Builds 1995 HZJ77 wagon build - Japan sourced (1 Viewer)

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These are the rubber bushings you need, these are all: Cruiser Outfitters Suspension Page

FRONT:

Fits 1985-199x All 7x Series Front Only (aftermarket Japanese rubber)
(Fits Front Only, 6 Req. Per Leaf Spring, 12 per vehicle)
Part# SUSLBUSH - $2.00 ea

REAR:

Fits 1985-199x 75/77 Series Troopy/Truck/Wagon Rear Only (aftermarket Japanese rubber)
(Fits Rear Only, 6 Req. Per Leaf Spring, 12 per vehicle)
Part# SUS18009 - $3.50 ea

or the OEM Toyota variant

Fits 1985-199x 75/77 Series Troopy/Truck/Wagon Rear Only (OEM Toyota)
(Fits Rear Only, 6 Req. Per Leaf Spring, 12 per vehicle)
Part# SUS18009OEM - $6.75 ea

We also have Polyurethane available and in stock for both options. The aftermarket Japanese rubber have been fantastic options, we've been selling/using them for several decades now.

As for the axle bump stop, do you need the front or rear?

Alright, thank you! $2-3.5 a piece is a bit cheaper than what Toyota quoted me... They want $4 for the front and $6.90 for the rear. But your prices give me an idea of what the cost should be.

A front left bump stop. Toyota JP wants $35ea
 
Alright, thank you! $2-3.5 a piece is a bit cheaper than what Toyota quoted me... They want $4 for the front and $6.90 for the rear. But your prices give me an idea of what the cost should be.

A front left bump stop. Toyota JP wants $35ea

That is a fair price on the bump stop, we would be a bit more as we have to source them from Japan and unless I buy in bulk, the pricing would be similar.
 
Thanks for y'all's help with the suspension questions. Now onto more fun things!

After work I decided that the stock 2.5-3" speakers in the front weren't enough, so I decided to do something about it. I'd seen that newer model 70s have 6" speakers mounted in the cargo bay, so I decided to give it a try.

I grabbed a pair of Pioneer 6" speakers, mounting housings, and some thick gauge speaker wire off of Amazon. Then a set of body panel levers. Then a body panel sound dampening kit... Audio technology has come a long way since I welded up a simple speaker box for my FJ40 in high school...

I placed the speaker brackets over the rear panels to get an idea of where I wanted them (comparing to the later model that also has speakers in the back), marked the holes and then pulled off the rear side panels with the levers (surprisingly easily). After that it was drilling time.
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Initial fitting of the speaker
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Finished!
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I'd say it turned out pretty well. After getting it all set up, I had to pull all the body panels from rear to front along the floor boards and run the speaker wires to the dash. Also surprisingly easy, but not without it's hiccups. (Note: an actual wire puller instead of a coat hanger works WONDERS)
 
That is a fair price on the bump stop, we would be a bit more as we have to source them from Japan and unless I buy in bulk, the pricing would be similar.

I have 2 questions, if you don't mind.

Question 1.
I'm looking at replacing the tie rod and drag link ends just to tighten things up a bit in the steering/handling. I see you have the 555 brand ends on Cruiser Outfitters, and I've seen Terrain Tamer as another option. Any reason y'all sell one over the other? and is the 90-98 kit (listed below) right for my HZJ77? Or would OEM be better?

90-98 HD 70 Series RHD Tie Rod End Kit - $127.50
Complete 4 piece kit (Fits 1/1990-1998 Right Hand Drive 7X Series w/Heavy-Duty Chassis - BJ/FZ/HJ/HZJ7x) Includes LH & RH tie-rod ends & LH & RH drag-link ends. Japanese 555 Brand - Made in Japan
Part# TRE69100

Question 2.
I'm looking at possibly replacing the shackles on my leaf springs while I'm doing all of this other suspension system work. I only see the OME 77 Dakar greasable shackles under the full suspension kits as an option. Is this really the only option y'all have? If not, what else do you have, and what would you suggest? I have stock leaf springs with a 2" shackle lift at the moment. I'd like to find a pair of non-reversable shackles that keep the height of the 2" lift that also works with stock springs if possible. (and stock bushings as well if possible) Is this an impossible request?
 
I have 2 questions, if you don't mind.

Question 1.
I'm looking at replacing the tie rod and drag link ends just to tighten things up a bit in the steering/handling. I see you have the 555 brand ends on Cruiser Outfitters, and I've seen Terrain Tamer as another option. Any reason y'all sell one over the other? and is the 90-98 kit (listed below) right for my HZJ77? Or would OEM be better?

