Builds BJ75 Pickup

[shansen]

Third Landcruiser, I've been looking for a pickup for about a year now. This one popped up on an auction and and about a week later, arrived in my driveway. It's been a couple months now of work getting everything up to where I'm comfortable driving it long distances, still a few things to go before it's "done" (though they are never done). I didn't take a ton of pictures through the process, but I'll post what I have captured.

 

[shansen]

A little more about the truck. It's a 1990 BJ75, left hand drive, 24v. I know nothing about previous owners, other than someone spent some money on cosmetic stuff and really didn't know much about mechanical needs, or electrical (more on that in a bit). A really nice bonus for me though, the truck has front and rear cable lockers (front is seized) and someone added an aftermarket AC, which has some other issues.

To make things interesting, when the shipper dropped off the vehicle they gave me three keys. One worked on the ignition, none of them worked on the doors. I found this out the hard way after locking myself out of the truck. A quick call to AAA and they came and unlocked it. Next thing was to order new door/ignition locks and keys so they would all be the same. A few days and some international shipping from Australia and they were at my doorstep. Easy install.

The first big project was to stop things from leaking on my driveway. I have one spot on there from an 88 Toyota Pickup leaky rear pinion seal, goal was to not add to spots on the driveway. No leaks from the engine/transmission, but the knuckles were dripping oil and brake fluid.

Replaced all the wheel bearings, and inner axle seals, knuckle rebuild, in addition to a rear pinion seal. I'm fortunate to live in Utah and Cruiser Outfitters is along my commute home each day. Bryce and Chris have heard from me a lot in the last couple months and it's been awesome to be able to get much of the parts the same day on will-call.

Rear brake cylinders were leaking, so those were replaced in the process as well. Both the brake lines bolts were seized in the cylinder and the brake line broke, fortunately I was able to find a replacement line with the correct threading at oReilly Auto, and bend them to fit correctly with a brake line bender.

Bearings/Axle seals went well for 3 of the wheels, one was a bit of a challenge. As you can see in the picture below, something blew up at some point and scraped up the inside of the knuckle really well. This made pulling the axle seal a challenge, as it also messed up that area. About ten minutes with a small Dremel tool and I was able to smooth out the axle seal surface enough to get the new seal to fit properly. Clips were not present on the ends where the axle meets the hub, so I added those back in as well. One of the hubs was really tough to lock/unlock, and I like shiny things, so new Aisin hubs were installed as well. Put everything back together and no leaks/drips for a couple months now.

 

[shansen]

Shortly after the axle stuff, all the fluids were changed. Using Royal Purple synthetic 90w in all the differentials, transmission and t-case. I ordered about 10 gallons of this a few years ago on Amazon and have used it in the other (BJ70). It's worked great. Swapped out all the diff/transfer/transmission fill and drain plugs to allen-wrench style.

The next fun part was all the electrical... ...what a mess. I think I removed about 2-3 pounds of excess wiring; stuff that was not OEM and had been installed at some point, then something removed but the wiring left. If it was not OEM, I pulled it. There were two non-functioning 24-12v step down transformers, a slew of relays (all 12v) and just a bunch of random wires to nowhere.

This led to some unfortunate discoveries, the AC system, winch and IPF lights were all 12v and wired to one of the two batteries. There were also a bunch of 12v bulbs that had burnt out since they were being fed 24v. Hopped on to Amazon and ordered all the correct voltage bulbs, a new 24-12v converter and some distribution blocks. Put the Warn VR8000 up for sale locally and sold it in about a week, replaced it with a 24v Comeup DV9

I'm not sure what this thing is, it was wired the front of the vehicle with an odd adaptor and another one in the cab. Might be an engine block heater? Not sure why there was an outlet in the cab for it.

 

[shansen]

On to the fun of the AC system. Not sure what it came out of but a PO managed to replace the heating system in the cab and install AC on it. Not the prettiest, but it does work (mostly). The compressor, blower motor and condenser fan are all 12v and were wired to the low side battery. I re-routed the wiring and hooked them all up to a distribution block coming from the step down transformer, which is on a relay so it is only powered when the ignition is in the on position.

The blower motor was a bit of a challenge; it's 12v. When the switch was in the high position, the motor was receiving 24v and you could smell the motor burning. When in the lower fan switch positions, the motor would receive less than 24v (thanks to the blower motor resistor), but kept blowing the blower motor resistor. The original resistor may have been 12v (and was blown), I put in a 24v resistor, which blew a few days later. I then tried to put 12v to the fan speed switch instead of 24v, and run through a 12v blower motor resistor, but learned that the switch controls a relay somewhere and the 12v was not enough to kick in the relay (and would not have worked anyway since discovering it just controls a relay). Not wanting to hack into the wiring much more, I took an easy approach, bypassing the blower motor resistor and installing a small fan speed switch in one of the knockout panels in the dash. $13.99 and delivered the next day. I'd rather use the OEM switch, but the work to get that accomplished is more than I want to tackle since there is an easy alternative.

