Crash's 1988 Land Cruiser Build

[Crash_OK]

Hello all,

I purchased my 88 FJ62 this past winter. It needed some work, but it was in pretty good shape. My wife and I spent a lot of time in the LC exploring Lake Eufaula here in Oklahoma this winter and early spring. I was really impressed with its ability to transverse old muddy roads and trials. Slowly over the winter I have been making some improvements. Very soon I plan on install a 5.3 - 4L60E combo. I will be documenting my build, both past and present, in this thread.

Warning: I post lots of pictures… so if that bothers you.. you may not want to continue.. 

My last automotive project was a restomod of my 1969 K10 SWB. I finished it last spring. I hope to use some of the knowledge I gained on that project with this build.

I also have a build thread on the IH8MUD site.. http://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/mark...-build.806082/

Both this thread and the one on IH8MUD with pretty much be the same..


Below are some pictures I took right after I purchased the LC. (Dec. 1st, 2013)

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First major step was installing 2.5” ironman lift kit that I purchased from CruiserCorps.

They are great people to work with and are local to me. (March 8th, 2014)






Measurement before:





Measurement after:

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Replaced the Tie Rod Ends… Not sure how old the old ones were, but they were pretty worn. (March 30th, 2014)

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Removed interior to see if we have any rust in the floor and to clean.. It was very nasty with sticky stuff everywhere, both in the carpet and under it. The only rust seen was in the wheel wells. (April 13th, 2014)

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After power washing the carpet… It really turned out great.. (April 20th, 2014)

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Next step is new upholstery and navigation system.. (April 25th, 2014)













Built up the driver’s side seat foam, I also used a steamer to restore the seat foam. It worked well, we will see how long it last..

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I also installed a rebuilt shifter, my shifter was not only very loose in the bushing area, the plastic tabs where the gear indicator screws to the shifter were all broke. The new shifter really improved the looks of that area.

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Some of the things I didn’t take pictures of were the removal of the old purple tint on all of the windows. I used a steamer and razor blades to remove. It took 6 hours to get it all off. I also installed satellite radio and backup camera with the navigation system. So that gets us got update to date on my build.


I am picking up a 2005 L33 5.3 with everything I need to do the swap later today.

[screaminchevypickup]

Very cool!!

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Picked up the L33 5.3 engine today. 2005 model with almost everything I need to make the swap. I am still waiting on the 4L60e core. I will be rebuilding the 4L60e. I also will be placing an order with advanced adapters for the pieces needed to tie the GM transmission to the Toyota Transfer case.













I hope to start on the harness tomorrow…

[flashed]

That is a nice looking rig ,I like the future plans too.

[Tx Firefighter]

Put me down for a ticket to this show.

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by flashed

That is a nice looking rig ,I like the future plans too.

Thank you...

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Started removing stuff from the engine for cleanup and to start the harness modification.









Will start cleaning the block soon.. I really don’t want to paint the aluminum, I would really like to clean the aluminum and then clear coat it.. not sure if that is possible..


Decided to work on the harness on the back porch of the lake place.. very nice…














I have removed all the unnecessary wires and will start identifying and terminating the external connections and getting the harness back together today.

[mjensen]

Ok, I just have to tune in and see how this turns out. Looking good so far!

[jhama78]

Subbed since this involves two things that interest me, Chevy and Toyota.

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Finished the harness this morning… it is ready to go. I am going to use the factory fuse box. That is different from my last build. But it will save me some money. It might not be as pretty as an aftermarket fuse box, but it has all the relays and fuses I need to make the swap work.






Bucket of removed wiring….


Also installed new carpeted floor mats from Cruiser Corps.. Very high quality and great fit. I have had nothing but good results with everything I have bought from them.. Highly recommended.











I will be in Houston all week this week, so I will not have any progress to report until at least next week. I will be sending the PCM off for programming tomorrow…

[mcbassin]

Looks like you are off and running on another killer build. You make that wiring stuff look way too easy. Don't sweat posting too many pictures....not possible. Looking forward to the updates coming. Subscribed.

[EightiesOnly]

Awesome!! Great looking harness...

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by mjensen

Ok, I just have to tune in and see how this turns out. Looking good so far!

Thank you...

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by jhama78

Subbed since this involves two things that interest me, Chevy and Toyota.

Great.. hopefully the mating of the two turns at good...

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Looks like you are off and running on another killer build. You make that wiring stuff look way too easy. Don't sweat posting too many pictures....not possible. Looking forward to the updates coming. Subscribed.

Thanks Mike.. The wiring is the easy part... This swap is not as straight forward as the 69.. More fab work and lots of unknowns... but you know me.. I like a challenge... :-)

Originally Posted by EightiesOnly

Awesome!! Great looking harness...

Thanks Landen..

[Zoomin]

Very cool project Mark.

That interior was nasty. Did you wear a hazmat suit when you powerwashed it?

I guess since you showed all the old suspension pices on the floor, you got the new bits in. How much did it change the height?

Did you know that the manager for Cruiser Corps is AZN on Street Outlaws? Great guy!

[Crash_OK]

Originally Posted by Zoomin

Very cool project Mark.

That interior was nasty. Did you wear a hazmat suit when you powerwashed it?

I guess since you showed all the old suspension pices on the floor, you got the new bits in. How much did it change the height?

Did you know that the manager for Cruiser Corps is AZN on Street Outlaws? Great guy!

Steve.. i didn't have a suit.. but i wore two pairs of gloves and took a extra long shower that evening.. yes.. i installed a 2.5" ironman lift that i got from cruiser corps.. it was shown in the first couple of posts at the top of this page. I really like how it rides, it caused the rear of the LC to sit higher than the front, but i think the engine swap will help with that. The 5.3 wieghs a lot less than what is in there now.

I had no idea on the cruiser corps owner being AZN.. good to know..

[alsriv2]

Those inline 6's were bullet-proof. Not understanding why you would go thru this mod with the engine, but it is a interesting project to say the least. The interior restoration turned out very well. Great job there.

I wish you the best with the conversion.