Builds My LC 80 thread.

[Dave 2000]

Ever get your rear seat issues sorted out? I'd just remove the center belt from the 3rd row and call it 'done'.

I would but I want to get the seats out to fit my drawer system. I rarely use the rearmost seats anyway so they are just excess weight I don't need. I will be taking a fluent translator with me in a week or two and ask them for the correct 'bit of paper' that enables the seats to be take out legally.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Hi Dave. interested in this as Im in Spain too, and I've just bought a UK one that the PO got through the ITV just as I bought it, he said he argued with them and they put it down as 8 seats, and that's what it shows on the 3 grey papers that he got back from Madrid.

so are you saying that this is going to cause insurance difficulties? its currently down as 5 seats anyway because I didn't even know it had the rear seats when I bought it lol. as they're folded up and not used I thought I'd just alter it when I have to re-insure with the new Spanish plates.

would also be interested in knowing the cost as close as you recall for the import paperwork. was the best part of 1100 Euros to import my beloved 2.8 Audi, not including the COC and ITV.

obviously this time the PO did that for me.

OK, it seems that only 7 seats can be insured for a private motor vehicle, anything over this makes it a minibus and subject to commercial ratings/insurance and 6 monthly tests. By all means ask if you can insure for 8 but I know IBEX/ABBYEYGATE/LINEA DIRECTA will NOT, now that is for my Province however.

Finding someone who is completley savvy with the regs is near on impossible. Having said that it seems if you can find a spanish engineer who has the GENUINE engineering qualifications you can get a lot done with simple emails, he will send PDF's supporting your mod and his information stating that it is safe, the PDF comes with a bar code peculiar to that particular engineer, take it to the ITV station and they scan the code, if he states it is good then that is the end of it. I will know more once I chase this up with more vigour and can then offer more in the way of 'real world' experience.

My total costs were as near as dammit 1,470 euros, this includes 1,000 import duty, 193 for first ITV, 240....odd for headlights, and 30 for number plates.

regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

OK, it seems that only 7 seats can be insured for a private motor vehicle, anything over this makes it a minibus and subject to commercial ratings/insurance and 6 monthly tests. By all means ask if you can insure for 8 but I know IBEX/ABBYEYGATE/LINEA DIRECTA will NOT, now that is for my Province however.

lol, always something making life difficult isnt there? I might just pull the middle seatbelt and insure for 7, put it back in for the ITV if required.

Finding someone who is completley savvy with the regs is near on impossible. Having said that it seems if you can find a spanish engineer who has the GENUINE engineering qualifications you can get a lot done with simple emails, he will send PDF's supporting your mod and his information stating that it is safe, the PDF comes with a bar code peculiar to that particular engineer, take it to the ITV station and they scan the code, if he states it is good then that is the end of it. I will know more once I chase this up with more vigour and can then offer more in the way of 'real world' experience.

do you know one of these (engineers) in your area?

so makes sense to find out what they will and wont allow first before buying things I suppose. how dull. are you planning much in the way of mods that might get noticed? lifts, bumpers, sliders winches etc?

My total costs were as near as dammit 1,470 euros, this includes 1,000 import duty, 193 for first ITV, 240....odd for headlights, and 30 for number plates.

regards

Dave

ok many thanks, so really just import duty and plates now for me then.

I am looking into the legalities now too so anything of interest I find out I'll let you know, but this new EU modification law isnt looking so good for those of us planning more radical mods

http://www.eyeonspain.com/forums/posts-long-16363.aspx

 

[Dave 2000]

IF and I mean IF you plan mods then the best way to go about it is MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE THE PARTS FROM A SPANISH 4X4 DEALER and get the 'special homologation' number.

Sorry for shouting but there is a reason. You may or may not have noticed that even 'normal' parts shops are pretty rare in Spain? It seems that parts suppliers and in particular anything to do with mods have to jump through quite a few hoops to be able to sell their products here if they are not manufactured here, yeh I know EU equality and all that BS. Spain is doing what every other member of the EU is doing, if the EU rule does not suit you use your own countries rules, the governments simply swap between them to end up with their will imposed on you (ok down from the soap box), sorry about that.

