Well it’s about time I made an official ROTF thread, so here it is. I’ve always been a fan of wheeling and I used to enjoy wheeling my 95 Chebby half ton in High School. It was more of a family truck that I took over, but I had a lot of fun beating the heck out of it on tight trails that my friend’s 4runners and taco’s wheeled with ease. I eventually added a 6”IFS lift and 35’s after bending a few too many cross members. I was all too aware of the limitations of the IFS setup and I yearned for a solid front axle. I wanted to do a SAS, but I figured it was best to cut my losses and start on working on a more trail friendly rig. An 80 series seemed like the perfect candidate especially since they had come down into my price range.
I have loved the 80 series ever since I laid eyes on my neighbor’s 1993 Land Cruiser. I used to watch in awe every morning while I waited for the bus in Jr. High, as the $50K tank rolled down the street, its glistening forest green paint shimmering in the sunlight. I knew someday I would own one when the price was right. I started my search in the fall of 2005 with a budget of $10K. At the time I couldn’t find a locked version within my budget especially in the Utah market. I found out that theLX450 versions were slightly less than a comparable LC, so when I found a 1997 LX450 that had recently had the head gasket replaced by the dealership, I jumped on it. It was kind of risky because I bought it from a guy on fleabay just outside of Cincinnati. The guy seemed honest, he sent me a lot of pictures, it looked like a fairly clean, and reasonably well maintained so I put in a bid in the last 30 seconds of the auction and won it. I knew a buddy was heading out east for work, so I split the fuel costs with him and we started our journey out to Ohio. We actually ended up running out of gas at 1:00 AM just outside of Iowa City. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride into town with a Highway Patrolman.
We eventually made it to Fairfield, OH where I took possession of the LX on April 20, 2006. What a day that was, I still remember my first impressions of driving it. I couldn’t believe how wide the LX felt after spending the past 8 months driving a civic. The engine purred gracefully and the transmission shifted ever so smoothly. I was amazed at how soft the suspension was for having a solid front axle. I did a quickie tune up then turned around to make the trek back to Utah to take my finals. I decided to take a different route home, so I traveled along I-70 and then made a detour up through Steamboat and Craig CO. I was very happy with my purchase and I couldn’t wait until I could start customizing it.
Here is a picture of passing through Southern Indiana on the way home.
I had to stop by a few cemeteries on my way home to collect some lifespan cohort data for my ecology class. This was in Kansas.
After finals I moved up to Spokane, WA to work while I was applying to grad school. I picked up a set of 285/75R16 Cooper STT’s in Ogden, UT before I left.
Here is a little sand dune I found in Idaho on my way up.
I have loved the 80 series ever since I laid eyes on my neighbor’s 1993 Land Cruiser. I used to watch in awe every morning while I waited for the bus in Jr. High, as the $50K tank rolled down the street, its glistening forest green paint shimmering in the sunlight. I knew someday I would own one when the price was right. I started my search in the fall of 2005 with a budget of $10K. At the time I couldn’t find a locked version within my budget especially in the Utah market. I found out that theLX450 versions were slightly less than a comparable LC, so when I found a 1997 LX450 that had recently had the head gasket replaced by the dealership, I jumped on it. It was kind of risky because I bought it from a guy on fleabay just outside of Cincinnati. The guy seemed honest, he sent me a lot of pictures, it looked like a fairly clean, and reasonably well maintained so I put in a bid in the last 30 seconds of the auction and won it. I knew a buddy was heading out east for work, so I split the fuel costs with him and we started our journey out to Ohio. We actually ended up running out of gas at 1:00 AM just outside of Iowa City. Luckily we were able to hitch a ride into town with a Highway Patrolman.
We eventually made it to Fairfield, OH where I took possession of the LX on April 20, 2006. What a day that was, I still remember my first impressions of driving it. I couldn’t believe how wide the LX felt after spending the past 8 months driving a civic. The engine purred gracefully and the transmission shifted ever so smoothly. I was amazed at how soft the suspension was for having a solid front axle. I did a quickie tune up then turned around to make the trek back to Utah to take my finals. I decided to take a different route home, so I traveled along I-70 and then made a detour up through Steamboat and Craig CO. I was very happy with my purchase and I couldn’t wait until I could start customizing it.
Here is a picture of passing through Southern Indiana on the way home.
I had to stop by a few cemeteries on my way home to collect some lifespan cohort data for my ecology class. This was in Kansas.
After finals I moved up to Spokane, WA to work while I was applying to grad school. I picked up a set of 285/75R16 Cooper STT’s in Ogden, UT before I left.
Here is a little sand dune I found in Idaho on my way up.
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