'99 Land Cruiser 90 Series diesel (Canada - JDM import)

[PajEvo]

I like to do things without spending big bucks where possible. So I bought some SS all-thread and some nuts and knobs and found a way to mount my traction boards on the rack today, using an existing hole. It turned out pretty good, and at risk of looking like a poser, I really do want these on hand (on head?) for my daily drive through the lonely and snowy prairie backroads.

No extra noise added, but I may lose some points for looking like a poseur, since my snow tires don't really complete the buff, offroader look... Even through they keep me (hopefully) from needing to grab the traction boards off the roof... ?

 

[Cruisn]

Ill give ya 10 extra poser points mate.

 

[J_L]

It'll be nice to see this truck in May, including the driver.

 

[PajEvo]

Time to address the distinctly small carrying capacity of this rig, in terms of volume.

SWB's have their plusses and minuses, so let's think about the nice departure angle while we ponder where in the heck to stow everything.


I did some measuring in the back. Again. This rig will be my overlander come spring. So... goals were:

Drawers in the back...
Room for my small Dometic fridge...
Room for a camp kitchen

All this needed to be easily removable, and fit in the back with THE SEATS IN PLACE. Yes. This is a shortwheelbase, so no easy task.

Easily removable turned out to be a challenge. Here's what I did:


I made some brackets which run (and stay) under the carpet from the innermost seat bolts. They are attached to my plywood baseplate by knurled knobs. At the back corners, I removed the tie downs and replaced them with plastic wing nut style bolts. Between these attachment points, the baseplate is removable without tools in about 30 seconds.

Drawers will be another challenge, since the steel drawers I bought are slightly too long if you stack two, because of the rake on the seat back. I am going to try shortening the upper one, just a bit...

 

[PajEvo]

Let's talk about my drawers.

A business supply company a few hours north of me sells steel drawers, and I always thought they'd make a great budget solution for an overland storage system.
Uline packing table steel drawer

I bought two, and have had them on hand for this build. If I was removing the back seats, these would fit as is, stacked two high. Even with the seat back folded, there appeared to be room. But I wanted to be able to keep everything in place if possible.

This would require some modifications to the upper drawer, which didn't quite fit, when you allow for the rake on the seatbacks.

By flipping the end wall, and cutting the sides down on the outer shell, I was able to effectively shorten the drawer's foot print without changing the inner drawer itself.

 

[PajEvo]

Now install time.

Drawer frames first...


The slight cut I made to the length of the upper drawer (in my post above) allowed the seat backs to be pulled back and sit at their deployed angle. Job done!

So... I made a cardboard template and used it to cut a plywood top. This only attaches to the drawers, which are bolted to the base. The plastic knurled knobs I referred to earlier hold the whole business to the floor. In under a minute I can have this truck back to stock, if need be...



Dometic CC40 fits like it was made to go there. In actuality, the space was made for the Dometic. So same thing I guess?



Or, for DD mode, I can just use my little carry-all, which sits pretty much level.



When the rear seats are folded flat, the whole business is pretty much level all the way forward.

Also, after careful measuring, I realized that even with the back seats in their passenger readiness state, I could still fit a Camp Chef Sherpa bag/table on top. So I got one!



Obviously I still need to put some tie downs in, and secure the fridge and kitchen setup, but we are getting there. Does provide decent organization and storage, while fitting the fridge, and also allowing me to still see out the back window. I like my back window.

 

[PajEvo]

One more update... a rather obsolete addition, but you never know...Sometimes, CB is still the comm method, so I figured I'd install it in a place that was heretofore useless. Since I'm a non-smoker? You guessed it. The ashtray.



Removing the center fascia allowed me to remove some of the rear framework behind the ashtray, and then I simply screwed the CB to the tabs left behind the fascia. Quite secure, and mostly out of the way, although the underneath section is completely open, allowing the underside speaker to do its thing.


I still have access to the pocket underneath for odds and ends.

 

[PajEvo]

Since the pandemic has hit North America, I've been taking things apart. Started with glow plugs, then I decided to go after a starter that once in 20 times does a clickety click. And while I was in there, why not pull the intake and intercooler and clean them out (EGR etc - you know how it is). Suddenly my truck is in many many pieces.





