New guy possibly interested in an 80 series - EDIT: I pulled the trigger.

[Atomic City]

Hi everyone -

Just doing a bit of research here. I am looking to buy an older vehicle to turn into a camping/expo rig. A big factor in whatever vehicle I buy is that I have to be able to sleep inside of it. That is where the hard part is - I am 6'8" tall. Previously, I had already pretty much decided on buying some type of truck with an 8' bed because of my stature. I still may go down that route, but I have also been thinking about a Land Cruiser. I have had pretty good luck with Toyotas over the years (2 4Runners and a Tundra). I used to be able to sort of sleep in my 2005 4Runner if I folded the seats down and crammed the passenger seat forward. It wasn't the most comfortable, but I could make it work. The Land Cruisers look a bit bigger, and the from what I understand, the 80 series were the last with solid axles, so here I am.

I have looked a bit on the forum and found one sleep setup that was 78" long (it was a split setup built by @mingles ) in this thread: Might buy one...can I sleep in it?

I couldn't quite tell from the pictures, but do you think that I could get a 80" sleeping pad to fit on a platform if I pushed the passenger seat forward more, or leaned it forward? Or, can someone tell me what the distance between the front seat, pushed all of the way forward to the inside of the closed rear door?

Thanks in advance,

Devin

 

[bhsdriller]

I think I went all the way to the center console and it just fits my exped megamat duo which is 77". The seats should go forward more.

It might be a little longer but I can check when I get home. I'd think 80" is doable

 

[EvanD]

It may be doable but doesn't seem like a great long term solution just from the annoyance of having to move everything around all the time.

You planning on solo travel or with a passenger?

I'm 6' 1" and have slept pretty comfortably in the back with a bit of seat adjustment. Now I have a roof top tent though and far prefer that. I'm sure someone makes on big enough for you.

The 80s are amazing money pits (er, I mean vehicles) so it's hard to wrong if you sort that one out.

 

[EvanD]

If you do go the inside route make sure you get manual seats or a vehicle that's had the seat gears replaced (or be prepared to do it). They tend to strip out and you can't move the seats forward or back when they do.

 

[Atomic City]

It may be doable but doesn't seem like a great long term solution just from the annoyance of having to move everything around all the time.

You planning on solo travel or with a passenger?

I'm 6' 1" and have slept pretty comfortably in the back with a bit of seat adjustment. Now I have a roof top tent though and far prefer that. I'm sure someone makes on big enough for you.

The 80s are amazing money pits (er, I mean vehicles) so it's hard to wrong if you sort that one out.

Understood about the annoyance factor. But that is the main reason I don't want to deal with a RTT. I don't like to have to unfold and set stuff up - plus when the RTT is set up, I can't move the rig unless I put it down.

If I could get it to where I could just move the passenger seat forward and lean it down, flip over a bed rack and be done, I think I could deal with that hassle.

I also hear you about the money pits - I have built a '69 Bronco trail rig from the ground up - that got pricey in a hurry.

I will have a passenger, sometimes two with me. But primarily will be alone. When I have passengers - they will sleep outside.

 

[greentruck]

It's 82" from the inside of the tailgate to the full upright, passenger seat all the way forward position.

More coming, but will edit it in as this measurement is crucial. You have just a little wiggle room.

Here's the link to our camper conversion:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/camper-conversion-drawer-system.412084/

I'm 6'2", so I need a little extra room myself. This is gained by the front flap that is longer behind the passenger seat. With the passenger seat all the way forward, on that side the gap is 7" from the end of the flap to the back of the seat. Something could fill that space pretty easily to give the support needed under your sleeping pad. We use Thermarest pads as they are thin but keep you from bottoming out.

We also tend to camp with a tailgate tent over the back.

The fridge slides out into that space, for one. If it was bear country, it's possible to sleep one inside comfortably, although my wife is short, she probably would still feel cramped on that side if she has to put up with the fridge all the way in on its slider. For a party of one, you can do it.
HTH

 

[EvanD]

I suppose it depends what sort of trips you're planning to do.

To me the RTT is far easier to deal with then having to unpack/secure the items to make a bed inside. I tend to carry a lot of stuff between camping gear, recovery gear, and a big ass cooler. Most of it had to come out to sleep inside. RTT goes up quickly. Bit of a pain in bad weather though.

An yea, having to put it down to move the vehicle is occasionally a pain but I don't do many trips where we aren't moving every day anyway.

 

[Atomic City]

It's 82" from the inside of the tailgate to the full upright, passenger seat all the way forward position.

More coming, but will edit it in as this measurement is crucial. You have just a little wiggle room.

Awesome! Thanks for the information!

 

[MoJ]

The Exped megamat is listed at 78” long and just fits with the pass seat all the way forward. 80” is standard queen/king length. You’ll likely be able to get an 80” all-foam or air matt to squeeze in there as it’ll compress as the tailgate is shut. Also note many matts measure differently from the advertised specs.

 

[Atomic City]

I suppose it depends what sort of trips you're planning to do.

To me the RTT is far easier to deal with then having to unpack/secure the items to make a bed inside. I tend to carry a lot of stuff between camping gear, recovery gear, and a big ass cooler. Most of it had to come out to sleep inside. RTT goes up quickly. Bit of a pain in bad weather though.

An yea, having to put it down to move the vehicle is occasionally a pain but I don't do many trips where we aren't moving every day anyway.

Most of what I will be using it for is getting myself to trailheads for hiking/biking/climbing. Drive to the trailhead, crash in the truck, and then head out for adventure in the morning.

 

[EvanD]

Eh, if that's the main plan inside may work better for sure. I'd def look into making or finding some magnetic window screens. Before my rtt I def spend a couple nights having to decide between getting eaten alive by bugs, sweating all night, or running the AC all night. Your mileage may vary based in climate wherever you are.

