Buy the shop press and some steel bushing tools!!!! It's the same price as paying for labor but you have a press when your finished. I guarantee you will find all kinds of uses for the press other than replacing all your bushings.
My "new" FZJ80, or, I scratched the 80 itch
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- Thread starter
- #102
The price has gone up, and stock seems to be iffy, but I will pony up for the press. There was an interesting youtube video of a person building one... must. resist.
FMC80
SILVER Star
Good decision Mike...have you decided what direction you're going with the paint of your 80?
- Thread starter
- #104
Let's see; So the expensive upgrade was seats. Finally getting to plant my butt in a Scheel-Mann pushed me over the edge. toby was awesome to work with. I paid my invoice on a Wednesday morning and had the seats at my back door on the Saturday of the same week. My next task is to figure out a seat cover of some type to protect the investment.
I had a slightly abnormal job site location last week, which meant I was closer to a harbor freight that had the shop presses in hand, so shop press acquired.
I just need that NLXTCY dude to get cranking on the bushing press tools. I know there are work arounds, but none of my bushings are actively disintegrating.
As for paint, I just ran through a decent amount of paint budget on seats, so I will likely rock the peeling clear coat for a while yet
I had a slightly abnormal job site location last week, which meant I was closer to a harbor freight that had the shop presses in hand, so shop press acquired.
I just need that NLXTCY dude to get cranking on the bushing press tools. I know there are work arounds, but none of my bushings are actively disintegrating.
As for paint, I just ran through a decent amount of paint budget on seats, so I will likely rock the peeling clear coat for a while yet
FMC80
SILVER Star
Which Scheel-Manns did you go with? Options?
- Thread starter
- #106
I got to sit in @Feldrian driver's seat for a bit. He has the vario Xl I think. He is also taller than me. I had a good email exchange with Toby down in Portland, and I ended up with some in stock gray Vario R seats. they have seat heat already, and the bungie mesh seat back pockets. My only "add-on" was an arm rest for the driver's side.
I will likely not hook up the seat heat. Even growing up in ND, I never thought "geez my ass is cold" while driving to school or work or whatever on the really cold days. My brother-in-law has seat heat in his F350, and if it's on when I get in, I usually turn it off within seconds.
You can literally get almost anything you want from Scheel-Mann custom order style, but the custom order adds I think $250 per seat, and whatever the current lead time is. The full custom ones come from Germany. In my case for instance deleting seat heat, or ordering seats without would have cost me more and taken longer. (seat heat is I think $170 per seat). I hope I'm remembering the minutia correctly. At any rate if anyone is thinking about getting 1 or a pair, Toby with Scheel-Mann USA is awesome to work with. I had an email response from him within a couple of hours, then a follow on phone call the next morning.
I will likely not hook up the seat heat. Even growing up in ND, I never thought "geez my ass is cold" while driving to school or work or whatever on the really cold days. My brother-in-law has seat heat in his F350, and if it's on when I get in, I usually turn it off within seconds.
You can literally get almost anything you want from Scheel-Mann custom order style, but the custom order adds I think $250 per seat, and whatever the current lead time is. The full custom ones come from Germany. In my case for instance deleting seat heat, or ordering seats without would have cost me more and taken longer. (seat heat is I think $170 per seat). I hope I'm remembering the minutia correctly. At any rate if anyone is thinking about getting 1 or a pair, Toby with Scheel-Mann USA is awesome to work with. I had an email response from him within a couple of hours, then a follow on phone call the next morning.
Agreed on the heat - I hooked mine up, but only because my wife will use it. Given what a pain in the butt it was to source vertical switches and wire everything I probably wouldn't have bothered if I knew how much of a pain it would be going in.
Fj80oregon
GOLD Star
How did you guys mount your seat belt. I can’t remember what I used,a super strong bolt but I didn’t plan it out and my buckle doesn’t swivel like a stockone would?
I seem to remember I managed to use a factory bushing on mine - Just bought a longer bolt to go through the Planted bracket mounting ear.
- Thread starter
- #110
Mine is a much cobbled together solution. Random grade 8 bolt I already had with some stupid combo of washers. female end doesn't swivel very well. It's on my "list."
If you've looked at your oem bolt, there's a smooth shank portion. I could have sworn the first washer (or last I guess?) isn't removable from the oem bolt.
If you've looked at your oem bolt, there's a smooth shank portion. I could have sworn the first washer (or last I guess?) isn't removable from the oem bolt.
Just checked - I used the OEM bolt and added a new nut. No issues and the buckle swivels just fine.
- Thread starter
- #112
Non picture update:
I suffer from paralysis by analysis quite a bit. My wife and I don't have kids, which makes it really easy for us to slip into a "non-schedule" schedule. over the year of suck (2020), and this past year, I hoarded parts, but only did very minor things to the cruiser. I would wake on a Saturday full of the desire to get cracking on cruiser and/or house projects, look at the state of disarray regarding my tools, materials, workspace and end up wasting the weekend with fruitless organization and vague plans for what to do with all of my "s***."
When is a good time to rehab and refresh the rear quarter windows you ask? Probably not during the fall/winter in Seattle.
