What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week? (23 Viewers)

[Michael B]

David,
The letters on my 45 tailgate are 11" tall in white on a bright blue back ground and they still call it a J**p! The illiteracy rate today is apparently rather high!?

 

[ryanwk628]

David,
The letters on my 45 tailgate are 11" tall in white on a bright blue back ground and they still call it a J**p! The illiteracy rate today is apparently rather high!?

Well in their defense, the "J" in BJ did originally stand for jeep.

At the time there were many Jeeps being driven in Japan, which had been brought in by the occupying forces, and the Jeep came to be the symbol of the 4x4. For this reason Toyota called its prototype the Toyota Jeep, and by combining a B-type engine with a Jeep model it was known as the BJ.

 

[David70FJ40]

No matter the history, and I do understand why the makers chose the FJ and BJ designations, it still galls me to hear someone call it a jeep. As for myself, I enjoy having something not everyone else has and enjoy being different and not one of the maddening crowd. As someone said, jeeps are made for the masses. LCs were made for work.

 

[4x4veteran]

Originally there were several different vehicles being refereed to as a jeep.
They were called General purpose or G P's for short.
G P sounds like geep when pronounced quickly and it morphed from there.
I can't get too unset because I have inadvertently used the j**p word in reference to my FJ40.
I have been asked if it is a Willy's which is a little less insulting.
We all make mistakes but some people seem to take it to a higher level.
A couple of months ago a lady complimented me for having a nice jeep.
I thanked her and corrected her but she insisted it was a jeep.
She was quite adamant and I think it could have gotten heated if I had not dropped the subject.
I have an electric car conversion with one inch high chrome letters on each side saying electric but have had many people ask me if it is electric.
Just gotta learn to roll with it....

 

[Michael B]

Ryan I am painfully aware of what the "J" stands for, I suppose I have worked around engineers too long and have come to expect a certain level of specific correctness in technical references.

 

[lelandEOD]

I thought I was being chased by a hoard of angry chain-weilding midgets.

Then I found a loose pinion flange nut.


Rut row.

 

[1911]

Originally there were several different vehicles being refereed to as a jeep.
They were called General purpose or G P's for short.
G P sounds like geep when pronounced quickly and it morphed from there.
I can't get too unset because I have inadvertently used the j**p word in reference to my FJ40.
I have been asked if it is a Willy's which is a little less insulting.
We all make mistakes but some people seem to take it to a higher level.
A couple of months ago a lady complimented me for having a nice jeep.
I thanked her and corrected her but she insisted it was a jeep.
She was quite adamant and I think it could have gotten heated if I had not dropped the subject.
I have an electric car conversion with one inch high chrome letters on each side saying electric but have had many people ask me if it is electric.
Just gotta learn to roll with it....

Just so. To the average citizen / non-enthusiast, any short wheel-base, two-door truck is a "jeep", just like every refrigerator is a "Fridge" and every tissue is a "Kleenex", regardless of actual brand.

I once drove my 40 to a large Toyota dealership; several salesmen came out and walked all around it (including the Land Cruiser script on both sides). One of them exclaims: "I didn't know Toyota made a jeep!". I replied, "Yeah, they call it a Land Cruiser". Still no apparent comprehension from the sales staff.

 

[ryanwk628]

Ryan I am painfully aware of what the "J" stands for, I suppose I have worked around engineers too long and have come to expect a certain level of specific correctness in technical references.

I dont know, Im a Mechanical Engineer and if I ask someone for a Kleenex, they generally don't say "actually this is an International Paper generic facial tissue." There are several examples I have used daily in engineering where a brand has become synonymous with a type of tool. White-out, x-acto, xerox, dumpster, velcro, sharpie, styrofoam, plexiglass, hougen (mag drill), hilti (anchor) and post-its are all examples. Our vehicles, like the early Willys/Fords, were purpose built tools.

 

[TCEd]

Any fast boat is a Cigarette

 

[LakeLaurashawn]

Good Evening - My son and I removed the old, rusted and nearly flat leaf springs and 10 year old shocks, making way for an OME / Bilstein installation. We started at about 10am on Saturday and finished by 7pm that same day.

First order of business was to grab some baseline measurements.

We then removed all of the old rusty stuff, breaking a bolt along the way. Since this was a father son project, I let him get a taste of tapping out a screw. It was at the perfect height, easily accessible and I had the right tools available for him to gain the knowledge.

Having prepped all of the components earlier, we moved those in to install them the rear.

