Builds Red Line Landcruisers " The Tale of Two 80's" Build (1 Viewer)

[RLMS]

THE TALE OF TWO 80s

Introduction

Jay and I (Justin) had an epiphany last year. We used to make fun of guys just like us when we were younger. We'd say things like,"He drives an 80 series. Such a wuss." If we're being honest, we snubbed those guys big-time. They had the windows up and the A/C on during a trail ride. They were softies. I'm mean, seriously...driving a 40 series carries a bit of a man-badge. You'll need a good chiropractor after about 3 hours on the trails in a 40 series with stock suspension. 80 series are one plush ride compared to a 40!

We saw ourselves as Clint Eastwood on the trails, tackling massive boulders and taking the hardest route possibly. Everyone else was Hugh Grant, decked out in their skinny jeans and hip plaid shirts riding the trails in comfort and style!

But middle age hits you like Mike Tyson slugging Zack Galifianakis in The Hangover. So we've decided to build out two 80 series Land Cruisers suitable for maintaining our manliness while also allowing our wives the ability to enjoy daily use.

To be clear...everyone that knows us will understand we still "love" the 40 series...we'lll never shy away from them, but if we're being honest…we're diggin' on the 80 series these days.

The 80s

Jay bought an 80 with a TBI v8 conversion some years ago. Alright, its cool but it's still not a 40. I buy a 95' for my wife 3 years ago off from my father…turn that into the FJ-UTE…sell it and then buy a 96' this year.

The Mission

Our main goal for these trucks is to have something we can use for everyday driving but can also do moderate wheeling in. We will leave the crawling attributes to our other builds. So we want to craft these heavy beasts into the lightest most all-around capable rigs.

Here is what we're looking to do to both rigs:

• Slinky stage 4 75mm kits (both trucks)
• Roof racks
• Jay is getting a RTT…LOL
• Lean bumpers front and rear
• Sliders
• v8 conversion on my 96' this fall
• 37's (both trucks)
• Interior doodads

Whadyathink?

The purpose of this thread is to build out two killer 80s, with your help/comments/feedback. We would love to have you tell us what you think as we go.

We will have parts suppliers that we will tag in this thread, so please show support to our fellow cruiser heads!

Mixing things up a little is usually what we do, so we are going along the same premise with these beauties…Mine is a hell of a lot better looking than Justin's right now…LOL

 

[RLMS]

Jays 97 80, Before The Slinky install.

 

[gandrimp]

Comparably how much better is the v8 tbi vs stock. Power and fuel consumption. I cant afford an ls swap, but the tbi trucks are a dime a dozen right now. Even if the mpg was the same more power would be ok.

 

[cavboy78]

I'm local. I'd love to swing by some time!

 

[Corbet]

Interior doodads.... I'm pretty familiar with those.

 

[GW Nugget]

I totally understand the love of the Fj40. The J4 body from the "B" pillar forward is all the same, but "B" pillar aft can be anything your imagination can fathom. From BJ to HJ & 40 to 47 it has been the most versatile body style on the planet.

Back in my single days I had a fully built 40 with full width axles, big block etc... I had to sell it in a financial bind in 97. I moved on with life 18 years later I had the itch to hit the trail once more. Like most men with a young family I didn't have a bunch of money or time for a big hardcore project. I needed a turn key 4 door SUV that I could throw a lift & tires & still daily drive. With a lot of research there was only one rig that stood out as the only choice.... the 80 series with Elockers was the best choice. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to say my heart is with the 40 series but my family needed an 80 series. We have had a lot of great times so far in my Lx450 but still hope to get back into a J4 body someday. Maybe a happy medium in the future is to purchase one of those aluminum 4 door bodies that directly bolt onto the 80 series frame or if I win the lotto a Icon fj44.
Welcome to the 80 series...

 

[Boing]

Comparably how much better is the v8 tbi vs stock. Power and fuel consumption. I cant afford an ls swap, but the tbi trucks are a dime a dozen right now. Even if the mpg was the same more power would be ok.

