Builds A Re-Build of 2004 78 Series Troopy 1HD FTE (1 Viewer)

[prwillard2]

Fitted a set of recovery trax - doubt they will ever be required

Also I got in before the local gubbermunts 40% import duty kicked in on imported tyres and fitted a set of 6 x 285/75 16 Mud Terrain Radar Renegade rubbers

Some pics of the recent proof of concept trip we did to the Namakwa desert in South Africa

Where'd you snag the side flares for your troopy?

 

[tlc_4play]

Bought from a crown in Pretoria ZA called Onca Off Road
But the flares are Kut Snake brand imported from Aussie

 

[tlc_4play]

Short Update

Decided that the front Bullbar needed a spruce up - so the solution was to Raptor coat the bullbar

Rather than hours of sanding I removed the bar and sent it for sandblasting.

Then I gave it 2 coats of etch primer

Then it got 2 coats of Raptor Liner black

I dont like the rough lumpy finish most people get with the Raptor, I wanted a more fine textured finish, so I bought the Raptor Professional spray gun and then tested on a piece of cardboard until I got the texture that i wanted

Then I also fitted a Warn 12,000lb winch with Plasma rope
The finished item

 

[tlc_4play]

Latest Upgrades to "The Lorry"

I had extended (for the 50mm lift) stainless steel braided & reinforced brake lines installed to replace all the OEM rubber brake lines.
Front from chassis to axle and each front wheel caliper.
Rear from chassis to axle and each rear wheel caliper.
My Troopy has factory rear disks.
Also drained and replaced the brake fluid with DOT 5 brake fluid.
The rear brake load proportioning valve was also re-adjusted to cater for the 50mm lift.

The result was a significant increase in braking performance at an estimate, 25-30% better.

The next brake upgrade which will be done in Feb, is to fit the recently acquired 80 Series, dual diaphragm brake vacuum booster.
This will then complete the braking system upgrades.
BTW The Lorry - is already fitted was the front POWERBRAKE drilled and slotted disk rotors and sintered pads.

And,,, This is strange - I had just fitted the Racor diesel prefilter, but when I started removing the fuel lines from my existing diesel filter to extend them to the Racor filter, i noticed something i did not expect to see.....
This vehicle is fitted ex factory with 2 x Toyota diesel filters, a pre filter and a secondary filter. I subsequently removed the Racor unit as it is now redundant.

 

[tlc_4play]

Just got back from a 5500km round trip to the Trans Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari Game Reserves in Botswana.

We used mostly unused Botswana govt firebreak cutlines (very thick sand tracks) for our routes, the minimum temp for our trip was 39Deg C and average was 42-45deg C compared to the recent Northern Hemispheres freezing temps.

The old "Lorry" didnt miss a beat

 

[Felde]

Just got back from a 5500km round trip to the Trans Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari Game Reserves in Botswana.

We used mostly unused Botswana govt firebreak cutlines (very thick sand tracks) for our routes, the minimum temp for our trip was 39Deg C and average was 42-45deg C compared to the recent Northern Hemispheres freezing temps.

The old "Lorry" didnt miss a beat

Sounds like a great trip. Any pics? please, please
Cheers Ralf

 

[tlc_4play]

 

[prwillard2]

Latest Upgrades to "The Lorry"

I had extended (for the 50mm lift) stainless steel braided & reinforced brake lines installed to replace all the OEM rubber brake lines.
Front from chassis to axle and each front wheel caliper.
Rear from chassis to axle and each rear wheel caliper.

Is there a kit or part number for this that you can recommend? I'm looking to do the same once I get my lift put on.

 

[Paulrotterdam]

Just got back from a 5500km round trip to the Trans Kgalagadi and Central Kalahari Game Reserves in Botswana.

We used mostly unused Botswana govt firebreak cutlines (very thick sand tracks) for our routes, the minimum temp for our trip was 39Deg C and average was 42-45deg C compared to the recent Northern Hemispheres freezing temps.

The old "Lorry" didnt miss a beat

Kgalagadi is troopy heaven! We didn't run into a single soul in five days and 800km's of driving through the park back in 2019! Memories!

 

[tlc_4play]

Is there a kit or part number for this that you can recommend? I'm looking to do the same once I get my lift put on.

They are all Terran Tamer parts - check out their Aussie website www.terraintamer.com

 

[tlc_4play]

UPDATE:

"The Lorry" is presently in the shop getting a few upgrades...

I located an 80 Series Dual diaphragm brake vacuum booster this is now being fitted.
Front and rear Harrop (Terrain Tamer) E-Lockers
Im removing the Ironman front Coils, front shocks and rear shocks - and replacing them with a set of DCS Remote reservoir adjustable shocks and coils.
Its also having its 5000km Oil and filter change (Im a bit anal about doing oil and filter change every 5000km)

'The Lorry" has 2 sub (aux) tanks, the OEM 90ltr and an additional 60Ltr tank that gravity feeds into the OEM 90Ltr Sub (aux) tank.
During our recent trip to Botswana i noticed there was diesel sweat around the fitting where the OEM sub tank feeds into the secondary 60Ltr Aux tank.
So, both the OEM 90ltr tank and the secondary 60 Ltr aux tank are being removed for pressure testing and repairs.

