What should my first mods be?

[DJWUZJ]

0-500 --> get some plywood from Home Depot and drawer slides from McMaster Carr, and build a drawer setup.

If you're going to be wheeling, you will probably:
A. Be camping and want to store gear
B. Want to carry tools and spare parts

Don't touch your t-bars until you've done this, as you may have some saggy booty.

Save your $$$ for tires over the winter, or just wait for a tax return. Build the drawers right, take your time, and they will keep you occupied to save money in the interim - then it becomes an addiction.

You can throw 33s on there, with drawers, and be totally happy heading out to Colorado next year, and hit any easy to moderate trail if you drive it right, like Beno said.

While it still looks cool, I'm a firm believer that you don't need a front bumper with this truck unless you are aggressively wheeling, or like to mow down deer for fun.

I will be doing rear bumper before I do the front.

 

[SmoothLC]

^^ or HIRs for a cheaper first alternative to HIDs.

At 110k?:

1. Baseline PM
2. Suspension
3. Tires

all with an idea to what type of vehicle you want to end up with.


Function typically trumps form, so based on what you plan to do with your rig, then armor, drawers, lights, etc. are probably best prioritized as you use it and become familiar w/ the LC's capabilities.

 

[SALTY METHODS]

Snorkel? Really? That's the first thing you want to do to a stock LC? If that is the case, then go to the local Pep Boys and stock up on all the chrome knick-knacks stick-ons for under $10. The fake fender vents and red and orange circle reflectors will compliment your Safari snorkel nicely.

 

[krice118]

Damn aha I just like the looks of a snorkel a lot and it's something a lot of people don't have. But I am going to hold off on it. I was just curious about them. I intend to do some light trails during the summer. What is a cheap lift option? I really don't like the idea of messing with the oem Torsion Bars

 

[re_guderian]

...What is a cheap lift option? I really don't like the idea of messing with the oem Torsion Bars

sigh.... get your truck. Drive it stock (very capable) for a few months while you do some reading here. You got some learning to do before you start throwing cash at mods, it appears..

 

[re_guderian]

0-500 --> get some plywood from Home Depot and drawer slides from McMaster Carr, and build a drawer setup.

If you're going to be wheeling, you will probably:
A. Be camping and want to store gear
B. Want to carry tools and spare parts

Don't touch your t-bars until you've done this, as you may have some saggy booty.

Save your $$$ for tires over the winter, or just wait for a tax return. Build the drawers right, take your time, and they will keep you occupied to save money in the interim - then it becomes an addiction.

You can throw 33s on there, with drawers, and be totally happy heading out to Colorado next year, and hit any easy to moderate trail if you drive it right, like Beno said.

While it still looks cool, I'm a firm believer that you don't need a front bumper with this truck unless you are aggressively wheeling, or like to mow down deer for fun.

I will be doing rear bumper before I do the front.

have you lost your mind??? How many college students do you know that a) want their first mod to be a snorkle because it looks cool AND, b) actually HAVE tools and spare parts (let alone carry them), or c) have so much camping gear that it won't fit just thrown in back, and d) care about organization (have you seen college living conditions?). The cheap cure for the occasional "saggy booty" are air bags...

 

[DJWUZJ]

have you lost your mind??? How many college students do you know that a) want their first mod to be a snorkle because it looks cool AND, b) actually HAVE tools and spare parts (let alone carry them), or c) have so much camping gear that it won't fit just thrown in back, and d) care about organization (have you seen college living conditions?). The cheap cure for the occasional "saggy booty" are air bags...

If this is the case....

Correction: Spend $200 on a drawer, $120 on tools, $80 on a spare coil pack, and and save $100 for gas/beer money.

I'm assuming that a college kid that buys a land cruiser will also be able to pony up gas money at 15mpg, making the argument for the cost effective route in investing in tools and education to fix your own truck when it inevitably needs repair, a more cost effective solution than taking it to a shop to fix it.

 

[yeti in ga]

So much fun to start with a clean slate.. Lots of good reading on here about what mods are worth it, or if you could do it over.

spend $20 on good beer and read for free on here for the next 2 months +
then buy a silver star to support this great community.
spend the money on gas to get to an event and see a bunch of good looking 100s.

-- of course thats what I would do first.... doing it all over again.

 

[Bloomer]

I agree with yeti in ga......and others above.

Take your time and understand how you plan to use your land cruiser. IMO the most important thing you can do is ensure it is current on maintenance and any repairs needed, and is safe to drive both on and off the road. Some of the maintenance and repairs and relatively low cost and easy DIY projects. (This will help you better understand your land cruiser.) You can spend a ton of money very quickly on bumpers,
sliders, winches, etc.....which will do you no good if you are broke down in your driveway (or worse,
on the trail).

If you just absolutely have to change the look of your land cruiser now, pull the running boards and put some 33's on it. That was my first mod (after maintenance and repairs). This alone, again IMO, makes a world of difference in looks and capability and something that can be done under $1,500 and a few hours of your time.

 

[3D FJ]

I say the first mod should be to your wallet. This seems (maybe I'm wrong) like your first time modding a truck. If this is the case, you may find yourself buying this and that, only to get rid of that and this in a matter of months. Start saving now while you spend more time reading and researching. Go out wheeling in stock form with others that have your same truck. See how it does, see what you like in person about what others have done. Your question will answer itself.

 

[paflytyer]

Suspension, suspension, suspension!

Oh, and by the way, did I mention SUSPENSION??

