80 Series build - The Land Yacht

[VuickB6]

After modifying and tearing up a second generation 4Runner for 2 years I wanted to go to more places than just the private parks they have here in Texas and also do more overlanding style trips. We're in SE Texas and the 4Runner wasn't comfortable enough for the wife and kids on 8+ hour trips to the places we wanted to go and needed something with more room.

Here are a few pictures of our shenanigans in the 4Runner. This was after a trip to Northwest ORV Park in Bridgeport Texas. The front locker stopped working on the final climb out of a nasty trail called Godzilla. It poured down rain for almost an hour after getting stuck. We waited for the rain to stopped and then flagged down some help. They tried their best but couldn't get us up the hill. The Jeep that was trying to pull me out was on 42" IROKs and couldn't even get up the hill after unhooking from me. So out the way I came in it was. We were already dragging over rocks to get to where we were and the rain made it such a mess that it was sliding all over the place in to rocks and trees. It wasn't pretty.

This is how it looked when the day started.

And this is when we got back to the hotel.

I thought I might have finally killed it on this trip but we drove it an hour home after this recovery. Lots of mud got in the intake and even passed the throttle body but it started up just fine. The next day I cleaned the intake and replaced the MAF it ran like it did before.

I wanted to either get a Discovery II or a 80 Series. Drove 5 hours to Dallas to look at a white DII that I found on here but he didn't accept my offer so on we went to NW Arkansas to look at a 80 Series that was very nicely done. That one had damn near everything I wanted but it would need several thousand more to get it to where it needed to be for long trips. I only had so much money to spend and so we turned it down as well. Finally I found a clean 1996 Land Cruiser on Craigslist for $7,000. It had an ARB front bumper with a Warn M8000 and a Tradesman Oval roof rack. I asked if I drove down and ended up wanting it would he take $6,000 and he agreed. The next day me and my wife drove down and couldn't believe how nice it was for the price. It had 206,000 miles on it, a FAT binder full of maintenance records dating back to 1998, and there were no major issues with it. We ended up driving it home that day. The guy was almost in tears as we were getting in. I told him that we would love it and take great care of it.

We went to a U-Haul to pick up a trailer and drove 6 hours home, loving every mile of it. This was July of last year.

It wasn't long before I started on the modifications. A call was made to Slee and I had their 4" lift with radius arms on the way.

Shipping as always was amazingly fast and everything arrived in good condition.

Found a lightly used set of 37x12.50 KM2 tires.

Called up Summit and ordered a set of 17x8 (4.5" BS) Cragar Soft 8s.

And a set of 7" HIDs from RuffStuff Specialties.

After installing it we took it to Down South Offroad Park to make sure everything worked well. It drove great and handled the sloppy conditions with ease. Even with stock gearing with the 37s it wasn't down on power like I was expecting. It would downshift on overpasses but it didn't bother me.

We all knew this was the vehicle for us. :sombrero:

 

[VuickB6]

Last October we took the first trip to a decent park in the Land Cruiser. We wanted to try out Superlift ORV Park in Arkansas so we loaded up and headed out. Didn't know it when we left but the Southern Cruiser Crawl was going on at the time. We made it there Saturday evening and on Sunday everyone was packing up to head out so we didn't get to talk to many people and nobody was wheeling that day. We loved this place after only a short while. The trails were clearly marked, it wasn't trashed even after a huge event, and the views were beautiful.


A few of the nice rigs we saw on the way in.

After checking in we hit the trails and first thing we came up to a RTI ramp so we gave it a try.

Then off we went to check the place out.

We stuck to level 1 and 2 trails since we were by ourselves, didn't have lockers, and I was still on the stock front axle shafts. Even then we still had a great time and is our favorite park so far.

