My "new" FZJ80, or, I scratched the 80 itch

[MrMikeyG]

Last time there, we had a Hyundai Sonata, trip before that was a Sebring convertible. I'm all about "voiding my rental warranty," but my wife gets pretty carsick, so there are a couple of blank spots on the map for us still. We've been some way past Hana, but never Wailea to Hana. Other blank spot would be Io needle to Nakalele blow hole.
I'm also 0-3 on Haleakala attempts. The summit has been socked in every time I've tried.

 

[MrMikeyG]

I finally have a title to my Land Cruiser. I'm all legal and stuff now. Wheeee!

 

[MrMikeyG]

Let's see, I picked my truck up from @torfab in late January. I then proceeded to basically ignore it all of February. Wait, I drove it once. I've driven it 3 times in March already, so I'm doing better. I've been researching exhaust options again and I'm not happy about anything I'm seeing. I may end up with the typical magnaflow y pipe and the Borla cat back kit. I'm definitely not married to any of it.
I've got trail tailor soft shackle style recovery points to install that have been lurking since their December sale.
I'm still getting water in my rear quarter jack storage area. rear quarter windows had the full oem refresh minus the louvers so I am now ordering those. I thought I had a rare chance to go on a mid-week wheeling trip with a couple of fj cruiser weirdos, but my boss is out of town that day so I lose.

 

[White Sheep]

Let's see, I picked my truck up from @torfab in late January. I then proceeded to basically ignore it all of February. Wait, I drove it once. I've driven it 3 times in March already, so I'm doing better. I've been researching exhaust options again and I'm not happy about anything I'm seeing. I may end up with the typical magnaflow y pipe and the Borla cat back kit. I'm definitely not married to any of it.
I've got trail tailor soft shackle style recovery points to install that have been lurking since their December sale.
I'm still getting water in my rear quarter jack storage area. rear quarter windows had the full oem refresh minus the louvers so I am now ordering those. I thought I had a rare chance to go on a mid-week wheeling trip with a couple of fj cruiser weirdos, but my boss is out of town that day so I lose.

Still making progress

 

[MrMikeyG]

Turned 48 on Tuesday, begged for a random day off. Finally installed the armrest on the driver's seat. Trimmed my passenger front mud flap to fit with the sliders. Cleaned the toilet, unloaded the dishwasher and hit the road for some light solo wheeling.
I got hung up on a stump trying to bypass a gate (I was not the first one to do this, it's a well establish but likely unapproved obstacle). A spotter would have allowed me to avoid the thing from the get-go, but it gave me a quick problem-solving session. I can see how the lift/bigger tires/etc upgrades happen. These things are pretty damned capable even in my very modest stage of build. I caught myself wishing for more ground clearance though.
I will dive back into the belly armor threads. I was being gentle since I was out solo, but I came down hard a couple of times. What are peoples' thoughts regarding the center belly armor that replaces the cross member? I think the @TRAIL TAILOR creeper skid does that correct? I know there are more.
I also think I will delete my silver "shopping cart strip," it bugs me.

 

[FMC80]

Turned 48 on Tuesday, begged for a random day off. Finally installed the armrest on the driver's seat. Trimmed my passenger front mud flap to fit with the sliders. Cleaned the toilet, unloaded the dishwasher and hit the road for some light solo wheeling.
I got hung up on a stump trying to bypass a gate (I was not the first one to do this, it's a well establish but likely unapproved obstacle). A spotter would have allowed me to avoid the thing from the get-go, but it gave me a quick problem-solving session. I can see how the lift/bigger tires/etc upgrades happen. These things are pretty damned capable even in my very modest stage of build. I caught myself wishing for more ground clearance though.
I will dive back into the belly armor threads. I was being gentle since I was out solo, but I came down hard a couple of times. What are peoples' thoughts regarding the center belly armor that replaces the cross member? I think the @TRAIL TAILOR creeper skid does that correct? I know there are more.
I also think I will delete my silver "shopping cart strip," it bugs me.

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Mike! I want to plant my ass in one or both of your seats. I am more and more leaning toward a full replacement vs a seat cushion.

Also, I know there are other offerings for belly skids that I would personally look into. I think TT stuff is good but his customer service or lack thereof leaves more to be desired. I know he caters to the 200 crowds and is very busy with engine swaps and whatnot but he wouldn't even return multiple emails from me. YMMV of course.
Have you seen these from WKOR? Toyota 80 Series Land Cruiser / Lexus LX450 Skid Plate - White Knuckle Off Road Products - https://white-knuckleoffroad.com/product/toyota-80-series-land-cruiser-lexus-lx450-skid-plate/
or these from HuddExpo? 80 Series GIS Skid - DIY Kit - https://huddexpo.com/80-series-gis-skid-diy-kit/


I'll probably go with the WKOR kit if I decide to need something in the future. I like the price and if their sliders are any indication, I think the skids will be just as good of quality.

Time for a lift! What direction are ya thinking of going?

 

[Feldrian]

Turned 48 on Tuesday, begged for a random day off. Finally installed the armrest on the driver's seat. Trimmed my passenger front mud flap to fit with the sliders. Cleaned the toilet, unloaded the dishwasher and hit the road for some light solo wheeling.
I got hung up on a stump trying to bypass a gate (I was not the first one to do this, it's a well establish but likely unapproved obstacle). A spotter would have allowed me to avoid the thing from the get-go, but it gave me a quick problem-solving session. I can see how the lift/bigger tires/etc upgrades happen. These things are pretty damned capable even in my very modest stage of build. I caught myself wishing for more ground clearance though.
I will dive back into the belly armor threads. I was being gentle since I was out solo, but I came down hard a couple of times. What are peoples' thoughts regarding the center belly armor that replaces the cross member? I think the @TRAIL TAILOR creeper skid does that correct? I know there are more.
I also think I will delete my silver "shopping cart strip," it bugs me.