The UTE had a brand new great running 1FZ in it with the CDL locked up and the front hubs unlocked with 37's and 4.88's, and my 80 has a TBI 350 (with about 175,000 miles) an FJ60 split case 35's and 4.10's and my truck would eat the UTE up in a drag race. The 350 has noticeably more torque (and cubes), it doesn't win by much though... We will do it again with just the 80's for comparison as the UTE was quite a bit lighter than a full bodied 80...

We really like the LS based engines for a complete package of power and decent fuel economy. The old 350 in my 80 gets 13-15 depending on how I drive it, it will get re-geared to 4.88 for 37's which will help this motor push this boat anchor down the road...

I'm local. I'd love to swing by some time!

Feel free!

I totally understand the love of the Fj40. The J4 body from the "B" pillar forward is all the same, but "B" pillar aft can be anything your imagination can fathom. From BJ to HJ & 40 to 47 it has been the most versatile body style on the planet.

Back in my single days I had a fully built 40 with full width axles, big block etc... I had to sell it in a financial bind in 97. I moved on with life 18 years later I had the itch to hit the trail once more. Like most men with a young family I didn't have a bunch of money or time for a big hardcore project. I needed a turn key 4 door SUV that I could throw a lift & tires & still daily drive. With a lot of research there was only one rig that stood out as the only choice.... the 80 series with Elockers was the best choice. Sorry for the long post, but I just wanted to say my heart is with the 40 series but my family needed an 80 series. We have had a lot of great times so far in my Lx450 but still hope to get back into a J4 body someday. Maybe a happy medium in the future is to purchase one of those aluminum 4 door bodies that directly bolt onto the 80 series frame or if I win the lotto a Icon fj44.
Welcome to the 80 series...

We are going to have a blast with these trucks, look forward to some more family (and dog) oriented adventures.


Trying to set the tone for this thread, all responses are welcome (good, bad, or indifferent) also there are no stupid questions please jump in if you feel the urge. Also if you know Justin and I you know that we like to zing each other so feel free. (This is supposed to be fun after all...) We are going to try our best during the process of these builds to give our honest opinions of our different parts/setup...

 

[RLMS]

Today we're pulling the old suspension on a 1997 80. Jay' 80. We're replacing it with a 75mm (aka 3") Stage 4 Slinky Lift Kit which features the following:

• Front 2.5" Remote Res/CDC, Aus spec Toyota 80 Series TD and Petrol model Slinky Long Travel shocks
• Rear 2.5" Piggy Back/CDC Aus spec Slinky Long Travel shocks, with boots to protect the shafts,
• Dual Rate Coils with custom spec coil rate
• Sway bar spacer kit front and rear.
• Install kit, Bump stop drop adapters front and rear, rear control arm brackets
• Brake lines

Justin and I be walking through, step by step, this removal and install on this thread.

Step 1 - The Basics

Find a good shop where you have plenty of room to work.

If you have access to a lift, that’s preferable. If you have to do it on jack stands you’ll need a buddy or two. I recommend using at least a two ton jack stand that can get pretty tall You’ll need a good sturdy jack stand as well.

Step 2 - Penentrating Oil on Anything to Remove

It is not uncommon for bolts to break. We had a lower shock bolt that broke on us on the last install and it took 2 hours to drill the bolt out, bring the pieces out and re-tap the hole. Pre-lubricate everything (and sometimes heating up bolts before you start to turn them) gives you your best shot at not breaking any bolts and making your install quicker and easier.

If you do break a bolt, don't panic, take a deep breath, and keep going. It's going to be ok.

Step 3 - Remove the Bump Stops and the Sway Bar Brackets

To remove the bump stops use a 12mm. Be careful with these bolts, they're known to break. We used a 3/8 impact to remove these and we're lucky...they all came out without breaking.

