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter TEXAS 57
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- #202
Yes, there are 2 clips on the bottom, two on top. You can pull the back out enough to reach the end of the hook that has a little tab on it. You need to push that tab down to unhook it from the wire. Once unhooked, the other side is easy due to access. Unhook both of the top hooks and pull up and it’s out.
Edit (2/7/24)- Easier way - Or you can wedge something in between the seat and backer so you can see the clip then with a long screwdriver push the clips toward the middle of the seat and they will slide out of the keeper in the backer.
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- #204
So I got the stickers back from my brother.
He sent me 5 different fonts; Land Cruiser emblem script, Arial Bold Italic, the Factory Font, Helvectica, and Playbill. I like the Playbill one so I used that.
I started by removing the decal area by soaking it in Purple Power for a couple hours and scrubbing with a toothbrush and wet sanding it with 1000 grit then polishing the whole piece.
Then I removed the vinyl sticker and used the alignment marks my brother made to line up with the bottom of the original decal and stuck it on.
He sent me 5 different fonts; Land Cruiser emblem script, Arial Bold Italic, the Factory Font, Helvectica, and Playbill. I like the Playbill one so I used that.
I started by removing the decal area by soaking it in Purple Power for a couple hours and scrubbing with a toothbrush and wet sanding it with 1000 grit then polishing the whole piece.
Then I removed the vinyl sticker and used the alignment marks my brother made to line up with the bottom of the original decal and stuck it on.
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- #206
I put the second sticker on the alignment marks and maneuvered it until perfect. I cut out some of the extra vinyl so it would not peel the paint (advice from bro and he does this for a living).
All done and looks great. The black colors are not exactly the same but it is very close.
All done and looks great. The black colors are not exactly the same but it is very close.
That looks awesome! Nice work.
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- #209
Last night around 8:30pm I decided to look at the rear suspension. Jacked it up, looked straight forward, so I grabbed a beer and started. A couple hours later, I was done. That top shock bolt was a little tough on the first one, but a ratcheting wrench made it easy. Had to hold the body of the shock with a strap wrench. They had been changed out before to “Reflex” brand. I put the 1” Poly spacers in too. I did not put the wheels on as it was around 11pm and the neighbors just had a baby and didn’t want noise... I can’t wait to put the wheels on and drop it...
The old shocks had a hex on the body to back it up which was nice. This is an extremely rust free truck.
Also, got some stereo stuff in the mail...
The old shocks had a hex on the body to back it up which was nice. This is an extremely rust free truck.
Also, got some stereo stuff in the mail...
Looking good. Which headunit did you go with? I have been looking at the Pioneer radios with Apple Carplay but am leaning towards the Sony XAV-ax200 because it has an actual knob which seems like it would be a bit better for use while driving.
aging fleet
SILVER Star
Love seeing the updates, you've come a long way. Has your wife changed her mind about the Cruiser yet?
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- #213
I went with this one:
Pioneer AVH-2300NEX Head Unit – AMAZON - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073BKPWNC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I was interested in CarPlay too.
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- #214
She does like the improvements and the new car smell inside. She is concerned about reliability as I did break down on us 3 times but she has triple A. Plus I think most that can go wrong is already done. When I do the front suspension I am going to take a good look at everything up there and I think I am going to get the white line poly steering rack bushings now.
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- #215
Well I need to continue road testing so I toll her to work today even though I haven’t cranked the front up and she made it (last time I tried, she didn’t). Those new rear shocks got all the ‘ass-heavy’ bounce out. The other shocks were replaced at around 120-130k miles which is awful life for any shock (I have 163k now).
I have ordered the Whiteline poly steering rack bushings as the steering feels mushy. The typical sweeping turns that set the VCS off did not this morning either due to the new shocks or the extreme rake. Also, ordered 5 new Brake Hoses.
Wifey came out to look at the progress as I was washing it last night and was very impressed and she loved the new interior smell.
I have ordered the Whiteline poly steering rack bushings as the steering feels mushy. The typical sweeping turns that set the VCS off did not this morning either due to the new shocks or the extreme rake. Also, ordered 5 new Brake Hoses.
Wifey came out to look at the progress as I was washing it last night and was very impressed and she loved the new interior smell.
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- #216
I got the front up some today. I think I need to index the torsion bars. They are cranked to the max. I got a full 2” on the driver side (that was sagging a 1/4” from the passenger side) and 1-3/4” on the passenger side. The back could not be a truer 1” lift. I also did the front shocks.
(Measurements done from 12 o’clock on the center cap straight up with a level to the bottom of the fender flare lip)
Confirmed I need front brake lines and sway bar bushings. I also feel play on the inner tie rods. I could not get the ball joints or wheel bearings to give me any substantial movement. All boots (BJ and CV) look great and dry. I sprayed them with 303.
I may try to do the NAV delete this week(end).
(Measurements done from 12 o’clock on the center cap straight up with a level to the bottom of the fender flare lip)
Confirmed I need front brake lines and sway bar bushings. I also feel play on the inner tie rods. I could not get the ball joints or wheel bearings to give me any substantial movement. All boots (BJ and CV) look great and dry. I sprayed them with 303.
I may try to do the NAV delete this week(end).
Amazing work you're doing on this resto. I have some projects like you're tackling as well this year but it's hard to start removing so much interior when I need to rely on it for transportation. This may be my needed inspiration!
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- #219
Thanks for the kind words. For timing, it was a day of disassembly 6hrs each on the seats, 2 days for pressure wash and drying of the carpet and probably a day and a half of cleaning parts and putting it back together. I spread this out over a week or two because I only have a couple hours a night.
Luckily, right now we have 4 cars in the family; the RAV4, the 4Runner and the 57 Chevy so leaving one down was not a big deal but we will be getting rid of the RAV4 soon after the baby is born in mid April.
Show us the Chevy... 
You are going to LOVE the Pioneer head unit. A modern headunit is a must in these old trucks.
Looks nice. Check your tire pressure and remeasure and bring the drivers side down the 1/4" to match the other side and you'll need an alignment or you will start to scrub your tires.
Looks good man, keep up the good work.
You are going to LOVE the Pioneer head unit. A modern headunit is a must in these old trucks.
Looks nice. Check your tire pressure and remeasure and bring the drivers side down the 1/4" to match the other side and you'll need an alignment or you will start to scrub your tires.
Looks good man, keep up the good work.