Lastly was the shocks, and a celebratory beer

One OME Comment:
The U-Bolts are a little long. I do not know why they can't figure out that simple measurement and sell them at the right length based on the kit you purchase. I know there is a 2.5" and 4" kit, hence the longer bolt, but at this price / quality they should make it right - can't be that much more to make / stock two sizes. It is now the lowest part of my under carriage and will be the first to get hit by a rock. Now I have to mark, take off, cut, re-thread and install - one at a time.

In closure, it was a great project. We hit a couple knuckles, said a few choice words and had a great time on the maiden voyage once the install was completed.

Thanks for Looking
Lake

 

[AutaviaFJ40]

Good Evening - My son and I removed the old, rusted and nearly flat leaf springs and 10 year old shocks, making way for an OME / Bilstein installation.

how do you like the ride? Im about to replace my suspension and considered OME.

 

[handala]

Pulled out the steering box to have it rebuilt.

Then took her younger sister out to stretch her mall legs!

 

[darwink1]

Went ripping around in the wee hours after we got the wiring done. Wow!...





D

 

[AutaviaFJ40]

Went ripping around in the wee hours after we got the wiring done. Wow!...

what is the App and how is it connected to the truck?

 

[4Cruisers]

how do you like the ride? Im about to replace my suspension and considered OME.

Not Lake, but I took my newly finished FJ60 out on the highway for the first time yesterday (to meet my wife at the local co-op for grocery shopping after getting it registered - and I need to emphasize that all of the groceries came back with her in the Malibu). It's an '86 with a 3FE/H55f/FJ62 split transfer case, new OME suspension with heavy front and medium rear, and '70-Series Land Cruiser wheels with BFG LT235/85R16 ATs. The front Warn winch bumper and 8274-50 winch aren't on it yet (temporarily installed an FJ62 OEM bumper), so that will affect things. Also, no spare in the rear yet.

First impressions - I like the feel of the suspension based on ~5 miles in town and 3 on the highway. Haven't taken it up into the mountains on the tight corners, and haven't taken it off-road yet. Maybe today if I knock down this nagging sinus infection.

 

[LakeLaurashawn]

how do you like the ride? Im about to replace my suspension and considered OME.

Hi - So far, I really enjoy the ride, feel and cornering.

Ride - The original leaf springs in the back were so bad they were visually flat; having no arch at all. Having the truck level now really helps the ride and smooths out the uncomfortable bounce.
Feel - I can feel the road much better through the steering. Goose no longer wants to shift in the lane of traffic as I hit bumps.
Cornering - No longer does Goose feel as though she is going to toss out the passenger.

Overall, I am very impressed. That being said, the old suspension was beyond its life. For reference, mine is a stock ’72 FJ40 with a hard top, no winch and a rear tire carrier, I went with the medium front/rear set-up. Also, I have not taken her off-road yet, so no feedback there as of yet. I would expect that the benefits I am seeing on the road will cascade forward to the trail too.

Thanks
Lake

 

[ryanwk628]

Hi - So far, I really enjoy the ride, feel and cornering.

Ride - The original leaf springs in the back were so bad they were visually flat; having no arch at all. Having the truck level now really helps the ride and smooths out the uncomfortable bounce.
Feel - I can feel the road much better through the steering. Goose no longer wants to shift in the lane of traffic as I hit bumps.
Cornering - No longer does Goose feel as though she is going to toss out the passenger.

Overall, I am very impressed. That being said, the old suspension was beyond its life. For reference, mine is a stock ’72 FJ40 with a hard top, no winch and a rear tire carrier, I went with the medium front/rear set-up. Also, I have not taken her off-road yet, so no feedback there as of yet. I would expect that the benefits I am seeing on the road will cascade forward to the trail too.

Thanks
Lake

Did you use the longer Bilsteins? Does your rear shock mount to the axle or lower spring plate? Was thinking of doing the same combo to my 70 and am curious on fit.

 

[darwink1]

what is the App and how is it connected to the truck?

The app is called Torque or Torque lite (i have lite since its free) and its connected through a 25$ bluetooth dongle that plugs into the obd2 plug. I set mine up so its in the glove box and easy to reach. Im using an older samsung tablet a buddy gave me for the gagues.

Side note. Setting up spotify on the tablet as well so it doubles as my juke box.

D

 

[AutaviaFJ40]

The app is called Torque or Torque lite (i have lite since its free) and its connected through a 25$ bluetooth dongle that plugs into the obd2 plug. I set mine up so its in the glove box and easy to reach. Im using an older samsung tablet a buddy gave me for the gagues.

Side note. Setting up spotify on the tablet as well so it doubles as my juke box.

D

umm...so how do you have an obd2 port?

 

[wngrog]

Added some magnet head windshield bolts from Wit’s End

Had to wollow out the hole a bit with my dremel to get them to fit flush.

Cool little addition