In general if I want to purchase a winch bumper I go to a 4$4 shop and pay the going rate which WILL be very expensive, not because the guy is ripping you off but because the price to him is so high. The product supplier has to pay a small fortune to a) get his product approved and b) the cost of bringing it into Spain with the intention of selling it and (god forbid) making a profit outside of the spanish border.

Of course there are good products in the EU but they are serious money if you buy them here, and here is the catch, once a product has been approved it gets that special number, this number is given to the guy at the ITV station and he records it on your log book, this then enables the car to be considered safe for road use. It is not all bad as it seems if the mod is approved then the insurance companies do not have an avenue to blame the fitment of the towbar (yes it's true) was the cause of you running into the back of someone even if you did not have a trailer attached at the time.

Get the part here in Spain and pay through the nose but get that all important number and all should be OK, remember I am talking about Murcia province, my original inspection fees alone were going to be 1200.00 euros, I drove 26 miles into the neighbouring province and saved over a grand, you go figure?

The Discovery in my avatar was used in competitions and was fitted with EVERYTHING, all steel bumpers f&r, winch, rock sliders, ARB lockers both ends, high strength swivels/CV's/shafts, lifted, dislocation cones, bigger wheels and tyres, snorkel etc, as it was registered for commercial use it had to have an inspection every 6 months, all the guy insisted was that I presented it with stock wheels and tyres, I did just that and it past every six months 8 times in four years. In fact the guy I sold it too came from Alicante and I gave him the stock wheels so he could fit them when he had the ITV. He rang me up and it seems they failed it on pretty much everything, no front bumper skirt for example! I gather he managed to get it through but it seemed it was a serious headache! Oh and bull bars are banned here as they are pretty much everwhere, you can have a steel aftermarket front bumper (the bit that might hit people) but the rear bumper must remain stock, I got round that by having a steel one shaped as if the plastic end caps were still there so it really did look stock.

regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

hmm, much food for thought, thanks.

so to clarify, you are saying I can only fit anything I can find a Spanish supplier to supply? would that apply to even as far as an empty winchplate?

would (say that) have to be installed professionally even if there were no winch on it?

and do you know any good Spanish 4x4 suppliers?

and are you saying the Landcruiser plastic rear endcaps have to be on and bogstandardgheyforevermore to pass an ITV?

..unless I can fab perfect steel look-alikes (only) that fool an inspection thats as good as its ever going to get?

and so I assume fabbing my own stuff is somewhat out of the question then lol

**** !

maybe just keep a whole decent OEM set for tests and **** them the rest of the time lol - definitely going to have to source a friendly local regs engineer (preferably with a welder & love of landcruisers lol)

sorry for all the questions, just happy I found someone "local" with (way) more idea than me.

so, for example, all your other mods, dual battery etc, do you have to declare all that? absolutely everything?

ps do you know of any good Spanish cruiser forums, there must be unemployed boys out in the country with welders knocking their own stuff up somewhere?

 

[Dave 2000]

hmm, much food for thought, thanks.

so to clarify, you are saying I can only fit anything I can find a Spanish supplier to supply? would that apply to even as far as an empty winchplate?

No, what I am saying is check it out with the ITV guys first if you are not 100% sure. For example, the spanich spec HDJ 80 does not come stock with a sunroof, mine raised eyebrows and it had to be officially put on the 'Ficha Technica' (MOT paper). And yet the difflocks were not mentioned and yet they are not stock here either?

would (say that) have to be installed professionally even if there were no winch on it?

Unsure here, I have to have an official letter from Toyota (or an engineer) to state the removal of the seats will not alter the structure of the vehicle, again this is here in Murcia.
and do you know any good Spanish 4x4 suppliers?

Not really, the one I do know had been getting me a spare wheel cover no numbers needed for that...I think?) for my Discovery, after the second year I give up!

and are you saying the Landcruiser plastic rear endcaps have to be on and bogstandardgheyforevermore to pass an ITV?


..unless I can fab perfect steel look-alikes (only) that fool an inspection thats as good as its ever going to get?

If the guy realises they are not there which depends on how obvious it is and how familiar he is with our model, then it may fail.
and so I assume fabbing my own stuff is somewhat out of the question then lol

Again, this is all subjective, it depends on the guy doing the inspection, the province where the inspection takes place, whether the wind blew from the North last Wednesday etc.

