Moody
ROTW
December 2007
I have long owned Toyotas, beginning my Toy life with a standard cab, 4x4, 4 cylinder powered pickup. Its only modification was a nice Leer shell and a tape deck by Pioneer. I really enjoyed owning the truck, and I was able to rack up quite the number of miles on the ticker before it was sold and its life became delivery of pharmaceuticals rather than delivery of my wife and I to the next camping location.
We found a 2nd generation 4 runner sitting at a local Kmart for sale. For fun, we stopped to look at it, and seeing it had relatively low miles, was in excellent shape, and had the v6, we took it for a test drive. Less than a week later, it was ours. That runner served us well in its stock form with ‘oversized’ 30” tires being its first mod. We found ourselves happy with the 4Runner, but as it was showing its age, and since my wife was driving a new car and I wasn’t, we went to a local dealer and threw our pennies on the table for a new body styled 2001 Tacoma. It was the x-cab, 4x4. It even had a CD player in it. It was my first new car ever.
I hated it. I was overly concerned with keeping it clean all the time. I was afraid to wheel it. I parked way out away from everyone to avoid door dings. I sold it. For whatever reason, I found a 1995 J@@p Cherokee for sale. It was cheap, 4 wheel drive, and had about 90k on the clock. After 2 years or so of owning it, and fixing something every month, to and including and entire crate motor, off it went to ebay after my first trip with the local Wasatch Cruiser club to Moab. Not only did I feel out of place, since I was one of the two guys on the trail out of about 10 Toyotas, but I quickly remembered how much I had liked the ruggedness and reliability of the Toyotas I had owned in the past.
As it turned out, a gentleman in the Cruiser Club was selling his FJ62 that was already moderately built. Once the Cherokee was gone, I went and picked up the 62. It was quickly transformed from its original state after I added a new OME suspension, ARB Bull Bar, and then the 4.88’s in the diffs. It was a great truck, extremely reliable for its age, but I wanted an 80 series.
I blame it on Dave H. really, as on the same run to Moab, we ran a section of Poison Spider Mesa at night in his 80. I was hooked. Although I didn’t initially seek out an 80, I knew one would be in my future. Even after putting a few thousand dollars into the 62, I knew it just wasn’t going to do so well pulling double duty as a dd/kid hauler/camping and wheeler rig, especially with child #2 on the way.
We began looking off and on for months. At first, just locally, but then we started looking out of state. Few 80’s could offer any sort of maintenance history, some had some glaring issues, and some were outright overpriced. I planned on finding the ‘right’ 80, and had decided the right one would come along when the time was right. I had even started looking at the few used100 series that were around.
Finally, I was browsing around Autotrader, and found a nice and clean LX450 in San Diego. The pictures were detailed, I received the Carfax, checked on the switch being there, negotiated the price, and then secured the plane ticket. He assured me that if it was not up to par, he would pay for a ticket home for me. I took a cashiers check along with me, and picked it up. I immediately drove from the airport to drop him off and headed on the highway towards Salt Lake City.
I have owned this truck for about a year now. Initially, I planned on driving it stock, and just simply getting used to its stock capabilities. I put on the roof rack from my 62, and called it good, for about a month. Knowing I was going to be in Moab soon, I couldn’t resist and put a set of 285/75/16’s on there. Some family friends own a Big O Tires, so I tried out their new XT treads. I even found a relatively new xt for a spare, and ditched all of the stock Michelins.
Of course, when you get new tires, you try out their capabilities in some mud and rocks. I made a quick trip down to the San Rafael Swell. I loaded it full of my gear, and had a 3.5-hour trip to get even more familiar with the rig. Once in the Swell, I drove up a wide sandy wash to engage the lockers and give them a little exercise. I was in love. It was great, except I was afraid to take on anything too rocky for fear I would damage something underneath, or tear off those flimsy running boards.
Finally, about a week or so before Moab, my wife said she would pay for the cruiser to be lifted. (yes, she has ALL the money) She said, “It just doesn’t look right.” I sure got lucky. I went with the OME J’s up front, and then the 863 rears. ( I just recently swapped out the 863’s for the 864’s as I get a bit of sag when loaded with gear) It sat just a hair taller in the rear than the front, as it does now with the 864’s. Now, I felt a little more comfortable driving it off road. When we made it down to Moab, we immediately ran Fins n Things to get comfortable on the slickrock again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the tires stuck quite well on the rock, and the suspension was very compliant on the rough terrain.
We were camping in Arches National Park during our trip, and I noticed a decent 4x4 road within the park that I had never been down. I found only one spot that I engaged the lockers. It certainly didn’t need it, but I was so anxious to utilize them, I threw in the rear, and easily walked up the minor obstacle that had moments before caused my tires to spin, halting forward progress. We made it out to the arch, and hiked over to it, and enjoyed lunch.
