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FZJ80R from Devon
- Thread starter Richard Turner
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Higgy
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There were no drug references intended in my last post!Looks like your well loaded up... Have a good trip
16.7mpg on the auto gas... better than the usual 13 on petrol, but driving at 70 rather than 90.
Stopped for a cup of tea!
Stopped for a cup of tea!
Doing 75/80 with the aircon on gets the consumption back down to 12.6mpg... and the gas was more expensive here at .97 € per litre mind you the petrol is 1.67
Emily is doing chauffeur bit.
Nice weather down here,
Cool buildings,
Balloons,
And the takeaway is confit duck and giant glass of lager!
Did some camping
Kitchen works better than expected
9 litres of water capacity didn't last long, so had to refill the tank at least once a day.
Campsite was ideal
Canoed down some bits of the Dordogne
Trouble is if you canoe downstream you have to paddle back up! Mostly we dropped off the canoe, drove down to where we wanted to finish, cycled back, then canoed down the river to the car, then picked the bikes up on the way back to the camp.
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The truck went well, no problems at all in the heat, the only annoying problem was the air con worked on the way down, but then stopped working. Presumably all the pressure leaked from the compressor, it's pretty oily around there.
Problem 2 was the heater seems to be stuck on slightly... I think the control cable for the heater tap is slightly in the wrong place so it holds it slightly open!
Also, I am not sure if the diesel is the same, but the footwell of a petrol seems to get super heated by the exhaust and heater pipes running down the transmission tunnel!
So we had to have the windows and sunroof open, with the canoe on the roof you get blasted by air coming down from the sunroof, very refreshing but extremely noisey and tiring after 7 hours of French autoroute...
The LPG was great, works perfectly, you only seem to be able to fill the tank with 50 or 60 litres of gas in France though, giving you about 160 miles range, either it was because of the heat or perhaps the pressure is lower? LPG was easily available, every E.Leclerc supermarket seemed to have it, for about 75 cents/litre. Only used half the tank of petrol I took with me.
Stayed in an Airbnb near St Nazaire on the way back, a boat in someone's garden, £22 for the night, a bit cramped but fine for us!
Great for a stop over.
Discovered the true use of the PWR button on the auto box, I have used it when the truck is empty before and not thought much of it, but when the truck is fully loaded it is a different story! Normally the truck feels sluggish, unless you use kickdown, which in a petrol is OTT especially with a side exit... but the PWR button fills the gap between letting it rev much higher between shifting, you get full use of the 200bhp!
Highly recommend...
Problem 2 was the heater seems to be stuck on slightly... I think the control cable for the heater tap is slightly in the wrong place so it holds it slightly open!
Also, I am not sure if the diesel is the same, but the footwell of a petrol seems to get super heated by the exhaust and heater pipes running down the transmission tunnel!
So we had to have the windows and sunroof open, with the canoe on the roof you get blasted by air coming down from the sunroof, very refreshing but extremely noisey and tiring after 7 hours of French autoroute...
The LPG was great, works perfectly, you only seem to be able to fill the tank with 50 or 60 litres of gas in France though, giving you about 160 miles range, either it was because of the heat or perhaps the pressure is lower? LPG was easily available, every E.Leclerc supermarket seemed to have it, for about 75 cents/litre. Only used half the tank of petrol I took with me.
Stayed in an Airbnb near St Nazaire on the way back, a boat in someone's garden, £22 for the night, a bit cramped but fine for us!
Great for a stop over.
Discovered the true use of the PWR button on the auto box, I have used it when the truck is empty before and not thought much of it, but when the truck is fully loaded it is a different story! Normally the truck feels sluggish, unless you use kickdown, which in a petrol is OTT especially with a side exit... but the PWR button fills the gap between letting it rev much higher between shifting, you get full use of the 200bhp!
Highly recommend...
- Joined
- May 26, 2014
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- 4,751
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you've converted the 80 to electric too! (first pic)
we carry 60 litres of water, with shower it will last a couple of days. a good while if we don't use the shower.
looks like a great trip.
we carry 60 litres of water, with shower it will last a couple of days. a good while if we don't use the shower.
looks like a great trip.
