Congrats on the new ride. The documentation of everything is coming along great. I am working on getting my rig all dialed in as well and its nice to see what other people are doing. I sent I lean a message for one of those speaker mounts. I changed my plugs and wires but yours are totally hammered.
Builds My First 4x4 Build - 94 Triple Locked (3 Viewers)
- Thread starter BayArea80
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- #22
Glad that you are enjoying the thread. I will eventually get to the fun parts of this build but had to make sure it was running good first and glad to hear you are doing that as well.
- Thread starter
- #23
3/18/18:
So remember that second dog I mentioned planning to get, thus justifying this purchase...well we picked her up! Everybody, meet Kina. She's a Doberman and she is a 11.5 weeks old here.
3/19/18: Now the fun has started, my wheels showed up today!
There's a bit of a story here. When I was looking to upgrade my AT's, my initial thought was to try save money and run the stock wheels. Seeing as everyone says a 80 series on 35's can go pretty much anywhere, this seemed like a prudent decision. So I go to America's Tire Company (ATC) and ask them to price match a deal on a set of 35" Procomp MT2's that 4 Wheel Parts was running. Fast forward a couple days and there was a sale on Method wheels, so I said screw it, I really like these wheels and they will have a huge impact on the aesthetics of the truck. The next thought was, well if I am going to get new wheels, I might as well get 17's as it opens up future tire selection, say if I want to go 37's in the future. However, I already ordered the 35's in a 16" variant so I had to check with ATC to see if they could change the order. Spoke to the Assistant Manager and he confirmed there would be no restocking fee to change to 37x12.5x17. So I placed the order with 4 Wheel Parts. Several days later, the wheels showed up and they were the machined finish, not bronze, so I ended up returning them. I ended up getting them off eBay when eBay was running a 20% coupon code. So I got all 5 for around $800 to my door, can't beat that!
End of the story, right? Nope, not right. So about a week I placed the order for the 37's, I called ATC to check on them. They put me on with the original Assistant Manager (apparently all the front desk guys are AM's) and he let me know that they would have to charge a restocking fee. That got me pretty upset as the restocking fee was 20%! They advised that the Assistant Manager had not been properly trained and that he had told me about the restocking fee upfront, which he did, but I presumed they had made arrangements internally. Ultimately, I lost this battle and ended up paying several hundred dollars more than if I would have just thought through my decision a bit more, but I'm way more happy with the 37's than I would have been saving the money and being on 35's. Given that these tires have a 40k mile warranty, I would have been frustrated for a long time before I upgraded.
3/21/18:
I ended up ordering a set of OEM spark plug wires and I will tell everyone I meet to only use OEM ones to avoid the headache that I had to go through. The key difference is that the OEM plug boots are glued on, whereas the aftermarket ones were not, which is what allowed the boot to separate from the shaft. I also threw a little dielectric grease inside the boot so make removing them easier in the future.
So remember that second dog I mentioned planning to get, thus justifying this purchase...well we picked her up! Everybody, meet Kina. She's a Doberman and she is a 11.5 weeks old here.
3/19/18: Now the fun has started, my wheels showed up today!
There's a bit of a story here. When I was looking to upgrade my AT's, my initial thought was to try save money and run the stock wheels. Seeing as everyone says a 80 series on 35's can go pretty much anywhere, this seemed like a prudent decision. So I go to America's Tire Company (ATC) and ask them to price match a deal on a set of 35" Procomp MT2's that 4 Wheel Parts was running. Fast forward a couple days and there was a sale on Method wheels, so I said screw it, I really like these wheels and they will have a huge impact on the aesthetics of the truck. The next thought was, well if I am going to get new wheels, I might as well get 17's as it opens up future tire selection, say if I want to go 37's in the future. However, I already ordered the 35's in a 16" variant so I had to check with ATC to see if they could change the order. Spoke to the Assistant Manager and he confirmed there would be no restocking fee to change to 37x12.5x17. So I placed the order with 4 Wheel Parts. Several days later, the wheels showed up and they were the machined finish, not bronze, so I ended up returning them. I ended up getting them off eBay when eBay was running a 20% coupon code. So I got all 5 for around $800 to my door, can't beat that!