Since then, I have taken the truck on multiple trips, one of which took me over 1300 miles in 5 days. Since February, I have completed, or have added the following:
OME Suspension, J Springs with 864 rears
OME Caster Correction bushings
Slee swaybar drop brackets, f/r
Slee extended brakelines
285/75/16 Big O XT’s
ARB Front Bumper
Yakima Mega Warrior Basket with shovel mount
IPF Lights
Slee Step Sliders
National Luna Dual Battery setup
Extended differential breathers
Engel 35 quart fridge
Cargo area 12v plugs
Safari Snorkel
Glove box full of Strawberry Little Tree Air Fresheners
The following preventative and baseline maintenance has also been completed:
Blue Silicon Pesky Heater Hose
New plugs/wires/distributor/rotor
Air filter
Brakes
Throttle body cleaning
Front axle rebuild
Brake fluid flush
Transmission Flush
Switched oil to Mobil 1
Transfer case service
Rear differential service
Cooling system flush
Fuel Filter
All parts used were OEM Toyota, in order to maintain the reliability of the vehicle. It runs exceptionally well, and even with a roof top tent or large Yakima basket on top, I pull a fairly consistent 12-14 mpg with a light foot.
I have a friend who is employed by the Local Lexus dealer. I had read somewhere that any Lexus dealer will print a maintenance history for the vehicle, outlining any dealer-performed services. As the carfax report showed regular dealer maintenance, I was hoping to get a more detailed picture of what had been done to my truck. I went in to see Roger, (we happen to share the same name) and he printed out a fairly detailed list of what had been completed at Bob Baker Lexus in California.
Amazingly it was serviced at the dealer for every oil change, every brake job, detail, etc. All of the common things that appear to go out on a regular basis had been replaced. It listed that at 62k, the head gasket had been replaced. I was told that sometimes things are entered in the computer incorrectly, but I figure if it was done, great, and if not, I will deal with that when or if a problem arises.
Future modifications to this vehicle include a rear Hannah dual swing-out bumper, Slee skid plates (both ac dryer and t-case), rear cargo storage system, and a winch.
Overall, my build is pretty basic as far as off-the-shelf products, and kept mostly simple, without modifying the super reliability of the Toyota drive train. I really enjoy driving it, and do so on a daily basis, on my way to my teaching job. It gets regular use on back roads and continually amazes me what it is able to do off-road. I am constantly asked, “What is that black thing coming off your truck, an exhaust?”
I also really enjoy people asking, “Do you really wheel a Lexus?” as well as people who like to take pictures of it because “They have to get a picture of a Lexus off-roading.”
Thanks to the MUD members for all of the insight I have gathered over the past few years. It is amazing how I can simply search for a topic, and find exactly what I am looking for in a short period of time, and remedy the issue.
ROTW
December 2007
I have long owned Toyotas, beginning my Toy life with a standard cab, 4x4, 4 cylinder powered pickup. Its only modification was a nice Leer shell and a tape deck by Pioneer. I really enjoyed owning the truck, and I was able to rack up quite the number of miles on the ticker before it was sold and its life became delivery of pharmaceuticals rather than delivery of my wife and I to the next camping location.
We found a 2nd generation 4 runner sitting at a local Kmart for sale. For fun, we stopped to look at it, and seeing it had relatively low miles, was in excellent shape, and had the v6, we took it for a test drive. Less than a week later, it was ours. That runner served us well in its stock form with ‘oversized’ 30” tires being its first mod. We found ourselves happy with the 4Runner, but as it was showing its age, and since my wife was driving a new car and I wasn’t, we went to a local dealer and threw our pennies on the table for a new body styled 2001 Tacoma. It was the x-cab, 4x4. It even had a CD player in it. It was my first new car ever.
I hated it. I was overly concerned with keeping it clean all the time. I was afraid to wheel it. I parked way out away from everyone to avoid door dings. I sold it. For whatever reason, I found a 1995 J@@p Cherokee for sale. It was cheap, 4 wheel drive, and had about 90k on the clock. After 2 years or so of owning it, and fixing something every month, to and including and entire crate motor, off it went to ebay after my first trip with the local Wasatch Cruiser club to Moab. Not only did I feel out of place, since I was one of the two guys on the trail out of about 10 Toyotas, but I quickly remembered how much I had liked the ruggedness and reliability of the Toyotas I had owned in the past.
As it turned out, a gentleman in the Cruiser Club was selling his FJ62 that was already moderately built. Once the Cherokee was gone, I went and picked up the 62. It was quickly transformed from its original state after I added a new OME suspension, ARB Bull Bar, and then the 4.88’s in the diffs. It was a great truck, extremely reliable for its age, but I wanted an 80 series.
I blame it on Dave H. really, as on the same run to Moab, we ran a section of Poison Spider Mesa at night in his 80. I was hooked. Although I didn’t initially seek out an 80, I knew one would be in my future. Even after putting a few thousand dollars into the 62, I knew it just wasn’t going to do so well pulling double duty as a dd/kid hauler/camping and wheeler rig, especially with child #2 on the way.
We began looking off and on for months. At first, just locally, but then we started looking out of state. Few 80’s could offer any sort of maintenance history, some had some glaring issues, and some were outright overpriced. I planned on finding the ‘right’ 80, and had decided the right one would come along when the time was right. I had even started looking at the few used100 series that were around.
