The Fzj80 Overland/Festival Rig build

[UMphreak95]

Well its not much of a build yet, but I figured I'd introduce myself and carry on from there. My Names Ian and I currently reside in Marietta Ga, just outside of Atlanta. Ive loved all things with 4 wheels since I was a kid. I initially got into cars for drifting, Ive had over 35 240'sx and Currently have my 3rd S12 (pre courser to the s13) and a total of 49 cars in the last 3 years, including bmw's other toyotas a cummins and so on… My love for off road only came about in the last two years when a few of my drifting buddies started taking me out to local mud holes and trials in their rigs. After doing a good bit of wheeling in their vehicles I was hooked. I finally acquired an off road worthy vehicle myself so I figured I would post a thread as I've got big plans for it Im a huge jam-band enthusiast and Love traveling the country to see live music and attend music festivals, which can sometimes be a bit tricky to maneuver around due to inclement wether, so I figured this thing would be perfect for it. I love camping and traveling so I'm excited to see where this thing will take my girl, friends and I.

Now onto the Cruiser. I got a pretty sweet deal on it, I purchased a 1993 BMW 325is 5-speed with an overheating issue for $750, quickly figured out it was the heater control module, a trip to pap and 22 bucks later I had a perfect running car. I've been trying to get the land cruiser off a friends brother for quite some time now, (he didn't have the money to register it and it just sat in their yard) so I offered up my newly acquired e36 and 500 bucks to sweeten the deal. He gladly accepted my offer, and with an exchange of key's titles and a little dough it was mine!

The $750 dollar bimmer


and what I swapped it for…



Brand new Mickey Thompson 35's hehe (they literately have maybe 50 miles on them)

Pulling my e30 parts car around


Debating running it over lol


A few pics next to my Girlfriends xterra. We're planning on selling it and getting another lexus for her and I to daily. So yes, she will also be DD'ing the LC.


Quick rundown of the Cruiser: (From what Ive figured out thus far)
202xxx on the odo
Factory Lockers
7 pin mod already done
35x12.5x15 Mickey Thompson MTZ's
What I believe to be a OME 3 inch lift
OME steering stabilizer
TJM bumper painted black
Light force bumper lights
LED tails
Aftermarket Key-less entry and alarm
Cobra cb radio (not wired up yet, PO was an iddiot)
ARB snorkel
10 inch sub with unknown amp
New kenwood speakers all around
Kenwood double din
Venom running boards
ect…


Im in love with the thing and I haven't even gotten a tag on it yet. My dad's already planning on helping me build cabinets for the trunk space, and the girlfriend and I are saving for an ARB cooler and RTT. So thanks for reading and stay tuned!

P.S. For ****s and giggles here a few of my previous cars/builds
The FZJ next to my s12

My s14, Fully built SR20det, Made 333whp on a safe 15psi, I built this from the ground up when I was 16

My RB25det S13

My 400hp KA24DE-t s14 and my Banks power cummins 3500 4x4 just before my dad sold it to me.

My e38 740il Msport

 

[LifeOverland]

I guess I'll be the first to say it... YOU SUCK! :Wow1:

I can't be too jealous, I did the same exact thing to get my first cruiser, a '90 FJ62 completely built. Bought a VW Jetta TDI with a bum timing belt and head, fixed it for next to nothing and traded a guy.

Looks like you're off to a better start than most including myself after a year of messing around with the LX450. Good luck!

Oh, and I'm loving the Nissans you've built, I'm old school SR20DE driver always wanted the det in an s13/14

 

[RMP&O]

Pretty big score on the trade. Being a Nissan guy I would think something like this suits you better

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/nissan/auction-772496060.htm

But since there is so few in the US currently, you made a good choice. The Cruiser is a very well built truck too!

Cheers

 

[Thebus]

Wow what a steal! Congrats on the new rig

 

[rc51kid]

That is a nice looking truck you picked up! Where locally did you go wheeling with your friends? I am in the Atlanta area and would love to know of places somewhat locally to get out and explore.

 

[concretejungle]

well, i just got back from 4 days at lockn festival camping in my 80 series. It was super hot so the fridge ran constantly. You might want a nice solar panel to keep the battery topped off while the fridge runs. Also, RTT is super awesome at festivals. Gets you off the ground and safety wise just in case some crazed hippie decides to take a spin a 3:00am and run over a tent you are off the ground and safe.

Awning is key if you do not have an easy up. I also installed some USB chargers so i can top off the cell phone when it gets low without having to start the truck up.

 

[UMphreak95]

I guess I'll be the first to say it... YOU SUCK! :Wow1:

I can't be too jealous, I did the same exact thing to get my first cruiser, a '90 FJ62 completely built. Bought a VW Jetta TDI with a bum timing belt and head, fixed it for next to nothing and traded a guy.

Looks like you're off to a better start than most including myself after a year of messing around with the LX450. Good luck!

Oh, and I'm loving the Nissans you've built, I'm old school SR20DE driver always wanted the det in an s13/14

Thanks man! Trading up is always the way to go I'm a die hard sr fan. I've had a handful of them over the years and they are an absolute blast to drive. All my buddies now a days have jz's in their 240s and give me loads of **** for loving a little 4 banger so much lol.

 

[UMphreak95]

That is a nice looking truck you picked up! Where locally did you go wheeling with your friends? I am in the Atlanta area and would love to know of places somewhat locally to get out and explore.

