Builds 1988 BJ74 “Number 1” (3 Viewers)

[FJBen]

In honor of my great technical achievements on the winch, we decided to celebrate.

Night at the drive in.

Only slightly soured by having to look over a red Jeep the whole movie. At least I didn’t see any ducks.

Opened as the Starlight Drive-In, a single screen ozoner on April 10 1968 with Debbie Reynolds in “The Singing Nun” & Sidney Poitier in “Duel at Diablo”. It was twinned on 9th April 1976 and renamed Holiday Twin Drive-In.
Holiday Twin Drive-In - https://holidaytwin.com/

Edge of town, backed up to mountains.

Not very far from our house, and $9.00 per person for a double movie, great bargain. We saw the New BeetleJuice and skipped the 2nd movie (I’m old, not @Gun Runner 5 old)

the other side was playing Raiders of the Lost Arc and Top Gun. Good old 80s fun. Part of me wanted to watch those. I’m a child of the 80s.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I watched the original Star Wars (1970’s ) at a drive-in in my small home town while uncomfortably seated in my little Triumph. In the last 15-20 minutes of the movie, the fog got so thick you could no longer see the screen. We came back the next night just to see the ending.

 

[FJ73Texas]

Yeah I think 24v is a pretty good setup. Starting especially. I’m not a rocket surgeon but pretty sure it makes a big difference overall for electronics, just not a lot in the US made for it.

I would still take 12V over 24V. Mainly for what you pointed out "just not a lot in the US made for it".

 

[FJBen]

Was out for a cruise last night. I help do maintenance on our friends air bnb from out of state. It’s a good 30-45min drive.

Interstate Cruising, and yes some 75mph

 

[FJBen]

Some needed maintenance.

(@Sundowner writing stye)
It was the 15th of September, year two thousand and twenty four. I was melancholic towards the suboptimal luminosity of my incandescent high beam indication and gregarious sluggishness of my windshield wipers.

Ok I’m just kidding, I like reading your stuff..I suck at that.



Anyways, my wiper mist/spray wasn’t working on the stalk, and wipers are sloooow. Also prepping to do another test with @CruiserTrash high beam indicator fix fornthe koito kit.

Take off steering wheel, remove the clamshell, mine is just barely hanging on. I need to look up part numbers for a new one.

A couple screws and 1 connector later you can pull off the turn signal/light unit.

On the right side where the light/turn stalk goes into the unit, 2 screws hold a bracket that keeps the stalk in place. Under there gets really dirty and you can clean it. Use deoxit or something similar. CAUTION! There is a spring inside the stalk with a small ball bearing at the end. That’s what gives it the ability to stick in place for bright/low and hold back for brights.
If you lose that, you can find another, but it will be a pain.

My other issue, my wash/mist function doesn’t work. Pulled apart the back side of the wiper section and you can tell all the contacts were just dirty. Cleaned, light sanded (possibly too much) then put back together. A little dielectric grease will help.

My mist/wash function now works. Somewhere back in Australia, the bogan fix was to tap into the wire and add a button by the fuel door release that activates the wiper spray…

Now my wipers still aren’t great and barely go across the windshield if I’m not moving. You can also hear buzzing in the left /passenger footwell which is where I assume the wiper relay is, when it really slows down.

Is my motor shot, or is this a ground issue? I cleaned the grounds on each side of the body in the footwells I read about before. I’ve lubricated some of the linkage before, maybe time to do it again? Any other thoughts?

 

[CruiserTrash]

@FJBen I told you it gets cruddy in there!

I have an HBIM in stock for your 60 whenever your ready, as well as the prototype for your 70. Any trips to “the big city” planned? If you’re in Denver I’d love to test the proto in the 70. Between your photos and the wiring diagram, I’m still a little unclear - the wiring for the 70 headlight connector appears to have two of the wires flipped versus how it is in the 60 and that gives me pause. If we test and it doesn’t work I can have my soldering iron preheated so I can switch my test piece around. Let me know.

 

[FJBen]

@FJBen I told you it gets cruddy in there!

I have an HBIM in stock for your 60 whenever your ready, as well as the prototype for your 70. Any trips to “the big city” planned? If you’re in Denver I’d love to test the proto in the 70. Between your photos and the wiring diagram, I’m still a little unclear - the wiring for the 70 headlight connector appears to have two of the wires flipped versus how it is in the 60 and that gives me pause. If we test and it doesn’t work I can have my soldering iron preheated so I can switch my test piece around. Let me know.

