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View Full Version : Hi! Landcruiser 80-series


JEH97LX
06-07-2010, 04:49 PM
I've been lurking around the 4x4network boards a bit and kept seeing links to here, so I figured I'd sign up. I'm a recovered Scout II addict and have always admired Toyota landcruisers (40 series originally, but I have a family now!) so I've been working on an 80-series for the last year or so. I moved up this January from Colorado which has some great trails, but not much mud. Here's my ride in its current condition assuming the link will keep working:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_D5H6MpvCUxc/TA15kEuDRMI/AAAAAAAAAEw/QGkXyhMil9Q/LX450compressed.JPG

It's a 97 Lexus LX450 aka 97 Toyota Landcruiser with only a couple minor differences and those have essentially been changed with some upgrades or me breaking it ;) It is my daily driver so you'll mostly likely see me puttering around Anchorage.

For the cruiserheads, it has a Slee installed 2.5" OME lift, safari snorkel, Warn 12.0 Endurance winch, ARB front bumper w/ Slee skid plate, Aussie rear locker and some other odds and ends. My wish list is comprised of 33-35" MT's instead of nearly stock AT's, sliders, and if I go 35's then regear to 5.29s. I'm still working out all the bugs, but it runs fairly well. I am an engineer, so I can be a bit meticulous.

I haven't had a lot of time to explore with work and with my wimpy tires and lack of company have kept it fairly simple. A couple of weeks ago I went up to Ruby lake, up the Chickaloon river trail before deadfall stopped me, and dropped by the Eureka roadhouse area (trails were too snowy/muddy for me at the time), as well as I tried to figure out where the Buffalo mine trail starts at.

If I'm not out in the bush or the north slope working, I'd love to hit some of the less crazy stuff one of these weekends, at least till I find some better tires and sliders. I'm also planning on hitting one of the AKX meetings on Thursdays, but I keep forgetting to check the boards and end up working late :(

I look forward to meeting ya'll!

-Jeremiah

TonyM
06-07-2010, 04:58 PM
Welcome aboard man! Nice rig... not sure I'd want to take that out though.. I mean... its a freakin Lexus... :30:

JEH97LX
06-07-2010, 05:16 PM
A lexus! They tend to get pampered, tend to be cheaper than the landcruisers and you can join the Lexus trail team...

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_D5H6MpvCUxc/TA2J65bWXVI/AAAAAAAAAE0/tshozTjDrJY/ltt_sticker.jpg

TonyM
06-07-2010, 05:48 PM
HOW DO I GET ONE OF THOSE STICKERS :sosp:

ryantowry_81
06-08-2010, 02:07 PM
Welcome i am also a fellow toyota lover!

i want a lexus just like that to throw my one tons and 42's under! is that new enough to have the v-8 or still the strait 6? i know the newer lexus's had that screaming 4.0l v-8, that would be sweet!

JEH97LX
06-08-2010, 05:51 PM
LX450 was only produced for 96 & 97 and had the 6-cyl, 4.5L, although, you can some landcruisers turbocharged which gives it a bit more pep. The 98 to 07 (UZJ100) landcruiser and LX 470 have the 4.7L V-8's, which is supposed to be a great engine.

The advantage with the FJ80 or 80-series are the solid axles which weren't available 98+. It sounds like you want one of these:
Slee's Blueberry (http://www.sleeoffroad.com/project_vehicles/100SAS/100sas_main.htm) which is using modified fj80 axles. If you haven't seen it, I recommend visiting the forums at ih8mud.com (http://forum.ih8mud.com/toyota-tech-forums/), especially for more info on the 80-series.