What Did You Do with Your 80 This Weekend? (16 Viewers)

[nigelsiam]

My HVAC panel is bad too, almost have to put a blanket over my head to see the lights... LOL!!!

I know the feeling and I hate it!!! Can't ever tell if the AC compressor is on or recirculating is on or anything!!! Someone get some LEDs please!

 

[SNLC]

Saturday night in the shop.

Cheers

 

[PDXTiger]

Saturday night in the shop.

View attachment 2888242

Cheers

How long does it take someone with your skill and familiarity to get everything removed to this point? (Before sound deading added etc)

 

[TexasJack]

I got that kind of MPG once coming north out of Yellowstone and it was freaking me out. I was thinking my gas gauge was broken...turned out I just had a really good tailwind.

I get 10 miles to the gallon (at best). I have a lot of weight on / in my vehicle. Not sure what I can do about it. It is what it is. Being right at 300,000 probably doesn't help!

 

[NorthWA]

Installed the creeper. Another awesome product @TRAIL TAILOR and perfect fit. Now the best part……testing it.

Before

After

 

[cruiserdan]

Installed the creeper. Another awesome product @TRAIL TAILOR and perfect fit. Now the best part……testing it.

Before
View attachment 2888294

After
View attachment 2888296View attachment 2888297

That transmission mount looks nasty.

 

[on the rocks]

Saturday night in the shop.

Is that a 1/0 your running to the rear? Hard to tell if 1/0 or #2.

 

[residualboulders]

Pulled the ac/heater unit out to replace the dirty buttons:
Before
View attachment 2887866
After:

View attachment 2887864

A few of the buttons were out of stock when I ordered so I'm missing some which drives me bananas, but needed to at least get started. Realistically if you're going to do this, you can remove the buttons without taking the whole unit out. Just pry gently on the lower and upper portion of the button and it will just pop off.

Oh, also replaced my horn plate so now I can honk at the a-holes in Denver traffic. It helps having a new steering wheel:

View attachment 2887881View attachment 2887882

Where did you find that wheel and cover? Steering wheel looks girthier than mine. Would love to get a nice cover like that for mine.

 

[residualboulders]

Few things are scarier than handing the keys to your kid and willingly getting into the passenger seat

Ha ha, this is true. This is why I started with my son in the FJ60 out in the mountains away from everyone. He was 11. He's now 14 and has driven an FJ45, FJ40, FJ55, FJ60, FZJ80 and 200 Series. Still a little unsettling being the passenger and he's not even driving highways yet.

 

[NorthWA]

That transmission mount looks nasty.

I agree. Time for a new mount. It is from 1996 with 260k. Sent you PM.

 

[desmocruiser]

Mine have them, too. Thought is to get OEM switches in place of the coin slots to splice into the Scheel-Mann wiring. We’ll see!

I hope to get into this project this week, I installed my seats in the Spring and didn’t take the time to wire up the heaters. Either too lazy or too excited to get my seats in for a trip, I can’t recall.

Has anyone else used the Toyota factory high/low switches with the SM harness that can offer any tips or is it reasonably straightforward?

 

[High Lander]

Went for a play in the snow this morning, but needed a 2nd vehicle to go any further

 

[desmocruiser]

Concrete looks pretty clean. Dont know how you did it, but nice job!

Very nice! A $5 harbor freight tarp works well and also good for the trail kit and in the dirt repairs!

Last time I actually had some old EZUP awning sides I never used or planned to that I covered the garage floor with prior to.

Still need plenty of cardboard! That one took a month to source all the parts from Toyota and another 45 days to finally wrap up.

 

[spazzyfry123]

I hope to get into this project this week, I installed my seats in the Spring and didn’t take the time to wire up the heaters. Either too lazy or too excited to get my seats in for a trip, I can’t recall.

Has anyone else used the Toyota factory high/low switches with the SM harness that can offer any tips or is it reasonably straightforward?

