My '96, aka The Pachyderm (2 Viewers)

[Marvelicious]

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago. It took me a minute to get some proper pics because work has been a touch intrusive on my hobbies lately...

My main priorities were: 1FZ-FE, locking axles and no extreme issues (major drivetrain issues, cancer, etc...). It's not exactly a garage queen and I'm pretty sure it's been totaled twice, but it seemed solid enough. We'll see as time goes on. It's not going to be a daily driver and the price was right so I decided to take the risk. The former owner may have been a member here - he mentioned this forum, but he may have just been a lurker as well. Let me know if you recognize it.

Obviously, the hula girl was the deciding factor...

I'm basically planning for some relatively short range overlanding and light to moderate trail use.

The rig being rebuilt is a bit of a mixed bag... obviously there are potential trouble spots left and right because of it, but it was rebuilt with the older style front end, so I've got that going for me. I think that's a trail gear bumper, and while I don't have a super high opinion of their business, I do like the look of the bumper. Mechanically, it seems alright. The engine bay is clean, the PO had record of regular oil changes.

Obviously the body and paint are a little rough. My tentative plan is to do a full body Monstaliner job maybe next summer.

Obviously, I'm still assessing it at this point. Other things on the to-do list in no particular order:

Tires - I HATE these Patagonias. Seriously, does anyone have any experience with these? Do they do anything well aside from make noise? They certainly don't seem to do very well in sand or on the road. I've ridden in rigs with Boggers that made less noise. If I just wanted to turn money into sound, I'd have bought a Harley. I'm thinking about K02s.

Relocate the AC dryer - The biggest downside of that bumper is that the dryer is just hanging out there in space.

Gears - The 315s are killing the power. 4.88s should bring things back to life.

Window motors - getting slow, but they don't need manual help yet. Maybe they just need lube and wipers, maybe they need new motors and regulators. I can handle whatever.

Suspension - definitely raising the panhard bracket on the axle side. May also go for front end swaybar disconnects. Not sure other than that. I like the height as it is, but I don't know about the current springs, shocks, etc. It's not bad, but I'm positive it could be better both off-road and on. I don't think those tires are doing it any favors in either venue, so I'll probably reassess after the tires are sorted.

Seats - Most of the interior is actually in really nice shape, but the seat covers are a bit shredded. The stock seats have the same problem as most Toyota seats from that era, they're just too short in the back for my frame. I'm pretty tall and it's mostly torso, so a lot of stock seats tend to want to force me into a bit of a hunchback position even when they're new (and it only gets worse as they age). I'm not looking to spend aftermarket seat money, but I'm thinking about various OEM swaps.

Other - rock sliders, rear bumper, roof rack... all the things, y'know?

 

[clx16]

Cool rig.. it sucks to change your mind after you line it...so think hard on that one.

Check the tires for cupping. Rotate then and see if that helps with the noise. Also play with air pressure.

Too bad you didn't get the cloth seats with the old front clip. Then you would have had a nice combo

 

[Devils Paw 80]

Nice it doesn't have a roof rack. I'd be inclined to not paint, just leave as is. Or, just try to better match the front fenders to rest of body. You could step down a size with the tires since it seems like they won't be sticking around.

 

[OffRoadScott]

You mentioned your windows are slow, dont assume the issue is the motors. Check and replace the window runs if needed. I replaced mine on the drivers door and it made a world of difference.

KO2 can be hard to balance and I speak from experience. My next set of tires will be Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, I have heard great things about Toyo tires from installers and people that use them.

 

[Marvelicious]

Nice it doesn't have a roof rack. I'd be inclined to not paint, just leave as is. Or, just try to better match the front fenders to rest of body. You could step down a size with the tires since it seems like they won't be sticking around.

Those pics came out pretty generous to the factory paint, but there are enough dings, scratches and rust spots that I don't feel bad about lining it. As for just painting the mismatched areas, the roof definitely needs to be addressed (rust and delamination) as well as the whole front clip and passenger door. At that point I'd be painting half the rig and I don't have it in me to paint it without addressing the dings (worked in a body shop at one point in my life). Then I'd have to worry about the paint... Nope, that's not what I got it for. Monstaliner has a blue-gray (called "Get Hammered") that isn't too far off the factory color so the door jambs would match up pretty well. I'm kicking around the idea of going for a two tone with something like a sand/khaki/tan. I got their whole selection of color chips and I am going to spend some time looking at different possibilities before I pull the trigger on that.