Finally, I was browsing around Autotrader, and found a nice and clean LX450 in San Diego. The pictures were detailed, I received the Carfax, checked on the switch being there, negotiated the price, and then secured the plane ticket. He assured me that if it was not up to par, he would pay for a ticket home for me. I took a cashiers check along with me, and picked it up. I immediately drove from the airport to drop him off and headed on the highway towards Salt Lake City.
I have owned this truck for about a year now. Initially, I planned on driving it stock, and just simply getting used to its stock capabilities. I put on the roof rack from my 62, and called it good, for about a month. Knowing I was going to be in Moab soon, I couldn’t resist and put a set of 285/75/16’s on there. Some family friends own a Big O Tires, so I tried out their new XT treads. I even found a relatively new xt for a spare, and ditched all of the stock Michelins.
Of course, when you get new tires, you try out their capabilities in some mud and rocks. I made a quick trip down to the San Rafael Swell. I loaded it full of my gear, and had a 3.5-hour trip to get even more familiar with the rig. Once in the Swell, I drove up a wide sandy wash to engage the lockers and give them a little exercise. I was in love. It was great, except I was afraid to take on anything too rocky for fear I would damage something underneath, or tear off those flimsy running boards.
Finally, about a week or so before Moab, my wife said she would pay for the cruiser to be lifted. (yes, she has ALL the money) She said, “It just doesn’t look right.” I sure got lucky. I went with the OME J’s up front, and then the 863 rears. ( I just recently swapped out the 863’s for the 864’s as I get a bit of sag when loaded with gear) It sat just a hair taller in the rear than the front, as it does now with the 864’s. Now, I felt a little more comfortable driving it off road. When we made it down to Moab, we immediately ran Fins n Things to get comfortable on the slickrock again. I was pleasantly surprised to find the tires stuck quite well on the rock, and the suspension was very compliant on the rough terrain.
We were camping in Arches National Park during our trip, and I noticed a decent 4x4 road within the park that I had never been down. I found only one spot that I engaged the lockers. It certainly didn’t need it, but I was so anxious to utilize them, I threw in the rear, and easily walked up the minor obstacle that had moments before caused my tires to spin, halting forward progress. We made it out to the arch, and hiked over to it, and enjoyed lunch.
Since then, I have taken the truck on multiple trips, one of which took me over 1300 miles in 5 days. Since February, I have completed, or have added the following:
OME Suspension, J Springs with 864 rears
OME Caster Correction bushings
Slee swaybar drop brackets, f/r
Slee extended brakelines
285/75/16 Big O XT’s
ARB Front Bumper
Yakima Mega Warrior Basket with shovel mount
IPF Lights
Slee Step Sliders
National Luna Dual Battery setup
Extended differential breathers
Engel 35 quart fridge
Cargo area 12v plugs
Safari Snorkel
Glove box full of Strawberry Little Tree Air Fresheners
The following preventative and baseline maintenance has also been completed:
Blue Silicon Pesky Heater Hose
New plugs/wires/distributor/rotor
Air filter
Brakes
Throttle body cleaning
Front axle rebuild
Brake fluid flush
Transmission Flush
Switched oil to Mobil 1
Transfer case service
Rear differential service
Cooling system flush
Fuel Filter
All parts used were OEM Toyota, in order to maintain the reliability of the vehicle. It runs exceptionally well, and even with a roof top tent or large Yakima basket on top, I pull a fairly consistent 12-14 mpg with a light foot.
I have a friend who is employed by the Local Lexus dealer. I had read somewhere that any Lexus dealer will print a maintenance history for the vehicle, outlining any dealer-performed services. As the carfax report showed regular dealer maintenance, I was hoping to get a more detailed picture of what had been done to my truck. I went in to see Roger, (we happen to share the same name) and he printed out a fairly detailed list of what had been completed at Bob Baker Lexus in California.
Amazingly it was serviced at the dealer for every oil change, every brake job, detail, etc. All of the common things that appear to go out on a regular basis had been replaced. It listed that at 62k, the head gasket had been replaced. I was told that sometimes things are entered in the computer incorrectly, but I figure if it was done, great, and if not, I will deal with that when or if a problem arises.
Future modifications to this vehicle include a rear Hannah dual swing-out bumper, Slee skid plates (both ac dryer and t-case), rear cargo storage system, and a winch.
Overall, my build is pretty basic as far as off-the-shelf products, and kept mostly simple, without modifying the super reliability of the Toyota drive train. I really enjoy driving it, and do so on a daily basis, on my way to my teaching job. It gets regular use on back roads and continually amazes me what it is able to do off-road. I am constantly asked, “What is that black thing coming off your truck, an exhaust?”
I also really enjoy people asking, “Do you really wheel a Lexus?” as well as people who like to take pictures of it because “They have to get a picture of a Lexus off-roading.”
Thanks to the MUD members for all of the insight I have gathered over the past few years. It is amazing how I can simply search for a topic, and find exactly what I am looking for in a short period of time, and remedy the issue.
Last edited:
(thanks Dave, Trent, et. al.)