The new bump stops we're installing are 70 series Land Cruiser bump stops. They're about 3/4" longer. You can use the factory bumps with a spacer if you want to, however for the Slinky Kit, you get the new 70 series bump stops.

To remove the sway bar brackets use a 12mm. To remove the sway bar from the extension end bracket use a 14mm. We used the 3/8 impact on this, as well. If all you have is a box wrench or a socket set, those will work fine, too.

The sway bar can just hang for now. We'll address the thicker rear Slinky sway bar later on in the thread.

Step 4 - Shock Removal

FIrst remove the lower shock bolt with a 17mm. This is another bolt that is known to be coroded so take extra care when removing this bolt. If it brakes, you might just decide to quit now or hire someone with a lot more patience than you.

Next remove the upper shock bolts with a 14mm with a long extension.

Finally, used a pry bar to pry off the lower shock mount (it was a little sticky) and then could remove the entire shock assembly.

From there we placed the shocks on a work bench and removed the top nut (which is a 19mm) and then saved the rear shock top brackets for later use).

Step 5 - Rear Brake Line Removal and Installation

Using a 10mm line wrench, remove the rear brake hard line from the soft line. Then remove the brake line bracket from the frame. After that has been removed you can simply turn the soft brake line counterclockwise to spin the soft line from the axle with the bracket in tact.

Our new brake line is 5" longer (this comes with the Slinky kit. Reassemble with a c clip and the old Toyota clip.

Now install the new rear brake line. This should pretty straight forward. Install the axle side first, otherwise you'll end up twisting your brake line to the point where it's useless.

Step 6 - Remove Rear Axle Breather Hose

This might hae already come out on it's own, but using a 12mm remove the bracket. Then replace the old hose with a new, 24" length of 1/4" rubber hose. You can use fuel or vacuum hose or whatever. Take out the breather top vent, bracket an bottom clamp. Reintall into new hose and then reinstall by connecting via the bracket to the frame.

Step 7 - Spring Removal

First loosen the rear pan hard rods at axle side using a 24mm.

Second, loosen the lower control arms at the axle side, also a 24mm. Just loosen the nut side, not the bolt side.

Third, do the upper control arms on the axle side. Loosen those nuts, as well, which are 24mm.

When you loosen all these 24mm bolts everything will begin to drop, so be prepared and keep your head out of the way so you don't end up needing to go to the sidelines for a concussion protocol or something.

Now you can remove the springs. If you didn't leave yourself enough room doing this on jack stands, you might need to raise the chassis a bit in order for the axle to droop so the springs can come out. You need full droop and about 6" of distance between the bottom of the rotor and the ground in order to remove the springs. To remove the springs simply pick em' up off the lower seat, lean the lower end forward and they should come right out.

In the case of this 80 series this one has OME 864s in the rear, which in my opinion were too heavy for how I used it. For me, my 80 series is a daily driver and these heavier coils don't provide a comfortable ride for me. If you're overlanding and have your rig loaded down with everything and the kitchen sink in the back, these coils are probably ok. In my opinon, for what I'm looking for, which is mostly daily driving with occasional off road use, the Slinky coils provide the perfect blend of on and off road use. I can enjoy a comfy ride on the highway, but at the same time go and hammer a trail and be just as comfortable and in control on the toughest trails.

The coils we're installing are "intermediates" - you can opt to use a "heavy" Slinky coil if you have a tire swing out or custom front bumper. The internediate coil is designed to carry an additional load capacity of 400 pounds while the heavy can carry 900 additional pounds.

The Slinky springs operate on the theory of "pre-load" - the OME springs will carry the load no problem but when they droop when you're on a trail when the axle drops out, the OMEs may unseat from the coil bucket and bang around. The Slinky spings might unseat a bit, too, but they will unseat less than the OMEs. Less unseating results in the coils not banging around as much. I don't want to get too much into suspension theory here, but the long and the short of it is this...Slinky coils will make everything from moving around too much.

