Builds A Canadian build of a JDM BJ74 - *TECH ONLY PLEASE - NO CHAT*

[Malahki]

A few other odds and ends but nothing exciting and with no pictures

1) Unhooked speedometer over speed beeper. Little black box under dash takes two seconds to unplug. Cant believe I waited so long, lol

2)New JVC stereo with AUX and USB hook ups

3) Changed steering castor shims from 2 1/2 degrees to 4 degrees. I run up and down a pretty rutted highway a lot and definitely noticed an improvement in handling

4)The OME steering stabilizer that I installed at the time of my lift was already leaking and was replaced with a new one

5)Two new 950CCA batteries for those Canadian winters

 

[Malahki]

I changed out the clutch vacuum booster, which on a RHD is located above the pedal inside the fire wall. Its a real pain in the ass to get in and out but it CAN be done without removing the steering column. After a few cuts and scrapes and lots of frustration I eventually found the sweet spot

But first you got to try and find a replacement as they are discontinued. Here is where I got mine, from a thread with some info and a source that Boogie74 had found:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/70-series-tech/285598-clutch-pedal-hard.html

I noticed his link in that thread is dead, so I dont know if they are still available but here is the company in China that was making them:

http://www.hbxingpu.com/z1.htm

 

[Malahki]

Installed a glow screen pre heat timer over ride switch. The timer box is located under the dash behind the glove box and I just had to splice into the yellow wire and ran it to a momentary push button switch.

I'll eventually change that switch out to a lighted on/off toggle switch because their is no fear of forgetting it on with the timer having a 30 second maximum. Also in that location its hard to hold in the button and turn the key at the same time. If its cold enough to activate the timer on its own you can push the switch in after the key has already been turned but part of the reason for this over ride is the timer does not activate until its around 0 to -5 degrees Celsius, which is not soon enough and then of course it does not stay on long enough

FYI: Like most of my information, someone else on the forum did it first and deserves the credit, I am just copying them and passing it on

 

[Malahki]

Last November I decided it was time for a circulating block heater. Its a Zerostat 1000 Watt industrial model. Others on the forum might think its overkill and a lower rad hose heater is all you need but after last winter I am very happy with the results. Even when Temps dropped below -30*C, I never needed to plug it in for more then an hour or two.

The first step was to make a spacer to sit on the frame, for the mounting bracket to bolt to. Then I modified a rad hose T that I had left over from some other project.

 

[Malahki]

It was all about finding that perfect shaped hose to Tee in with

 

[Malahki]

I then Tee'd the upper hose from the Zerostat into the hose on the back of the block leading to the cab heater. I covered and secured the line to to the bottom of the battery box

 

[Malahki]

I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The cut out for the factory PTO on the skid plate fits around it perfectly and once the rubber on the inner fender guard is in place the hoses are fully protected from road debris. It does in the pic appear to hang quite low above the axle and steering componets but even at full flex their is no chance of contact

 

[Malahki]

So last winter I started to notice a little noise vibration when in 4WD HI at speed above 30Km\h. So the first step was to eliminate the easy stuff. Removed the front drive shaft and drove it again with the hubs locked and in 4Hi. Noise was gone. Had the front drive shaft balanced with new U-joints. Re installed it and the noise was back

I'm guessing its the front output bearing on the T-case but I've been holding off on pulling the case apart until I am ready to install a low range gear set.

 

[Malahki]

Final post to get this thread up to date and then it will be current projects from here on......

So I was experiencing a lot of clunking in the front end when steering at low speeds, like pulling into a parking spot. I tried to locate the problem a couple times with no luck. So I had a shop check all the TRE's and do a wheel alignment, they reported no problems and said it was probably just the leaves shifting.

So I got a friend to help turn the wheel while I looked. Nothing? No clunk? Took his foot off the brake and clunk, clunk, clunk. As soon as he released the brakes you could see all kinds of movement in the spring eyes and shackles (especially the rear). With the brakes on it wouldn't allow any movement, hence the reason I didn't find it sooner.

I ordered new bushings and received the same Terrain Tamer bushings that originally came with my lift. The noise is gone but their is still movement in the rear spring eyes. Is that normal? Are these the bushings that normally come with an Old Man Emu lift?? Are their better bushings out there??

