High spec retrofit questions

[Derek]

Hi, recently picked up a breaker for myself.

It’s a 94 Vx limited 4.5 auto import.

A few of the toys I’ve noticed it has and would like to fit to my 95 24v manual are:

Auto headlights
Front fog lights (in headlights)
Power folding mirrors
3rd row aircon setup
Centre console fridge
Roof compass/ altitude thing
Sun visors as they both have a mirror and light

Can anyone give some information on retrofitting said parts.

Thanks.

 

[Dave_S]

Hmmmm... why? Other than the console fridge I cannae see much of material benefit - just more hassle and stuff to go wrong. Maybe just me

 

[Dave2000]

I like the idea of having all the 'bells and whistles' but it's a shed load of work for sure, as many of the 80's had a common wiring loom but just as many did not. I would check around your vehicle has the wiring to accommodate the swap for starters. IIRC @chapel gate changed his mirrors for example, so it might be worth asking him if it was as as straightforward as it seems and not a simple bolt on job? The console fridge is a nice addition as per @Dave-S comment but will needed to be tied into your AC system, so again not as straightforward as it seems. The upside is you have a breaker so you can get 'stuff' out easy and not worrying about damaging anything not needed, but putting it back into your own car will take time and patience.....lots of it if the wiring is not there.

Regards

Dave

 

[Shayne]

Is the VX not high spec anyway ?

I suppose some of these things might have been optional extra's , but i will point out because i learned it only last week (to win an argument ) That my 97 Amazon 80 cost the equivalent of UK average house prices in 1997 .

So i think i'd be searching for universal fit modern options .

 

[Bodie]

I like the idea of having all the 'bells and whistles' but it's a shed load of work for sure, as many of the 80's had a common wiring loom but just as many did not. I would check around

Hi Dave, I was really interested in your comment above.
Are you saying that certain 80 wiring looms (I'd imagine probably the later ones?) are more likely to offer, for want of a better term, a 'Plug & Play' facility to fit additional parts, optional extras etc.? ..... and if so, is there any means of determining whether a truck has that particular type of wiring loom?

 

[Dave2000]

When the 80 first was released back in the late 80's and not the early 90's as is often believed, it was not perceived they would be so popular, so as the models progressed so did the options, I am guessing the loom mods were done in batches, perhaps every two or three years? I know a customer who became a good friend and he bought a 1990 80 without AC or leather interior. The AC went in pretty much as expected and the loom was there, and of course her had to change the heater control panel in the middle of the dashboard, his seats which were cloth had no wiring for for anything, no heaters, no movement motors, nothing. He had an electrician wire in the electric powered seats including the heaters. My 1994 has cloth heated seats, and electric lumbar adjustment, I took the drivers seat out to remove the rear heater and rusted pipes and there is no wiring there to power electric leather seats (not in Spain thank you!) It is possible the loom plugs are under the dashboard and you would just need to get the loom extensions? The OP has the entire car so he should be fine, and can soon loop in some parts as he has the skills to do so.

So we know that some vehicles have the wiring looms and some don't, I would think it is fair to say the later models have the more comprehensive looms. It is also true that as a manufacture starts to plan the end of a particular model they load them up with a shed load of options, this is to make the outgoing models more attractive to buyers so the manufacturer does not get stuck holding 'old stock. How you tell one from the other I have no idea unless you get some wiring diagrams and have a look to see what you can glean from them?

Regards

Dave

 

[Dave2000]

Is the VX not high spec anyway ?

VX is 'high' spec but not the 'highest' spec'.

Consider the VX in the Spain and IIRC the US, they do not get 3 x lockers as standard, which does seem to be pretty much the case in the UK? They have to be ordered with that spec here and in the states and yet they are all sold as VX models.

Regards

Dave

 

[Bodie]

Thanks Dave..... I think mine is April '97 so hoping, like you said 'loomed up' to entice customers to load the spec of an outgoing model!!

 

[Bodie]

Out of interest then Dave, where does a UK 1997 GS Amazon sit? with front and rear lockers and leather. Always confused as to the GS & VX models, because it seemed to be different in Europe to US. and I've never fully understood what the Amazon marque actually signified!

