What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week? (97 Viewers)

[lc69hunter]

Got a new strip of velcro sewn on to the back window of the Besttop. Dropped the windshield template off at National Glass for them to cut me a new windshield. Found a brake booster from a mini-truck at Pick-n-Pull, and also managed to scrounge a couple of 10mm T's for the brake line conversion.

Oh, and put a new stainless steel battery box in the Piggy, and graced it with a new battery.

 

[cruiserkev]

New headlights! It was time to retire my old halogens, it was 21 years ago when I installed them! Tired of dim, dirty light and I just felt I needed some 21st century technology on my 40. These LEDs are much brighter. Thanks City Racer LLC..

 

[JuanJ]

Great photo. (I reckon it deserves a spot in the "back in their day thread".)

I didn't know anything about that new road.. I think I remember travelling very long distances on soft sand tracks though scrub (back in 1981 or thereabouts) to take that photo.

Hello Tom,

I just found out about your accident. Heartbreaking, none the less. I am so sorry. Quite likely, yours was the best kept Land Cruiser on the planet.

I am glad you are still with us. Had it not been a Land Cruiser, the story might have been very different.

You are an inspiration to all of us. Your dedication and eye for detail are second to none.

I certainly wish my Cruisers look as good as yours did once.








Juan

 

[tls3601]

@lostmarbles Second that on Tom. So sorry for your loss, your meticulous eye for details have been an inspiration for us all!

 

[bellaire35]

Decided after owning my bj40 for almost 2 years and all the work done to her it was time for a longer road trip...1500 km to be exact. Averaged 23 mpg.

Left San Jose, Costa Rica and drove north of Managua, Nicaragua. Averaged 80km -100km on the open roads in Nicaragua which if anyone knows the roads are much better there than here in CR. Was able to meet up with some locals friends at the land we are looking at too run more cattle and had a little down time to drink a few beers and take a swim in the river.

Only one problem during the whole trip was a small leak in the oil cooler, easy fix with a little brass solder and was back on the road.

One side note: not knowing the history of this motor prior to my purchase I was not sure how it would hold up. The last two years I have been doing short trips 100km or so. Maybe it's my imagination but after the trip she has more torque, little more power climbing hills and really smooth. Maybe this trip was needed to run her good, loosen up some stuck piston rings and just blow out years crud?? I know engines need to be ran hard at times.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

caper, I love your 40! Can't get enough of those rear fender flares... What is that on your front fender?

Have you seen this thread? JDM OEM Fender flares

 

[cruiserkreutz]

Have you seen this thread? JDM OEM Fender flares

I have not seen that thread before, thanks for sharing pngunme! Personally I think they look great.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I have not seen that thread before, thanks for sharing pngunme! Personally I think they look great.

So do I!!

 

[airon23]

Added this little aftermarket dome light I picked up on ebay for $15. Not stock but still looks pretty good and for only $15. I may be selling the stock one without a cover.

 

[hotpoker01]

Waved it goodbye about an hour ago...

View attachment 1325285
View attachment 1325286
View attachment 1325284

This is the result when you're rammed by a 2012 Freightliner FRL Century petrol tanker (24,460kg gross), squashed between a 2004 Hino FG (21,700kg) and another unknown truck and suffer multiple other hits in a motorway pileup!

And where else could this happen in New Zealand ... other than on the notorious Auckland Motorway at Newmarket (where truck drivers now behave just like the silly cars have done for years, that is - "lane changing at a whim and driving with zero regard for safe following distances").

So much for passing my cruiser down as a family heirloom ............. it's now gone, de-registered as an insurance write-off and destined for auction shortly as a parts vehicle.

I really pity anyone who lives in Auckland and is forced to use that motorway. There is no excuse for what happened to me. I could easily have been killed. I wasn't braking hard at all and traffic behind me had heaps of prior warning that they needed to slow.

The Hino driver caused it all and thank heavens for the NZ police! They charged him with dangerous driving and failing to stop. (That's right ... After causing all that destruction and mayhem he just carried on driving and had to tracked down later!)

Without the police crash report I would never have got a cent in compensation because my insurance was "3rd party only".

(BTW- My "heirloom idea" was flawed anyway so I'm not really upset about reneging on that.)

