Wife needs ideas for husbands 80 series Landcruiser

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vernon81

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Hello all,
My husband and I own a 1997 Landcruiser. It was our secondary vehicle but we recently purchased a more economical car. Now he wants to 'build up' his Landcruiser for off road purposes. He hasnt made any modifications to this at this point but wants to get it lifted get bigger tires and skid plates. I want to get him some things for christmas and our anniversary for his Landcruiser. I am unsure of my price range at this time. All ideas welcome and thank you ahead of time.
Thanks, Vernon
 
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Decide on your spending limit, then triple it.:D

I would start with a basic lift and tires. Then sliders, rearbumper and front bumper, maybe a winch.

Go to Cruise Moab next year.

Go to this website:

www.sleeoffroad.com

Have fun!
 
A high lift jack might be a nice start, around $60.

Recovery gear, a snatch strap @ around $40

High intensity lights $100 - $1,000 Depending on how many and what manufacturer.

A roof rack or bull bar. $1,000

The hobby can be expensive, depending on how you plan to use the vehicle.

Merry Christmas
 
lift and tires are a very personal choice and no two people see their trucks the same. Giving him a kit is a very nice thing but as a total surprise it could get rough if it's not the one he had his mind set on.

I'd go with a bag of money, not all that personal but a lot safer.
 
Some months ago, "undercover wife" posted the same question here. The replies should trigger some ideas for you.
And... your husband is very lucky. My wife is a treehugger.:crybaby:
Happy shopping:cheers:
 
lucky him!

strictly from a utility point of view: good off road tires (not necessarily big), then armor, then lift

lots of cheaper goodies like recovery tools (hilift, straps etc) are great fun and potential lifesavers


don't post here what you will get him, cuz he'll certainly find the thread... :)


and welcome to the site!
 
great ideas!
Keep them coming...
I just read all of undercover wife's threads (interesting). got some good ideas but dont know where to run with them....Where would I find info for: HIR bulbs/powertank setup/air tank
 
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Where would I find a high lift jack? Great idea by the way (he is always under the hood)
 
vernon81 said:
great ideas!
Keep them coming...
I just read all of undercover wife's threads (interesting). got some good ideas but dont know where to run with them....Where would I find info for: HIR bulbs/powertank setup/air tank
Click to expand...

On the HIR bulbs you can try your local John Deere tractor store as some had good luck buying them there about a year ago...When demand rose cost went up as well so they were no longer a bargain and they became hard to find.

Some of us (including me), bought them from this guy on ebay - hir_headlights. If the link is dead down the road just type "HIR" in the ebay search field and they should pop up. Not sure where else you can get them.


On the powertank or airtank I highly recommend these --> Ultimate Air. Great folks. They are a MUD sponsor and their ad shows free shipping by mentioning their ad on MUD. You can see all of the MUD sponsors by clicking here

That said, if you don't plan on off roading quite a bit an air tank may not be the best bang for the $$. They are fairly expensive and then you have to fill them. They are great because they are very quick in airing up tires but maybe for your purposes a Viair (or similar) air pump would work just fine. Slower, but it never runs out of air and you never have to fill it. Cost wise for a good air pump (like a Viair 440P or similar) you'll spend about as much as you would on a tank initially. Just food for thought :)


Of course gift certificates to Slee Offroad are always a great idea although if you live far away shipping could be a killer...Obviously you don't want to give up your location so you may have to search through the other vendors to determine who is close by, if any.

And since you read through undercover's thread you've realized that many of the suggestions are based on the type of wheeling or exploring you are most likely to be doing (i.e. GPS over mud tires or sliders, etc)
 
Depending on where you're located, Fleet Farm in the Midwest has the 48" Hilift jack for a reasonable price and sometimes on sale.
 
By him a silver star on IH8MUD and give him a few hours in front of the computer. He'll spend the money all on his own! A gift certificate to Slee Offroad is a great idea.
 
I would look at basic maintenance first. Give him all the tune up parts

Going thru the 1996 I got used with 141k on it I found it still had original plug wires on it. They said 1995 on them.

Every stage of my tune up made it run better. It already ran great but purred like new at the end.

1. Replace the pesky heater hose with a PHH kit.
2. Replace belts and hoses
3. Replace cap, rotor, spark plugs and plug wires.
4. Replace both oxygen sensors
5. Get valve adjustment done.
6. Transmission FILTER and fluid replacement not just an fluid ex.
7. Do the 3 point seafoam treatment. Some in the fuel tank, engine oil and engine intake. The engine intake one is like fogging for bugs but made a difference since it really knocks carbon loose in the intake ports and head.
8. Last but not least. Birfield joint service or replacement. Is really front axle inspection and servicing.

Then I would look for a set of the toyota OEM front flaps for non running board 80s. Makes it look good with running boards off or with sliders in their place.

Next a ARB winch ready front bumper and a rear bumper with a spare carrier. ARB front 4x4 labs rear

I'd rather wheel in a stock suspended truck with high clearance bumpers and sliders than one that is lifted and has all stock side steps and bumpers. The stock spare location gives us the same clearance and departure angle as a volvo XC wagon. The stock bumpers, steps and spare rack are all crap.

I hit a deer at low speed that was flung my way by another car. The front bumper is flimsy and does nothing to protect the radiator and other essential gear. I just bent the bumper but considering the deer ran off and I was doing less than 35 the damage is more than I thought it would be.

The parts to do this dual battery install would also be a good gift
http://www.george4wd.taskled.com/auxbat.html
 
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Yeah, I say, get him all the small trinkets you need out there. Like the Hi-Lift Jack like Fj40 owner said up there. It might be better to let him choose the big stuff. I think a bunch of small good gifts are better than a couple big risky gifts.
 
Check out the Sticky/FAQ section...lotsa good ideas for low-buck...CDL switches (Buy from Cdan) and other neat low-buck mods.

No need to spend a ton of money, just get him some stuff to work on and then give him the time to do it!!
 
Assuming he has never lifted a 4x4 before?

The lift is the only way to throw yourself into this game. You get massive performance gains, visual envy, and feeling of satisfaction every time you see the rig.

The safe bet is a small lift like OME medium and 33" tires.

Of course, 33" tires plus a small lift is $2K. This is a $5K playing field once you get started, so if that is way out of the budget don't get him started 'cause you'll be to blame :D

My wife bought my a snorkel for my old Jeep for my birthday one year. It was totally out of the blue and something I wouldn't have bought for myself. I always thought that was a really cool gift.
 
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