Long Time Jeep Guy Brings a Land Cruiser Home (1 Viewer)

[NMrockeater]

Well let me introduce myself, my name is Corey and I have owned a Jeep since I was 16 years old. I have had five over the years and been happy with them over the course of that time. I wont bore Toyota people with my Jeep history, but my last one was an extremely well built 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited with 37” tires, gears, aftermarket axles and of course tons of other goodies. After our second child I discovered two things about my current Jeep, one it was set up for more extreme off roading and two, it lacked the interior comfort and size I now needed. On a side note I also had a lot of money tied up in my jeep which was paid off and wanted to free up some cash to pay off my daily driver and put toward my new endeavor. I have friends who have/had toyotas and know their capabilities. So when I went looking for a new ride I had two vehicles in mind the Toyota Land Cruiser and (dont yell at me) the Land Rover LR3. The LR3 ended up falling off the list when I couldn't get past the maintenance issues and the air ride suspension made me nervous and did not sound appealing. This is not a daily driver and will be used for my camping trips as well as exploring the back contry. So here is what I got…


1999 Toyota Land Cruiser

Dark Green

200,000 miles (all maintenance paperwork)

Factory Rear Locker

Third row seats


The following also came on the vehicle…

OME 2.5 Lift

Fox 2.0 shocks

TJM Bumpers front and rear

Fearless rocker guards

Warn 9000 winch

ARB front locker w/compressor

Gobi Roof Rack w/ladder

315/75/R16 New Goodyear Duratracs

OEM LC Snorkel

Scan Gauge II

Doug Thorley Cat Back Exhaust

Rearview Camera

Kenwood stereo w/bluetooth

Remote Start and Alarm


I had to go 500 miles to go get it and drive it home. It drove fine with the exception of the tires, they rode really rough (a Procomp MT) hence the new Goodyears I got when I got home (thats how bad the old ones were). The car was dirty inside when I bought it and it needs a good cleaning but nothing I cant handle. The driver seat had been redone so all of the leather was good. I took it to Toyota the day after I got home and had a full check up done and the oil changed. The only things Toyota found were the front brakes needed to be done and the upper and lower radiator hoses were going bad. I had these items taken care of and also had the coolant system flushed. The paperwork that came with the vehicle showed the timing belt, water pump and belts and pulleys were done at 189,000, so that was good. I washed/waxed the outside and cleaned the windows. Will do a full inside cleaning when time permits. So far I am loving it and the power of the V8 is amazing.

Here are some driveway pictures because thats all I have so far. I have a camping trip planned soon and will get more.


On my “to do” short list is, some floor mats, LED lights on the rack and a new Diehard battery.

 

[ejbea_7]

congrats!! home at last. great looking and very functional set-up.kindly post more pixs especially the rear view.I rarely see a TJM rear bumper. thanks and welcome.

 

[Cfbrenton1]

Great looking truck!

 

[mcgaskins]

Was that listed on the Denver craigslist recently? Looks nice!

 

[Wak]

Awesome. Congrats. Recovering Jeep owner here as well.

 

[NMrockeater]

Thanks everyone! Yes this was for sale on Craig's in Denver area. The seller was super nice and a LC fanatic. He had the 100, an 80, a 60 and a 40 project all at the same time. Sold this to finish the 40.

 

[Dog]

Nice. Looks like you found a good one.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Looks great!

 

[r2m]

200k? You've just cleared the break-in period for these rigs. I have 217k and my wife has 265k, both 1998 LC's.
Trust me, you will love them! The only issue since you mentioned you had 37" tires on your Jeep, don't expect to ever mount anything larger than a 35" tire.

One suggestion, I would also really consider this as the next thing you do before any of the other "goodies", get a front diff drop kit so you're not stressing the boots and joints of your front axles with that 2.5" lift. You can find these at either Slee Offroad or Bump It Offroad. Mine is from BIO, but Slee's are equally as awesome!

If you go with the odyssey batteries, specifically the PC1200, you can fit two in the same space as the single factory battery. Check out my photos: https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/arb-twin-compressor-mount.835013/#post-9602126 If you want to know how I did it, you can PM me.
The link also shows a neat kit for mounting an ARB compressor, and how I mounted my own ARB compressor.

 

[yotasavg]

That is one good looking green 100. I like it!

