Newby to the 80: excited and terrified! 😬
- Thread starter magavilla
- Start date
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Wow. You are doing a great job at bringing new life into a great rig. You’ve done more than gotten your hands dirty! That seems like many hours of love you’ve given her. Look forward to more progress.
Good work ! Keep it up, these rigs love proactive owners!
If you have not allready, check rear side windows for leaks that fill quarter panels with water , leading to this rust. Clear weep holes at pinch welds along bottom so they drain properly.
If you have not allready, check rear side windows for leaks that fill quarter panels with water , leading to this rust. Clear weep holes at pinch welds along bottom so they drain properly.
Couple of thoughts now that I’m a year in to my resto.
1. If you are married, never say “I’m almost done….” (This can be spending money, working on it for the day, reading about it at night, etc)
2. There will come a day when you get the “will you work on it every weekend” talk.
3. Fixing the geometry after the lift made the most significant change in usability for me.
4. I didn’t have rust. You are already fixing that.
5. Watch TY and read read read this forum. I initially paid $ to shop to do a lot of stuff I could easily do today. (Knuckle rebuild, sway bar bushings, etc) out of fear of the unknown. Eventually I leaned it to it and got more comfortable, but also got more tools. Watching someone (ottram, Timmy, etc) do it multiple times and see the tools they used makes it fairly easy.
6. Uses OEM parts! Learn how to uses the Partssouq site to locate the PN then go to work googling. This is my favorite night porn now! My wife is like “are you looking at parts again”.
7. Clean every thing you can touch. Makes working on it easier. Even if you take the battery tray out; clean it, wire wheels rusty bolts and either replace or hit with paint. Over time I’ve replaced almost every thing within arm’s reach of the engine bay.
8. Trim Serum. Amazon has this. It’s magic in restoring plastic interior parts and the black trim exterior. For example, in your pics the black trim around your side markers and tail lights are gray. A dab of Trim Serum an thats all back and new. Tiny but satisfying details. (And I hand wash my rig every Friday ( and wipe down almost every night) and it stays black. My oak console, door handles etc look brand new. I hit with a small amount of Chemical Guys VRP once a week for UV protection and they look factory new. They looked like poo when I got it.
9. Order an assortment of bolts and plastic trim tabs. Google “Toyota bolt kit or Toyota trim clips” Replace as many bolts as possible (especially if you are super rusty) and replace the little plastic clips that hold your trim pieces. This makes putting the car back together so much tighter. My door cards have been taken off countless times and I replace the Lime green tabs almost every time. I have door cards that are loose or open on the bottom and rattle when you close the door.
10. Enjoy it. All of it. Even if it’s just washing it ot changing the oil (which I don’t do to any of the others cars we own. They all go to the dealership for that).
1. If you are married, never say “I’m almost done….” (This can be spending money, working on it for the day, reading about it at night, etc)
2. There will come a day when you get the “will you work on it every weekend” talk.
3. Fixing the geometry after the lift made the most significant change in usability for me.
4. I didn’t have rust. You are already fixing that.
5. Watch TY and read read read this forum. I initially paid $ to shop to do a lot of stuff I could easily do today. (Knuckle rebuild, sway bar bushings, etc) out of fear of the unknown. Eventually I leaned it to it and got more comfortable, but also got more tools. Watching someone (ottram, Timmy, etc) do it multiple times and see the tools they used makes it fairly easy.
6. Uses OEM parts! Learn how to uses the Partssouq site to locate the PN then go to work googling. This is my favorite night porn now! My wife is like “are you looking at parts again”.
7. Clean every thing you can touch. Makes working on it easier. Even if you take the battery tray out; clean it, wire wheels rusty bolts and either replace or hit with paint. Over time I’ve replaced almost every thing within arm’s reach of the engine bay.
8. Trim Serum. Amazon has this. It’s magic in restoring plastic interior parts and the black trim exterior. For example, in your pics the black trim around your side markers and tail lights are gray. A dab of Trim Serum an thats all back and new. Tiny but satisfying details. (And I hand wash my rig every Friday ( and wipe down almost every night) and it stays black. My oak console, door handles etc look brand new. I hit with a small amount of Chemical Guys VRP once a week for UV protection and they look factory new. They looked like poo when I got it.
9. Order an assortment of bolts and plastic trim tabs. Google “Toyota bolt kit or Toyota trim clips” Replace as many bolts as possible (especially if you are super rusty) and replace the little plastic clips that hold your trim pieces. This makes putting the car back together so much tighter. My door cards have been taken off countless times and I replace the Lime green tabs almost every time. I have door cards that are loose or open on the bottom and rattle when you close the door.
