Good Times - 1992 HZJ73 (9 Viewers)

[LDRF]

It's been a while for me to get things going on my 1992 JDM HZJ73. I picked it up in October of 2022 and drove it 800km home.

A few things about it.

It's a ZX model that came in white, color 045 with trim FC10, but is painted blue with "Good Times" graphics/decals. It has 232,000km, a A440F automatic with K085 LSD axles and AVM manual locking hubs replacing the automatic electric hubs. The FRP top probably came in white but is painted silver now. I have the original owners manual as well as the Factory Service Manual.

Good Times!

Good Times "wave" graphic

Interior Trim

The rest of the grey/blue cloth interior

Does anyone know anything about the Good Times decals/graphics? The yellow wood grain trim?

 

[LDRF]

What's been going on since I drove it home???

I spent most of last year and this year compliling parts and looking for a garage where I could work on it.

For the body I picked up OEM fenders, fender spacers and rockers, patch panels for the rockers and window seals for the FRP top.

For the mechanicals I got rotors, pads and all of the soft lines for my brakes. Everything to refresh the front end: knuckle repair kit with bearings, races and seals, relay rod and tie rod ends, stabilizer bar bushings and hardware, and a new steering damper. Plus filters, pinion seals, hex drain plugs, light bulbs, other misc items and some tools.

At at the end of June, I found a place; basically the back end of a big garage that's about 20'x20'. It needed a LOT of cleaning and organization to clear the area out, as well as some repair work on the roof to patch some holes/leaks. It has a dirt/gravel floor that I needed to address, as no one wants to work in the dirt.

Getting there!

Almost ready. I raked the floor and leveled it as much as possible ...

... and put down a 5/8" OSB floor ... ready for Good TImes!

Hmmmm .... will it fit?

Let me think ... no!

I guess I need to find another garage!

 

[coldtaco]

Let the air out of your tires

 

[Sundowner]

Let the air out of your tires

I vote for some 35-series rubber, just for shop use. Also, that dash trim color/pattern is dope.

 

[LDRF]

Rather then finding a new garage, putting in a bigger door, or raising the foundation, I let the air out of the tires and drove in.

Then I left town for almost two months! I must have a parasitic draw someplace, because it was dead. I've been meaning to buy a charger/conditioner, so went and got a NOCO Genius 2x2 and hooked it up.

The one battery was down to zero volts, so I had to force charge it. I let it charge up and they been a-ok since.

@essco1503, @Greg_B, @Freewheel , since the batteries were charged up, I've left it hooked up for the last month in maintenance mode. I'll report how well it keeps them working, especially when it starts getting into the depths of our cold Winnipeg winters.

 

[LDRF]

I vote for some 35-series rubber, just for shop use. Also, that dash trim color/pattern is dope.

I love the trim. It's a weird wood grain look and has a little surface texture. I wonder if someone did it by hand, as I don't see it being a factory option. If anyone knows anything about it, I'd be happy to hear it.

 

[LDRF]

Good Times came with three sets of tires. A mismatched set on the truck, three well worn Wild County Radial XTX's on OEM 15" 20 offset wheels and a BFGoodrich KO2 in pretty good shape on a random chrome wheel. A set of four old, cracked and rotted Uniroyal M+S Plus tires on OEM 15" 8 offset wheels. And finally, a set of four Yokohoma SY065 7.0" LT studded tires on what appears to be the same random chrome wheels as the K02.

I'll use the studded Yokohoma's in the winter to go out on the lakes ice fishing. They should work pretty good!

I needed to make some space in the garage, so I took the ratted out Uniroyals off using the standard high-lift jack bead breaker and tire spoons.

I'll need a new set of tires, but I'm not sure what yet, but I'll probably go with BGF KO2s. Thoughts?
I think I'll stick to the 31X10.5 size as well. Thoughts there?