 

[NMrockeater]

R2m
I will definitely do the diff drop. How hard is the installation? Not thinking I want to run dual batteries, one Die Hard platinum should be good for me. As far as the ARB goes it has the small compressor just to run the locker, I would like to upgrade to the twin at some point.

 

[OregonLC]

Have some friends who just bought a 2014 AEV Rubi Unlimited with 37's. They're still in the honeymoon phase with it. I will say, that is one serious off the shelf vehicle! It will definitely take you places. The step in height on the silly thing is like 27"! We'll see how she holds up over time. Just goes to show how much demand there is for a vehicle of that type... Hello Toyota? 70 series calling.

Great choice on your 100, sounds like it will serve you well. And congrats on paying off your debt! Long live Dave Ramsey!

 

[Get outside]

Awesome looking truck! congrats and welcome!

 

[packetstormin]

My brother has a 2012 rubi and it has been a great vehicle. Eventually when my 80 surpasses financial sense to repair and keep on the road I will get a rubi.

That being said, the 100 series will always be my goto overland rig. I will always have a hundy in my stable for overlanding purposes.

 

[Kofoed]

R2m
I will definitely do the diff drop. How hard is the installation? Not thinking I want to run dual batteries, one Die Hard platinum should be good for me. As far as the ARB goes it has the small compressor just to run the locker, I would like to upgrade to the twin at some point.

I just knocked out the diff drop after work. No biggy. There are some nuts and bolts with factory 137 pound torques, so bust out the breaker bar.

 

[r2m]

R2m
I will definitely do the diff drop. How hard is the installation? Not thinking I want to run dual batteries, one Die Hard platinum should be good for me. As far as the ARB goes it has the small compressor just to run the locker, I would like to upgrade to the twin at some point.

I personally don't like messing with suspension, so when I had the new TB's, springs and shocks installed, I had them install the diff drop at the same time. I did make and install the 1.75" body lift myself.

If you want to do it yourself, it doesn't sound too difficult per Kofoed's post above. Just make sure you don't have any parts left over.

 

[packetstormin]

I am somewhat curious why you chose a 100 series vs the 80? Seeing that you were coming from a hardcore wheeler that I am guessing you used rock crawling. Were you looking to do more overlanding style trips?

By the way I see you are in NM, have you ever run the goose lake trail in red river?

Well let me introduce myself, my name is Corey and I have owned a Jeep since I was 16 years old. I have had five over the years and been happy with them over the course of that time. I wont bore Toyota people with my Jeep history, but my last one was an extremely well built 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited with 37” tires, gears, aftermarket axles and of course tons of other goodies. After our second child I discovered two things about my current Jeep, one it was set up for more extreme off roading and two, it lacked the interior comfort and size I now needed. On a side note I also had a lot of money tied up in my jeep which was paid off and wanted to free up some cash to pay off my daily driver and put toward my new endeavor. I have friends who have/had toyotas and know their capabilities. So when I went looking for a new ride I had two vehicles in mind the Toyota Land Cruiser and (dont yell at me) the Land Rover LR3. The LR3 ended up falling off the list when I couldn't get past the maintenance issues and the air ride suspension made me nervous and did not sound appealing. This is not a daily driver and will be used for my camping trips as well as exploring the back contry. So here is what I got…


1999 Toyota Land Cruiser

Dark Green

200,000 miles (all maintenance paperwork)

Factory Rear Locker

Third row seats


The following also came on the vehicle…

OME 2.5 Lift

Fox 2.0 shocks

TJM Bumpers front and rear

Fearless rocker guards

Warn 9000 winch

ARB front locker w/compressor

Gobi Roof Rack w/ladder

315/75/R16 New Goodyear Duratracs

OEM LC Snorkel

Scan Gauge II

Doug Thorley Cat Back Exhaust

Rearview Camera

Kenwood stereo w/bluetooth

Remote Start and Alarm


I had to go 500 miles to go get it and drive it home. It drove fine with the exception of the tires, they rode really rough (a Procomp MT) hence the new Goodyears I got when I got home (thats how bad the old ones were). The car was dirty inside when I bought it and it needs a good cleaning but nothing I cant handle. The driver seat had been redone so all of the leather was good. I took it to Toyota the day after I got home and had a full check up done and the oil changed. The only things Toyota found were the front brakes needed to be done and the upper and lower radiator hoses were going bad. I had these items taken care of and also had the coolant system flushed. The paperwork that came with the vehicle showed the timing belt, water pump and belts and pulleys were done at 189,000, so that was good. I washed/waxed the outside and cleaned the windows. Will do a full inside cleaning when time permits. So far I am loving it and the power of the V8 is amazing.

