L.A.'s Build Notes - 2001 LX 470 in Black! (1 Viewer)

[LostAfrican]

I have been having too much fun to take the time to write up some of my recent mods (so they are not so recent anymore!), but here’s a start!

First up is the Front Runner Auxiliary Tank. I ordered this model from South Africa:

http://www.frontrunner.co.za/fuel-s...ank-toyota-land-cruiser-100.html#.U37S4vkhizA


It’s no longer available in the U.S. directly from F.R., nor will they ship you one directly, so I had to use some family connections.

The 61 litre tank adds 16.1 gallons to the stock capacity of 25.4 gallons, making a healthy 41.5 gallon capacity. I think I have managed to get closer to 45 gallons in there. My safe operating range at a conservative 13 mpg is 550 miles which is awesome. We can make long treks into Mexico without any worries at all (not that there isn’t great fuel access at Pemex all over MX).

I read about Kurt’s F.R. tank install here:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/pr...zj100-land-cruiser.647636/page-8#post-9048738

I like the simplicity of the gravity feed tanks and not having to worry about running pumps dry, or turning off the hundy to switch tanks/gauges etc. With the gravity feed tank, the needle on the gauge stays above “Freakin’ Full” for 250 miles before it starts to drop. Also the tank does not remove the ability to carry an under-mounted spare, although the spare does shift a little lower. With a rear swing out tyre carrier I can now carry two spares which will come in handy. There is also only one filler hole.

One of the things I have been worried about with the extra tank nestled above spare tyre location is vehicle inspections around Mexico and into the US. I have been checked several times so far and it’s never come up. Recently I was at a stop and an army officer was checking the car in front of me with a fibre optic camera. He inserted it into the tank via the filler and looked into a camera. My heart dropped when I realized that if he did that to us, he would not see any gas in the aux tank (needle was now at ¾) and I would have hard time explaining why the hundy was still running! Fortunately he didn’t feel the need to look in my tank – it would have been impossible for him to navigate his camera into the main tank through the aux tank. The fill pipe travels from the filler to the aux tank. Then an outlet form the aux tank goes on to feed the main tank – in a series fashion. The vent tubes work in parallel but the filler is daisy-chained.

Onto the install. First of all I did follow the instructions – mostly!

Here: http://www.frontrunner.co.za/media/pdf/FTTL001/F_FTTL001.pdf

I even laid out all the parts to make sure I had them all:

Some views of the tank. It has lots of “cut-outs” for plumbing, spare tyre mounts and to fit up against the body.

First steps are to remove all the spare tyre winch and mounting/stabilizing brackets. Pretty straight forward. A harder part for me was getting the rubber exhaust and muffler hangers off so the exhaust stuff could be shifted but in the end they came loose without having to cut them. I levered them off with a great big screw driver.

Here’s the empty space where the tank goes. You can see the existing fill line and vent tube in bottom left:

 

[LostAfrican]

Next I removed the filler and vent pipes from the main tank and unthreaded them from the truck.

I didn’t cut it right away as in the instructions….didn’t want to screw that part up! Instead I proceeded to fit the tank to the car. First some mounting brackets and a strap (just the one at first) are installed. Being able to shift the exhaust makes fitting the tank much easier. It’s pretty heavy - even empty - and it’s a snug fit, it would have been smarter to get another pair of hands involved, but I managed eventually by myself. I put it in and took out several times as I measured and re-checked stuff.

Next step is to drill the hole in the OEM main tank. This has to be the scariest part. The tank was mostly empty – need was well into the E and the light was on, but there was still some fuel in there. I spent a lot of time measuring where to put the hole. I wanted a solid down slope from the aux to the main (since it IS a gravity feed after all) but I didn’t want the inlet to the main tank to be too low since if I ever spring a leak I don’t want to lose all my fuel. Drill bit is 8.5mm which I amazoned easily enough. Here is a pic of my balance pipe hole on the tank. 2 1/8” down from the lip on the tank. I took it real slow drilling, it was very easy and soft, but I didn’t want any sparks, or turnings falling into the tank. I will change my fuel filter very soon now that I have run several tank fulls through it since the install.

 

[LostAfrican]

Here is where I really deviated from the instructions. The next step is to feed a wire (provided) through the filler hole and back out the 8.5 mm hole just drilled. Well our petrol (vs. diesel) tanks here in the US have a flapper on the filler fitting which makes this tough:

So I dropped the tank a little (pretty easy) and then removed this whole fitting (above) and very quickly fed the wire and fitting into the hole. I think Kurt mentions the same in his build. Be very careful with the gasket on this fitting. You are supposed to replace it, but if you are careful you can reuse it.

Another note at this point. The fitting in the instructions has hose barbs on it, in addition to the threads. Mine only had threads. It is installed with a piece of cork on the mating surfaces to seal the fitting, and then a bolt and washer compress the assembly. The instructions say to wrap the threads with Teflon tape to help seal the balance hose to the threaded shaft. It took me a couple of goes to get this right. Also I decided to double clamp all of the hose connections.

 

[LostAfrican]

Next step is to cut the original filler and vent rigid pipes into three sections. One section is discarded because it is replaced by the aux tank. The filler hole section feeds the aux tank, and the last piece is used to join the aux tank to the main tank. Front Runner provides two sections of 1.5” fuel pipe to mate the rigid pipe to the tanks. It’s a pretty loose fit which is why I double clamped these pipes too. When adding fuel, it first travels into the aux tank which is filled and then the fuel flows from the aux tank to the main tank.

Here are some pix of my cuts with a tape measure to help get the locations right. The instructions are not too helpful here.