Ha, would be good! Luckily we had electric hookup at the campsite, I was happy not to have to rely on the starting battery for our power. We have the 3 way caravan fridge behind the drivers seat running on 240v, it worked really well, cooled all the shopping down and froze ice cubes in the freezer. I took it out of the truck at the first campsite but afterwards left it in the truck with the cable going through the tail gate. After 2 days unplugged on the way back, the stuff in the freezer compartment was still frozen and the rest of the fridge stuff was still cold when I got home. You have to make sure it is either level or leaning back or it doesn't work. Condensing fridges like travelling as the vibrations help settle the gasses apparently. Happy with it for £40 and a couple of days work. Thinking of making a vent so I can run it on gas, probably out of the rear slide window.
Gary820
Well-Known Member
Looks a great trip, camp kitchen definitely doing a good job.
The heater... without the ac on a long run blows a little warm I've found.
From what I've read you can tweak the cable as it doesn't 100% close the valve off.
The trans tunnel, aka the leg warmer, the heated cup holder etc. Yes gets bloody warm especially in summer, on a long run, at low speed on lanes basically whenever it's being driven lol.
Best bet is carpet up and insulate the floor/tunnel tbh. the heater pipes, the exhaust, the auto box, the heat produced by the engine keep it toasty.
I put the heater blowing a bit warm down to this a bit too.
Mine's insulated and still gets warm but have a gear box gaurd under there too.
Back of sunroof up and windows down a bit help if not running ac, wind deflectors help as keeps noise levels down at speed.
You mean you don't use the PWR button all the time?! Lol.
I only really flick it off when speed will be above about 45mph, it's great for slip roads to get speed up too.
I like to use the rev range and gets the tyres moving, it will touch the limiter on full throttle in 1st and 2nd gear just before it changes up
The heater... without the ac on a long run blows a little warm I've found.
From what I've read you can tweak the cable as it doesn't 100% close the valve off.
The trans tunnel, aka the leg warmer, the heated cup holder etc. Yes gets bloody warm especially in summer, on a long run, at low speed on lanes basically whenever it's being driven lol.
Best bet is carpet up and insulate the floor/tunnel tbh. the heater pipes, the exhaust, the auto box, the heat produced by the engine keep it toasty.
I put the heater blowing a bit warm down to this a bit too.
Mine's insulated and still gets warm but have a gear box gaurd under there too.
Back of sunroof up and windows down a bit help if not running ac, wind deflectors help as keeps noise levels down at speed.
You mean you don't use the PWR button all the time?! Lol.
I only really flick it off when speed will be above about 45mph, it's great for slip roads to get speed up too.
I like to use the rev range and gets the tyres moving, it will touch the limiter on full throttle in 1st and 2nd gear just before it changes up
- Joined
- May 20, 2010
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looks like a great time was had.
the tunnels do get really warm. our camper gets crazy hot.
nice to get some use out of it and was a good shake down. minor issues really.
the tunnels do get really warm. our camper gets crazy hot.
nice to get some use out of it and was a good shake down. minor issues really.
So not got much done on the 80 since I have been back from hols. Having a clear out of some old stuff, need to make some room as I can't actually take the kitchen and fridge out of the truck as I don't have any dry storage space it's all full of stuff (crap).
Camping kitchen very handy on Satarday mornings at work when the apprentice Chef Linguini cooks hot dogs.
Some pictures of how the fridge is held down.
Fits in front of the camping kitchen and you can get in it by moving the drivers seat forward.
I made a bracket that bolts in the seat mounts, then two thumb screws lock the bottom of the fridge to stop it sliding forward or tipping side to side.
I need to make a lock for the drawer but it's a bungee cord at the moment.
I have fitted hooks from an old racing harness so I can disconnect the rear seatbelts to avoid them getting dirty or damaged, they also clip onto the top of the fridge to stop it tipping forward in heavy braking etc.
