What does a Rookie need?

[Pikku Monsteri]

What does a Rookie need? (Now with pics!)

Hey all, Just registered as i bought a Toyota BJ40 yesterday and am now in need of posting and not just reading/lurking as i have done in the past.

Have a 1978 BJ40 with a 3.5 liter Turbo Diesel.
4 gear stick shift and lifted with 38.5" tires(also have 35" and 31" tires for when i don't need the boggers) and i intend to use it as a daily driver and weekend trail/bogger/snow/crawler/whatever i can find at the time! toy

I figure my first question is going to be this..

What are the absolute minimums i should get in tools/manuals and such for the maintenance of the car?

When driving on Highways i am getting REALLY low top speed(it does not even reach 100 kph/60 mph, and that is with the 31" tires on!)
And is it safe to floor the gas?(have not wanted to do that so far as i have no RPM gauge).

I assume that it will be worse with the bigger tires?

And yeah this being Finland i am limited to 80 kph on the roads...but i see no limitations to off road mentioned!

And another thing, i am in Lapland...what kind of winter prep should i do on the car?

It is a dual system 24V/12V with 2 alternators and 3 batteries(2 for the 24V and 1 for the 12v).

Sorry about the barrage of questions...

 

[rsbcruiser]

First off:



The traditional Mud salute, no offense intended.

Second:

Pictures are crazed around here. If you can they are appreciated.

As far as what is needed:

Factory service manual for sure. diagnostic tools such as a compression tester and leak down tester are worth more than hand tools any day. Not the diesel expert here so someone with more knowledge on the subject should be chiming in any second now. On that subject, you might want to post in the diesel section. Those guys are the diesel experts.

And finally:

For your mastery of the English language, impressive.

 

[Eshu Elegua]

3 main tools:
Duck Tape
WD-40
Big Hammer

 

[JohnnyC]

sounds like a pretty cool rig you just got...we love pics

also Welcome to MUD

x2 on an oem service manual

 

[bsmith123]

what you need

okay if you are starting with nothing

get a basic metric automechanics set
ratchets/wrenches/screwdrivers/vise grips
etc
shorty combo ratcheting wrenches are nice too but we wont go into nice cause that could take all day

A multimeter---cheap or otherwise
a little bit of wire
some terminals and splices
heat shrink and elec tape

A BFH and chisel

A propane torch

a length of pipe for torque multiplying, prying and moving things

an electric drill---plug in type for running wire wheels, stripping pads, and good drill bits etc

goggles and at least some paper breathing masks

wire wheels and brushes

a cut off wheel that you can fit to your drill and maybe some stones of various size and shape
A dremel is handy too
a work light

penetrating oil

a jack and jackstands

that's a start

 

[Pikku Monsteri]

Thanks for the heads up on the Toyota Service Manual.

Are there any other books that are good for general repairs/self help when it comes to the BJ40?
And info on where to source those books would be a plus too! hehe

Pictures will come up as soon as i get the camera working, damn thing got one glimpse at the BJ and died of envy...

Thanks, guess growing up with "yanks" in the family and then going to work for the US Navy for some 8 years might have something to do with that.

Am Icelandic btw, just happen on live in Finnish Lapland.

 

[bsmith123]

Really? Guess where I am?


Well, have a look where I am!

also have a look at SOR.com for an excellent parts reference catalogue
Specter Off-Road Land Cruiser Parts - Index On-Line Catalog

 

[bsmith123]

more on the subject

these are a little closer to the subject here

 

[cjgoode]

Make sure you get some good 6 point wrenches and sockets, the 6 point is a lot less likely to round the heads of the nuts and bolts. You want regret it.

 

[Pikku Monsteri]

Thanks for all the information everyone. Will be making a large shopping list.

bsmith123

The first pic i saw was enough, it is taken at the small boats marina in Reykjanesbaer(Keflavik).
The second one is taken just a little further along the shore, also in Reykjanesbaer.

I lived in Gardur, a small town right on the "toe" of the peninsula. About some 10-15 km from Reykjanesbaer.

So what are you doing there?

 

[FJforty]

On the tools, you want to get closed end wrenches, they don't spread when you get on a tight one. I also prefer hand wrenches that are a little longer(more leverage). Get something nice to lay on while you check all the fluids and look around, check those fuel lines.

 

[65swb45]

Start rounding up seals for the front and rear axles, trans and transfer case. With 38" tall tires, you'll be needing them before you know it, and you won't believe how long it takes to get stuff when you NEED it.

Check all the linkage in your steering and brakes, and make plans to buy spares for those before to long too. Same reasons.

Best

Mark A.

 

[73fj40lc]

First and foremost: lots and lots and lots of money.