End of the story, right? Nope, not right. So about a week I placed the order for the 37's, I called ATC to check on them. They put me on with the original Assistant Manager (apparently all the front desk guys are AM's) and he let me know that they would have to charge a restocking fee. That got me pretty upset as the restocking fee was 20%! They advised that the Assistant Manager had not been properly trained and that he had told me about the restocking fee upfront, which he did, but I presumed they had made arrangements internally. Ultimately, I lost this battle and ended up paying several hundred dollars more than if I would have just thought through my decision a bit more, but I'm way more happy with the 37's than I would have been saving the money and being on 35's. Given that these tires have a 40k mile warranty, I would have been frustrated for a long time before I upgraded.
3/21/18:
I ended up ordering a set of OEM spark plug wires and I will tell everyone I meet to only use OEM ones to avoid the headache that I had to go through. The key difference is that the OEM plug boots are glued on, whereas the aftermarket ones were not, which is what allowed the boot to separate from the shaft. I also threw a little dielectric grease inside the boot so make removing them easier in the future.
- Thread starter
- #24
Super behind on posting, but working on the rig and enjoying it takes priority! (plus my last draft got deleted...) Anyhow, here's where the fun begins.
3/24: Today marks the day I finally get to install the lift as most of the maintenance has been done. The lift is comprised of:
I started with the front and the first thing I realized was that these springs are WAYYY longer than stock. So off to the O'reilly I went to go borrow a spring compressor. The rest of the install was fairly straightforward, although I did run into several snags along the way. Some lessons learned:
Most importantly, if you are planning to only pull the truck halfway into your garage to make space, make sure you can finish the job that night otherwise you will be stuck with your garage door wide open overnight....Why did I get stuck you may ask? Well it's because the Dobinsons caster plates have 2 flaws:
3/25: One day later and the front end is done. I couldn't help but throw the wheel on there for a quick teaser shot.
3/24: Today marks the day I finally get to install the lift as most of the maintenance has been done. The lift is comprised of:
- Dobinsons 3"/3.5" Variable Tapered Springs (F/R), 1" spacers, and their 6" lift shocks
- Dobinsons Steering Stabilizer
- Dobinsons Caster Plates
- @Hitit66 Front Sway Bar Drop, Metaltech Rear Sway Bay Drop
- Slee 2"' F. Bump Stop Extensions, @Hitit66 2" Rear Bump Stop Extensions
- OME F&R Panhard Bars
- Slee Extended Brake Lines
- Dobinsons Brake Proportioning Valve Bracket
- @LandCruiserPhil Sway Bar Quick Disconnects
I started with the front and the first thing I realized was that these springs are WAYYY longer than stock. So off to the O'reilly I went to go borrow a spring compressor. The rest of the install was fairly straightforward, although I did run into several snags along the way. Some lessons learned:
- Wrap electrical tape around the coils as to avoid damaging the paint with the spring compressor.
- Do the brake lines at the same time. This way you do not need to compress the springs as much as the brake line ends up becoming the limiting factor in regards to how far the axle can droop.
- Have a pickle fork or tie rod end puller (the bracket on the steering stabilizer is attached this way)
- When it comes to reattaching the control arm, bolt the two front bolts in and then work on aligning the rear (frame mount) bolt. I read lots of threads on how to do this but I found that the easiest way was to set the truck back on the ground and rock the tires back and forth. This naturally rotates the axle and helps with the alignment. Ratchet straps to help in holding the axle in place each time you make incremental progress. I found that just ratcheting the straps was not effective.
Most importantly, if you are planning to only pull the truck halfway into your garage to make space, make sure you can finish the job that night otherwise you will be stuck with your garage door wide open overnight....Why did I get stuck you may ask? Well it's because the Dobinsons caster plates have 2 flaws:
- You have to clearance the caster plate because it is too tight and will not clear the weld bead that runs around the axle to connect the control arm bracket.
