Desertdude
Expedition Leader
They make a great pair 
Just curious how many miles are on your 100?
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Just curious how many miles are on your 100?
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Buildup Thread: "Project 'Melon"
- Thread starter 60seriesguy
- Start date
60seriesguy
Adventurer
Desertdude said:They make a great pair
Just curious how many miles are on your 100?
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83Kish...
60seriesguy
Adventurer
Sloan said:
And to you! I'm *always* around...sometimes life gets in the way, but I have this stuff in my veins! :arabia:
calamaridog
Expedition Leader
Henry,
The steel wheels are a big step forward for building an expo ready North American 100 series. Good job.
The steel wheels are a big step forward for building an expo ready North American 100 series. Good job.
Overland Hadley
on a journey
Henry,
This looks like a great start to a build. Very interesting so far.
I will be following your thread. Can't wait to see more.
This looks like a great start to a build. Very interesting so far.
I will be following your thread. Can't wait to see more.
60seriesguy
Adventurer
Sloan said:
Kept the trailer and will convert to use with the Watermelon.
I confess I'm not a huge fan of the IFS, but after giving it some thought, I don't think I'll do an SAS conversion on the 'Melon. I'm not going to do a lot of hard wheeling with it, and the cost/complexity I'd introduce into the project wouldn't be worth it. Since there's no off-the-shelf axle that I can use, I'd be looking at a full-custom axle, which I'd then have to carry custom spares for. My days of one-offs and complex modifications are behind me, these days I have little time to spend on them and my goal for this Cruiser is reliability over hard-core capabilities.
60seriesguy
Adventurer
Brief update: currently waiting on the lug nuts, which of course also had to be specially ordered. I went ahead and ordered extras, along with a couple of spare lugs for long trips.
Cackalak Han
Explorer
I am just curious as to why you skipped on the 80 series? Seems like people are very fond of the 80's around here. Was it for dependability? (newer, less mileage vehicle). Or the extra grunt of the V8? Or....?
60seriesguy
Adventurer
Cackalak Han said:
That's a great question! I actually started out looking for an 80 series. But after four months of searching, I came to the conclusion that I'd missed the window on the 80 Series. I looked at 30+ trucks over a span of 5 months and couldn't find the right one. Most 80 series in the US market are getting long in the tooth and would have implied significant mechanical work and expensive interior work, or paying a huge premium and fighting hordes of eager Cruiserheads willing to jump on choice units. Twice I called within hours of the ad being posted, only to be told there were 3-4 people ahead of me. I got increasingly frustrated, the majority of FZJ80s out there were past the 150K+ miles mark, and I didn't want to start an expensive buildup under the specter of significant work down the road. One day, while still searching for an 80, I started to realize that the price of early 100's (98-99) was very close to that of newer 80s and I was seeing much lower mileage and much cleaner interiors.
I don't dispute that an FZJ80 is a better overall option for four wheeling than a US-spec UZJ100, but for the type of vehicle I'm building, the 100 is perfect. More power without sacrificing fuel economy, more cargo capacity, better interior ergonomics. And 77K miles vs. 150K+ for a comparable price was a no-brainer. Several friends who are Toyota technicians speak very highly of the 2UZ-FE's reliability and longevity, too.
The very factors that make an FZJ80 a great platform for four wheeling are also affecting the overall market. There are boatloads of relatively cheap, heavily used FZJ80s out there, but only a relative few with low miles and in excellent conditions, and the latter command a premium. I'm seeing a lot of Cruiserheads selling modified FZJ80s as they get into the 180K-200K+ miles, and I think that trend will continue. Ultimately, I think more and more people will start comparing FZJ80s with UZJ100s and start getting into the 100 Series.
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