Build 2002 HZJ79 Double Cab Firetruck

[Kroll]

Absolutely stunning!!! Absolute dream car! Hey, What fuel tank do you have? I am sorry if you already went into this in a previous post. I have one of these fire trucks and need to deal with my tank.
Thank you!

Thanks for the kind words. Indeed a dream rig!
No worries, my fuel tank is from a take off HZJ79 mining truck. I sourced it in Canada from @crawlin cruiser.
In all honesty if I was to do it over, I would have gone with a Long Ranger fuel tank. The factory 90L is ok...but having a even larger tank would come in handy for those long legs between fuel stops in remote backcountry areas.

 

[Kroll]

A few finishing details needed to be addressed before my month long trip to BC.
A bought some 2 gauge booster cable wire, ran it to the headache rack and fitted it with an anderson plug to power my dometic fridge in the tray.
I also was able to fit the escape gear tire cover as well.

Here's a close up of the fuel inlet and the OEM decal.

June 1st 2023
Truck is all packed up for a month long trip trough out BC. No better way to break in a new build then to go out and use it!
Rear end has a bit of a sag to it. Might have to consider adding an add-a-leaf or perhaps some air bags in the future.

The front coils are a treat on the bumpy gravel roads.
The long wheelbase along with packing some weight really makes the 79 feel planted on the loose gravel roads.

I do service on rally cars as a hobby, brought the 79 down to remote fuel. A lot of positive remarks and comments on the truck from everywhere I had the truck down in Invermere for the rally race that weekend.

 

[WandatheTroopy]

Thanks for the kind words. Indeed a dream rig!
No worries, my fuel tank is from a take off HZJ79 mining truck. I sourced it in Canada from @crawlin cruiser.
In all honesty if I was to do it over, I would have gone with a Long Ranger fuel tank. The factory 90L is ok...but having a even larger tank would come in handy for those long legs between fuel stops in remote backcountry areas.

Thank you! I'll look into Long Ranger fuel tank. It just seems so daunting to look up a parts catalog and end up with a huge list. There are so many of these conversions now, I wonder if someone is willing to share this list.
Also, did you just plug your PTO?

 

[Kroll]

Thank you! I'll look into Long Ranger fuel tank. It just seems so daunting to look up a parts catalog and end up with a huge list. There are so many of these conversions now, I wonder if someone is willing to share this list.
Also, did you just plug your PTO?

I agree, you can really get lost and cross eyed going through the parts catalogues. It's a big task- I have spent many hours doing it. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping track of all the parts in any systematic way.

What do you mean plug my PTO? The unit is completely contained. I left the lever attached for the time being. I did undo the water hose that connects to the tcase side cover to assist with cooling. Eventually I plan to remove the entire PTO assembly from the tcase.

 

[OGBeno]

Beautiful work.

 

[bottombracket]

F@cking rad. I LOVE that rear tray. Maybe my double cab build needs one?

 

[Kroll]

F@cking rad. I LOVE that rear tray. Maybe my double cab build needs one?

The tray really brings it all together!
Yes, you absolutely do. The added function and utilitarianism it adds to an already capable truck in my opinion is unmatched.

 

[Kroll]

After the rally race two ex-fire HZJ79's meeting again, turning a lot of heads in this mountain town.
The flat roof conversion and canopy build on @JDMBC's 79 turned out amazing. We were finally able to both meet up and enjoy our newly built rigs.

Grab some supplies, fuel and food. We were off on a inland ferry to get to some beautiful hot springs in the interior.

Finally was able to take the 79 off road on this trip. The hot springs are 18km down a logging road, but back in 2013 a large washout occurred destroying the road completely. Locals had made a bypass that was possible with a high clearance vehicle, but unfortunately nature has clawed back more of the bank. We managed to find a discretely made bypass trail, barely wider than the 79. I tucked the mirrors in and off we went. In 4L the truck handled the steep, narrow trail with ease, this was my first time ever 4wheeling with a diesel engine and wow the torque available was amazing. The road was unmaintained, so there were many cross ditches from water running down the mountain during rains, I was amazed that I did not rub the front bumper or rear hitch at all- despite the long wheelbase of the 79.

To get back across the river we used the steel cable that has been securely installed for many years. A snatchblock was used as a pulley and a climbing harness attached allowed you to cross the river with ease.

 

[Kroll]

After spending a few nights at the hot springs, and answering a lot of questions from other campers about the 79's we headed south towards the Okanagan.
Arrowhead lake was a bit low, so we stopped to grab some photos with a beautiful back drop of mountains on a sandy beach.

It was a decently hot day, A/C would have been nice instead of cranking the windows open while traveling at highway speeds.
A stop in for ice cream along the way helped.