Earlier this year my brakes needed to be replaced. After looking online and seeing what a pain it was just to replace the front rotors I thought I might as well get everything I've been wanting now and get it all done at one time. So instead of just a brake job I ended up going a little overboard! I called up Just Differentials and ordered front and rear differentials with 5.29 Nitro gears, ARB lockers, and solid pinion spacers. Then I called up Slee again for one of their belly pans, AC drier skid plate, and steering links. Low Range Off Road was having a sale on Longfield axles so I picked up a set of those as well. I ordered a set of DBA 4X4 Survival Series T3 Rotors, EBC Green and Yellow Pads, and a Safari Snorkel from Auto Anything. And then I called up Cruiser Dan for a crap load of OEM parts to rebuild the front axle and some other maintenance. I also ordered ARP knuckle and hub studs from Front Range Off Road. And finally I found Raybestos parts on Amazon to rebuild my emergency brakes.

I was in no rush to get it done since I had another car to drive. This would be my first time tearing into axles like this so I wanted to make sure everything was right.


This is how it looked most days.

Powder coated knuckles and ARP knuckle studs

Just about done putting everything back together.

Belly Pan was the final piece.

And later that evening I started breaking in the ring and pinion. It was so nice having it back on the road!

 

[VuickB6]

Shortly afterwards I brought it back down to replace the valve cover gasket, distributor o-ring, coolant hoses and clamps, every vacuum hose in the engine bay, and to wire up the compressor and run the air lines to differentials.

I also had the valve cover powder coated as well.

Put the compressor by the washer fluid bottle for now. Eventually it will have to be moved when I go to dual batteries.

Used the coin holders and the center console for the switches. Just a little bit of sanding and they fit great!

It was finally time to get rid of the ugly stock rear bumper and the hitch that had a plate welded to the crossmember. Wanted to finally mount the spare tire on it instead of it sitting in the garage doing nothing. So once again I called Slee and ordered their rear bumper with a tire carrier and ladder. :sombrero:


They always do a damn good job of packing their products!

It took me and a friend forEVER to grind on that damn plate enough to get it off the crossmember

And finally the finished product. So much better than before!

 

[e34croak]

WOW! Awesome.

 

[Drover]

Nicely done.

 

[VuickB6]

Thanks guys. :beer:


We took a trip to Hidden Falls the day after the bumper was installed, hadn't taken the Cruiser there yet and it was as good a time as any. This would be the first trip with the lockers functioning and I was anxious to see how well they worked.


It was a sloppy mess when we arrived and was still raining. Luckily it didn't last too much longer and things dried up fairly quickly. The scenery here is always nice but the trails are poorly marked because people keep stealing the signs. If they would come up with a better way to mark the trails so you know where the heck you are it would be a much more enjoyable park. But all too often you'll end up on a trail that is too difficult or too narrow because it's meant for motorcycles only. It gets pretty damn frustrating.

Everybody loves poser shots, right? :sombrero:

 

[VuickB6]

Back in July I realized I didn't have any plans for my upcoming 19 days of vacation in August so me and my wife decided to do our biggest trip yet. We settled on the Grand Canyon, Moab, and Ouray and only had 3 weeks to get ready for it. The only protection I didn't have yet is sliders and I wasn't about to risk it on a trip like this so I once again called Slee and ordered a set of their sliders.

I wanted a set of the step sliders but didn't really care for the look so I took a chance on their regular sliders and glad that I did. I'm 5' 7" and my wife is 5' 4" and neither of us have a problem getting in with these sliders. After getting them installed I was finally happy with where it was as far as suspension/armor goes and now I can start working on the interior modifications.


Goodbye running boards!

So the sliders are installed, I finally got my HIDs wired up working properly (these pair of lights are awesome for only $175!), and did some small maintenance items. Had to also buy a tent (Big Agnes Flying Diamond 6), cots, air beds, sleeping bags since we didn't want to stay in hotels the entire time. Also bought a ResQLink PLB just in case things get bad in the middle of nowhere!


Packed up and ready for 19 days of awesome.

