I love your new old wheels.
Builds Extremely Unhurried BJ75 Build Diary
- Thread starter gilmorneau
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Have the same bj75 from France, wagon 2 passenger. Wonder if there is nuts hidden for a seat belt on wall? Was a personnal car too.
gilmorneau
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- #23
I don't know if the seatbelt bolts are there. To find out, you'd need to remove the interior panels, but my panels are in such nice condition, and the clips that hold them in are so brittle when they get old, that I never removed the panels. I don't have seat belts installed in my car since I don't use the back seats to carry passengers, only for a place to sit when I'm camping in the car.
If you decide to investigate, let us know what you find.
If you decide to investigate, let us know what you find.
OH OOPS HAHA, guess it wasn't EXACTLY the same then... same premise at least of nationwide cargo dividers.
Have seen this Troopy in the flesh... just a remarkable well-kept original condition truck. The kind of truck dreams are made of...
gilmorneau
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- #26
They're part number 42601-60262-03, and they're still available new AFAIK (albeit at a price). Mine are from 1988, and came off a BJ71 I had for a while. They were starting to show their age a little bit, so they're at the powder coating place now. Hope to have them back soon.
Thanks, man!! I feel lucky to have found it, and I kind of have a sense of responsibility to not mess it up, hence the "extremely unhurried" build.
I do like to use it, though. Drive it almost daily, and have been on several road trips. Here it is at Overland Expo 2019:
And here approaching the Eisenhower tunnel at 12,000' elevation:
At the Southwest 70's Social gathering at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon last Fall. Hey, @Beastiethe70, you planning another one?
And at a roadside rest somewhere in the middle of the USA on a trip I did from Colorado to New Jersey:
gilmorneau
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- #27
Back to it. I wasn't lying when I called this an unhurried build thread. Anyway, here's some more stuff I've done since I've had the truck:
At some point the previous owner (in France) had backed into a pylon in a parking lot and bent the bumper a little bit. You can see it here:
Not content to leave it like that, I set to straightening it. Step one was to put a jackstand under the frame and then just push the bumper down using a forklift. Remarkably effective--this probably got it 90% of the way to straight. Next step was to unbolt the bumper and using a bench vise and an assortment of pry bars and hammers, straighten the bumper brackets as best as I could before bolting it all back together. This worked pretty well and got me most of the way there. I'd love to get my hands on either some new bumper brackets (NLA, I'm pretty sure) or some straight used ones if anyone has some they're not using. Anyway, this is how it looks now (not perfect, but it'll do):
Next up were some mudflaps. Originally, this car came only with some floppy flaps behind the front wheels and none at the rear. I wanted OEM flaps at all four corners, so they were procured and installed.
The original front-only flaps:
Brand new OEM set:
And installed:
At some point the previous owner (in France) had backed into a pylon in a parking lot and bent the bumper a little bit. You can see it here:
Not content to leave it like that, I set to straightening it. Step one was to put a jackstand under the frame and then just push the bumper down using a forklift. Remarkably effective--this probably got it 90% of the way to straight. Next step was to unbolt the bumper and using a bench vise and an assortment of pry bars and hammers, straighten the bumper brackets as best as I could before bolting it all back together. This worked pretty well and got me most of the way there. I'd love to get my hands on either some new bumper brackets (NLA, I'm pretty sure) or some straight used ones if anyone has some they're not using. Anyway, this is how it looks now (not perfect, but it'll do):
Next up were some mudflaps. Originally, this car came only with some floppy flaps behind the front wheels and none at the rear. I wanted OEM flaps at all four corners, so they were procured and installed.
The original front-only flaps:
Brand new OEM set:
And installed:
gilmorneau
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- #28
For future reference, here's the correct original grommets and screws for the mudflaps:
gilmorneau
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- #29
Those of you with sharp eyes might have noticed in the mud flap posts above that I didn't have the rubber inner fender skirts installed. The truck didn't have them when I bought it, so I bought them and installed:
gilmorneau
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- #30
There were a couple of cosmetic issues to address when I bought the truck. One was that at some point in its history a battery had leaked acid onto the paint in the engine compartment. You can see the damage here:
Well, I couldn't just leave it like that, so I cleaned it up, sanded it, primed it, and re-coated it with matching paint:
After blending it in, the final result looks pretty good for a driveway job:
Well, I couldn't just leave it like that, so I cleaned it up, sanded it, primed it, and re-coated it with matching paint:
After blending it in, the final result looks pretty good for a driveway job:
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gilmorneau
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- #31
There was another cosmetic issue with the driver's seat, which you can see here:
Even though the truck didn't have a lot of miles on it, it was still over 30 years old, and I guess all those years of sliding in and out of the seat took their toll on it. The good news is that the seat bottom is upholstered in such a way that the side that's damaged is one piece, the center with the pleats is one piece, and the other side bolster is it's own piece. Since it's done in three pieces, I only needed to find a very small piece of the original fabric to get it repaired. Easier said than done, but I managed by sheer luck to find an original forward-facing rear bench seat from a similar vintage Troopy. It had the same fabric and it was in pretty good condition. I bought the seat, took it to an upholstery shop (thanks, John!) and had him surgically remove the fabric I needed from the bench seat and use it to repair my driver's seat. The bench seat was then repaired using similar new fabric, and sold.
