Continuing the Troopy Legacy (1 Viewer)

[shellb]

Well as many of you know I was the very fortunate guy to purchase Quinton's Troopy last month!

First I would like to thank Q for an easy, stress free transaction and the opportunity to continue this legacy. Also nice to have another friend who appreciates good beer and land cruisers.

Second I would like to thank Al. He has spent countless hours researching, wrenching, working and drinking to help me out. I really appreciate it bro and will have a nice dedication to you on the rear window.

Third I would like to thank Darin. He is the professional bringing everything together! I can't say enough good things about the business he is running, professional and full of talent!

That's probably enough babbling, lets get to some pictures! Great to be back into a cruiser.

Q, Al or Darin feel free to post your own pics.

Photos:

1. Getting her home and taking the rack off.
2. Interior starting point.
3 & 4. Mods waiting.
5. Interior post Second Skin sound deadening and diamond plate paint.
6. LEDs installed and ready for Darin's.

 

[lt1fire]

Its no thing dude, I'm always there to help


I'll post some pics up tomorrow am got to load em first.

 

[custyota]

The part about a dedication to Al.... yeti sticker or a upside down triangle?

Haha troopy is looking good!

 

[shellb]

Its no thing dude, I'm always there to help


I'll post some pics up tomorrow am got to load wm first.

Yeah well I really appreciate it!

The part about a dedication to Al.... yeti sticker or a upside down triangle?

Haha troopy is looking good!

Haha...I got a good sticker!

 

[mtweller]

Score! Congrats Brett. Sorry Quinton

Does your neighbor have mismatched siding?

R

 

[shellb]

Score! Congrats Brett. Sorry Quinton

Does your neighbor have mismatched siding?

R

Wow...the powers of observation Ramon! I have no idea but it looks like it? I will check tomorrow am. And if yes, will certainly give Clayton some sheet.

 

[PhrogsPhorever]

Brett, welcome to the troopie insanity

 

[NCFJ]

Did a little metal work above the drip rails. Not unusual on Toyotas, had the same on my 60.

 

[shellb]

Brett, welcome to the troopie insanity

Thanks Alex!

That's a prefect way to describe it...

 

[shellb]

Did a little metal work above the drip rails. Not unusual on Toyotas, had the same on my 60.

Of course Stan! I'm sorry, didn't intentionally leave you off my list. You also get credit for the rear bumper too!

Appreciate all that you have done for this rig as well.

 

[lt1fire]

Been fun working on this thing and a lesson in patience.

I'll give it to Quinton for not blowing up and tracking down the importer he got it from. From working on it with Q and talking to him it wasn't as advertised, that much is easy to see by the fact that he had to have the engine rebuilt with in a year of buying it.

So the first thing we did when getting it back to Brett's was pull the roof rack off since Brett is having his uncle build a custom storage/sleeping platform in the rear it wasn't needed anymore. That is one of the heaviest roof racks i've ever had to lift before.

Then spent a while getting rid of some surface rust, this one that darin with weld up and cover since it made it through the outer skin.

 

[lt1fire]

The main focus was to get the lights, horn and window wipers working again for inspection so Brett could register it.

The first two days were working on these. Checked to see if the wiper motor was getting power, it was. Checking the linkage (which broke 3 bolts removing it), and a crap load of other things. I finally took the motor apart and found out that all three of the brushes were completely worn down to nothing.

These parts are not replaceable so we had to order a new one, which ended up with two wrong parts and a lot of phone calls, emails to canada. Sadly the part number was worn off the original so it made tracking one down even harder. The right one should now be in the mail and on the way to Darin's

Thought the horn was a wiring problem which turned into a wild goose chase because there is about 200 feet of wires that go no where and do nothing stuffed into the engine bay and up under the dash.

So basically a ton of time was taken up by researching and emails to other countries.

stripping off the headliner which took for ever. I'm not sure what kind of wacky japanese super glue is up there but I want a tube of one. Even after dousing it in about 6 cans of adhesive remover, paint remover and everything suggested at lowes it still would stop my dewalt drill with a wire brush to a dead stop. Finally I took a grinder to it and covered myself in the process.

We sound deadened the doors (front and rear) and the side panels of the truck. Spent a while tracking down an annoying vibration with eventually turned out to be the seat belt roller. Now the thing is dead quite compared to before. When the roll on sound deadener hits the floor and roof it will be great.

