SOLD The Last LX450 - California (1 Viewer)

Year

1997

Vehicle Model

1. LX450

Location

United States

If I don't start this now, I'll never get off my butt and do this, and I'll procrastinate on the final PM I want to do.

#K294

#TRIPLELOCKEDOMGWTFLMFAOBBQsauce

3XLOCKED
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OK, now that's out of the way....

The Last 1997 LX450

History:

VIN ending 188450. Manufactured 12-97

The very last of the 1997 model year Land Cruisers built for the US market was a Collector Edition with VIN ending in 188468. Subsequent numbers haven’t revealed any other LX450s or Land Cruisers.

1997 Land Cruiser Anniversary Editions Explained....

Several have asked me to provide these numbers, so I'm sharing with the entire 80 community. Here are the actual sales numbers and an in-depth breakdown for 40th Anniversary and Collector Edition Land Cruisers. · Toyota Sold a total of 14,981 of the 1997 model year Land Cruisers. ·...

forum.ih8mud.com

Champagne Pearl with tan interior. Did NOT have the port installed Roof Rack. They must have run out.

Sold new on 3-19-1998 at Mission Viejo Lexus - Mission Viejo, CA. It’s now Now South County Lexus

Dealer serviced regularly until 66,145.

Dealer serviced again at 158,757

Sold on 9-4-2010 at Basic Auto Sales – Whittier, CA - 161,357

Bought by mud member (who didn't sell it on the forum) used it as a daily driver with a flat land 60 mile a day commute in the Sacramento area. Basic maintenance was handled by him.

Sold to me on 7-11-2018 at Sacramento, CA - 292,507. It’s currently at 305,XXX I think Oh, HELL YEAH it has a ton of miles, but if you're going to have them, these are the best ones to have. Flat straight California highway miles.

Armor:

ARB bull bar

White Knuckle Sliders

Triple IPF Driving Lights



Suspension

OME 850 and 863

Icon Shocks – 56509 & 56510

Land Tank Front Sway Bar Extensions

Land Tank Caster Plates 2.5” - welded

Land Tank E-Brake Drop Block

OME Steering Stabilizer

Front Birfields rebuilt and new Koyo bearings installed at Trunnions and Spindles.

Trail-Gear Spindle Nuts installed

New Front and rear OEM U-joints

ARB Diff Breather



Brakes

Front EBC Green Pads installed. New Rear ones still in box.

Man a Fre Extended brake hoses

Dobnison LSPV lift bracket

Evil Rear Brake Socket Resoldered

Sylvania LED signal and brake lights

Sylvania HIR bulbs in the low beams



Interior

AATLAS1X (MetricTLC) Brown Leather Interior - Matching Center Console and Armrest Pads

Heated Seats

MB Quart Formula Shallow Speakers

Rockford Fosgate P400X4 400w amp

Sony XAV-AX200SXM Carplay and Android Auto

XM Antenna installed and XM Ready

Reverse Camera/Forward Camera

All Power Window Motors rebuilt with Bike Park Grease



Engine



New Belts

All coolant hoses replaced, except rear heater hoses, which are in good shape

Running Zerex Asian Coolant

PHH replaces with Silicon PHHKit and Heater Hose Kit

New Heater Valve

OEM hoses and clamps were used

Oil Pump gasket replaced (PHHKIT Torx screws replaced OEM)

Front Crank Seal Replaced

Alternator cleaned and brushes replaced Bearings inspected

Power Steering Pump rebuilt

Transmission Pan Dropped and Fluid Drained



The Bad

Burnt clearcoat

Cracked original windshield

Crack on dash

Third Row Seat was not included

Passenger side seat roasted a second set of Gamviti Gears



The Good

New Yokohama 315/75/R16 GEOLANDAR M/T G003 – maybe 100 miles.

0.0% Rust – California (the dry parts) car its entire life

Blackstone Oil Report is exceptional and metal levels very low.

