80 series Land Cruiser Build & Shenanigans thread

I forget this thread exists

Figured I'd work on the swingout arm a little bit so here I'm figuring the notch and length of the first piece.



Afterward I need to cut the half-moon so it can sit flush with the spindle.



After a few attempts, I'm happy with the length.



Spindle needs to be fully assembled and torqued if I'm going to measure for accuracy.





Happy with the length finally, so it gets burned in.



Next up, the second part of the arm.

Keeping it short in case I want to add a second swingout later in the future.



Once cut, it's as easy as mating it to the first piece.



Burned in and ready to go!



Capped off the end piece.



Rain started to come through so I quickly disassembled it and brought the bumper inside.

Mocking up the latch setup (ignore that the bottom tabbed flipped over).

 

Got a lot of homework so I made a little progress on the swingout.

Using the above mock-up, I punched where I wanted to drill my holes.



Only tedious part is the constant installing/uninstalling of parts.



That or when you don't have everything you need; another Home Depot run is in order to get some washers.



Mock-up for the hook now; I welded the arm a bit too high so now I'll need to improvise.



Little bracket; it's ugly but I'll cover the sides at a later point. Least it works!



Well, not bad for an hour's time!

 

Being on vacation, and having some time to myself I figured I'd finally get to work on a few things.



Before I can immediately go in and pull out the radiator, there's a bit of work that needs to get done beforehand.

To get to some of the hoses and bolts, the battery and battery tray has to come out.



For a little more room, you can pull off the steering stabilizer which I opted to do.



Was meaning to pull it as I've had an OME sitting new in box for about 10 months now

Starting to understand why the previous owner left this worn stabilizer installed.



Got it off finally but no amount of pounding can get this tapered bolt out of the bracket.

Since the OME stabilizer fits perfectly on it, I'll use it temporarily so I cleaned it up.



Figure once my cnc table arrives, I'll just make myself a new bracket.

Toyota engineers: "you think we gave our mechanics too much room to work with?"

Other engineer "hold my Zima"

Fucking petcock is tucked in between the frame and transmission lines



Best way to go about it is by pulling off the transmission line but to even get close to it, the steering stabilizer had to come off anyway.

Because there's no "nipple" to access and connect a hose to for ease of draining, you've got to let it flow at a not-so-fast rate seeing as how it drains through the subframe.



While that drains, the front grill gets pulled off. Best to loosen the driver side headlight so one can gain better access to one of the bolts holding the radiator.



With the radiator drained, it's time to remove the hoses.







These come in clutch to block off and stop excess drainage.



Why does every issue begin with "the previous owner..."

Went to remove the fan clutch only to find that I have a 13mm nut whereas the rest are 12mm.

It's seized and started to pull the stud out.



Took a little persuasion but I knocked the fan clutch off and removed the fan clutch, radiator shroud, and radiator.



New radiator, pretty little thing.






Old vs new.



For those that didn't catch why I'm replacing it, this is why.




Unfortunately, I was unaware of how common it is for this to fail and break.

They even sell little brackets to reinforce it, but I decided to just upgrade all together.



I could've had this new radiator installed by now (5hrs into the job) but I figured now was a better time than ever to replace my leaking power steering hoses.



Cutting doesn't even phase it, it literally breaks like hard plastic.

Will be out tomorrow but hoping I can get back to it this Monday. I'm calling it for today.

 

I woke up and chose violence, because that's all this hose understood.







The new one that'll go in its place.

I have several more of these to replace the rest but seeing as how this one was the only one leaking, and a pain to remove, I figured I'd only replace that one.



With the radiator out, replacing a few hoses wasn't the only thing on my list of to-do's.

Pulled the old belts off.



New belts!



And the new radiator fits like OEM.





Since I like OEM stuff, stuck with a new cap versus using the one the new radiator came with.



Got everything buttoned up and topped off.



And running like a champ!



Before taking it out on a spin I had to install this bad boy as well.



Steering feels so much more controlled so that's a huge plus!

 

Thought I'd give it a little bit before I came back to post.

Developed an even larger issue where my power steering fluid leaked a shit ton more than it ever used to before. Wasn't enough, my system was cavitating because no matter how much I topped off and bled the air out, it was constantly whining.

Bought a used steering pump (to rebuild), new high-pressure return line, and decided to use the remaining new lines (feed, return) and replace everything.

That fixed everything!



Normally after driving, or just flat out leaving my vehicle parked overnight I would find a tire-sized wet spot of ATF on the ground.

