Builds The Magnificent Seven: Build thread. (1 Viewer)
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- #22
Its time to update some of the things I have done in the last few months. I'll start with the York OBA system that I installed using the Wits End kit (@NLXTACY). Great product and I was able to be buy it piece by piece as money was available. I installed a 2.5 gallon tank along the driver side frame rail and re-purposed a Toyota switch in the cab. Amazing how much air the York puts out.
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- #23
Next addition was a spare tire swing kit that works with the stock bumper. I bought the kit from @SUMMIT CRUISERS Jr over a year ago and finally got a chance to put it together. Excellent kit with quality parts. Highly recommended. Now I need to get a swing out arm for the other side for fuel tanks.
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- #24
So, I've hit over 280,000 miles and decided to send an oil sample to blackstone to see if there is anything I need to get ready for. Glad I did. Small amount of coolant found in the oil.
I was torn on what to do. Wasn't sure if it was worth only doing a head gasket repair on an engine with that much mileage. Fortunately an engine with less than 200k was posted for sale. I picked it up and will replace the head gasket as preventative maintenance, water pump, oil pump and all seals while its on the stand and easier to do. Here it is before I began pressure washing it:
I was torn on what to do. Wasn't sure if it was worth only doing a head gasket repair on an engine with that much mileage. Fortunately an engine with less than 200k was posted for sale. I picked it up and will replace the head gasket as preventative maintenance, water pump, oil pump and all seals while its on the stand and easier to do. Here it is before I began pressure washing it:
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- #25
Update: I took my time preparing the "new" engine. I wanted to make sure I did it right and did not have any leaks. I had the head serviced, new head gasket and as many seals that I could do. I won't ever try to put in one of these engines by myself again, I guess I'm getting too old for that because it was a struggle. Its in finally and runs great. No leaks. Added the 1FZFE sticker just to eliminate any confusion.
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- #26
The next I did was add a 1 inch body lift. I made the blocks myself by purchasing round aluminum blocks and drilling the bolt holes and drilling the radiator brackets. Usually I am not a fan of body lifts but I really want to re-route the exhaust over the frame and rotate the cats. Also I wanted the little extra clearance/ room when installing the aux fuel tank which will be my next major project. I raised the front bumper up as well so the body lift won't be as noticeable. Here is how it looks now with the extra height.
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- #27
After 1.5 years of ownership, I finally was able to take her off road. Uwharrie Safari 2018 with the Land Rover clubs. Great event and a lot of awesome people (with bad vehicle choices 
). This trip gave me a good idea what my next projects should be so I am realigning priorities. Exhaust rerouting to get it higher is a must and next on the list. Scraped the cats and the pipe under the frame a lot. On to the pictures:
). This trip gave me a good idea what my next projects should be so I am realigning priorities. Exhaust rerouting to get it higher is a must and next on the list. Scraped the cats and the pipe under the frame a lot. On to the pictures:
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- #28
I will add one more picture. At the first trail of the weekend, we came across this deep mud pit on a sharp corner before a hill. Only a Defender and one other vehicle made it up before it claimed a couple of Discoveries that had to be winched out by the Defender. The whole group decided to turn around so we wouldn't be there for hours winching out around 20 vehicles. I decided to keep moving forward. I was a little apprehensive about getting stuck and needing a Land Rover to pull me out but the cruiser went through it like there was nothing there. After that several people came up to ask about this magical vehicle. Surprised that many knew very little about land cruiser 80's and that they can be taken off road.
Used the rear locker in the mud hole or no?
Btw, you are doing many of the same things I am working on (engine rebuild and swap, 1" body lift, exhaust re-route) just doing them faster and with young twins. This thread is going to give me a complex if this keeps up.
Get some white knuckle sliders, they are compatible with the 1" body lift and are cat savers. Got any pics of what you did to relocate the radiator to fit the shroud? I'm running an open fan atm, but would like to get the shroud back on, but am thinking of modifying the radiator side brackets to drop just the radiator inside of the bracket.
Btw, you are doing many of the same things I am working on (engine rebuild and swap, 1" body lift, exhaust re-route) just doing them faster and with young twins. This thread is going to give me a complex if this keeps up.
Get some white knuckle sliders, they are compatible with the 1" body lift and are cat savers. Got any pics of what you did to relocate the radiator to fit the shroud? I'm running an open fan atm, but would like to get the shroud back on, but am thinking of modifying the radiator side brackets to drop just the radiator inside of the bracket.
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- #30
Sliders are definitely on the list. Just got to raise the funds. I did not take pictures of the bracket modification but it is very simple. Just lowered the holes 1 inch.
As far as the lockers. I did lock front and rear but only the front had locked by the time I went through. The rear was still blinking. Really I don’t think I even needed lockers to get through.