90-98 HD 70 Series RHD Tie Rod End Kit - $127.50
Complete 4 piece kit (Fits 1/1990-1998 Right Hand Drive 7X Series w/Heavy-Duty Chassis - BJ/FZ/HJ/HZJ7x) Includes LH & RH tie-rod ends & LH & RH drag-link ends. Japanese 555 Brand - Made in Japan
Part# TRE69100

Question 2.
I'm looking at possibly replacing the shackles on my leaf springs while I'm doing all of this other suspension system work. I only see the OME 77 Dakar greasable shackles under the full suspension kits as an option. Is this really the only option y'all have? If not, what else do you have, and what would you suggest? I have stock leaf springs with a 2" shackle lift at the moment. I'd like to find a pair of non-reversable shackles that keep the height of the 2" lift that also works with stock springs if possible. (and stock bushings as well if possible) Is this an impossible request?

We've been selling the 555 Japan components for 27 years, long before TT was available in the US. I've driven my vehicles with 555 parts for two decades, raced on their parts, rock-crawled on theirparts, etc. Along with that, much of the TT parts are simply reboxed from other vendors, could be 555 or Joint Fuji (both Made in Japan), other TT parts are from a reputable vendor in India (such as knuckle rebuild components). While I'm quite familiar with the source of many TT parts, I can't say I know where they get their tie rod end kits, could very likely be a 555 part in a TT box?

Yes, the TRE69100 is the kit you need.

We stock the OME greasable, aftermarket greasable, aftermarket not greasable (made in Japan stock look alike) and some OEM shackles too. Best bet is the call or email the shop for items like that. While we don't list every 7x suspension component individually on our current site, we can certainly sell them individually.
 
After running the wires to the dash, I had a fun time figuring out which wires went where on a radio so old that it has a mini-disc player on it...

IMG_9887.jpg


After figuring out which wires went where, I gave it a try and thankfully everything worked alright. Though I'm getting a lot of feedback / static after I put the radio back in the dash and bolted it it (whereas it's crystal clear when it's out of the dash).

While I had the dash out, I started looking at how I could wire in an LED so that I could light the AC/Heat control panel and noticed that there's actually a TINY little lightbulb down there.

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Went to Toyota and ordered one. They're like... $4 each... but I can't find 24V bulbs anywhere else.
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Anyways, I got the new bulb in and everything lights up like it's supposed to.
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I'll try to do as Beno does in his posts and have the part number in the pictures like this so y'all can find parts easier.
 
Apparently Toyota doesn't sell the rubber gaskets for the front turn signals separately from the housings for the 1999-2003 "refreshed" signal units... But thankfully they're only $11 each for the housing and new gaskets from Toyota.


IMG_9891.jpg


Part Numbers-
Chrome
Left hand:
81526-60410
Right hand:
81516-60540

Black
Left hand:
81526-60390
Right hand:
81516-60520

Installed

IMG_0089.jpg
 
Question to those who might know.

Which Service Manual do I need to find to get the torque specs & service instructions for the HZJ's leaf spring Front / Rear / Steering / Sway bar? I have the Max Ellery "Toyota Landcruiser 1990-2007: 70, 80 & 100 Series" manual... but the only suspension info in it is for the coil spring suspension systems...

I've been looking through the 70 Series Online Manuals thread but haven't found anything useful yet...
(online manuals)

Even a few photographs of those pages would be a wonderful help. (Cause I'm planning to tear into the suspension system this weekend)

Thanks!
 
This past weekend's project: new shocks & bushings on the front end, as well as new bushings for the sway bar.

First: getting the old shocks off was a real pain in the ass... I'm in Japan, one of the many lands of metric, and the PO used "Rancho" shocks which have an "imperial" nut on the shock shaft to allow for tightening... none of the local hardware stores carry imperial wrenches, and there was a ring blocking me from accessing the nut with an adjustable wrench... After much finageling... I decided it would be easier to cut the ring off..

I ended up having to buy some new fine adjustment tools to help remove the ring...
1900095

You can see the ring I had to cut off:
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Finally got the new shocks bolted on with new nuts & bolts from Toyota. The rest of the install went pretty easily after I was able to pull the old parts off.
1900098

The pile of old parts swapped out:
1900100

Did I mention I was doing all of this in my tiny little parking space? Living in an apartment sucks sometimes...
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Monday: Finally got it registered!
Good bye Sapporo plates (previous owner), hello Gifu~

Don't get me started on the MASSIVE amounts of paperwork required to register a car in Japan... it's absolutely insane...

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Today's project: replacing some old hardened rubbers for new Toyota parts!

Rear door rubber cushion
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Rear door metal/rubber alignment support
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Rear door washer nozzle
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Thankfully the rear door cushions have helped stop the vibrating of the rear door at an idle. It was starting to drive me a bit mad...
I'm not sure 100% if the rear washer even works... but at least this nozzle won't be halfway hanging off the door anymore.

I also ordered the rear interior panel air vents... but the didn't come with the mounting nuts... so I'll have to order them tomorrow. The guys at Toyota must really be getting sick of seeing me so often~ lol

Tomorrow's project:
Replace the rear shock absorbers & bushings.
Replace rear leaf spring bushings & pins
Replace front leaf spring bushings & pins
 
This Saturday's project: replacing the rear shocks, bushings, and bolts.

