“Sully” 1994 FZJ80 Light Build (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 17, 2020
Threads
1
Messages
39
Location
Detroit, MI
Hello all,

I'm a new member to MUD, but I’ve had a few Toyota’s in the last few years. My passion started when I test drove a base model 1986 Toyota pickup. Single cab, short bed, 5 speed. 4x4. 22r. I then moved on to a 3rd gen 4runner. I currently own a 1985 Toyota pickup Xtra cab 4x4 and a 1986 4runner. I’ve always wanted an FJ60, but I didn’t have the money for that.

Not too long ago I fell in love with the 80, and started my search for one to buy. Obviously prices on these have gone way up recently, and finding a clean one in Michigan was going to be difficult to find.
After a few months of searching, I stumbled on this ‘94. I definitely didn’t need it, but I really wanted it. Plan is to build it up a bit to do some camping and off roading in Michigan. The 4Runner does a good job for that now, but this will probably be much comfier and better suited for longer road trips. (Minus the MPGs of course)

It was posted on MUD, but they weren’t really a MUD member.

2 owner. Bone stock. 240,000 miles. Spent its entire life in Georgia and had recently been moved up to Michigan. Decent maintenance history. Hadnt been driven much in the last couple years. But it did have some recent repairs by the PO right before selling. Ran and drove great. Idled nice. ice cold AC. Triple locked. NO rust. Good body. Flaky hood and roof. Good price. I had to pull the trigger.

These are the sellers pictures.

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Kinda ass backwards, but I started with the interior.

It had a 90's aftermarket stereo system that I was not a fan of. Custom made boxes for the rear door panels and the front kick panels. As well as a TON of wiring hidden behind the center console, dash, and interior panels. I like the stock interior look, and wanted to start fresh.


Custom speaker boxes on rear doors:
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They screwed through the door panel to mount the box, so I had to find some new ones.
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Custom kick panel speaker boxes. The driver side one was very annoying to drive with. My foot constantly kicked it. Had to get new kick panels as well.
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The massive amount of wiring I collected...
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Aftermarket column radio controls. The column clamshell was cracked, so I had to get a new one of these as well.
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Welcome to MUD and the 80!!
Looks like a nice rig. Low Mike’s, no rust, and locked. You found a good one.

What are your plans for the truck?
 
Welcome to MUD and the 80!!
Looks like a nice rig. Low Mike’s, no rust, and locked. You found a good one.

What are your plans for the truck?
Thanks!

I've done some work so far that I will post about soon. But my plans over the winter just include some basic maintenance. As much as I would love to drive it right now, its going to stay in the garage and off Michigan's salty roads. Once spring time comes, hoping to take it off roading and camping.
 
Gave the engine bay a clean so I can see what I'm working with and track any leaks. Much more pleasant working on a clean engine.

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Shot some paint on the wheels. They weren't in horrible condition, but definitely needed some love.

Scuffed, primed, painted. Used VHT graphite paint. I was debating between this color and black; I'm happy with my decision.

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I'm kinda ballin' on a budget, but really wanted some 35's for this beast. I put my 33's from my 4Runner up against the 80, but thought they just looked too small. 37's would have been AWESOME, but definitely overkill for what I need (even the 35's are overkill)

The Patagonia Milestars got amazing reviews and were only $167/ tire for 315/75/16 with free shipping from Wally World. I couldn't pass it up.
So far, very pleased with the tire.

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Gave the engine bay a clean so I can see what I'm working with and track any leaks. Much more pleasant working on a clean engine.

View attachment 2554055

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You may want to take a look at your heater valve. I posted a pic like this not too long ago and someone pointed out the brown discoloration means it should probably be replaced now before it leaves you stranded.
I did mine and they were right, it was beginning to crumble.
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You may want to take a look at your heater valve. I posted a pic like this not too long ago and someone pointed out the brown discoloration means it should probably be replaced now before it leaves you stranded.
I did mine and they were right, it was beginning to crumble.

Thanks for the advice! I actually just replaced that the other day along with the PHH.
 
I've been running the same Milestar tires that you're installing for about 4 years, they started out great, now not so much. When they were new they were very quite at highway speeds, but as they have gotten older, and the rubber has gotten harder, they have gotten very loud. Along with the noise, the tread is not wearing very well, along with other issues. I hope you have better luck with your set, but if i had it to do over again, I'd buy a different tire. One more thing, i really hope when you bought your tires you bought the road hazard warranty too, because i think you'll need it, just like i did. Below is a link to a thread i started when i first bought these tires, along with photos, and updates.
 
I've been running the same Milestar tires that you're installing for about 4 years, they started out great, now not so much. When they were new they were very quite at highway speeds, but as they have gotten older, and the rubber has gotten harder, they have gotten very loud. Along with the noise, the tread is not wearing very well, along with other issues. I hope you have better luck with your set, but if i had it to do over again, I'd buy a different tire. One more thing, i really hope when you bought your tires you bought the road hazard warranty too, because i think you'll need it, just like i did. Below is a link to a thread i started when i first bought these tires, along with photos, and updates.
Dang, sorry to hear that. I hope my experience is better. I won't be driving the 80 too much, so hopefully I can get a few good years out of them. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Been a while since I’ve posted on here.

Done a decent amount of maintenance, added a 2” Ironman Lift with 30mm spacer up front, got the lockers functioning, and more.
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Painted the valve cover when it was out when doing some maintenance.
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Early this summer the fiancée wanted to try out sleeping in the cruiser on our camping trips. She obviously tells me this a day before we planned to head out..

I always wanted to build a sleeping platform/rear storage. On the tight timeline, this was built just to see if we liked actually sleeping in the landcruiser over sleeping in a tent. A proof of concept before I spent the time, money, and effort building an actual sleeping/storage setup.