I fitted two more power sockets and a usb, one power is permanent live, which is the tap, the other is on a switch in the centre console, which I use for the 12v for the fridge when under way.
The 12v element in the fridge draws 120w so it would drain the battery fairly quickly if you left it on, it drained a deep cycle lorry battery over night when I tested it. If I was going off grid I want to rig up the gas on the fridge so the flue goes out of the sliding window.
Not sure what I will do on the truck next, I need to change the oil again and fix the level gauge for the LPG as I wired it up wrong. May also try again to fix the A/C. I want to finish off the adjustments to the roof rack, and also need to fix the viscous fan.
Next big project is to do something with the suspension, to improve the ride quality, especially when running empty or light.
-replace all failed and worn bushings
-replace shock absorbers (Not sure on O E or aftermarket)
-replace springs, don't know whether to fit new oe springs (was the ride ever any good on a new 80 I don't know?)
Or fit oe front springs and lighter duty rear springs (perhaps the 80 without rear seats had lighter rear springs?), then fit helper air bags.
Or if I am fitting helper airbags, by the time I have fitted a compressor etc I may as well fit air springs all round instead of coils, I suspect that would be cheaper than new oe springs and helper springs anyway.
Not sure how the brake bias valve would work if I had helper springs or airbags, as you level the truck you would never get increased rear brake effort. As my brake bias valve is rotten anyway perhaps I should change it for a manual type in the cabin.
Any advice appreciated!
Camping kitchen very handy on Satarday mornings at work when the apprentice Chef Linguini cooks hot dogs.
Some pictures of how the fridge is held down.
Fits in front of the camping kitchen and you can get in it by moving the drivers seat forward.
I made a bracket that bolts in the seat mounts, then two thumb screws lock the bottom of the fridge to stop it sliding forward or tipping side to side.
I need to make a lock for the drawer but it's a bungee cord at the moment.
I have fitted hooks from an old racing harness so I can disconnect the rear seatbelts to avoid them getting dirty or damaged, they also clip onto the top of the fridge to stop it tipping forward in heavy braking etc.
I fitted two more power sockets and a usb, one power is permanent live, which is the tap, the other is on a switch in the centre console, which I use for the 12v for the fridge when under way.
The 12v element in the fridge draws 120w so it would drain the battery fairly quickly if you left it on, it drained a deep cycle lorry battery over night when I tested it. If I was going off grid I want to rig up the gas on the fridge so the flue goes out of the sliding window.
Not sure what I will do on the truck next, I need to change the oil again and fix the level gauge for the LPG as I wired it up wrong. May also try again to fix the A/C. I want to finish off the adjustments to the roof rack, and also need to fix the viscous fan.
Next big project is to do something with the suspension, to improve the ride quality, especially when running empty or light.
-replace all failed and worn bushings
-replace shock absorbers (Not sure on O E or aftermarket)
-replace springs, don't know whether to fit new oe springs (was the ride ever any good on a new 80 I don't know?)
Or fit oe front springs and lighter duty rear springs (perhaps the 80 without rear seats had lighter rear springs?), then fit helper air bags.
Or if I am fitting helper airbags, by the time I have fitted a compressor etc I may as well fit air springs all round instead of coils, I suspect that would be cheaper than new oe springs and helper springs anyway.
Not sure how the brake bias valve would work if I had helper springs or airbags, as you level the truck you would never get increased rear brake effort. As my brake bias valve is rotten anyway perhaps I should change it for a manual type in the cabin.
Any advice appreciated!
Some investigation on shocks and springs, to replace the shocks and springs with Toyota ones will be about 500-550 depending on shipping etc. There are options on the rear shock absorbers and springs.
Why would slightly earlier ones be different?
Options on rear springs, again earlier ones are different part numbers. You can have either rear seat or no rear seat version.
When the truck is empty and the LPG tank is empty the ride is unbearable. The windows rattle in the frames, the back is much higher than the front.
