Project: I didn't want a project (1 Viewer)

[notarex]

1st post for me, Hi everyone! I've wanted a LC for most of my adult life, esp. a 100 series. I had been looking for a new truck, and eyeing 4 runners (had a 3rd gen til it broke in half) but couldn't justify spending $8-9k for one with a ton of miles. A 99' LC came up locally for reasonable $ with reasonable miles so I bought it. I figured I could fix the little things and run it. I already have a project in my 77' hilux, was supposed to be doing body work this summer:



Anyway here's what I ended up with, 99' with factory locker, 216k:



The good: Runs great, very cushy, stops shifts and drives well, locker, interior cleaned up good.

The bad: Rust spot on front fender to be taken care of, some rust on undercarriage to be taken care of (I've seen worse). Pass side windows and moonroof non-op, dome & courtesy lights non-op. Due for tb/wp.

That's how I bought it but other things are starting to pop up as I dig in, as they always do. After reading here it appears if I dont do my heater tees I'm a sucka, so that's on the list. Have some denso o2 sensors and a pcv valve/grommet on the way to take care of a p0155 & p0171. Front swaybar bushings are shot. 2nd start light will pop up randomly and go off if I start mashing buttons. Brakes get really hot, trying to figure out if it's just from stopping a 6k pound truck or they're dragging. Possible windshield issues. Also a thundering noise as I go down rough roads, maybe shocks or swaybar?

I know it sounds like I'm bitching, and I am-but at the same time I really do live for this s***- I'd much rather be working on/throwing $$$ at a vehicle I love than a pos disposable rig. In the grand scheme of things it's just a lot of little stuff that can be tackled one by one, just a bit overwhelming all at once.

 

[gregnash]

LOL... welcome to the madness and I feel for ya brotha..

I have somewhat been doing the same thing on Alita. Was hoping by now to have been doing fun stuff like stereo upgrades or snorkel/roofrack install. But yeah she had other ideas.
As @TRAIL TAILOR told me when I picked her up and started my /vent string.... Sometimes these trucks are like neglected/abused rescue animals. They will want all your attention and love until they feel safe.
That is literally what is going on with me so.....

 

[notarex]

Forgot to mention the little stuff I've done so far and a few other niggles. I removed the plastic trim on the tailgate because it wasn't sitting flat. Couldn't believe the amount of rocks/sand under there that I vacuumed up. No rust thankfully. Need to change the air filter but I did clean the MAF sensor. Rented an upholstery cleaner to deal with the carpet and have new floor mats on order. Removed the hideous delaminating wood trim from the interior. Dome/courtesy light issue was a blown fuse, hopefully not an ongoing problem.

A few aesthetic issues I need to deal with are the brake dust pitted wheels and a nasty case of artillery fungus on the passenger side. That will require some serious clay bar work.

New fog lights are on order (priorities ) the old ones were full of crud, moisture and the passenger side rubber boot was hammered. I'm surprised how open to the elements it is down there

Greg- I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thankfully no major mechanical issues have popped up so I'm mostly sane at this point

 

[CBeckFJ]

OTTRAM on youtube has two videos documenting the timing belt and water pump replacements so you can DIY it. Overhead lights are most likely bad bulbs, you can purchase an Ebay set of LED interior lights for like $20. Hit the rust with a grinding wheel, and you should be good to go. Plenty of threads on the sunroof as well if you search around.
Welcome to the madness

 

[2020 Rocks]

Forgot to mention the little stuff I've done so far and a few other niggles. I removed the plastic trim on the tailgate because it wasn't sitting flat. Couldn't believe the amount of rocks/sand under there that I vacuumed up. No rust thankfully. Need to change the air filter but I did clean the MAF sensor. Rented an upholstery cleaner to deal with the carpet and have new floor mats on order. Removed the hideous delaminating wood trim from the interior. Dome/courtesy light issue was a blown fuse, hopefully not an ongoing problem.

A few aesthetic issues I need to deal with are the brake dust pitted wheels and a nasty case of artillery fungus on the passenger side. That will require some serious clay bar work.

New fog lights are on order (priorities ) the old ones were full of crud, moisture and the passenger side rubber boot was hammered. I'm surprised how open to the elements it is down there

Greg- I'm glad I'm not the only one! Thankfully no major mechanical issues have popped up so I'm mostly sane at this point

I discovered a sandbox on top of my gas tank when doing the rear springs. lol

 

[notarex]

Got my floor mats this afternoon, I'm impressed! $55 after a $15 coupon they give you from Car Mats Hero. Quick shipping too. Couldn't bring myself to plunk down $200 on weathertechs and didn't want some cheapy auto zone mats either. We'll see how they hold up.

 

[Couvi]

That's some clean carpet for a 99. I did Weathertechs about 4 years ago and they've held up great, with four kids, having that extra lip on the mats to hold liquid (or whatever) is a life saver.

 

[Couvi]

.

 

[gregnash]

Those look nice! I couldn't do the WeatherTech either, too many bad experiences in the past with bad fitment.
I found the LloydMats for half the price and they have been awesome!

 

[geanes]

Got my floor mats this afternoon, I'm impressed! $55 after a $15 coupon they give you from Car Mats Hero. Quick shipping too. Couldn't bring myself to plunk down $200 on weathertechs and didn't want some cheapy auto zone mats either. We'll see how they hold up.

That rear mat is seriously cool! I love that it can be "partially" removed as well. My Weathertech were NOT worth the money, especially the rear. Would have much rather had what you have.

