Hello all! Here's my intro post:
I've been working on cars since I was 16. Been through many vehicles since. Had a 3rd gen 4Runner a few years ago that I fixed-up and I eventually sold it to some high-school kid. Pretty much instantly regretted that. I've been hunting a project car/truck for a while. Decided I'd keep my eyes open for a Land Cruiser this go around. Purchased a 1996 LX450 about a month ago. It's never left Mobile, AL. Tons of miles, but the frame has been thoroughly rust-proofed over the years with various oil leaks haha. Body is in acceptable shape overall minus the front and rear bumpers. Engine runs smoothly and trans shifts predictably. I'm sure a rebuild will eventually be in its future, but hopefully I can put that off for a while.
First thing I did was remove the oil-soaked hood insulation (fire hazard) and thoroughly cleaned the oil from the hood. After the deep-cleaning I noticed the dents a bit more. New hood on the way to my local Lexus dealership (July 20% sale and free delivery to store) as well some other odds and ends. Had the NSS code that seems to be popular until I refurbished the module earlier today. The plastic arm had snapped off so the copper contacts weren't moving. Glued it back together. Sprayed out the old grease and then applied some new. Now I have working reverse lights, gear selector (cliche' dead 'D' bulb, though), and working cruise control again. Got some new Toyota bushings coming from Japan for the front-end. New steering damper OTW as well. Plan on redoing the knuckles in the coming weeks. New AC parts on the way (VERY hot with this high humidity. Lots of debris in the lines. I'll flush all the lines and throw in the new parts.) Also replaced the steering wheel with a used wheel from an LS400. Perfect fit with my existing airbag.
I've spent the last few weeks becoming acquainted with this particular vehicle's quirks (such as odd vacuum hose choices). Mostly I'm glad to have something to work on and dump entirely too much money into - haha. I've been letting my daughters help with whatever they can, so the bonding is a great plus. (I let them each pick something to fix. Youngest wanted the cracked passenger tailight replaced - Done. Thanks ebay. Oldest wanted to clean the back seats and cargo area. I put her to work vacuuming and scrubbing. She wanted to sit in the back with the sliding window.) At least getting the kids involved helps with the wife's approval. (Wife would prefer the door panels not look so bad. Not sure there's an affordable solution she'd be happy with haha.)
I've gotta say thanks in advance for the wealth of knowledge in these forums - it's unmatched. I feel like I can tackle most jobs just by looking through these threads. Looking forward to getting this LX back up to spec.
I've been working on cars since I was 16. Been through many vehicles since. Had a 3rd gen 4Runner a few years ago that I fixed-up and I eventually sold it to some high-school kid. Pretty much instantly regretted that. I've been hunting a project car/truck for a while. Decided I'd keep my eyes open for a Land Cruiser this go around. Purchased a 1996 LX450 about a month ago. It's never left Mobile, AL. Tons of miles, but the frame has been thoroughly rust-proofed over the years with various oil leaks haha. Body is in acceptable shape overall minus the front and rear bumpers. Engine runs smoothly and trans shifts predictably. I'm sure a rebuild will eventually be in its future, but hopefully I can put that off for a while.
First thing I did was remove the oil-soaked hood insulation (fire hazard) and thoroughly cleaned the oil from the hood. After the deep-cleaning I noticed the dents a bit more. New hood on the way to my local Lexus dealership (July 20% sale and free delivery to store) as well some other odds and ends. Had the NSS code that seems to be popular until I refurbished the module earlier today. The plastic arm had snapped off so the copper contacts weren't moving. Glued it back together. Sprayed out the old grease and then applied some new. Now I have working reverse lights, gear selector (cliche' dead 'D' bulb, though), and working cruise control again. Got some new Toyota bushings coming from Japan for the front-end. New steering damper OTW as well. Plan on redoing the knuckles in the coming weeks. New AC parts on the way (VERY hot with this high humidity. Lots of debris in the lines. I'll flush all the lines and throw in the new parts.) Also replaced the steering wheel with a used wheel from an LS400. Perfect fit with my existing airbag.
I've spent the last few weeks becoming acquainted with this particular vehicle's quirks (such as odd vacuum hose choices). Mostly I'm glad to have something to work on and dump entirely too much money into - haha. I've been letting my daughters help with whatever they can, so the bonding is a great plus. (I let them each pick something to fix. Youngest wanted the cracked passenger tailight replaced - Done. Thanks ebay. Oldest wanted to clean the back seats and cargo area. I put her to work vacuuming and scrubbing. She wanted to sit in the back with the sliding window.) At least getting the kids involved helps with the wife's approval. (Wife would prefer the door panels not look so bad. Not sure there's an affordable solution she'd be happy with haha.)
I've gotta say thanks in advance for the wealth of knowledge in these forums - it's unmatched. I feel like I can tackle most jobs just by looking through these threads. Looking forward to getting this LX back up to spec.