Original Power Antenna Works

I still have the original bumper, stereo, and CD Changer

The spare OEM wheel is at the powder coaters. I won’t sell this until I replace all the vaccum valves under the intake manifold and install the new modulator. I am also going to replace the water pump, thermostat and gasket. I want this thing to be able to be driven to Tierra Del Fuego. It’s been a pleasure working on it, but it’s someone else’s turn to be the custodian of Lexus history. I'll get more pics and update this thread as I go along.

 

[tacocat]

Glamour shots. I’ll post ones which show the ugly paint.

 

[tacocat]

Interior

 

[tacocat]

Engine

 

[RKTINC]

Looks like a nice truck. Neat history. I would want to restore it and bring it back.

 

[tacocat]

Looks like a nice truck. Neat history. I would want to restore it and bring it back.

Thanks. That’s why I’ve kept the parts. I wanted to own a wheeler and really, really want to install 4x4labs bumpers front and rear, but I can’t bring myself to trim the front.

 

[OGBeno]

Wow. GLWS. A steal IMO.

 

[GW Nugget]

NICE, & so close. Ive seen this in Clovis before.... salivated.
I can tell its been garaged otherwise the Cali heat would of tore the paint up.

 

[LegShot]

It's only an 8 hour drive...wheels are spinning!

 

[tacocat]

NICE, & so close. Ive seen this in Clovis before.... salivated.
I can tell its been garaged otherwise the Cali heat would of tore the paint up.

GW, are you sure it was mine? The wheels were powder coated and tires were installed two or three weeks ago. The paint is burnt, but you can’t tell from 50 feet away. Silver (Champagne) is probably the best color at hiding it.

It could have been an out of towner too. Although Marlin is a mini truck and 40 specialist, he gets a surprising number of 80’s in the shop. He had a really nice one the last time I was in garage.

Now that I think about it, maybe it was his GM’s rig. His looks almost like mine, but has a Slee rear bumper and near perfect paint.

Thanks @Onur. I’ve worked on Toyota’s for a few decades now, and the factory build quality on this LX450 never ceases to amaze me.

 

[GW Nugget]

Maybe, maybe not.
I saw a clean Lx over near the Clovis Hospital area in 2020 a few times, not sure it was yours.
Sorry you have to sell it, 80s are the best.

 

[tacocat]

Maybe, maybe not.
I saw a clean Lx over near the Clovis Hospital area in 2020 a few times, not sure it was yours.
Sorry you have to sell it, 80s are the best.

Thanks GW. That wasn’t me. I’ve owned every 4x4 rig, except a Rover. The 80 is the best serious solid axle all arounder. I have found it it’s too best for me.

I don’t have to sell it, but it’s too large for my intended purposes. It barely fits in my garage and my wife and dogs don’t adventure with me anymore.

I also keep viewing this vehicle as a collector rather than a driver. It most likely was on the last ship carrying the last 80 series to the USA. Unless I can find otherwise, It’s also the last of the of Lexus’s (hard to believe it was a new brand at the time) debut SUV.

I think it may have been the last 80 to sell new from a dealer because the last 40th collector sold a month prior in February 1998.

 

[tacocat]

Have to sell it.... actually, one of my major motivations for selling is that my wife hates the Cruiser. She never warmed up to it. After the black wheels and tires she warmed up slightly. Her attitude changed from I see what your doing here, but I still don’t like it. She’ll never openly admit it, but I can feel the disapproval seeping from her pores.

....I know she has bad taste, she’s married to me after all.

 

[tacocat]

Undercarriage 1

It’s normally not this clean. I pressure washed it. The knuckles are normally that clean after the rebuild.

 

[tacocat]

Undercarriage 2

 

[tacocat]

A little surface rust on the rear. I guess that happens after one deactivates the Toyota liquid rust prevention system.

 

[tacocat]

Center. Yes, it’s never this clean. Rear heater lines and hoses are in good shape.

 

[tacocat]

I have more undercarriage pics if you need them. The pics don’t include the new spark plug wires and smog equipment. I’m waiting on the last two shipments of parts.

 

[tacocat]

Interior shots part 1.

 

[tacocat]

Pictures of the Rich Corinthian MetricTLC ( yes, AATLASX1) leather.