"So what happened was..." Build (1 Viewer)

[dubdub20003]

As it seems this will be a long-term build, I think I owe it to my new ride to document.

So what happened was I grew up in New England where rust was the ultimate killer... you could never win, you could just hope to stay in the game long enough to survive. So when I saw this 2001 LC posted down in Atlanta that was completely rust free I was hooked. Sure it had 348,000 miles, but I thought what could go wrong... Everything else is fixable. However, I did not mean that I WANTED to fix everything else, but apparently the car gods did not hear my thought processes clearly!

I hopped on a plane the next day on a one-way ticket and had a flawless drive back to DC... its new home. What could go wrong?

 

[Mike NXP]

" What could go wrong? "

She looks good and no rust is a plus.....but what could go wrong at 350k+ miles? A LOT... I'll stay tuned for more.

 

[dubdub20003]

So what happened was a few weeks later I brought the truck out to OTRAMM to have a good post inspection completed, so that I could work up a plan of attack on whatever systems needed attention... but based on my 800 mile jaunt home from Atlanta, I was feeling pretty good.

That didn't last long. When Cody called he had the tone of a doctor telling a patient they had a few weeks to live... the news was both grave and voluminous. While I had been expecting some news of worn systems, I did not anticipate that the news would be bad on nearly all fronts. Oh, I forgot to note that on the day between when I saw the car and bought it, I was able to track down a former mechanic that worked on the truck from Carfax, and he remembered the truck well and said the owner was one of the good ones, that fixed everything that came up... I forgot to ask if they were a one of the good ones and flagged all the issues that were on the ride!).

The list was long - axle boots ripped and worn, drive flanges practically smooth, whiny steering pump, rack and bushings worn out and leaking, brakes all around near end-of-life, mounts and bushings throughout worn and aged, play in bearings on both sides, T-case leaking front and rear, some lights out, ABS, TRAC, TRAC Off, and Brake lights all lit on dash... but they held out the worst news for the end. While they were not sure, they thought the oil pump gasket might be leaking on the front of the engine.. and after paying them a few hours to open up and confirm, that was their assessment, which by the book is an engine-out fix.

When MGM licenses the rights to this story, this will be known as the low point, filled will maudlin music, when you're not sure if they hero of the story (the LC) will pull through... but there will be a second act!

 

[Mike NXP]

The list was long - axle boots ripped and worn, drive flanges practically smooth, whiny steering pump, rack and bushings worn out and leaking, brakes all around near end-of-life, mounts and bushings throughout worn and aged, play in bearings on both sides, T-case leaking front and rear, some lights out, ABS, TRAC, TRAC Off, and Brake lights all lit on dash... but they held out the worst news for the end. While they were not sure, they thought the oil pump gasket might be leaking on the front of the engine.. and after paying them a few hours to open up and confirm, that was their assessment, which by the book is an engine-out fix.

Well let's hear it...how much did you pay?

>>You didn't notice any of these issue while inspecting the vehicle before purchasing ? ( T case leaking, CV boots ripped, oil leak )
>>You didn't have any of these issues ( loud steering pump/ dash lights on/ etc. ) on the drive home??


Poor land cruiser ....

 

[dubdub20003]

So what happened was I happened across a post by 2001LC, and dropped a message to him asking for clarification on a comment he made about pulling an engine not being that big a deal. As I was/am new to the board, I did not know of his past builds... so after trading emails over a few days, we came up with a plan to get my ride on his dance card when he'd be able to find a good window... that DC to CO ride wouldn't be so bad as long as I knew the ride home would be in a safer and more reliable car.

So while I wait patiently on that front, what can I do myself (btw, I forgot to mention I live on a rather busy street in DC, without a drive way or off-street parking, so even the easy jobs are a challenge for me... but I still get up to some stuff.

I can clean! So I started with the back carpet... but that just made the plastic trim on the sides look bad, so that came out too... but then the front carpet looked bad, so out it came as well! So now I have an LC stripped of nearly everything but seats!

 

[dubdub20003]

Well let's hear it...how much did you pay?

>>You didn't notice any of these issue while inspecting the vehicle before purchasing ? ( T case leaking, CV boots ripped, oil leak )
>>You didn't have any of these issues ( loud steering pump/ dash lights on/ etc. ) on the drive home??


Poor land cruiser ....

Well... I mentioned the one-way ticket right? Actually, it gets even worse. It was at a small car dealership outside Atlanta, and he opened it special on a Sunday just for me to process the necessary paper work. I also already sent him a deposit by Venmo so that he didn't sell it to someone else coming to look the afternoon before I could get there. Well, add the one-wat ticket and the deposit to the fact that it was raining pretty hard that morning... he asked if I wanted to take it for a test drive and I said no! Again, as long as it had no rust, I thought I'd figure it out! On many cars in the past, that mantra had served me well... on an LC it is going to cost me dearly to get it straight!

Yes I saw the lights on the dash, but that was just going to be part of the fun... beyond that though, it actually drives quite nice. It is not that these systems are broken, just that they are not long for this world without attention... oh, and the possible engine-out issue!

 

[Mike NXP]

Well... I mentioned the one-way ticket right? Actually, it gets even worse. It was at a small car dealership outside Atlanta, and he opened it special on a Sunday just for me to process the necessary paper work. I also already sent him a deposit by Venmo so that he didn't sell it to someone else coming to look the afternoon before I could get there. Well, add the one-wat ticket and the deposit to the fact that it was raining pretty hard that morning... he asked if I wanted to take it for a test drive and I said no! Again, as long as it had no rust, I thought I'd figure it out! On many cars in the past, that mantra had served me well... on an LC it is going to cost me dearly to get it straight!