DEFINITELY keep us posted on your progress. It's on my short list and would love to see how it goes. I should really be doing it right now (if I had the switches). In the garage with the dash/console ripped out. Would be a perfect time.

 

[george_tlc]

New (amazon) gas struts for the hood. Tinted the upper part of the windscreen (since I have the narrower lexus sun visors) and installed a bluesea dual USB in a switch blank on the console. Already have 2 USB and one cig lighter outlet on the bottom/back of the console (for when my men were kids...).

Drove into the sun this morning and the tint really helps take the edge of the sun's glare. Weird seeing the tint, I'm sure I'll get use to it with a bit of time.

When I installed the original outlets it appears I had the brains to install a decent connector. So, it was a joy to easily remove the console to open up the switch blank hole some and adjust the 'thickness' to let the bluesea 'click' in nicely.

The other 'wiring' stuff at the bottom of the pic is from a ham radio.

cheers,
george.

 

[desmocruiser]

DEFINITELY keep us posted on your progress. It's on my short list and would love to see how it goes. I should really be doing it right now (if I had the switches). In the garage with the dash/console ripped out. Would be a perfect time.

Will do!

I too hope to use these tan ones (from an older Lexus?)I bought years ago in the useless coin spots in the console as you mentioned, just need to figure out the wiring.

If anyone is familiar and can offer some help with the wiring converting the 6 wires to the 4 wire SM harness, it would be greatly appreciated!


I am trying to avoid project creep, but have already added completing the Dyna Mat under the drivers section I had done the cargo area 12-14 years ago with the drawer set up) but now have started thinking about wiring in a 2M or GMRS radio in the console with the older CB, “while I am in there!”

 

[desmocruiser]

New (amazon) gas struts for the hood. Tinted the upper part of the windscreen (since I have the narrower lexus sun visors) and installed a bluesea dual USB in a switch blank on the console. Already have 2 USB and one cig lighter outlet on the bottom/back of the console (for when my men were kids...).

Drove into the sun this morning and the tint really helps take the edge of the sun's glare. Weird seeing the tint, I'm sure I'll get use to it with a bit of time.

When I installed the original outlets it appears I had the brains to install a decent connector. So, it was a joy to easily remove the console to open up the switch blank hole some and adjust the 'thickness' to let the bluesea 'click' in nicely.

The other 'wiring' stuff at the bottom of the pic is from a ham radio.

cheers,
george.

It is great to have one of the 80 Series legends posting new mods!

Most of us that built 80’s 15-20 or so years ago credit George with much of our mod success, I think I am still using his LEDs in 2 of my 80’s that he built when LED was space age technology!

 

[DannyG]

I know the feeling and I hate it!!! Can't ever tell if the AC compressor is on or recirculating is on or anything!!! Someone get some LEDs please!

Here is a quick video of a new LED vs old on the recirculate button. I only did one bulb as I was dealing with my crappy solder station and really wanted to see the difference before doing all 10-12 bulbs. Anyhow, I am pleased and will replace the rest once I get a new solder station.




Here are the LEDs I purchased:

Search results for: '12V3MMROUNDTOPLEDGREENPURE' - https://lighthouseleds.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=12V3MMROUNDTOPLEDGREENPURE

Also, I found this recent MUD entry from @Borg54 really helpful on the disassembly/reassembly of HVAC panel.

80 Series Climate Control Teardown & Rebuild

forum.ih8mud.com

I found the LEDs somewhere on MUD, but am having difficulties locating that thread now..

Hope this helps..
dg

 

[Riverrunner]

Where did you find that wheel and cover? Steering wheel looks girthier than mine. Would love to get a nice cover like that for mine.

Its a completely rebuilt wheel from Craft Customs

 

[roflbox]

Adjusted the panhard bar from the PO's decision of 43" down to 41.5" (about OEM)
Installed the Delta panhard lift bracket, and now my frame does not contact the tires on the right side!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Celebratory bicycle ride inbound!