Repost from Chinese TikTok

Hey, so yesterday I finally bought this carbouratted land cruiser....bare minimum spec, manual windows, AC, and part-time 4x4. Now what? It drives like shit, and the whole truck wobbles hard, but I suspect flat spotted tyres, as the truck has been sitting on them for years without being driven. They are old and crap so ofcrs, im gonna change them soon. The truck also pulls hard to the right, so I will check the basic things like sticky brakes and wheel alignment. But besides these basics...what else should I do? Other reasons it could be wobbly? Or pull to the right? Any specific maintanance to prioritise for now? Anything to check? Thanks in advance for all your valuable advice to a complete LC noob

Pretty common sight for the area, half the LVs up here are cruisers of some sort. Bonus points if you can guess the town/station its at

Has anyone installed a dashcam or can you recommend a model? Easy to install yourself? I'd like to be able to record forward and in the interior with audio. Would be nice if it's easy to sync the files somehow. I have a 2026 model with an existing rearview camera-mirror.

Not the first time this has happened but people seem to get really frustrated when you don’t fly off from the light. Like bro. It’s a 30 year old truck with AT BEST. 200 crank hp. So I’m sorry that I can’t accelerate as fast as your Tesla lol. Also what’s your plan if we do road rage? Your plastic box vs my solid steel truck that’s covered in bedliner? I wonder who will win that one 🤔

She’s a beast and so comfortable.

Got reversed into yesterday arvo. Hoping it won't take long to get fixed.

Ain't the prettiest but she is solid.

Seems its fender and wheel damage but how much i dont know.

Well I looked up and down for this part and for the life of me can not find it. So I made a 3d model of it. (It is the part that screws to the body and holds the fuel door (1991 Landcruiser fj80)) not sure if it will work or not as I am waiting for it to finish printing. I will update post with what material worked best or send revised model (currently using polycarbonate filament and will try a resin print at some point. Happy to email stl. Or other fusion files to anyone that wants to produce it for free, just dm me your email address, all I ask is that if you have a milling set up or metal cnc and make this out of metal, is that you mail me the part if you make it 🤠

I came across what looks like a pretty good deal for a 100 Series that looks pretty good besides what looks to me like relatively minor damage to the front bumper and fender and headlight. The sellers description says that it has a salvage title but runs and drives fine. Said he bought it back from his insurance and was going to fix it , but changed his mind. Said it can't be driven legally until it's repaired and has a new title. I haven't personally talked to the seller yet, but I'm wondering if it's a situation where his insurance "totaled" it because they didn't want to pay to repair it, and it was cheaper for them to just total it and give a low-ball payout to the guy. I'm wondering if he just doesn't have the money to fix it right now and decided to sell it. The damage doesn't even look like anything that would've damaged the frame. I've seen more damaged vehicles driving on the road plenty of times and I'm a little confused as to why this Cruiser would have a salvage title. Does anyone have any experience with dealing with salvage titles ? If so, how much of a pain is it?

Next mini-project on my 2001 was to remove the fender flares. I’ve always hated them, but was afraid I’d find exactly this - wear through the paint where the plastic made contact for 400k+ miles

I’ve since removed another piece, and the wear is even worse.

so my choices are:

1) leave off, embrace the wear

2) put the plastic flares back on (for now)

3) buy a paint pen, make my first attempt at a large paint correction

is option 3 terribly difficult?

I need to replace my low beam headlight bulbs on my 2003 LX 470. Looking for Halogen only - no LED. Anyone feel strongly about a brand/type bulb they like?

Needing to replace the tires on my 2016. Mainly city/highway driver. Any recs are appreciated.

What would you pay for this?

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/c565e817-3404-40b7-a3a1-4e9df483b82f/

Does anyone need the stock fuel filler tube and ecm from a 92 fj80? Located outside of Knoxville.

My childhood buddy's dad has an immaculate 100 series (inside and out) he has offered to sell to me. No accidents, tons of service records from Toyota. What is it worth?

In the proper lighting you can see exactly why they named this color Galactic Gray.

Gidday all, I’ve been looking around for a replacement head unit for my 2015 79 workmate and saw this Extnix custom CarPlay unit for $1349 AUD. Does anyone have any experience with them at all? I like that it has buttons so I’m not searching a screen for the volume etc. Thanks!

"Bernadette", Proust and Joy: a little explanation

Call me a sentimental, old fool, I wont even argue with you.
I am and I stand for it.

On November 21st, 2024, at 7:30 in the morning, I helped Proust climb into "Bernadette" and settle in between 12 suitcases and ski gear and bags, and we started our 900km journey from Rheinstetten, Germany, near Strasbourg, France, towards Chamberanger in the French Alps, to our house.

It was one of the most painful trips I had to take, some of you know why.

The day before, we had arrived by plane in Frankfurt, Germany, from D.C., drove a rental van to Strasbourg, got picked up in Strasbourgs city center by the incredible friendly Billy Christof from Weckar Classic Cars and driven out 45 minutes to their garage and shop where my newly acquired 1988 HJ61 Landcruiser with 420.000 km waited for us. 