The Patagonias are pretty new to need rotating and honestly, they feel like crap both on the road and off. I've been going into pretty nasty places with Toyo Open Country A/T tires for years and I don't feel like most mud terrains are worth the noise and fast wear unless you're really going hardcore. I'd rather sell them while they still have plenty of tread - hand them off to some high school kid who just wants some big tires and get something I'm happy with.

You mentioned your windows are slow, dont assume the issue is the motors. Check and replace the window runs if needed. I replaced mine on the drivers door and it made a world of difference.

KO2 can be hard to balance and I speak from experience. My next set of tires will be Toyo Open Country R/T Trail, I have heard great things about Toyo tires from installers and people that use them.

I've had good luck with Toyos in general, though I wasn't impressed with their original M/T, but I've heard better feedback from their newer offerings. The reason I'm going for K02's over Toyos is for the 3 ply sidewall.

I don't want to seem like I'm just ignoring everyone's input. It's all welcome, I've just put quite a bit of thought into those issues already.

 

[BuzzAZ]

I have had a couple of bad experiences with BFG so I stay away from them now. I put a set of General Grabber ATx on my last truck (not a LC) and was happy with them. They were replacing Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and it was a night and day difference in road noise, wet traction, and snow. Those tires and the White Knuckle sliders were the only things about that truck I was sad to see go.

I have Patagonia XTs now, mainly because I needed new tires but wasn’t ready to do all of the work to get the size I wanted, so I went with the cheapest 3PMSF I could find. So far I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Road noise is non existent. Traction in the desert has been good. We’ll see about snow and ice when we head up to our cabin this winter.

 

[OffRoadScott]

Those pics came out pretty generous to the factory paint, but there are enough dings, scratches and rust spots that I don't feel bad about lining it. As for just painting the mismatched areas, the roof definitely needs to be addressed (rust and delamination) as well as the whole front clip and passenger door. At that point I'd be painting half the rig and I don't have it in me to paint it without addressing the dings (worked in a body shop at one point in my life). Then I'd have to worry about the paint... Nope, that's not what I got it for. Monstaliner has a blue-gray (called "Get Hammered") that isn't too far off the factory color so the door jambs would match up pretty well. I'm kicking around the idea of going for a two tone with something like a sand/khaki/tan. I got their whole selection of color chips and I am going to spend some time looking at different possibilities before I pull the trigger on that.



The Patagonias are pretty new to need rotating and honestly, they feel like crap both on the road and off. I've been going into pretty nasty places with Toyo Open Country A/T tires for years and I don't feel like most mud terrains are worth the noise and fast wear unless you're really going hardcore. I'd rather sell them while they still have plenty of tread - hand them off to some high school kid who just wants some big tires and get something I'm happy with.



I've had good luck with Toyos in general, though I wasn't impressed with their original M/T, but I've heard better feedback from their newer offerings. The reason I'm going for K02's over Toyos is for the 3 ply sidewall.

I don't want to seem like I'm just ignoring everyone's input. It's all welcome, I've just put quite a bit of thought into those issues already.

I was told the 3 ply sidewall is what makes the KO2 harder to balance.

 

[Marvelicious]

Cool rig.. it sucks to change your mind after you line it...so think hard on that one.

Check the tires for cupping. Rotate then and see if that helps with the noise. Also play with air pressure.

Too bad you didn't get the cloth seats with the old front clip. Then you would have had a nice combo

I'm just over them.

As for the seats, I'm thinking of going for an Audi swap. It's not just about the stockers being ripped, they aren't comfortable. I've owned a lot of Toyotas, the first one with comfortable seats was my Tundra and the Audi seats I've been in put those to shame. Being tall and broad shouldered, I really prefer something with a flatter and less fitted shape.

 

[Marvelicious]

I was told the 3 ply sidewall is what makes the KO2 harder to balance.

That had crossed my mind. We'll see, I'm not afraid to be wrong.

 

[Marvelicious]

I have had a couple of bad experiences with BFG so I stay away from them now. I put a set of General Grabber ATx on my last truck (not a LC) and was happy with them. They were replacing Goodyear Wrangler Duratracs and it was a night and day difference in road noise, wet traction, and snow. Those tires and the White Knuckle sliders were the only things about that truck I was sad to see go.