Step 8 - Coil Install

To install the coils pay attention to the coil tags because there is a left hand and right hand coil. The coils are labeled with "LH" for left hand and "RH" for right hand. The left handed one goes on the driver side. The right handed one goes on the passenger side. The left handed one is about 1/4" taller to account for the added weight of the gas tank and the driver on the left side. This combats the "Cruiser Lean" that you often see on Land Cruisers.

OMEs don't have a left or right hand.

To install make sure the little rubber grommet is in there on the top of the coil. This prevents the coil from making too much noise. Swing the coil up and into place and then swing the bottom of the coil into the coil bucket and ensure the tail of the coil is positioned correctly. It may or may not be neccessary to have someone stand on the axle in order to get it to go down so you can get the coils seated.

Step 9 - Install the Shocks

Woo-ha-ha. Now we get into the fun part. Installing your beautiful, shiny, ride-like-a-bat-out-of-hell-and-stay-in-control Slinky shocks.

Prep the lower shock mount by cleaning it up with a wire wheel brush or cup brush. Get all the corrosion and crap off of there so your new shocks mount up nice and clean.

Next unpack everything and lay it all out. Identifiy the top plates for the shock by the stamping "L" for left and "R" for right.

The top of the shock goes together like this: Washer, bushing, top plate, bushing, washer, first nut and then the jamb nut.

Swing in your shock and then bolt the top plate to the frame leaving them about a 1/4" loose. Then reattach the shock on the lower axle side. Be sure to clean threads on the bolt and the hole on the lower shock bolt. The thread pitch is 12mm x 1.25. Make sure they're nice and clean so you can apply anti seize to the bolt and outside of the axle shock mount (see photos).

The Slinky kit comes with a stone shield that protects the lower shock mount. These will need to be cut (see photo) 2 5/8" off the top before installing them (this prevents the stone shield from damaging your shock when fully compressed).

Then bolt them on to about 30 ft lbs. You may need a second guy to pull down the axle to get the shocks in. You may also need a plastic dead blow hammer to pound in the shock over the axle shock shaft.

Now go back and tighten the top two bolts that go into the frame on the top of the shock.

(Note this next step is for Stage 4 shocks only). There is a ring clamp holder and a worm clamp that need to be bolted on the shock so it holds it against the frame so the CDC valve cannot rotate and get damaged (see photo). We didn't have a nice new pair on our hands, so we took advantage of a good used set that we had access to.

This next step might be tricky if you're on jack stands because visibility may be limited. You need to tighten the top shock nut and ratchet on the first nut to a point where your jamb nut can go on nice and snug while leaving two threads visible at the end of the shaft. It's preferable to use a gear wrench to do this.

CRITICAL: Have a second guy hold the shock on the very top of the shock and the very bottom of the shock and NOT by the reservoir. You will break the reservoir off if you hold the reservoir while trying to tighten everything down. There are no torque specs to consider here...it's all about leaving those two threads visible at the end of the shaft when you're all done. You can use a strap wrench to help hold the shock in place.

Boom, on to step 10.

Step 10 - Install the Sway Bar Links

Next install your new bump stops and sway bar drop brackets. Be sure to use anti seize on your bolts. Your new sway bar links include new extensions, new bushings and washers. These new ones don't leave you a lot of room to install ahead of time. You'll need to install them with weight on the axle in order to compress the bushings, giving you enough space on the extension shaft to get the nut threaded on at the end.

Once you've got weight on your axle, use a jack to push up the end of the sway bar into the sway bar bracket so it compresses the bushing so you can get your washer and nut on. Thread the nut so as to leave two threads visible.

Pretty much every bolt you thread back on, put anti seize on it. It will make it easier for servicing.

Now your sway bar is installed. Go ahead, with full weight on your axle, torque down your control arm nuts, pan hard bolts, and all the factory torque specs.


Step 11 - Remove the Old Front Shocks and Loosen the Radius Arm Nuts

Remove your old front shocks and then loosen the radius arm nuts...yep. I just said that in my subject heading.

