tone33
SILVER Star
My kids named it The Turtle, for the half-gone and faded out Marlin Crawler sticker on the back. I picked it up a few weeks ago from Kentucky. The truck lived some or maybe all of its life in GA. It's a woods truck, for sure, and well suited as such. Body is rusty, but frame is solid. Drivetrain seems to be good. No top, no doors. It has quite a few upgrades for wheeling. My goal is to get it running well, drive it on street and on trails, teach my kids to drive on it, and in general have fun and make memories with it.
I have 2 other Land Cruisers, an 80 and a 100 so I'm not new to cruisers, but I am new to 40s. Looking forward to learning a lot, and perhaps some of what I post here will help someone else. I don't really expect this thread to ever be done. I'm really not going for a "frame-off" resto or chase down every single gremlin or rust spot. But I do intend to preserve this fine 42 year old vehicle as best I can, and keep it running so we can use it.
This post is also a bit self-serving to help me keep track of what I need to do, to keep me motivated to continue the project. I'll use this as a sort of journal to log what I've done. And if this truck ever leaves our family the next owner will have a nice semi-documented history. I certainly welcome thoughts on what I'm doing and I'll definitely have questions along the way. I will update this main page with to do, done, etc. as I go to keep my lists organized.
When I got it the clutch wouldn't work at all - a quick bleeding of the slave cylinder fixed that and it shifts through all gears nicely. The maiden voyage happened on Sunday - I drove around my neighborhood, and terrified my 12 year old who was my passenger as the front right wheel had a LOT of movement of the lateral type (hence the in progress knuckle rebuild) due to likely bad bearings (trunion and wheel, I suspect). The engine runs well, sounds good. But now it's in the garage and I'm going through all the important bits first (brakes, axles/knuckles, etc).
The Good
The Fixed and Done List
I have 2 other Land Cruisers, an 80 and a 100 so I'm not new to cruisers, but I am new to 40s. Looking forward to learning a lot, and perhaps some of what I post here will help someone else. I don't really expect this thread to ever be done. I'm really not going for a "frame-off" resto or chase down every single gremlin or rust spot. But I do intend to preserve this fine 42 year old vehicle as best I can, and keep it running so we can use it.
This post is also a bit self-serving to help me keep track of what I need to do, to keep me motivated to continue the project. I'll use this as a sort of journal to log what I've done. And if this truck ever leaves our family the next owner will have a nice semi-documented history. I certainly welcome thoughts on what I'm doing and I'll definitely have questions along the way. I will update this main page with to do, done, etc. as I go to keep my lists organized.
When I got it the clutch wouldn't work at all - a quick bleeding of the slave cylinder fixed that and it shifts through all gears nicely. The maiden voyage happened on Sunday - I drove around my neighborhood, and terrified my 12 year old who was my passenger as the front right wheel had a LOT of movement of the lateral type (hence the in progress knuckle rebuild) due to likely bad bearings (trunion and wheel, I suspect). The engine runs well, sounds good. But now it's in the garage and I'm going through all the important bits first (brakes, axles/knuckles, etc).
The Good
- Frame is solid, only surface rust
- Metaltech roll cage - welded to frame
- Metaltech sliders (I think)
- Metaltech fenders - bolted to frame
- Lift - OME maybe?
- Transmission, transfer case, and clutch all seem to be good
- Engine sounds good - 81K (or 181K? or 281K?) miles
- BFG MT tires
- Lights and speedometer work
- Body, especially back part of the tub, is rusty
- Frame does not have deep rust, but will need to be cleaned up to prevent spread
- Not so great looking 17" wheels - with 1" spacers
- No top, no doors
The Fixed and Done List
- Pressure wash and general clean up
- Replaced spark plug wires (some Napa brand)
- Replaced spark plugs (NGK)
- Replaced coil (Napa)
- Oil change (Rotella 15w40 for diesel)
- Bled clutch
- Changed front and rear diff oil
- Replace steering column bushing to fix wobble
- Front axle/knuckle service (in progress)
- Bleed brakes
- Grease all zirks (springs, DS, etc)
Reboot tie rod and drag link, add zirks- New tie rod and drag link ends (with boots)
- Install muffler and exhaust
- Install front drive shaft
- Fix battery tie down
- Get weber carb cover
- Flush coolant
- Front windshield is floppy - check bolts under dash cover
- Fix broken bolt under steering column (in cab)
- Replace valve stem seals
- Replace PCV valve and grommet
- Connect/fix turn signals
- Fix horn
- Soft top
- Wheels and tires
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