- The hardware kit does not work completely. Each bolt to connect the new caster plate to the control arm bracket comes with a ferrule/spacer. However, with the LHD vehicles, the angle at which you have to insert the bolt on the passenger side in order to clear the diff makes it impossible to install the spacer. After some research, this is why Slee provides two small bolts instead of one long one. They also do not sell the hardware by itself, so I had to leave this out. (I did have a friend that got the spacer in by bashing it with a mallet, but he will need to cut it out if he ever needs to remove it)
3/25: One day later and the front end is done. I couldn't help but throw the wheel on there for a quick teaser shot.
- Thread starter
- #25
**Sorry in advance for the crappy phone pics taken vertically**
3/28: After a few days I was able to get back in the garage and work on the rear. As expected, this went much more smoothly and after a couple hours I was all set.
The droop in the rear was such that I was barely brakes were pretty much touching the ground.
I knew that the truck would barely fit in the garage after the lift was done, hence why I delayed mounting the wheels. As you can see, it barely clears, but it does!
What I did not account for was the "hockey stick" that attaches the rail to the door. That accelerated my decision to remove my factory roof rack
3/28: After a few days I was able to get back in the garage and work on the rear. As expected, this went much more smoothly and after a couple hours I was all set.
The droop in the rear was such that I was barely brakes were pretty much touching the ground.
I knew that the truck would barely fit in the garage after the lift was done, hence why I delayed mounting the wheels. As you can see, it barely clears, but it does!
What I did not account for was the "hockey stick" that attaches the rail to the door. That accelerated my decision to remove my factory roof rack
Last edited:
Nice start!
Do make sure to loosen all your control arms and track bars when installing your lift kit and retorque when sitting at the new ride height. Also consider a panhard lift bracket, all the cool kids are doing it
click here►Land Cruiser Products - LCP
Do make sure to loosen all your control arms and track bars when installing your lift kit and retorque when sitting at the new ride height. Also consider a panhard lift bracket, all the cool kids are doing it
click here►Land Cruiser Products - LCP
- Thread starter
- #27
4/1: Next up was the extended brake lines. While I was under there I figured I would take care of the diff fluids as well.
Here's the rear diff fluid
But no worries, in went some fresh Redline 75W90.
The Slee extended brake lines were well labeled and went in mostly without hiccup. The only thing that was a little bit annoying was that the retainer clips were thicker than factory and thus it required some persistence to get them in place.
Here's a picture of the brake fluid...I didn't know brake fluid was supposed to be green?
One week after I started this lift, the truck was finally out of the garage and no longer hogging up all the space. Here's what it was keeping outside and in the rain:
Here it is next to my commuter. FYI and EV rocks for commuting, plus it makes me feel not as bad for having nothing but gas guzzlers otherwise.
I feel like this would be the equivalent of the teenage awkward phase...
Oh and hey, here's the factory window sticker. I ran this through a quick calculator and $46,724 is equivalent to $79,002 in today's money.
Here's the rear diff fluid
But no worries, in went some fresh Redline 75W90.
The Slee extended brake lines were well labeled and went in mostly without hiccup. The only thing that was a little bit annoying was that the retainer clips were thicker than factory and thus it required some persistence to get them in place.
Here's a picture of the brake fluid...I didn't know brake fluid was supposed to be green?
One week after I started this lift, the truck was finally out of the garage and no longer hogging up all the space. Here's what it was keeping outside and in the rain:
Here it is next to my commuter. FYI and EV rocks for commuting, plus it makes me feel not as bad for having nothing but gas guzzlers otherwise.
I feel like this would be the equivalent of the teenage awkward phase...
Oh and hey, here's the factory window sticker. I ran this through a quick calculator and $46,724 is equivalent to $79,002 in today's money.
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- Thread starter
- #28
4/7: I mentioned earlier that after the wheels and tires are put on, I would not be able to fit the truck back in the garage, so I had to finish off the maintenance before I put them on. That was my motivation to not lag on the remainder of the baselining.
