1982 CDM Spec BJ42 - Build thread...sorta (1 Viewer)

[Snow Peak]

Hi fellow mudders. I've been lurking on this site for quite some time but finally going to do a little introduction and make this thread my build thread - well somewhat.

My name is Tanner and I'm from Vancouver, BC, Canada. I've been looking for a 40 series Land Cruiser for quite some time (around 1 year) and finally pulled the trigger on one. I bought it off another mud member. It's a CDN spec 1982 BJ42, 4spd, 24v, stock - just the way I wanted and how it'll stay! Plans are to keep it near 100% original and just appreciate it for what it is - a slow, noisy beast! haha

I took a ferry over to Vancouver Island on April 13th, 2014 and picked it up from the owner. I've never taken a vehicle on the ferry before so that was fun.

A couple pictures from when I first picked it up...

1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 by Tanner.K, on flickr

1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 by Tanner.K, on flickr

1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 by Tanner.K, on flickr


The next weekend was Easter long weekend. Decided to take my first roadtrip in it and head up to Kamloops, BC for the weekend. The drive usually takes me around 4.5hrs (350km - one way). Well, took me a bit longer this time lol.....

I headed out at around 7am. The 42 drove great on the highway; had no problems maintaining 100km/hr - was great! The first stop I usually stop at is just outside Abbostford. Was making good time so thought about continuing on...good thing I decided to stop. As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed a lot of steam coming out of the hood louvers...uhh oh. I popped the hood and there was coolant everywhere...and I mean everywhere lol. It covered nearly the whole engine bay. It took me some time to find where it was coming from - the culprit ended up being the small bypass hose between the waterpump and thermostat housing. Easy enough of a fix.

I called a cab and headed to search for parts. It was the nicest cab driver EVER! Originally went to Canadian Tire; but they weren't open yet. The cab driver says, "hop back in, I know of a better place". A place he always goes to for parts for his cab and he knows the guys - perfect! When we get there, the computers were down. Oh gee great. He couldn't look up correct size so he just grabbed a few bulk sizes from the shelf. Given the computers were down, I got the hoses and a knife for free - win win

He drove me back to my truck - "oh hey, nice j**p you've got there!" he says. At this point, I was sure he would ask for the cab fare and be on his way. Nope. He offered to help...what? He says that he would give me a hand in changing the hose. I didn't need it but hey, why not? How often do you get to wrench side by side with a cabbie ? He even asked if I needed any tools, but I had that covered. After I loosened the clamps off, he jumped in and worked on getting the hose removed. He couldn't quite get it off so I took over. After I got it off, he took it and got the new hose cut to length for me. I then put the new hose on and after it looked like I was on the home stretch to getting it all buttoned up he said he'd be on his way. Before leaving he gave me his personal phone number and told me to call him if I needed any more help or needed another ride. Not only did he help me find parts, he also lent a hand in installing them. By far the nicest cab driver; he didn't have to stay to help but he offered to! Got the hose back on, clamps tight, re-filled the coolant and bled the system. Was ready to go. But, what a mess I made. There was a huge stream of coolant running down the parking lot; people didn't look to pleased. I made many trip to a tap to rinse as much of it down as I could - Clean up in aisle: "parking lot"! lol


With that fixed I hit the road again. Next stop was in Hope, BC for fuel. When I first left in the morning, it was snowing on the Coquihalla Highway - high mountain pass / fastest route to Kamloops. Not wanting to risk driving through the snow I took the longer (extra hour+) Fraser Canyon route. I've only driven it once as it is only a 2 lane road, any accidents will create huge delays...

Drove for about 1hr. Came around a sharp bend and everyone in front of me slammed on their brakes. I came close to hitting the guy in front of me and the car behind me nearly re-ended me. Cause? An accident ahead! Oh common, seriously? The one time I actually take this way! It must have just happened. People were running up the road with fire extinguishers. It appears one of the vehicles crossed the centre line around a blind corner and hit the on-coming car. One person got ejected; they sadly died on scene. A couple minutes later, both vehicles caught fire. Soon after things started exploding - was quite the sight.

A picture of the 42 near the accident...

1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 by Tanner.K, on flickr


I hanged around for 45 minutes, thinking the road would be open anytime now. A lady came down the road telling everyone that it was going to be at least another 2hrs until the road would be open. So, decided to head back to Hope and take the Coquihalla Highway instead. Hoping the roads would be fine. So, essentially I spent 3 hrs going no where haha.

Now back in the right direction; I proceeded to Kamloops. The whole drive on the Coquihalla Highway was nice and clear. Sun was shining and the roads were dry with no snow in sight. Arrrrrgh, I should have just gone this way in the first place!

