Dear all,
So finally I bought the first car in this category and I am kind of curious to get that in better shape.
The car is 1992 Land Cruiser, picture I will attach now.
It has got 1 HD-T engine in it (swapped). Original was 1HZ which I don't know why it was swapped.
My ultimate goals are:-
- Performance Upgrades (High Priority)
- Cosmetic Upgrades (will do it ultimately)
The present condition of the car is just OK. (or a bit less than OK)
The car has got manual transmission (plus point).
When I drive it gives a sluggish feeling. I know its diesel but I have driven new 200 Series diesel Land Cruisers and they don?t seem sluggish as this one. E.g., the place a normal car would climb in 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] gear I have to go in 2[SUP]nd[/SUP].
The two long trips I made in this car are to,
1) High Land Resort (Pir Sohawa Road)
2) Toli Pir
On the way to Pir sohawa I had to take all the turns on 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear. I think for a V6 engine it should have been 2[SUP]nd[/SUP]. Even on a slight slope it would not pick up on 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] gear and I would have to shift to 1[SUP]st[/SUP] to get it going.
The ascent to toli pir was all done in 1[SUP]st[/SUP] gear, I would try 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] but it would be risking too much and I was not alone in the car.
In city I can go to maximum 110 km/hr. After 110 it seems like car will just die. I m used to driving 120-130 on Islambad highway, dont like middle lane.
Currently I have two sets of tyres,
1) 285/75/R16, Silver Stone 117 Spots MT
2) Michelin 275/70/R16 MS LTX (for daily use)
I showed the cars to a few mechanics, some say engine is in very good condition while other say it totally ****** up. Some say pressure plates need to sorted out and some say that no it?s ok to run like this. So I am confused who is right and who is wrong.
Oh the suspension I have a doubt too, It?s not as comfortable as a normal Land Cruiser should be. I know I am dealing it with an older model but I think I need some nice new suspensions also.
So my questions to experts is,
How should I start building it up? I need some starting advices. How to go through each thing one by one and what to change/replace/repair?
I don?t mind buying anything if I can buy it original rather than getting that repaired and then keep worrying when is it gonna fail again.
So far in 40 days it stopped in middle of NUST H12 Islamabad when all the oil from the clutch kit somehow leaked and clutch was free. Had to call mechanic to come and rescue me out. He changed the kit there and filled the brake oil again into that.
So I hope I am able to convey what sort of situation is I am in right now.
The reason for buying 80 series is that I just love the shape and the ruggedness you find in this cannot be found in other models.
When I bought, it came with almost new mud tyres, ARB front and rear bull bars (I hope original ARB), Warn Winch, roof carrier (Carries ARB sticker but I doubt), a ladder behind.
It has got center diff lock & rear diff locks. I don?t know if they are working or not.
My mechanic says turbo is working but I don?t hear the turbo sound. Sometimes it just starts going faster and I think that now may be turbo is working.
It has power windows, power mirrors which is something good to be found in such an old car.
Now I need all the expert opinion. I have some space in my house to open and work on it myself but that would be too much waste of time as I can invest that time somewhere else and get more out of it.
Thanks for reading, I know I just wrote too much and that too messed up.
Cheers, BiLaL