"Olivier" - My 2000 Land Cruiser build

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Joined
Dec 14, 2025
Threads
2
Messages
75
Location
Round Rock, TX
Hi all!

Gonna use this thread to document my journey with this build. This isn't the first Toyota Land Cruiser I've driven - I learnt to drive on an old diesel 4spd manual 70 series - but it is the first one I've owned. I love this truck so much, and in my 1 year of ownership it's already given me so many memories!
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This is how I brought it home: fully stock, 212k miles on the odometer, mismatched highway tires, and a severe lack of service history. I didn't care though, because there was no rust on the undercarriage (California vehicle for its first 5 years, then Texas 'till today) and the Imperial Jade Mica had me falling in love at first sight. I'm technically the 3rd owner on paper; the 2nd owner (who bought it in 2005) passed the truck down to his son in 2016 but never transferred the title, soooo.... yay me I guess?

The $7500 price tag was a big factor too, I'll admit. Not the riskiest purchase I've ever made, but kind of up there.

The first thing I did to it was its timing belt - it was still on the original belt from its assembly in December of 1999. Once that was out of the way, a new set of tires-
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...nevermind, I took it out to some local trails on the mismatched highway trails. Silly me. I also waited on tires and got the windows tinted:
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Anyone who's lived in the south knows that a good window tint is worth every penny for both privacy and interior cooling. Two months of ownership had passed by this point
and my partner and I had decided that we were gonna have our first ever road trip; we chose Colorado. To that end, I needed to address a lot of things, mainly maintenance. I knew my rack-and-pinion was leaking bad, but money was tight, so I instead decided to throw money at an upgraded head unit for Carplay/Android Auto.

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For the head unit, I ended up going with a Kenwood eXcelon Reference DNR1007XR, mainly because the head unit has the capacity for multiple camera inputs. One of my long-term plans is to install cameras at both bumpers and possibly in the undercarriage for more viewing angles. Another reason for the head unit is distance from the driver seat; my arms aren't the longest, and I wanted to be able to reach over comfortably while driving. I took advantage of a sale on Amazon, and in went the new head unit.

Out with the old (OEM), and in with the new!

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Marketplace also graced me with a good deal on some Dobinsons Drawers; out went the 3rd row seats, and in went the drawers (along with a new battery from Costco):
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The drawers were 100% a splurge. I'd been using the rear space with the 3rd row seats folded up, and my main complaint was that reaching into the cargo area was difficult with the tailgate down and in the way. No regrets on the drawers however, they get used pretty much every time I drive the truck.

Around this time I also had the transmission & transfer case fluids replaced - I found out much later that the mechanic that I took the truck to didn't know how much transmission fluid is actually supposed to be in the truck, and I wasn't as on-top of these things as I should have been. Hindsight is 20/20; 10k miles later, transmission is still running just fine.

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Tires! I went with a full set of 5 Nitto Terra Grappler G3s in 285/75/R16 sizing. Partly for looks, but also for on-road performance. I wanted something that would handle rain and off-road capability in equal measure. No regrets, though I did have to get used to the road noise in comparison to the highway tires. This was mid-august of 2025, and the truck had done several trips to San Antonio, Dallas and Houston with no issue on the old tires. This was my first day out on the trail with the new tires, and I found out the hard way that power steering leaks are not to be joked about:
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At least the ATF was keeping my undercarriage clean!
 
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