- Year
- 1997
- Vehicle Model
- 80 Series
- Location
- United States
Temporally No Longer for sale. I am swapping in the N4500.
I’m putting up for sell my x3 locked 1997 LX450 with a 5.9 Cummins engine swap. I built this for reliability, not for show. Every piece of rubber or bushing has been replaced and there is near to no rust (Arizona Vehicle). The whole drive train and suspension has been rebuilt. I’ve put about 15k miles on this since I’ve got this up and running. I’ve updated and replaced other parts since then. This truck is quick and fun to drive. I live at 6500 ft elevation and work at 2500 ft elevation, a 2-hour trip each way I drive weekly in this LX. This car is quick and fun to drive. I almost don’t feel the hills cruising at 70+ mph. I get 17-19 mpg when I go from Phoenix uphill into the mountains. I did a 4,000 mile family trip in this car earlier this year with no mechanical issues.
For this swap, I purchased the Diesel Adapters kit. I was one of his last customers, so my kit was a later generation with much of the kinks worked out of it.
I didn’t build this for show vehicle, hence original paint and seats. I fixed, repaired and replaced what matters to make this car reliable and basically “new” in things that matter. There are more things done to this car than what is listed below. Don’t expect this car to be a shiny, mud less vehicle. This is my daily driver that is intended to be used reliably, not gawked at. I do all I can to be honest about this car. I intend to not hold back any information about this car, the good and the bad. That’s what I hope a seller would do for me. This car will not pass emissions and is registered as a gas vehicle, not a diesel.
I hate to see this thing go. I have 2.5 years into it. I am looking for a crew cab or 4x4 1st Gen Cummins Dodge truck and a short bed dually I can combine to make into a “shorty crew cab”. I know, I know . . . . heresy, but if anyone has something like that to throw into the deal I may be interested. I would like to tow more and have a more logical work truck.
I was about to swap in a NV4500 to replace the a343 and then I decided to go a different direction. I have almost everything needed (or will have it in the next month or so) for that swap. Rebuilt Cryogenically treated NV4500, bell housing, transmission adapter, Kevlar Phoenix Clutches 2 Stage clutch, fork, hydraulic hose, and pedal, just waiting to tell the tranny shop to pull the trigger and finish the tranny build. I am missing the NV4500 to HF2AV adaptor that can be purchased from Wits End. Everyone complains about the lack of power in the 80 series FJZ80 Land Cruiser. I have learned that although the engine is the majority of the problem, there is a bit of power loss in the torque converter when it is unlocked. This possibly could be fixed by a different torque converter or shift kit. But, if the NV4500 is something you would want in lieu of the auto tranny, we can work in a deal. I don’t intend to lose any money on these parts because they could be used on my next project.
On another note, I would love to use this Cummins motor on my next project. If you want me to remove the Cummins and purchase this LX without the motor, I’m up for that! This is the way I’d prefer to sell the car. The stock 4.5 gasser motor should fit right back in, or maybe you want to do a 2UZ or LS V8 swap on a trusted chassis. The only frame modifications I remember doing were the two intercooler pipes I welded through the front cross member, lowering the front support bar so the Cummins would fit, and a bracket I welded on near the transmission for the exhaust piping. You would have to get an ECU, a new wiring harness, OEM bellhousing, torque converter, and a few other things. I still have the air filter and charcoal cannister and a few other items. I would let you drive the car first before I removed anything.
Now for the details. When I say “new” below, the parts were replaced or rebuilt in the last 15k miles when I got the car back on the road. Some 500 miles ago.
Engine:
Transmission:
Transfer case:
Drive Shafts Down
Suspension:
Cooling:
Electrical:
Miscellaneous:
I’d like to thank all those on ih8mud who have helped me with this project!
Asking $34,999 obo. That’s a bit less than what I have into this vehicle. I’m not hurting to sell it but am open to reasonable offers
236k miles
Cody
I’m not available Sundays to respond to emails, take calls, or show the vehicle. I’ll respond the next day. No joy rides please, I have things to do. I'm available to show it mon-thurs in the Phoenix metro area and fri-sat in Northern eastern Arizona.
Notes About pictures:
I’m putting up for sell my x3 locked 1997 LX450 with a 5.9 Cummins engine swap. I built this for reliability, not for show. Every piece of rubber or bushing has been replaced and there is near to no rust (Arizona Vehicle). The whole drive train and suspension has been rebuilt. I’ve put about 15k miles on this since I’ve got this up and running. I’ve updated and replaced other parts since then. This truck is quick and fun to drive. I live at 6500 ft elevation and work at 2500 ft elevation, a 2-hour trip each way I drive weekly in this LX. This car is quick and fun to drive. I almost don’t feel the hills cruising at 70+ mph. I get 17-19 mpg when I go from Phoenix uphill into the mountains. I did a 4,000 mile family trip in this car earlier this year with no mechanical issues.
For this swap, I purchased the Diesel Adapters kit. I was one of his last customers, so my kit was a later generation with much of the kinks worked out of it.