After you get the money all the rest comes easy.

 

[Falco80]

Hey all, Just registered as i bought a Toyota BJ40 yesterday and am now in need of posting and not just reading/lurking as i have done in the past.

Have a 1978 BJ40 with a 3.5 liter Turbo Diesel.
4 gear stick shift and lifted with 38.5" tires(also have 35" and 31" tires for when i don't need the boggers) and i intend to use it as a daily driver and weekend trail/bogger/snow/crawler/whatever i can find at the time! toy

I figure my first question is going to be this..

What are the absolute minimums i should get in tools/manuals and such for the maintenance of the car?

When driving on Highways i am getting REALLY low top speed(it does not even reach 100 kph/60 mph, and that is with the 31" tires on!)
And is it safe to floor the gas?(have not wanted to do that so far as i have no RPM gauge).

I assume that it will be worse with the bigger tires?

And yeah this being Finland i am limited to 80 kph on the roads...but i see no limitations to off road mentioned!

And another thing, i am in Lapland...what kind of winter prep should i do on the car?

It is a dual system 24V/12V with 2 alternators and 3 batteries(2 for the 24V and 1 for the 12v).

Sorry about the barrage of questions...

Welcome to the madness!

You say your BJ has a 3.5L turbo-diesel.
The BJ40 came out with the 3.0L 'B' diesel, and the later BJ42's had the 3.4L '3B' diesel. Does you engine have any decal/sticker on top of the rocker cover? The B diesels are not speed machines and with 38" tyres it would be an absolute pig to drive on the road. If yours is turbocharged though it should be ok, especially on the 31" tyres.

Got any pics?

 

[bsmith123]

ISLAND

Watching the game, sipping a brew, you know, you know......

nah, not really! Work sent me out here for a couple weeks

But it is very nice here.....enjoying the area
And there are quite a few rigs lookin "TRAIL READY" to say the least!

The first pic i saw was enough, it is taken at the small boats marina in Reykjanesbaer(Keflavik).
BINGO!

 

[Pikku Monsteri]

Thanks for the info guys, and yeah i neglected to mention that cost/money thing to the Girlfriend before getting this...

She will hate me for it, but i think the BJ makes it worth it!

As for the Engine i need to get to cleaning the whole car up and getting vin/serials off everything.

It has a 3.5 td from a HZ i think it was, the original 3.0 came with it as well.

Will know for certain once i get serials/vin's and can look all of that up...if i can, any pointers on that would be appreciated!

Bsmith yeah there is quite a few "trail ready" vehicles all around in Iceland, there is a big winter off roading culture there...hence a bit of a "culture shock" to come here to Finland and see them put the off road rigs into storage or on small tires for winter(we at times do that during summers in Iceland to not wear out the big tires) so that was a complete reversal for me.

Will be posting more info + pictures hopefully next weekend since i am getting the 2 sets of tires and the original engine on thursday.

 

[Pikku Monsteri]

Tires and engine are in!

OF course i had to try them on. started by fitting the 35 inch Mudzillas on it and took some pics.


Testing out the 35 inch Mudzilla tires.

Old guy gets a pretty good view from where he is parked.(the 38.5 inch Boggers behind it).

Tractor like setup of the exhaust(common here in Finland).

Sophisticated and highly technical piece of wood to hold the winch cable in place(is there some better way to prevent the cable from reeling out while not in use?)

And one of the Cruiser and it's owner. I manage to beat the cruiser in age by one year...it is damn close to being the oldest one in the household!

Hope all these pics work(had to host them on Facebook since my Flickr kept freezing every time i tried an upload).

 

[MDTyree]

Very interesting rig, I like it though. Maybe besides the front fenders. Love to see more pics.

Mike

 

[Pikku Monsteri]

Very interesting rig, I like it though. Maybe besides the front fenders. Love to see more pics.

Mike

Thanks.

I will be adding in more pictures later(camera is dying on me) and it takes a while for me to upload(live in an area where there is no DSL line so i have to connect with the cellular 3G system).

Those fenders are one of the first things i want to replace.

Would love something that looks like the originals but wider(due to the bigger tires).

The Landcruiser has quite a following here in Finland, but in my opinion they tend to butcher them a lot.

Am looking at buying a few more of these(yes you did read that correctly) as i just saw an ad for at least 2 on sale(and on the pictures of these 2 there are another 2 in the background) and i will see if i can manage to get the lot.

Would restore/build from those that is possible and then use those that are beyond repair for parts.

 

[Pin_Head]

The Landcruiser has quite a following here in Finland, but in my opinion they tend to butcher them a lot.

The Finns butcher everything, even Russians.

Olut!