After having trouble getting the front shocks off, I ordered a pneumatic impact wrench to help get the rear ones off. It came in really handy breaking the bolts free of the rust on the bottom shock mount plates. (though it still almost didn't get one off...)
1902111


The driver's side rear shock was leaking oil (which was the catalyst for doing the front and rear shock replacements).
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Even after getting the shock off, the bottom bracket was in pretty rough shape. I wire wheeled it smooth and put some rust inhibiting paint on it before mounting the new shocks, but it will probably need to be replaced eventually (at which time I hope I'll be replacing all the old components with an Old Man Emu kit)
1902113


Thanks to my friend Dane for loaning me his air compressor and driveway space for the afternoon (much better than the single car parking spot behind my apartment) and my friend Marcus for spending the afternoon under the car with me.
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In the end, everything worked out pretty well. Much smoother than the front end (though part of that is probably due to figuring out a few tricks in the process from the front)

That being said, I still wasn't able to remove the Leaf Spring Pins that hold the leaf spring to the chassis (the opposite connection to the shackles). They just wouldn't break free even with a lot of... coercion... Anyone ever taken them off before? I'm open to any tips / tricks / suggestions on how to get them off.


Even so, with just the new shocks, the car rides and handles completely differently; and SO much better than before. Well worth the effort and cost.
 
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when I replaced my pins, I had a new set of pins and bushings. I ended up taking a Mapp torch and a bfg to them and used a wire wheel to clean it out.
 
Most recent projects:

I ordered a Sway Bar extension kit from Cruiser Outfitters, and got it installed this past weekend before going snowboarding. Thanks for helping me out Bryce/Kurt @cruiseroutfit. It handles noticeably less stiffly now than it did.

I also ordered an under-hood LED kit from Odd Iron Offroad. It was kind of a pain to snake the wires under the heatshield (and I ended up accidentally pulling the plug connector off while I was at it... thankfully I had a spare) - but they turned out great when all was said and done. I can't get over how high-quality the whole assembly looks. Lots of thought was put into how to make it a durable piece of kit. So thanks a lot @Gun Runner 5

It was dark by the time I was done installing them, so no pictures at the moment.

Next up:
Doing a once over of everything on the car to make sure it's ready for its "car check" (Shaken in Japanese) - I'm gonna try the DIY Shaken process cause it should save me a couple hundred bucks. But I'm a bit nervous about having to do it all in Japanese (there are a lot of forms to fill out... )
@divemedic & @GreaseMonkeyJP @NanaMaru - Have y'all done the "User Shaken before? If so, any tips?
 
@Pip Bernadotte ....... " Iron Offroad. It was kind of a pain to snake the wires under the heatshield (and I ended up accidentally pulling the plug connector off while I was at it... thankfully I had a spare) - but they turned out great when all was said and done. I can't get over how high-quality the whole assembly looks. Lots of thought was put into how to make it a durable piece of kit. So thanks a lot @Gun Runner 5.
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Thanks for the kind words. I'm obviously biased but I think Rob's underhood lighting system is by far the best on the market. :)
 
@NanaMaru would know more than me. I was fortunate to have sofa status and slightly different procedures. It also varies by prefecture slightly. I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.
 
Most recent projects:

I ordered a Sway Bar extension kit from Cruiser Outfitters, and got it installed this past weekend before going snowboarding. Thanks for helping me out Bryce/Kurt @cruiseroutfit. It handles noticeably less stiffly now than it did.

I also ordered an under-hood LED kit from Odd Iron Offroad. It was kind of a pain to snake the wires under the heatshield (and I ended up accidentally pulling the plug connector off while I was at it... thankfully I had a spare) - but they turned out great when all was said and done. I can't get over how high-quality the whole assembly looks. Lots of thought was put into how to make it a durable piece of kit. So thanks a lot @Gun Runner 5

It was dark by the time I was done installing them, so no pictures at the moment.

Next up:
Doing a once over of everything on the car to make sure it's ready for its "car check" (Shaken in Japanese) - I'm gonna try the DIY Shaken process cause it should save me a couple hundred bucks. But I'm a bit nervous about having to do it all in Japanese (there are a lot of forms to fill out... )
@divemedic & @GreaseMonkeyJP @NanaMaru - Have y'all done the "User Shaken before? If so, any tips?

Im with Greasemonkey on his first post about registration. Living in Nagoya also, and aside from paying 1,000,000 Yen for a DPF system, registration isn't possible. IF there is another way I would love to know, so i can get one sooner and use it here before I take it back home :) as for User shaken, there are a few websites with tips on in for Gaijin. Im no expert, but it seemed fairly straight forward. however, as I mentioned above, unless you know some other secret or live in a prefecture without the requirment (I think Tahara area in aichi is exept as well) you wont be able to complete registration without visiting a shop who will install a Diesel particulate filter and catalyst system for around 600,000 yen for parts, and 400,000 yen for certification and testing. thats the only way you can pass emissions on an older diesel.
 

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