Next stop was in Merrit, BC. The time was now around 5pm. I did a quick check on things on the truck. Noticed an oil leak coming from between the head and block; just above the water pump. It was leaking back around and getting all over the firewall etc. Oh noes! I think the looong highway drive and steep hills have been putting a toll on the old beast. Took it easy on the rest of the way to Kamloops. Finally got there at 6:30pm. So what usually takes 4.5-5.5hrs, depending on which way you take, took me 11.5hrs. Oh man, what a long day lol. Was quite the trip though!

The next day I took the 42 to a shop to have it checked out. The leak was just going to get worse so "off with it's head"!

Toyota 3B diesel - Engine Bay by Tanner.K, on flickr

Along with a new MLG headgasket. The head was going to be sent off and cleaned up. The valve seals were going to be replaced and the valves re-lapped. Upon further inspection. Two of the rocker arms were badly worn, with one being quite bad - if anyone is reading this, go inspec those rockers and adjust the valves. These are going to be replaced.

Toyota 3B diesel - Rocker arm by Tanner.K, on flickr

Plus, all four pre cup chambers had cracks, so those are getting replaced too. There were small, hairline cracks between the valves in two of the chambers. They were too small for the camera to pick up and are quite hard to see - but none the less, they are there. I'm going to run it how it is; a new head wasn't in the budget at this point.

Toyota 3B diesel - Head by Tanner.K, on flickr

Along with the head work. The whole fuel system is getting a look over. Injectors are going to be removed, cleaned and re-tipped. Injection time re-set etc. Once that is done. The glow system is getting checked as well. When I had it, it smoked pretty badly most mornings and after work. So don't think it was glowing properly. Further more, the transfer case is getting taken apart. Needs a new rear seal and output bearing thus far; will know more once its apart. Lastly, the front axle is getting rebuilt. New axle seals, bearings, front brake pads and rotors etc.

I was planning on doing the front axle work when I got it back home; but between working long hours and strata not letting me leave the truck on jack stands or make any kind of mess; I thought it'd be best to get it done whilst it was there. As it is, when I do oil changes and basic maintenance jobs; I do them at around 1-2am when no one is around lol.

I can't wait to get it back! It's been in Kamloops for over a month now; itching to be out driving it again.

I think that'll do it for now! Thanks for reading. Will update when I get the truck back

-Tanner

 

[HoundDog]

I can't believe nobody responded to this for nearly two months.

Tanner, that's an awesome cruiser you got there and a good story. Thanks for sharing! Beautiful scenery up there in Canada too!

 

[vanisle3b42]

I was googling BJ42s and I saw your truck on google images and freaked out... I also have a freeborn red 1982 BJ42, BC license plate 763 WMR very similar to yours... I saw a picture of your truck from behind on the ferry and I lost my s***. Looks the same, minus club stickers. Thought someone sniped me on one of my trips to Vancouver this summer.
Beauty truck you have! Much cleaner than mine dd, that's for sure.. Another giveaway that it wasn't mine, haha.

 

[lostmarbles]

I've never spotted this thread before...

Beautiful BJ42 and incredible 1st post!!!

 

[roma042987]

Amazing truck and great story. Thanks for posting

 

[Snow Peak]

Thanks for the positive comments guys! I've read through your build thread roma multiple times; absolutely love your fj40!

I haven't done anything to the 42 - mod wise. Just a lot of maintenance and little fixes. Biggest issue I've had since getting the truck back from the shop (back in May) was the waterpump. I replaced the bypass hose between the waterpump and thermostat housing. In order to get it back on I had to remove the thermo housing; no big deal I thought. I replaced the gasket there and all seemed fine. The very next day I checked it out after driving home from work and sure enough there was a pool of coolant on top of the waterpump. Darn, maybe I put the gasket on backwards? Oh well I thought. I'll take it apart again when I have time.

I drove it like this for a month or so; the leak was so small that it didn't bother me. After reading some build threads, I found one that mentioned a pool of coolant on top of the waterpump; just like mine. The issue ended up being a bad waterpump. I then thought that maybe that was the same issue with mine (given that I couldn't see any coolant leaking from the thermo housing)...hmm. I found part#'s for a new waterpump and gasket and was going to head to Toyota after work and purchase it. Sure enough, on the way to work the VERY next day, my pump completely failed...arrgh. It couldn't have just lasted one more day haha. It's like it knew I was buying a new one...