I am also considering moving all my 12V Aux electrickery system, namely the Victron DC/DC charger, Victron MPPT, Victron Shunt, Victron Inverter, Victron 220/12 Batt charger as they are presently inside the side body panel behind the Drivers seat. The reason being, on the Botswana trip, one of my mates has an issue with his Victron DC/DC charger not working, and to gain access to work on it we had to remove the drivers seat. So i thought, , , , , if I ever have an issue and my system needs to be worked on - I will need a contortionist dwarf to gain access. So the plan will be to mount the electrickery system onto a plywood panel spaced and mounted onto the inside of the shower cubicle Gullwing.

The present position.

The plan is now to mount all the electrickery components onto the side of this Gullwing box
Lets hope it works.

The DCS remote reservoir adjustable shocks

 

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UPDATE:

Not mentioned earlier, whilst in the shop for the abovementioned add-ons, I asked the shop to check out why the HD clutch installed by the previous owner was shuddering so violently in reverse gear.

What they discovered.... Turns out this shuddering is a common issue with these type of HD clutch plates that have buttons of sintered type of friction material on one side and normal friction material on their opposite side, to the point that this has caused uneven high spots on the flywheel and clutch plate.
Remedy- the flywheel has been sent away for skimming and all components are now being replaced, an Exedy (normal type friction material) HD clutch plate & pressure plate, thrust bearing, spigot bearing and the rear crank seal is being replaced for good measure.

 

[African]

mmm....Kief build !!
This is a dream lorry for me ..
Ticks a lot of boxes... more out in the veld pics please

 

[tlc_4play]

UPDATE:

Got "The Lorry" back from the shop yesterday.
Work performed....
1. 5000km Oil and filter change
2. Remove original brake vacuum booster and replace with dual diaphragm brake vacuum booster.
3. Perform complete front and rear differential overhauls, new carrier bearings, new pinion bearings, new oil seal and set crownwheel and pinion wear pattern and backlash.
4. Install Harrop E-Lockers in both front and rear differentials
5. Replace existing clutch with Safari Heavy duty clutch plate, pressure plate, thrust bearing, spigot bearing and rear crank oil seal. Skim and Dynamically balance flywheel together with pressure and clutch plate.
6. Do some electrickery work that required attention.

None of this work was required as a result of performance or breakdown requirements, but rather as a result of things / improvements that I wanted to do to improve the overall reliability and drivability of The Lorry. With the following exceptions; a] the existing clutch was shuddering violently due to having developed high spots on flywheel. b} evidence of past water ingestion into diffs was evident from some diff components showing rust residue.

New driving impressions;
as a result of the dynamic balancing of the clutch components and flywheel the driving experience is now really noticeably super smooth and the difference for the better is almost unbelievable.
and,,,,, for all you 70 series drivers, a recommendation, one of the best improvements you will do for the safety of you and your trucks, is to upgrade the brakes, even if you do only the dual diaphragm vacuum booster and stainless steel braided hoses, but what I have done over the past year was the full Monty - Powerbrake front disk rotors and pads, TT heavy duty rear disk rotors and pads, stainless steel braided brake hoses, dual diaphragm vacuum booster
The improvement in braking performance is absolutely exceptional.

Now - the new remote reservoir DCS suspension is being fitted on Monday - feedback on this to follow.

 

[tlc_4play]

Had the DCS remote reservoir 20way adjustable shocks and front coils fitted
Currently set on 5 clicks up from softest and this feels a bit softer than what the old fitted Ironman FoamCell Pro felt.

I will give a full report on their performance once Ive had the opportunity to take them on some dirt tracks.

Front

Rear

 

[modernbeat]

Was the 1HD-FTE offered in the South African 78 Series? I thought the only 78s that got them were 2004-06 Australian models.

 

[tlc_4play]

Was the 1HD-FTE offered in the South African 78 Series? I thought the only 78s that got them were 2004-06 Australian models.

Back in 2003 Toyota South Africa imported a lowly 15 of 78 series Troopys to test/gauge the market response and acceptance for the vehicle. at the time they opted for the Aussie spec which was 1HD FTE, disk brakes all round and a few other niceties that never found their way onto the now local imported version donkey with 1HZ
Since then all Troopys imported by Toyota SA were fitted with the 1HZ anchor

Mine is one of the original 15.

I am only the 2nd owner, the previous owner used it as the support vehicle (chuck wagon) for his Photographic Safari business in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.

There are rumours circulating in south africa at the moment that from late 2023 the imported 78 Series Troopy will be fitted with the GD6 motor (150kw) out of the HiLux and will also be offered with an auto transmission (6spd) as option