No 60 series here just a 70.

Not sure when I’m headed down there, not sure I’ve ever driven my 70 to Denver Might be taking a small trip here soon, although I don’t know if I’m going that way.

I found these remarks in the diagram referring to 60/70 differences…hard to see, but is that what you are talking about where they are switched.

 

[CruiserTrash]

No 60 series here just a 70.

Not sure when I’m headed down there, not sure I’ve ever driven my 70 to Denver Might be taking a small trip here soon, although I don’t know if I’m going that way.

I found these remarks in the diagram referring to 60/70 differences…hard to see, but is that what you are talking about where they are switched.

View attachment 3727833

View attachment 3727834

Just the arrangement of the wires at the H4 plug.

I thought we talked 60 stuff … guess not!

 

[FJBen]

Just the arrangement of the wires at the H4 plug.

I thought we talked 60 stuff … guess not!

Yeah not sure why Toyota flips wires on the 70 series in those two places. Going to take someone smarter than me with a diagram to figure that out.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

It was the 15th of September, year two thousand and twenty four. I was melancholic towards the suboptimal luminosity of my incandescent high beam indication and gregarious sluggishness of my windshield wipers.
————————————————————————————————
Until you mentioned windshield wipers, I thought the above was a passage from Mody-Dick.

 

[Sundowner]

@Sundowner writing stye)...

Okay, I'll admit that my writing is overly floral and fluidic, but I really hope I'm not that melodramatic...

Until you mentioned windshield wipers, I thought the above was a passage from Mody-Dick.

Oh, now that's...that's cruel. Out of all the terrible authors in the Universe, I get compared to the one that didn't know the difference between a writing a great nineteenth-century novella and writing a protracted, overdramatized and completely undesired treatise on cetacean biology, while simultaneously...

...oh.

Okay, I guess you guys kind of have a point.

 

[Guyute]

Okay, I'll admit that my writing is overly floral and fluidic, but I really hope I'm not that melodramatic...



Oh, now that's...that's cruel. Out of all the terrible authors in the Universe, I get compared to the one that didn't know the difference between a writing a great nineteenth-century novella and writing a protracted, overdramatized and completely undesired treatise on cetacean biology, while simultaneously...

...oh.

Okay, I guess you guys kind of have a point.

No worries. He said Mody-Dick, not Moby Dick. Totally different authors I think.

 

[Rigster]

I just came here to catch up on Ben's BJ74 stuff. Is he around?

 

[FJBen]

I just came here to catch up on Ben's BJ74 stuff. Is he around?

All that to say, fall is approaching soon and I’ve limped my crappy battery long enough. I supposed it’s time to bite the bullet and get a good battery and spend the $$$

X2 Power - 930cca 90ah, $394
Odyssey performance - 850cca, 85ah $380
Odyssey extreme - 930cca, 92ah $433

Pretty sure they are both made at the same company now. I’m sticking with AGM, not sure if it’s worth it to spend this much or go with a cheaper AGM

 

[Sundowner]

Pretty sure they are both made at the same company now.

From what I could find when I was shopping, you are correct: X2 and Odyssey are built in the same plant. Also, the battery cases were identical when I measured them.

 

[Omrib]

Yeah I think 24v is a pretty good setup. Starting especially. I’m not a rocket surgeon but pretty sure it makes a big difference overall for electronics, just not a lot in the US made for it.

Not sure if it's true but I think I've read here on MUD that the harnesses are mostly the same for 12 and 24.
That means that the 24 system is twice the wire cross section per Amp in comparison to the 12 volt vehicles.
That makes for a very robust system for the age of our vehicles.

Also, the higher voltage makes a lot of difference with older and slightly corroded connectors....
Not to mention the fastest starting I've ever had on any vehicle I've ever owned.

It literally starts on a half a turn....or so

All the rest are cons but you live with them.

 

[Sundowner]

Not sure if it's true but I think I've read here on MUD that the harnesses are mostly the same for 12 and 24.

I don't have a 12-volt harness for comparison, but...

That means that the 24 system is twice the wire cross section per Amp in comparison to the 12 volt vehicles.

... anecdotally, I'd agree with that notion; some of the wiring I've examined is unexpectedly large for its usage. I'd need to know wire lengths and actual cross-sections and find an ampacity chart to figure out whether or not any of it is actually oversized, but since I'm allergic to extra work and all of that is extra work, I haven't done so. But it's probably true-ish enough to not cause a major fire, so I'm good with it.

