Builds 1988 BJ74 “Number 1” (11 Viewers)

[FJBen]

D00d - that floor jack is way better than any factory roadside jack I have ever found in a vehicle. When did toyota start putting those in the sienna's? And where the heck do they hide it?

Hey, at least she didn't ask you to help her move ON father's day! Now the real question is if she did, would this still have happened?

Yeah, about that….the jack was missing in the van…
So a friend brought a jack to us.

Oh don’t be fooled, I have been moving and renovating her place june 14th-19th, then the 21st til I got home at 11 last night. My wife is still there helping.
Alls quiet on the home front for a few days…besides near 100 degree temps.

I’m at cooler full of ice, box fan blowing over it at me and PBR

 

[FJBen]

Finally found some time to tackle the other motor mount.

This is what 800ft lbs of tq and 400hp of 13bt will do to a motor mount!

Or 36 years and 120hp….

Yep, that’s a problem. Got it fixed and went for a test drive. Seems a bit more solid, but it still wiggles some. PSA…if your motor mounts Are over 20 years old, I’d replace them.


test drive artsy photo

 

[jblueridge]

I expected markedly less vibration at idle when I replaced my motor mounts.
I got a lot less than I hoped but at least the thing is tied down as much as possible.

 

[FJBen]

I expected markedly less vibration at idle when I replaced my motor mounts.
I got a lot less than I hoped but at least the thing is tied down as much as possible.

I’ve never really had a vibration issue at idle, mine was mainly just a lot of shifter movement More so than I thought normal.

I have replaced both motor mounts and the transmission mount. On another drive this morning, it definitely appears to be much more solid.

I Probabaly should have replaced when I rebuilt it, but they “looked” good and I had no idea what to expect. Now at 36 years old and 550,000 kms, they were shot.

 

[FJBen]

No updates, just a photo.

 

[gilmorneau]

Better've got that thing inside--we got buckets of rain down here out of those clouds this afternoon.

 

[FJBen]

Better've got that thing inside--we got buckets of rain down here out of those clouds this afternoon.

We amazingly didn’t get much up north here. Some wind a light sprinkles but that was it

 

[FJBen]

Took a last minute trip up Old Flowers road Sunday morning with my daughter and her boyfriend before he had to fly out. He may be hooked on cruisers with my incessant rambling.

Round trip from my house, 4 hours including stopping to grab cinnamon rolls at Verns and eating said rolls up top.

Took off with between 1/4 and 1/2 tank planning on putting some in, but the last gas station in Laporte didn’t have diesel…this might not last long.

Got home with 1/4 tank. The ol 13bt sips along. Lots of Subarus/tents on the lower side just past sky corral ranch. They weren’t getting much past some water breaks and a few mud holes.

I imagine them at 8:00am nestled in their tents thinking how did that get up here?

On the other side of the trail on the dirt road out, there were a lot more roof top tented broverlanders and one sweet schoolie.



Either way, great trip, good times and the weather had just enough chill to put a jacket on up top. The 30 mile coast down the poudre canyon is always scenic. It’s a 99% 2wd trail, but I could see some rigs needing a rear locker on that washed out hill. It’s more rutted/torn up from last year.


While ih8mud, there were enough very small creek crossings to wash most off.

 

[CruiserTrash]

@FJBen Old Flowers has always been considered “easy” in local lore, but I ran it last year and that hill … certainly a locker would help or a good amount of skill. The rest of the trail is a dirt road of course. I was showing the ropes to a buddy who had just purchased his first wheeling rig, a new 2-door Wrangler with a small lift and some bolt on armor (tried and failed to talk him into a Cruiser). I figured Old Flowers would be a good first outing for him even though I hadn’t been on it for maybe 15 years. It definitely took some coaching and three-wheeling to get him up, and he looked pretty nervous doing it. It took me three tries in my unlocked 60. Fun times. I think because that hill sits in the shade under a bunch of trees, the ground stays wet. When people drive it, it gets rutted out from wheel spin. Best guess anyway.