 

[Derek]

My 95 is a GS spec. 3 diff lock. Cloth seats, but spec’d with aircon.

The vx was imported in 2004. No front or rear diff locks.

I’ve been a panel beater / MET / mechanic for the last 11 years so know my way round cars.

I’ve always found unused plugs etc while doing odd jobs on the truck over the years. Hopefully it’s all straight forward enough, maybe the odd 12v feed here and there.

 

[Jake the Peg]

You might be lucky and have the correct plugs in place, you have the advantage of being able to strip the donor first and know what your looking for. Things like your auto lights & fog light may bring quite a lot of work as there will be a daylight sensor to install as well as different switches. I’m not sure how the wiring looms are made up, or if the lighting circuits are separated from the whole engine bay loom, you may be able to un-pin all the additional circuits from the donor loom and add them in for factory look and reliability.
I’m sure I read a thread a while back with someone retro fitting the cool box console and it looks like fairly big task, with hard pipes coming from the aircon unit to the centre console, again with having all the parts there and the donor stripped it may not be too bad.

All nice toys to add if your happy to do the work in my opinion

 

[Dave2000]

!Out of interest then Dave, where does a UK 1997 GS Amazon sit? with front and rear lockers and leather. Always confused as to the GS & VX models, because it seemed to be different in Europe to US. and I've never fully understood what the Amazon marque actually signified!

As per @Derek, he has the skills to pull this off, his is a GS spec with lockers which I think was an option on the GS, and mine is a 94 VX spec with front and rear lockers which I understood as being stock, so there is a variety of models out there and the later the model the later the looms and more unused plugs waiting to be used. Even over here and the rest of Europe there are weird configurations, I have only seen one stock with lockers here LHD, so many models...so many variants!

Regards

Dave

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

Out of interest then Dave, where does a UK 1997 GS Amazon sit? with front and rear lockers and leather

GS 80's were never an "Amazon",but they all had diff locks as standard, air con was a £1044 option dealer fitted. They come out in 95 for 1 year and were replaced in 96 with the GX which was a bit better appointed. The GS bodyshell differs from the VX in a few small ways, one being no facility in the sills to attach VX/GX sidesteps and no facility for 3rd row seats.

To be an "Amazon" it has to have the twin airbag dash amongst other small details and was essentially the run out model before the 100 series.
The 80 was announced in the late 80's, October 89 at the Japanese motor show and were sold from 1990 without the option of leather at first.

Dervis on here retro fitted a fridge to his 12V 80 reverse engineering the aircon pipes to fit as I took the fridge in my suitcase to him in Cyprus but I've never seen a fridge reverse engineered into a 24V 80, it may go straight in I don't know.

My 24V auto (95) has the fog lights/ headlight set up and I've often wondered how to get them to UK spec, it has air con as well bur not for the 3rd row as diesel imports don't ever seem to have the 3rd row or any facility in the bodyshell for them or seat belt mountings.

All interesting stuff.

 

[Bodie]

GS 80's were never an "Amazon",but they all had diff locks as standard, air con was a £1044 option dealer fitted. They come out in 95 for 1 year and were replaced in 96 with the GX which was a bit better appointed. The GS bodyshell differs from the VX in a few small ways, one being no facility in the sills to attach VX/GX sidesteps and no facility for 3rd row seats.

To be an "Amazon" it has to have the twin airbag dash amongst other small details and was essentially the run out model before the 100 series.
The 80 was announced in the late 80's, October 89 at the Japanese motor show and were sold from 1990 without the option of leather at first.

Dervis on here retro fitted a fridge to his 12V 80 reverse engineering the aircon pipes to fit as I took the fridge in my suitcase to him in Cyprus but I've never seen a fridge reverse engineered into a 24V 80, it may go straight in I don't know.

My 24V auto (95) has the fog lights/ headlight set up and I've often wondered how to get them to UK spec, it has air con as well bur not for the 3rd row as diesel imports don't ever seem to have the 3rd row or any facility in the bodyshell for them or seat belt mountings.

All interesting stuff.

It certainly is interesting stuff Andy.... just a shame I can't be a bit more accurate with my flaming thumb!!..... I meant to type "UK 1997 GX Amazon manual" not GS.