Had a wonderful dinner in Vernon, thanks for hosting @JDMBC.
Drove that evening to Hope, BC. The next day it was time to board the ferry to Vancouver Island (my first time returning in many years and driving my own vehicle). First bit of rain and cooler temps were the norm for this next leg of the trip.

 

[Kroll]

Encountered a lot of rain after landing on the island. Since we were tenting, neither of us wanted to set up / deal with a wet tent. We managed to build a decently flat platform in the rear seat area with the bench seat folded flat. Inflated the double wide air mattress and managed to sleep decently, despite the tight quarters. The goal was to drive north to Port Hardy, then cut west to Cape Scott Provincial Park. Once we got past Campbell River, the road got pretty quiet. It was nice to finally see a few mountains along the way. I really wanted to stop and check out Mt. Cain but we were on a schedule with lots of kilometers to drive.

Stopped for a tasty flight of beers served by Devil's Bath Brewery in Port McNeil.

Stopped and saw the World's Biggest Burl (encapsulated in fiberglass to help preserve it). Apparently someone didn't like it and set it on fire in August.

From Port Hardy a long winding, wash board road takes you through Holberg, and eventually to a rec site where you can camp for free a few kilometers away from San Josef Bay trailhead. A few spots were empty upon arrival.

Camp has been set. I was hoping for my MSA4X4 fridge slide to arrive in time for this trip...unfortunately it had not. So I just left the Dometic fridge strapped in the tray with a tarp to protect it from the elements. I did buy a cover for it to ward off scratches / gouges from being in the tray.

 

[Kroll]

The next day, we drove the short distance to the trailhead and hiked in. It's a easy hike with a well maintained trail with occasional boardwalk. Many people come for the day to enjoy the beach, others hike in with their packs to continue a long beach hike to other camp spots within the provincial park.
Low tide is the best time to go, the beach really opens up.

There are sea stacks there that are accessible with the low tide. You can walk and walk along the beach exploring all the nooks that get revealed with the low tide.

I highly suggest checking this part of Vancouver Island out!

Next day it was time to start heading back south. Notice the wood I had packed from the interior....little did I know it was going to come for the full trip but never get burnt due to the fire bands in BC throughout all of June.

 

[bj70bc]

Truly awesome, trucks and trip....i was born on van isl and never made that far north, may have to check it out in the 70 series

 

[Kroll]

Next up on the itinerary was to check out Ucluelet and Tofino - with the latter being one of the most visited desitinations on the island. A fire had made its way through the area East of Port Alberni - it was now controlled and even extinguished to a degree. The highway remained closed due to geological instability- the hilly land had become unstable with rocks and debris tumbling down onto the highway, some causing damage to vehicles. A long detour was established that involved the use of logging roads to punch west towards the coast. After stopping in Duncan for fuel, we headed west to Lake Cowichan to check out the detour.
Found a nice rec site west of Youbou (last large community before the logging road detour began). The amount of traffic that we saw heading west on the detour was insane - big motorhomes, large semi trailers, and fire / rescue trucks. The next morning we decided to not pursue the detour. The logging roads are narrow and congested, not the best combo when you're traveling in dusty conditions. Instead of back tracking, we decided to explore the Gordon River FSR and arrive in Port Renfrew via logging roads. The drive was amazing with a really scenic river valley and literally no one on the roads. A map was handy to have since many roads intersect along the way.

First attraction on way down was Big Lonely Doug - a large douglas fir spared from logging that watches over the valley.
Not a very technical drive in, but a lot easier to do in a 79. Doug on the left and his "ugly" sister sits above on the right.

Further down the road was Avatar Grove. It is a protected old growth forest on Pacheedaht native land.
Two boardwalk trails provide you the ability to check out the large old trees that inhabit the area.

 

[Kroll]

Later that day we finally pulled into Port Renfrew.
We decided to spend the night at the Pacheedaht Campground- it is one of a few spots on the island that you can camp on the beach. It is very reasonably priced for the beachfront camping, I had heard out near Tofino prices ranging of more than $100/night. The weather had turned a bit gloomy, cooler and had picked up a bit of wind. Decided to spend the night in the treed campsites to get a little bit of protection from the wind. This campground is very popular in the summer, it was still very early in the season so we were lucky to have many free sites to choose from. I ventured along the beach in the evening to watch the waves and browse the shoreline.

There's many Pacific Banana Slugs on the island, you really got to be careful where you place your feet in the grass.

As we were leaving the campground, we saw our first bear on the island.

 

[Kroll]

Spent the day hiking and exploring Botanical Beach. It is a popular place to visit, especially during low tide- you can find many sea urchins, crabs and other sea life that exists in the inter-tidal zones.

Then driving further down the winding highway we stopped at a popular surf beach called Sombrio Beach. For a $10/ night fee you can haul your stuff in and random camp on the beach. The waves must have been good, a lot of vehicles were parked there and many tents pitched.