Got my truck towed to a local shop called ATEB in Burnaby, BC. They're a great bunch of guys that really know their Land Cruisers. So they were able to fix it for me while I was at work.

I absolutely love driving the 42. I've taken it on numerous trips this summer up into the mountains. Once in the mountains, I usually spend another couple days backpacking. I'll do a little write up for a couple I've done this summer below...

I was googling BJ42s and I saw your truck on google images and freaked out... I also have a freeborn red 1982 BJ42, BC license plate 763 WMR very similar to yours... I saw a picture of your truck from behind on the ferry and I lost my ****. Looks the same, minus club stickers. Thought someone sniped me on one of my trips to Vancouver this summer.
Beauty truck you have! Much cleaner than mine dd, that's for sure.. Another giveaway that it wasn't mine, haha.

Hah, I remember seeing your 42 for the first time too on here and thought it must be my 42s twin. The license plates are pretty close too! You've got yourself a nice one for sure.

 

[Snow Peak]

So, I thought I'd include my backpacking trips/stories along aside with my bj42 build. My two greatest passions are my 42 and hiking/backpacking. I've taken my 42 on numerous trips into the mountains this summer, to then explore new valleys and mountains on foot...

I have multiple trips to upload but I'll start with one of my favourites.

Semaphore Lakes - Sept. 6-8. 2014

Semaphore Lakes is a valley containing dozens of glacier fed lakes and tarns. The area is located north of Pemberton, BC and is accessed via the Hurley FSR. The plan was to leave at a leisurely time of around 8am and after a 5.5hr drive I'd be at the trailhead. The night before I found out that there would be a bike race from Vancouver to Whistler along the Sea To Sky Highway. They would have part of the highway closed starting at 6am and they said the delays would be around 3hrs...you have got to be kidding me!

I finished packing and headed to bed earlier than expected. I left the house at 4:30am; be tons of time to get past the closures I thought. Once I got onto the highway they already had one lane coned off. My lane ended up straddling the centre line, while the oncoming lane straddled the shoulder. What a confusing drive as the cones were constantly being hit; leaving them scattered everywhere. Half of the time I didn't know whether or not I was in the correct lane hah. Once I got near Whistler, BC, the cone situation hit code orange... The cones were just everywhere. Everywhere I tell ya!. There were a couple cars in front of me. One would go left, the other right and another down the centre. They were all zig-zagging. What a chore that was to navigate.

A couple hours later; due to my incredible slow speeds on FSR, I was finally at the trailhead. Parked the truck. Grabbed my gear and was finally off! Under two hours later I was in the valley. It was incredible to say the least!

One of the many lakes in the valley with Locomotive Mountain dominating the landscape in the background.
Semaphore Lakes by Tanner.K, on flickr

After setting up camp, I set out and explored the lower part of the valley. Found myself a two-way radio nearly completely buried. After I got back to camp I took a 2hr nap, at 4pm haha. Made some food. Started a fire and watched as the sun went down. I stayed up late the first night in hopes of giving "star trail" photos a shot...

Locomotive Mt. Startrail by Tanner.K, on flickr

The next morning I set out to summit Locomotive Mountain. From the bottom it looked relatively easy. But, I took the more "scenic" route from around the backside and it proved to be more difficult. A lot more scrambling than I expected but was great fun! I took a few photos during the hike up...

On way to summit I by Tanner.K, on flickr

On way to summit II by Tanner.K, on flickr

Boulder on route to summit by Tanner.K, on flickr

Locomotive Mt. - A view of Semaphore Lakes valley by Tanner.K, on flickr

The sheer joy of reaching the summit of a mountain, being at the highest point for miles and having a 360 degree view of everything around you, is something hard to put into words. It's an incredible feeling. It's what keeps me coming back for more.

The view from the summit - Looking towards the Semaphore Lakes Valley...
Semaphore Lakes - Overlooking the valley by Tanner.K, on flickr

A few photos of the Train Glacier that lies below the summit of Locomotive Mt.
Train Glacier I by Tanner.K, on flickr

Train Glacier II by Tanner.K, on flickr

And of course...need a summit selfie haha
Locomotive Mt. - Summit Selfie by Tanner.K, on flickr

A shot from the summit, of the Pemberton Valley. You pass through here on way to the Hurley FSR.
View of Pemberton Valley from summit by Tanner.K, on flickr

I spent a good part of the afternoon just sitting at the summit and relaxing. The peace and tranquility of the remoteness gives great opportunity to think. To contemplate life and be in a completely different state of mind. One that isn't clouded by technology or everyday chores and burdens.