The final result turned out pretty good, and is totally original looking:
Makes a yuge difference to the appearance of the interior!!
Even though the truck didn't have a lot of miles on it, it was still over 30 years old, and I guess all those years of sliding in and out of the seat took their toll on it. The good news is that the seat bottom is upholstered in such a way that the side that's damaged is one piece, the center with the pleats is one piece, and the other side bolster is it's own piece. Since it's done in three pieces, I only needed to find a very small piece of the original fabric to get it repaired. Easier said than done, but I managed by sheer luck to find an original forward-facing rear bench seat from a similar vintage Troopy. It had the same fabric and it was in pretty good condition. I bought the seat, took it to an upholstery shop (thanks, John!) and had him surgically remove the fabric I needed from the bench seat and use it to repair my driver's seat. The bench seat was then repaired using similar new fabric, and sold.
The final result turned out pretty good, and is totally original looking:
Makes a yuge difference to the appearance of the interior!!
gilmorneau
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- #32
Taillights. The Euro spec Troopies I've seen of similar vintage all have taillights configured like this:
Which is all fine, I guess, but one day I was almost rear-ended in traffic by a guy in a giant lifted RAM truck because he was so close, and his truck was so high, and my lights were so low, that he didn't see me signal and brake. Now, sure, he shouldn't have been tailgating, but I figured that having the lights up a little higher on the body couldn't hurt safety-wise. In other markets, the 70-series comes with a more "normal" taillight configuration, so I did a little research, found the part numbers, and ordered these tri-color lights:
These are just the housings and lenses, there are no bulb sockets or harness included, and I couldn't find the bit of the harness that includes the bulb holders for them (NLA as far as I can tell). So I had to make them. Knowing I would eventually need them, I grabbed a couple of extra bulb holders from a wrecker when I was in Australia. My original taillights had a couple in there for the reverse lights and rear fog light. Anyway, I ended up with enough and went about making a harness. If you need to do this, lots of generic OEM style electrical connectors can be sourced here:
Good news if you have a Troopy like mine (or probably a lot of other 70-series) is that there's a connector under the truck, just forward of the rear bumper, that's intended for attaching lights for a trailer. It worked great for me as a source for wiring in the new taillights without needing to hack the original harness or interfere with the operation of the already existing lights. It looks like this:
Using connectors sourced from Vintage Connections (link above), I made my new wiring harness and plugged into these, then routed my new harness parallel to the original up into the taillight housing. Here's my new harness plugged in:
And the final result. The new lights work together with the old ones in the bumper. Much better visibility.
Which is all fine, I guess, but one day I was almost rear-ended in traffic by a guy in a giant lifted RAM truck because he was so close, and his truck was so high, and my lights were so low, that he didn't see me signal and brake. Now, sure, he shouldn't have been tailgating, but I figured that having the lights up a little higher on the body couldn't hurt safety-wise. In other markets, the 70-series comes with a more "normal" taillight configuration, so I did a little research, found the part numbers, and ordered these tri-color lights:
These are just the housings and lenses, there are no bulb sockets or harness included, and I couldn't find the bit of the harness that includes the bulb holders for them (NLA as far as I can tell). So I had to make them. Knowing I would eventually need them, I grabbed a couple of extra bulb holders from a wrecker when I was in Australia. My original taillights had a couple in there for the reverse lights and rear fog light. Anyway, I ended up with enough and went about making a harness. If you need to do this, lots of generic OEM style electrical connectors can be sourced here:
Good news if you have a Troopy like mine (or probably a lot of other 70-series) is that there's a connector under the truck, just forward of the rear bumper, that's intended for attaching lights for a trailer. It worked great for me as a source for wiring in the new taillights without needing to hack the original harness or interfere with the operation of the already existing lights. It looks like this:
Using connectors sourced from Vintage Connections (link above), I made my new wiring harness and plugged into these, then routed my new harness parallel to the original up into the taillight housing. Here's my new harness plugged in:
And the final result. The new lights work together with the old ones in the bumper. Much better visibility.
Wow. You're really going for the originality, aren't you?! Impressive. Beautiful Belgian "barn find".
gilmorneau
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- #34
French, actually. I found it just north of Nantes.
Yup, keeping it (mostly) original for now. Really enjoying the simplicity of it.
Yup, keeping it (mostly) original for now. Really enjoying the simplicity of it.
No idea why my brain registered Belgium. 
gilmorneau
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- #36
It's been a while--thought I'd post some more stuff on here about my Troopy.
When I got the car in 2017, it had just 65,000km on it and it came with receipts from its 60,000km service, which happened in 2014. Clearly, it wasn't being driven much. As far as I can tell, all the service on this car had been done at Les Garages Chaigneau, which I believe was the original selling dealership. The receipt from 2014 shows that the Troopy received scheduled maintenance at that time, including: 30 point inspection, new oil and filter, new air filter, new fuel filter (and system purge), new brake fluid (and system purge), chassis lube, new diff and transmission oils, new belts, and a road test. All that cost the owner just over 400 Euro. Not bad, I guess.