New glow plugs are in in, but everything else is out. LOL

I now have some "Purple Power" degreaser on hand, and some more nitrile gloves, so time to get de-gunking! Also, I ordered a "victory" brand Nippon Denso starter contacts kit, so we'll see if there are two matching copper contacts in the box? Bonus points if the plunger fits too!

Hard to believe that two weeks ago my commute looked like this:


(Taco wheels and small snow tires are effective, but not aesthetically pleasing. It'll be time to swap to the beefier-looking shoes soon.

 

[PajEvo]

The victory brand starter contacts were a success! Two of the copper contacts matched, and the plunger was a direct swap, when I reused my old spring. So the starter is renewed, the intake is clean, as is the EGR, intercooler, and the ports I could reach at the head. Glowplugs seem to work better now, so all I have to do is button things up. Did have to do a few cracks of the fuel pipes while running to evacuate some trapped air, but it seems I've got it all now.

Looking much cleaner:


I do plan to fit a catch can to the intake, so I can eliminate this build up almost entirely. EGR soot without the oil vapours to stick to, should blow right through and reduce NoX, like it is supposed to.

 

[PajEvo]

4WP shipped my latest order, pandemic or not. I have what I need to complete my roof rack.



After adjusting and installing, I'm now sitting on EIGHT gutter mounts. On a relatively short roof, this amounts to a very solid platform. The Prado 90 is supposedly rated for a roof capacity of 100kg, or 220#. I'll never be getting near that with this setup, but for a pair of kayaks, or my RTT, it should be fit for purpose.






Having a fairing mounted under the leading edge was pretty crucial for dampening the noise. I can still hear it in a strong Alberta headwind, but overall it is pretty quiet for how much real estate it adds. And being able to keep my traction boards up there full time saves some precious space inside. I may mount some lights up on those front tabs someday, but it's not high priority at the moment. My hood is already shiny enough. ? There are two at the rear though, and at least one aimed downward would be handy for lighting up the rear camp setup in the dark. We shall see...

For now, I am a little bit of wiring and a tire swap away from being adventure ready. (New BFG KO2's are sitting in the shed, mounted and ready to roll.) But since nobody is going anywhere yet, it might be time to start thinking about that front bumper...?

 

[C p weinberger]

I’m confused ?‍♂️, friends left South Africa weeks ago just before lockdown, clips on YouTube of locals being beaten by police for violating curfew and I know several expats have had trouble with angry locals threatening them for bringing virus to Africa.
Are you having any issues there?

 

[Padam]

Hello! i’m new around here...My name is Peter. you have a beautiful truck!!!! i was looking around very hard for that front grill you have in your truck, where did you find it????

 

[PajEvo]

Hello! i’m new around here...My name is Peter. you have a beautiful truck!!!! i was looking around very hard for that front grill you have in your truck, where did you find it????

Thanks @Padam !

The whole front end is OEM for shortwheelbase 90s in the Japanese domestic market up until the year 2000 or so. Completely stock from the factory.

 

[C p weinberger]

Posted in wrong thread
? you’re right..
?

 

[PajEvo]

Got an ARB Sahara Bar pretty cheap last November, and am finally getting it ready for fitment. Not there yet, and it will of course need paint, but it's getting there. From the factory this bumper came with a plastic spacer for models before 2000 to fill the gap under the lights/grille. The spacer was cracked on one side, and missing on the other. Light inserts are also missing. As were the mounts. I did get new mounts from ARB (they sent the ones for the Deluxe bar ) and have been fiddling around to get it to sit where I want, without all the gap space. Or the spacers. I think I'm almost there...

Out with the old:


In with the even older... LOL (note the broken spacer... kinda looks like a fender flare. The other side was MIA)


And here is how it is sitting now, after I did a little creative sculpting with the grinder and a hammer. Also, I made some more brackets to enable the deluxe mounts to work on this bumper...


Obviously it needs to come off again for paint. And I need to do something about those gaping holes. LOL. But it's getting there... the space under the lights/grille is practically negligible now so I'm happier with how it's sitting.