I took one last shot of the way down. Camp is right on the shore of the lake in the centre of photo.
Heading back to camp by Tanner.K, on flickr

The next morning...well who am I kidding, afternoon. I packed up and unfortunately had to head back. This is where the trip became one I would never forget...

I was about half way back to the truck when I stumbled upon something on the trail. At this point I was in a zoned out state, head down and just puttering along. I rounded a bend and in the corner of my eye I saw a round, black object, directly in front of me. I was about 3ft away from it when I stopped. I realized it was a Black Bear Cub and it had it's back facing me. As soon as I figured out what I was looking at, it turned around, saw me and scrambled as fast as it could to get up and run. It took off as fast as it could into the bushes. Phew, I thought. It was only a Cub!

As thoughts ran through my head about why a Cub would be sitting there, alone, with no Mother Bear in sight; there was a rustling noise in the bushes. I looked up, and there she was! The Mother Bear. She stood on here hind legs and shouted out one hell of a roar! She was no more than 8ft away from me. The sound and presence that she created was incredible. My heart skipped a few beats and for a moment I was frozen in fear. I didn't know what to do. To the left of me were thick bushes and to the right of me, a cliff to the river below. I was in a horrible spot. In order to get past them I had to get closer to them and then continue to the right. I slowly paced towards them, trying my best to let them know that I meant no harm. First time I've ever talked to a Bear hah.

She continued to stand on her hind legs as I passed. I walked backwards until I was out of her sight. From that point on, I took off running. I got back to the truck just fine. Heck, faster than I ever thought I would! What a relief.

I fired the 42 up; stumbled a bit for a few seconds until it warmed up. Sitting for 3 days, at altitude and in the cold didn't help. After loading my gear I was off.

On the way back down the Hurley FSR I stopped to take some photos of the 42 and the scenery. As you might notice; the wheels are white. I repainted the old steelies and got some new rubber for them. I found a great deal on a near new set of Goodyear Wrangler Territory's that I couldn't pass up. I have since added the OEM hubcaps to them.

Two Beasts by Tanner.K, on flickr

BJ42 on Hurley FSR by Tanner.K, on flickr

1982 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ42 by Tanner.K, on flickr



That was one trip of many. If it's okay to post these in this thread along side my 42 updates; I'll continue to write them. Hope you all enjoyed it. Have a Merry Christmas. I'll have more updates for my truck when I get back into town in January!

Cheers!

 

[kling-on]

Wow awsome story and a super. clean truck too... love it

 

[roma042987]

great story! I cant wait until life allows me to move to the great west so I can make trips like these on a regular basis

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Hey Tanner - great truck!! ... and great story!! ... and great pictures!!

No one saw your 'stealth' thread initially... but, we see it now!!

Thanks for sharing - maybe you originally posted during the MUD migration to the new software - I don't recall exactly when that occurred.

Keep it coming!!

EDIT: BTW, if you really meant 'CDN' in your title, you can edit the title, using the 'Thread Tools' at the top.

 

[handcannon]

I agree with the others, great story about the backpacking trip! Great looking cruiser too. Somehow I missed your first post, but not anymore.

Your very first picture really makes me think of a trip my wife and I made many many years ago into Jefferson Park at the base of Mt Jefferson in the Oregon Cascades. Jefferson Park is a small valley full of small lakes very much like your pictures of Semaphore Valley. Mt Jefferson stands tall over that area and is covered in glaciers. In the morning it is quiet, but in the afternoon, after temperatures rise a bit, the occasional rumble and thump of the glaciers calving great hunks of ice abound. Oh the memories!

As long as nobody else complains I say keep the tales of the trips coming. I MUST live vicariously through others experiences as I am no longer physically able to do as much as I used to do, or would like to do. I still do get out, but my back tends to quickly say "no more", so my adventures often come about through people like you.

Don

 

[Snow Peak]

Back from the holidays. Took my 42 for a nice drive today. Was nice and sunny. It had been sitting for almost 2 weeks but fired right up; missed driving it while I was gone!

I appreciate all the comments guys! I'll keep updating as much as I can. I'll continue to write up my backpacking treks as well, as time goes on.

I agree with the others, great story about the backpacking trip! Great looking cruiser too. Somehow I missed your first post, but not anymore.

Your very first picture really makes me think of a trip my wife and I made many many years ago into Jefferson Park at the base of Mt Jefferson in the Oregon Cascades. Jefferson Park is a small valley full of small lakes very much like your pictures of Semaphore Valley. Mt Jefferson stands tall over that area and is covered in glaciers. In the morning it is quiet, but in the afternoon, after temperatures rise a bit, the occasional rumble and thump of the glaciers calving great hunks of ice abound. Oh the memories!

