New Guy in Northern Nevada...Looking for An FJ80 Lexus to play in the Rocks

[Evil SS 2006]

So I was referred here by some guys from TRG, and wanted to intro myself and see what other people are doing with the 80's to make them rock crawling capable...my rig will see different types of wheeling, but rock capabilities are by far the most important to me!

The preliminaries are as follows:

- '96-'97 Lewus LX450 with factory lockers
- Skid plates, Rock sliders, winch mount rock bumper, rear rock bumper with spare
- Enough lift to ride on 37's, fender trimming is acceptable
- CB, HAM (maybe), GPS
- Heavy duty Burfs, Longfields?
- 30/30 kit with moly axles up front (maybe)
- Part Time Kit (Can anything be done to make a 4:1 Low Range?)

What else am I missing or what do I need to change??? I'm new to the yotas and don't know where to go...

I'm no stranger to fabrication, I have a Trailblazer SS with over 650awhp and have fabbed a major portion of the parts on that project...

 

[Tenzig Norgay]

The fj80 died in 1992. Anything after is a fzj80. And Lewus doesn't make a LX450, its Lexus. I think you'll need a lot more than sliders, skid plates, CB, Ham, or pork. How bout spell check or a 80 to start with.

 

[Evil SS 2006]

The fj80 died in 1992. Anything after is a fzj80. And Lewus doesn't make a LX450, its Lexus. I think you'll need a lot more than sliders, skid plates, CB, Ham, or pork. How bout spell check or a 80 to start with.

Being that this is my very first post with zero previous lurking, I'm not sure how to receive your previous post! What I am going to do is attempt to reply to you in each of the mindsets I believe you could have possibly had while writing the aforementioned post.

1. If you were 100% serious and want to play punctuation, dictation, and spelling Nazi, this reply is for you...

- Umm wow, look guys...very first post I ever make and the one and only "General Douchery" of the Wisconsin Douche Army graces me with his words of wisdom! Sorry pal, I must have forgotten to update my Spell Check App on my iPhone today! My bad, it didn't catch Lexus' misspelling! And as fpr leaving the Z out of FZJ80, how can you sleep at night knowing that such blasphemy occurs? Really? Are you Captain Nitpick?

I'm going to ask you now, please take your elbow and firmly place it on the floor with your forearm and fist facing straight up in the air. Now, take the rest of your body and place it over your fist and sit down, swiftly but firmly! Now that you've just fisted yourself, we can all move on with life!

2. If you were meaning to just harass me and you were having fun with sarcasm, this reply might be for you...

- that's funny! I appreciate good forum humor! It seems you know a lot more than I do regarding the Series 80's and I would like your help in figuring out what I need to do to make my next project "rock ready"!

Thanks for your time!

Steve*

 

[-Spike-]

Please don't let Tenzig be the only guy that replies to this.

Opinions differ, but a 6" lift will get 37's under your rig. Some might suggest that 4" is enough. With that and the armor you mentioned, you'll be fine in the rocks as long as you remember you're still driving a giant station wagon. Also, the factory rear locker is under a lot of strain with the 37's, search this forum for an explanation of the weakness there. 'Twisted spline' might be a good keyword for a search.

GPS and comms are entirely up to you. Check if there's a local club (I'm sure there is, click on the tab at the top of the page that says 'TLCA Forum/Clubhouse to find the Nevada chapter) and outfit yourself so you can talk to them on runs.

'HD' birfs (Longfields and others) are generally meant for low mileage rigs, although if you go with a part-time kit that will solve that dilemma. I can't think of any other advantage to the part-time kit, mileage results posted here showed very little to no improvement.

There aren't many options for the t-case gears, a search will also bring up lots of info on that subject, along with just about anything else you might care to know about your (new to you?) F(z)J-80. There's a great FAQ at the top of this forum as well. Feel free to ask any questions you want- but be prepared to get lots of if you don't try to find the answers on your own first.

