1977 BJ40 rebuilt in Africa (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Nov 5, 2012
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11
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159
Location
Nairobi, Kenya
My new toy is a 1977 BJ40 that we imported to Botswana from Japan. It is an addition to my HZ105 and the plan is to become my wife's daily driver.
I'm not planning a full frame up restoration and the body is in pretty good condition. Nice original shape and color. It has been resprayed, but the code matches. There is rust in all the usual places that was painted over, but it's expected from a 40 year old truck. The plan is to fix all the body rust and respray it to the original mustard color. The 3l B engine pulls strongly and I was actually pleasantly surprised. (I drive a 1HZ as my daily driver and long trips in Africa so I'm used to struggling uphill)

Few upgrades planned:
- the ugly rims have to go and put some 31" tires, but I'm thinking a 2" lift with extended shackles. Unfortunately here in Africa the choices for suspension upgrades are limited.
- need to replace the seats. The configuration is strange as it is right hand drive, but the bench seat does not move. It is also over the fuel tank so the choices for new seats are few. I would welcome ideas here!
- considering PS over time, but will let my wife decide if needed.

Otherwise I'm planing to keep it stock.

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Very nice Land Cruiser! Congrats!

77 Left side drivers bench in a RHD? Does it have a tool box under it? There are a few threads on aftermarket seats. I ditched my bench and used BMW E36 bucket seats but sacrificed the sliders for the frame I was using. @hecrod has a 78 and put in BMW seats Ive seen first hand and they look very nice. Much less invasive. It maybe something you can find in Botswana if your aftermarket support is limited.

Shackles would be much more affordable to ship vs springs so there are a lot of options there. If you're going 31" on your tires, mini truck PS would be the least invasive, not sure if guys on here make RHD brackets but I cant imagine it would be too hard to mirror. That is what I plan to do when I can.
 
If you go with mini truck powersteering you might want to check out @Vossie thread on his 45 series as his truck is also RHD and he is relatively close to you. Or you could source the brackets from Georg at @orangefj45 he makes them in both LHD and RHD to my knowledge.
HTH,
Will
 
Looks really nice and original. I wouldn't change the seat. Original bench seat gives the interior great character.

I do like the original sears and they are in close to mint condition. The only problem is that since the driver side does not slide, there is very little leg room because of the big steering wheel. I'm 6'4" (195cm) so it takes a bit of maneuvering to get in and out.

It is a strange setup on a RHD truck, I guess due to the fuel tank. Maybe I could switch the seats around with minimal fabrication.
 
If you go with mini truck powersteering you might want to check out @Vossie thread on his 45 series as his truck is also RHD and he is relatively close to you. Or you could source the brackets from Georg at @orangefj45 he makes them in both LHD and RHD to my knowledge.
HTH,
Will

you called? :D

mini truck powersteering, or Hilux powersteering to us here is in my opinion the best option if your not going to be doing anything to hardcore with the vehicle.

its really easy too. just find any hilux so long as it has 4x4 and a solid front axle. you want the the steering box from that. i actually got my one in botswana, in a town called selape. was driving through and saw the roof of an old hilux poking above some other wrecks. went in, made the deal and it only cost me 800 pula.

the install is very easy too. you can check out my build thread which is linked in my signature
 
Here are the pics of the seat as promised. Sorry for the delay.

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just realized some of them arnt very clear. sorry about that. but hope they give you an idea of the size and height of the seat
 
you called? :D

mini truck powersteering, or Hilux powersteering to us here is in my opinion the best option if your not going to be doing anything to hardcore with the vehicle.

its really easy too. just find any hilux so long as it has 4x4 and a solid front axle. you want the the steering box from that. i actually got my one in botswana, in a town called selape. was driving through and saw the roof of an old hilux poking above some other wrecks. went in, made the deal and it only cost me 800 pula.

the install is very easy too. you can check out my build thread which is linked in my signature

Vossie, Thanks and I/ve already checked your build thread already. I'm not looking to do anything hardcore with the truck, some mild tracks here and there, but it will be my wife's daily driver. I leave the heavy stuff for my HZ105 :)

So obviously the RHD is not a problem, but I saw you did your PS conversion on the 12HT. Would it be the same fairly straightforward process on the B engine?

Thanks for the pics on the seat. Those would be perfect. I found some here in Gabs and Maun, although not quite in the same good condition.
 
Vossie, Thanks and I/ve already checked your build thread already. I'm not looking to do anything hardcore with the truck, some mild tracks here and there, but it will be my wife's daily driver. I leave the heavy stuff for my HZ105 :)

So obviously the RHD is not a problem, but I saw you did your PS conversion on the 12HT. Would it be the same fairly straightforward process on the B engine?

Thanks for the pics on the seat. Those would be perfect. I found some here in Gabs and Maun, although not quite in the same good condition.

when i did the PS conversion i was still running my 2F and as such i had to make up a huge strong bracket to mount the power steering pump on the driver side of the engine.

when i dropped in my 12HT i no longer needed that pump as the 12HT has a power steering pump fitted from factory, so i just used that one.

your B wont have a pump i dont think as you dont have PS, but you may be lucky and have a reservation on the block for the fitment of a pump on later models, im not too sure as i havent had a lot of experience with B series engines. if you dont, then you will have to get any power steering pump (try and get the one that comes out of the hilux you will rob for the box) and make a plan to mount it to the engine.

glad you found some seats :) im still looking for replacements for mine
 
Other option was an electric PS with easy bolt on installation that comes both 12v and 24v (mine is a 24v system). Supper easy and cool except the price of USD 1,800.

Electric Power Steering for Land Cruiser FJ40
i looked at that option too. like you say, easy and all but man that price tag hurts like hell. i ended up doing my hilux conversion for less than US$100 and 2 afternoons of work
 
I also have a BJ from Japan though its a 41 with the 3.2 2B, I just swapped the seats around and put the bench on the passenger side easy peasy.
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I also have a BJ from Japan though its a 41 with the 3.2 2B, I just swapped the seats around and put the bench on the passenger side easy peasy.

Nice truck! could you send me some pics on your seat swap? Considered the same, but since the seats are integral part of the frame they cannot be separated.
 
I didnt seperate the seats from the frame I just unbolted the whole shebang from the truck, the truck is at the shop at the moment having a 1HD-FT put in but as soon as I get it back I can take some pics but is is literally 8 bolts to take both seats out with the frames attached and just swap them over.
 
@Katsarata i think there may be a bit of confusion here. yours and my 40's are post 1979 models. our fuel tanks are not in the cab but under it. where as @Hilux safari 's tank is in the cab as his is a pre 79 year model
 

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