 

[shansen]

This last week I tacked the radio. The truck came with an Alpine CD radio with Bluetooth, 12v of course, wired to one battery and constantly on. I guess the PO didn't mind turning on and off the radio every time they got into the car. Super annoying. I read a lot of threads on different methods of getting a 12v radio to work through the transformer, but the memory either gets lost every time you shut it off or you have to wire constant power to one of the batteries. I didn't want to do this, so I ordered a 24v radio and metra wiring harness. The radio is a Continental TR7423UB-OR; I only care about bluetooth and don't use CD's, so this worked well. I had a friend in Germany order it from Amazon and ship it to me. Overall about $145.

The radio almost fit in the dash... ...I ditched the trim ring but there was still about a 1/4" plastic "trim" that was part of the plastic face behind the buttons. Some careful time on a grinding wheel removed this trim so that the plastic was even with the metal body of the radio.

Also picked up a President Johnson II USA CB, keeping the 24v setup going, and installed both in the dash in the double din space. These snugged up really well and work great. Radio keeps all its memory settings, and is on a 24v system so I don't need to worry about battery issues. Love the automatic squelch on the Johnson II CB as well.

The antenna was broken, so picked up an OEM antenna from Cruiser Outfitters and installed that as well. Researching the threads indicated that most pulled the upper fender (I think that is what is called), but one referenced pulling the door to get access to the bolt needed to secure the bottom of the antenna. I took this approach; 4 bolts on the door, 1 pin, and within a few minutes the door was removed. You can see the access in the picture below. Installed the new antenna easily, pulled the antenna cord through and hooked it up to the radio. All works great now.

 

[shansen]

Had a trip to Costa Rica in July during the middle of all of this, picked up an additional cruiser, although this one is much smaller and will never leak anything...

 

[shansen]

About 10 years ago my mom gave me a case for my Hi-Lift jack, which has been on all three of my Landcruisers and has kept it rust free. It was previously installed on a roof rack on my FJ40, and then just in the back of my BJ70. For the pickup we needed something to hold it securely. My father recently retired and had some time on his hands, so he made this holder out of some scrap metal he had lying around. Works pretty well, holds it in place, no rattling and should keep accessible while deterring, or at least slowing down, potential theft.

 

[shansen]

Today was a pretty easy day. Since the Warn VR8000 sold, I was able to put on the Comeup DV9. Went in really easy. I don't really like the included giant hose-clamp type mounts to hold the solenoid/electrical box, so I used the mount previously used on the VR winch, just drilled an additional hole so it would fit the box for the DV9.

As soon as its a bit darker I'll head to a parking lot to figure out the right position for the IPF lights since those had to come off and go back on. My dog, "Chicken", is excited for the short ride.

 

[Reinhardtius]

Super nice BJ75. I’ve got a red one. Welcome to the club

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Very nice looking Ute.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Registry - U.S. 70's Registration.

I realize this has been tried before but with the increasing number of 70 Series in the U.S., I thought I would give it another shot. If you live in the U.S. ( nothing personal Canada ) and own a 70 Series can you post the type and state in which you reside. Feel free to post a photo. Hopefully...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Welcome to the madness.





Juan

 

[ozcrusier]

Nice truck with a great owner keep up the good work.

 

[coldtaco]

Shortly after the axle stuff, all the fluids were changed. Using Royal Purple synthetic 90w in all the differentials, transmission and t-case. I ordered about 10 gallons of this a few years ago on Amazon and have used it in the other (BJ70). It's worked great. Swapped out all the diff/transfer/transmission fill and drain plugs to allen-wrench style.

The next fun part was all the electrical... ...what a mess. I think I removed about 2-3 pounds of excess wiring; stuff that was not OEM and had been installed at some point, then something removed but the wiring left. If it was not OEM, I pulled it. There were two non-functioning 24-12v step down transformers, a slew of relays (all 12v) and just a bunch of random wires to nowhere.

This lead to some unfortunate discoveries, the AC system, winch and IPF lights were all 12v and wired to one of the two batteries. There were also a bunch of 12v bulbs that had burnt out since they were being fed 24v. Hopped on to Amazon and ordered all the correct voltage bulbs, a new 24-12v converter and some distribution blocks. Put the Warn VR8000 up for sale locally and sold it in about a week, replaced it with a 24v Comeup DV9

I'm not sure what this thing is, it was wired the front of the vehicle with an odd adaptor and another one in the cab. Might be an engine block heater? Not sure why there was an outlet in the cab for it.