I have Patagonia XTs now, mainly because I needed new tires but wasn’t ready to do all of the work to get the size I wanted, so I went with the cheapest 3PMSF I could find. So far I’ve been pleasantly surprised. Road noise is non existent. Traction in the desert has been good. We’ll see about snow and ice when we head up to our cabin this winter.

I thought you were deaf for a second until I saw you were talking about the XT, not the MT. Those honestly look pretty decent. I'm glad to see some more all terrains with 3 ply sidewalls on the market. Newer tire compounds have gotten good enough that I just don't see the point in the huge lug noisemakers anymore, but the extra ply on the sidewall will save your ass in a pinch.

 

[clx16]

My 06 tundra cloth seats are very comfortable... might be worth seeing if I can fit them in my 80

 

[OffRoadScott]

That had crossed my mind. We'll see, I'm not afraid to be wrong.

Admitting your wrong on here is easier then admitting to your partner LOL!!!

 

[Marvelicious]

There are some basically new take-off K02s near me at a pretty steep discount, but they're 17's. I wouldn't mind going to a 17, but I'm having a tough time finding used wheels that have the right width/offset.

 

[BuzzAZ]

I thought you were deaf for a second until I saw you were talking about the XT, not the MT. Those honestly look pretty decent. I'm glad to see some more all terrains with 3 ply sidewalls on the market. Newer tire compounds have gotten good enough that I just don't see the point in the huge lug noisemakers anymore, but the extra ply on the sidewall will save your ass in a pinch.

What pressure are you running the MTs at? Are you getting contact with the full section on the road? I may be remembering wrong, but I thought they were supposed to be run at a pressure where that center section is in full contact but not the outer lugs. In other words, a traditional chalk test will get you to the wrong pressure for those.

 

[Marvelicious]

What pressure are you running the MTs at? Are you getting contact with the full section on the road? I may be remembering wrong, but I thought they were supposed to be run at a pressure where that center section is in full contact but not the outer lugs. In other words, a traditional chalk test will get you to the wrong pressure for those.

Didn't have any chalk handy, but the boat ramp was close.

Looks reasonable to me, they just suck.

 

[clx16]

Well Mud tires tend to be loud and it somewhat looks like you might have some cupping in the tread a little. Its ok,... if you get a second set of wheels you can save that set for the stuff you wouldn't want to damage your new tires on....

 

[Marvelicious]

Well Mud tires tend to be loud and it somewhat looks like you might have some cupping in the tread a little. Its ok,... if you get a second set of wheels you can save that set for the stuff you wouldn't want to damage your new tires on....

Pretty sure that's just an optical illusion due to the way the light is hitting the wet tire. Either way, I've got zero patience for swapping them around. Realistically, I haven't met the mud terrains yet that I'm willing to listen to on my own vehicle. I live in rural Oregon, I know what mud tires sound like and I'm not into it. I will check out the alignment (etc) when I swap tires. Good excuse to make sure everything is in good order.

 

[Marvelicious]

Well, I seem to have solved some of my issues, or nearly anyway...

I finally bit the bullet and did what I really wanted to do: bought a set of 17" beadlocks and KO2s to go on them.
The KO2s came relatively cheap from a local mobile tire repair guy... he does work for some of the local car dealers. Apparently a lot of brand new rigs wind up with screws in tires on the lot (trim screws fall out on the lot all the time on brand new rigs?) and no one wants a repaired tire in their brand new truck. So this guy goes out to the dealers and swaps on a new tire for them and takes the punctured tires with him. When he gets a full set of the same tire, he puts them up on Craigslist. These are stock for Ford Raptors. One puncture apiece fixed with a plug/patch (which is an acceptable repair according to most manufacturers. I can live with that since it took the edge off the cost of buying 17" beadlocks.

The wheels are Vision Manx beadlocks. They're not super well known, but they seem to be well made (time will tell!). The holes all threaded nicely and everything else looks like what I'd expect from any decent aftermarket wheel. The hardware is marked like it's grade 8, but I'm not sure how much faith I have in that... still, replacing bolts in a year or so isn't the end of the world. The way I understand it, the big key with beadlock hardware is getting the rings to fit properly with your bead. If you're running a tire with a thick bead, you're going to need to run a spacer. These aren't fully torqued, but it seems apparent that this will be an issue.