Thanks heaps to my close buddies on ih8mud and I'm simply gobsmacked by the overwhelming offers of assistance ......But all good things must come to an end .. as they say.. and I've decided this is the time for me to bow out of 40-series ownership.

I'll be flogging off all my spares at some stage ... Will probably catalog them all and list them on ih8mud .. but there's a hell of a lot of stuff and I won't be rushed into it..

Here's Toms truck the day before when he popped into see the [lack of] progs on my '40

 

[MartynFJ4071]

Currently rebuilding the steering box. Doing it myself saved $200. All new bearings, gaskets and seal. Expensive part was the sector shaft roller kit, otherwise it cost $60. I even por15'd the inside. Should keep the rust at bay.

 

[lostmarbles]

Here's Toms truck the day before when he popped into see the [lack of] progs on my '40
View attachment 1329395

Man that's a nice straight 40 Wijnand!

That's what you get from 35 years of careful ownership without any accident (other than a broken tail-light lens) and in particular, from keeping a constant vigil on rust-development.

Not one ounce/gram of filler used in any panel repaint (Not even any high-build primer.)

Hard for others to believe that it was ALWAYS out in the weather!



PS. Looking at it again here reinforces my decision to part with what's left of it. The body is the most important part. I'm seldom happy with the work of others. Getting it looking like that again (without any filler), even with all the skills I've developed over my lifetime would be next-to-impossible for me, and even if it were done, the vehicle just wouldn't feel the same.

Edit: They're rugged old vehicles though...

Imagine how much that old engine must have moved around during all those impacts yet it, and all the connecting drive-train and coolant system etc etc, held together to take me over 600kms home without incident and without the need to perform any repairs at all (other than tying the bonnet down with rope - because both hooks were smashed off and the padlock vanished - and swapping the good left-hand mirror for the ground-off right-hand one)

Fan blades smashed into fan shroud:

Lifting-eye smashed into air cleaner and exhaust manifold smashed into heater pipes:

Lifting-eye smashed into firewall on other side:

And I wondered what I was feeling in the steering. (Rag joint rubbing on vacuum line):

 

[MartynFJ4071]

Fuel tank after refurb

Next up, steering wheel and horn button.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Man that's a nice straight 40 Wijnand!

That's what you get from 35 years of careful ownership without any accident (other than a broken tail-light lens) and in particular, from keeping a constant vigil on rust-development.

Not one ounce/gram of filler used in any panel repaint (Not even any high-build primer.)

Hard for others to believe that it was ALWAYS out in the weather!



PS. Looking at it again here reinforces my decision to part with what's left of it. The body is the most important part. I'm seldom happy with the work of others. Getting it looking like that again (without any filler), even with all the skills I've developed over my lifetime would be next-to-impossible for me, and even if it were done, the vehicle just wouldn't feel the same.

Edit: They're rugged old vehicles though...

Imagine how much that old engine must have moved around during all those impacts yet it, and all the connecting drive-train and coolant system etc etc, held together to take me over 600kms home without incident and without the need to perform any repairs at all (other than tying the bonnet down with rope - because both hooks were smashed off and the padlock vanished - and swapping the good left-hand mirror for the ground-off right-hand one)

Fan blades smashed into fan shroud:
View attachment 1329725
Lifting-eye smashed into air cleaner and exhaust manifold smashed into heater pipes:
View attachment 1329724
Lifting-eye smashed into firewall on other side:
View attachment 1329726

And I wondered what I was feeling in the steering. (Rag joint rubbing on vacuum line):
View attachment 1329723

Those "engine compartment" pictures really put it into perspective, Tom!!

I can just as easily imagine just how much YOU moved around ... Peter's pinball machine analogy was really spot on!!

 

[Jdc1]

Was able to add "barn find" to our '64

 

[74HogGuy]

Went to install my new battery tray and broke all 4-bolts trying to get the old tray out. Guess I'll be drilling out all of the snapped heads next. Nothing ever goes as planned!

 

[nfs56]

Found some used tires and went for a drive though the bush!

 

[Michael B]

I retrieved most of the body from the shop today and then I installed the engine and transmission.

 

[78fj40mg]

I retrieved most of the body from the shop today and then I installed the engine and transmission.

View attachment 1330085 View attachment 1330086 View attachment 1330087 View attachment 1330088

Excellent looking rig!

 

[Michael B]

Thanks Mike! Now to get it finished.