Yes I saw the lights on the dash, but that was just going to be part of the fun... beyond that though, it actually drives quite nice. It is not that these systems are broken, just that they are not long for this world without attention... oh, and the possible engine-out issue!

Phew, that's is a sad sad story my friend. Cool to see you didn't give up on it though and I am sure with your story so far you can bring it back to life..... but get ready to empty that piggy bank.

 

[dubdub20003]

So what happened was now that I had the interior out to clean, it seemed like a missed opportunity to not build out a small stereo system to make some of those miles a little easier! I am someone who had big involved stereos in the past, so didn't want to go that deep... but did want something solid, so I made a few purchases which you'll see in the weeks ahead. But the bigger question was, now that I had the interior out, wouldn't it be easy to drop in some sound deadening materials to make those miles a little extra nice.... so down that rabbit hole we'll go!

That's about where I stand today... no wait... the most important thing happened today! New floormats arrived! What could be better than that!?!?

Thanks for reading along on my journey! Looking forward to sharing with you all what happened was...

 

[doublethebass]

damn what a bummer. Hope it all works out for you.

 

[jsloden]

The 100 series is a great vehicle to learn to turn a wrench on. Pretty much each job you listed can be done in a weekend separately, with the exception of the oil pump. There are several videos out there showing how to do most, if not all of those jobs. Some of them are actually posted by OTRAMM. The oil pump could also possibly be leaking from where the timing belt tensioner bolt threads into the front of the oil pump. If thread sealer wasn't used on that bolt when the the timing belt was last done it will leak. Not an afternoon type of job to fix but at least you don't have to take the engine out for it. Mine currently has 447k miles and I've done most of these jobs.

 

[dubdub20003]

So what happened was I saw the stripped interior as an opportunity to add some sound deadening. I’ve installed layers of damping material before, when no one knew better, but the tech and understanding of sound has led to some new products, so here we go. Second Skin damplifier and luxury liner pro.

 

[dubdub20003]

So rolling on the Damplifier Pro was super easy and way better than another brand I used a decade ago. That was easy… but doing the Luxury liner right is a legit time commitment. Really a big job To get all the pieces to fit back together… and still have lots to do before I know this will! That said, this product is great! It is really heavy and limp. It just flops down and stays there... horizontal surfaces that is. while all the cutouts in the floor are a pain… the bits under the front seats were both a blessing and a curse. A pain to account for all the holes, but once the ac unit and vent and the amp rack are screwed back in, they hold it tight! I still have front passenger seat and all the doors to do. More pics to come.

 

[dubdub20003]

The Luxury Liner pro is a combo of closed cell foam and a layer of vinyl… it is probably between 3/8 and. 1/2“ thick. Obviously, if you try to just layer it down, none of the hardware will fit back together. Second Skin recommends not cutting the vinal, so I did my best to thin out the contact points for every seat connection, tie down, and any other screw that has to connect. It takes a lot of time, and often found I missed one and had to go back. I am already bracing for the pain that will be putting the carpet back in… assuming it will have to go in and out a few times to get everything to line up.

 

[dubdub20003]

Also while things were out… just because they are covered by carpet and plastic, doesn’t mean they don’t want to be made pretty too!

And while I am not super happy about this solution, I just needed something in and working, and I will revisit in the future, but I decided to just swap out the stock subwoofer for a 6” Memphis dual voice coil sub. Someone over on DIY Mobile practically gave the Memphis for free, after I asked what might work in such a tiny box… they just had no use for it. I have had systems that could really pound... that is not what I want for the 100 at all, but do want it to sound nice. I am hoping the sound deadening will lower the sound floor and make this a viable option for now. I really do not have the time to breakout the fiberglass right now for a better solution... and yes I installed the sub upside down, didn’t notice until it was all sealed up and cured, so wasn‘t going to redo just for an unseen label.

One upside, I was able to get the luxury liner behind the sub, under it, and all the way back to the rear, behind the jack. They said the key to a good instal is trying to get as much coverage as you can, for every place you miss creates a window for sound to come in. Like cracking a window, it doesn’t take much to allow all the noise from outside in! I may need slightly longer hardware to get the sub to sit right behind the trim panel, but it should work.

 

[dubdub20003]

A first for me… I never weeded a car before! I almost felt bad pulling it out. I live in DC and they say things grow easy here… they mean it.

 

[dubdub20003]

Anyone know what the yellow electrical connection on the left side of the pic? It was not attached to anything, and I couldn’t see anything to which it could attach. The heated seat connection is in white and that was connected.

 

[LCposer]

Anyone know what the yellow electrical connection on the left side of the pic? It was not attached to anything, and I couldn’t see anything to which it could attach. The heated seat connection is in white and that was connected.

View attachment 3015173

Found this same lonely connector when replacing carpet recently. So far I haven't figured it out. I'm convinced it was never connected. Of course my before/reference photos didn't catch it. And google has failed me.

I had a bear of a time getting the large, rear wheel well plastic panels back in after installing mass backed (rubber backed) carpet and installing sound deadener underneath. There was enough material to let the rubber backed carpet go up and over the wheel wells so I wanted to let it.becaise I thought it would be good for noise. But the panel simply wouldn't go back on over the carpeted wheel wells. I'm rooting for you to have a better experience and figure out what I couldn't

 

[dubdub20003]

So I have already cut off the part of the panels that previously slid under the carpet… so it will just go down vertical and tuck next to the carpet and sound deadening material. We’ll see if it will be enough.

 

[excessive]

the prognosis isn't that bad, for the miles that it has , you're gonna have some leaks. I'd say address the drive flanges ( $50 each) and the axles ($400 ea) and leave the rest of the stuff for another day... or never.

 

[dubdub20003]

Appreciate the guidance. I want to be the one to roll it over 500k, so will get to it all eventually!