97 FZJ80 build

CarolinaBlue

New member
No, I do not have a compressor/supercharger. I have the hood scoop to aid in moving hot air out of the engine compartment to keep eng temps cooler. Will be installing additional vents as well. Air in through the scoop and out through the vents. Has helps significantly at reducing engine compartment and intake temps and in turn coolant temps are better.

This is the truck I wheeled for year on 35's with stock gears. Put over 200K miles on it between 2000-2015, many of those miles offroad and
driving long distances to and from trails.
If it matters, and likely it doesn’t, my buddy has an lx450 with 5.29’s and 35’s. It drives nice, pulls a camper fine. Runs at 3k rpms at 70.


Lots of good info in this thread. I'm running a 97 LX450 on 35's. I'm looking into both regearing and hood venting for cooling. So appreciate the posts in this thread commenting on both. Hard to find folks with 35's with driving experience at 4.88 or 5.29 giving real world comments. So 4.88 on 37's and 5.29 or stock on 35's ???

Also, was the hood scoop a mod to the stock hood? Or did you find a replacement hood with the scoop already built in. Engine temps are a real concern for me. Temp gauges read normal and the truck has driven fine, but the amount of heat coming off the motor and hood is concerning. Vents would be a simple practical solution I think.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Lots of good info in this thread. I'm running a 97 LX450 on 35's. I'm looking into both regearing and hood venting for cooling. So appreciate the posts in this thread commenting on both. Hard to find folks with 35's with driving experience at 4.88 or 5.29 giving real world comments. So 4.88 on 37's and 5.29 or stock on 35's ???

Also, was the hood scoop a mod to the stock hood? Or did you find a replacement hood with the scoop already built in. Engine temps are a real concern for me. Temp gauges read normal and the truck has driven fine, but the amount of heat coming off the motor and hood is concerning. Vents would be a simple practical solution I think.
@96Suburban Sorry for the thread hijack. I'll answer these questions then leave the thread to you and your truck.

My thoughts on gearing. While the 80 is totally acceptable with 35's on stock gears IMO, lower gears is definitely benefit. If you are looking for gearing that closely matches stock gearing/tires feel then 4.56 is the closest for 35's. 4.88's will add some more "umph" and be lower than stock feel. 4.88s are probably the most common choice for 35's. I did the 4.88's when I had 35's and it was a good combination but did put the RPMs a bit higher than I'd like ideally on the highway, but it's still very good. Now with 37's, the 4.88's are actually almost exactly back to stock gears/tires feel. In fact the 4.88s are still a bit lower with 37's than stock. Some people really like 5.29's but for a rig that sees a lot of road use I think they are too low for highway driving and put the revs too high. In addition, the pinion gear on the 5.29's is smaller and weaker so I think 4.88's are still a better choice. If you felt like you wanted more low gearing in high or low range (or both) there are transfercase gear sets that can raise or lower your final drive ratio in high and low range. So, my opinion is to get a gear set that most closely matches the stock feel for your tire size and then add tcase gears if lower gears are needed.

With the hood scoop, I modified the original hood. I've heard from a number of people that have added some kind of venting to the engine compartment that eng temps have noticeably dropped. I've had similar results. It's not a silver bullet and if you're having coolant temp issues there are a number of other things to look at to make sure the cooling system is working properly rather than just relying on venting.
IMG_3975 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_3974 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_3960 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr

IMG_4020 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr
 
Elvis was a fail. Battery was not secured and it ended up moving around and ripping the fuse link. Back with a new battery, fuse link and battery hold down I am good to go!
I headed up to Payson this past weekend to camp and wheel Payette Draw with friends. This was my first time camping in the rig, and it was comfortable but a little tight since the seat I had folded left me with not enough room to put the blow up mattress completely flat. I suppose I could remove the 2nd row seat, but I still slept great. First thing I did when I got to the site, was remove my front sway bar. What a world of difference on the trails!
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Wow, I have completely forgotten I had started a thread on my 80 here! Anyway, the trip to Payson was amazing. It looks like the photos have vanished above, so I will post some here,
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So, a few months after the trip, I returned back to NY to start classes for auto mechanics. I did a bunch of wheeling up in PA at AOAA. Sank her in the mud, got pulled out...cleaning was fun. That reminded me how much i hate mud..
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Painted the wheels tan bedliner. Undercoated entire frame, and axles.
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Replaced front calipers, brake pads (new heavy duty pads) and rotors. She stops on a dime now.
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Then, the heater core pipe broke while I was messing with it trying to get a stuck heater hose off. Just my luck...dash had to come out and I had to replace the pipe. I am currently in the process of getting it all back together. Also started on putting all new carpet. Went with stock interiors ultra plush with mass backing.
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I should have photos of the carpet tomorrow. I need to retake them.
 
The color I chose for the carpet goes nicely with the other interior colors.
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I actually got it all together in the last day or so, but did not take a photo.
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And here I have the 4" Dobinsons Flexi coils, with 20mm spacers in the front and 30mm spacers in the rear for extra height. I should be sitting at around 5" total now. The shocks are coming in tomorrow. My axles are shifted now, so I need caster correction and a few other things to make up for the new lift. Once you go above 3, things need to be adressed such as extended brake lines, adjustable links etc... I am going to be getting the superior engineering radius arms soon, as well as the raised delta rear panhard bar mount, adjustable control arms etc..
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Kappakoosh

New member
Nice 80! Congrats on picking one up. I'll share some thoughts that might be different from others that have been shared. Other than 4.88 gears my 80's drivetrain/steering/axles are all stock. I push the truck hard and fast and I've put over 100k miles on it since I got it 4 years ago and it's been on 35's that entire time until 6 months ago when I went to 37's. The stock drivetrain is very robust and should hold up fine with 35's. The move to 37's has me looking at upgrading axle shafts but so far it's still been fine.

Also, I've been running Spidertrax wheel spacers, not because the wheels don't fit, but because I like the width/stability. Most important thing is to keep them torqued properly and check them regularly. It's not a bad idea to press in new wheel studs into the Toyota hubs so you know you have fresh strong ones. Torque the spacers to 80ft/lb and use some blue loctite. Torque the wheel nuts to 85ft/lb as well and don't overtorque and you should be just fine.

If you don't drive like an idiot you can avoid a lot of breakage.

For reference, my 80 on 37's with 1.5" wheel spacers.
IMG_2459 by Adam Tolman, on Flickr
Nice looking ride, where did you get that hood scoop? Is it feeding air or just for the look? It makes your ride look mean.
 

Box Rocket

Well-known member
Nice looking ride, where did you get that hood scoop? Is it feeding air or just for the look? It makes your ride look mean.
Thanks. Scoop was found on ebay. Big hole in the hood under it. Just added some hood vents to go with it. The idea is that air coming into the scoop will push hot engine bay air out through the vents and keep engine bay temps down.
 
The major components of the lift are now finished. The coils are in, along with the shocks. She flexes really nice now. Next up is the front and rear panhards, and castor correction.
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Totally forgot I had a thread on here.
With that said, here is where we are at. I have upgraded to 37"s from the 35"s I had. I replaced both front and rear locker actuators as well. Been slow as I have been busy with work. However I plan on heading back out west soon, and before I move back, I need to get the 80 all ready. I have a year before I move, but it certainly does not hurt to start prepping now.
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I have ordered Superior Engineering HyperFlex radius arms for the front. Also on order will be front and rear bumpers from 4x4 Labs, as well as White Knuckle Offroad rock sliders.
 

LexusAllTerrain

Expedition Leader
Totally forgot I had a thread on here.
With that said, here is where we are at. I have upgraded to 37"s from the 35"s I had. I replaced both front and rear locker actuators as well. Been slow as I have been busy with work. However I plan on heading back out west soon, and before I move back, I need to get the 80 all ready. I have a year before I move, but it certainly does not hurt to start prepping now.
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lIKE YOUR WHEELS...LINK?
 

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