10. Enjoy it. All of it. Even if it’s just washing it ot changing the oil (which I don’t do to any of the others cars we own. They all go to the dealership for that).
Great work!!
Thanks for saving her. She found the right home.
Thanks for saving her. She found the right home.
- Thread starter
- #30
Yeaman! Lotta early mornings and late nights - but I’m learning so much tho.
- Thread starter
- #31
I was seeing this as a common issue when I was planning the attack. I’ll go over the list again - should I remove the window completely along with the trim to verify?
- Thread starter
- #32
Wow, I see my future but I’m not mad… the FJZ80 bug is real huh?! I’ll see these words you wrote like a scripture.
No, don’t remove anything until you know exactly what you’re trying to fix and if you can get the parts. I had my awesome wife @Mesa Woman, or I should say she had me pour water on the outside of the rig, all along the drip rail and the tops of the windows and she was inside feeling inside the quarter panel for drips. We went the cheap easy route and used some leftover black windshield sealer and sealed up the holes under little chrome strip at the bottom of the sliding window and around the edge of the one way vents at the rear of the window that were leaking bad from the rubber getting brittle. When we got our 80 a few years ago, I heard water sloshing in the door panels and promptly removed all drain plugs and cleared weep holes and several quarts of water drained out luckily we caught it in time and there’s only minor rust in one rear quarter panel. Here’s our 94’ FZJ80 “Big Betty”
The windshield also leaked from around rubber seal, you could sit in your rig when it’s raining to check for drips with all panels removed.
Keep up the good work!
Could you provide any detail or advice on how you formed these panels? They look great! I need to make a similar repair on mine.
- Thread starter
- #35
I used a angle grinder to show where there is still decent metal without rust - cut it out as square as possible - used cardboard to form the desired shape I wanted and went ahead and cut out the sheet metal. Weld it in place, grinded the welds down and then body work.
- Thread starter
- #36
Finally took the W&Ts I got with the car. Driving the car now is SOOO much better. I can actually hear my thoughts lol. I broke one of the wheel studs torquing them down 
. Tires need a wash but I was too excited to get her going! The geometry of the suspension is way off and needs to be addressed - all in due time tho.
. Tires need a wash but I was too excited to get her going! The geometry of the suspension is way off and needs to be addressed - all in due time tho.- Thread starter
- #37
I had some time off so I decided to tackle the interior. I knew I wanted to do sound deadening after my first drive in the Cruiser. It was loud - and with so many holes in the body, I wanted to go the opposite direction with more comfort.
Got some Amazon stuff - did a little research and found them to be decent enough for my application.
I got the original carpet professionally cleaned. It’ll have to work for now. With the guts exposed I was very tempted to do a reworking of the stereo - but will leave that for a later project. Gotta reign in my ADHD lol.
I detailed all the panels and fixtures and whatnots to get rid of the various spilled drink smell that I inherited. The previous owner had told me his son was driving the car - and when the sunroof leak was discovered - decided to keep it in the barn garage and use it as a hotbox… all the ash trays had roaches and bush.
Got exhaust parts in so after the front axle rebuild; (I refuse to drive it out the garage until I have those done) I’ll go to my buddy’s to have him fix the dreadful leaky, noisy exhaust.
Waiting on the last of the engine tuneup parts to come in. Like a dumbass - as I am sometimes, I decided to power wash the engine bay. My OCD overrode my common sense. Now the car is misfiring.
Ok, I haven’t spoken much today so apologies.
Got some Amazon stuff - did a little research and found them to be decent enough for my application.
I got the original carpet professionally cleaned. It’ll have to work for now. With the guts exposed I was very tempted to do a reworking of the stereo - but will leave that for a later project. Gotta reign in my ADHD lol.
I detailed all the panels and fixtures and whatnots to get rid of the various spilled drink smell that I inherited. The previous owner had told me his son was driving the car - and when the sunroof leak was discovered - decided to keep it in the barn garage and use it as a hotbox… all the ash trays had roaches and bush.
Got exhaust parts in so after the front axle rebuild; (I refuse to drive it out the garage until I have those done) I’ll go to my buddy’s to have him fix the dreadful leaky, noisy exhaust.
Waiting on the last of the engine tuneup parts to come in. Like a dumbass - as I am sometimes, I decided to power wash the engine bay. My OCD overrode my common sense. Now the car is misfiring.
Ok, I haven’t spoken much today so apologies.
Nice work !
Pop the distributor cap and dry it out should fix your misfire
Pop the distributor cap and dry it out should fix your misfire
Was the carpet cleaned while still in the 80 or outside?
Im Planning a winter project
Im Planning a winter project