As long as nobody else complains I say keep the tales of the trips coming. I MUST live vicariously through others experiences as I am no longer physically able to do as much as I used to do, or would like to do. I still do get out, but my back tends to quickly say "no more", so my adventures often come about through people like you.

Don

I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed reading my little story! Jefferson Park sounds like an amazing place! I hope to keep climbing as long as I possibly can.

A friend and I hiked up to a glacier last year for the first time. At one point on our way up to it we had to cross under it. During that few minutes, a chunk the size of a small compact car broke free. It shattered on a boulder just ahead of us; sending bits of ice in every direction. Was a stupid place to be, but was one heck of an experience at the same time! Being right up beside it was just a humbling experience. Ever since then, I've had an incredible fascination with them.

 

[hsumbal]

Very nice truck you have got.....and great trip details.

You are a brave man not running the other way seeing a bear in front of you...

I missed this thread too, despite the fact that as soon as I come to know, we are talking a Diesel cruiser I make sure I click it

Keep posting

TC

 

[Snow Peak]

So, the 42 isn't running right now, well, kind of is. Need a new voltage regulator. So while I try and locate one of those, I thought I'd do a little restoration on the blower motor housing. If you want to read about my charging issue, you can read about it HERE



I intended on just replacing the foam, hoping it'll help keep some of the diesel fumes out of the cabin and get better flow. Just replacing the foam...yeah, who was I kidding. As soon as I removed it, I thought, why not clean it up a bit. Then that turned into, why not add a little paint here and there...now it is fully taken apart haha.

BJ42 Blower Motor #1 by Tanner.K, on flickr

BJ42 Blower Motor #2 by Tanner.K, on flickr

BJ42 Blower Motor #3 by Tanner.K, on flickr

Still a lot of material left on the carbon brushes; so won't bother replacing them.
BJ42 Blower Motor #4 by Tanner.K, on flickr

BJ42 Blower Motor #5 by Tanner.K, on flickr

Yup, just going to replace the foam...
BJ42 Blower Motor #6 by Tanner.K, on flickr

I spent a good part of the night cleaning all of the parts. I got every last bit of foam off. A little sanding here and there, then time for paint.
BJ42 Blower Motor #7 by Tanner.K, on flickr


BJ42 Blower Motor #8 by Tanner.K, on flickr

In the last picture above, of the motor. During reassembly, do I need to put any kind of grease(?) on the ends - blue arrows?

Given I did not plan on repainting the housing or pulling it all apart for that matter, I do not have paint hah. So that is where I left it for tonight. I'll grab paint this week.

I've got a few more big updates coming. One being a full cooling system overhaul and one that is a secret haha.

Cheers for now!

-Tanner

 

[lostmarbles]

..... do I need to put any kind of grease(?) on the ends - blue arrows?....
-Tanner

Hi there Tanner...

You're doing a great job there...

A good smear of MP grease would help I think..

Don't copy this though ..... I think I put a little too much there:

And I used an old "sleeping mat" (sold in camping stores to place under your sleeping bag when your sleeping on hard/cold ground) to cut my new gaskets from:

 

[Curt]

I used the kit from TLC metric for my fan and heater because they were in rough shape. If your fan looks like that. Have you checked your heater?

 

[MrMoMo]

Tom, that gasket doesn't quite match the OEM paint, how could you bring yourself do to that? ;cP (LOL)

 

[Snow Peak]

I Like the camping mat idea loastmarbles!! I bought some foam weather stripping from Home Depot that I am going to cut up and use. I'll see if I can make that work. I was thinking of using dielectric grease on those ends?

I used the kit from TLC metric for my fan and heater because they were in rough shape. If your fan looks like that. Have you checked your heater?

Hah, my heater is far worse than this. I ordered a kit from Metric TLC is December. Looks like it got lost in the mail so I'm hoping the second one Shane sent me arrives this time. While I wait for that, I decided to clean up the blower motor too.

 

[Curt]

Snow Peak. Took forever to get mine as well i think they forgot till i reminded them. Got the kit and it worked well.

 

[lostmarbles]

... I was thinking of using dielectric grease on those ends?......

Noooo. Don't do that Tanner.

That stuff is not for mechanical lubrication.. It is indeed meant for use on electrical things .... Granted.. But it's used to:

• exclude moisture (so you don't get short-circuit/arcing problems caused by moisture), and
• to enable rubber boots etc (on electrical stuff) to be more easily removed/refitted.

(It has enough lubricity to aid occasional movement but not enough to act as a true lubricant.)