Tracked down new sun visors because one was missing and the other was starting to crack. Tracked down new style windows from a 76 cruiser because one was missing and the other cracked and the 76 series ones are bigger and look better.

Installed the LED bars I won at Logan's run.

Fixed a connector on one of the lights that was stopping it from turning on.

Put blue LED's in the dash and rear tank gauge. Put super bright CREE's in the reverse lights, and the dome lights. (had to fix a connector to get the dome working again)

Removed and painted the Grill. and the lower panel below the grill.

Removed and painted the diamond plate gloss black.

Finished up the dual battery that Quinton had started back in July. And figured out the slight battery drain we were getting was from it being half installed.

Installed a donaldson pre filter on the snorkle only to realize that at some point someone had hacked up the top of the snorkle so it wouldn't re attach to the a-pillar arm or would and leave a large gap. While trying to re-install it a bolt broke and when trying to extract it the bolt and the threads disapeared inside the pillar (Another thing for the master, Darin, to fix)

Installed a new leather steering wheel cover.

Found an oil leak at the valve cover gasket. Not enough time to get another one an install so it will have to be a CO thing for Brett to do.

Brett ordered a new Warn winch that Darin is currently installing

Ordered some skinny 33 MT tires. Maxxis big horns

OME lift kit

Pulled out a ton of wire from under the dash but there are still more in there that do nothing

Quite a few other things i'm forgetting i'm sure.

All I know is I made quite a few friends in Canada and Oz doing research on this thing.

Eventually the ARB will be repainted also

Mirrors

Found this under the drivers mirror that will have to be ground off and painted soon.

Before

After

Me after

 

[NCFJ]

The wiring issue is something that faces many old cruisers, jeeps too. Twenty years of owners hacking into the system and wires getting britle enough to crack and randomly ground in places will leave you chasing "the ghost in the machine".

The best possible solution for this is to install a complete new wiring harness. A generic basic harness will work with the addition of circuits for the diesel etc. I did this to a 78 CJ7 I owned after taking a good look at the mess left by years of folks just tapping into the system and wires becoming brittle. It is a big job but certainly one worth doing if you plan on keeping the rig. I will be putting a new harness in my 60 when I get to working on it for real, already have a harness sitting in a box waiting for the 40. Assuming I ever get around to working on it.

 

[lt1fire]

New pre-filter

Sun Visors

Painting the diamond plate and some dash pieces

Sound deadening behind the panels

Panels installed

Painted the side steps

New steering wheel cover

New Tires on Factory 70 series wheels

LED's installed (there are the Spot kind since Eric and John Vee were wondering)

Finished the Dual battery install

Dropping it off with a clean shaven Darin last Sunday

I have other pics of the LED's and other things we did but they didn't turn out good

 

[lt1fire]

The night before we took it to Darin's we drove it around at night and realized just how bad the stock headlights are even with the brights on the 80 throws out much more light with only one low beam working.

So I did some research for lights and found these that Brett is looking in to

7" LED headlights from Truck lite that are getting great reviews

That and possibly the roll on sound deadener will most likely be the last thing we do before it's maiden voyage to CO




I know Brett has some plans for this thing including air lockers, diesel fired heaters and a turbo manifold but i'll let him go into more detail on that one if he wants to.

 

[lt1fire]

The wiring issue is something that faces many old cruisers, jeeps too. Twenty years of owners hacking into the system and wires getting britle enough to crack and randomly ground in places will leave you chasing "the ghost in the machine".

The best possible solution for this is to install a complete new wiring harness. A generic basic harness will work with the addition of circuits for the diesel etc. I did this to a 78 CJ7 I owned after taking a good look at the mess left by years of folks just tapping into the system and wires becoming brittle. It is a big job but certainly one worth doing if you plan on keeping the rig. I will be putting a new harness in my 60 when I get to working on it for real, already have a harness sitting in a box waiting for the 40. Assuming I ever get around to working on it.

This is true.


A complete rewire down the road does seem like a good idea.

I did get some of it cleaned up and Darin said he had done a good bit earlier when he worked on it.

 

[custyota]

Bushes? Who are you? Me?

 

[lt1fire]

Bushes? Who are you? Me?

You can read???? Who are you Me???

 

[custyota]

I just learned how to read.

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Sweet troopy Brett! I'm glad that she stayed in the club