If it does not look stock you might get a tug, one thing that does seem to be quite common is this: Find your engineer who is going to produce your 'reducida' (I think that is how it is spelt), this is a sort of spec sheet similar to the european conformity document. Once you have spoken to him explaining what your plans are see what he says he can do for you for example, a friend just had his Land Cruiser go through it's first matriculation inspection, he had the guy list the fact that the tyres he had fitted were oversized, but because they fitted in within a certain % they were added to the document and it passed! If you want to go much bigger with the tyres you will have to demonstrate to an engineer that the car stops in a straight line, does not wander, that you have altered (if need be) the load sensor at the rear axle to allow for the raised suspension etc etc.

His OE tow bar however did not pass (as mine would not have) because there were no specific numbers on it and it had to be removed. I had to show an old picture of new Landcruiser for sale (actually in Black and White) to prove the side steps were OE!

so, for example, all your other mods, dual battery etc, do you have to declare all that? absolutely everything?

The dual batteries were no problem (not that I mentioned them) however, that is standard on a diesel anyway even the spanish spec so nothing was said. They looked (BIG TIME) for the air bag light which my car does not have again no problem, I DO KNOW FOR SURE that a local mechanic who is known by all the testers at the ITV station that his own vehicle a Mitsubishi Pajero was failed for an additional fuel tank which was fitted by a previous owner between tests. It seems if he can get a qualified engineer (not a qualified mechanic as he is) to state it is safe then he should get a pass.

I am not saying it cannot be done within reason, it is just made very difficult, not wishing to sound rude or condescending, Spain has come a very long way in not too many years and it is getting better all the time but the pace is very ....very slow. It is this very slow pace of life that attracts me to stay here but at times it can be infuriuating, but I wish to live out my life here so will have to adjust and 'go with the flow'.

Think about what you want and drop it on the desk of a friendly engineer, this is my approach and WHEN I go for my winch and bumper I hope this plan will work for me. If it helps, there are afew catalogues available that show the modified parts available for our cars (and other marques) and each item has the special number and they can be bought and fitted. For example my next purchase in a few weeks will be my snorkle, I bet it will cost me at least 20 or 30% more than in the UK but it will have the number and it will be OK with the inspection.


**** !

maybe just keep a whole decent OEM set for tests and **** them the rest of the time lol - definitely going to have to source a friendly local regs engineer (preferably with a welder & love of landcruisers lol)

sorry for all the questions, just happy I found someone "local" with (way) more idea than me.

No problem.


ps do you know of any good Spanish cruiser forums, there must be unemployed boys out in the country with welders knocking their own stuff up somewhere?

There are a couple of spanish forums but as my Spanish is poor I have not maintained contact.

regards

Dave

Dave

 

[Dutchy]

I would but I want to get the seats out to fit my drawer system.

Hey Dave,

How's life? What drawer system are you looking for as I am also looking into a drawer system myself. Custom made or ???

Regards,
Jean-Paul

 

[Dave 2000]

Good to hear from you JP, I am fine and you and your family? Yes the rear seats now have to go in fact, I have just come in from the drive removing the seat belts etc. Next week I am getting a translator to go with me to the ITV centre to find out what the correct piece of paper is called that I need. I may point out AGAIN that the seats simply unclip to remove and then just click back in place with no spanners needed etc but do not hold out much hope in getting the Ficha Technica altered while I wait. If I get the go ahead the drawer set will probably be a custom job, I have a couple of friends who are good carpenters so may go that way, I am sure it will be cheaper. The other advantage of custom is you get everything the way YOU like it as opposed to how somebody else THINKS you will like it.

Saludas to you and the family.

regards

Dave

 

[Dutchy]

We are doing fine...busy running the company and very little time to spare. We are actually looking to get out a week in december to the Canarian Islands to just relax. What a pita with the paper hazzle but I am sure you will never get used to it. Pffff You are only talking about deleting the third row right?

Very curious about your drawer install... I am not that good with carpenting so that's why I looked at the regular made systems but those prices are .

Are you going to draw something first or do you have any ideas yet on how you would like it to be?

I dunno... you might aswell make two while you are at it..... ill sent you some funds. Just saying......

Did you find the right battaries already..... I will be in need of some new ones too.

