Introductions (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Sweet JDM!

Georg Esterer of Valley Hybrid in Stockton would treat your TLC with... TLC. ;) He's a bit of a legend in the community, but a great guy and works exclusively on Land Cruisers. He's a bit of a drive, but well worth it imo and I know he's worked on the HDJ's quite a bit.

1591944424971.png
1591944449453.png


Please don't hesitate to hit me up if you decide you wanna get it down there but don't want to drive it. I have a nice 20' aluminum trailer and I'd be happy to help you get it down to him. Just buy me some In n Out for lunch and a tank of gas. ;)

01 F150.jpg
 
Hello everyone! I’m Victor. I’m out in Fernley and building my fj40 slowly. Glad to find a club that’s close. Rigger is my screen name for most things.

My rig is a 74. It was a mostly stock clapped out wreck when I got it. I began building on full width and planning an aggressive build and after year or two poking at it on weekends etc I got sort of fed up with the way it was shaping up. I scrapped the plan and sourced another frame that was straight and stock. After my rig went on the back burner my brother and I built his rig at my shop and I fell in love with the way the suspension turned out. Nothing wild, it just worked. So that’s what I did on my frame. That’s where I am right now. Stripped rolling chassis. Gonna be awhile...
17B5903C-035A-4486-9ECA-EB709E8ED605.jpeg

This is where the rig sits now. Axle is too far forward. I’ll strip this frame back down for another build down the road. The tub is rust free and pretty straight.

it is going on this frame soon...
0C865BE5-36B3-4BC0-9775-801E5878C46F.jpeg
 
Howdy everyone! One of the members @gregnash pointed me towards here. I never noticed the clubhouse part of the forum, so thanks for that! Anyways, my name is Niko and I recently picked up an 06 LX. I live in south Reno. I've taken it on a couple small trail adventures and so far love it! I look forward to meeting some of you and hopefully going on some adventures together.

If anyone is well versed in VGRS, that's about the only issue I have with the truck that I'd like to resolve. Here is a pic of the truck, and thanks for having me!

IMG_2727.jpg
 
Welcome! I'll be posting details for our next club meeting that should be on Thursday January 14th around 6:40 PM. It will likely be at Mark's (@Krusty Krab) place in NW Carson City (almost Washoe Valley). We just need to lock down the details after the New Year.

I know nothing about VGRS, so I'll defer to someone else to answer.
 
Tony_Farson said:
Welcome! I'll be posting details for our next club meeting that should be on Thursday January 14th around 6:40 PM. It will likely be at Mark's (@Krusty Krab) place in NW Carson City (almost Washoe Valley). We just need to lock down the details after the New Year.

I know nothing about VGRS, so I'll defer to someone else to answer.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately I don't know of any one in the club that has a newer LC/LX with VGRS... The few of us with 100s seem to be 2000 or older?
 
gregnash said:
Unfortunately I don't know of any one in the club that has a newer LC/LX with VGRS... The few of us with 100s seem to be 2000 or older?
Click to expand...
@reklund5 might know a thing or two about it.
 
I believe that it has to do with the newer models that have the adjustable/telescoping steering wheel and the shaft/mechanism that moves the steering column in and out.
 
Check out this thread @TrillyPop.

@rusty_tlc - Variable gear ratio steering systems reduce the effort required to steer the vehicle in a low speed range (or for a large steering angle) and to improve the stability of the vehicle in a high speed range (or for a small steering angle). It came on 2002-2007 100/470 models.
 
VGRS is the variable gear ratio steering. Basically at low speeds it takes less steering wheel movement to turn the wheels a given amount, and at high speeds it takes more.
There's a mechanical intermediate shaft controlled by a separate ECU. The truck drives fine, but the steering wheel is off center which is just an annoyance really. I have Techstream and have a couple of codes, but it's not helping me pinpoint the problem because I'm not familiar enough with the whole system and there's just no guidance anywhere online. The car also won't allow me to do the VGRS calibration with the codes present.
I do have the non-VGRS intermediate shaft from a land cruiser. So I may just end up swapping that in and ripping the ECU out, but again there's just no documentation of this ever having been done so I'm going into it blind.
Tony_Farson said:
Check out this thread @TrillyPop.

@rusty_tlc - Variable gear ratio steering systems reduce the effort required to steer the vehicle in a low speed range (or for a large steering angle) and to improve the stability of the vehicle in a high speed range (or for a small steering angle). It came on 2002-2007 100/470 models.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that. I've read through all of those threads on VGRS (of which there are very few) and .pdfs and unfortunately they're not particularly helpful.
 
Tony_Farson said:
Check out this thread @TrillyPop.

@rusty_tlc - Variable gear ratio steering systems reduce the effort required to steer the vehicle in a low speed range (or for a large steering angle) and to improve the stability of the vehicle in a high speed range (or for a small steering angle). It came on 2002-2007 100/470 models.
Click to expand...
Makes sense, I've driven a few cars with similar systems and it work well. My Stepfarther had a Chrysler with that type of steering back in the mid 80's I liked to drivre that car.
 
TrillyPop said:
Howdy everyone! One of the members @gregnash pointed me towards here. I never noticed the clubhouse part of the forum, so thanks for that! Anyways, my name is Niko and I recently picked up an 06 LX. I live in south Reno. I've taken it on a couple small trail adventures and so far love it! I look forward to meeting some of you and hopefully going on some adventures together.