Decided to leave some cardboard underneath and leave it overnight.



Relieved to see the only thing leaking is oil; that's from my valve cover which I'll address sometime soon.



The one thing that's kept me really busy though was the setting up of my new CNC plasma table.



After some quality control issues, several rants, and a steep learning curve, was happy to be able to produce my first cut tonight!









Really happy with how I got the travel speed right on the first go. Unfortunately, I didn't implement any Z-Axis settings in my setup before creating the G code but it's ok.

Surprised how tight of a line I got with a 1.1 sized tip.

Giving my welder helper something else to hold onto.



After I get some time behind the software and machine, I hope to come up with some bumper parts and more.

Kwik Fab LLC coming soon!

 

What a cool tool. Always a plus to add a new skill set. Keeps the cobwebs out of the melon. What's the max depth your cutter can make? Always spying your tools

in the background... (in admiration), are you set up for 3 phase?

 

You should see my baking, that's a new skillset that's been growing for sure!

I'm in culinary for baking, just for fun.

Plasma cutter is a 60 amp machine and can cut through 7/8" so nearly a full inch. I'll never need to cut metal that thick but it's nice that I have the ability to.

And 3 phase? No way this is just a small 2 car garage. 3 phase is awesome and I had it at a job where I was a fabricator before; talk about non-stop power for non-stop welding.

I did run my own romex for the 220v though; plasma cutter has it's own 50 amp breaker.

 

Yep 7/8" can take care a lot business. Any plate thicker, or a bigger table for the CNC, you'd be talking to the Mrs. about an overhead crane! Put in a sub 90 amp

sub panel when I did the kitchen, shoulda, coulda, wished I woulda ran 220v to the garage. Not that I have a shop in the garage, but good for resale as the EV car

market moves along. Nice being able to do the electrical, sparky's charge thru the roof- and what for? The work they get into isn't ball bustin'. You pack

the baked goods, (I've trolled your work over at TW) and I'll pack something to put between em' and we'll head out. Work safe @Kwikvette.

 

This is an awesome build and a great thread!

 

Thanks!

Figured I'll continue to address things on the Land Cruiser and post up here; in the meantime I'll let my table make its money back before I start doing more like going back to 35's.

Been looking at swapping out my wheels as well but that's down the road.

 

No real updates aside from the fact that my power steering is leaking again.

It's really frustrating considering the pump itself was a bitch and a half to remove, and I have all new lines all the way around.



Upon further inspection, it seems as if part of the leak is where the pump mates with the box or?...the lines from above are dry and there's no drip from down below where they connect.





Don't really have time to deal with it right now with homework and all.

On another note, I figured I'd put in a half hour one day to prototype a customer order. Drew one version of it on Draftsight and another on Fusion 360. Only cut one as it was clean enough to just run with it.

https://youtu.be/YTuwA5zT_V8

Work shown below next to the mount I'm attempting to recreate. First practice piece (second piece ever cut on this) as you'll notice it's 1/8" versus 1/4" as needed.











From there I didn't mess with it at all until today again when my new air filter came in.



Here's what I'm replacing. It's an old water separator that came with this air compressor...who know's how old it is.



Quick run to Harbor Freight and Home Depot (done on different days) to get a hose and some fittings and adapters. 1/4" NPT couplers with 1/2" NPT to 1/4" NPT adapters.

Ignore the water separator on the far right, don't know what I'll do with that one.



Unfortunately, the 'suggested by Amazon' bracket that I purchased with it was incorrect as it only works for the M-30 model and I got the M-60 model.

Not to worry, I'll just make my own as my third ever cut piece on this thing. Found a shared file but I modified it for my use on Fusion360.

https://youtu.be/n-kNGVHJFRc



From right off the table and straight to the vise.



Relief cuts make bending 1/8" steel super easy.



I did absolutely no clean up. I assume turning it up to 35 amps and the use of a new filter and in-line water separator were the factors needed for an even cleaner cut than my first two pieces.



And here she is in place!



Making use of that scrap metal; I was better this time around at keeping the piece close to the edges as to not waste excessive material.



Messing around with this thing is getting to be fun and really useful versus cutting shit with a hand torch and cleaning up with a flap disc.

That and it's a nice break from other stuff I need to get done as well

 

Bad ass build!!!!!

 

Thanks!

You know, I'm in Fresno too

 

Bad ass !!!! MARINE ???

 

Yep, Semper Fi brother!

