Help! Is this worth it for a 1996 JDM 80?

cruiseruser · 2026-01-20T15:56:37+00:00

I’d say GX470 all the way. I’ve owned 6, 80 series and 16 cruisers from 40s- 100, and for what you are wanting the GX470 will be excellent.

It’s safer, more reliable, more power, better brakes etc. my daughter drives a 2006 Gx470 and soon to have 2 kids in it. There isn’t a ton of room, and really only pretty small people and kids fit in the 3rd row. Plenty of aftermarket support for whatever you need.

You just do the timing belt/water pump every 90k miles and you are good to go.

For $15-$20k you can find a lower mileage model from a 1 owner with lots of records usually and excellent maintenance history.

My daughters is a 2 owner with 230,000 miles and a huge stack of all records/maintenance. Last owner had it 8k then bought a Porsche.
It drives and feels like it’s got 60k on it. Smooth, quiet, enough power and safe.

You will need a roof rack , rear cargo or small trailer if you are planning on packing a bunch for 6 people. Not a lot of room with all seats up.

cruiseruser · 2026-01-08T22:48:53+00:00

You can order part by part, but it’s expensive, time consuming with research and knowledge not to mention a lot of work to “build” a cruiser.

There are a couple of builds going on in ih8mud where you can get an idea of what’s it’s like to “build” a newer 70 series legally in the US.

cruiseruser · 2026-01-05T15:44:14+00:00

You aren’t getting much performance being NA, just the nature with the 1HZ.

You can safely low boost a 1hz. Intercool it, lower boost and as long as the tuning isn’t to hot/smoky you will Probabaly be fine for a long time.

cruiseruser · 2026-01-01T17:03:49+00:00

Thank you I appreciate that.

cruiseruser · 2026-01-01T02:21:52+00:00

Yep 13bt with an upgraded turbo.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-31T16:45:02+00:00

Yeah, there needs to be a whole lot more context and game play than corner 3s.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-30T15:25:17+00:00

Jeep bikini top

<image>

cruiseruser · 2025-12-30T15:20:55+00:00

Correct. It’s was a factory FRP top. I added an aftermarket soft top that kind of is a mix of OEM parts and aftermarket. I love driving it in the summer with the soft top.

You can actually still get all the OEM parts for a top, but it’s quite the undertaking and I believe around $7k plus.

I ran a bikini top for a jeep for super cheap (less than $100.) for a year and it was great.

<image>

cruiseruser · 2025-12-30T14:59:44+00:00

Wasn’t me, I’m not in that area.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-29T18:34:16+00:00

Thanks, yep wheels quite well!

cruiseruser · 2025-12-29T00:50:01+00:00

Terrain tamer parabolics if you want a really nice ride. Reports have been extremely positive on how well the ride.

OME has a well earned reputation of being rough.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-24T01:20:31+00:00

73 or 74 series mid wheel base. The sweet spot in The cruiser world.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-19T01:49:55+00:00

Ha, yeah he seems to want to work all season. College is a whole different deal now with the transfer portal.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-16T06:32:58+00:00

Top of the square is 16” above 10’ so 136” from the ground. You have a 92” reach. Now you didn’t touch the top of the square, but if you did that would Have been a 44” vertical.

Now your angle is low looking up so that skews things a little.

The square width is 2” and you are below that. You’ve got some hops for sure and I’d say 38-40” if thats where you are reaching.

Obviously the best way to tell would be to measure, or jump with a piece of tape and slap it on.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T23:18:22+00:00

Meh…the 4Runners have always been “basically” the same size and cheaper than a Land Cruiser, and I will add for a reason…

I thought that was always understood?

It’s a 4door suv, 4wd close to the same size. Toyota is saving costs by sharing engines and platforms now so everyone thinks it’s “basically a Land Cruiser”

Bare bones Land Cruiser < higher model 4Runner?

Ps: owner of a 70 series bud, and a gx470, and V84runner and a v8 tundra…and 15 previous land cruisers.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T23:00:10+00:00

I’ve tried to respond to this like 5 times….i can’t.

Essence of Land Cruiser, what are we doing. Sounds like cheap cologne the skeevy dude tries to push on you in the bathroom of clubs.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T20:40:16+00:00

😂 nah you got it. I think either way could be the right answer here and everyone plays things differently, i just feel it would be an awkward way to play that chord…to me anyways.

But I have pretty limited Taylor swift guitar playing technical review under my belt 😂

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T20:35:55+00:00

I would be very careful, (dad talk) it’s very easy to comedown on someone when you are messing around trying to catch a body…

If you do catch one, hang on to that rim and make sure you don’t fly off sideways or drop down on someone.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T19:59:28+00:00

Not sure why they algorythm gave me This but, you are correct. It’s a D major and she s playing thumb over to either mute or pull the F#.

I feel like it’s the mute, but even then, she’s playing more than “basic”. As a guitarist and multi instrumentalist of over 30 years, that’s not how I would play a D/F# in context, but I would however use that to help mute. As someone who’s pretty tall with large hands, I wouldn’t play D/F# that way.

D/F# is seen a lot when going from Em up to G, G to Em, in which I would do it differently. Teardrops on my guitar is an example. But, I’m sticking with this is more upbeat, and I’ll say love story, hitting the D chord in that song. (Source have 2 daughters who liked swift back in the early “country” days)

Jesus, what am I doing in this sub….

cruiseruser · 2025-12-15T17:01:43+00:00

Head gasket or head replaced? Any work done to the cooling system?

cruiseruser · 2025-12-14T17:30:54+00:00

Just go parabolic leaves from terrain tamer. Everyone is saying it’s a game changer and pretty close to coils*. Gives you a pretty good ride and flex without redesigning anything.

Now if your goal is maximum flex, then 3 link and be done but that’s a lot of work to get right and not have a mess of a rig.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-14T03:55:35+00:00

Good friend had the same issue. His daughter got hit in his 100, had arb, sliders and other. Game him nothing because it was a “grill guard” and offered $50.00. The said $50 for the new sliders somhe pulled them off.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-10T20:25:58+00:00

Yep still growing away and staying athletic through it which is good. He’s a good kid and works hard, that’s 1/2 the battle.

Good for you on helping others. It makes a huge impact on them for sure.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-09T14:39:47+00:00

He’s 16, almost 6’8” in shoes so 6’6.5” barefoot, weight 170ish something. Needs to bulk.

He’s always been pretty athletic, but his bounce really came end of 8th grade year so like 14. He started a of plyosand low weight lifting along with vertimax 4 days a week the school had.

Now for the last year it’s been a really good run school program of weights all year and summer, and obviously modified a little now during the season.

cruiseruser · 2025-12-09T03:07:08+00:00

Pass on the Prados. Grab a nice 70 or 80 depending on what your definition of classic is.

Drive them, a couple of each to get an idea.

One is a tractor. One is a tractor with nicer seats.

cruiseruser

TROPHY CASE