If anyone is well versed in VGRS, that's about the only issue I have with the truck that I'd like to resolve. Here is a pic of the truck, and thanks for having me!

View attachment 2540379
Click to expand...
Ping me on my cell phone, text is best! (505)400-5496
 
Hello,
My name is Jeff and live in Stead. I just found out about this group after seeing a window sticker on an FJ yesterday at Maverick.
I currently own what is my dream vehicle from the August 1989 Motor Trend, an 80 series. In fact I now own a 1991 HDJ81 VX limited. I can get into all details about it if someone wants me to.
I’m interested/looking forward to meeting with you all.

This is a picture of my 10 year old daughter with my 80 when we went camping the weekend before Christmas. Everything went great, except my rear locker indicator harness pigtail acts up and likes to disconnect both lockers


15855892-DE6E-4B48-97C9-66CF3963A5A1.jpeg
 
Hi, I'm Steve, and I'm new to the club having only joined in January 2021, having just moved to Carson City - kinda still moving, actually...

It all started in '83 when a '73 40 series became my first car in high school. I wrecked it in a rollover outside of Barstow, and later got it put together just enough to sell it and finance one-way plane tickets cross-country to start the beginnings of married life and finish college. Next came a bone stock '87 FJ60 in '92. Over the years it has morphed into a dual-cased 1HZ/T Toyota diesel powered beast on 37's. I picked up a factory-locked '95 80 series in '97, sold that to my wife's sister and husband (they still have it) in '05, and then picked up an '06 100 series the same year. While my two son's learned to drive a stick in that 60, they both wanted an 80 and along the way I picked those up for them, both of them factory locked, both '97's. My wife never did like the 100 series as much as her 80 (and she let me know it...), so a few years ago I grabbed a '97 LX450 offered for sale here on MUD for her that was also factory locked and already sporting 35's (there's quite the fun story about the acquisition of it!). It wasn't lost on her, or me and the boys for that matter, that with that acquisition she had the biggest tires at the time - 35's - while we were all sporting 33's. Having always lamented never again having bought another 40, my wife surprised me with a birthday present in Feb 2020 - said I should buy the '73 offered here on MUD (SOLD - North Mississippi Built 1974 FJ40 - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/north-mississippi-built-1974-fj40.1191534/post-12890436) - so I did. With the year of Covid being what it was the 40 never even made it out of the driveway in 2020. Might have been that I didn't want to register it in Cali when I knew I was moving to NV. Fun Fact: Out of all the Cruisers mentioned here, the '06 100 series and the just-new-to-me 40 series are the only ones that have not done the Rubicon. Speaking of the Rubicon, I lead the Wagon Run for TLCA during the Annual Rubithon event each summer. Normally I'd be encouraging you to sign up for it, but with last year's Covid cancellation and the carried-over registrations to 2021, the run is already full. Maybe we can just do it as a club run later in the year?

The Cruiser life is definitely a family affair for us. A little more difficult with the kids growing up and spreading out. But son Justin @justintpryor is here local and part of the club. We've done quite a bit of wrenching together on our trucks, including a full engine rebuild for his 80 early last year just in time to spirit him off on his overlanding honeymoon. Son Johnathan @JohnnyOshow22 is in MT, but he's a Cruiser nut as well. In fact he's wrenching at Overland Cruisers while putting himself through school. To say he knows his way around cruisers now would be an understatement. While my daughter Katelyn isn't into the whole wheeling/camping scene, she does love her '04 4Runner. And points out to her brothers that she has a V8 and they don't! And my wife Andrea is my strongest supporter. She's been with me nearly every time for Rubithon, and even piloted her own 80 over the Rubicon with a little help from her sons. Speaking of wives, the boys' wives are also all into this stuff. And as much as I like the Rubicon, I also love long road trips and just getting out there, even if the trail isn't necessarily difficult. I've made some pretty big loops in the area that is west of the Rockies and between the borders, and there is still so, so much more to see.

I'm really looking forward to having a club to participate in, but more specifically, to making new friends in this awesome Toyota community.

IMG_20180621_093054.jpg

Andrea on the Rubicon, here, just leaving Buck Island lake headed towards the Springs.

IMG_20180617_154336.jpg

@justintpryor on the Rubicon, here getting all twisty on the last obstacle before reaching Buck Island lake.

SEP_7019.jpg

@JohnnyOshow22 on the Rubicon for the first time, and after much rock stacking and a lot of spotting, clears the rocks downslope of Decision Tree (which just blew down this winter :frown:) in Big Sluice.

IMG_3652.JPG

Me on the Rubicon, leading @justintpryor in the white 80 and my wife and @JohnnyOshow22 in her black 80 as we begin the drop into the slabs leading into Buck Island lake.

SEP_2868_DxO.jpg

Me enjoying yet another breathtaking sunset at Saline Warm Springs in Death Valley.
 
Last edited:
JDMRedhead said:
Hello,
My name is Jeff and live in Stead. I just found out about this group after seeing a window sticker on an FJ yesterday at Maverick.
I currently own what is my dream vehicle from the August 1989 Motor Trend, an 80 series. In fact I now own a 1991 HDJ81 VX limited. I can get into all details about it if someone wants me to.
I’m interested/looking forward to meeting with you all.

This is a picture of my 10 year old daughter with my 80 when we went camping the weekend before Christmas. Everything went great, except my rear locker indicator harness pigtail acts up and likes to disconnect both lockers


View attachment 2577962
Click to expand...

moonglow 80 with a diesel.. perfect.. 80
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom