What did you do to your Cruiser today?
- Thread starter RyanR
- Start date
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Black paint on a white FJ
I had to paint the white on my FJ when I installed my Aluminess bumper as well, it just didn't look right. I used some GM black trim paint that has stuck well for about 3 years but is now starting to show some white again, I guess thats not to bad.
on another note:
I also had my oil changed/lubed at the local Toyota dealer (Findley Toyota) in Flagstaff about 6 weeks ago and what a fiasco that was. The first sign of a problem I had was when I picked it up, the grease monkey left a nice oily hand print on the hood. I should of went back in at that moment and complained but it was already mid afternoon and I still had a long list of things to get done before heading back to the canyon. Right before leaving Flagstaff I stopped to fuel up the FJ and decided to check the oil level and when I opened the hood to my horror I found that the dumb a$$ had also managed to spill oil all over the engine around the oil filter, he got it on the hoses and the serpentine belt. I have changed my own oil almost everytime since I bought the FJ and have never had this problem. There is also a rubber plug on the oil filter catch tray so you can drain the oil from it with out making this mess, the rubber plug is now missing as well (it did not just fall off somewhere because it takes a pair of pliers to remove it). They also overfilled the engine by about a 1/2 quart. I also requested that while they were lubing the drive shafts/u-joints that they also do my lower links as well. Not only did they not lube my lower links but apparently they do not know that Trail Team FJ Cruisers are 4 wheel drives because they totally missed those as well. Yes I do have skid plates on my FJ but the zerk fittings are still accessable with them in place, I know this because I lube them all the time without problem.
Being the nice guy that I am I called the Service manager and in a calm manner told him about all my problems and got a satisfactory reply of we will make good on this and I'am sorry that this happen blah blah blah. He was going to order a new rubber plug and get it sent to me ASAP, and give me a free oil change when my FJ was due in the future. I hang up feeling that was fair and just go on with my life. So far I have not seen my rubber plug and about 3 weeks ago while I was in Flagstaff I tried to call him to see if the plug was in yet and if I could swing by and get the rest of my service done. Of course all I got was his answer machince and that my call was very important and that he would get back to me as soon as possible. I'am still waiting for his call.
At this point in time, I cannot really recomend them to get your Toyota service at there dealership.
I had to paint the white on my FJ when I installed my Aluminess bumper as well, it just didn't look right. I used some GM black trim paint that has stuck well for about 3 years but is now starting to show some white again, I guess thats not to bad.
on another note:
I also had my oil changed/lubed at the local Toyota dealer (Findley Toyota) in Flagstaff about 6 weeks ago and what a fiasco that was. The first sign of a problem I had was when I picked it up, the grease monkey left a nice oily hand print on the hood. I should of went back in at that moment and complained but it was already mid afternoon and I still had a long list of things to get done before heading back to the canyon. Right before leaving Flagstaff I stopped to fuel up the FJ and decided to check the oil level and when I opened the hood to my horror I found that the dumb a$$ had also managed to spill oil all over the engine around the oil filter, he got it on the hoses and the serpentine belt. I have changed my own oil almost everytime since I bought the FJ and have never had this problem. There is also a rubber plug on the oil filter catch tray so you can drain the oil from it with out making this mess, the rubber plug is now missing as well (it did not just fall off somewhere because it takes a pair of pliers to remove it). They also overfilled the engine by about a 1/2 quart. I also requested that while they were lubing the drive shafts/u-joints that they also do my lower links as well. Not only did they not lube my lower links but apparently they do not know that Trail Team FJ Cruisers are 4 wheel drives because they totally missed those as well. Yes I do have skid plates on my FJ but the zerk fittings are still accessable with them in place, I know this because I lube them all the time without problem.
Being the nice guy that I am I called the Service manager and in a calm manner told him about all my problems and got a satisfactory reply of we will make good on this and I'am sorry that this happen blah blah blah. He was going to order a new rubber plug and get it sent to me ASAP, and give me a free oil change when my FJ was due in the future. I hang up feeling that was fair and just go on with my life. So far I have not seen my rubber plug and about 3 weeks ago while I was in Flagstaff I tried to call him to see if the plug was in yet and if I could swing by and get the rest of my service done. Of course all I got was his answer machince and that my call was very important and that he would get back to me as soon as possible. I'am still waiting for his call.
At this point in time, I cannot really recomend them to get your Toyota service at there dealership.
I'd call the service complaint number in Calif, it's in your manual. Suspect that will get some action.
Recently spilled a Dixie cup about 1/2 full of beer on the dash of my FJ. Dumped a lot of water on the spill in hopes of flushing the beer out of the vents and elsewhere. Any thoughts on how to properly clean it? I don't want to have a cop take a sniff during a sobriety check.