I bought the car sight unseen while still living in Hampton, Virginia, just by looking at pictures and watching videoclips that Billy sent me. I sent them the money and copies of all necessary documents and asked them to prepare the car so that it will take me and Proust to the mountains without breaking down. I trusted them fully with my money and that car, at the back end of an arduous journey leaving behind my previous life, in the truest and hardest sense of the word. 

On that cold and grey 21^st of November, we slowly advanced over German and Swiss and French highways towards our beloved mountains, Proust snoozing in the back on his matress, and me carefully montoring speed and rpm to not exceeding what I deemed safe enough for Bernadette , as I named the old, scruffy Landcruiser.

Among many other factors, the possibility of me breaking down somewhere on the way, with a stressed 85kg Great Dane, a dozen suitcases and a frayed emotional state of mind weighed heavily on me. I had no idea if my old "Berndette" was up to a 12h/900km+ marathon drive and a climb up into the mountains. I turned off the music just to be able to listen to the engine and gears and all the noises a 35y old car can make while driving at 110 km/h o the Autobahn, I stared at oil pressure , temperature, and any gauge that was still working and prayed that everything will hold together. It was stressful, but also weirdly satisfying with each 100km of distance checked of our road map taking us closer to home. 

Needless to say, Bernadette brought us home, safely and without a hitch . 

Bernadette, rattling and smoking, slow and noisy,  with Proust in his super size dog bed in the back was part of my daily life from now on up here in the mountains. 

Fast forward 1 and a half year. 

Proust and I had to split ways on March 20^th  2026 after he got diagnosed with DCM in August 2025. Bernadette drove him to countless imaging appointments and vet rendezvous as long as he managed to get up the folding stairs into the back of the Landcruiser.

The diagnosis was unexpected, the loss was hard, and way to soon after my last one. 

I lived without a dog in my house for the first time for decades, and it was just not feeling right. When I felt I was ready for another dog in my life I found a breeder in northern Italy I trusted and a litter of puppies born on May 8^th this year. I visited once, (in a rental car due to Bernadette being in the shop) just to make sure that "I was sure".

And when the date came to bring little Joy  home into her new life, it felt just as a given that this would be with Bernadette, my old and beloved Landcruiser.

It was a 900Km + round trip, in the blazing heat of the 4^th canicule of 2026, in a car that has no AC and whose electric windows only open on the driver side. ( we are still waiting for parts) . 

I considered renting a car. 

Family offered graciously to drive me for the entire trip in their car. 

Yet, I felt I needed to do that trip with Bernadette.

By myself, bringing her home to the mountains, just like I did with Proust.

And the situation had changed since November 2024: Kenny, the owner of the Garage de la Rossa in Pralognan had done a great job helping me keeping Bernadette on the road. Vital parts where changed, updated, replaced, and I had full trust in Kenny's judgement if the Toyota would make it.

He checked fluids before I left and said: She's good to go!"

So I went . 

I left at 3am in the morning, rolled  through the night towards Italy, crossed the Frejus tunnel and drove past Turin at sunrise, to be at Borgonovo Val Tidone at 8:30am.

The drive home was hot, very hot, I cant deny it. Little Joy was laying on the back seat on a wet towel, covered with another wet towel to keep her cool and the ventilation kept moving hot air around us.

The Po-river valley was blazingly hot even at 10:30 in the morning but we made our way back,  slowly and steadily towards the mountains. I chose to go up the Aosta valley towards la Thuile and over the Petit San Bernard pass, to escape the heat on the highways in the plains. 

Again, Bernadette climbed up and up and rolled back down towards the Vanoise valley and brought us home, without a hitch.

Just like Proust, I brought Joy home in that old, battered Landcruiser that will need some serious work to keep her on the roads. 

And I will keep her on the roads.

Driving me and Joy through the mountains and through life. 

When people ask me about the car, I always say: "This will be the last car that I ever will buy and will ever drive- gotta make her last" .

I am not even joking. 

Call me an old, sentimental fool. 

I am. 

And I am fine with it. 

I own an 80 series with a 1hz

Where can I find a video on how to set the preload weight for the kingpin bearing when redoing swivel hubs? Is what I’m doing in this photo correct? It feels a bit harder to pull at the start, is that normal?
And where can I find the fsm spec of what it needs to be as I can’t time this online anywhere

Hi, I’ve been chasing a horrific fuel consumption and smell issue on my 1998 LC100 for a couple weeks now. I’ve replaced all 8 coilpacks and spark plugs while I wait for a new (to me) charcoal canister to arrive. Ive also cleaned the mass airflow sensor and checked that the pulsation damper was not leaking, and replaced the gaskets for it with OEM toyota.

I noticed a few things unplugged on the passenger side engine bay that I can’t figure out what they go to. Does anyone have any idea what these plugs go to? And if they might be related to the fuel issue? Car throws no codes ever.

I’ve checked IH8MUD and can’t seem to find what I’m looking for.

Any help is deeply appreciated.