The other "big" item I've been stockpiling and procrastinating all relates to highway speed steering feel.
Enter the solid dudes at @torfab
I picked my truck up today and the list was a pretty good one
new upgraded steering box, new Rein high pressure hose, new (OEM shenanigans low pressure hoses), new relay rod ends (the half of the 555 kit I didn't install), new panhard bushings, new radius arm bushings, all new hardware for everything, new OEM radiator and a flush/fill with the red stuff, new front main seal, a couple of other seals and o-rings, full refresh of the rear quarter windows, drain and fill diffs (I did this recently, but my new fluid stirred up some crap so we did it again), Trans drain and fill, oil change, something else?
Anyway, there are quite a few items that I had intended on tackling myself, but I didn't and now here we are.
I had purchased a shop press, and ordered some of the Wit's End bushing tools, but I still have zero info regarding the bushing tools and will likely return the shop press.
I'm hoping the quarter window work will solve some of the swampy-ness in my rig. If it stays dry tomorrow, I'm going to check sunroof drains and clean the poor thing, it's pretty grungy and my cowl vents are all full of various plant matter.
I also need to get to an alignment rack and get my current numbers. The truck felt a lot better today but there was still some willingness to hop up out of the wheel ruts. I will also check tire pressures since I didn't do that today.
I think I will ultimately build some type of drawers or storage for the rear. There are a few odds and ends I would like to just keep in the truck but if any shiftless richard cranium looks in the windows I would like it to appear empty.
I think that's all the news that's fit to print.
I suffer from paralysis by analysis quite a bit. My wife and I don't have kids, which makes it really easy for us to slip into a "non-schedule" schedule. over the year of suck (2020), and this past year, I hoarded parts, but only did very minor things to the cruiser. I would wake on a Saturday full of the desire to get cracking on cruiser and/or house projects, look at the state of disarray regarding my tools, materials, workspace and end up wasting the weekend with fruitless organization and vague plans for what to do with all of my "s***."
When is a good time to rehab and refresh the rear quarter windows you ask? Probably not during the fall/winter in Seattle.
The other "big" item I've been stockpiling and procrastinating all relates to highway speed steering feel.
Enter the solid dudes at @torfab
I picked my truck up today and the list was a pretty good one
new upgraded steering box, new Rein high pressure hose, new (OEM shenanigans low pressure hoses), new relay rod ends (the half of the 555 kit I didn't install), new panhard bushings, new radius arm bushings, all new hardware for everything, new OEM radiator and a flush/fill with the red stuff, new front main seal, a couple of other seals and o-rings, full refresh of the rear quarter windows, drain and fill diffs (I did this recently, but my new fluid stirred up some crap so we did it again), Trans drain and fill, oil change, something else?
Anyway, there are quite a few items that I had intended on tackling myself, but I didn't and now here we are.
I had purchased a shop press, and ordered some of the Wit's End bushing tools, but I still have zero info regarding the bushing tools and will likely return the shop press.
I'm hoping the quarter window work will solve some of the swampy-ness in my rig. If it stays dry tomorrow, I'm going to check sunroof drains and clean the poor thing, it's pretty grungy and my cowl vents are all full of various plant matter.
I also need to get to an alignment rack and get my current numbers. The truck felt a lot better today but there was still some willingness to hop up out of the wheel ruts. I will also check tire pressures since I didn't do that today.
I think I will ultimately build some type of drawers or storage for the rear. There are a few odds and ends I would like to just keep in the truck but if any shiftless richard cranium looks in the windows I would like it to appear empty.
I think that's all the news that's fit to print.
I'm amazed how much difference tire pressure made to the highway feel on mine. I'm assuming i probably needed the dvs 5" panhard correction in the back, not the 3" which might have given me a more planted feel, but after messing with everything and a few thousand miles testing, dropping the tire pressure a little yielded a pretty good ride.
Interestingly, the truck also drivers a lot better with warm tires than cold. Only ever had that with bias ply in the past.
Interestingly, the truck also drivers a lot better with warm tires than cold. Only ever had that with bias ply in the past.
- Thread starter
- #114
My tires were only different by 4 psi from lowest to highest pressure, they all match now.
Might be though to make a difference. The difference between 25 and 28 psi all around changes my ride significantly.
- Thread starter
- #116
It still wants to climb out of the wheel ruts on our beautiful highways, but at least I can make a correction now without ending up in the other lane.
Not sure how much you can do to stop that. Our highways are just that crappy.
I used to have to fight to keep my AMG in a lane on the highway when i had it. 18" wide tires on a light(ish) car was a handful with our ruts.
I used to have to fight to keep my AMG in a lane on the highway when i had it. 18" wide tires on a light(ish) car was a handful with our ruts.
FMC80
SILVER Star
Y’all need to STFU and come out to Hawaii and drive on these roads. If I get back to my house with my axels still under my ride I say to myself, “today was a good day” 
Mike, maybe your tires a cupped or ****ed or both.
Mike, maybe your tires a cupped or ****ed or both.
- Thread starter
- #119
I can only say that the roads on Maui seemed ok in comparison to Washington. That's my only Hawaii driving experience so far.
Did you go and drive around the South point? That's a gnarly piece of pavement.
