Builds My First Landcruiser: 78' Frame Off Resofication (1 Viewer)

[90 Weight]

Broadcasting live from Idaho where the cruiser cabin temperature reads a cool 100 degrees. New radiator, check. 500 miles later... new coolant hose, check. Smooth sailing from here...

 

[CruiserStuff]

Haven't seen an update from you guys for a while.....hope all is well.....

 

[90 Weight]

yea sorry for the silence- I got appendicitis while on a 12 mile hike in glacier and had to have surgery the next day. Now three days out from the operation- feeling better gradually and will try to begin making progress again in a day or two.

 

[CruiserStuff]

Awww, heck! That's something, all right. Glad you're okay.

I got appendicitis the day before my first wedding....missed the bachelor party, missed the rehearsal, but walked down the aisle and danced at the ceremony. God was trying to keep me from the altar, I think, but I was too stubborn to see the signs.

Don't be in too much of a hurry to get back on the road.....heal up.....

 

[CruiserStuff]

How are you feeling, Eli......healing up okay?

 

[Arya Ebrahimi]

I stumbled on a link to this thread from apeterson's build thread and just finished reading all 37 pages over the past 2 hours.

Quite a roller coaster of a thread! How did your trip finish up? Been almost 2 years since your last update. Still have the cruiser?

 

[Pilotblake]

Come on man come back and update your thread. I invested the time to read the 37 pages. I enjoyed the real world trial and errors. Makes me feel better about my projects over the years.

 

[ScottS]

Wild ride. Cool story as I ramp up for my eventual build. Hope all is well!

 

[hecrod]

Roller coaster ride no doubt... but getting better and better as it went along. A bit of a suspenseful ending though... like Destins' in a way?
destins 1964 fj40 FST restore thread

Really interesting ride...

 

[90 Weight]

Well guys - it pains me to write this, but after many years of deliberation and putting the decision off, I'm selling Clifford. He's been sitting at my moms place in Portland Oregon for the last 5 years while I've been traveling and living in different places (now in San Francisco).

My mom is moving to Mexico, and parking in SF makes zero sense, so it's time for me to find him a home that will care for him more than I can right now.

As many of you know, I have over $25k in receipts, he's been in Toyota 4WD Magazine, and I've had offers at the $30k mark, HOWEVER - he's been sitting outside for the last 5 years, and has only been run a few times over that time span. His battery is dead, some of the paint is cracking a bit near the front cowl, and all the fluids and drive train seals will need to be done.

I'm going to list him for $18k, and am listing here first with the hopes that a forum member will rescue him and not someone on Craigslist. He's obviously sold as-is since I haven't run him in a while and can't detail out each thing you'll need to polish up before he's ready for another magazine worthy adventure. The price is set so I hopefully don't have to deal with much haggling, as I won't be present for the sale (out of state). He's ready for pick up in Portland.

Here are some pictures to stoke the memory:





High Level Pro's:

• Frame off restoration (sand blasted and powdercoated frame).
• 3/4 Aqualoo Aluminum Tub
• Crate 350 GM w. 4bbl Carb
• TH350 Automatic Transmission
• 33x12.50 Cooper TT's
• Custom Fab Roof Rack
• Custom Fab Rear Tire Carrier
• Dynamat throughout front cowl to reduce noise
• Hot Rod Guage Cluster
• Freeborn Red Paintjob (2006)

Known Needs:

• All fluids flush/replace
• New battery
• Has a roof top tent that's been sitting outside (on top) and probably is best just thrown away due to moist PNW air.
• Carpet inside should be replaced as the interior smells very musty (from moisture)
• Needs new headliner
• Front drive shaft needs to be secured (missing 4 or so bolts)

Now that the funeral procession is over , on to the fun stuff - the update that is about 5 years overdue!

Man how time flies. Ashley and I continued on our trip, covering CA,OR,WA,ID,UT,NV,AZ and back to CA. The trip was cut a bit short due to the emergency appendix surgery needed along the way. After returning from the trip and resting up, Clifford became my trusty daily driver in Santa Monica, which, in that are of the world is quite a head turner. We had fun together, mostly riding around topless (Clifford, not me), enjoying a few years of the beach life. I was still trying to make it as a photographer, which mostly meant pounding doors down to make connections while working as a waiter in Santa Monica and Venice.

Somewhere around 23, I had what I affectionately refer to as my "quarter life crisis" where I made the call that my pursuit of photography was not coming around fast enough and waiting tables wasn't going work for me any longer. I decided I was going to "start an internet company or something" out of my mothers basement. So I packed Clifford up, and we moved to Portland Oregon. After moving to Portland, life became a bit of a whirlwind, and that's about the time Clifford and I parted ways. I made good the my promise to myself to start a company, and after 6 months moved out of my mothers basement. After three years, the company was acquired by a larger company, and I took off on a 5 month motorcycle journey through the Southwest visiting many of the same sites as I had done many years prior with Clifford. After some time in Colombia (not on the motorcycle) I met a friend in Los Angeles and we rode down to Panama, riding through every country in Central America other than Belize.

After the trip, I moved to San Francisco. A place I've always wanted to live. And that brings us to today. Now I run an online motorcycle shop called www.ktmtwins.com where we sell awesome parts and accessories for KTM motorcycles. Living in SF has meant no Landcruiser for me, as the parking situation here is crazy/non-existant unless you have a garage (which around here cost more than most houses outside of the city ).

Anyway, I felt like this thread needed a conclusion for everyone who stuck with me through all the years of building and growing. This build was one of the more formative experiences I had as a young person, and I think I learned a ton about myself, and others, through the process. This community has been one of the best I've ever been a part of, and I can't thank all of you enough for the insight and encouragement you all provided along the way.

Happy trails, I'll miss you guys.
Eli

 

[apeterson]

Wow! I often think about you and wonder what happend to you. We "grew up" together with our trucks. So glad things worked out just as they should for you!

Hope you come back and read your thread again in 5-10 years and wonder how you ever got it all done.

Well done friend.