Well, as a lot of you know, my XJ was totaled. I searched for 2 months for a suitable replacement. It was my DD, so I needed something that was in good condition. Everything around here was $1,200 with 270k miles and beaten to hell. I set up a 200 mile search radius and couldn't find anything I was willing to buy.

So, since I was tired of borrowing my wife's Volvo, I decided to expand my search horizons. Enter the legendary FZJ80, one of the most reliable, capable go anywhere vehicles of all time. Even before I was finished looking for a 2nd XJ, the FZJ80 was in the back of my mind because of how much extra space it afforded me.

I set up a search alert on eBay and found a 1993 with low miles (166k, which is astonishingly low for a 22 year old FJ.) With regular maintenance these can hit 400k. Since I only put around 3-4k miles per year on my vehicles, there's a good chance the Land Cruiser will outlive me. (and I'm only 31.)

So far all I've done is take off are the running boards, but I've got a set of 33" BFG's set to be delivered today. 33's can fit at stock height, and 35's can too if you aren't planning on doing any serious offroading. I've got a new roof rack being delivered sometime in the next week and I'm still trying to decide which lift kit to buy. I've quickly learned that unlike XJ's, everything is ridiculously more expensive on FJ's. Only a handful of companies make lifts here in America. For only 2.5" inches of lift, I'm going to have to pay roughly $1,000. That seems a little absurd. I'm also doing research on which sliders to get. They're a lot easier to install than those made for XJ's since they all bolt directly on to where the running boards used to.

Anyway, the truck itself is as clean as can be. Paint is virtually flawless, and the undercarriage doesn't have a speck of rust. (She came fresh from Santa Barbara, CA). The engine looks nearly as clean as it did when it came from the factory. All of the rubber gaskets around the windows, doors, fender flares, etc. look virtually brand new. I guess I underestimated just how kind the west coast climate is to vehicles.

Anyway, I got her for $8,500, what I consider a steal.

This is what she looked like when I brought her home:


This is the build I'm going to try to imitate:




I'm going to keep the old T O Y O T A badging on the front of mine though as I think the bean in the hat is a terrible logo, and the old style badging is a great throwback to the FJ40's and FJ60's.

 

Sweet, congrats! I've always liked the Cruisers. There is a Lexus LX450 (same as the Cruiser) in my area that looks like a bad-*** excursion type vehicle. I'm sure you're aware but parts should be interchangeable, might find some cheap goodies off a wrecked LX?
So did yours come with e-lockers????

Where was that pic taken? Looks very familiar.

 

Mirin hard

 

Took off the running boards, installed 33's (But still regretting not getting 35's).

Replaced factory roof rack with one from Yakima. Installed Manafre 30mm coil spacers. Still debating on whether or not to remove the flares. If I do, i'll have to take it to a body shop to fill in the drill holes, and that's probably a little more time consuming and expensive than I want to deal with, but who knows. Also still debating which sliders to get. Best ones I can find are around $900 + shipping. Also installed front OEM mudflaps. Didn't really want to but they look odd without them because tabs hang down from where the running boards attached. $200 for a pair from the dealership, but I found a place online that had them $145 shipped. Like I said, everything for the LC is more expensive. Ugh.

 

Looks like ZJ wheels. Are you going to do the build here on CF?

 

It'll be slow, but yeah, most likely. I've tried Ih8mud.com but this place is laid out so much better. It's nowhere near as easy to navigate and there aren't as many specialized subforums. Plus I've gotten used to you guys haha.

 

Great vehicles

 

ARB Winch Bumper ordered and should be here next week.

 

 

This was SO MUCH easier than putting the bumper on my old XJ. Removal of old bumper and install of new bumper took about 1.5 hours tops. Just awesome. Now for a winch....

 

Looks great! I have always liked the Cruiser/LX platform.
When I worked for Lexus, we would get a few of the older ones in every once in a while. No one wanted to sell theirs though lol.

 

It's about the same now. They're just impossible to find in my part of the country in good shape.

I saw an LX450 (128k miles) pop up 2 weeks ago that needed a heater core and they were only asking $3000. The guy was throwing in a new set of leather seats too, worth around $700. I'm kicking myself for not pulling the trigger. I know heater cores are a lot of work, but as an extra vehicle, it could have just sat in the driveway while I worked on it patiently since it wouldn't have been the DD.

I've only had mine for about half a year so far and it's been ridiculous on the trails. I hate to say this, but I'm kinda glad that guy hit my Jeep and totaled it.

 

looks good. I just got my first Toyota today, granted it's no Land Cruiser but it's the baby brother... The 4Runner. I got it for a steal of a price.

 

I was never that into 4Runners until the last few years, but the 3rd gens have aged really well and I kinda want one now. What year is that? Did they ever come with lockers from the factory?

 

2000 and yes rear e-locker. no front but i have heard it's not hard to retrofit one. and i was the same way i didnt care too much for them either til the past few years. i think it has to do with getting older.