This piece goes between the tanks – at least for the fill line. The vent line (smaller one) is connected from here to the vent in the filler hole via a rubber hose provided by F.R.

This piece goes from the filler to the aux tank. Note that after taking this pic and fitting the pipe I decided to trim an extra inch off to give more clearance between the filler pipe and the tank inlet.

There are now three venting hoses so there is a path for the air to escape as fuel is added. The original one for the main tank now runs straight up to the rigid vent pipe connected to the filler. F.R. provides a long hose for this and it’s connected to the cut-off rigid section attached to the main tank. There are two more for each side of the aux tank. All the vent hoses join together using “T”s and then to the filler neck vent.

Here is the filler neck double clamped to the flex hose that attaches to the aux tank. You can also see the venting hose in the back ground. The other line (skinny in the foreground) is my diff breather that I added during the process – it was a good time.

When I connected the balance pipe (the one that actually feeds fuel into the main tank from the aux tank while driving) I made sure to leave enough slack so that the axle can flex up towards the body of the truck since the pipe crosses over the top of the rear axle. I didn’t make it too long so that it would prevent the aux tank from emptying completely into the main tank. As it turned out is natural resting point is on the guard/clamp for the parking break cable, so I added an extra section of hose zipped tied around it to act as a wear guard.

 

[LostAfrican]

The weakest part of this system I think is the susceptibility of this balance line. If it were to get snagged and yanked off the fittings at either end, there would be fuel loss. It’s possible I wouldn’t even realize until the needle for the main tank started dropping quickly. The new hole added is above the half-way point, but it’s a lot of fuel to loose (16 gallons for the aux tank and ~12 gallons for the main tank). The balance line is well protected though, running above the axle and well above the main fuel tank, the parking break and break lines.

Final steps are to install a pair of drop-down brackets to re-position the spare tire winch a little lower. I found that I had to re-drill these brackets to mount the winch cradle, but it was easier enough. The kit also includes a back rest place to keep the spare off the rear bumper and tank lip at the back.

Here is a pic of the spare mounted below the installed aux tank. It’s pretty low (and the angle is bad) but it’s still above the rear diff. We don’t normally run with a spare mounted under there, but on a long Baja trip it might be good to take two spares.

As far as mods go, I love having the aux tank – it’s a major convenience boost and it certainly makes back country exploring/camping trips easier. I also only fill up at Costco now….which saves a few bucks, but let’s be honest, those savings don’t really pay for the tank itself!

 

[LostAfrican]

For completeness here's my post about AHC removal and installing the 1.5" OME Heavy Lift

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/ahc-removal-delete-experience.816555/#post-9470735

 

[LostAfrican]

TIming belt change...
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/first-timing-belt-change-01-lx470.805134/

 

[LostAfrican]

Recently took the LX for an alignment (lifetime alignment deal at Firestone) after raising the nose a little more with the TB's and was shown by the tech there that my steering rack was moving almost a 1/4" because the bushings were toast. Ordered up the Whiteline Steering Rack Bushings for the Hundred Series (98-02) from Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Whiteline-W13...d=1431107824&sr=8-1&keywords=whitelines+13210

Installation wasn't so bad, after doing my homework on MUD. Removed the passenger side, then the driver side bolts and bushings. Once the bolts are out the whole rack can be moved around easily by hand, so I just misaligned the rack to the holes in the frame and knocked the old bushings and sleeve out with my drift. To install the new bushings, start on the DS, pushed the rack up, so I could get the bottom half of each of the 2 piece poly bushing in under the rack. Used some all-thread, nuts and washers to press the rack down onto the bushing.

Once the bottom half is in, then put the metal sleeve in from the top, again press in from the top using all-thread through the rack and the frame. Then put the top half of the bushing in over the sleeve from the top, again with the all-thread press. Do the same for the other DS busing, and then finally do the PS bushing.

The hardest part I think was getting all the bolts and nuts torqued correctly at the end. The DS is easier because the bolt heads are on the underside of the frame. The PS rear bolt is a bit more awkward, but I eventually got it by going from the wheel well through the channel for the drive shaft. Used thread lock too.

Please with the results and saved some money. Total time was probably 4 hours.
OLD:

NEW:

 

[LostAfrican]

Also replaced burnt out bulbs for a quarter panel vent switch and the CDL switch. I decided to use the regular OEM bulbs instead of LEDs. Figuring out the part numbers took some trial and error.

The quarter panel vent switch comes out forwards through the panel, so you don't need to take the whole panel off which is fortunate. The CDL switch does require removal of the center console panel and 6 screws that cover the boards on the back (this is for the LX). I am sure that the LC is similar though.

Quarter Panel Vent Switch

This is the Center Diff Lock Switch Bulb (note that it has a green silicone boot over it).

 

[LostAfrican]

I have had a problem with my hood bump stops unwinding with vibrations, and then the hood shaking. The area on the frame cross member on which they rest when the hood is closed are polished to a wonderful shine so there is no friction to hold them in place.

My solution was to put a screw into the side of the bump stops at the lip of the thread. Looking at the metal work of the hood it almost looks like its made to have a screw there and even a channel to get your screwdriver in there!
Seems to be working well.

 

[LostAfrican]

We were very fortunate recently to have the first two rows of leather seats, arm rests, steering wheel, head rests and even the the transfer case boot re-upholstered with a very beautiful leather.
Detailed in this thread:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/new-hide-in-our-ride.850273/#post-9687372

 

[Kofoed]

Nice work. Do you have a side view of the vehicle to show the spare clearance?