 

[Dave 2000]

We are doing fine...busy running the company and very little time to spare. We are actually looking to get out a week in december to the Canarian Islands to just relax. What a pita with the paper hazzle but I am sure you will never get used to it. Pffff You are only talking about deleting the third row right?

Hi JP, could to heaqr all is well, yes just getting rid of the third row, as I rarely drink I am often recruited to be the designated driver when friends and neighbours go out for a bash however, this still meant the thir row is only used once in awhile soooo it is going to the bin.

Very curious about your drawer install... I am not that good with carpenting so that's why I looked at the regular made systems but those prices are .

Are you going to draw something first or do you have any ideas yet on how you would like it to be?

I have plenty of ideas, I will have agood think about it first but it will probably be the usual combo for drawers etc with my fridge on a slide mount of sorts, I have just run the heavy cables through to run the rear electrics so another job done.

I dunno... you might aswell make two while you are at it..... ill sent you some funds. Just saying......

Hmmm, I'll see what the chippie's are doing, one is retired and he might be pursuaded?

Did you find the right battaries already..... I will be in need of some new ones too.

Good result on the batteries, they are dual duty crank/deep cycle and the price was brilliant, they came from a spanish supplier who done me a good deal for the pair, they were so cheap I could replace them once every year and still be in the money when compared against for example Optima's.

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

Update time @ a little over 230,000 miles. So I have had some spare time to do work on the 80, the heavy cabling for the fridge /inverter has been run from the aux battery to the load space, I have an old design 50 amp circuit breaker but may look for a decent marine version. In the conduit I also have run a light gauge wire that is connected to the acc in the power take off box which Toyota were so kind to supply stock, the 'shark fin' style ariel now has power and it is about as useful as a chocolate fire guard!! So need to find another 'shark fin'.

The acc wire will also power the relay for the higher wattage reversing lights so the gearbox switch does not 'see' the extra amperage being drawn, I'm unsure how much they will carry so better safe than sorry. After a friend had the friction linings on his 80 handbrake delaminate after a very short while I decided to check mine, there were some nasty cracks and the friction material was lifting from the actual shoe, this would eventually have failed leaving me without a handbrake and perhaps damaging the disc at it did on my friends car. I replaced the shoes and clips etc, as an asides here, it is sooo much easier getting the shoe adjustement spot on with the halfshafts removed and the foot brake caliper removed, the only binding you will then feel is that of the handbrake shoes and not the diff/pads etc.

As the car had seen quite extensive wading during the recent floods two weeks ago here I decided to pull the bearings/check axle oil etc, as I had new (Koyo) bearing kits/seals spare in the garage I pulled everthing and checked/cleaned and refitted the right hand bearings as they were good, I put on a new grease seal and a new halfshaft seal. Then to the left side to repeat and I was aware that the other halfshaft seal I had about an hour earlier had gone missing!! I searched everywhere and can only assume one of my friends dogs has picked it up and did whatever he did with it, something he has done in the past. Anyway, the grease in the left bearing was minging and sloppy with oil contamination so I am off to the Toyota dealer sometime next week to get a new half shaft seal. The bearing is not super quiet as is the RH side either so that will be replaced as preventative maintenace as well.

The steering box was adjusted to pick up the bit of slack that has shown up, the swivels were given a good few pumps of Molykote, and the propshaft got a good greasing as well (lithium). Brake pads looking good all round (new fronts a few months back HD100 bigger pads)The overhead console I managed to get from OZ was also fitted and the lighting wired up this was mentioned IIRC last week along with the ciggy lighter.

Other than that the car is running her usual 'sweet as a nut' manner.

That's it for now

regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

once again thanks for all the info

one bit stood out..

a friend just had his Land Cruiser go through it's first matriculation inspection, he had the guy list the fact that the tyres he had fitted were oversized, but because they fitted in within a certain % they were added to the document and it passed!

..

His OE tow bar however did not pass

Dave

given your location, and this chain of events, I am wondering if I might possibly own your friend's car now? it has BFG 285s, a new ITV, towbar removed and it left Murcia for Ibiza about 5 weeks ago?

 

[Dave 2000]

once again thanks for all the info

one bit stood out..



given your location, and this chain of events, I am wondering if I might possibly own your friend's car now? it has BFG 285s, a new ITV, towbar removed and it left Murcia for Ibiza about 5 weeks ago?