The first day we drove almost 700 miles and stopped in Amarillo. Finding a hotel at 10:00 in the evening was a lot more difficult than either of us thought it would be. Luckily we were able to score the last room at a decent hotel. I asked the lady at the front desk if there was anything going on and she said it's always packed like this. :Wow1: I'll remember to make reservations in advance next time we pass through these parts. The next day we planned to stop in Flagstaff which was just over 600 miles away.



Goodbye Texas!

Shortly after getting into New Mexico I saw signs for Route 66 and had to take a detour to see what there was. My wife also saw some geocaches in the area that she wanted to find.


The next two were taken in Tucumari. This sign was so freaking cool that I had to stop and take some pictures. The kids also had a lot of fun climbing on it.

We made it to Flagstaff that evening. Found a nice hotel that had an awesome fire pit with comfortable seating. Hung out around the fire for a little bit before passing out. The next day we would all get to see the Grand Canyon for the first time!



Before heading out to the Grand Canyon we drove around Flagstaff looking for a good place to eat. We found a pizza place that had good reviews but we bumped in to some locals who directed us to their favorite place only a few blocks away called NiMarco's. They had decent pizza but their beer selection was the best part about it. I had two pints of the Oak Creek Nut Brown Ale while we were there and couldn't have been happier. I love me some great craft beer. :beer::beer:

After getting our fill we made our way to the Grand Canyon. We almost decided to do it the next day and see what else there was in Flagstaff. We all loved it there.


This meadow was beautiful in person.

The Grand Canyon was amazing! The parts that were really far away almost looked fake. It was hard to describe how neat it was to see it with your own eyes.

We watched the sunset before heading back to Flagstaff.

The next day we spent more time around Flagstaff before heading out. Next stop...Moab.

 

[Sempertoy]

Looks like a fun trip man. I went up to Moab from San Antone earlier this year. This is your first time going I assume? Have a blast, there is nothing quite like Moab.

 

[VuickB6]

This all happened back in August by the way, I looked and saw that the months I mentioned were the wrong ones and have since corrected them! We were gone from August 1st through the 19th. I'm working on these posts in the time I have here at work and it's just taking me a while. :sombrero:


And yes, first time to all of these places for us and the first big trip for the Land Cruiser. Moab was everything I expected. I only wish we had found some people to tag along with like in Ouray so we could see more. I didn't get to do all the trails I wanted because I read to not attempt them on your own. Either way we still had a ton of fun exploring the trails that we did.

 

[Danimal]

Very cool, thanks for posting.

How was the truck on the long freeway drives? Did the lift and 37" mud terrains add to the fatigue factor in your opinion?

Dan

 

[VuickB6]

Very cool, thanks for posting.

How was the truck on the long freeway drives? Did the lift and 37" mud terrains add to the fatigue factor in your opinion?

Dan

For me it drives pretty dang good on the freeway. The way we took from my house to Flagstaff it was 75 mph the entire way and I was often times doing 80-85. My wife also helped with the driving and had no complaints.

The only fatigue factor that I can say is the lack of power at higher elevations. Near sea level I don't have the same problems since I've got 5.29s but it doesn't matter at altitude, it's going to downshift on the hills and it gets frustrating.

 

[SDDiver5]

Awesome build and write up! I used to live in Flag. Man I sure do miss NiMarcos!

 

[Mo4130]

That thing is Beautiful.

 

[ADVW/Liam]

Looks great! I'm jealous about the trips that ya'll have taken! I'm getting my Tacoma ready to do basically the same thing, and I can't wait. I've been to Bridgeport a few times my self, and use that place as my test site to see what further improvements I need to make to the truck. Looking at lockers, soft top bed topper, and some kind of mount for a RTT. All it takes in $$$

 

[Singlespeed92]

Man,I'm LOVING your rig,as well enjoying reading about the great adventures you've been having-just awesome,brother