Builds 97 HZJ80 Build in Uganda (1 Viewer)

[jhamby]

Gentlemen and Gentleladies,

Have been lurking around for awhile under the assumption that living in Uganda would eventually have me behind the wheel of a Land Cruiser. Have owned a Tacoma and a 4Runner in the past when I was in the US, but was mostly active in Land Rover ownership. Almost all of my friends and co-workers here drive a 70 series, but I wanted something a little different. I had three main criteria - coils on all corners, 1HZ motor, and working or repairable A/C.

So, after about 8 months of searching, I picked up a 97 HZJ80 with 270,000kms on the clock. Uganda's roads aren't kind to vehicles, so I'll be doing a mini-restoration of the truck to get it where I want it. This will be my first build thread. Normally I'm a grump and don't care to update people on my business, but I've gained so much from poking around here that it seemed appropriate to come out of my cave, participate, and give back. Alright, enough gab.

The seller's advertisement photo:


I hitched a ride to the capital, Kampala, to pick her up. The drive home was interesting - getting used to a new clutch/engine during rush hour of possibly one of the most chaotic cities in Africa.

Got her home and started poking around. Timing belt changed at 170xxx.


A center diff shifter that doesn't look factory or specific to this vehicle (from what I know, correct me if I'm wrong here.)


Rear air.


Rear jumpseats.



And WAY too much chrome / JDM crap.

So, off comes the silly brush guard (and running boards).


Out comes the air filter for a beating, and see what came out.


Out comes the rear jump seats and carpet


I made new enemies.


Rear A/C will be removed


Various tidbits that are showing their age will be either restored or replaced.


Since I'm removing the rear A/C, I think I'm going to save the roof duct and modify it. I'm thinking of filling the vent holes, installing some LED lights for the cargo area (red?), and maybe 2 4" speakers. Fill it all up, recover, and re-install.


the 1HZ


Now, the plans:

Full 2" Ironman suspension with foam cell shocks, brake lines, castor correction, etc.
Aggressive tread 285's or if I can find them, 295's or 305's
Ironman commercial bull bar with monster winch/synthetic rope
homemade, low-rise, half rack.
remove ALL chrome
re-spray to change the truck's color to white
paint wheels black
re-upholster interior
plywood drawer system in rear
custom separation cage to keep rear cargo from hitting passengers in a crash (will use jump seat mounting points)
fully service the 1HZ and rebuild injectors
3" exhaust
Viair onboard air (medium duty kit brought from US)
10" LED bar on front
pair of Rigid Dually D2 driving also on front
New head unit and door speakers

For now, that's where I'll try and stop. But we all know the work never ends.

These trucks are new to me, so I'll be asking my fair share of questions. Will do my best to document the whole build as it happens. Thanks for looking.

And posing at her new home...

 

[tominboise]

Nice looking truck. I'll be interested to see how your project goes. The barn doors are interesting - can't get them in the US.

 

[Otamiway]

Congrats an good luck with your project. I wish we had access to the rear air option….

Your Transfer Case Shift knob does not seem stock -- should only be H-N-L

 

[superstan26]

Beautiful truck. The t case knob design looks factory to me although I've never seen one like it.

I wish my t case would go to 2wd that's my second favorite feature of your truck right after the 1hz, and directly before the barn doors, then those gorgeous headlights.

I wish I hadn't seen this thread because I never considered moving to Uganda before.

 

[jhamby]

Well, second day of ownership and it's going under the knife. A few things on the agenda -

Rear oil leak. Almost the whole rear undercarriage is wet. Couldn't figure out where it was coming from by glancing, so we are pulling it all out. Will be deleting the rear AC so we will use this chance to plug the lines.

Front left hub seal is busted - new one going in.

Getting rid of the flares.

Rear window delete. Since I removed the 3rd row seats, I see rear sliding windows as another opportunity for a thief to break in and steal whatever happens to be in my cargo area. So, we're removing the windows altogether and welding in sheet metal. Will work the body lines to appear as if it came from the factory that way.

Paint - the shop I'm using is a Subaru rally car garage for one of the Ugandan teams. They fly their paint in from Germany, so I placed an order for a pearl white. Paint will be here next week. All chrome will be converted to black.

 

[jhamby]

And her neighbor while she's in the bay. Freshly painted (and dusty). Paint job is second to none, which is why I'm going with these guys to do the paint and body work.

 

[jhamby]

Beautiful truck. The t case knob design looks factory to me although I've never seen one like it.

I wish my t case would go to 2wd that's my second favorite feature of your truck

The truck doesn't have 2WD, which is how I know this isn't the knob that came with it. I'm still trying to track down the wiring for a dash center diff lock.

