Sold my 40, picked up an 80....got a couple questions....

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car-car

car-car

Joined
Feb 26, 2008
Threads
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Location
San Diego
So, I got into the Land Cruiser scene a few years ago when I picked up an '82 FJ40, and have been hooked like a Cruiser junkie...(yeah, I know I'm the only one here, right?). I loved the 40, but I wanted to include the entire family in the Cruiser obsession, so I reluctantly sold the 40 for the more "family friendly" 80 series. The 40 was great for my son and I to take camping and trail-riding, but I wanted to bring my wife and daughter along on our adventures and get into more expedition style camping/adventures. So, my quest for an 80 began. I found this '97 80 series in good shape that had just been built up, and jumped on the opportunity. As much as I loved the 40 and still kind of miss it, this 80 is pretty cool. Combines the ruggedness and capability of the 40, and takes it to another level with comfort and accomodation for the entire family.

Now, if I can just keep the wife from taking it over.... (which is kinda hot to see the wife driving around in the modded Cruiser...). Which is a step in the right direction, considering she wouldn't ride in the 40 since it was "too bumpy, loud, and stinky"...

My questions are as follows: We are getting ready to take it on a long camping/road trip next week; and I have been in the process of baselining it to make sure all is well. I wanted to see if there are any other things I need to take into account / do before we go? Here is more info:



History:
  • 189k currently on the clock
  • I picked up the rig about 3 weeks ago, and drove it back approx. 1000 miles without issues. A/C did get warm when traveling through Nevada/Vegas (100 degrees outside). Stock temp gauge was unmoved during the trip back (pretty certain it hasn't gotten RavenTai's temp gauge mod).
  • Mods all have < 5k on them (PO built it, and then had to sell due to medical reasons)
  • Per the PO, the PHH was done by his PO, approx. 25k miles ago. I need to look at this to verify.
  • Per the PO, head gasket has not been done to his knowledge (it does appear to have grey FPG in the half-moon sections at the front of the head)
  • New radiator, hoses, and coolant
  • Had the belts (OEM) done today by mechanic friend familiar with Toyota's, who didn't see any glaring issues that stood out to him
  • I have baselined other fluids (which all looked good): oil/filter, brake fluid flush/bleed, tranny fluid, transfer case, diffs, power steering fluid, recharged A/C, greased u-joints/driveshafts.
  • PO said spark plugs and wires were new. I replaced the new K&N with an aftermarket disposable after reading negative reviews on dirt filtering capabilities on the K&N
  • Slight oil seepage from what appears to be rear seal: coming from where the bellhousing meets the tranny (maybe getting one small drop when sitting overnight)
  • It is a little sluggish off the line (but I do tend to be light on the skinny petal in efforts to be easy on it; and the fact that gas is currently $3.20 per gallon), but it holds speed fine. I drove a fellow Mud member's rig who had done Landtanks MAF upgrade, and did notice a significant difference, so that will be something to do down the line.
I will be adding a bit of a load for our trip next week, which will be warm (traveling through Arizona, Utah, and Nevada). Will be traveling stocked full with camping gear, as well as a large RTT up top. I plan to drive easy, but wanted to see if there is anything I might have overlooked that I might need to check/do over the next few days before we leave?

Thanks in advance for all of your ideas/advice.



Mods on the 80:
  • OME 3" lift
  • 285's on blacked out Tacoma wheels
  • ARB bull bar
  • Superwinch w/ sythetic line
  • Lightforce 170's w/ Slee harness
  • Slee step sliders and t-case skid plate
  • Safari Snorkel
  • Kaymar rear tire carrier
  • CB w/ Firestik
  • Durabak'd fenders and hood
  • Serengeti RTT (to be mounted)
  • Load Bars by Groucho (to be mounted)
  • ARB awning (to be mounted)
  • and, yes, its factory locked
And without further ado, a couple pics:
  1. My FJ40 I sold
  2. The Imperial Land Cruiser
  3. Drives a lot different than the FJ40
Thanks.
CL Pic 1.webp
DSC03873_small.webp
DSC03874.webp
 
1) Sweet 40 :)
2) Sweet 80 :)
3) Looks like you have a done a pretty good job on research and base lining :D

Dont got much else to offer, other than :cheers: to the 80.
 
Nice 80
 
Thanks guys. I actually found it on Expedition Portal.
 