I didn’t build this for show vehicle, hence original paint and seats. I fixed, repaired and replaced what matters to make this car reliable and basically “new” in things that matter. There are more things done to this car than what is listed below. Don’t expect this car to be a shiny, mud less vehicle. This is my daily driver that is intended to be used reliably, not gawked at. I do all I can to be honest about this car. I intend to not hold back any information about this car, the good and the bad. That’s what I hope a seller would do for me. This car will not pass emissions and is registered as a gas vehicle, not a diesel.
I hate to see this thing go. I have 2.5 years into it. I am looking for a crew cab or 4x4 1st Gen Cummins Dodge truck and a short bed dually I can combine to make into a “shorty crew cab”. I know, I know . . . . heresy, but if anyone has something like that to throw into the deal I may be interested. I would like to tow more and have a more logical work truck.
I was about to swap in a NV4500 to replace the a343 and then I decided to go a different direction. I have almost everything needed (or will have it in the next month or so) for that swap. Rebuilt Cryogenically treated NV4500, bell housing, transmission adapter, Kevlar Phoenix Clutches 2 Stage clutch, fork, hydraulic hose, and pedal, just waiting to tell the tranny shop to pull the trigger and finish the tranny build. I am missing the NV4500 to HF2AV adaptor that can be purchased from Wits End. Everyone complains about the lack of power in the 80 series FJZ80 Land Cruiser. I have learned that although the engine is the majority of the problem, there is a bit of power loss in the torque converter when it is unlocked. This possibly could be fixed by a different torque converter or shift kit. But, if the NV4500 is something you would want in lieu of the auto tranny, we can work in a deal. I don’t intend to lose any money on these parts because they could be used on my next project.
On another note, I would love to use this Cummins motor on my next project. If you want me to remove the Cummins and purchase this LX without the motor, I’m up for that! This is the way I’d prefer to sell the car. The stock 4.5 gasser motor should fit right back in, or maybe you want to do a 2UZ or LS V8 swap on a trusted chassis. The only frame modifications I remember doing were the two intercooler pipes I welded through the front cross member, lowering the front support bar so the Cummins would fit, and a bracket I welded on near the transmission for the exhaust piping. You would have to get an ECU, a new wiring harness, OEM bellhousing, torque converter, and a few other things. I still have the air filter and charcoal cannister and a few other items. I would let you drive the car first before I removed anything.
Now for the details. When I say “new” below, the parts were replaced or rebuilt in the last 15k miles when I got the car back on the road. Some 500 miles ago.
Engine:
- ’92 Cummins 5.9 12v 6bt (135k-ish miles, total)
- Before motor was installed, it was torn down, resealed and painted
- Front and rear main seals, head gasket, everything!
- Motor still had cross hatches in the cylinders.
- Cylinder head was decked before it was replaced
- Killer dowel pin fix
- Adapter to turn motor in front at harmonic balancer
- New oil pump
- New water pump
- New thermostat
- Colt Cam Big Stick III
- New aftermarket tappets.
- New (not rebuilt) Dieseltuff VE stage 1 fuel injection pump
- 3200 gov. Spring
- Billet fuel pun
- High-Volume Low-Pressure piston lift pump for the fuel
- This came from Dieseltuff.com It’s specially designed for the VE pump. More reliable delivers more fuel, and maintains a higher, but safe fuel pressure to the injection pump
- Vacuum pump resealed
- New power steering pump and hoses
- New alternator
- Charging wire upgraded to thicker wire
- I took the voltage regulator off the Toyota alternator and put it on the Dodge
- New 134a air conditioning compressor
- Rubber AC hoses new (except one)
- Filter dryer relocated up into battery box
- New TXV
- Cleaned evaporative coil
- Heater control valve is stuck under the dash. I pulled it too hard when I was adjusting my back valve
- New Fluidampr harmonic balancer (Takes much of the motor shake out)
- New serpentine belt
- New belt tensioner
- New idler bearing
- BDD thicker flex plate
- All new high-pressure oil hoses
- New fuel filter
- New 5x13 injectors
- Speed Steed exhaust manifold
- New HX35w turbo with boost elbow
- Intercooler with 2.5” piping
- Intercooler did get a crack in it that I welded up
- 3” exhaust with muffler
Transmission:
- A343
- Rebuilt by a professional shop in town before it was put back into the LX
- Compushift controller
- Plug in your computer and you can adjust shift points
- New Upgraded transmission cooler
- All new rubber hoses
- At one point my RPM sensor wire broke. When this was happening, my transmission controller thought my engine RPMs were jumping around. Because of this, the computer was locking and in locking the torque converter. I did smell a burning. I checked the transmission fluid afterwards and it didn’t appear burnt. I’ve replaced the plug and I’ve put about 5k miles since then and it is working fine.
Transfer case:
- HF2AV
- Rebuilt, resealed, all bearings replaced
- New taller (.91) high range gears. This put the truck's RPM's right in the torque band where the Cummins likes it when cruising at highway speeds.
- The low range gears are the same. Still has a bunch of torque for the trails. The NV4500 has an even lower first gear if you want to go that route.