Here are some driveway pictures because thats all I have so far. I have a camping trip planned soon and will get more.


On my “to do” short list is, some floor mats, LED lights on the rack and a new Diehard battery.

 

[toyotalexus420]

Well let me introduce myself, my name is Corey and I have owned a Jeep since I was 16 years old. I have had five over the years and been happy with them over the course of that time. I wont bore Toyota people with my Jeep history, but my last one was an extremely well built 2012 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited with 37” tires, gears, aftermarket axles and of course tons of other goodies. After our second child I discovered two things about my current Jeep, one it was set up for more extreme off roading and two, it lacked the interior comfort and size I now needed. On a side note I also had a lot of money tied up in my jeep which was paid off and wanted to free up some cash to pay off my daily driver and put toward my new endeavor. I have friends who have/had toyotas and know their capabilities. So when I went looking for a new ride I had two vehicles in mind the Toyota Land Cruiser and (dont yell at me) the Land Rover LR3. The LR3 ended up falling off the list when I couldn't get past the maintenance issues and the air ride suspension made me nervous and did not sound appealing. This is not a daily driver and will be used for my camping trips as well as exploring the back contry. So here is what I got…


1999 Toyota Land Cruiser

Dark Green

200,000 miles (all maintenance paperwork)

Factory Rear Locker

Third row seats


The following also came on the vehicle…

OME 2.5 Lift

Fox 2.0 shocks

TJM Bumpers front and rear

Fearless rocker guards

Warn 9000 winch

ARB front locker w/compressor

Gobi Roof Rack w/ladder

315/75/R16 New Goodyear Duratracs

OEM LC Snorkel

Scan Gauge II

Doug Thorley Cat Back Exhaust

Rearview Camera

Kenwood stereo w/bluetooth

Remote Start and Alarm


I had to go 500 miles to go get it and drive it home. It drove fine with the exception of the tires, they rode really rough (a Procomp MT) hence the new Goodyears I got when I got home (thats how bad the old ones were). The car was dirty inside when I bought it and it needs a good cleaning but nothing I cant handle. The driver seat had been redone so all of the leather was good. I took it to Toyota the day after I got home and had a full check up done and the oil changed. The only things Toyota found were the front brakes needed to be done and the upper and lower radiator hoses were going bad. I had these items taken care of and also had the coolant system flushed. The paperwork that came with the vehicle showed the timing belt, water pump and belts and pulleys were done at 189,000, so that was good. I washed/waxed the outside and cleaned the windows. Will do a full inside cleaning when time permits. So far I am loving it and the power of the V8 is amazing.

Here are some driveway pictures because thats all I have so far. I have a camping trip planned soon and will get more.


On my “to do” short list is, some floor mats, LED lights on the rack and a new Diehard battery.

just an fyi your alarm has changed the factory chip protection due to the remote start. in nm it may be worth to have the remote start, but keep that in mind for security purposes.

 

[NMrockeater]

Packet
I liked the 80 and would have gone that route not because of the wheeling I wanted to do but I like the style of them also. However size was a factor and with the kids I wanted as big as I could get plus my friend who has an 80 always complains about the power the 6 cylinder has. I am getting away from the rocks and hard core trails. More Forrest roads, dry river beds and moderate off road designated stuff.
Have never done Goose lake but we are planning a trip this spring. A friend went last year and said it was beautiful. Maybe when we decide to go I can post it and see if we can get some other folks from here to go. Headed to LaDrone Peak for some camping in a couple of weeks.

Did not know that about the alarm and remote start. I kind of wish it did not have it just because I would have preferred stock. The cruiser also has a Kicker ported sub and box with an amp in the back that I want gone. It sounds great but I'm just not into all that and want my cargo space. Need to take it to the stereo shop to have them pull it and make sure everything else is still good.

 

[NMrockeater]

Here is the paperwork from Slee Off Road. The shocks have been changed but it looks like I have the diff drop! Went and verified on the vehicle as well. The rear seems to sag a little could I put a small spacer in? Or new springs?