3/5 Darkhorse

I'm in Fowler to be exact.

 

Semper Fi!!!! 3/3

 

Haven't done much on account of other priorities...

We had our baby!



I was however finally able to spend a little bit of time on it today.

Got rid of my limit straps IE factory brake lines and got these Slee extended lines to replace them with.



The old.



Driver.



Passenger.



Rear.



Also replaced the rear hatch struts, finally.



Unrelated to the thread, but thought I'd share my latest addition to the garage.

Cut myself a sign since afterall, I work from home out of my garage.

 

Congrats on the babe...hope mom and baby are doing fine.

 

Congrats on the baby!

I just spent the last two weeks driving a '93 80 around San Diego. I was visiting friends and my buddy very graciously loaned it to me.

I've always liked 80s in a "yeah, those are cool" kind of way, but after getting some seat time in one, I'm in love.

I absolutely loved driving that thing. OME lift, new 295/75/16 Cooper AT3 XLs. It drove down the highway at 70mph arrow straight with no vibes or steering wheel shake, which is more than I can say for my 4Runner. I loved how big the greenhouse was, all that glass and thin pillars made it very easy to see out of, including parallel parking.

I also noticed after a while that it seemed to get a lot of respect on the road. Even when doing ten under, nobody tailgated or drove aggressively around me. I saw multiple drivers look multiple times before merging in front of me, one of whom immediately cut someone else right off. I'm pretty sure it was the ARB bumper and the general "this thing's seen some shit" look of it.

The clear coat is peeling, it's all scratched up, but mechanically it's dialed. Everything works.

I really want one now, and if I didn't have a 60 mile commute I'd DD the hell out of it. The 10mpg at 5.00/gal was a little rough. Smiles per gallon, right? Lol.

Now I get why people are so into these.

 

Appreciate the kind words!

Unfortunately, momma had some difficulties soon afterward but up until recently all is well again.

She's on maternity leave still for another 2 months giving her plenty of time to recover.

Here he was at just a week old -



At a month old -



And now at two months -





Crazy how he has become so expressive, and developing really good social skills.

We just have to be careful often considering around two days old, he already had the strength to roll himself over from his back.

He does tummy time like a champ though. Doctors and nurses (not to mention his visits with the pediatrician) all state the same; he is really strong and growing to be a big boy.

 

Right?!

You're coming from having a 5th Gen too so that says something.

My Land Cruiser just feels so planted and 'mature', and that's comparing it to my old 4Runner with King 2.5 fronts and rears on OME coils and other mods.

The thumbs you get come in tenfold, and some of the people you meet tend to be cool for the most part.

 

Been a bit busy these past few weeks being Dad but it's been fucking amazing every single minute of it.

Being home though also means I've been able to fill my time with fulfilling orders for one-off parts and other misc. projects for people.

Figured I'd start one for myself which is almost done really.

Seeing as how my Land Cruiser is missing both the engine splash guard and transfer case skid, I figured I could address the transfer case right away.

Here's a mock-up of what I want to create.



Didn't really take long to draw it up and bend on CAD, 10 minutes maybe and I'm digging how it looks already. Thinking I'll minimize the branding to just two letters but we'll see unless someone wants to help me create a logo for myself?



Another 5 minutes and she's already cut! I swear I'd be pulling my hair out if I had to cut this shit with an angle grinder and/or saw. I could easily knock it out with a hand torch but there would be dross to clean up on 1/4" on the real skid.





Few minutes on the press and done!





Quick test fitting told me a few things though;

1. the large radius bends were largely to my benefit as the front clears the crossmember wonderfully

2. the width of the slots for the mounting hardware are so precise, the bolts have no side to side movement which brings up an issue

3. I measured the holes on the crossmember slightly off from center to center because I am about 1/32" too close together since the threads on the hardware catch on the slots

4. I can go slightly wider on the bends after the slots to tuck in the skid a bit more

Access to the drain plug because who wants to remove skids for servicing said items.



The need for adjustment on the rearmost bends to gain back another inch of ground clearance or so.



The front bend being perfect as is so nothing gets caught up underneath.



Just need to figure out a rear mounting solution which consists of attaching the rear of the skid to the frame right above it.

Oh and no, this isn't the skid...just a template in 16 gauge as the real skid will be in 1/4" thick steel.

 

Figured I'd take a little time figuring out the mounting setup.

Unfortunately, I kind of had to half-ass most of the measurements seeing as how I'm out of flat stock and don't want to cut the real deal yet for the mounts.