Next remove the front sway bar mounts on the frame side.

Then remove your brake lines following the same steps you followed removing the rear brake lines.

Step 12 - Remove the Radius Arms

Using a 22mm and 24mm remove the Radius arms by backing out the nuts and then punching out the bolts with a punch and a hammer as they may be sticky.


Step 13 - Remove cater bushings(OEM) for new caster bushings! Install with

diagram using a press.


Step 14- “Washer mod”/ caster/ plate mods


SEE SEPARATE CASTER CORRECTION LINKS on our website


We want to achieve a total of 4 degrees of caster correction. 2 degrees with the

bushings and 2 degrees with the washer mod. (Now this is for 80 series that have

not had caster change yet.) You might already have Caster change. Depending on

what you have will dictate what you need to do to achieve 4 degrees total. This

also depends on the lift size! For a 50mm kit, just the caster bushings or washer

mod is desirable for 2 degrees total. For the 75mm lift you will need both for a

total of 8ish degrees. End caster that must be achieved on flat ground is 3-3.4

degrees!


Step 15- Install radius arms.

Reverse procedure from removal. Torque to specified specs above


Step 16- Install the front coils.


Step 17- Install front shocks.

Put the upper stud mount in first on the frame side, then push down on the axle

to allow the lower stud mount to place in the axle side bracket. You may have to

have a buddy help you collapse the shock a bit to install it.

Bolt down the shocks using the Icon shock instructions in the shock box.


Step 18- Remove and install pan hard rods.

Adjust pan hard rods equally from side to side. This requires a 24 mm wrench.

Measure the distance from the frame to the inside of the tire on both sides. Then

remove the frame side of the pan hard and adjust to half of the distance you

measured. Reinstall the panhard and remeasure. repeat until complete. NOTE

this must be done with the weight of the cruiser on the ground. Torque the

bolts to factory specs above.


Step 19- Remove brake lines from the left and right side in the front

Remove the brake lines and reinstall the new brake lines supplied with the kit.

Use a 10 and 17mm line wrench so you don’t strip the factory metal hard line

ends.

Step 20- Bleed brake system.

Keep bleeding all calipers and rear prop adjusting valve until hard pedal is

achieved.

Step 21- Adjust drag link

Adjust drag link( front steering rod that attaches to the pitman arm. We like to

loosen the rod clamps, remove the stabilizer mount to make this a little easier.

Place truck on ground with the full weight and front tires straight. Next, turn the

rod and watch the steering wheel. By turning the rod and watching the steering

wheel, you can keep turing the rod until the wheel becomes straight again!

Tighten and remount the bracket!


Step 22- Install the front sway bay drop brackets

Using the supplied front sway bar hardware, install the brackets. Tighten the

bolts to 22 ft.lbs.


Step 23- Enjoy the best kit on the market!


Here are some pics of the install!

 

[RLMS]

More pictures!

 

[RLMS]

More pics again!

 

[RLMS]

Let the BIG DOG eat

 

[RLMS]

Eating...

 

[RLMS]

Out with the old shocks…..

 

[RLMS]

Proper Tools make the job easier

 

[RLMS]

Finished the brake line in the rear!

 

[RLMS]

With the 75mm Slinky, we have to extend the 1/4 I.D. axle breather tube!

 

[RLMS]

So It's Slinky time! We found some OME springs in the rear. Dont have any idea what part numbers they are.

 

[RLMS]

Time to clean the nasty-ness off the lower shock mounts. Must have these mounts super clean inside and out. Our shocks have uniball mounts on the axle side so, the steel spacers must slide over the axle mount with out getting stuck

 

[RLMS]

Upper mounting hardware set up on the top 2 pics and lower pic is the lower axle side mount

 

[RLMS]

Install the top first! Make sure the frame plate has the bolt notch opening facing the frame of the truck. Otherwise the shock will bind in the mount!