Traveler II
Year: 2016
I bought my first Toyota in January 2016, a 1999 100 series. I set out looking for a 100 series in October of 2015 after returning home from exploring the Rockies in a 70k mile 2006 Hemi powered Grand Cherokee. The Jeep was comfortable and had more power under the hood than necessary, but it always felt cheap and clunky. When it failed to go into 4-Low at the base of Cinnamon Pass in the San Juans I was furious. The WK was sold a couple of months later ushering in the Toyota chapter of my life.
Thanks to a lot of background reading I knew I could find the right cruiser with a modest $15k budget. However when a one owner, 246k mile rig popped up on craigslist for a mere $6k, with complete Toyota service records, I couldn’t say no.
The ‘budget’ Cruiser and my Toyota learning experience went pretty well. I knew the Cruiser would need some TLC and maintenance, so I jumped right into unfamiliar territory that first year.
After driving the Cruiser a few thousand miles I could tell my baseline work wasn’t quite complete.
Now that the Cruiser was driving well I started to make it mine.
Then more general maintenance was required as time went on.
During that first year, the Cruiser took me to the Salida, CO area four times, once to the Ouray, CO area, once to Branson, MO, and explored my backyard (Flint Hills area, KS). Putting 24k miles on a single vehicle in one year was a new personal record for me.
I bought my first Toyota in January 2016, a 1999 100 series. I set out looking for a 100 series in October of 2015 after returning home from exploring the Rockies in a 70k mile 2006 Hemi powered Grand Cherokee. The Jeep was comfortable and had more power under the hood than necessary, but it always felt cheap and clunky. When it failed to go into 4-Low at the base of Cinnamon Pass in the San Juans I was furious. The WK was sold a couple of months later ushering in the Toyota chapter of my life.
Thanks to a lot of background reading I knew I could find the right cruiser with a modest $15k budget. However when a one owner, 246k mile rig popped up on craigslist for a mere $6k, with complete Toyota service records, I couldn’t say no.
The ‘budget’ Cruiser and my Toyota learning experience went pretty well. I knew the Cruiser would need some TLC and maintenance, so I jumped right into unfamiliar territory that first year.
- Scrubbed and cleaned the interior (the original owner passed away from lung cancer and the interior smelled like an ash tray)
- Installed cabin filter
- Removed running boards
- Replaced steering rack
- Replaced upper ball joints with 555 joints
- Serviced wheel bearings (oil seal, flange gasket, Slee bushing tool, etc)
- Greased drive shafts
- Cranked the torsion bars to reduce the 2 ½” forward rake to ¾” rake
- Replaced the tires with 265/75r16 AT3’s
- Replaced coil pack #1 with a Denso
- Replaced heater tees
After driving the Cruiser a few thousand miles I could tell my baseline work wasn’t quite complete.
- Installed new front swaybar bushings/links and new rear bushings
- Replaced the shocks with OEM (The actual shock was okay, but the bushings were shot. Bushings cost nearly as much as the shock assembly!)
- Replaced MAF sensor
- Replaced overhead interior and center dash lights with LED
Now that the Cruiser was driving well I started to make it mine.
- Removed the faded/peeling faux wood trim
- Installed WeatherTech floor mats
- Upgraded the radio to a JVC touchscreen and routed HDMI/USB extension cable to the ashtray
- Installed a PL259 connector in the face of the ashtray and ran the coax behind the second row of seats for easy access for a mag mount CB antenna. A Midland 75-822 CB gets pulled out as needed.
- Replaced the garage door housing in the overhead console with a HomeLink module and a Blue Sea USB power source
- Installed a Warn winch on the TJM 957MTT1581C winch plate behind the stock bumper
- Installed a set of Black Peak 80 series D-ring tow brackets up front
- Installed a set of IPF lights on a home built mount up front with the FJ Cruiser Auxiliary light switch
- Replaced the cracking factory Michelin spare tire with a 265/75/r16 AT3 tire
- Performed the spare tire lift mod
- Performed the rear mud flap trim mod
Then more general maintenance was required as time went on.
- Replaced the fan bracket, tensioner pulley and serpentine belt
- Replaced coil pack #3 with a Denso (now I carry one in the glovebox)
- Replaced the generic 24F battery with a lead acid 27F from Batteries Plus (840CCA and 168RC)
During that first year, the Cruiser took me to the Salida, CO area four times, once to the Ouray, CO area, once to Branson, MO, and explored my backyard (Flint Hills area, KS). Putting 24k miles on a single vehicle in one year was a new personal record for me.
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