Mine does actually have the A/C (ceased!!... big job I think!), Light adjustment and 3rd row seats (all removed) But I have often wondered whether the leather seats / door cards etc. are original?

The reverse engineered fridge sounds interesting!!... but far too many other jobs on the list to even consider!!

 

[Bodie]

As per @Derek, he has the skills to pull this off, his is a GS spec with lockers which I think was an option on the GS, and mine is a 94 VX spec with front and rear lockers which I understood as being stock, so there is a variety of models out there and the later the model the later the looms and more unused plugs waiting to be used. Even over here and the rest of Europe there are weird configurations, I have only seen one stock with lockers here LHD, so many models...so many variants!

Regards

Dave

Apologies Dave.... I need to be a bit more accurate with my flaming thumb!!..... I meant to type "UK 1997 GX Amazon manual" not GS.
So similar to yours, it does actually have the A/C (seized!!... big job I think!), 3rd row seats (all removed), front and rear Lockers. But I have often wondered whether the leather seats / door cards etc. are original.
So it appears then, that the Amazon marque was introduced at the end of the 80 series and continued on with the 100 series.

 

[AndycruiserguyLomas]

The leather will be out of a VX, I did the same with my GX ( now sold to another forum member). that and a few faux wood inserts more or less made it a VX without a sunroof and roof bars.

I have a low mileage GS stored away, that came with retro fitted leather trim but no aircon. I have all the parts to retro fit ( from ones I have broken) but its a fair undertaking having replaced the heater matrix in my 24V, that would only be the half of it.

 

[Bodie]

The leather will be out of a VX, I did the same with my GX ( now sold to another forum member). that and a few faux wood inserts more or less made it a VX without a sunroof and roof bars.

I have a low mileage GS stored away, that came with retro fitted leather trim but no aircon. I have all the parts to retro fit ( from ones I have broken) but its a fair undertaking having replaced the heater matrix in my 24V, that would only be the half of it.

That's interesting...... mine has that same false stick-on wood effect, which keeps peeling off!!
It's also got the roof bars, but obviously no sunroof.

Actually, you may be able to answer another question then, (about to ask Dave aswell). I often here "it has all 3 lockers", did any 80's come with Centre Locker aswell as Front & Rear, as standard?
I also keep hearing of people buying and fitting centre diff lock switch of ebay as it's a simple fit.

 

[Dave2000]

All UK 80's AFAIK had a centre diff lock which engaged as soon as you selected low range or some earlier models it engaged via a switch on the dashboard which I retrofitted and makes the car so much easier to handle when driving slow in low range without your transmission winding up. And as per my earlier post you can see the variants come in shed loads. Mine is a VX and I understood that the previous owner must have pulled the leather seats, but noting there were no cables then my VX came (via Ireland) with cloth, so there are at least SIX distinct VX models, IIRC correctly my chassis number includes GENMEX and has manual transmission and the automatics got leather and are designated GENPEX That info was from Toyo DIY site and you can verify your vehicle there.

Regards

Dave

 

[Grimbo]

Nearly all if not all UK spec 80's had front , rear and centre diff locks.....
The spec of a vehicle is often decided by the market so Toyota GB decided that the base spec for a UK 80 would include certain options....
The GS was a reaction to a big hike in the Yen / pound relationship and this caused Jap 4x4s to become expensive.... other Jap brands suddenly started importing less well speced vehicles too....

 

[Derek]

So tonight I ripped into the donor.

Got the fridge out, there is one 3 pin plug and obviously the aircon pipes underneath. Even if mine doesn’t have the plug all it will be is a 12v feed and earth.

The aircon pipes are teed with the ones that run to the rear aircon unit. So it’s all or nothing when it comes to fitting that.

The folding mirror plug ( car side) is one wire short, so that should be straight forward to add.

Fog light, can’t see a plug behind my panel, also no room on the panel to fit the switch. Maybe the facelift switch looked different and was intergrated with rear fog switch.

Roof side of things, two plugs at the bottom of passenger a pillar. Look like the same on mine. One plug has two wires and it turns them into 6 wires so that answers a few questions.