2013 Land Cruiser build

[stickel]

After much debate I finally did it. I traded in my WJ and bought a new-to-me 2013 Land Cruiser. Wow, what a difference. I'm loving all the little luxury items (I'm old enough to appreciate the hard core but want the nice/comfortable things these days); heated seats that heat, working power seat backs, ventilated seats (whaaat?!), smoother acceleration, etc. Plus, the 4.7L to 5.7L V8 was a nice upgrade.

Previous owner was a doctor, surprise surprise (seems to be a theme with 200 series LCs in the US) so it's bone stock at the moment. Couple little scuff marks in the paint but nothing to complain about. Top of the headlight housing is starting to look a little rough/oxidised.

Time to start planning this build out.

Current priority list:

• interior lighting LED swap ✓
• roof rack ✓
• suspension/lift install ✓
• new tires (and probably new wheels, but still deciding on tire size: 34" or 35") ✓
• rear bumper w/ tire carrier and jerry can holder ✓

I'll get some pictures up in the next day or two.

 

[CoverdH]

Can’t wait to see them!

 

[stickel]

Here's a quick phone pic on the driveway straight from the dealer (JJ Abrams lens flare was included in purchase price [emoji38]).

 

[stickel]

Ordered and received a few items from my list in the first post as well. Unfortunately they’ve been sitting around a little while because I keep procrastinating.

Prinsu roof rack with a couple load panels


Replacement LEDs for the interior and some leather/vinyl protection


The dash cam I took out of the Jeep has to be installed in the LC as well

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Dude! What an upgrade from the WJ! Can't wait to see the progress on this rig.

 

[stickel]

Dude! What an upgrade from the WJ! Can't wait to see the progress on this rig.

Thanks man! Yeah, a considerable upgrade from the WJ for sure. Hopefully I can get some mods done in the next week or two. Going to try making some videos of the process/progress along the way. [emoji16]

 

[Tex68w]

Congrats on the new to you 200-Series! They truly are a top species in this market. We plan to pick one up next year for the misses, but it will have to stay stock for few years until she lets me start messing with it lol.

 

[stickel]

Thanks. They sure have that reputation from what I’ve seen. [emoji16]

 

[stickel]

Some new goodies showed up in the mail today. Need to do a little winterizing before heading north for the holidays.

 

[stickel]

Question and answer time. I want to get an ARB rear bumper purchased and installed before I make my annual winter road trip. I've already ordered the spare wheel and tire but I'm curious which side people have mounted their tire carriers on and why. Check out this thread and fire away.

 

[adventure_is_necessary]

Question and answer time. I want to get an ARB rear bumper purchased and installed before I make my annual winter road trip. I've already ordered the spare wheel and tire but I'm curious which side people have mounted their tire carriers on and why. Check out this thread and fire away.

I'll give you my 2 cents. For my rig, I am leaning towards centering it up as the options for tire carrier allow me to mount it low to minimally impede my view out of the hatch. I can do so as the carriers have many different mount configurations to accommodate for larger tires. Plus centering it up allows for a nice, uniform look and will allow for some mounting options for rotopax/jerry cans, hi lift, etc. However, the WJ is somewhat limited on good options for tire carriers. However, and this is merely my perception, if the swing out hinge point is on the passenger side, in theory the weight should be transferred mainly to that side. I could be WAYYYY wrong but it should be floating on the driver side aside from the release.

 

[stickel]

Interesting. If the tire is on the driver’s side but the swing out pivot is on the passenger side I’d think that would cause the passenger side to lift slightly. Then again, with the bumper base going full width maybe it evens out in the end. Definitely didn’t take enough physics in high school [emoji38]

 

[stickel]

Finally, finally got around to installing the Prinsu rack I ordered this summer (and has been sitting on my floor since September).

Goodbye stock rack


Hello new hotness

 

[stickel]

Oh mama. Getting into the big time now. Last weekend I decided my procrastination had to stop. It was time to start the suspension.

Thanks to a couple kind souls at ih8mud I got a peek at the FSM for my truck and was able to get to work. Icon has fair enough installation instructions but it’s only for install (and very plain, vague language at that).

Hit several bumps along the road:

* nut holding the top of the shock absorber was on wicked tight
* my brain kept thinking I had to turn the shock one way and the nut another, but it was the wrong direction (did the same thing on the second shock even after figuring it out on the first one)
* holy damn 110ft. lbs of torque is tough to get to when laying on your back under a truck
* I wasn’t sure I’d get out of my garage after the install was finished
* holy damn the KDSS set screws are locked in tight!
* make sure you wheels are straight when resetting the KDSS (I now have a slightly crooked steering wheel because mine weren’t)

But over all I’m frickin stoked! I did this. I swore a bunch but I did this thing.







That rake is hilarious.

Front suspension is going on this weekend, so I can hopefully fix the KDSS issue and what seems like an inch difference in ride height between the driver and passenger side (driver is lower even though I added the icon spacer to the spring on the driver side).

 

[stickel]

Took the weekend to install the front suspension parts and it was a doozy. Definitely made it harder on myself by not using the right tools for the job. Managed to get the job done 98% in two days. Then I got massively stuck connecting the final stabilizer bar link. Finally broke down and posted on IH8MUD for some advice. Ended up putting a long socket on the bolt and just muscling it into place. But I got it done in time for my appointment to get the new wheels mounted and aligned.







Also, turns out the misaligned steering wheel wasn’t because of the KDSS it was really due to how bad my alignment was.

Thursday morning I went to 4WheelParts and got the new tires and wheels installed. They told me an hour but had a lot of trouble for some reason. I was there for 5 hours. But she’s looking good now.

 

[stickel]

This ARB rear bumper is killing me right now. The mount points on the bumper are a little too tight for the dimensions of the frame it’s supposed to fit onto. [emoji34]

The instructions aren’t too forthcoming with good details on hooking up the wiring loom either. Might have to resort to doing my own wiring.

 

[teezlr]

Great looking ride!

 

[stickel]

Thanks @teezlr

 

[brobin15]

With new tires and lift does it fit in your garage still?

 

[stickel]

With new tires and lift does it fit in your garage still?

It does! But barely [emoji38]

Definitely can’t go much higher with the lift or roof rack, that’s for sure. If there’s anything thicker than a ½-inch on the rack it won’t fit in the garage.