 

[ZackR]

I don't like to have to unfold and set stuff up - plus when the RTT is set up, I can't move the rig unless I put it down.

My hard shell RTT is easy to setup and take down, plus you can move the vehicle with it up (slowly around camp). At your height you would have to sleep diagonally since its a queen size mattress.

 

[BILT4ME]

Another thing you could do to adapt is to change out the front seats.

A local friend changed his seats to those from about a 2001 PT Cruiser (Platinum) and they will fold flat on top of itself, so it would make an additional flat area in the front that the platform could be extended, even if only for the passenger side of the truck.

I will link the friend's post about his seats here in a bit.

PT Cruiser Seats in your 80 Series video

Hello Everyone.. My son and I made a detailed video on how to install seats from a PT Cruiser into your Land Cruiser.. One of the best mods I have made so far.. If you have been thinking about doing something like this I highly recommend doing it. The PT Cruiser seats are a pretty easy fit and...

forum.ih8mud.com

@ariff can you post a pic of your passenger front seat folded down like you showed me as well as the second row folded flat for reference? Maybe a pic from the rear of the truck looking forward?

 

[Atomic City]

So I called a friend who owns a 1996 Land Cruiser to see if I could check it out and look at dimensions and such. He has done some work to his - it is a pretty nice looking rig. He is a big guy himself (about 6'5"), and one of the things he did when his power seats went out was to swap his electric seats with an older model that has the old-school mechanical sliders. He said that gave him about an inch of extra headroom. That is good, because I was a bit worried about the sunroof - those usually don't do well for me. But, I fit in it ok.

Now to the good part - I took a measurement with his setup and it looks like I can fit about 83" of sleeping space with a platform - so that is awesome, I could lay out flat!

He mentioned a couple of other things that I wanted to ping off of you guys. He told me that I should go take a look at a 100 series, because he felt that they were a bit roomier, and had the V8. I am not sure I want to go that route, because I really like the solid axles for an offroad rig. However, are the 100s roomier in general? Especially up in the drivers seat? That was one thing I didn't necessarily like about his - while I fit in the front seat, I could have used a bit more legroom. I can remedy that by relocating the seats (I have done that on a couple of my older rigs), but was just curious as to what the community has to say.

The other thing he had to say is that he is going to sell his and he would make me a deal if I decide to.

Thanks!

 

[greentruck]

SNIP

The other thing he had to say is that he is going to sell his and he would make me a deal if I decide to.

If a rig is a known quality to you and the price is reasonable, then I'd seriously think about that.

I've never sat in a 100 series. It wouldn't surprise me if they were just a bit less tight than you'll be in the 80 series. With your height, I'd certainly check it out before finalizing a decision. At 6' 2", I've been miserable enough in trucks I otherwise liked a lot to feel your pain.

That said, most of us here are. in 80s for reasons a lot like yours...
"I really like the solid axles for an offroad rig."

If you're going to do any suspension mods, they're just easier in general on a 80 series. While some electronics are involved, the 80 is simple vs a 100. Not sure about numbers, but I suspect Toyota sold more 80s than 100s in the US, so more opportunities at the pick-a-part yard and probably more aftermarket parts options, too.

 

[jpoole]

Both 80s and 100s are great. Overall space / size isn't that much different between them in my opinion but there are small differences that may be really relevant for your uses. The 100 series is an impressively smooth/comfortable rig and the LX flavor is particularly refined in my opinion and really tempting as an 80 alternative. That being said, my 4wd background is primarily old jeeps and 1st series bronco's so I love the feel of the 80 and find it to be very refined, large and capable in comparison to what I've got the most experience with. It seems like with your Bronco experience that you may also appreciate the similarities that the 80 displays.

Another factor in terms of leg room are seat extensions:

80 Series Seat Extension Bracket Kit

LANDTANK 80 Series Seat Extension Bracket Kit (SBK-1)

absolute-wits-end.com

 

[chap79]

One of the nice things about these trucks is the tailgate. We use the DAK Explorer 2 SUV tent to enclose the back. More than enough room for the wife and I plus two dogs.

Amazon product ASIN B0001WTY0E

 

[EvanD]

I've only ever driven a 100 series a handful of times and never with any real wheeling so take this with a grain of salt.

It depends on your purpose but a 100 is way more soccer-mom compared to an 80. Sure, it'll get you a few places (and in a more comfortable fashion) but personally I'd never own one.

My cruiser is for wheeling and camping in the most remote places I can. For me the 80 is the perfect platform for that. New enough to be pretty darn comfortable and old enough to not deal with IFS.

If it's just a dirt road cruiser or daily driver, 100 may be a better option.

 

[Bludozer]

One of the nice things about these trucks is the tailgate. We use the DAK Explorer 2 SUV tent to enclose the back. More than enough room for the wife and I plus two dogs.

Amazon product ASIN B0001WTY0E
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Ran with this exact tent and set up a while back. It's a great solution for one person imo, but with two on longer trips, there's no getting around having to pull everything out just to be able to crash for the night...then having to pile it all back in in the am. Biggest reason I'm going the RTT route this time.

 

[chap79]

Ran with this exact tent and set up a while back. It's a great solution for one person imo, but with two on longer trips, there's no getting around having to pull everything out just to be able to crash for the night...then having to pile it all back in in the am. Biggest reason I'm going the RTT route this time.

True. We streamlined our camping stuff because of this. 3 small totes (kitchen, food, and miscellaneous), stove, frig, 10 gallons water, chairs , sleeping bags, sleeping mats (backpacking type), table, recovery gear.

Eventually I’ll finish building my teardrop trailer...