- Thread starter
- #46
This strikes me as particularly funny. Last night I started wiring up a new dedicated 12v line for the fridge and slide my driver seat back rather forcefully and sliced right through 2 cans of Pale Ale... the resulting geyser has my truck smelling like a brewery!!
Back to the (intentional) Truck Mods:
I ran 8ga from the secondary positive post on my battery to a 40amp circuit breaker on the fender wall near the battery. From there I ran my 8ga through the grommet on the drivers side firewall. (The one the big wiring harness goes through). I followed the wiring harness to the rear and left about 5ft of slack coiled up inside the quarter panel. I added a 15amp 12v plug to the little recessed area next to the rear driver side seat for the fridge. For the time being the 8ga terminates directly to the back of the 12v outlet and I have an 8ga ground going to a bolt behind the plastics near the jack compartment. Overkill for the fridge but...
My plan for the future is to run a second 8ga positive lead along the same path and connect both 8ga positive leads to a distribution block. One side of the block will be always hot, direct to the battery for the fridge and charging cameras and phones, etc over night. The second side will have a relay inline and will be switched off with the key. I plan to add two additional 12v outlets in the rear above the 110v outlet, one always hot, one keyed. The rest of the block will remain open for future use.
Today I got my truck stuck. Tried climbing this hill to my camp and the surface was slicker than greased goose shat. Spun out, backed down and jackknifed the trailer. Could not back up and any attempt to go forward just went sideways into the brush. Looked it over carefully (stuck assessment) and decided if I cranked it full right and gave it hell the brush would give me traction and hoped it would go over the embankment straight, not sideways. Well, it all worked as planned (hoped for) and I got back up on the road, but crossing a corner of the lake bed was sketchy. Speed won out.
What did I do with my cruiser? Well, I brought it home! This is a local club repost from the "big" list of a couple of weeks ago.
Found a nice 80 in Portland, flew in and drove it home. Let the build commence.
Apparently, I suck at downloading pictures so that won't happen.
Sidenote: happy to hear we're using 146 Mhz!
Found a nice 80 in Portland, flew in and drove it home. Let the build commence.
Apparently, I suck at downloading pictures so that won't happen.
Sidenote: happy to hear we're using 146 Mhz!
Wouldn't you know, there is a Santa Clause (and a picture).
Cool, be great to watch another build.
- Thread starter
- #51
I "Modified" my factory skid plates by ramming the FJ into a wall of 2ft+ tall Boulders at about 20mph.
We went camping up on the Grand Mesa this weekend. Got a late start and didn't get up there until after dark. Found a nice lightly travelled looking trail and followed it about a mile to a perfect little meadow with a great fire ring already setup and waiting for us. Had a great time camping, got a bunch of hail and rain the next morning so it was a sloppy mud fest getting back out. Had a blast playing in the mud and travelling fairly quickly I come over a small hill and CRUNCH!
I find myself high centered on a line of Boulders. How the hell did these get here??!?! After some inspection it turns out we came in on a little cut off. In the dark I didn't even realize we had joined another trail, I thought it was a straight shot back out to the main road. In the dark we also failed to notice the little brown "Trail Closed" sign next to the little bypass we came in on. The main trail entrance, farther down the main road was closed off with a large sign and a row of Boulders... upon which my FJ is now perched. Luckily 4Lo and locked the truck crawled back off its new pedestal without any further drama. Amazingly the crappy stock skid plates took the brunt of it and prevented any real damage. The IFS skid was so mangled I had to pry it away from where it was now rubbing the passenger side CV shaft but that was the only repair needed to get us home. Truck still tracked perfectly and drove fine without so much as a rattle or vibe at 80mph on the way home. I guess it's time for some real skid plates now!
Leaving camp, post boulder collision.
Found another great camp spot with a sweet water-fall! I will definitely be returning to this spot.
Jami, scaring the sh!t out of me sitting on the slick wet edge of said waterfall.
The view from her perch.
We went camping up on the Grand Mesa this weekend. Got a late start and didn't get up there until after dark. Found a nice lightly travelled looking trail and followed it about a mile to a perfect little meadow with a great fire ring already setup and waiting for us. Had a great time camping, got a bunch of hail and rain the next morning so it was a sloppy mud fest getting back out. Had a blast playing in the mud and travelling fairly quickly I come over a small hill and CRUNCH!