Seriously, before you do anything, you will probably be needing to replace your shocks, and adjust your front t-bars to level it out, and maybe do some sort of a suspension lift depending upon your planned usage. You can't even put larger tires on if you don't address your suspension first.

Just my honest opinion... Have fun with!

I disagree. I did a ton with my truck on the stock suspension. I ran 275/70/18s with some 865s I bought used for next to nothing and cranked the TBars just a little. It was never level, always a little rake. The 865s felt like stock and accomplished the same thing as the spring spacers would. I learned what the truck was capable of in stock form first, then I could really see what each mod gained me in terms of an upgrade.

Spend your money on a few tanks of gas. Learn what your truck can do. You will find very little that you can't do today but would be able to do with a tbar crank and some spacers. A decent tire will take you farther than new shocks. You can run a 33" AT without issue. (BFG, Duratrac etc) any of the true MT's will be a little bigger because of the lug style and may rub a little on compression.

Sliders are important if you're in the rocks. Do some research on how to get yourself home if you destroy the ring gear from a spinning wheel grabbing traction. Learn how to avoid getting yourself into that situation. That's a $3000 break and I'd imagine a heavy hit to a college wallet.

Most important, go out and have fun with some friends. If you have someone who can help you get unstuck from the Mississippi mud, then see what you can do, within reason. Be safe and smart and you'll still have this vehicle long after college is over and you can spend all your graduation money on whatever the coolest new doo-hickey on the market is. A good driver will go farther than any mod.

 

[re_guderian]

Some good frame recovery brackets would probably see a lot of use, I'd imagine...

 

[DJWUZJ]

I disagree. I did a ton with my truck on the stock suspension. I ran 275/70/18s with some 865s I bought used for next to nothing and cranked the TBars just a little. It was never level, always a little rake.

Agreed - Others I've run with have tackled all of the same trails running 33's and a stock suspension, as others have done with suspension work, 35's, etc.

Springs are very well could be your cheapest mod overall. If you plan to build out, add bumpers, etc, go ahead and go to a heavier spring from the start - which will compromise ride quality, but carries more load.

Just stay away from Bilstein Shocks, for all the same reasons you can rear about here.

 

[philthyphil]

OP. Welcome.

Congratulations. The best advice really is to drive it awhile and see what works and doesn't work for you. Then mod from there. Everyone here has an opinion and all should be taken with a grain of salt, even this one. There is a lot of info on here from great people, but most of it is just an opinion. See what you agree with and don't and form your own opinion from there. To answer your first question, Safari is the preferred snorkel by me but others have a different look. See which look you like when you're ready and all perform the same or similar. I'd pull the running boards and drive the existing tires until they're bald or not performing for you, then go to something bigger with the meat you want. For me I wanted protection and the bumpers weren't falling off.

My order was: Tires (easy and were needed), sliders (those rocker panels would be expensive to repair/replace), skid plates (when I'm wheeling the easiest place to hit something is the lowest point), front ARB (we venture out alone sometimes and once I was out in the middle of nowhere with my wife and 1 y/o daughter I wanted to make sure we didn't get stranded=winch), OME lift (this thing is getting heavy). Drawers are next but should have happened sooner.

If you get a winch make sure you know how to use it, you can make things worse if you don't know what you're doing.

Good luck and have fun... Go Cards, rough series...

 

[wareagle]

I'd keep it simple.
1. Add some cheap 285ATs. Pep Boys Dakotas are very good. My last set was $600 out the door.
2. Remove running boards. Add sliders. Locally build weld ons will be much cheaper.
3. Drive for a least a year
4. Replace shocks and springs with old man emu. Watch mud for used setup.
5. Drive another year.
6. Based on 2 years of use, determine if bumpers, skids and MTs are needed.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

Gas...no mod will take you further and safer then seat time. You will be surprised what you dont need.

 

[CappyKD]

You need to go with whatever mods make the most sense to YOU first. The seat time and miles suggestions make a lot of sense.

I started with:

Tires
Remove running boards
Stereo work
Bigger than stock G 31 battery
Sliders
Roof rack
DT Headers
Front bumper and winch
RTT and awnings
Brake upgrade w/ DBA parts
Drawer system
Arb Fridge
Second battery and DBS
Inverter
On board air
Huge 100k PM including new 270 amp alternator all belts and hoses
Rear ARB bumper w/ no swingouts yet


How are you planning to use your truck? This will help dictate the type of build you end up with.

HTH

 

[adrenalinefjz80]

For 0-500, I'd replace your headlight assemblies. By now your inner reflectors are oxidized and not performing anywhere close the when they were new. I just changed mine out ('99) and it made a huge difference to my light output! Old New

For $300, you could do a hid retrofit, likely the mini H1 from TRS that will blow every option out of the water in terms of light output per dollar. I currently have a Pnp hid kit for $150. The results were amazing, but I realize the housing reflectors are 15 years old. No way would I drop 500 for headlight assemblies to get new reflectors when I can convert to projector hid's for cheaper and far better results. I also had $50 silverstar bulbs when I first bought the truck to give perspective on my transitions. If I knew this years ago, I would make the jump directly to hid projector. No special headlight bulbs, bad cutoff, or old reflector housing to worry about.

 

[adrenalinefjz80]

You should build a collection of spare parts - coilpack, heater T's, etc to carry in the truck. In fact, replacing heater T's should be the first PM on your list.

 

[krice118]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I will save up for some 33s. I was thinking some cooper STTs maybe. And just removing the running boards and seeing what she can do. What are some preventative maintanence things I should do with a 99 WIRH 110,000? Has had the TB done.