Yep that's the one!!

I have done some work on that in the past and know it's history over the last 18 months or so.

regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

Yep that's the one!!

I have done some work on that in the past and know it's history over the last 18 months or so.

regards

Dave

haha were you his 80 enthusiast mechanic ? ..its clearly an even smaller world if you have an 80

pleased to meet you amigo, thanks for all your good work, it rides lovely.

 

[Dave 2000]

haha were you his 80 enthusiast mechanic ? ..its clearly an even smaller world if you have an 80

pleased to meet you amigo, thanks for all your good work, it rides lovely.

I am indeed that mechanic! I suppose the previous owner gave you a list of what has been done? I can remember most stuff so feel free to ask about anything your not sure about. The only things we did to change the ride was some decent rear springs and shocks along with poly bushes on the front A/R bar, IIRC he was going to get a set for the rear? Of course I advised him to go for the 285 BFG A/T, easy on the wallet/arse/ears but a good all round tyre.

regards

Dave

 

[kevsta]

he listed out a load of stuff in the ebay listing and I got some bills for bits and pieces but I wouldn't really say I know exactly what was done to everything. ..is kind of you to offer and will try not to have to take you up on it very often..

I do have a bit of a list accumulating of mods desired, work needed and maintenance, but nothing serious enough to prevent normal use. there's a bit of clicking developing from the front right on tight turns, and you probably remember the dodgy idle when it gets really hot, but in normal use here I hardly see that, and I just wind the idle up slightly on the hand throttle if it annoys me, so business as usual

anyway I'll stop hijacking your thread now and PM you should I need to if that's ok?

thanks, kev.

 

[Dave 2000]

he listed out a load of stuff in the ebay listing and I got some bills for bits and pieces but I wouldn't really say I know exactly what was done to everything. ..is kind of you to offer and will try not to have to take you up on it very often..

I do have a bit of a list accumulating of mods desired, work needed and maintenance, but nothing serious enough to prevent normal use. there's a bit of clicking developing from the front right on tight turns, and you probably remember the dodgy idle when it gets really hot, but in normal use here I hardly see that, and I just wind the idle up slightly on the hand throttle if it annoys me, so business as usual

anyway I'll stop hijacking your thread now and PM you should I need to if that's ok?

thanks, kev.

NO problem Kev, yeh PM is better, the PO also did his own 'tinkering' so feel free to ask anything.

regards

Dave

 

[Dave 2000]

The PM continues and although I never had any more weird temp issues a long while back now I decided today I would fit the new stat/gasket and change the coolant again as a good PM measure. Yeh right, I removed the A/C compressor and removed the alt belts to swing the alt back out of the way (remember 150amp big lump). I then notice that one of the belts has a wet mark on it? Closer examination reveals the water pump weep hole is damp, ah well new water pump about to be ordered. I put it back together as I am not going to pull it all apart twice, so the left rear wheel bearing and a water pump and another shark fin to get sorted, I'll update as and when I get something done, I am trying my best but at the moment it is two steps forward and one back.

regards

Dave

 

[Dutchy]

Hmmm, I'll see what the chippie's are doing, one is retired and he might be pursuaded?

That would be great Dave.... i'll sent you an email on sunday.

 

[Dave 2000]

Update.

OK, today I thought as I had a couple of hours to myself I will put them to good use and fit the new water pump and themostat I mean it is a pretty straightforward job...yeh right! Whilst checking the mating surface of the block where the pump bolts on I noticed the core plug below the water pump was quite badly corroded, and of course the nearest dealer is nearly two hours away!

After running around the various local garages an OPEL dealer came to the rescue, he made a phone call and two plugs were delivered in the afternoon, I always get a spare as you never know if you are going to damage one during the install. As I need the car early tommorow morning I was out there with the lead light tonight as my other vehicle is still in the garage waiting for a clutch.

I took the time to remove the air fillter and housing and check the turbo and piping ect, just a new large jubilee clip where the intake hose fits to the turbo as the other was quite corroded and all is well.

Anyway, for the record, new thermostat/water pump/front of block core plug/coolant at 231,300 miles, I will keep an eye on the coolant for a few days to check for leaks.

regards

Dave