event of the year is kicking
off about the same time
gasoline prices at some of their lowest levels
in many years, this may be the year that you
can attend a TLCA event that you have not
been able to previously. The event I am talk-
ing about is the Lone Star Cruiser Round Up
in Mason, Texas. It is the first of sixteen sanc-
tioned events and nine non-sanctioned events
that you can attend as a TLCA member. Get
out, meet new folks and have fun at one of
these events.
local club and members doing a couple dif-
ferent annual snow runs. People getting out
and using their Toyota toys and daily drivers
to have fun in the snow. What a great way
to test the machines we have built and to
see what the limits of the machines are in a
fairly benign environment with several friends
that can help if things do go wrong. In years
past, vehicles would get broken and the
time spent fixing was also an education for
people that have never broken down on a
trail. For example, fixing flats from snow get-
ting between the bead and the rim, with the
tires lowered to a flotation pressure between
8 and 10 psi (anyone bring the propane
torch?). Or Birfields breaking from spinning
and stopping suddenly due to a rock or tree
stump under the snow providing a bit too
much traction at the wrong moment.
with good nature, especially when we have
help. It may seem like a really bad thing
but it just needs to be fixed and on we go.
People around you help with parts, tools and
knowledge. That's a great thing about a club
and the people in it. If you have not had the
good fortune to be part of a local club, or
you have not gone for some reason or anoth-
your local chapter. Go on an adventure with
some of the club members and see what a
fun time you can have.
Cruiser community. She has asked about
how to learn more about her Land Cruiser.
She mentioned how she would like to learn
more about the engine, drivetrain, electrical
and how stuff works. I suggested Moses
Lubel's book.
besides the Toyota Factory Service Manual
(or other service manuals that are not written
with basics in mind) that you can get that are
Cruiser related to help Cathyann (and many of
the readers that are over their heads when it
comes to basic concepts of a vehicle). Maybe
through the collective minds of the readers,
we can come up with a list of books that will
help people that are a bit challenged with the
basics of vehicles and their needs. For me,
it has been a long time since I have looked
at the basics (might be a good thing for me
as well). And a bit longer (close to 40 years)
since I went to vocational tech school. Things
change but basic mechanical principles do
not. Thoughts and ideas would be welcomed.
control of modern vehicles. And while you
and I may not agree on whether that is a
good thing or not, one thing I think we can
agree on is that it makes it sometimes hard
to understand what is happening in those
black boxes (sometimes silver and other
colors). How it affects what is happening
when things go wrong. I sometimes scratch
my head in wonderment and frustration over
the stuff that goes wrong. But in the end,
with typically simple basics, you can figure
out the problem, the fix and get back to
having fun.
ahead. Get out and have some fun, see the
wonderment of life around you in the wilds
near you. Be kind to your friends and neigh-
bors. God bless.
series and have been having issues with the
low beam headlights periodically not work-
ing. This only happens on one side or the
other and I typically just twist the bulb in the
housing and it comes back on. I took the
driver side plug off and noticed some black
coating on the contactor, almost like it was
shorting out and getting hot. I cleaned that
one up and it has been working pretty well,
until two days ago anyway.
thing and I took it out and noticed that same
black coating and was cleaning it and a
portion of the plastic plug broke off. I man-
aged to get it cleaned and back together but
suspect that it is only a matter of time until it
goes out again. The high beams are fine,
never an issue but I suspect this is because
they are seldom used compared to the low
beams and as such are not subject to the
heat build-up (I'm guessing).
happening with other 80 series rigs and do
you know if there is a fix for it? I suspect that
I will need to cut the old plug off and splice
a new or gently used plug back on but
thought to ask you guys the question.