Expeditions West: FZJ80 Land Cruiser

ThomD

Explorer
ThomD, i have an aux tank and CA doesn't have to know. The only problem is when you smog the rig is that you need to fill both tanks so when they pressurize the system it acts as one and doesn't try to fill for days. Also, it's good to know the smog official because i have a dual filler neck with a plunger valve from down under and that's definitely a red flag on the visual.

Good points. I can dream...
 

lowenbrau

Explorer
Jonathan has the Porsche

Fortunately, buying all of the pinnacle overlanders is really not that expensive anymore. We do need a cherry 1985 PU for the shop truck though.

Wait five more years for this one. All the 1985 goodies plus some.

http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-veh...oyota-Hilux-Crewcab-Pickup-W0QQAdIdZ242374182

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Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
I am 150 miles from San Francisco and I have only positive things to say about this truck so far. It is nice to be able to cruise at 80 on I-5 with a roof top tent with no effort. more tonight when i get home.
 

Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
I just got home now.

Almost 800 miles since last night - with a sleep over at the lovely Economy Inn in Barstow.

First observation - I am not that tired. Had I used my Syncro or my previous HJ75, I would have been dead by now.

No surprise with the truck. Whoever did the modifications on this truck before really did a good job.

Only negative aspect - which we all knew - average about 14 mpg. I think I have lost 1 mpg over Scott's claim of 15 mpg because of the roof top tent.

I really want to thank Mario and his crew at Adventure Trailer for their assistance. Scott and I had a lot to cover in 2.5 days and without them, I would not have been able to hit the road that quickly.

Also thanks to Scott for buffing out these desert pinstripes...

:)

So time for some more pictures and comments.

Drawer installation - the goal here is to have something really simple and flexible. I intend to carry passengers and large cargo often and did not want something that was too hard to remove should I need more space. Yes the extra seat on the passenger side will be removed....I just had to take it back to my home in SF. The whole thing can be removed by lifting the fridge, removing the cover and then 4 bolts that hold the drawer to the floor.

FZJ80_Toyota_5.jpg


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With this arrangement, one person could also sleep next to it.

The starter was showing some signs of tiredness so AT installed a rebuild.

FZJ80_Toyota_7.jpg


We were skeptical about the brake fluid so we purged and replaced it.

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Time for the fuel tank quiz. Scott and I are still trying to confirm which tanks are these.

We think that the back (auxiliary) one is Man-A-Fre - can someone confirm this?

FZJ80_Toyota_8.jpg


This is the main one - a replacement for the OEM.

We flipped the LandCruiser around to take a better look.

(Notice the absolute lack of rust btw...)

Long Ranger? If so, what capacity?

FZJ80_Toyota_10.jpg


The OEM filler neck.

FZJ80_Toyota_9.jpg
 

ywen

Explorer
hmm a good condition at 200K.. I suppose one would be hard pressed to find something like that in the rust belt of america?
 

Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
I am not fond of roof top tent - or any heavy load on the roof for that matter.

But I have been wanting to try the Maggiolina for a long time. There was one available at the headquarter, it just needed a little love.

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So far I am really please. As I expected, the low profile, light weight and better weight distribution makes a huge difference.
You can barely notice that it's there.
 

Christian P.

Expedition Leader
Staff member
And now one mystery - can someone solve it?

Notice the yellow spacer on the top of the spring? It is only present on the driver side. None on the passenger side.

The truck is even so I am sure that whoever installed the spring had a reason to put this spacer there.

1112661328_zt9Zh-L.jpg
 

Chazz Layne

Administrator
And now one mystery - can someone solve it?

Notice the yellow spacer on the top of the spring? It is only present on the driver side. None on the passenger side.

The truck is even so I am sure that whoever installed the spring had a reason to put this spacer there.

http://2aroundtheworld.smugmug.com/Travel/Expo/IMG0815/1112661328_zt9Zh-L.jpg
Are they Old Man Emu springs? I have the exact same yellow ring (also an Emu product) in one corner on the rear of my Discovery to level it out.
 

Fergie

Expedition Leader
Those are called Trim Packers.

The OME springs are longer one side to the other, so there are used to level the vehicle out, or in some cases, to provide just a bit more lift on the driver's side due to the continual added weight.
 

snohobo

New member
Really looking forward to seeing this thing tomorrow. Especially after we load the KTM on the back.

Nothing beats seeing two awesome overlanding vehicles hanging out with each other. Other than actually using both of them!
 

rain76king

Adventurer
x2 on the trim packers. For whatever reason it seems that most OME lifts develope a lean. In most cases it's on the drivers side. These Trim Packers help level them out.
I have heard that this is only a problem with OME. Other brands such as Frankie's Off Road (For) and Ironman4x4, from what I have read, and heard first hand from owners is that it's not an issue.
I run OME Jsprings due to the amount of added armor/gear I carry and trailer tongue weight. I am starting to get the lean as well.
I look forward to this build, I'm quite excited.

Bob
 

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