I also have the most recent Proces-Verbal de Controle Technique d'un Vehiclule Automobile, which is the French annual inspection (otherwise known as the CT). It shows no faults requiring correction, so all good.
Since I've had it, I've been doing all the maintenance myself (so no more cool French receipts). Regular valve adjustments and oil changes are important, and I'm kind of a zealot about it. I've been using synthetic oil and OEM Toyota filters for the motor:
and OEM Toyota fuel filters:
When I got the car in 2017, it had just 65,000km on it and it came with receipts from its 60,000km service, which happened in 2014. Clearly, it wasn't being driven much. As far as I can tell, all the service on this car had been done at Les Garages Chaigneau, which I believe was the original selling dealership. The receipt from 2014 shows that the Troopy received scheduled maintenance at that time, including: 30 point inspection, new oil and filter, new air filter, new fuel filter (and system purge), new brake fluid (and system purge), chassis lube, new diff and transmission oils, new belts, and a road test. All that cost the owner just over 400 Euro. Not bad, I guess.
I also have the most recent Proces-Verbal de Controle Technique d'un Vehiclule Automobile, which is the French annual inspection (otherwise known as the CT). It shows no faults requiring correction, so all good.
Since I've had it, I've been doing all the maintenance myself (so no more cool French receipts). Regular valve adjustments and oil changes are important, and I'm kind of a zealot about it. I've been using synthetic oil and OEM Toyota filters for the motor:
and OEM Toyota fuel filters:
gilmorneau
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- #37
I also replaced the thermostat and completely flushed and refilled the cooling system a while back. Nothing wrong with any of it, and nothing unusual or crusty to be found in there, but I just like to know it's all new and good. Cooling is sooo important on diesel motors.
Here's the old thermostat:
I've definitely seen worse. And here's the new one:
Part numbers, for those interested:
Those of you with sharp eyes might notice that I went with the 82C thermostat, rather than the 88C one originally specified for a Euro market truck. My thinking on this was that summer in the SW USA is far more like the outback of Australia or the Middle East deserts, where Toyota specified the 82C thermostat, than it is like northern Europe or Japan, where Toyota specified the 88C unit. So far it's been working out well. Temp gauge rides at just over 1/4-ish, whereas before it was usually just about 2/5ths or so. Not a huge difference, but noticeably cooler running. The heat still works great in the winter, so no worries about that.
Here's the old thermostat:
I've definitely seen worse. And here's the new one:
Part numbers, for those interested:
Those of you with sharp eyes might notice that I went with the 82C thermostat, rather than the 88C one originally specified for a Euro market truck. My thinking on this was that summer in the SW USA is far more like the outback of Australia or the Middle East deserts, where Toyota specified the 82C thermostat, than it is like northern Europe or Japan, where Toyota specified the 88C unit. So far it's been working out well. Temp gauge rides at just over 1/4-ish, whereas before it was usually just about 2/5ths or so. Not a huge difference, but noticeably cooler running. The heat still works great in the winter, so no worries about that.
gilmorneau
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- #38
About six months ago, I started noticing some noise that sounded suspiciously like an exhaust leak. Sure enough, the exhaust pipe where it goes through the back side of the front right wheel well had corroded to the point where it was starting to leak.
This is a brutal location for an exhaust pipe to live, considering all the mud, rocks, water, etc. that gets thrown onto it by the tire. Not surprising it was the first bit to go. Anyway, I actually found the correct OEM Toyota replacement part in Europe, but the shipping would have been kinda extreme. I ended up having a local guy fabricate a new section and install it (thanks, Jeff!). Looks pretty much like factory, and now she's nice and quiet again (relatively speaking).
This is a brutal location for an exhaust pipe to live, considering all the mud, rocks, water, etc. that gets thrown onto it by the tire. Not surprising it was the first bit to go. Anyway, I actually found the correct OEM Toyota replacement part in Europe, but the shipping would have been kinda extreme. I ended up having a local guy fabricate a new section and install it (thanks, Jeff!). Looks pretty much like factory, and now she's nice and quiet again (relatively speaking).
gilmorneau
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- #39
And because this Troopy gets driven, here's a few fun shots of it in action:
There's a lot of room in a Troopy--we're makin' good use of it here:
Desert camping at an undisclosed location:
Eatin' up the miles:
And visiting friends:
Here's the twins. They belong to a friend of mine. The one in the foreground is for plowin'. The one in the back is for huntin'. These two work, and have been for a long, long time.
There's a lot of room in a Troopy--we're makin' good use of it here:
Desert camping at an undisclosed location:
Eatin' up the miles:
And visiting friends:
Here's the twins. They belong to a friend of mine. The one in the foreground is for plowin'. The one in the back is for huntin'. These two work, and have been for a long, long time.
Fascinating reading and a great photo-réportage mate!
Thank you for sharing with our community and keep troopying!
Thank you for sharing with our community and keep troopying!
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