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pffpt. What, no invite?

 

[MrMikeyG]

@Feldrian Sorry. It was pretty last minute. Plus since I headed south, I figured you northerners might be less inclined. It was not a well planned or provisioned expedition. I didn’t hit I5 until right around 1 pm.
I need to kick my cell# around to a few of you locals. Trying to keep track of mud or faceplace, or Gmail for potential wheeling just leads to me missing trips, or not announcing mine.
Pell, thank you. I couldn’t remember who it was that had the diy skid kit.
Lift? Hmm, we’re spending my money now are we? Those Ironman kits are always on sale. Does anyone have anything in stock these days? Shocks and springs were sounding like 12+ weeks out for a while. I need to actually drive it as-is some more. I could fall into the Delta arms,etc pit pretty quickly.

 

[baldilocks]

@Feldrian Sorry. It was pretty last minute. Plus since I headed south, I figured you northerners might be less inclined. It was not a well planned or provisioned expedition. I didn’t hit I5 until right around 1 pm.
I need to kick my cell# around to a few of you locals. Trying to keep track of mud or faceplace, or Gmail for potential wheeling just leads to me missing trips, or not announcing mine.
Pell, thank you. I couldn’t remember who it was that had the diy skid kit.
Lift? Hmm, we’re spending my money now are we? Those Ironman kits are always on sale. Does anyone have anything in stock these days? Shocks and springs were sounding like 12+ weeks out for a while. I need to actually drive it as-is some more. I could fall into the Delta arms,etc pit pretty quickly.

And when I see a rig like yours I have very happy memories and want a stockish 80 again. Yours drives like a sports car comparatively.

 

[MrMikeyG]

@baldilocks I may have a line on a white fj80 up here with no engine. I can try and get more details next week. Definitely 91-93, definitely white,

 

[baldilocks]

@baldilocks I may have a line on a white fj80 up here with no engine. I can try and get more details next week. Definitely 91-93, definitely white,

Good deal.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Well, I had to put in a few hours of labor on Labor Day. I got home and decided to install some stuff I'd had sitting around for a while.
1. refreshed and "pretty " valve cover with new gasket and tube seals
2. 2nd battery tray and Slee washer bottle relocation
I again failed to consult the collective wisdom of the 80 series thread. I forgot that the Throttle body had to come off and was worried I didn't have a new gasket. I also didn't give a passing thought to the "little" coolant hoses or the vacuum tubes.
It turns out I did have a throttle body gasket. Thanks @NLXTACY
I got everything torn apart just fine, installed the new spark tube seals and cover gasket, hand set the 13 bolts and then proceeded to torque them. This is where the collective wisdom comes in. My ft-lb torque wrench minimum is 18. Somehow, I only broke one bolt out of the three I torqued.
I paid the inflated dealership prices since I could get all the little hoses next day from Portland warehouse. Guess what is on national back order though? Yup, 90105-06221. Fudge!
The lesson here for the newbies is to look through the threads, as it's all been encountered before. "Proper" torque for the cover bolts is like 7-8 Inch pounds or something silly. In other terms, hand tight plus a quarter turn.

I'm not sure I will run a dual battery, but I have all of the prep parts and it seems like a good spot for some extra fluids or maybe a 12v compressor.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Ok.
I’ve got some odd things going on with alignment. @landtank has been generously communicating with me because I asked about caster plates.
Here is some pertinent info:
Firestone did zero wrenching, they simply gave me a “where it sits now” sheet.
The next place actually performed the alignment. What worries me is the difference in the “before” numbers from shop #2 compared to what Firestone says.
I’m only on about 1” of actual lift. I thought it was pretty rare for 2” and less to cause caster issues. I guess I need a 3rd alignment place to get involved?
The rig handles fine in town, and only “hunts” a bit due to highway wheel ruts.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Here’s a quick update to the valve cover saga.
I’m a nitwit for not asking, so I paid $9.01 each for (6) of 96135-51300. Fool me once I guess?
But I also found these at an Oreillys.
I didn’t check if the head is 10mm, but I only need to replace 1 Oem bolt, so I’m going with it.
I asked the parts guy at Toyota Kirkland if he could come close to McGeorge pricing, and he laughed at me.
He said the Mcgeorge price for the rear quarter louvers was like a nickel over his cost. So yeah, unless I need stuff yesterday, I will keep paying for stuff to get shipped cross-country.

 

[baldilocks]

The difference in castor numbers from one shop to the other isn’t really all that dramatic when we consider that Toyota spec’s a full 2 degree acceptable range. There is far less than one degree difference shown on those printouts. IIRC, the general rule is 1.7* per inch of lift on an 80.

 

[landtank]

When You texted me the numbers I thought you were referring to before and after the lift, not before and after an alignment.

Yes that little difference is normal.

With the amount of correction that your truck needs I would expect the truck to have 2” of lift. My 2.5” plates would work well and yield just under 4* of caster.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Thank you guys.

 

[MrMikeyG]

There’s a little hooked arm on one spring at throttle body.
I’m worried I didn’t get the 3 cables installed properly, or that I forced the hook into the wrong poition.
Truck started and idled fine, and shifted fine in driveway.
I have the piece in question circled in the crappy picture, and pointing to where It seemed to belong.

 

[baldilocks]

Looks like the spot for that spring. I’d say your kick down cable needs to have the slack adjusted out of it.

 

[MrMikeyG]

Yeah, they were fine before I got my fat fingers in there. @baldilocks Are you healed from whatever was ailing you?