 

[FJBen]

Where were we? Oh yeah buying a Prado…

Ok so maybe a Lexus

Really it was/is supposed to be for my daughter via bank of your parents…but it really surprised me how nice this rig is. My wife is like maybe I want it! Maintenance records, timing belt done 10k ago, all stuff done at Lexus dealers.
Old guy (potentially older than @Gun Runner 5 yes it’s possible) was starting to want to do mild camping in it. RGS sliders, new tires and a John Lee Hooker cassette. Matte black vinyl wrapped hood. Really the only downfall is some clear coat peeling on the upper back.

Got it a chunk cheaper than any other GX we were finding, mainly because I think the pictures on the add were bad, and like @Gun Runner 5 it’s hard to respond on a flip phone.
I’m kidding, the guy was super cool, Land Cruiser owner from back in the day. He bought his daughter a 60 series for her fist car in the 80s. Did mine work in Australia for a little while.
Heck Charles and him might have a shared a cigarette and bourbon on the piedmont flight across the ocean.


80 series story…I checked out a low mileage 117k 80 series this week. I knew it was repainted badly by the pictures, but a locked low mileage 80, I can put up with a lot.

Paint, awful…like Temu Maaco bad. Drove it, lockers work, drives like 118k I’m torn but going to offer less. I start digging around more, hmm appears the replaced the whole front clip…with a white one, then painted the rest white.

Slept on it, came back the next day. The number in my head is $4500. Climbed under it again.

Hmm, Mr Toyota had a bad welding day…

Checked the other side

. The frame had been cut off and replaced! Badly! I felt bad for the guy, he paid $18k sight unseen right after pandemic. I said really, I’d buy it for $2k for the drivetrain/axles but if I were you, I’d try and sell for more, but explain the situation.

He thanked me, was a good guy and sold to the next person for around $4-5 I think. He did disclose it to them.

I’ve looked at many rigs with rolled odometers…seriously 3 rigs in a row I had to waste carfax on. I did find a cheap carfax service though if anyone needs them.

 

[Combat Wombat]

I recently went through a similar experience trying to find the right Touring capable Daily Driver.
I found that there were more bad condition Prados with low milage and bad service history, than there were good prados with high miles and good history!
One was the 1GRFE V6, had a full suspension setup and rear drawers and all the goodies.
Drove like total garbesh, wobbled more than a belly dancer at happy hour.
Then I tried a much higher km (400,000) and 1KZTE diesel 4 banger, and it was smooth as silk. Totally treated well and had all the service history. (Even though it was bursting at the seams with micro-fine red dust from the outback)
I call it the Goldielocks. it does most things just right, not too over the top and not too pathetic (unless overtaking on the highway)

 

[FJBen]

I recently went through a similar experience trying to find the right Touring capable Daily Driver.
I found that there were more bad condition Prados with low milage and bad service history, than there were good prados with high miles and good history!
One was the 1GRFE V6, had a full suspension setup and rear drawers and all the goodies.
Drove like total garbesh, wobbled more than a belly dancer at happy hour.
Then I tried a much higher km (400,000) and 1KZTE diesel 4 banger, and it was smooth as silk. Totally treated well and had all the service history. (Even though it was bursting at the seams with micro-fine red dust from the outback)
I call it the Goldielocks. it does most things just right, not too over the top and not too pathetic (unless overtaking on the highway)

View attachment 3733950

Well maintained and high mileage always seem to be good.

Oh the whole process of buying vehicles is awful…well at least in my budget for the kids.
3 in particular had “lower” mileage that after a carfax proved the odometer was rolled back. I didn’t need a carfax to confirm it, you could tell it was worn out. Driving all over, wasting time on overpriced junk.

1 guy had a manual 3rd gen 4Runner. Looked clean, was literally 3 miles from us. We get there, all paint is jacked, 1 rot hole behind fender and just sloppy driving. He admitted 2 years ago this thing is $3-$3,500. He was asking $8k. $8k!


Instead we found this 1 owner v8 2003, with higher miles but really clean yesterday….for a little over 1/2 of what the 3rd gen guys were wanting. Inside is fantastic, clean local car.

So I feel better now that my daughters have safe, reliable vehicles that can handle snow/black ice that should last them many years.