EDIT- I see I wasn't fast enough to catch you before you read the preceding post. This is generally a great, helpful bunch, and I see you handled him well anyway.

 

[mot]

Welcome aboard, Steve!

Good luck with your purchase and the build!

 

[JollyGreen]

"General Douchery" of the Wisconsin Douche Army graces me with his words of wisdom!

Bwahaaahaahah!!
I'm pretty sure he was kidding.... people have been know to do that around here.

but seriously, I wouldn't take that from someone named "Norgay"

 

[lt1fire]

Tenzig was only joking we're a little hard on newbies around here

To answer your questions.

The preliminaries are as follows:

- '96-'97 Lewus LX450 with factory lockers (not many LX450's came with lockers but searching and waiting will yeild results)

- Skid plates, Rock sliders, winch mount rock bumper, rear rock bumper with spare (Many different companies make all or part of your list, google SLEE offroad, Iron Pig, 4x4 labs, Hanna quality, Metal Tech, Frankies offroad, bump it offroad

- Enough lift to ride on 37's, fender trimming is acceptable (easily done with Slee 6", but can be done on the slee 4" or Frankies 3.5" with trimming, or go custom)

- CB, HAM (maybe), GPS (easily found and done, look through past rig of the weeks in the FAQ at the top of the 80's board to get some ideas)

- Heavy duty Burfs, Longfields? (Longs are the best up grade to front axle strength, poly performance for the rear)
- 30/30 kit with moly axles up front (maybe)

- Part Time Kit (Can anything be done to make a 4:1 Low Range?) (You will need a part time kit with longs up front as they will only last 10k-12k under normal driving, no one currently makes a 4:1 low, marks some gears but it isn't that low.)

What else am I missing or what do I need to change??? I'm new to the yotas and don't know where to go...
(Now if you want to see the best LX450 build i've seen yet look at Dusty's in the hardcore forum, I think the title is "Help choosing 1 tons for my 80" or something like that.

 

[Evil SS 2006]

I figured he was joking, just thought I'd cover my bases either way! Especially coming from "Norgay"! Then I also noticed he misspelled "custom" in his signature, so I had to err on the side of better judgement! He is either completely retarded or just having fun! It's all good! I'll keep lurking and reading on my own to find out as much as I can so I don't ask questions I can easily find the answers to already out there in threads! Thanks guys, I hope I get something rolling soon! I'm bored with my 650awhp Trailblazer...need more work to do!

 

[wearsabrowncoat]

Evil,

looks like you can handle yourself.

However, as mentioned earlier you will take less flak if you read the FAQ section: https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-...009-added-aux-fan-install-best-mods-$100.html

Also, Slee Off Road does a good job of explaining their products in an infomative manner as well as having a good newbie guide in the tech zone: Sleeoffroad.com - Toyota SUV Off-Road Outfitters

Tenzig was probably just busting your balls becuase it didn't appear you were very familiar with the rigs we love to wheel and mod. On a postive note you do seem to know the types of mods needed for rock work.

Welcome

 

[locrwln1]

Steve,

Welcome to 'Mud and the sickness. I have a '96 with factory lockers, 4.88's, Slee's 4inch lift, 35's, IPOR skid plate, ARB front bumper, Slee's Sliders, Luke's rear bumper and a Ham radio, so I covered most of your criteria. If you want to check it out let me know, so that you have an idea of what it will all look like and where you might be able to answer some of your questions that you are sure to have.

I am out of town this week, but will be around Sunday and Monday, so PM me and if that works for you, let me know.

I can bore you to tears about these rigs and mine in particular...

Plus feel free to stop by the Battle Born Cruiser section in the Clubhouse tab and introduce yourself, great bunch of guys and we cover the spectrum of rockcrawlers and expedition type wheeling.

Jack

 

[Evil SS 2006]

Steve,

Welcome to 'Mud and the sickness. I have a '96 with factory lockers, 4.88's, Slee's 4inch lift, 35's, IPOR skid plate, ARB front bumper, Slee's Sliders, Luke's rear bumper and a Ham radio, so I covered most of your criteria. If you want to check it out let me know, so that you have an idea of what it will all look like and where you might be able to answer some of your questions that you are sure to have.