Simple question for all of you - regardless of whether or not I have a switch on the dash, will the center diff automatically lock once I get the truck into low?

 

[Doc]

Simple question for all of you - regardless of whether or not I have a switch on the dash, will the center diff automatically lock once I get the truck into low?

Yes, it should. Unless you have what we like to refer to as the "Pin 7" mod, which prevents the center diff from locking until you actually depress the lock button.

It's a very simple modification which is detailed very well in the the FAQ section. I'll look for the link.

*edit*- Start here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/768599-7-pin-mod.html

 

[OGBeno]

That xfer shift knob is for an HF1A part time xfer case, but you have drive flanges. I wonder if someone has converted it to a full time set up since you have drive flanges as opposed to manually locking Aisin hubs. Very interesting.

There is no CDL switch for this vehicle, though I betcha there is a plug for it behind the dash.

Then you can probably do the 7pin mod that folks are talking about to have full control over the locking of the xfer in all situations.

 

[Kernal]

Beno: will a photo of the transfer case help tell which type it is?

 

[Tapage]

Maybe they just skip manual hubs due price.. I mean could be dealer option, or just PO sold them ( got stolen ) and replace with the cheapest option available .. flanges .

 

[jhamby]

Thanks y'all. I'm familiar with the pin 7, just haven't even gotten around to seeing what this different shifter is all about. I plan to pull it apart tomorrow and see what the linkage does below. My guess is that a PO installed it but from being a city car, saw a lack of use and simply doesn't go all the way into neutral or low.

We'll see tomorrow. For now, I've got the rear AC duct down to bare plastic and am mapping out the install. All I've got for ideas are small LED lights and a switch. Kicking around the idea of installing a small inverter/fan and flush mounting the plugs. But, that would put the plugs on the ceiling and I can't get over how annoying that would be.

The duct is interesting torn apart. I'll either paint it black or I brought a can of plasti-dip with me.




And my trusty steed, Addie.

 

[e9999]

wouldn't rear AC make you lots of friends in Uganda?

strangely, it never crossed my mind that that Diesel Toyotas would have a timing belt... What is this world coming to...?

 

[OGBeno]

strangely, it never crossed my mind that that Diesel Toyotas would have a timing belt... What is this world coming to...?

They've only been that way since the mid-1980's...

 

[Doc]

They've only been that way since the mid-1980's...

quit muddying the water with facts.

 

[jhamby]

wouldn't rear AC make you lots of friends in Uganda?

Yes, which is the exact opposite of what I want

If you're heading to town from the village, you will almost always get asked to give someone a lift. By taking the seats out (and thus eliminating the need for rear AC), you have a valid excuse to say no to said person who happens to also need to bring their cousin along, who happens to be moving to town along with their mattress, goat, 4 chickens and a bag of who knows what.

 

[e9999]

Yes, which is the exact opposite of what I want

If you're heading to town from the village, you will almost always get asked to give someone a lift. By taking the seats out (and thus eliminating the need for rear AC), you have a valid excuse to say no to said person who happens to also need to bring their cousin along, who happens to be moving to town along with their mattress, goat, 4 chickens and a bag of who knows what.

one would think that no seat would not stop anybody in Africa with chickens from enjoying the ride...
plus you could always switch to rear heating if you want to cut the ridealong short, like with the police guys you couldn't possibly say no to in the first place...

 

[jhamby]

one would think that no seat would not stop anybody in Africa with chickens from enjoying the ride...
plus you could always switch to rear heating if you want to cut the ridealong short, like with the police guys you couldn't possibly say no to in the first place...

I don't know where you live, but it sure sounds like you've spent time here!

As much as I hate to admit it, your assumptions are correct. Actually, I got stopped by the traffic police once while giving a van-load of military police guys a ride back to base. Needless to say, I didn't even have to open my mouth (or wallet) to get out of that situation.

 

[OGBeno]

Beno: will a photo of the transfer case help tell which type it is?

You should be able to tell by the tail shaft housing (short--no VC) and the ability to turn the front driveshaft if it is a manual HF1A. It will also have a real accommodation for a front PTO output (thicker middle section).

 

[jhamby]

Updates. Interior is completely stripped, and body work has about two days left. We planned out the rear window delete. Will be welding sheet metal directly in place of the window indent and leaving the black air vents installed.

Will also be removing the JDM spare tire receiver that is bolted to the body. I doubt it was designed to carry the weight of a 34"+ tire down African roads. So, we will be filling the holes. The plan is to either build a rear bumper/swing out or fab a spare tire mount in the cargo area.