To be honest, I knew this was going to be an issue from the start, since one of the reasons I chose a KO2 was for the 3 ply sidewall. The theory being, airing down and locking up will make up for some of the loss of traction from not running a super aggressive mud tire. Vision don't seem to list spacers on their website, and I was considering just having some cut on a water jet, but I figured I'd reach out to them. It turns out they do make them, but apparently it's a secret or something... they referred me back to the dealer and the dealer had to call back to Vision to find out the part number... Seems like a long winded way to accomplish this when If I had known they were available for ~$20 a wheel, I would have just bought them at the outset to be safe.

I'll let this stolen image from Raceline illustrate the problem... Worth considering, if Raceline has the same issue with a similar design, maybe it would make more sense to just acknowledge the problem and address it head-on by making the spacers available... or better yet, just shipping them with the wheels automatically! Guys who buy beadlocks for off-roading are going to be likely to buy tires with thick sidewalls. Hint hint Vision.

So I mounted them up and tightened the beadlock ring just enough to get the rear bead to seat and I'm waiting to balance until I get the rings installed... back to waiting on shipping.

 

[Marvelicious]

Another thing I did recently... I had a day a few weeks ago where I was a bit under the weather. Didn't feel like doing much, but I thought I'd go after a relatively low energy task, so I decided to start putting together a hard copy of the FSM. The pdf is great at times, but when I'm physically working on something nothing beats a paper copy. I've tried keeping an old laptop on hand, but it's just a hassle compared to a physical document. The original plan was to print out chapters as I needed them, but once I got going on it, I just kept adding a chapter or two every day or so... and here we are.

Each chapter is hole punched, staple bound individually and marked on the edge so I can pop them out to use instead of lugging that monster around. I still need to put together an index page that decodes my chapter color markers, but it's not essential.

I imagine some would make the case that this is a waste of resources, but it's not that bad if you get a printer that isn't actively picking your pocket and it saves a ton of time when you're trying to make sense out of one of those diagrams that is a bit of a head scratcher.

Edit: Also, a big thank you to BirfMark for putting these together and the forum for hosting them.

 

[Marvelicious]

The beadlock spacers showed up... part number RS398BL17BN6 for the 17" Vision wheels, if anyone ever needs that info, since it seems to be a secret. Now that I have a part number, it appears that Summit sells them as a special order, but their shipping time looks a little slow. They're a 4 piece ring and there's honestly not much to them, but they do appear to solve the problem.

Putting them together, at first I thought they weren't going to be thick enough, but coming up on around 10 foot pounds on the bolts, the beads compressed enough grip evenly. Gap-osis solved.

Putting a straight edge across from ring to ring at full torque, it looks like they could have ideally been a hair thinner, but we're talking a few thou... no big deal.

Balancing is the next step. I realized I loaned my bubble balancer to the old man at some point, so I have to retrieve that first. Still, progress is happening, if not quickly, at least steadily.

The next item on the agenda is the seats. Found someone local recently who was parting an Audi that was totalled the same way I assume most Audis meet their demise: by slamming into the car they're drafting Nascar style. They were in nice enough shape, with the driver's seat showing a little bit of abrasion around the port-side ham position. I decided that was a good enough excuse to go ahead and re-dye them to match the existing interior. I got some dye from Seat Doctors and it appears to be a pretty good match, though it'll be a little more clear when I actually install them.

Currently working on brackets and wiring. There is existing wiring for heated seats in the 80, but no switches, but the Audi seats control their heat differently. The Toyota circuit has a high element and a low element with a dedicated thermostat switch built into those circuits inside the seat and the switch simply switches between hi, low or off. The Audi system has a single element and a sensor that feeds back to the controller which has a variable heat control. A little bit complicated adapting between the two, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be able to make it work by using the hi side of the factory wiring for the element and repurposing the low side for the sensor line back to the controller. There's also courtesy light for the rear seats built into the back of the seat down low, so I'm going to provide a circuit for that as well, though it may not get tied into the rear door switch until I have a reason to dig into that area. You can buy a harness to adapt these seats to other vehicles, but I didn't see the point: this level of wiring is well within my ability.

Here's the Audi controller. I picked up a pair of these for a few bucks on ebay.

The irony of all the effort going into the seat heaters is that I don't care at all about heated seats... but since the seats already had the elements I figured I might as well hook them up. I'm sure they'll be very nice the once or twice a year I use them.