Builds 1995 HZJ77 wagon build - Japan sourced

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Hello,

Take the chance to include an intercooler and do not look back.

And once it is turbo/intercooled, remember to be careful with your right foot.





Juan
Yeah, I'm only looking to push 7 psi (maybe up to 10 if things go well) so I don't think an intercooler will be necessary. I'll see how the EGTs go and decide from there though 😉
 
Random photo - me putting in the lift springs
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Before the rear springs went in.
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After the rear springs went in.
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I'd say it's a fairly noticeable difference ^_^
Either way, it's nice to have the rear no longer doing the Carolina Squat 😆
 
February 2024 - Fun time!

After hearing about it for so long, I was finally able to go to the Wind Rock Offroad Park in Oliver Springs, Tennessee with the NOAS crew ^_^
I plan to be there again this fall for the 70 series meet up 😁

All loaded up and ready to go~
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Took forever pay, but I finally got the waiver and stuff finished.
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The first hill climb was fun after 2 days of rain. Ended up falling behind the IFS guys because my front axle was bottoming out due to the ruts... But I powered through~ ^_^
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Scoping out another trail.
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Wind Rock pt 2 - Feb 2024
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Taking a brake for lunch
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Such absolutely BEAUTIFUL country out there. Even in the winter without any leaves. I can only imagine how it's going to look this fall ^_^
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Trail time again~
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Wind Rock pt 3 - Feb 2024

Dunno how, but I got put in charge of leading the group 😅

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Top of the last trail for the weekend.

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Such a great trip! I can't wait to go back ^_^
 
Even after 6-7 hours of driving, and some rain. The Cruiser was still covered in mud 😜
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After getting back from Wind Rock, I decided the time had finally come for an upgrade: Sherpa
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It's a TIGHT fit. But with some minor mods to the winch controller box, I got it on there with JUST enough clearance to keep my light bar on too ^_^
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Decided that if I'm going to have a synthetic rope, to go ahead and get ALL synthetic gear, so there's less chance of something becoming a missile if/when it breaks.
If you haven't seen how dangerous cables and hard shackles can be, Ronny Dahl has some great videos on it.
(Soft vs hard shackles: )
(Winch line dampers: )

So I went with a Yankum Ropes grooved winch fairlead that means I don't need a hook or anything on the cable.
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Winch pt 2

I really wanted to keep my Japanese plate, so I found a flip up license plate holder by Tuffy and modified it to fit with the Yankum fairlead.
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The fairlead is a fair bit wider than others on the outside, and as I found out, Winch fairleads ARE NOT standard in their bolt holes either... The Tuffy flip up license plate holder wouldn't fit without modification either...
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So I had to widen the holes on both sides of the Cruiser Outfitters bumper to allow the bolts through. I then put some 1/4 thick washers on the back for some extra support.


Winch cover just barely fits with the gap I made for the light bar.
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And all finished! (well... Still some wiring to do... 😅 At least Sherpa makes 24V winches, so I don't need a step down! 😆
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For the wiring, I didn't want to leave the winch "live" all the time, so I found a 400A rated golf cart solenoid and wired it to the last switch I had in my dash panel ^_^
So the switch turns the solenoid on, which means if I have any abrasion to the wiring and it shorts, I won't burn my truck down with 0 gauge wires at 24V.

I also decided it was about time to replace my batteries. They've been pretty good, but if I have the potential for a large Amp draw, I'd rather have them in tip-top shape.
 
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March/April 2024 - An unexpected problem

So quite a while ago, I saw one guy's idea of adding gas struts to the hood of the cruiser instead of just the prop-rod. I really liked the idea. So, as is usual, I DIY pieced together my own kit for it. 😁
Unexpected problem 6 years later: one of the ball headed bolts that the strut attaches to snapped off in my fender. 😮 I don't even really know how it had enough force while closed to snap, but it snapped an M8 bolt right off.

The problem was, in order to get the piece that was left in the fender out, I had to drill it out. And that means it destroyed the M8 threading... So I re-tapped it for an M10 bolt, but they don't make the ball headed bolts in an M10... which I of course found out AFTER I had done all of this... 😭

So, it was time to get creative ~

So, I bought a piece of stainless M10 threaded rod, some M8 stainless coupling nuts, and a new M8 ball headed bolt. The plan was to drill out one side of the stainless M8 coupling nut, and retap it to M10, then screw a piece of the M10 threaded rod in one side, and the M8 ball headed nut in the other, and Voila!
But that didn't work... Tapping stainless is more of a pain than I bargained for... So I had to wait another week for some galvanized M8 coupling nuts to arrive. THEN it was off to the races 😁

Picture of the lower profile bolt right against the fender. (how it was before it snapped)
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Picture of the "fix"
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I let a fair amount of M10 threaded rod protrude into the fender, so it should have a fair amount of strength. So hopefully it doesn't snap off like the previous M8 ball headed bolts...
 