Front and rear brake pads were swapped out with EBC Greenstuff
4/8: Here starts the painful process of servicing the cooling system. Little did I know that this would be the most tedious thing I would have to do on the truck.
Here's what came out, a brown-red color is not ideal...
Make sure you have a big catch basin around when you go to flush the engine. The stream is coming out of the engine block drain.
After I flushed the block, the radiator, and the heating system, I ran several cycles of distilled water through the truck. Rather than wait until the truck got to temp for the thermostat to open, I just removed it so that the process would not take quite so long. I'll be honest, I did way more gallons than what was shown below and I never did quite get the water to come out completely clear. Eventually I reached the point of diminishing returns.
So, on to the main attraction, the PHH. Having done some research, I knew that I planned to replace the hard line completely and was prepared to do what many have done before me, and wiggle that line until the upper bracket snapped off. To my surprise, after remove the lower bolt, the line broke free. At some point in the truck's 24 year life, that upper bolt had backed itself off and had now saved me a bunch of time and avoided scratches on my arm.
It seems my PHH was in decent shape, but that's irrelevant.
Here's the new Gates Green Stripe in place. That job was really not bad at all!
Tossed the new thermostat in, put on the new hoses, and filled her up with Toyota Red and distilled water.
This was also good time to service the power steering fluid as well. The fluid came out straight black, something I had never seen before. I suspect that the fluid had never been changed, much like the diff fluids. Low mileage but poor maintenance...I guess that is better than high miles and poor maintenance...
So about 3 weeks after I started the lift, I was finally ready to put the new shoes on!
Front and rear brake pads were swapped out with EBC Greenstuff
4/8: Here starts the painful process of servicing the cooling system. Little did I know that this would be the most tedious thing I would have to do on the truck.
Here's what came out, a brown-red color is not ideal...
Make sure you have a big catch basin around when you go to flush the engine. The stream is coming out of the engine block drain.
After I flushed the block, the radiator, and the heating system, I ran several cycles of distilled water through the truck. Rather than wait until the truck got to temp for the thermostat to open, I just removed it so that the process would not take quite so long. I'll be honest, I did way more gallons than what was shown below and I never did quite get the water to come out completely clear. Eventually I reached the point of diminishing returns.
So, on to the main attraction, the PHH. Having done some research, I knew that I planned to replace the hard line completely and was prepared to do what many have done before me, and wiggle that line until the upper bracket snapped off. To my surprise, after remove the lower bolt, the line broke free. At some point in the truck's 24 year life, that upper bolt had backed itself off and had now saved me a bunch of time and avoided scratches on my arm.
It seems my PHH was in decent shape, but that's irrelevant.
Here's the new Gates Green Stripe in place. That job was really not bad at all!
Tossed the new thermostat in, put on the new hoses, and filled her up with Toyota Red and distilled water.
This was also good time to service the power steering fluid as well. The fluid came out straight black, something I had never seen before. I suspect that the fluid had never been changed, much like the diff fluids. Low mileage but poor maintenance...I guess that is better than high miles and poor maintenance...
So about 3 weeks after I started the lift, I was finally ready to put the new shoes on!
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- Thread starter
- #29
4/13: Just under 3 months from when I purchased the truck, it was all finally coming together.
Goodbye factory setup. HELLO new shoes!
SPECS:
Procomp MT2 in 37x12.5x17
Method NV in 17x8.5
No spacers
Goodbye factory setup. HELLO new shoes!
SPECS:
Procomp MT2 in 37x12.5x17
Method NV in 17x8.5
No spacers
Great job with all the maintenance & mods. 
Now we need some flex pics!
Now we need some flex pics!
- Thread starter
- #31
Nice start!
Do make sure to loosen all your control arms and track bars when installing your lift kit and retorque when sitting at the new ride height. Also consider a panhard lift bracket, all the cool kids are doing it
click here►Land Cruiser Products - LCP
Thanks. Yes yes, I've been paying attention to those and it's quite possible that I'll eventually have one. But I've got some other priorities that you'll understand as the story goes on.
YAS!
- Thread starter
- #33
Great job with all the maintenance & mods.
