What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week?

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Did you add the gas assist shock to your tire carrier? Or was it on there originally? I know this is something that is being offered currently.

That’s on my list for mine.
Dave is including them now, standard. Nice feature!
 
Welded on my relocated drivers-side shock tower. Previously bolting it kept coming loose. New Bilsteins. Worked on replacing my tie rod ends. Had to cut 4.5" inches out of the po tierod to put the steering stabilzer end back on that was missing.

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FYI you have shock turned the wrong way.
IMG_5247.webp

In my experiences they mount with the lable right side up. Unlike the ones I want for my 40. There can only be one way for these.
If Bilsteins can tame this beast… they can keep a 40 in line also.
 
While we are out in Orange County visiting our daughter and SIL, I made a pilgrimage north to check-in with Mark A. of Mark's Off-Road (@65swb45 ). We had a good visit and I had the pleasure in riding along in his blue 45 series truck. I have to admit that I was kind of like the proverbial kid in a candy store geeking out over all of the Land Cruiser parts in his shop. :)
Just in case anyone is confused, I'm the short ugly one.
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Thanks for lunch Mark.😊 Hopefully I steered you straight (pun intended 😛)on your contemplated power steering conversion.😉
 
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Keep at it. You will get the hang of it. What size wire? On the thin stuff, I found that it really helped to use the smaller wire and a copper backing plate. Go slow and don't build up too much heat to avoid the dreaded warpage. I also found that there was a huge difference between practicing on the workbench and going live on the vehicle. :)
Check out the cut and butt system on youtube to cut a patch for that hood and weld it in. If you try to weld those thin rust holes shut you will just keep blowing the holes bigger. The backing plate works great as mentioned for bigger gaps and holes in good thick metal.
 
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Fitzee’s Fabrication is terrific..I have seen him make the proverbial silk purse out of that sows ear… always an amazing outcome
 
Got it to run! Feels like a huge weight off my shoulders. Once I figured out the fuel delivery/pressure problem I was having it fired right up. That was after about 3 days of me questioning why I took this on. Next job is to order some driveshafts and get it on the road.
When I dropped the 5.3 in place of the 350, I had my wife, son and father in law in the garage for the first turn of the key. The starter cranked but nothing else happened. My wife looked at me like I was an idiot for wasting my time and said something like “that’s anticlimactic.” I turned and beamed- I was just happy something happened with the turn of the key!!!
It took a while to actually get it running, but it’s all worth it. In terms of drivability, it’s likely the best thing I’ve done in terms of mods. Sorry purists.
 
Assembled this kids' "Market Place" today for our daughter's kindergarten classroom. I would rather do a knuckle job on the most ill-kept 40 than put together one of these ever again. :mad:

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You know that old saying: be careful what you wish for!
 
In a very odd reminder of what I have accomplished and the synchronicity of an endeavor of the nature of restoring a historical automobile...
Today I "re-fixed" my tailgate lock. I also received the following "On This Day" reminder.
1723731248746.webp

So, exactly one year ago today, I fixed this lock the first time.

On a side note. Does anyone have a pic of the "correct" placement of the lock retainer clip? In my case turning the key too far causes the lock arm to grab the spring retainer clip and (if I keep twisting) unseats the clip and causes the lock to fall out. If I am careful it works, though I cannot remove the key unless the lock is locked.

I don't have a "before" pic of the working lock.
 
In a very odd reminder of what I have accomplished and the synchronicity of an endeavor of the nature of restoring a historical automobile...
Today I "re-fixed" my tailgate lock. I also received the following "On This Day" reminder.
View attachment 3702891
So, exactly one year ago today, I fixed this lock the first time.

On a side note. Does anyone have a pic of the "correct" placement of the lock retainer clip? In my case turning the key too far causes the lock arm to grab the spring retainer clip and (if I keep twisting) unseats the clip and causes the lock to fall out. If I am careful it works, though I cannot remove the key unless the lock is locked.

I don't have a "before" pic of the working lock.
Here are a few pics that I borrowed:
Example Photo of Rear Door Latch Assembly.1.webp

Hatch Lock Engaged.webp

Lock Mechanism.1.webp

Lock Mechanism.2.webp
 
Thanks! That confirms for me that the spring clip I have is too big for the circumference of the circle. Can you remove your key when it's unlocked?
Thanks! That confirms for me that the spring clip I have is too big for the circumference of the circle. Can you remove your key when it's unlocked?
Yes, but as I recall it was fiddly to get it to behave the way that it is supposed to.
 
Yes, but as I recall it was fiddly to get it to behave the way that it is supposed to.
Thanks for this. I just found my old, old lock tumbler and the clips is much smaller than the new replacement. So now I know I am on the right track and know that if mine is "fiddly" it's working correctly. :)
 
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