When the LPG tank and petrol tank is full but the truck is empty the ride is ok,
When the truck is fully laden it is so low at the back that the side exit exhaust clips the trailing arm, although the ride quality is actually not too bad.
I have emailed a company in Australia about air springs and no coils kit all the way round (perhaps the natural choice for a lorry mechanic who has found pairs of pliers etc on the roof of an air ride trailer from the last service 6 weeks ago) but I think the cost may be too high.
Why would slightly earlier ones be different?
Options on rear springs, again earlier ones are different part numbers. You can have either rear seat or no rear seat version.
When the truck is empty and the LPG tank is empty the ride is unbearable. The windows rattle in the frames, the back is much higher than the front.
When the LPG tank and petrol tank is full but the truck is empty the ride is ok,
When the truck is fully laden it is so low at the back that the side exit exhaust clips the trailing arm, although the ride quality is actually not too bad.
I have emailed a company in Australia about air springs and no coils kit all the way round (perhaps the natural choice for a lorry mechanic who has found pairs of pliers etc on the roof of an air ride trailer from the last service 6 weeks ago) but I think the cost may be too high.
Looking at my front suspension it already seems too low. This is with the truck empty and all rear seats out. Mpg tank and petrol tank less than 1/2 full.
It is about the width if my thumb in that gap but the specs say more...
This is the ride height,
Both sides are the same, the side with the obviously broken spring and the other side which doesn't look broken.
I think new springs and shocks would improve matters, but not sure if it will be enough.
I have investigated more into full air suspension, I can get a set of air springs and the brackets to fit them for about £1500 shipped from a distributor in Dublin. It is still a lot more than replacing with oem springs, especially as I would still need to replace the shock absorbers, plus there would be additional expenses such as a compressor and tank and something to control the height, valves etc.
It is about the width if my thumb in that gap but the specs say more...
This is the ride height,
Both sides are the same, the side with the obviously broken spring and the other side which doesn't look broken.
I think new springs and shocks would improve matters, but not sure if it will be enough.
I have investigated more into full air suspension, I can get a set of air springs and the brackets to fit them for about £1500 shipped from a distributor in Dublin. It is still a lot more than replacing with oem springs, especially as I would still need to replace the shock absorbers, plus there would be additional expenses such as a compressor and tank and something to control the height, valves etc.
Some calculations of the costs of the LPG system,
The LPG did 12.6 mpg on the last tank,
The petrol normally got about 13/14, you could get up to about 16 if you drove gently and didn't do 90 on the motorway etc. But I don't do that.
160 miles is a week of commuting to work,
Petrol cost at 127.9 is the cheap price from the Sainsbury's near the Calor LPG pump, not the 136.9 that I normally get petrol at from the shell on my way to work.
Each week using LPG saves £36.98,
Using LPG for commuting for a year costs £1530.88, but saves £1921.92 over using petrol.
So the LPG system will have repaid itself in just under 6 months.
It also means that the Land Cruiser costs the same in fuel as the GT86 which is doing about 32mpg (but only if I filled petrol at the Sainsbury's).
There are costs with the LPG such as you use a bit of petrol warming up the car, and you also need to put Flash lube in, but these costs are negligible compared to the cost of running on Petrol only.
Although the savings mean I should be able to buy full air spring kit from Dublin I have decided it is too expensive and have bought a £20 used Range Rover L322 air spring from EBay as a test pattern for making my own rear air kit.
The LPG did 12.6 mpg on the last tank,
The petrol normally got about 13/14, you could get up to about 16 if you drove gently and didn't do 90 on the motorway etc. But I don't do that.
160 miles is a week of commuting to work,
Petrol cost at 127.9 is the cheap price from the Sainsbury's near the Calor LPG pump, not the 136.9 that I normally get petrol at from the shell on my way to work.
Each week using LPG saves £36.98,
Using LPG for commuting for a year costs £1530.88, but saves £1921.92 over using petrol.
So the LPG system will have repaid itself in just under 6 months.
It also means that the Land Cruiser costs the same in fuel as the GT86 which is doing about 32mpg (but only if I filled petrol at the Sainsbury's).