View attachment 2054860

View attachment 2054861

View attachment 2054862

that's a block heater.

 

[2fpower]

awesome! looking at your axle pictures brought back recent memories.....

 

[shansen]

awesome! looking at your axle pictures brought back recent memories.....

I've been watching yours... such dedication. I have far fewer complaints about my vehicles previous owners after seeing what yours has been through.

 

[portcruiser]

Hi Shansen

Congratulations on your beautiful BJ75 . You are doing a fantastic work . The electric system on these 24v trucks is tricky to say the least for those who don't know it well , so they keep plugging 24-12v reducers connected to either "high" or "low" side batteries . The outcome usually is batteries that last only a few months , sometimes weeks . On the engine bay , next the air filter box , there should be a small black box where we can pick 24 volts without messing with the original wiring of the Land Cruiser . That is where I would go to power the radio and CB . BTW , congratulations on your choice of radio . It is a really good one , designed to endure the use and abuse in large cargo trucks , very simple to operate , and it should include a small microphone that you can mount , to use the handsfree telephone function . I use a Kienzle in my HJ61 , works great . You said you took off a few pounds of non original electrical wiring . I did the same , on my older 24 volt 1982 , 4 speed HJ60 , but it was not a few pounds ! It was 137,6 meters of non original wires , and that was how I got it dirt cheap - The lady that sold it to me said she was selling because batteries lasted only 2-3 months ! Took everything non original off , batteries last forever now !
Some months ago I bought a 1999 HZJ75 troopy , and sure enough , batteries kept dying . I already found 3 voltage reducers and about 25 meters of non original wires . Everything to the trash . And some parts of the original wiring hacked/ripped off . Very time consuming to revert everything to original . Will put a Kienzle 24v radio with the same functions as your Continental . What I like best in your truck , are the cable operated diff locks . Sometimes the cables seize due to lack of mantainance , but they are much simpler to repair if needed , than the electric operated ones as im my HZJ75 !

Congratulations again !

Portcruiser

 

[OGBeno]

^^^ This. Don’t hack into the OEM system. There are plenty of options for 24v flavor for everything you need.

 

[shansen]

On the engine bay , next the air filter box , there should be a small black box where we can pick 24 volts with messing with the original wiring of the Land Cruiser . That is where I would go to power the radio and CB

For the radio and CB, I just used this Metra wiring harness that plugs right into the OEM plug for the radio. The factory plug already has the constant power, keyed power, illumination, ground, etc in the harness. $5 at Amazon and you don't have to do much to have everything wired correctly. I connected the CB to the keyed power, along with the radio, through the Metra harness.

On the small black box near the air filter, it has several fuses in there. What is the purpose of the box / what does it connect to?

Currently I connected the step down transformer through a relay to the high side battery positive, and to the ground of the frame (which is connected to the low side negative). Is there an issue with this? I see three other connections from the factory harness that are getting power through here as well; in addition to the starter. The relay for the inverter is turned on through through a keyed 24v feed; really the only thing I'm tapping into (soldered connection) in the entire factory system.

I'd love to get rid of all things 12v, but until I find a 24v AC compressor and 24v blower motor for the AC system, I'm stuck using the step down transformer. As long as they are working ok I'll continue to use them through the transformer.

 

[portcruiser]

Hi Scott

"On the small black box near the air filter, it has several fuses in there. What is the purpose of the box / what does it connect to?"

On the small box with 3 fuses , you have :
1 - 24 volt power , always on .
2 - 24 volt power , acc ( key on the accessories position )
3 - 24 volt power , ignition on ( engine running )
4 - one ground point .

You can connect any accessory you like , as long as you respect the amperage of the respective fuses .
The purpose of this box , is that people don't hack into the original wiring of the truck when connecting accessories .

To find a 24 volt compressor you need to go to an AC shop that works with heavy trucks . Most of them are 24 volts . Your AC compressor must be a Nippondenso 10P15C or something close . Your BJ75 , being from 1990 , should have had R12 gas , but you can/must find an R134 system now .
To find a 24 volt blower motor and compressor , perhaps it easier to find it in Europe . These guys in Holland , www.cruiserworld.eu , have lots of stuff , mostly to the 60 series , but they can also find parts for the 70 . They are not cheap , but they are very professional and reliable . Surely there are some others , but I don't know them so well . A fellow member , here in Ih8mud , joekatana , has lots of european stuff , maybe he can help you .

Best of luck