Couple pieces of scrap plywood from the garage and storage containers we already had.
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Privacy panels suction cupped to the windows
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Window screen sleeves for ventilation
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The proof of concept was a success, So to the drawing board I went..

My ideal setup with a fridge, drawers slides, lights, extra outlets, permanent stove, water pump, etc. was definitely out of the budget and extremely overkill for what we’d actually need. It would have been a really fun project though..


Learning from the the first iteration:

-Overall the platform was too tall. I knew this was going to be an issue, but I needed to fit my 17” tall cooler and storage containers. With the limited sleeping space, it made moving around and changing difficult. Going forward the only thing truly dictating the height was my cooler.
Fix: Bought a new cooler. Engel 45qt. 14” tall. It was the shortest, biggest, quality cooler I could find. I really like it.

-Suction cupped window covers didn’t seem to stick well, especially on the rear window with the defroster.
Fix: Made new panels about an inch wider and taller and secured them to the window with Velcro on the rubber surrounding the window. The passenger windows still have the suction cups because the window covering has to stay with the window as it goes up and down when controlling the amount of ventilation.

-Cooler location was on the driver side passenger door. It was a pain to slide out and set on the ground every time we needed something. The water jug was in the same location and was equally annoying.
Fix: Move it to the back. Get a new water jug that will fit in the drawer and make it the first item in the drawer for easy access.

-I hated having things in bins. It was cluttered and every time you needed something, you’d have to pull the bin out, put it on the ground, find what you need, and put it back in.
Fix: Build a drawer that will house the items we always use. This is mainly our food, water, stove, propane, dishes, chairs, and other random essentials.

Other “must haves” that haven’t been mentioned:
-Ability to use the storage unit with or without the 2nd row
-Ability to use the sleeping platform with or without the second row.
-Easily removable
-Budget friendly
-Quiet; no rattling handles, locks, etc.
-Maximize space available
-Extra counter space
-Everything has its place (stove, water, cooler, propane, utensils, etc)
-Easy to use

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The drawer just slides wood on wood. It’s a little heavy when loaded down, but honestly nothing to complain about. The extra counter slide is supported by an adjustable pole on the end (not shown)
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This section is easily removable. These support legs obviously wouldn’t be in place if the seats are in. The platform would be supported by the seats in that situation (I haven’t fully completed that scenario yet)
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In order to support the bed fully while still able to slide the box in an out, the sides are hinged. The wings are supported by metal L brackets slide into position for easy removal/install
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First weekend out with it was a success!
C92242C3-AD3D-4127-9744-CA4B1C36047B.jpeg
 
The proof of concept was a success, So to the drawing board I went..

My ideal setup with a fridge, drawers slides, lights, extra outlets, permanent stove, water pump, etc. was definitely out of the budget and extremely overkill for what we’d actually need. It would have been a really fun project though..


Learning from the the first iteration:

-Overall the platform was too tall. I knew this was going to be an issue, but I needed to fit my 17” tall cooler and storage containers. With the limited sleeping space, it made moving around and changing difficult. Going forward the only thing truly dictating the height was my cooler.
Fix: Bought a new cooler. Engel 45qt. 14” tall. It was the shortest, biggest, quality cooler I could find. I really like it.

-Suction cupped window covers didn’t seem to stick well, especially on the rear window with the defroster.
Fix: Made new panels about an inch wider and taller and secured them to the window with Velcro on the rubber surrounding the window. The passenger windows still have the suction cups because the window covering has to stay with the window as it goes up and down when controlling the amount of ventilation.

-Cooler location was on the driver side passenger door. It was a pain to slide out and set on the ground every time we needed something. The water jug was in the same location and was equally annoying.
Fix: Move it to the back. Get a new water jug that will fit in the drawer and make it the first item in the drawer for easy access.

-I hated having things in bins. It was cluttered and every time you needed something, you’d have to pull the bin out, put it on the ground, find what you need, and put it back in.
Fix: Build a drawer that will house the items we always use. This is mainly our food, water, stove, propane, dishes, chairs, and other random essentials.

Other “must haves” that haven’t been mentioned:
-Ability to use the storage unit with or without the 2nd row
-Ability to use the sleeping platform with or without the second row.
-Easily removable
-Budget friendly
-Quiet; no rattling handles, locks, etc.
-Maximize space available
-Extra counter space
-Everything has its place (stove, water, cooler, propane, utensils, etc)
-Easy to use

View attachment 2803225

The drawer just slides wood on wood. It’s a little heavy when loaded down, but honestly nothing to complain about. The extra counter slide is supported by an adjustable pole on the end (not shown)
View attachment 2803222


This section is easily removable. These support legs obviously wouldn’t be in place if the seats are in. The platform would be supported by the seats in that situation (I haven’t fully completed that scenario yet)
View attachment 2803221

In order to support the bed fully while still able to slide the box in an out, the sides are hinged. The wings are supported by metal L brackets slide into position for easy removal/install
View attachment 2803226


First weekend out with it was a success!
View attachment 2803224
If you do not mind, I wanted to follow up on your sleeping platform. Has the current height still been comfortable for you?
 
If you do not mind, I wanted to follow up on your sleeping platform. Has the current height still been comfortable for you?
I have only used it a time or two. The bed is great for sleeping, but moving around up there is not ideal. I usually just change my clothes outside, but it is doable up there. I wouldn't make it any shorter because I love all the storage space below the bed. Also, any shorter and I wouldn't be able to use my cooler, water jug, or stove (in the configuration i have it) or clear the second row seats when folded (if I ever put the second row back in for whatever reason).

The only thing I would change right now is the mattress. It's a mish mosh of mattress pads and camping sleeping pads. Its comfy, but takes up too much room.
 

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