I'm also not sure whether to run the 8 offset or 20 offset wheels. I'll have to source one 8 offset wheel if I go in that direction. Does anyone know what the offset they came from the factory with?

 

[bj70bc]

yokohama g003
they work very well on a 40 or a 70

 

[Guyute]

I love the trim. It's a weird wood grain look and has a little surface texture. I wonder if someone did it by hand, as I don't see it being a factory option. If anyone knows anything about it, I'd be happy to hear it.

My 77 had some trim bits that looked similar when I bought it. Believe it's called hydro dipping. While it was convincing wood grain... I choose to have my teenage son wet sand it off as part of being grounded. Wax-on-wax-off. Never vaped in his room again.

 

[LDRF]

I started work about a month ago, just in time for winter here in Manitoba. For some context, I'm no mechanic but am pretty handy with tools and a service manual. I've never done anything but minor work on cars, filters, hoses, tires, et cetera, so it will be an adventure for me.

Up it goes!

My plan was to start at the back an move forward. So the first job was the rear brakes, parking brakes and lines. The rear brakes were working, but the parking brake was siezed up. I decided to start on the left side as it had a little movement; the right hand side was frozen. So I started hosing down all of the connectors with three different brands of loose-nut (Wd-40, Sea-Foam and PB Blaster). I was concerend that the parking brake cable was seized, but as the loose-nut started working I discovered it was fine and it was the parking brakes were the problem.

I got everything apart on the left side, with exception on the bell crank pin. It moved on the crank but was frozen to the aluminum housing. I decided to leave it rather then trying to drill/punch it out and break the housing. A little heat from the MAP gas torch helped remove the pin from the brake wire. I cleaned everything up with an assortment of wire brushes. I was quite surprised that things were in pretty good shape, even after 15 salty Canadian winters. All of the other rusty steel parts I needed to reuse came out nice and clean after a long bath in Evapo-Rust. It is MAGIC!!!

Reassembly went well (sort of) as assembling the parking brake mechinisim with the hub on is an excercise in swearing and jambed/mangled fingers! I used lots of purple brake grease inside the bellcrank boot and the linkages to avoid rust and seizing.

New shoes and parts!

The right side followed. The bellcrank and housing was completly rust seized so I needed to drill out the pin and use MAP gas and a punch to get it out. I managed to do it without beaking it! Other than that the disassembly and assembly went well.

I disassembled and Evapo-Rust'ed all of the parking brake cable equilizer parts, then greased and reassembled it.

Done with the parking brake!

 

[LDRF]

I really didn't know what to expect from the calipers. I was thinking to reinstall them or put in new seals, depending on how they looked. Once I got them off, they looked pretty good; no leaks and the pistons moved. I decided that rather then screw around with seals or throw them back in and find that they decide to leak, I looked at finding some remanufactured calipers. After trolling/searching the forums, I found @Westcoast78's thread about using FJ Cruiser calipers. The local Fat Guys Auto Parts had them in stock, caliper and bracket, for $80.50 CAD each. SOLD!

Loaded and ready!

On they went. Like the thread said, the right side for the FJ went on the left and the left on the right. Good old swapping fun!

I got a set of new soft brake lines from Terrain Tamer and set about completing the job. That didn't go well. The end of the brake line that fits into the bracket on both the left and right sides were too big so they did not seat into the bracket. I had to get a file out and shave down the ends of the brake line fitting so they fit into the bracket. A bit of a pain in the ass, but after about 15 min of filing I was able to get them to seat and get the clips in.

New calipers, lines and rotors!

I just need to bleed them and the rears are good to go.

 

[LDRF]

I spent the last two days redoing the left side parking brake on my HZJ73 with rear disk brakes.

I was testing it’s operation and then heard a little metal on metal inside the hub. Off comes the rotor and the rear hold down spring has come unsprung and the cup is floating around. Things were only marginally better on the front shoe. I took it all apart and both pins are bent. Hmmmm. I take the right rotor off and everything is A-OK there.