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- #31
More storage cubby’s
Installed a couple of boat hatches today to the rear door. I got the taupe doors from eBay. They are not the same color as anything in the cruiser put they match the earth tone theme. Really nice to have more places to put stuff and I was able to do it from the hotel parking lot thanks to cheap HF grinder and my inverter.
Installed a couple of boat hatches today to the rear door. I got the taupe doors from eBay. They are not the same color as anything in the cruiser put they match the earth tone theme. Really nice to have more places to put stuff and I was able to do it from the hotel parking lot thanks to cheap HF grinder and my inverter.
MrMikeyG
SILVER Star
Nice work all around!
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- #33
I have started the aux fuel tank project. Albeit the easiest part; installed the re-purposed defrost button to operate the transfer pump and added a fuel gauge. Until I am able to build or get my hands on a ceiling console the gauge pod will have to work. Also ran the needed wiring to the rear.
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- #34
Thank you sir. It’s going slower than I had wanted but I like how the build is going. It’s a budget build for sure.
1 for each son!
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- #36
Shoot, I hadn’t thought of that. Once they are out of their car seats that have built in cup holders, I’m going to have install more. Hopefully they don’t end up like my wife who has to have two drinks with her at all times, water and unsweetened ice tea. In all other ways they should end up like her.
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- #37
More lights!
During my last camping trip I realized that I needed a light installed on the rear hatch door to aid in food preparation and other tasks that I perform on the tail gate. The head lamp wasn’t cutting it. I searched eBay and found a super bright LED RV overhead light with built in dimmer. I figured if it is bright enough for an RV it should work for my needs. So I ordered it. But did not pay attention to the dimensions. When it arrived I was shocked by how huge it was, over double the size of the cruiser overhead lights, so I decided not to install it. Well, when stuck in a hotel over a weekend with nothing else to do boredom got the best of me... I drilled only a small hole in the plastic trim piece for the wiring and used double sided tape so I change to a small light later. Ran the wiring to my rear fuse box, found a pretty close matching raddle can paint at HD and got it installed. Obnoxiously large but the light output is great. May keep it after all.
During my last camping trip I realized that I needed a light installed on the rear hatch door to aid in food preparation and other tasks that I perform on the tail gate. The head lamp wasn’t cutting it. I searched eBay and found a super bright LED RV overhead light with built in dimmer. I figured if it is bright enough for an RV it should work for my needs. So I ordered it. But did not pay attention to the dimensions. When it arrived I was shocked by how huge it was, over double the size of the cruiser overhead lights, so I decided not to install it. Well, when stuck in a hotel over a weekend with nothing else to do boredom got the best of me... I drilled only a small hole in the plastic trim piece for the wiring and used double sided tape so I change to a small light later. Ran the wiring to my rear fuse box, found a pretty close matching raddle can paint at HD and got it installed. Obnoxiously large but the light output is great. May keep it after all.
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- #38
OME springs installed
Celebrated the long Labor Day weekend with installing a set of OME coil springs that I have had sitting in the garage for months. OME 850 in the front and 860 in the rear. They gave me a little over 2 inches of lift. Also painted the rims graphite grey and rotated the tires. Not sure if I like the rim color but I am sure I am going to need 315/75/16 tires soon to fill the extra space.
This is how she sits now:
Celebrated the long Labor Day weekend with installing a set of OME coil springs that I have had sitting in the garage for months. OME 850 in the front and 860 in the rear. They gave me a little over 2 inches of lift. Also painted the rims graphite grey and rotated the tires. Not sure if I like the rim color but I am sure I am going to need 315/75/16 tires soon to fill the extra space.
This is how she sits now:
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- #39
Why have one battery for one price when you can have two for over double the price: Dual battery Install
With a couple of trips coming up I have been pushing to get some projects completed. The latest is the dual battery installation. I bought a new PS battery box from the dealership, Slee washer bottle relocation and installed a Bluesea 7610 Automatic Charging relay and isolator with two inline 150 amp fuses. The PS battery, which I had laying around and will be replaced later, powers the new fuse/relay box and all additional accessories that I have added and will be adding.
Its funny how I got from "I want to de-clutter the engine bay" to "I need to fill up the engine bay with stuff".
With a couple of trips coming up I have been pushing to get some projects completed. The latest is the dual battery installation. I bought a new PS battery box from the dealership, Slee washer bottle relocation and installed a Bluesea 7610 Automatic Charging relay and isolator with two inline 150 amp fuses. The PS battery, which I had laying around and will be replaced later, powers the new fuse/relay box and all additional accessories that I have added and will be adding.
Its funny how I got from "I want to de-clutter the engine bay" to "I need to fill up the engine bay with stuff".