We decided to get away from the crowds for the night. Managed to find an open gate to an FSR and drove the 79 to the top of the road. Vancouver island has a lot of privately owned land that 2-3 logging companies own / manage. Many gates exist that block vehicle traffic- on weekends the companies open some gates so the public can drive and explore certain areas. At the top of this road, we were able to see Washington and even Mt. Olympus. After the sun set, the temps dropped down- it was a chilly night up top.

The next day we headed to Mystic Beach. The weather had broken and rain was falling on/off. A 45 min hike leads you down to a beach with a waterfall that comes over the bank onto the beach.

 

[Kroll]

The next day as we traveled East along highway 14 towards Victoria we stopped at a nice little Cafe in Jordan River called "Cold Shoulder Cafe."
Parked next to a minty JDM UZJ100 that was out exploring the island as well.

Ended up driving as far as Sooke for the day after stopping at French Beach along the way. Spent the better part of the next day in Victoria, had plans to stop at a restaurant to celebrate my birthday- but I felt uneasy with leaving my fridge and camping gear in the back of the tray with the high number of "urban outdoorsmen" exploring the city core.
Toured along Saanich Inlet as we headed back north to Nanaimo. I'll have to return to the area someday and do some island hopping on the east coast of Van island.

Caught the 0845 ferry back to Horseshoe Bay. Decided to swing north to Whistler and take the Duffey Lake Road. I've only ever driven that highway at night, so I looked forward to seeing the views along the way. It was a little slow going with the 1HZ chugging uphill after each switchback.
Stayed at a nice rec site close to Lillooet just off the highway.

The next day we made a decent push towards AB, driving to Mount Robson Provincial Park. The weather had stayed a bit cool with intermittent rain showers. Also a black bear was roaming the campsite as per the park ranger, so extra caution was taken to keep any attractants securely stored in the 79.

Next day it was a big push to get back home. First a stop to try and get a picture of Mt. Robson. As is typical the peak is rarely seen without clouds and today was no different.

Trip total distance: 4862 km
Burned 704.2L of diesel
Fuel average: 14.49L/100km

 

[Kroll]

My next trip with the 79 was planned for end of July to the Okanagan in BC. In the meantime I used the 79 to do some errands.
I found a set of take off steel rims painted in factory grey as offered in the GCC market - no plans for them at the moment.

A Land Cruiser buddy had moved to the west coast and was unable to bring his BJ42 out with him. I offered to bring it out to the Vernon area for him.
Luckily the cruiser was being stored nearby my house, the 3B fired up nicely making the loading of it a breeze.

Parked the truck / trailer combo out front and patiently awaited for the trip to BC. All the neighbors thought I added another Cruiser to the herd.

 

[African]

Finally caught up on the build! Truck is looking awesome man.

 

[Kroll]

Finally caught up on the build! Truck is looking awesome man.

Thank you!
I've been enjoying the progress of your welding / fab skills transform your truck build.

 

[Kroll]

My night shift ended friday morning, had a quick nap then packed for a week long stay in the Okanagan at @JDMBC's place. I haven't spent much time down there before and even less in the summer, I figured it was a good reason to head down. The drive down normally takes 10hrs and this trip was going to be a bit slower with the BJ42 in tow on the flatdeck car hauler. First stop was near Springbank Airport area where my friend lives, had a visit with his family. Then we continued west to Canmore to grab fuel and food. Trying my best to keep up with traffic on the busy highway 2 & 1 my fuel mileage dropped down to 20.91L/100km. It was now past 2130hrs and I was starting to feel tired from my quick post shift nap. We pulled off to the side of the highway on a turn off and fell asleep for a few hours in the front seats of the 79. We then drove all the way through the night. It all turned out very well since I could drive slowly up Rogers Pass west of Golden without traffic piling up my rear end. The 1HZ could only handle going up about 40-55 km/hr in 3rd gear up to the Summit at 1330m. Once we reached the top, it is a gradual journey downwards, the Redarc trailer brakes really came to the rescue with helping to keep things tame.

With morning light starting to break we made it to Armstrong and pulled over for another nap. When we awoke, our quiet parking lot stop had started to fill u with morning coffee goers at the local fast food joint. Got a few remarks about the 42, grabbed food and headed south to finish off the journey.

There are some really steep roads on the east side of Vernon, after starting from a stop sign I couldn't even get the 79 to move forward without stalling. I had to toss the transfer case into 4L and crawl across the intersection. Made it to @JDMBC's place by 0815 and started to unload @cruisernerd's 42.
It also just so happen that a couple from Europe were making their way to the area in their HZJ75RV. They stopped for an extended visit, allowing us plenty of time to check out their Land Cruiser and discuss their travel plans. Being able to connect with others because of a shared interest in vehicles has always been a highlight of mine since owning my FJ40.