 

[FJBen]

@FJBen Old Flowers has always been considered “easy” in local lore, but I ran it last year and that hill … certainly a locker would help or a good amount of skill. The rest of the trail is a dirt road of course. I was showing the ropes to a buddy who had just purchased his first wheeling rig, a new 2-door Wrangler with a small lift and some bolt on armor (tried and failed to talk him into a Cruiser). I figured Old Flowers would be a good first outing for him even though I hadn’t been on it for maybe 15 years. It definitely took some coaching and three-wheeling to get him up, and he looked pretty nervous doing it. It took me three tries in my unlocked 60. Fun times. I think because that hill sits in the shade under a bunch of trees, the ground stays wet. When people drive it, it gets rutted out from wheel spin. Best guess anyway.

Yeah it’s still pretty rutted out. I couldn’t quite do it in 2wd. 4wd was fine, only a little wheel slippage. This bj74 just mountain goats along like crazy.

I could see a first timer in a stock rig being a bit nervous on this part.

 

[FJBen]

Warning…once again very limited tech coming up…feel free to skip.

Why am I posting a random Australian home ( do they all have multiple 4bys in the yard along with racer, or is this normal bogan)

It all starts here, over 10 years ago in January of 2014

Yep, $5,290AUD for a BJ74. That’s around US $4,300usd in 2014…. Now of course you still have to ship it here, pay all the fees and such and take the risk, but you almost have to pay that much just to have the privilege to go and look at someone’s 80 series now…


So I knew it sold from this wholesale dealer, Pitstop motors in Wacol QLD, but that’s all I knew. Fast forward and my friend I got it from found a chunk of paperwork from when he bought/imported it. Cool I thought, I’ll get some papers and the HS7 and maybe a receipt or 2 from my friend.

To be continued…

 

[FJBen]

Not that anyone remembers or cares to, but the last info I was able to find on this cruiser was the maintenance log from the owners manual. Last entry was 31 years 10 days ago from Laughton Oakey Nissan in Oakey.

That was it until the showed up at Pit Stop motors in 2014.

Well now with the folder of papers I got from my friend, I have some more maintenance history…not that it matters since I rebuilt it, but cool (to me) to see the history.


The oldest record I have is from May 2nd 2005 with 303,000kms on her. How many vehicles can you say you have a 12 year 250,000km service history gap?

Interesting points: compression low but equal and everyone’s favorite axle job


3 years later, injector r&r and compression test.

Tech time woohoo!
Factory specs are 427 to 284 with no more than 28psi difference. According to this, it was 45psi difference…


A few more.

2009 at 400,000kms

Motor mounts, radiator r&r and clean, misc other bits.


Intersting…compression, radiator…


To be continued.

 

[FJBen]

A few more small services and then she’s gone again until September 2013.

At this point I think she’s been traded into the dealer broken, or sold and someone else is fixing it.


Headgasket.

From there it sold at Pitstop motors with 480,000kms.

I have the waybill showing signed/loaded on Brisbane on 4/21/2014 and arriving in Long Beach late may. Pickup date at port was 6/5/2014 on the ship Tamerlane.


The vessel TAMERLANE (IMO 9218648, MMSI 257758000) is a Vehicles Carrier built in 2001 (23 years old) and currently sailing under the flag of Norway. Currently in route to Australia as we speak.

Completely enthralling eh? (Please excuse my Canadian cultural appropriation)

Still a little more…

 

[FJBen]

As the Australians so eloquently put it, “we aren’t here to f@ck spiders….


So let’s get on with it.

My friend got it 6/5/2014 and enjoyed it for all of 1 month before the headgasket blew. He has always said it was because a hose burst and she overheated, but I’m thinking otherwise.

My guess, some drongo couldn’t be fussed to give a rats clacker and she went cactus mate.

(apologies to any accadacca lovin maccas eatin stubbie for brekkie c@nts)

Anyways, I’m starting to believe it was just dodgy work on the head, then when my friend bought it she popped right away. It’s still possible that the hose burst and then that did it, but we will really never know which event happened first. I for sure know the head was “reco’d” a couple months before being sold and she didn’t have a MLS gasket on her.


Really (not) interesting stories from me, but I find old records on rigs really cool. We recently procured another vehicle and I have all records/receipts going back to when new. Including a handwritten notebook of fill ups, where, mileage, price , gallons and location since new!

