Hi from the north of Germany - Land Cruiser 80

[Amanzie82]

Hey guys, just wanted to introduce myself.

I am the proud "custodian" of a 1997 Land Cruiser 80 Series 1HD-FT. Had her since 2015. She was totally rebuilt from 2016-2018.
Currently she is only really being used about twice a year for travelling through Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Mauretania or Tunisia. Would love to travel a bit more to even further places or even do a bit of greenlaning in the UK.
It is one of the very few vehicles where you can get in, drive 10tkm and get out, without even worrying the slightest about getting there and getting back. It is real piece of mind. If you take care of the vehicle, the vehicle will take care of you.

The custodian.:
42 Male, born and raised in the sunny South-Africa and now, in Germany, since 2004

 

[felix2566]

Love the decals and style of your truck, looks awesome! Brilliant it gets used on some proper trips too

What size tires do you have, are they inside the wheel arch with those wheels?

 

[Shayne]

Very nice and rare with barn doors to

Bet the fella next door to you has worn out about 6 BMW's during the life of your truck

 

[Amanzie82]

Thanks Felix! I am running 285/75 r16 on the original Toyota 8j x 16" rims with 0 offset. It is perfectly flush with the wheel arch. I tried the same size BFG MT's, but they dont fit in the wheel arches (stick out about 5 mm), so I went with the BFG AT's.
I removed the fender flares due to the hidden rust build-up underneath them.

 

[Amanzie82]

Thanks Shayne! You are sooo right ;-) My neighbour actually is a huge BMW fan and driver and he is in the workshop quite often (I am not trying to offend any BMW guys here). Well, the Land Cruiser is actually in the work shop at this moment, because is stripped the thread of one of the the clutch slave cylinder's fixing points and now it needst to be re-threaded :-(

 

[felix2566]

What set up do you have for your travels, do you sleep inside, or have a roof tent etc?

 

[Amanzie82]

I can sleep in the vehicle, but I dont like the rattling and squeaking of all the plywood sleeping and storage boxes in the car, so i moved to a rooftop tent solution. I use an Autohome wedge type tent and a 200 cm Frontrunner awning. I mounted them on four Thule Squarebar rooftop carriers. Enclosed is a pic.

 

[Amanzie82]

@felix2566 I just checked the tyres and the wheel arch. The tread fits 100% in the wheel arch, its flush, but the sidewall of the tire sticks out. I remeber now. The TÜV (like MOT) in Germany says that the tread must be under the wheel arch.

 

[felix2566]

Same in the UK, tread has to be inside the arch. Mine is a narrow bodied one like yours is now, but I have after market arches. Cant decide to go to the OEM arches or go full narrow body look like yours.
I like both!

 

[Amanzie82]

That is a tough one...

OEM fender flares are really expensive, but they look very good
The aftermarket ones like e.g. Kut Snake is a relatively good bang for the buck
The Narrow-body-look is best for rust prevention, and, no flares can break or crack on some tougher offroad conditions ;-)

If you decide to go with the narrow body look and the OEM mudflaps are not available on partsouq, then you could check with AAI in the Netherlands. Although AAI stands for All American Imports, they only import and distribute original Toyota Land Cruiser parts.

 

[felix2566]

I have currently a home made set up for arches and mud flaps in one. They are a bit on the redneck side for me, Haha. But they are very flexible and do the job ‍

Will check AAI out though.

I have 2nd hand set of OEM flares in stock if I decide to go that route

 

[Amanzie82]

Well, since the OEM flares are sorted, OEM will be the way to go, because they look really good.
You are right, the DIY arches are a bit redneck , but, if they do the job, then, why not. Looks like 35" you have there. They should work with the OEM fender flares. The mudflaps can stay DIY in combination with the OEM flares, that won't look too bad.

Question(s).:
What is the long distance driving with 35"? Does it feel like it is "swimming" on the highway?n Did you upgrade your sway bars and castor bushes? Do you lose a lot of power due to the change in the cercumference? How is low range driving? Is it still nice and slow in low 1st and low 2nd? A positive thing though, your odometer is not ticking that fast ;-)

Are you happy with the gullwings? Is it a perfect fit? I'm thinking about getting me a pair as well, but i'm still on the hesitating side.

