Builds The Oddball 80 - Middle East GX Renovation

[Bludozer]

@wngrog with an 80 now this I can't wait to see

It's ok, you can admit that the lure of the greatest production 4x4 ever made simply became too much to bear...even if it is in the strangest configuration anyone's ever seen

Seriously cool truck though, can't wait to see what you have in store for it.

 

[Njck22]

Awesome truck. Love the matching trailer.
Very well could be a museum piece. If the land cruisers used by the us government get treated anything like the ones used by NGOs, this very well may be the best/only living example of them being used in that time and context.

 

[wngrog]

Certainly looks like an original spare. Curious what that spare wheel looks like. I would assume it's 15 inches if it's a 91.

I plan on dropping it today. I’ll let you know

 

[wngrog]

What a gem - a beautifully awkward donkey.

From whom did you order those steelies?

Summit Steelies like I have on my FJ60

 

[wngrog]

What an interesting rig!

having Onur say that it might be a museum piece due to its rarity is pretty cool, and kind of sucks. Perhaps it should be repaired and preserved, though I’d want to use something like that to its full extent. Kind of a “have your cake and eat it too” scenario.

Yeah, I doubt this will be going to a museum. It’s just a cool ole turd Oddball80

 

[wngrog]

Certainly looks like an original spare. Curious what that spare wheel looks like. I would assume it's 15 inches if it's a 91.

750-16 on a Split Rim just like I figured

 

[offr0adlim0]

Thank you. And, like you, I knew this truck should be a Carbed 3F but if you see the photos, it’s clearly a 3FE.......

The plot thickens.

So.....I should have taken a trailer to go get the truck but my son just turned 16 and hell, we don’t spend enough time together so he and I jumped in his 2001 Land Cruiser and took off for Brookhaven.

View attachment 2352924
His truck tossed a charge light at the exit after a the 80 mile run so I made some calls to my 100 guru @USMC22 and he figures the alternator is going bad

We needed food so we grabbed a burger and I touched base with the seller’s brother and told him we were 30 minutes out.
View attachment 2352928

I passed him a cashiers check and was pulling away when he reminded me that the “trailer” was at the farm. Oh snap. I forgot about that.

View attachment 2352927

This thing was imported with this little matching trailer. I dug it out of the weeds. Kicked the tires and took off.

100 miles to home. I got this.

View attachment 2352925
The speedo is a bit on the slow side with these awful tires and the KM to MPH conversion.

View attachment 2352926


At about mile 70 it started hiccuping ..... I pegged it as a bad fuel filter or gas as this truck has not been driven hardly any in the last 20 years.

Time to contact Mechman for an alternator upgrade to handle that new stereo

 

[wngrog]

Time to contact Mechman for an alternator upgrade to handle that new stereo

Ahhhhh, good call. That’s got to be it

 

[SNLC]

Wait a minute, an 80-series!? I thought you hated 80-series?

Cheers

 

[wngrog]

Wait a minute, an 80-series!? I thought you hated 80-series?

Cheers

Its not the 80 series I hate on. It’s the 1FZ/Auto spirit sucking combo.

But mainly it’s just to trigger the 80 v 100 debates .......

Plus any Oddball puts all issues away.

 

[SNLC]

Its not the 80 series I hate on. It’s the 1FZ/Auto spirit sucking combo.

But mainly it’s just to trigger the 80 v 100 debates .......

Plus any Oddball puts all issues away.

Haha man I hated on the 1FZ for years. Swore I would never own an 80 with one. Then I fixed one up right and dropped the hate. Although it’s still a pain in the ass to work on. They are super solid engines and with the right care are not turds at all but still gas hogs.

Cheers

 

[wngrog]

Yessir. Great motors. Just hate the 50% HP loss to the wheels.

Look what was in the hidey hole where it was supposed to be

 

[NorCalFJ100]

That is a very cool and unique truck! Congrats on the find!! Great acquisition story as well!!!!! Look forward to seeing the progress.

 

[wngrog]

A couple shots of the trailer. I’ve got to clean it out still.

Ive been into M416 style trailers for quite a few years and I’ve never run across one like this.

Sadly there are no tags with it but the electrical plug matches the 80

 

[rolliges]

The pistol was in the "hidey hole?"

 

[boozewz]

The circular decal may correspond to the Gregorian year 1996-97 with the twelve month around it. My daughter is fluent in arabic and I sent her a message to try to translate--it may be a while before I get a response.

Yes those stickers are slapped on once you pass your yearly vehicle inspection in Saudi Arabia. In this case the last inspection was done in May 1996, as that sticker shows a validity to May 1997.

I noticed the instrument cluster are for later model 80’s, and not the GX version we got. I suppose to make it US compliant they swapped in MPH speedo.

Cool find.

 

[wngrog]

Yes those stickers are slapped on once you pass your yearly vehicle inspection in Saudi Arabia. In this case the last inspection was done in May 1996, as that sticker shows a validity to May 1997.

I noticed the instrument cluster are for later model 80’s, and not the GX version we got. I suppose to make it US compliant they swapped in MPH speedo.

Cool find.

That just further confuses my timeline

Looks like it was imported

First Serviced in Saudi

Then this sticker as to going to a new engine (or just top end) from carbureted 3F to 3FE

I’m going to try Champaign Imports next week. See if they remember. Worth a shot. Only reference I found on Mud is this

 

[scottryana]

Interesting. It doesn't look like Champagne imports has a huge web presence but I found a lot of older NHTSA documents of them petitioning to bring in non-conforming vehicles. Everything from Yamaha motorcycles from the 80's, Mercedes Benz diesels, to 2007 Audi A8 and everything in-between.

 

[wngrog]

I had a fun day in the shop with Oddball 80.

I got it up in the air to see what I need to buy and fix.

Lots of surface rust I’ll treat with Fluid Film after I update the springs and shocks.

No leaks I can find. I changed out all the fluids and the driveshafts and joints took 1/3 of a tube of grease they were so dry.

This is the POS fuel pump. I plan on pulling the middle seat and checking the main tank to see what the tank situation is, but if this was a Carbed 3F then it would have had the pump on the block.

Larry Landry sent me some photos of this thing on the trail in 2008 in Louisiana and this is the same mud where the spare was

The auxiliary tank is above the spare

 

[jomelo]

you gonna drive it over this week?