Thanks man! Apparently there are tons of trails, I've only managed to hit a few though. Sweetwater is one of the more popular mudding spots/trails. Its in canton and I could try to get an exact address for you if you'd like. In Kennesaw there's a fun little spot called the "power grids' right off highway 41, but from what I hear a few people have gotten busted out there in the last few months. Lucas hunting reserve is another great one as well. Ill have to ask my buddies where more of these spots are!

 

[UMphreak95]

well, i just got back from 4 days at lockn festival camping in my 80 series. It was super hot so the fridge ran constantly. You might want a nice solar panel to keep the battery topped off while the fridge runs. Also, RTT is super awesome at festivals. Gets you off the ground and safety wise just in case some crazed hippie decides to take a spin a 3:00am and run over a tent you are off the ground and safe.

Awning is key if you do not have an easy up. I also installed some USB chargers so I can top off the cell phone when it gets low without having to start the truck up.

Dude very jealous. I had a few friends out there that loved it. Pissed I missed out but my Girlfriend took me to the STS9 redrock's run for my birthday whilst lockn was going on. I will definitely take all that into account and hopefully execute once funds permit. My wallets a little barren after our Colorado trip.

Also if this comes out as a triple post I apologize, I forgot how to internet apparently.

P.S. A little red rocks porn

My personal view:


Additional photos I found of night two:



Colorado is everything I ever remembered it to be. I'm so excited to make the major move out there next summer, and I have never seen so many Land cruisers in my life!!

 

[UMphreak95]

Welp. Might as well bring this back from the dead. So I will try my best to keep this post short and to the point, so I can get to actual purpose of this thread. Ive had a bunch of cars (6 240sx's, 1 s12, an xj and more I'm probably forgetting) since I last posted, so to save time, and get to the efffing point ill just post the ones I daily drove.

I sold the green 80 (for quite a hefty profit) and purchase a 96 F250 7.3 as a tow rig/dd.


Like the idiot I am I traded it for a mildly built SR swapped s14 with a long long long list of goodies. Played with it a good bit and ended up changing a great deal of stuff about it during my ownership. Here it is in its final stage:


Broke and fixed a lot of things on this car. Safe to say I can swap out just about any s-chassis transmission in around 2 hours by myself now. Here it is when I pulled the motor to fix a destroyed turbo elbow and knock out some needed maintenance six days before a drift event.


Said drift event:


Once again I came to the realization of how much I despise driving a 240 every day (when It WASN'T on jackstands in my garage lol). Also it was getting me in a lot of trouble, so I made the responsible decision and sold the 240, then bought another powerstroke.

This time a 2000


Did some truck stuff, towed a lot of things, then I realized I was only four months away from moving to CO. So I knew it was time for another fzj80. Luckily one came up locally and after a great deal of stress I sold my truck just in time to pick the landcruiser up.





Quick rundown of the new rig:
1993 FZJ80 with factory 3x lockers (again lol)
7 pin mod
fj cruiser 17's with 35x12.5 terragraplers basically brand new.
2.5 inch TJM lift coils and dampening adjustable shocks
rebuilt 3rds with 5.29 oem Toyota gears.
227k and counting
flares removed and holes filled

Its got tons of little bugs I've been working out when school isn't kicking my ***. It has some surface rust in multiple places and a few leaks. My biggest gripe though is the driver side rear quarter. It came into contact with what must have been a son of a ***** of a rock. It looks okay from even up close, but when you look really close you notice multiple dents and about a quarter inch of bondo under the primer where the flare used to be. Also a backyard fab job where the edge of the quarter meets the bottom of the tailgate looks like someone tried to hammer the to chunks of metal close enough to straight and just stacked some huge, gross welds that more than likely didn't penetrate well in an effort to keep things "straight...." Oh well, honestly for what I paid for it, I'm not too upset. Unfortunately the money I had left over from the sale of my truck was supposed to go into bodywork/paint and a bumper + sliders and a few other odds and ends to get things started, buuuuuuttt I kinda need to keep the money saved for the big move. So this next few months will be slow, but once I get settled in Colorado I will get the ball rolling on this thing.

 

[Chris21700]

Looks like a great concept, first time I've seen someone mention a build for festivals. :victory: Definitely a good place to have such a vehicle. (We caught Umphrey's a few weeks ago when they came through Portland, and just when I think their lights can't be any better, they prove me wrong each and every time I see them. :sombrero: )

 

[UMphreak95]

Looks like a great concept, first time I've seen someone mention a build for festivals. :victory: Definitely a good place to have such a vehicle. (We caught Umphrey's a few weeks ago when they came through Portland, and just when I think their lights can't be any better, they prove me wrong each and every time I see them. :sombrero: )

Umphrey's is an absolute riot, never know what your gonna get but they always deliver. I figured if I'm building something for overland and a great deal of camping, then why can't it be used for a bunch of festivals too? lol

 

[Chris21700]

You guys on the East Coast are spoiled in that regard, we usually end up having to fly to festivals. Not much for jam band festies out here. Enjoy the build, and the shows!

 

[concretejungle]

Saw Umphrey's this past Locken Festival. First time seeing them. The lights were amazing!

 

[expeditionist]

I'm not sure what that is in your garage but I'd love to take it for a spin. :smiley_drive: The 80 series you picked up is set up a lot better than my first Cruiser was. Good choice! I grew up in Atlanta (Stone Mountain area) and spent a lot of time looking for remote places to explore. Hard to find down there in the South, but if you want a long weekend adventure, head up to Big South Fork north of Knoxville. Nothing too difficult, but there is a lot of national forest to explore up that way. I believe the legendary Tellico OHV area is now closed but I'm not positive of the status.