Very nice rig! You may want to mod your fan clutch and I would
install a scangauge if I were you, best way to monitor cooling system.
Good luck!! Steve
 
I loved the 40, my favorite color. Looked at your ad several times

I recognize the 80. Think it belonged to FJBEN in northern colorado

Looks like you have done a lot of the required work. Changing the fluid in the fan clutch is pretty easy. I didn't change the temp settings, just the fluid
 
Rough to have sold that beautiful 40, but the 80 looks super sweet. Nice!
 
car-car said:
History:
  • 189k currently on the clock
  • I picked up the rig about 3 weeks ago, and drove it back approx. 1000 miles without issues. A/C did get warm when traveling through Nevada/Vegas (100 degrees outside). Stock temp gauge was unmoved during the trip back (pretty certain it hasn't gotten RavenTai's temp gauge mod).
  • Mods all have < 5k on them (PO built it, and then had to sell due to medical reasons)
  • Per the PO, the PHH was done by his PO, approx. 25k miles ago. I need to look at this to verify.
  • Per the PO, head gasket has not been done to his knowledge (it does appear to have grey FPG in the half-moon sections at the front of the head)
  • New radiator, hoses, and coolant
  • Had the belts (OEM) done today by mechanic friend familiar with Toyota's, who didn't see any glaring issues that stood out to him
So I am also fairly new to the 80's and noticed the same as highlighted in red. Whats the significance of that? I wondered when I saw that.
Click to expand...
 
Howdy! Looks good! Congrats from another recent convert to the 80's Urge. After 34 years in older Cruisers, I finally caved in and picked mine up in April. I'd recommend that you go with the OEM air filter as it is a really good unit and it is washable. Since you didn't have a snorkel on your 40, does seem to block the view much, or is it pretty easy to adjust to? John
 
40thAnnivCruiser said:
car-car said:
History:
  • 189k currently on the clock
  • I picked up the rig about 3 weeks ago, and drove it back approx. 1000 miles without issues. A/C did get warm when traveling through Nevada/Vegas (100 degrees outside). Stock temp gauge was unmoved during the trip back (pretty certain it hasn't gotten RavenTai's temp gauge mod).
  • Mods all have < 5k on them (PO built it, and then had to sell due to medical reasons)
  • Per the PO, the PHH was done by his PO, approx. 25k miles ago. I need to look at this to verify.
  • Per the PO, head gasket has not been done to his knowledge (it does appear to have grey FPG in the half-moon sections at the front of the head)
  • New radiator, hoses, and coolant
  • Had the belts (OEM) done today by mechanic friend familiar with Toyota's, who didn't see any glaring issues that stood out to him
So I am also fairly new to the 80's and noticed the same as highlighted in red. Whats the significance of that? I wondered when I saw that.
Click to expand...

This usually means someone replaced the VALVE cover gasket at one point and not the head gasket which would be impossible to tell without actual records or opening the head up yourself to find out :)
Click to expand...
 
Romer said:
I loved the 40, my favorite color. Looked at your ad several times

I recognize the 80. Think it belonged to FJBEN in northern colorado

Looks like you have done a lot of the required work. Changing the fluid in the fan clutch is pretty easy. I didn't change the temp settings, just the fluid
Click to expand...

Thanks guys. I don't know if it was FJBen. The PO was pretty much exclusively on Expo Portal, and he built it up quickly over the five or six months, so all the mods are new.

I stopped by the local dealer and they only had the 3000 cst fluid fan clutch oil available. I know CDan is the way to go, but I was hoping to do this today/tomorrow before we leave in a few days. I figured new 3000 cst factory fluid would probably be a short-term upgrade until I could source some in the 10k range. Picked it up anyway, and was just tearing into it, and found that I have the Eaton fan clutch (big hint was the Torx bolts, which of course I don't have the tools for). I pulled the clutch when the motor was hot, and it has good, smooth resistance. I may try to find some Torx tools in the morning (everything closed now...), and if not, I will put the clutch back on and just keep a good eye on it and do it right when I get back.

Thanks again to everyone for your kind words and good advice. I appreciate it.
 
timer00 said:
40thAnnivCruiser said:
This usually means someone replaced the VALVE cover gasket at one point and not the head gasket which would be impossible to tell without actual records or opening the head up yourself to find out :)
Click to expand...

That makes more sense now that you mention it. The half moons are where the valve cover meets with the head. It just didn't look as clean as what I would expect from factory, which led me to believe something had been done at some point.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...
 
I bought my fluid at a remote control hobby shop. Same stuff

I did a mix of 10,000 and 6,000 and guess I got around 8.

Works fine, but probably would have just went with the 10,000 stuff now. Thought it might be too thick
 
I think I will do the clutch fluid replacement when I get back with 10k, as I am going to start running out of time before the trip. Everything went well a couple weeks ago when I drove it back after purchasing, so with the new belts, fluids, and checking everything, and knowing the history, I am hoping all is well. I will bring tools/parts/fluids for emergency situations, and take her easy.

Also checked brakes today, and still have at least 2/3 front and rear.

Spent the day making some drawers (home-made = ghetto fabbed) for the rear cargo area. I'll post up pics once I have them installed (waiting for the paint to dry). There are nicer out there (by a long shot, but these will serve their purpose). Building up as a expo rig, so one drawer will be tools/recovery, and the other to be convenience items (food for lunches, stuff for the kids, items for along the way).

Still need to mount the load bars/brackets from Groucho, the RTT, and an awning. Crunch time.

Thanks again to all for your input.
 
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