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Tekonsha Trailer Brake controller and 7 pin trailer plug install - April 2024

As many of you who have been following along know: I use the heck out of my Land Cruiser.
It's what it was made for, so I do it. Including towing things that are probably too heavy for it. At least DEFINITELY too heavy for its stated weight rating for towing based on braking force... So to be on the "safe side" for the next time I need to use it as such (last time being when I had to tow dad's 1951 MG TD home after an engine failure - Builds - 1995 HZJ77 wagon build - Japan sourced - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/1995-hzj77-wagon-build-japan-sourced.1119726/post-15578242 ), I decided to add a brake controller.
My friend Darren tows a LOT more than I ever have (including 12,000lbs worth of vehicles and gear to King of the Hammers this past February) and he suggested Tekonsha for a brake controller, so that's what I got 😆

And that leads me back to another from 4 years ago: the trailer light wiring circuit I made.
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I had run a 24-12v stepdown converter in the dash behind my glove box that was controlled by this series of 24v relays which were tied into my tail lights. So the lights trip the relay at 24 volts, but that just allows 12 bolts to be sent to the 4-pin trailer plug.
Thankfully I got to keep all of this when doing the 7 pin connector because it just has a 4-pin connector behind it to plug in for the lights.

BUT - in wanting to keep my bumper free of things that can either get damaged off road, or decrease offroad clearances. I had to figure out where to put the 7-pin socket... Thankfully I have a welder. 😅

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I tried a few different places, but found the the gap between the bumper and the (not longer used) tool kit compartment built into the bed of the Cruiser allowed me to keep it well out of the way of most potential rock-damage
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So, that's where it ended up going 😆
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Turned out pretty clean if you ask me ^_^

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Brake controller pt 2

So, that took care of the 7-pin socket, but I still had to run a 10AWG wire all the way back to it to power the brake pin. I also had to upgrade my 24-12v stepdown converter to a 40A unit so that it could cover the potential power requirements of the controller, and I also had to wire the controller into my brake light circuit.

Instead of splicing into the wiring at the brake pedal, I decided on running a 16AWG wire from the trailer wiring relay circuit in my quarter panel to the front at the brake controller, while running a 10AWG wire from the controller back to the 7-pin socket. Fun times...

I then had to upgrade the wiring for the 24-12v step down to handle more amps, and put in a self resetting 30A circuit breaker. And finally I had to figure out where to put the controller itself. Thankfully it fit rather well right under my wiper switch pane, above the low range selector lever.
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I tidied everything up as best I could, but the space behind my glove box is starting to look a little like a rats nest...
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And because it'd bother me if I didn't keep track of everything... I created an "All Accessories and Modifications Wiring Diagram" for literally everything I've added to the vehicle so far.
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Why Toyota? Why did you make the HZJ77 24volts??? None of the other Cruisers around the world AFAIK are 24volts...
 
Long Overdue Maintenance and General Engine Baselining - April 2024

So, in preparation for the Turbo I picked up from Back 40 Imports, I have been baselining the engine specs to make sure there's nothing that could become a potential problem with the added power. I've also been replacing a few things that haven't been done potentially ever...

The list of checks & preventative maintenance:
Compression Check
Oil Pressure Check
Air Restriction check (due to added snorkel and Odd-Iron's adapter)
Valve shim clearance check
Replaced the injectors

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Pulled the glow plugs to put my Matco diesel compression tester in. Immediately found that the tester, despite being new... had a leak - so I had to send it back and wait for a replacement... THEN I got to test the compression (and take the glow plugs out again...)
Glow plugs looked pretty clean, so I'm gonna keep them for a while still.

Compression readings I got
1-600 2-620 3-600 4-630 5-600 (a bit slower than others) 6-630 - so everything checks out well above minimum spec. 😁

Oil pressure reading I got
15psi at idle, 65psi at 3000rpm which is also above spec (had me worried because I checked it a few years ago when I was at York Tech and it was a bit low. I've since run Marvel's Mystery oil through my oil system a few times, so maybe that's helped clear things up a bit)

Valve shims were all pretty close to spec, so I'll put them off for a while still.

Air restriction is a little bit higher than I want... a bit over 1psi. So I'll have to mod the connection to my snorkel to be a more direct path.

Injectors - TOOK FOREVER to finally get a full set of 6 Denso injectors. Amayama had 4 of them, but I ended up having to order the last two from 3 different places and just cancelled the orders that didn't ship first.