I can see on the paint work that you also met the narrow bush trails of Portugal Just messing, I saw on your profile messages that you are either still in Portugal or, that you just returned from there. Portugal and Spain are such nice offroading countries. Especially Portugal. Can't wait to go there again in October.

PS: Mean looking Landcruiser you got there!

 

[felix2566]

35s are fine for me, but I dont ho above 100kmh, normally about 90 is comfortable, plus the fuel consumption goes much higher if I go faster. Its lifted as well so never will be a great road car.

I have a thicker ARB on the back from whiteline, I do have their front one too, but I havent fitted yet. I also have assist airbags in the rear coils for when its loaded with camping kit. In this configuration it drives much better than the skinny OEM bars, was like a ship in high sea around the bends.

I have castor correction plates welded to the front axle ( probably not TUV compliant) haha. Toyota bushings.

I have had the pump tuned a little and an intercooler so it handles the bigger tires fine.

I am contemplating getting the terrain tamer extra low range gear. 1st in low normally is fine, but occasionally when it's very rocky I have struggled to go slow enough.

Gullwings are amazing, perfect fit and function perfectly. Not sure when the next group buy on here will be, but 100% would recommend them.

I'm home from Portugal now sadly, but yes, many of the trails are tight and the branches are hard. The paint was never as good as yours, so have accepted the scratches as sign of fun trails....
I've left it in Portugal with a friend, I might be driving it home in October, if your out there then we can meet up and you can drive it and see how you like the mods.

 

[thelal]

decal looks similiar to another 80 in Spain or USA

 

[Amanzie82]

35s are fine for me, but I dont ho above 100kmh, normally about 90 is comfortable, plus the fuel consumption goes much higher if I go faster. Its lifted as well so never will be a great road car.

I have a thicker ARB on the back from whiteline, I do have their front one too, but I havent fitted yet. I also have assist airbags in the rear coils for when its loaded with camping kit. In this configuration it drives much better than the skinny OEM bars, was like a ship in high sea around the bends.

I have castor correction plates welded to the front axle ( probably not TUV compliant) haha. Toyota bushings.

I have had the pump tuned a little and an intercooler so it handles the bigger tires fine.

I am contemplating getting the terrain tamer extra low range gear. 1st in low normally is fine, but occasionally when it's very rocky I have struggled to go slow enough.

Gullwings are amazing, perfect fit and function perfectly. Not sure when the next group buy on here will be, but 100% would recommend them.

I'm home from Portugal now sadly, but yes, many of the trails are tight and the branches are hard. The paint was never as good as yours, so have accepted the scratches as sign of fun trails....
I've left it in Portugal with a friend, I might be driving it home in October, if your out there then we can meet up and you can drive it and see how you like the mods.

I like the fact that the pump is tuned and that you have an intercooler, so you actually don't notice the 35", the thicker sway bar and assist air bags is also a very nice feature which supports the anti-boat-feeling. I have a 2" OME lift and OME +400 kg in the back due to my auxiliary tank. When the car is filled up (305L Diesel) it drives nice and really very comfy, when she's empty, oh boy oh boy, then you need to hold on to your teeth!.
Where did you guys order the gullwings from, Australia?
Concerning Portugal.: Sounds like it could work Would love to see that rig and chat a bit. Will be leaving my doorstep in Germany on the 11.10.25, first night in LLoret de Mar (after 1.500 km) and then, the next day, shoot through to Estremoz and then, relax and enjoy the countryside.

 

[felix2566]

No,the gull wings came from this forum. Have a look in the group buy section. Starcruiser designed and built the first batches, but now has sold the design on to another forum member. Worth getting in contact to see if he is planning any more.

I'll see if I'm in the country the same time, if I am, deffo can meet up.

 

[Amanzie82]

decal looks similiar to another 80 in Spain or USA

True, the idea came after seeing that nicely modified US vehicle on a social platform.
It is the original TRD colours of Toyota from the 80s-90s, well, not totally original, becaue i modified it a bit as advertisement for the company.

 

[Amanzie82]

No,the gull wings came from this forum. Have a look in the group buy section. Starcruiser designed and built the first batches, but now has sold the design on to another forum member. Worth getting in contact to see if he is planning any more.

I'll see if I'm in the country the same time, if I am, deffo can meet up.

I'll check it out, Thanks!