I think I must have had the rear pin, the one with the 4 bends, installed backwards, and it decided to unspring itself unleash chaos.

Finally, after hours of torture, I got it back together again. This time with the outside bend towards the hub. It all seemed nice and tight and operated ok. I’m expecting it to stay that way.

I understand that a completely independent cable operated parking brake system is a good idea, but the execution is terrible. It’s horrible to work on; with the hub on there is with no room, the fiddly springs, dog bone and adjuster are all pains in the a$$. Plus, once it’s all together it barely works!!!!

Enough venting!!! Hopefully I’m done with it forever! There must be some tips and tricks I missed to make it easier…. or, maybe I’m special. LOL! Comments and criticism welcome!

 

[Felde]

Hi
I'm with you. Parking brakes are a constant source of trouble. Probably the most trouble is when you are at an incline and the parking brake has left the chat earlier; and you knew it...

Hopefully I’m done with it forever!

Oh, sorry to hear you are selling your truck If not: Sorry to say so: No. You are not done with it forever. But you gained practice.

Maybe it helps to know others are in the same boat. I just ordered parts to fix mine... .
Cheers Ralf

 

[Broski]

Did you use OEM break shoes?
For best results you need too.

 

[Broski]

Also it’s a lot easier to work on the parking brake’s if you pull the axle & hub.
Plus you can service the wheel bearings at the same time and inspect your axles.

 

[LDRF]

Did you use OEM break shoes?
For best results you need too.

I got Terrain Tamer. They visually look identical. The biggest challenge is the lack of room to just “Slide the shoe between the cup and the backing plate” … AKA under the retainer spring and cup, along with the tension spring, adjuster, dog bone (shoe strut) and spring. LOL … maniacal LOL

Rather then either selling my truck or lighting it on fire, I endeavoured to persevere. Many curses, redos, more curses and mangled and pinched fingers, I got it back on. Perhaps my largish hands (I can just palm a basketball) needs to be the same size as the engineer who “field tested” the FSM procedure!!! Multiple beers followed as both celebration and pain killer!

 

[LDRF]

Also it’s a lot easier to work on the parking brake’s if you pull the axle & hub.
Plus you can service the wheel bearings at the same time and inspect your axles.

Understood that with the hubs off, you have all the room. Right now, a rear hub service, with new seals and bearings, isn’t in the plan. My goal is to get the truck on the road, so I’m doing all the things that need to be fixed and all of the things needed to get it to pass road safety.

 

[LDRF]

I replaced the rear pinion seal and replaced the diff fluid. I also replaced the drain plugs with the magnetic 10mm hex head ones.

The diff breather was a crusted up solid mass and not working. I threw it in Evapo-Rust and after an overnight bath it loosened up and after another it came out clean and fully functioning. It’s a one way valve that only lets air out. No before pic, but here’s an after.

I’ll monitor its operation and keep it clean and in good working order.

While I was down there I found the rear transfer case seal is leaking. I’m putting together another parts order so will replace it and the nut when the parts arrive.

Do I need the oil seal puller (SST 09308-10010), or will a regular seal puller work? What about the seal driver?

 

[FJBen]

I got Terrain Tamer. They visually look identical. The biggest challenge is the lack of room to just “Slide the shoe between the cup and the backing plate” … AKA under the retainer spring and cup, along with the tension spring, adjuster, dog bone (shoe strut) and spring. LOL … maniacal LOL

Rather then either selling my truck or lighting it on fire, I endeavoured to persevere. Many curses, redos, more curses and mangled and pinched fingers, I got it back on. Perhaps my largish hands (I can just palm a basketball) needs to be the same size as the engineer who “field tested” the FSM procedure!!! Multiple beers followed as both celebration and pain killer!

It’s the circle of Land Cruiser ownership.

 

[Broski]

It’s the circle of Land Cruiser ownership.

View attachment 3487613

This should be made into a poster !!