HDJ100 - Body off renovation, now with a hot dip galvanised frame *Picture Heavy*

[Pucker5]

Did a first real use of the RTT. I wish I had this setup years ago! Also my girlfriend finally saw some use of this bottomless money and time pit

Replaced an inner tie rod end. There was A LOT of play. There was a hole in the boot last year for couple of weeks, evident by the rust in the tie rod.

Had the leather interior refurbished. Prices for new leather are prohibitive here. Had all seats, steering, shifter and armrest done for the price of the leather of a single seat.

Driver's seat before (colour is the same. Different light between the photos)

Replaced the music, starting with the speakers. European cruisers come with Pioneer amp and speakers, instead of JBL. Also speakers have rubber surrounds, instead of foam, which is nice, as factory were still perfect. Amp is 5x22W Pioneer unit branded with a Toyota part number.
Changed just the speakers for a start, Even playing through the factory amp there is massive improvement. They go MUCH lower and the highs are way clearer. Soundstage expanded too. Being in Europe, Hertz are actually a pretty good deal here. Will replace the amp with a free one from a friend soon and at some point I plan to go active with a Helix P Six DSP.

When you go active with the dsp you won’t need rears or you can throw in a dedicated midbass on two Channels of heavier amplification and get that 80hz-400hz really thumpin...if you like kick drums and what not

 

[Moridinbg]

I struck oil!

At oil change

200km later

250km later

Yep, definitely oil level is rising. It's not the steering fluid - clear and level doesn't change, it's not coolant either - also clear and level doesn't change. Just in case, it's not wiper fluid either
So it's diesel going into the oil and diluting it.
Three possible places
- the fuel return rail that goes along each injector and runs under the head cover in the oil bath
- Injectors - either dripping or leaking between the nozzle and the holder
- Fuel pump - it has a seal on the main shaft

I have already replaced the fuel return gaskets but it didn't help.
I don't have a spare return rail, but will pressure test mine and then maybe order and replace.
The injectors were serviced with new nozzle and they are very precisely tightened during servicing so it's possible, not probable.
There is vacuum behind the pump seal that sucks fuel back to the return line so it's more likely for it to suck engine oil into the fuel than to leak fuel into the oil.

I will leave the pump seal as a last resort for now.

 

[YvesNL]

I had this problem once, turns out the 6th injector line wasn't screwed on correctly so it was leaking.
The rubber seal was also installed incorrectly and diesel got into the oil.

A mate of me reused the gaskets on the return rail, he didn't check for vacuum and after a driving it a while he found out it leaked.
New gaskets on the rail and the problem was solved, did check for leaks that second time.

 

[rampantwolf]

Nice build!!! Huge props to you Sir.

 

[Mickey9454]

Your headlight/signal housings are also the same one piece design that was used in 2006-07 LC's in the states, although I suppose that could be a European thing in earlier trucks as well. What is the build date on the vin tag in the door jamb?

04/06 it is legit. The man was brokering 3 2 armored and the grocery getter i bought. It was made in Japan hast a dot label and engine group and evap family is same as what is on the Epa certifícate of conformity. Yes I knows control arms have bushings. Everything was dealer maintained over the top. The steering wheel is on the proper side. It is dot compliant.

 

[Mickey9454]

Personally I wouldn't galvanize the control arms. They don't usually rust quickly. If they eventually do then just replace them. I would focus more on the underside of the body. For seams that have light rust I treat it with rust converter. Then I use por15 after the converter has dried. Also while it's all apart it may be a good time to consider a 1 or 2" body lift. This will allow for bigger tires while still keeping center of gravity fairly low. It will also give more room under the chassis for additional components.

Awesomr

 

[Mickey9454]

Awesome. I am not a mechanic. I had a mechanic inspect. Why I am asking the question of bolting back together there. It is completely rust free. I have ome and spc control arms, ome torsion and emu torsion. I don’t see the bushings being a problem.. I don’t know that much. I am wondering cost to bolt back together more or less

 

[Mickey9454]

Awesomr

It is lifted 1.5 do you want pictures of it? Mexico City is not an area of rust. I assure you there are few that match perfection this vehicle is in.

 

[Mickey9454]

It is lifted 1.5 do you want pictures of it? Mexico City is not an area of rust. I assure you there are few that match perfection this vehicle is in.

I suppose I should call a dealer. Amazing job you did

 

[Moridinbg]

I still haven't fixed the damned oil dilution! Took me ages to source the pump shaft seal, then the original mechanic that rebuilt the engine went on a summer vacation and stopped answering my calls after that
My usual mechanic that helped me with taking it apart and putting it together and have done all other work on the truck is going to do the engine now, but there is a long waiting list for him.
I have about 50l of diluted oil in the garage, as I am changing it every 1000-1200km. That's how long it takes to get ~0.5l of diesel in the oil or ~5%.
There is a paper on the Influence of engine oils dilution by fuels on their viscosity, flash point and fire point! 3-5% are enough to make SAE40 oil behave like SAE30 or worse.