 

[notarex]

Still waiting on parts to proceed, so I took the opportunity to clean out my sunroof drains and try to get it working by soaking the cables with PB blaster. I had noticed a puddle in the middle of my 2nd row floormats, so I also used some black silicone to seal up the gap that had opened up in the rear sunroof seal. Ran some weedwacker cord down the drain and blew them out with a compressor. Just a drip coming out below, so I poked the slots in the rocker pinch weld and the floodgates opened. I'm not sure how I missed it, but the PS side rocker is fubar-ed from the b pillar back. Running boards must have thrown me off, but I could have sworn they were solid when I checked it out. DS is excellent. May just have the body shop cut the rockers out and weld in some 2" tube body sliders. Is that a dumb idea? I'm not going to be crawling with this thing, but just about every northeast 100 I've seen has rocker issues.

Also dealing with the artillery fungus by hitting it with hondabrite, and using a plastic razor blade to pop the dots off. Then some clay bar work and compound. What a PITA

 

[notarex]

Still waiting for parts, namely the 02 sensors so I can cure this pesky P0155. I did get my fog lights in and installed. Covered them with translucent yellow vinyl and siliconed the edges. I made up a splash guard for the passenger side, because it is super exposed.



Maybe I'll tackle the fuel filter this afternoon

 

[jLB]

A new to you, cheap, 21 year old, luxury vehicle, with 200k+ miles, that's not at least a little bit of a project to start with...

Something about that, might be just a little bit optimistic, even for an old LC/LX.

 

[CBeckFJ]

Still waiting for parts, namely the 02 sensors so I can cure this pesky P0155. I did get my fog lights in and installed. Covered them with translucent yellow vinyl and siliconed the edges. I made up a splash guard for the passenger side, because it is super exposed.



Maybe I'll tackle the fuel filter this afternoon

After reading this thread I hadn't noticed the "NH" in your sig. Nice to see another New Hampshirite in the hundy section!

 

[gregnash]

Still waiting for parts, namely the 02 sensors so I can cure this pesky P0155. I did get my fog lights in and installed. Covered them with translucent yellow vinyl and siliconed the edges. I made up a splash guard for the passenger side, because it is super exposed.



Maybe I'll tackle the fuel filter this afternoon

So you put vinyl on the lights? link?
Did this on my FJ60 with the 7" round pencil lights I installed on the bumper. I have yellow bulbs in the housings on my 100 but you can't tell until night. I like the contrast and really will give me a reason to pull the housings and clean up the lens.

 

[wrigh003]

couldn't justify spending $8-9k for one with a ton of miles. $25k on a new car I don't care much about when I could get this one for a third of that and kit it out/ fix what needs fixing a few hundred bucks at a time. Plus - it's a 4wd tank of an SUV and I have kids, a dog, fishing gear etc to get out into the woods. Can't do that in a sedan.

Above, my logic on buying your truck's Lexus cousin. Probably closing that deal this week. Is it perfect? Nah. But it's pretty good, and I'm willing to roll the dice on it. You pay now or you pay later is a truism - but a few hundred here and there on a paid for rig is easier to swallow than a few hundred every month for years and years and you wind up with a used car when that ends.

Best of luck to you with yours. There are other nuts out here buying 200k mile cars to daily drive em, too.

 

[notarex]

A new to you, cheap, 21 year old, luxury vehicle, with 200k+ miles, that's not at least a little bit of a project to start with...

Something about that, might be just a little bit optimistic, even for an old LC/LX.

I've made my peace with this fact, you're 100% correct. I am the eternal optimist though.

After reading this thread I hadn't noticed the "NH" in your sig. Nice to see another New Hampshirite in the hundy section!

Yes! Is yours a rusty POS too?

So you put vinyl on the lights? link?
Did this on my FJ60 with the 7" round pencil lights I installed on the bumper. I have yellow bulbs in the housings on my 100 but you can't tell until night. I like the contrast and really will give me a reason to pull the housings and clean up the lens.

Yes, it is vinyl. Probably throw some on the high beams of the hilux too like the cool kids are doing . Here's the link: *12"x48" Glossy Golden Yellow Tint Headlights Fog Lights Sidemarkers Vinyl Film | eBay
Note that it doesn't fold or flex particularly well compared to some vinyls I've worked with, but for the price I can't complain

 

[CBeckFJ]

I've made my peace with this fact, you're 100% correct. I am the eternal optimist though.



Yes! Is yours a rusty POS too?



Yes, it is vinyl. Probably throw some on the high beams of the hilux too like the cool kids are doing . Here's the link: *12"x48" Glossy Golden Yellow Tint Headlights Fog Lights Sidemarkers Vinyl Film | eBay
Note that it doesn't fold or flex particularly well compared to some vinyls I've worked with, but for the price I can't complain

hah my other one was a rusty POS. Learned my lesson and bought a southern truck.. You should be able to just take a wire wheel and take most of the surface rust off.

 

[SlowBuild]

After reading this thread I hadn't noticed the "NH" in your sig. Nice to see another New Hampshirite in the hundy section!

Me too. Temple.

I know my sig still says Oregon but .... I’ve been here two years almost, can’t bring myself to change it.

You should be able to just take a wire wheel and take most of the surface rust off.

Yeah but it’s the bolts ....

 

[notarex]

Busy couple of days here. Replaced the fuel filter, air filter and cleaned the throttle body. Replaced the two pre-cat o2 sensors. Replaced the heater tees, and glad I did
They looked fine, and even thought they may have been replaced at some point- I was considering leaving them be. Wouldn't you know, the DS crumbled when I was removing the hoses. I used the 4 seasons tees, breeze #10 CT clamps and a gates hose for the DS, reused the PS and lower hoses for now.

Fuel filter and o2 sensors weren't as bad as anticipated, after reading horror stories here about seized nuts on both- mine cracked right off after a shot of Kroil.
Next up is figuring out why the PS windows are inop, wish me luck