Drive Shafts Down
- Drive shafts rebuilt and balanced by a well-respected shop in town
- Both front and rear third members rebuilt by Sierra Expeditions (4.10 gears)
- Both front and rear lockers are new, not rebuilt
- Truck didn’t originally come with lockers. I installed them from a donor vehicle
- Every bearing and seal and gasket has been replaced in both axle’s
- New grease and oil
- Rebuilt front knuckles
- New Chromoly birfields
- Original axles
- New rotors
- New brake pads
- All rubber brakes lines replaced with steel braided. This thing stops great!
- 17” Procomp black wheels (10k miles or less)
- New 34” Toyo Open County II tires
- Matching spare and one extra tire
- I purchased a new tire after my 4000 mi family trip because I adjusted my alignment poorly. So, I have two less than a year old spares with wore tread. still very drivable. One mounted and one not.
Suspension:
- OME 3” lift
- Stiff springs in front
- Medium duty rear springs
- Castor correction
- OME shocks and steering damper
- All new bushings upfront
- I purchased all the bushings for the rear suspension. I haven’t yet pressed them in but will get it done before the car is sold
- Adjustable front panhard bar
- 1” body lift WITH all new bushings, not just the spacers
- This was done in preparation for the NV4500 swap. It also made for better clearance for the tires and wheel wells.
- There is a clunk when going over some bumps that sounds like it's coming from the front panhard bar area. This nose didn't happen until I put the larger tires on.
Cooling:
- New aluminum radiator
- Two Spal Electric fans
- Custom aluminum fan mount
- I have these wired to temperature sensors on the block. One kicks on at a lower temperature. If that one will not get the temperature down, the second kicks in. The fans are also wired into a switch on the dash that I can manually turn on one or both fans as desired. I keep one fan running when the air conditioning is on to keep the compressor from going off on high pressure when the vehicle is stopped.
- The electric fans work great. In fact, once I got the 180* thermostat the fans rarely come on. I have never had the engine run too hot in the middle on the hot Phoenix AZ desert summer stuck in traffic. The whole cooling system holds about 5 gallons of coolant.
Electrical:
- (2) X2 Power Blue top batteries
- These aren't cheap AutoZone batteries. $300+ each with a 4 year warranty from Batteries Plus. I'm told the guys who made the yellow top batteries sold out and started this company. Solid, heavy, quality batteries.
- Passenger battery mount kit from Slee
- I haven’t mounted the windshield wiper canister yet. Just haven’t taken the time. But the wiper fluid pump is new
- Cruise control does not work. It can, just haven’t taken the time to diagnose
- I’ve removed a few of the cruise control components working towards my tranny swap. I still have the parts. But still, the cruise control hasn’t worked since I’ve owned the car.
- Upgraded headlight wiring kit from Slee in order to run brighter headlights and auxiliary lighting
- Grid heater for cold weather starts wired into a button under the steering wheel
- Towing wires ready for use back at receiver
- USB charger
- LED dome lights
- Rock lights installed on back hatch door so when the hatch is up you have plenty of light do what you need to at the tailgate
Miscellaneous:
- 4x4 Labs front bumper (could use another coat of paint)
- Spot for winch and lieght bar. Winch controller may need to be moved in order to fit on b/c o the intercooler
- Roof rack
- Weather Tech rubber cargo mat
- Front seat leather is in poor condition, backs seats are fine but dry and starting to crack. New leathers can be purchased from CruiserHeaven.com
- Passenger seat does not move forward or backward. Drivers does. All other seat functions work.
- Steering wheel leather is great
- Original stereo. Speakers have seen better days
- Middle console works fine but is a little broke
- Carpet in great shape
- Paint has brush scratches and a small dent or two
- I restored this to be driven, not to be a pretty paver
- Both side mirrors are loose
- ABS light is on. I don't know why. It came on after I went to lake power. I had a person pull in front of me after that and it stopped on a dime
- Motor is currently taking two short cranks to start like there is a small vacuum leak in the fuel lines. Started after installing pumps and cam shaft
- Driver's side molding is loose and needs more clips
- Power locks sometimes stick
- Clean Carfax. All doors and fenders match up. Never been in an accident and original paint
I’d like to thank all those on ih8mud who have helped me with this project!
Asking $34,999 obo. That’s a bit less than what I have into this vehicle. I’m not hurting to sell it but am open to reasonable offers
236k miles
Cody
I’m not available Sundays to respond to emails, take calls, or show the vehicle. I’ll respond the next day. No joy rides please, I have things to do. I'm available to show it mon-thurs in the Phoenix metro area and fri-sat in Northern eastern Arizona.
Notes About pictures:
- I was not intending on selling this car. My circumstances are that it is in my best interest to do so. I was just starting to prepare the truck for the NV4500 swap. Because of this, I had to reroute some wires through my firewall and that wire doesn’t have loom around it. I’ll have the wires loomed and fan relays remounted before the sale. That's dirt and mud on the undercarriage, not rust, accept for a very few spots.
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