I digress…

Given this I think the cruiser stayed by Brisbane pretty much its whole life. Every address seems to be on Brisbane or pretty dang close.

So why did I post up a random picture of an aussies house?

That was one of the longer owners of my cruiser. I’m not sure if they still live there or if this is what everyone drives in Murrumba downs, QLD but it’s cool to see the 4wd love still going.

Part of me wants to reach out to them just to see if they have any old photos and show them the cruiser now, but then the other part of me thinks that’s a bit too stalker-y

So I’ve hired a private investigator in Queensland to track them down….keep ya shirt on I’m only taking the p!ss mate.

 

[bj70bc]

Crikey!

 

[Rigster]

As the Australians so eloquently put it, “we aren’t here to f@ck spiders….


So let’s get on with it.

My friend got it 6/5/2014 and enjoyed it for all of 1 month before the headgasket blew. He has always said it was because a hose burst and she overheated, but I’m thinking otherwise.

My guess, some drongo couldn’t be fussed to give a rats clacker and she went cactus mate.

(apologies to any accadacca lovin maccas eatin stubbie for brekkie c@nts)

Anyways, I’m starting to believe it was just dodgy work on the head, then when my friend bought it she popped right away. It’s still possible that the hose burst and then that did it, but we will really never know which event happened first. I for sure know the head was “reco’d” a couple months before being sold and she didn’t have a MLS gasket on her.


Really (not) interesting stories from me, but I find old records on rigs really cool. We recently procured another vehicle and I have all records/receipts going back to when new. Including a handwritten notebook of fill ups, where, mileage, price , gallons and location since new!
View attachment 3679047

I digress…

Given this I think the cruiser stayed by Brisbane pretty much its whole life. Every address seems to be on Brisbane or pretty dang close.

So why did I post up a random picture of an aussies house?

View attachment 3679052

That was one of the longer owners of my cruiser. I’m not sure if they still live there or if this is what everyone drives in Murrumba downs, QLD but it’s cool to see the 4wd love still going.

Part of me wants to reach out to them just to see if they have any old photos and show them the cruiser now, but then the other part of me thinks that’s a bit too stalker-y


View attachment 3679059


So I’ve hired a private investigator in Queensland to track them down….keep ya shirt on I’m only taking the p!ss mate.

This just goes to show how Google has made the world a whole lot smaller. Privacy? LOL...

Thanks Ben, I too like to know as much as possible about the life of my vehicles.

 

[FJBen]

Put it to work a little this weekend.

Parts run trip and I got fumigated… I’m
Documenting for when that commercial comes on TV at night…have you or a loved one been fumigated by…

Had to get some hay. 1,500lb bale or 680kg for our metric friends

And in news of “I haven’t owned an overly complicated, over engineered, semi-rare, semi-reliable German vehicle in awhile. I’ll only get one if it’s a smoking deal”

Meet Walter. (Name on the keychain) a 2000 eurovan poptop full camper…which means fridge/stove/LP tank, sink, water, shore power,cabinets , 2 beds yadda yadda…

Pretty cool and already to vanlife and overland away making everyone envious of my amazing travel life on instagram right?

But wait…there’s more!

 

[CruiserTrash]

The VWs name is of course pronounced "Vahl-tur"

 

[Felde]

Could be best buddies, if tied together by a tow rope...

 

[svsisu]

Put it to work a little this weekend.

Parts run trip and I got fumigated… I’m
Documenting for when that commercial comes on TV at night…have you or a loved one been fumigated by…

View attachment 3683831

Had to get some hay. 1,500lb bale or 680kg for our metric friends View attachment 3683833

And in news of “I haven’t owned an overly complicated, over engineered, semi-rare, semi-reliable German vehicle in awhile. I’ll only get one if it’s a smoking deal”


View attachment 3683863

Meet Walter. (Name on the keychain) a 2000 eurovan poptop full camper…which means fridge/stove/LP tank, sink, water, shore power,cabinets , 2 beds yadda yadda…


View attachment 3683887

Pretty cool and already to vanlife and overland away making everyone envious of my amazing travel life on instagram right?

But wait…there’s more!

Best of both worlds, and better than a pop top troopy! Glad you found another one.