I am out of town this week, but will be around Sunday and Monday, so PM me and if that works for you, let me know.

I can bore you to tears about these rigs and mine in particular...

Plus feel free to stop by the Battle Born Cruiser section in the Clubhouse tab and introduce yourself, great bunch of guys and we cover the spectrum of rockcrawlers and expedition type wheeling.

Jack

Jack, I'll definitely PM you as I want to get moving soon...I will get into the BBC section and I plan on coming to the next Tueday Meet, but I have to warn you, I'm bringing the Trailblazer, unless I have the LX by then...that's kosher to bring the other rig to the meet, right?

 

[locrwln1]

Jack, I'll definitely PM you as I want to get moving soon...I will get into the BBC section and I plan on coming to the next Tueday Meet, but I have to warn you, I'm bringing the Trailblazer, unless I have the LX by then...that's kosher to bring the other rig to the meet, right?

No problems, we have people bring everything in their stable to the meetings, we aren't that anal about it.

I will send you a PM.

Jack

 

[sandcruiser]

Isn't there someone out there who mated a Marlin box to an h55f? Can the h55f bolt on to the fzj? Assuming part-time kit (which sounds like a good plan for Evil SS 2006).

I'd start by searching for [37 tire] in the 80 section. There are several people running tall tires, you can see their suspension solutions. Also plan for new ring and pinion gears, should reduce the need for extra low transfer.

Enjoy. (and welcome)

 

[lt1fire]

A marlin box (if you can get one) can be made to mate that that tranny, but that tranny won't mate to a 1fz

 

[sandcruiser]

ah.
so there you go.

no fzj--h55f--marlin

ok. carry on.

 

[Tenzig Norgay]

Been a bit busy lately, so I missed all the action. I was totally joking(maybe I had one too many that night)! I loved the response I got too, the elbow on the floor thing, I'm still laughing. And the is like a hello, nice to meet you greeting type thing, so take no offense to that.

So, to stir the pot some more, if I were you, I would stay away from anything after 92. Although this forum will surely be of more use to you if you decide to do elsewise. For a rockcrawling rig, I see no need to smash up the extra body panals, and sexy two tone look. You'll spend weeks, months sitting in front of the computer, here on MUD, learning how to fix leaky head gaskets, the PHH, your 201 or 401 code or whichever one pops up, melted wiring harness, junky EGR, etc, etc, etc. Its been brainwashed into me and I don't even own a FZJ.

I would just get a 92, its got the ever trusty 3FE engine(296k and still running like the day it came off the ship). Mod it out like you plan, then smash it up playing in the rocks. Maybe down the line you can find a smashed up LX, that some mall wife crashed, get it cheap, swap the rear and front ends into your 92, and you have the best of both worlds. You'll be far to busy moding that truck out to have to stop everything and remove your viscous coupler cause its on the fritz.

So welcome aboard, and definitly read the FAQ, over, and over, and over. I constantly refer to it. And Tenzig Norgay was the first to reach the top of mount Everest, he"s a legend like the LC. I would have definitly change my name if it was Norgay. And custum is puposely spelled that way, cause its custum.

Gotta go now, the town is calling all able body men to the vacant lot for drill practice. Too funny!

 

[-Spike-]

I loved the response I got too, the elbow on the floor thing, I'm still laughing.

 

[MiniPigg]

Norgay= Joking? hmmm... I guess... Steve is a new guy to this community and should have been greeted differently rather then kicking him in the balls. You sounded like a total ass from pirate... including with the pirate hi signs. Glad some of the other brethren stepped up to the plate and set things straight.

Steve.... the 80 is a very capable rig as well as being a good base for any cruiser project. You are in the right place. Listen to the elders. You will be led down the right path.


Spike.... LOL! Kittens in the oven.... I would call them an alternative to Cornish game hens.