🛠️ Member Build Brian’s "Goldbug" Build

[Markarian421]

I thought this would be easy, but what a pain . . .

I decided to install a grille badge because I really like the look of the whole tri-color thing on a Trail Dust Land Cruiser but the only plate frames I could find covered up important parts of the plate. So this.

Standard Grille BadgeHeritage Scheme

See my directions above with the horns, or their install video, for removing the cover behind the grill.
Looks easy, right? I added some rubber gasket like backing to make it grippier, and ended up slipping some silicone tubing over the screws and even over the backing piece for additional grippiness. Autocorrect says grippiness is not a word, but if it is, it needs two p’s I guess. That tube over the backing piece ended up being a real blessing because the moving louvers make this a real pain.

Silicone tube over the backing piece. This was only a little bit of a pain to get in place.

Badge in place but how do I get the back in there?

This looks insane but it worked better than it should have. There's a short rubber band holding it which somehow didn't shoot off when I released it. The openings on the front are large enough that once things are close you can do a lot from the front. And I probably only got a finger stuck once.

Now how do I get the nuts on there and tighten them? I got them on by hand with a socket and short extension, but to tighten them I ended up duct taping the socket to a much deeper socket.

But that wasn't long enough, so why not tape on an extension. Duct tape because I don't want things falling and vanishing into the bumper never to be seen again.

That and a wrench that just fits around the hex base did it. Finally.

Then hurriedly replace the cover because it's starting to rain.

 

[Markarian421]

I swapped out the AXIS phone holder for the Offroam holder for a little more adjustability. I didn't have any problems with AXIS mount but this one feels much more solid. I can put the phone within finger reach of the steering wheel for instance. The clamp it came with is a bit stiff for one handed use, for now I'm using the magsafe holder that Stickerfab included with the AXIS mount. The mounting directions said to tuck it in-between the dash edge and the liner to get it exactly in line with the knob, I didn't want to push it too far.

 

[Markarian421]

About 4000 miles in I thought I'd add an entry for MPG vs. wheel and tire configuration.

Currently: stock 20" wheels, 275/60R20 Michelin X-Ice Snow tires, tire air dams still in place, mostly normal driving mode. 33 PSI cold up to 1500 miles, then 36 psi cold. (And driving in cool to cold weather.) Most of the first 4000 miles was with the vehicle loaded.

• First 500 miles: 22mpg on a mix of local highway and interstate driving including driving over a 4000 ft elevation gain mountain pass.
• First 1500 miles: 21mpg overall average including going across Loveland Pass (12k ft) and back down.
• I-70 across most of KS at ~75 mph in eco mode, first half: 18.4 mpg. Second half of the trip in normal mode: 19.2 mpg. I'm not sure I believe in eco mode anymore. Lots of rain on that trip so maybe that's why mpg was down?
• Return across KS (I-70, ~75 mph) with a strong headwind toward the end was only a bit above 17 mpg.
• I-70 again with a headwind for ~100 miles @ 75 mph: 15 mpg, our record low for any reasonable stretch of road.
• Switched to local highways 55-65 mph and the winds died down a little and suddenly we were up to 23 mpg. Ended the day on the other side of Colorado two mountain passes later at 22.4 mpg.
• More local highways the next day across Utah and Arizona and we ended up around 23 mpg.

My log is far from complete and I know we had some interstate legs that were around 20 mpg. So overall it's something like 22-23 mpg at 55-65 mph, 19-21 mpg at 75+ mph, and as low as 15 mpg at 75+ mph with a strong headwind. Maybe 10 mpg on short trips around town.

And occasionally 80 mpg if you're only going about 45 mph on a slightly down sloping straight road . . .

View attachment 23655

MPG update after my first longer (>300 mile) drive on the Tacoma wheels and 265/70R18 SL Duratrac RT tires: 21.6 MPG.

• Sea level to ~4000 ft, mix of interstate, highway, and some in town driving: 19.1 MPG
• Local mountain highway driving 4000 to >8000 ft and part way down, with lots of up and down: 20.3 MPG.
• Back up to ~7000 then down to maybe 4500-5000: 22.2 MPG
• Last stretch dropping into the valley at 4000 ft: 41.5 MPG

Almost all of this was on cruise control.

Pretty happy with that MPG on these tires.

 

[DPM81]

Removed my running boards today. And put on my temporary permanent plates (until my custom plates arrive...).

Taking off the running boards is just six bolts and unplugging a cable. The center top bolt has a slot and hole so you just loosen it, take out the rest, then grab the running board and slide it off the bolt. When it’s off, put all the bolts back in (I added some loctite).

For the plugs on the cables I ordered parts mentioned elsewhere on this forum (I'll put the link here when I find it) to cover it until/unless I wire something else up to it (in which case I'll order more of these plugs and use them for the intended purpose).

View attachment 24088

Those are the parts. The plug comes with pins and rubber seals you don't care about for this purpose. You take the separate sealed plugs and stuff them in the holes -- push them in all the way, not just part way as shown here. I then wrapped it in electrical tape and cable tired it back up to the cable.

View attachment 24089View attachment 24090

I actually think it looks better without the running boards, but that's just me. Next weekend (hopefully) I'll install the rock rails. (Added note: after having our FJ, my wife said it's easier for her to get in and out of the Land Cruiser now that the running boards are gone! Neither of us are tall. We're just used to a big step up I guess.)

Related: I now have running boards for sale if you're in the SF Bay area.

View attachment 24091

Any idea what this cable is for?

 

[DPM81]

Ah, Running board Lights

Any idea what this cable is for

 

[Markarian421]

Ah, Running board Lights

Could be. In which case it probably wouldn’t be there on a 1958.