Wow finally found a pair of doors! Already painted green too! (1 Viewer)

[lelandEOD]

Totally fed up with not having doors on my Land Cruiser. I managed to find this pair available for sale just over the hill in the central valley. As an added bonus, they came complete with a pretty clean looking LX450. ...one owner, garage kept its entire life, never been off pavement. I pick it up on Friday so I’ll finally be able to participate in the cold weather club runs for once!

super excited.

 

[gregnash]

And so it begins!!!!!

 

[lelandEOD]

Yeah, the chances of my kids having their college paid for just went down considerably.

 

[Tony_Farson]

Yeah, the chances of my kids having their college paid for just went down considerably.

I talked them both into going into the trades so I could get into Land Cruisers.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Most of the jobs in the next few decades will be in hands on fields anyway.

 

[Tony_Farson]

Most of the jobs in the next few decades will be in hands on fields anyway.

Yep! I have been a big supported of the trades and skilled labor for many many years. I know too many high school grads who became plumbers, electricians, contractors, etc. who were earning six figures or more way before I broke that barrier myself. If your profession doesn't legitimately NEED college level and post-grad education (Doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc.) then don't waste the time and the money just to end up fighting your way up a ladder and paying off student loans for 30+ years.

 

[rusty_tlc]

Yep! I have been a big supported of the trades and skilled labor for many many years. I know too many high school grads who became plumbers, electricians, contractors, etc. who were earning six figures or more way before I broke that barrier myself. If your profession doesn't legitimately NEED college level and post-grad education (Doctors, engineers, lawyers, etc.) then don't waste the time and the money just to end up fighting your way up a ladder and paying off student loans for 30+ years.

Exactly. I encourage the young guys at work to take online classes in business and management, that gives them the leg up when advancement time comes around. They can get a black belt in six sigma on line, relatively cheap, and easy. Looks great on a resume.

 

[DesertLake]

FYI Waste Management won't haul those rims away, but I have a pickup and can dispose of them for you. Just putting that out there.

 

[lelandEOD]

The 31” ATs look good but I threw a 33” MT on there just to get an idea what it’d look like. I think I’m going to set it up on 35”s and a 3” lift.

 

[lelandEOD]

I spent some time wiping 246,000 miles and 23 years of grit and grime off the bottom of the truck today. This thing blows me away. It’s clearly never seen dirt, snow, or salt; I’m not exaggering when I say It looks practically brand new.

 

[lelandEOD]

I found out that those magic eraser pads do wonders to deep clean leather upholstery. The second row also looks dang new new now.

 

[lelandEOD]

FYI Waste Management won't haul those rims away, but I have a pickup and can dispose of them for you. Just putting that out there.

 

[Tony_Farson]

I found out that those magic eraser pads do wonders to deep clean leather upholstery. The second row also looks dang new new now.

View attachment 2592809

They do great pulling over spray off of paint too.

 

[DesertLake]

I do recommend (@Tony_Farson this goes for you too) a combustion gas check, if you're not already planning to change the head gasket. Mine had small leaks on #1 and #6, and a snapped head bolt between #3 and #4. The only definite symptom I had was a bit higher than normal pressure on the coolant. The combustion gas check did spot it, though the color change wasn't very strong.

 

[lelandEOD]

I do recommend (@Tony_Farson this goes for you too) a combustion gas check, if you're not already planning to change the head gasket. Mine had small leaks on #1 and #6, and a snapped head bolt between #3 and #4. The only definite symptom I had was a bit higher than normal pressure on the coolant. The combustion gas check did spot it, though the color change wasn't very strong.

I ordered a dual chamber combustion checker kit and a new set of valve stem seals. It's one major issue is the cloud of blue smoke on occasional cold start so those seals have got to get changed pronto. I should have everything I need by next weekend so should know more once I check for combustion leakage, and get some compression and leakdown numbers. If the combustion test indicates a failed or failing head gasket, it'll all come off. But, otherwise, I plan to just swap the stem seals in situ to buy myself some time.

 

[DesertLake]

Yeah mine burned 1qt/1000 miles when I first got it - and there wasn't really much smoke. I guess the cats might have helped hide it. That was all valve seals, not head gasket.

The head gasket problem was a lot less obvious. I had just replaced all hoses, even the short joints on the rear heater lines. I had trouble getting those to seal up, they would drip a little after the engine worked hard, and while I was working that problem I realized that every time I popped the radiator cap it burped, long after it should have settled down. That's when I did the gas check. Sadly the slow coolant leaks caused electrolysis pitting at the fire rings, which is what led to the complete rebuild. If not for having to deck the block I'd probably still be driving it on the same bearings and rings, they were in good shape.

Do check the head bolts if you don't pull the head. I don't know how common it is, but one of mine had snapped right at the threads. It was the last bolt in the removal sequence, so when I first put the wrench on it and it was loose I wondered if I had gotten distracted and already loosened it. Then I plucked it out, realized what I was looking at, and threw a wrench at something. The funny thing is after I pulled the head I was able to use my thumb against the broken surface to spin it out, no tools required.