 

[bj70_guy]

The clunking is probably the stupid spring eye sleeves OME uses now. Mine do it too.
When I had mine apart I squished the sleeves a bit so they would fit tighter... and it was silent for about a month, then the clunk comes back.
Next time they're apart I'll get them tack welded in place.

Nice truck BTW.

 

[cult45]

I too have the clunking at low speeds. I have a 2" lift, 2* castor wedges, bushes, shackles, blah blah, the only difference is mine's an EFS kit. My suspension guy says it's the shackles moving in the eyes, just as bj70_guy suggests. You could leave it [no pun intended] cause I don't think it's doing any damage. Or install poly bushes? Rougher ride though.

I was really interested to read about your front suspension work too, with the relocated centring pins. You said that and castor wedges were like night and day. Do you think it's worth it really sharpen up the front end by re-centring the spring like that? I would have to farm it out unfortunately.

 

[Malahki]

The clunking is probably the stupid spring eye sleeves OME uses - Next time they're apart I'll get them tack welded in place

Yeah that crossed my mind also, as the sleeves were coming out with the old bushings

Or install poly bushes? Rougher ride though.

I was really interested to read about your front suspension work too, with the relocated centring pins. You said that and castor wedges were like night and day.

The terrain Tamer bushings are poly and you may have misread my original post. It was re installing the castor shims in the proper direction that made the "night and day difference"

The Shims I used were ProComp 2 1/2 degree shims, However when I first installed them on the front I unknowingly put them in the wrong direction and was using them as pinion angle shims. This made the caster that much worse and the handling and bump steer was very bad. After turning them around (thick side forward) the handling was like night and day.

That said I now have 4* shims and I think its even better. With the narrow stance and wide tires, bump steer is a real problem and its better to have too much castor then not enough.

 

[bj70_guy]

That said I now have 4* shims and I think its even better. With the narrow stance and wide tires, bump steer is a real problem

Do you still have the stock pitman arm? If so, an arm from a 60 series drops about 1.5-2" and will help the bump steer some.

 

[Malahki]

Do you still have the stock pitman arm? If so, an arm from a 60 series drops about 1.5-2" and will help the bump steer some.

Yes I am running the 60 series pitman arm. Funny thing is that was the second part of my original post that I quoted above

I also added the drop pitman arm to try and keep the drag link and tie rod as parallel as possible, which also helps eliminate the bump steer. At this point I think it handles as good or better then any 4x4 I have ever owned.

 

[bigtreads]

so for the glow plug switch are you running power to the yellow wire or does interrupting the connection activate the timer ?

 

[Malahki]

so for the glow plug switch are you running power to the yellow wire or does interrupting the connection activate the timer ?

Not glow plugs but glow screen. Its a heating element in the intake manifold. And yeah your just interrupting the circuit to activate the timer. The same thing can be accomplished by disconnecting the wire on the censor at the thermostat housing. That will make the timer run its full cycle every time or until you turn the key

 

[Malahki]

Just completed my expedition drawers. Progress was slow as I made major changes along the way from my initial plans. I started out with the 400lb locking drawer slides but found I didnt like having to use both hands and thumbs to release the locks. So I drilled out the locking mechanisms. I also was going to Armour gaurd the drawers but later decided carpet was a better choice. Anyway here is the pics:

 

[Malahki]

Carpet was secured using only 3M spray adhesive. At $30 a can and 3 cans later its not cheap but after experimenting with a few cheaper variety's their is really no comparison. A little trick I learned from guys making speaker box's on youtube is dont make any square cuts or leave corners. Also overlap all seams make your cut through both layers and then peal back and remove the unwanted material. Makes for perfect seams every time

 

[Malahki]

Finished product with folding sides mounted on piano hinges and supported by removable "L" brackets combined with D-rings used for turn-buckle anchors. Additional D-rings were added to the top for load securement. All hardware utilizes T-nuts through the inside of the 3/4" plywood for additional strength. I also removed the rear tumble seat centre anchor point and used bolts up through the floor through the bottom of the drawers for some added safety in the event of a roll over.

 

[toyobaru]

Excellent work on the drawers, and the whole build! For a recent owner of a BJ74, this thread is inspiring and a great resource.