Printed out the FSM pages so I wouldn't get my manual dirty 😆
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Pro Tip: slow and methodical makes this whole process so much easier. (also highlight all torque specs so they're easy to see/remember as you go along)

Pulling the injector lines off. You don't have to pull them all the way off to access things, but it does make it a bit easier.
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Old injectors out~
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The old injector shims come out easy enough with an angled metal pick

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Injectors Continued

All the new pieces ready to go in ^_^
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It's a little bit tricky getting the injector seats in there with the spacerss. A curved pick makes getting them in there easier
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Injectors in and ready for the lines to be put back on
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All buttoned up and ready to go! (Don't forget to reprime your injection pump at the fuel filter)
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And just to see how far out of spec they were, I picked up a mechanical injector tester.
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They were anywhere from 50-250 psi crack pressure off of the stated target range... so it's good that I went ahead and changed them. Now I just need to find a place that can rebuild them for me so I have a spare set.

After changing the injectors I notices that acceleration was smoother, and quicker throttle response, but created billowy black smoke on even moderate acceleration. So I had to adjust the fuel screw on my fuel pump.

Adjusted it 1/2-5/8 counter clockwise to get rid of the billowy smoke, but that turned it a little bit into a "gut-less wonder"... So after a week I ended up turning it back 1/8-3/16 of a turn clockwise and that got the power back. Still have a little bit of black smoke under hard/full throttle, but not billowy. So that should be about the sweet spot. 👍
 
Mod April 2024 - Bumper hoops

So after a fairly close call with a clay/rock berm at Wind Rock, I decided it was time to put the bumper hoops on the Coastal Offroad DIY bumper. (thankfully I had enough tire stick out thanks to the wheel spacers, and enough stick out from my slider/steps that I didn't to any real damage, but my rear fender flare had a softball sized clump of red clay stuck to it where it was dragging on the wall...)

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Test fit for best angle
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Lining it up with the angle of the bumper turned out to be best, so I used a straight edge to make sure it was just right.
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Now it sticks out just a hair less than my tires, but a hair more than my sliders, so it should provide good protection for the quarter panel.

Finish welding
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Had to use some scrap metal as a shield for my tail lights so they wouldn't be hit by weld spatter. Also made sure to position the bumper hoop far enough forward so the turn signals can still be seen from the sides 👍




Also, remember to disconnect your batteries when you're working with electrical systems... I accidentally touched a wrench to the teriminal of the golf cart solenoid I was installing for the winch... the batteries did not appreciate it... (I said before that I decided to change batteries, I forgot it was a bit more pressing a decision)
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Got the right side done the same way.
Ah yes, the other time I wish I had bumper hoops, going up the front side of Daniel at Uwharrie and dinged my quarter panel pretty good... 😖
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All painted and pretty.
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Not a Cruiser project persay... but camping = best in a Cruiser ^_^
I purchased a Cook Partner propane stove to replace my Coleman White gas stove just for ease of use. (I'll keep the Coleman for emergencies at home)
I didn't want to buy the carrying case from them, because it seemed a bit expensive for just a simple bag. So, as usual: DIY time!

Stove in question
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Cutting out some 1000D Nylon for the outer sheathing
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I sandwiched in some "fluffy" material to act as some padding, and then sewed a box.
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Up next, the tedious part: a zipper
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About finished.
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Just had to add a carrying handle
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While I was at it, I decided to make a carry case for my pot set as well. A bit more awkward a shape to make fit... but it turned out well enough.
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The little brown tag is what a friend had made up with my "DIY" instagram tag on ^_^ @Spartan_Customs_SC (incidentally, if anyone needs something made, hit me up ^_^)


Also, I had ordered it forever ago, but I finally got my elbow rest from Ronny Dahl at 4Wheeling Australia! ^_^ (got some nifty patches and stickers too ~)
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All done JUST in time for dad and my trip up to Uwharrie for ONSC's "Relic Run" event with all the classic Land Cruisers ^_^
 
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Olde North State Cruiser's RELIC RUN 2024!!

Always a great event for Cruiser-heads~ ^_^
To be considered a "relic" your vehicle has to have been produced before 1990, but there are plenty of those. And you're welcome to bring your non-relic as well~

Got up there with dad and saw the ONSC gang for the first time since my motorcycle accident in 2022, so I had fun getting to catch up with everyone. 😁 Being an official TLCA event, they needed some help doing the "pre-trail maintenance checks" so I grabbed a clipboard and started walking around and looking at all the cool vehicles people had brought.
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I believe this was the oldest cruiser at the event this year. A 1963 FJ35 if I remember correctly?
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Some nice FJ40s in the parking lot at The Outpost. Piloted by Cruiser Matt's dad, and some friends that came with them. Ended up hitting the trails with them as well ^_^
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RELIC RUN pt3

Got to see some very cool and very rare cruisers as the "Pre-trail inspector"

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RELIC RUN pt 4
Got some more trail riding done on Saturday as well.

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Absolutely loved getting to see so many FJ40s get used. Really makes me want to revive mine sometime soon ^_^
 
RELIC RUN pt 5

Saturday was also the main event. So we got everyone to line up with their cruisers on the parade field.

All in all, a great trip with such a great group of different guys and gals. I can't wait to go back again ^_^
Many thanks to @JohnVee and the others for putting on such a great event!

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