Cut some square tube as an initial mock-up.



Once I was somewhat happy with the length and angle cut, I figured I could try mounting it to the skid and get an idea for the frame side.



Just sucks cause there's very little room up top.



After removing everything, this is what I've come up with so far as changes go.



Also decided to draw up the single mount from the square tube to the skid plate.



Not to mention the two mounting plates that will "sandwich" the frame.



It's almost afternoon which means no more work and I'll continue tomorrow.

Figure I'll cut all the brackets out first before finally committing to cutting the skid plate.

 

With the revision, I went ahead and got her cut and bent.

Even 1/4" feels like butter being cut by a hot knife.



Smooth clean cuts, as expected.





And onto the press brake; I never used the bottle jack manually and don't ever intend to.



Last bend.



Done, with the cardboard template, 16 gauge mock up, and 1/4" final revision.



Probably a bit overkill seeing as how most skids are only 3/16" and they're plenty strong at that thickness.

 

Been so busy lately, that and whenever I'd have 20-3 minutes here or there I run into one issue after another.

First one being that I only carry and use metric hardware, and the slots I made are for M10 bolts for the rearmost bolts. I made them a hair larger for a looser tolerance and figured I'd just run carriage bolts as I had originally wanted to.

Well 3/8" was literally a hair too big.



Got some 5/16" in and it fit perfect.



Also went ahead and cut the remaining bracket and some square tube to start fitment for the rear mount.

The zinc hardware won't be used, only using stainless for everything.



Being really hot, and pressed for time, I skipped using the square tube and decided on a temporary solution using some 1/2" solid round bar I used for a customer's project just yesterday. Was kind of a pain in the ass even cause one welding hood had a low battery so I got lazy and grabbed my other welding hood. Slide underneath only to not be able to fit my big ass head underneath wearing it so I grabbed a welding mask to hold. Awkward even cause I also had to hold the piece I was tacking in place not to mention my MIG gun.



The end result of that whole ordeal.



Need to stretch its legs so after some wheeling this Wednesday, and the many appointments on Thursday and Friday (not to mention SIL birthday), I figure I can make the real mount with square tube this next week.

I'll also opt to use a U bolt to wrap around the frame versus two steel plates.

And just for kicks, here's what the 1/2" solid round bar was used for (shown only tacked in place).



A local FB Land Cruiser group member wanted me to fabricate an amp and crossover mount.

What I enjoyed about this was that the customer wanted something "clean"...so I opted to make the mounts to utilize the existing third row seating as he plans to run a large subwoofer box that takes up the room between the wheel wells.

MDF will be attached to the front side shown above, with the amp mounted on that same side. Four crossovers will be attached to the MDF on the other side utilizing the openings in the skeleton.

Here's how it went.







And the end result before primer and paint.



After having done that project for his Land Cruiser, it got me thinking I want to do the same but smaller for my own amp and sub setup.

 

Yes! It just feels like a very solid vehicle. His was a bit rattly over broken pavement, but I imagine that could be fixed without too much effort. Maybe there are some 30 year old bushings and trim clips that need replacement.

People did give it a lot of looks, and once I came out to it and found 3 other modded Yotas had parked next to it, haha.

 

Mounted up with the temporary rear mount; it feels solid as hell not to mention it tucks up nicely to the transfer case.

Paint is mostly dry so ignore the surface finish.



Minimal use of ground clearance.



No fear of damaging hardware here with the use of those carriage bolts.

 

Just a short day trip hanging out with some friends.



Other people ask why I'm not lifted, I respond with "I like droop"





Still had more to go, my rears were especially limited since I left the damn extended bumpstops I said I was going to remove a long time ago now.

 

Loaded her up the other day



Including the unfinished bumper.



And decided to bring this home.





I may be tempted to keep it, especially with how nice and smooth it drives.

Only V8s I'm used to are from my Corvettes, and this one's different being that it's a low revving torquey little thing.



Big fan with all the maintenance and care that's gone into it as the previous owner was a realtor.

Not a fan of the Bilstein 5100s or 5160s as I've never cared for cheap shocks in general, especially cheap spacers.







Undercarriage is completely leak free as expected.





Anyway we'll see! If I keep the GX, it'll be a family vehicle only.

Wife is getting herself a new vehicle anyway and I don't like driving her other car.

Plan is to get a dedicated trail rig whether it's a Pick Up, first gen 4Runner, or first gen Tacoma.