Now we need some flex pics!
We're almost there!
- Thread starter
- #36
I follow you on IG and love the way your rig looks. I was actually thinking of getting the same wheels in black and 16 though. With the plans for my sunkissed paint involve a lighter color as I live in PHX and wanna keep the engine bay and the main cabin cooler.
- Thread starter
- #38
Thanks for the kind words! I'm happy with the wheels and I think you will be too. Something to consider is tire options in 16" vs 17". The wider selection of large tire sizes is ultimately what swayed me to go with the 17's.
Isn't sunkissed and cancerous paint great? I cannot wait to repaint.
I am going to paint/monstaliner mine an FDE or tan color, have also tossed the idea of the factory colors of cement or calvary blue
- Thread starter
- #40
4/13: At this point I am getting pretty anxious to get the truck out for a shakedown, but I was still trying to be responsible, so there were things left to button up.
First up was some protection. I had been researching the skid plate options on the market when I stumbled up a new product that was just being released by Badlands Bumpers up in WA. I gave them a call and hopped on their introductory run. To say this plate is beefy is an understatement. This is a solid 3/8" plate that isn't about to give in to any obstacle.
Of course, I decided to also paint it to match my wheels, not that anyone will regularly look under the truck. Also sprayed my rear panhard while I was at it.
4/18/2018: This was a day of taking care of miscellaneous things that were wrong with this old truck.
First, the master door switch. The only was only worked sporadically so in went in a replacement. (Yes, I know I have to do something about that old wood grain)
Next was my passenger rear window that was sliding off the track. A quick search on mud and an adjustment of the rail the window is seated on cured that issue!
The rubber weather seals were old and dry, so before just opting to replace them, I decided to try and recondition them with a little Honda Shin Etsu grease. This stuff is supposed to work wonders and I can say that the rubber feels nice and supple again. We will see how the truck holds up to weather next winter.
My rear defroster had managed to separate itself from the rear window, so I picked up one of these kits from Frost Fighter to reattach it. It was quick and simple to use, but way overpriced. I guess that's what you get for developing something that other companies don't have.
An interior lightning upgrade was next. Most of my bulbs were burnt out anyways so in with a @pfran42 LED kit. The light output is fantastic. I wish there was a better way to affix the lights as after some time now sit crooked in the housing, but that's just a minor gripe. All in all this is an upgrade that I highly recommend.
Finished everything up for the day and snapped a quick comparison pic of the two rigs while I had some good evening lighting.
First up was some protection. I had been researching the skid plate options on the market when I stumbled up a new product that was just being released by Badlands Bumpers up in WA. I gave them a call and hopped on their introductory run. To say this plate is beefy is an understatement. This is a solid 3/8" plate that isn't about to give in to any obstacle.
Of course, I decided to also paint it to match my wheels, not that anyone will regularly look under the truck. Also sprayed my rear panhard while I was at it.
4/18/2018: This was a day of taking care of miscellaneous things that were wrong with this old truck.
First, the master door switch. The only was only worked sporadically so in went in a replacement. (Yes, I know I have to do something about that old wood grain)
Next was my passenger rear window that was sliding off the track. A quick search on mud and an adjustment of the rail the window is seated on cured that issue!
The rubber weather seals were old and dry, so before just opting to replace them, I decided to try and recondition them with a little Honda Shin Etsu grease. This stuff is supposed to work wonders and I can say that the rubber feels nice and supple again. We will see how the truck holds up to weather next winter.
My rear defroster had managed to separate itself from the rear window, so I picked up one of these kits from Frost Fighter to reattach it. It was quick and simple to use, but way overpriced. I guess that's what you get for developing something that other companies don't have.
An interior lightning upgrade was next. Most of my bulbs were burnt out anyways so in with a @pfran42 LED kit. The light output is fantastic. I wish there was a better way to affix the lights as after some time now sit crooked in the housing, but that's just a minor gripe. All in all this is an upgrade that I highly recommend.
Finished everything up for the day and snapped a quick comparison pic of the two rigs while I had some good evening lighting.