I replaced the fuel return rail and seals, hoping that maybe that was the reason and it was the easies thing I could do myself. It was not

But that's not all! While replacing the inner tie rod I noticed a tear in the CV outer boot. Took me a full month to get to replacing it, which kills the CV. At the end it was binding every once in a while, which feels like a kick in the steering wheel. The big cut on the left is by me to see what is going on inside. The smaller one on the right is the culprit. The inboard joint is good, so I am going to replace the outboard and keep it as a spare.

The binding CV led to the hub side seal getting torn and water going in the hub.
The needle bearing was in pieces with the shell stuck inside the spindle, so I had to weld a piece of pipe to be able to tap it out. That was nerve wrecking.
Water had acted as a fountain inside the hub, flowing through the spindle and in the bearings from the other side. Thankfully I put a lot of grease when putting them together, so just the outer bearing was shot, as water didn't get to the inner one.

The AC compressor died just as the hot part of the summer started. Got a new one (rear AC ones are half as much as a front AC only! I have paid as much as an entire small second hand car with working AC to keep just the AC on mine in order now!) and turns out the condenser is blocked. I replaced it last summer with Denso Probably something got inside during the disassembly/transport/assembly of the frame. The bigger intercooler very much gets in the way of replacing the condenser...

Then as if all that is not enough, a guy wasn't able to break with his small car where I was able to with the MT tires and a full truck. No injuries. The chevi had ABS light on and the airbags did not open.

The ISI bike carrier took most of the hit and did the damage to the Chevrolet. Those carriers are built like tanks! The main beam is unscratched! The base strut that attaches to the tow hitch got deformed and the two aluminum beams that carry the bikes got bent. The lower one forward due to the hit, the higher one backwards, due to the recoil. Miraculously only one bike got damaged! The teal Santa Cruz has a cracked frame around the bottom bracket due to the crazy deflection (notice the rear triangle). The other two were hit at the front, so the wheels and forks just rotated.
The cruiser suffered cracked plastic bumper and slightly dented lower tailgate.
Insurance is having a hard time believing that the bike frame costs more than the value of the Chevrolet prior the collision

 

[Moridinbg]

On a more positive note, we spent a few weeks in Greece with a lot of camping!

Getting drawers made is a very high priority, after fixing the oil dilution. We managed with two suitcases for clothes and 3 plastic boxes for food/kitchen/gear, but together with the fridge this is a lot of Tetris and we both hated that part. Awning is a close second priority. I also have to come up with a way to mount the solar to the RTT while moving.

I also put 275/50/18 Toyo MTs when I came back. Glad I didn't do it for Greece. Those tires totally destroyed highway performance When doing 120kmh/75mph it is constantly going down to 4th even on the slightest incline. The Maxxis 764s were much better in that regard. On the other hand the toyos are unbelievably more silent. Yet to test them in proper mud, as it has been rather dry recently.

I saw this French beauty while in Greece. It's a 79 series with a camper conversion replacing the bed. I have always thought that such pickup/camper combos are ridiculous, as offroad it would be complete s*** with that weight distribution and you could have a much more comfortable proper camper, but hey, it's a Land Cruiser, so I love it!

And for something completely different, my buddy that housed my truck during the galvanisation months is working on a few Can Ams that are going to be used for filming in the next The Expandables. The original cage is removed and a beefier 4 seater is put in it's place. It's also RWD only for simplicity.

The wheelbase is ridiculous and it's 100-120kg heavier, but should be good enough for the film. He is also putting a genuine early Cold War gun turret. Apparently they are going for €80-100 in Germany. The condition is incredible for 60-70 year old steel!

 

[Moridinbg]

I believe the oil issue is finally fixed!
I had the fuel pump and injectors removed and sent to a diesel specialist. The pump was ok - the shaft seal was at a very minuscule angle, but within specs. One of the injectors was loose between the silver nozzle and the black body. The O-ring on it was also torn - probably by the escaping pressurised fuel. It is sealed towards the pistons, so the only place left to go was the rockers.

I went on a 4 day 200 miles adventure with our smaller cousin - a Land Cruiser Prado 120. They are way, way more popular here, probably outnumber the 100 5-10:1
3.0 litre common rail diesel engine giving 173hp. It had 31" AT tyres and tired front springs sagging due to the hidden winch, but it managed to go everywhere I went. Relied a lot on an engine skid plate and ripped the side steps by the end of it though.

I also experimented with heating up the tent. I borrowed a 5kW Chinese diesel heater from a friend for testing, but it turned out to be way, way too powerful even at the lowest setting.