I find myself high centered on a line of Boulders. How the hell did these get here??!?! After some inspection it turns out we came in on a little cut off. In the dark I didn't even realize we had joined another trail, I thought it was a straight shot back out to the main road. In the dark we also failed to notice the little brown "Trail Closed" sign next to the little bypass we came in on. The main trail entrance, farther down the main road was closed off with a large sign and a row of Boulders... upon which my FJ is now perched. Luckily 4Lo and locked the truck crawled back off its new pedestal without any further drama. Amazingly the crappy stock skid plates took the brunt of it and prevented any real damage. The IFS skid was so mangled I had to pry it away from where it was now rubbing the passenger side CV shaft but that was the only repair needed to get us home. Truck still tracked perfectly and drove fine without so much as a rattle or vibe at 80mph on the way home. I guess it's time for some real skid plates now!
Leaving camp, post boulder collision.
Found another great camp spot with a sweet water-fall! I will definitely be returning to this spot.
Jami, scaring the sh!t out of me sitting on the slick wet edge of said waterfall.
The view from her perch.
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I know where that waterfall is!
Choosing skid plates comes down to steel or aluminum. Some prefer aluminum for lighter weight but it has several disadvantages. Aluminum is fairly soft allowing rocks to dig in and not allow the truck to slide over an obstacle. Also it can be grooved deeply by sharp rocks and weaken it. I have been running Bud-built steel plates since 2008 and they have held up very well. They also make an expedition set that saves a few pounds and even a set made from stainless.
Choosing skid plates comes down to steel or aluminum. Some prefer aluminum for lighter weight but it has several disadvantages. Aluminum is fairly soft allowing rocks to dig in and not allow the truck to slide over an obstacle. Also it can be grooved deeply by sharp rocks and weaken it. I have been running Bud-built steel plates since 2008 and they have held up very well. They also make an expedition set that saves a few pounds and even a set made from stainless.
I just received my new set of of Trail-Gear low range gearsets for a double reduction over stock. They are 4.70:1 vs. the stick 2.28:1. Have an extra t-case on the workbench I gonna split open tomorrow and start the re-gearing for the Rockcrawler! Figured this little mod. would be advantageous for the Rubicon Trail in a few weeks.
That same mod is on my shortlist for next summer.
Itching for a 5-speed...
...so as of this week, the Pig has been relegated to "drive, enjoy, maintain" mode. Here's the latest project. First time out of the garage in 10 years. Last maintenance receipt dated 1997. Now in the shop of a local Porsche guru to make it mechanically roadworthy again. Probably in line for a couple of Fall trips...dents, checked 24-year-old lacquer and all. Then body/paint and other cosmetics over the winter.
We bought this now rare 914-6 brand new 42 years ago next month and have redone it once. Time to make it usable and beautiful again while we can still get in and out of it without a lift!
Anybody can drive a new car. Some of us are just lucky, I guess.
...so as of this week, the Pig has been relegated to "drive, enjoy, maintain" mode. Here's the latest project. First time out of the garage in 10 years. Last maintenance receipt dated 1997. Now in the shop of a local Porsche guru to make it mechanically roadworthy again. Probably in line for a couple of Fall trips...dents, checked 24-year-old lacquer and all. Then body/paint and other cosmetics over the winter.
We bought this now rare 914-6 brand new 42 years ago next month and have redone it once. Time to make it usable and beautiful again while we can still get in and out of it without a lift!
Anybody can drive a new car. Some of us are just lucky, I guess.
I remember you and Bonnie talking about that car on the Kokopelli run, cool to see pics of it you sure have some great vehicles. In a few more years you could even enter it into the Colorado Grand!
It'll probably have to be the "Colorado Several Grand" before this deal's done. Good thing I have such an economical daily driver to backstop!
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Crawled around under my FJ yesterday and tightened up several loose skid plate bolts and exhaust flanges and my truck is almost silent. Almost.
Finished up the 4.70 t-case gear install. All went well. Cleaned the outer t-case housings prior to re-assembly. Took the truck for a short "test" ride in the gravel p-lot at Connected Lakes. WOW!!! Talk about LOW gearing! In 1st gear low range the speedo needle won't even come off the 0 mph gauge with revving it up the 3,000 rpms! Dont even need to touch the gas pedal and it just crawls by itself.
Reminded me of the MarlinCrawler video of Marlin standing outside his truck as it slooowly crawls up a rocky trail with only an occasional steering adjustment.
Haven't been able to get away for a proper trail ride to really test them as the work schedule is non stop. Rubicon Trail here we come!
Reminded me of the MarlinCrawler video of Marlin standing outside his truck as it slooowly crawls up a rocky trail with only an occasional steering adjustment.
Haven't been able to get away for a proper trail ride to really test them as the work schedule is non stop. Rubicon Trail here we come!