There are costs with the LPG such as you use a bit of petrol warming up the car, and you also need to put Flash lube in, but these costs are negligible compared to the cost of running on Petrol only.
Although the savings mean I should be able to buy full air spring kit from Dublin I have decided it is too expensive and have bought a £20 used Range Rover L322 air spring from EBay as a test pattern for making my own rear air kit.
The bags are about the same size as a rear coil spring on an 80 really. Not that much smaller than a truck airbag. We have single leaf springs on our 7.5's so I don't have any to look at. The ones on the 44t are too big. They will be too bumpy, like if you were driving a tractor unit solo.
I think they would be too big though, a Range Rover has similar towing capacity and weight to an LC80, and also they are a high volume production so parts are quite cheap. Even brand new Range Rover L322 airbags are only about £100.
Seems they have big problems with the electronic control system of the airbags on the Land Rovers, but I will just use a mechanical system. Also when the bags start to leak they don't get replaced and that leads to the compressor running flat out, and wearing out.
I must have looked at all the oem airbags on eBay - the range rover are about the right shape and look possible to fit, watched some videos on youtube of people changing them, the mountings look similar or at least I can make some.
The fronts will be more tricky, may be worth getting the kit, but I will see how I get on with the rears.
These kits are about £750, each including vat and shipping, you could inflate them with a normal tyre pump as they include Schrader valves, but really I think you would be better off with an on board compressor and tank, the kits for that are about £600, more if you want electronic controls. But there is lots of 2nd hand oem stuff on ebay, nice aluminium tanks for £40, old ambulance pumps £60 etc etc.
I think they would be too big though, a Range Rover has similar towing capacity and weight to an LC80, and also they are a high volume production so parts are quite cheap. Even brand new Range Rover L322 airbags are only about £100.
Seems they have big problems with the electronic control system of the airbags on the Land Rovers, but I will just use a mechanical system. Also when the bags start to leak they don't get replaced and that leads to the compressor running flat out, and wearing out.
I must have looked at all the oem airbags on eBay - the range rover are about the right shape and look possible to fit, watched some videos on youtube of people changing them, the mountings look similar or at least I can make some.
The fronts will be more tricky, may be worth getting the kit, but I will see how I get on with the rears.
These kits are about £750, each including vat and shipping, you could inflate them with a normal tyre pump as they include Schrader valves, but really I think you would be better off with an on board compressor and tank, the kits for that are about £600, more if you want electronic controls. But there is lots of 2nd hand oem stuff on ebay, nice aluminium tanks for £40, old ambulance pumps £60 etc etc.
Dan_the_drifter
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 4, 2018
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- 50
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Hey Rich,
You have done hell of a good job on your truck, i do have a soft spot for an 80. Look forward to seeing it in person!
If you go to another pay and play day or another charity trip with a bit of laning I would be keen to come along in my truck. Not done a lot of off roading so be good to have the practice.
See you soon mate
You have done hell of a good job on your truck, i do have a soft spot for an 80. Look forward to seeing it in person!
If you go to another pay and play day or another charity trip with a bit of laning I would be keen to come along in my truck. Not done a lot of off roading so be good to have the practice.
See you soon mate
So I have been looking to fit my range rover air bag on the rear axle, it is 190mm tall at minimum, unfortunately the gap it needs to fit is 190mm at the correct ride height, so I need to remove the metal dish part (which the bump stop mounts to, and presumably keeps the spring central) If I feel inside I can feel a lip, so perhaps it is a separate part to the part the coil spring actually pushes up against.
Does anyone have any clever ideas about how this dish part could be removed whilst still retaining the coil spring mount undamaged. Angle grinder would be difficult. Oxyacetelene would be messy.
Perhaps if it is welded in it may only be in 3 or 4 places? Has anyone seen one from the top looking down, I.e the body off the chassis.
I have found a good place to mount the lorry air tank, and have got a job lot of 2nd hand air switches etc from eBay.