The only way I could get it under 20C/68F with 9C/48F ambient was with the two windows opened and one of the entrances ajar. And that is with a big aluminium hose that allows a lot of the heat to escape. I do not believe that the heater goes below 2kW even at the lowest setting. I am going to try with a 2kW Eberspacher next. The new Airtronics have a brushless motor and smooth adjustment between 800W and 2.3kW. And they cost 7 times as much as a 5kW Chinese one lol

 

[Moridinbg]

I finally tackled the windshield. Once upon a time somebody has replaced it and completely removed the side mouldings. The rivet holes were left open for all the water to go in there. At least they weren't destroyed by screws... Every time it rained heavily or I washed the car, there was water dripping in the cabin from the middle of the driver side pilar.

Rust wasn't super bad thankfully.

Wheel brushed with the drill to clean metal, rust converter, epoxy primer, chassis paint

The dams are essential to put the glass at the correct distance from the frame for the mouldings to be completely flush with the glass

I bought the cheapest and narrowest rivet gun I could find and took the angle grinder to it

That's better

Then I went mountain biking

Sadly, the mouldings didn't completely resolve my wind noise issue when going 40mph+.
It first appeared after I tore down the interior to sound proof. It is coming from the sunroof, as if it is not completely closed and wind is blowing through it. It closes and seals perfectly though and I can't feel any wind anywhere. I thought it was coming through the rivet holes and it is partially subdued now with the mouldings, but still uncomfortably loud if I pull the sunroof shade...

 

[Mike NXP]

I finally tackled the windshield. Once upon a time somebody has replaced it and completely removed the side mouldings. The rivet holes were left open for all the water to go in there. At least they weren't destroyed by screws... Every time it rained heavily or I washed the car, there was water dripping in the cabin from the middle of the driver side pilar.

Rust wasn't super bad thankfully.

Wheel brushed with the drill to clean metal, rust converter, epoxy primer, chassis paint

The dams are essential to put the glass at the correct distance from the frame for the mouldings to be completely flush with the glass

I bought the cheapest and narrowest rivet gun I could find and took the angle grinder to it

That's better

Then I went mountain biking

Sadly, the mouldings didn't completely resolve my wind noise issue when going 40mph+.
It first appeared after I tore down the interior to sound proof. It is coming from the sunroof, as if it is not completely closed and wind is blowing through it. It closes and seals perfectly though and I can't feel any wind anywhere. I thought it was coming through the rivet holes and it is partially subdued now with the mouldings, but still uncomfortably loud if I pull the sunroof shade...

Looking good, I'm chasing a bit of wind noise as well. A bit of tape over any suspected areas on the outside of the rig helped narrow it down. I also adjusted my hood mounts a bit and ( it may be in my head ) but it seems to have helped.

 

[2001LC]

Nice job on the windshield. I see you've a well used poly gun. Sweet!

Wind noise is a pain to find sometimes.
A few things to check:
Check that rivets have side molding pulled in tight again A pillar.
Pressure/soap bubble test windshield, making sure black poly sealed well all the way around.
Front and rear hood seals.
Look for any holes in firewall.

Be aware some roof racks/boxes/snorkels/etc. Will make more wind noise than others. Even choice of windshield wipers can make a difference.

 

[Moridinbg]

I made a battery thing!

280Ah matched LiFePo4 cells
150A BMS
4x50A Anderson, fused 60A
1x175A Anderson
All connectors fused 200A

The box sidewalls are strong but flexible. There is some space so I would probably add some supports.
I plan to charge with 40A to 50A at most and discharge about that much as well. If the BMS turns out to heat too much with this load I will move it to the box sidewall.

I plan to make 1-2 spare anderson <>cigarette adapters and convert my fridge and heater to anderson.
I will make a separate distribution box in the car that will route power for lights, outlets, USBs, inverter, DC-DC input, etc and will plug to the big 175A rated anderson on the battery.

It cost me $667 for the cells delivered, $90 for the BMS and ~$200 for the box, fuses and wiring.
I got those cells 4pcs Eve 280ah Lifepo4 (lfp) 3.2v Cells Battery (new Version Lf280k With 6000cycles,Fully Matched)--genuine Grade A - Buy Eve,Lifepo4,Rechargeable Battery Product on Alibaba.com - https://bit.ly/3JetF38, discussed here - Ordered 8 EVE "new" 280Ah cells from Shenzhen Luyuan - https://bit.ly/3sprwMg.
4S 150A BMS

 

[abuck99]

Very clean build- nice work man

 

[bmwahba]

this is absolute next level.

 

[merbesfield]

For us non tech guys, what does this do?

 

[uHu]

If I understand this right, it is for powering cooler/fridge, heater, inverter, sig./usb outlets and lighting. But where will you put it, and what heater are you running?