Hello- new BJ42 owner- Australia.

[beejay42]

Cool, I look forward to the thread, its good to know you are documenting it-
I seem to fine at getting the after shots- it is the before ones that let me down.


on a lighter note- I just got word from my supervisor that she is off to PNG for three weeks- so she doesn't want my final paper until she gets back... sort of good, sort of not drags it out but gives me some relief for the time- at least I can start to look at getting a RWC this week.

Tomorrow is now a dedicated tinker with the truck day

 

[beejay42]

so the wheel arrived last week- and then I had to get a boss kit.
No one I called had one in stock so the local Repco ordered in an autotecnica one.
Once I got it, it became clear that it would need some work to get it to fit and work properly.
The spline was right but it didn't go on deep enough- the nardi horn didn't fit in- and there was nothing provided for canceling the indicator.
So, as I was going to have it on the lathe anyway- it didn't take much for me to decide to replace the crappy black plastic cover with something a bit nicer

of course I forgot a decent 'before shot' again, so off the net this is the best I can find to show what it looked like. Basically just a two part black placcy cover.

heres the start, a nice sheoak blank,

hollowing it out for a glue-less mallet in snug fit

start prepping the boss

fitted in- rock solid and not moving- and have widened the hole and created a ridge so that the nardi horn button would fit

finish shaping off the boss, and some timber detail.

I drilled and tapped some holes for the indicator canceling and put some bolts through- then had a lot of grinding down and bending- then testing- until I got it just right
may not look pretty but it works.

 

[beejay42]

and here it is-
a couple of coats of homebrew danish oil (more going on now)

flash shots at night are never going to be too flattering- but here they are anyway (both the wood and the dash look a lot nicer than the photos let on)

oh yeah, and I have switched to the other gear shifter knob- with test driving this one feels better and the wood tone actually matches in better

Indicator cancelation works perfectly- the horn button locks in perfectly...
all up a very satisfying and relaxing afternoons work.
And I definitely prefer the smaller wheel- is much nicer to drive.


Everything is ready for rego now- If I have the money I will take in next week for a road worthy.

 

[Volcano cruiser]

Wow

Hans,
How are you. I have been kind of stuck in one place on my rebuild for a while but when I saw your recent progress I had to stop by and say WOW. You have mad woodworking skills, really beautiful work. Great progress and good luck on roadworthy.

 

[lostmarbles]

Nice work Hans. I bet you're already trying to figure out where else you can apply your excellent woodworking skills on your cruiser.

 

[beejay42]

Thanks guys,
I'm doing pretty well- sort of having a little break between Uni Semesters- and for me- woodwork is relaxing and good for the soul. I have to get back into Uni work next week.

I really should've got this on the road by now-
I just haven't had the money to fork out for rego yet- still haven't sold the van-beast.

LM, yeah you guessed it
I am considering doing my door handles- sides and rear- as all of mine are cracked and held on with black ducting tape- look pretty nasty and no doubt rattle around a bit-
but aside from that there is not much else I can do really- today I made a lovely really little knob out of the same timber as the gear shifter for the heater leaver thing (mine didn't come with the plastic knob). Its even got a little copper ferule on it-
all up about the size of a grape- and only a little less work than the whole boss project
Looks pretty nice- but no photos yet.

Cheers,
Hans.

 

[Chamba]

G'day hans,

I wanted to let you know that I have switched names- I used to be Patches84. On a whim, I checked into HJ47, and no one had it!! Well, I could not resist that, so I will be switching all of my stuff to this address, and then closing Patches84. I hope all is well amigo.

Cheers,

Josh

 

[beejay42]

Thanks for letting me know Josh. Good score on the username!
Is that the same avatar?

BTW, I posted it somewhere else but my beast is on the road now... finally.
I've been zipping around everywhere in it and am loving it (LOL, he said zipping in the context of an un-turboed 3B)

 

[Chamba]

G'day Hans,

Yes, same avatar and signature. I didn't want to change anything, but when I actually got HJ47 I just could not resist. I could not believe that no one had it- I guess the most obvious ones are the one which people never try.

Where are the photos of your rig on the road? Shall we call it 'the Rocket' now? How is the heater (given it will be -3 tonight in Melbs, probably a fair question)?

Cheers,

Josh

 

[beejay42]

'Rocket' eh?- well, I haven't named it yet so maybe

The heater works pretty well. The christening drive was at night down to Wye River on The Great Ocean Road- 3-ish hours on the highway. It was icy outside but the cabin wasn't all that bad- and once I get the newly replaced rear door seals to actually seal tomorrow then it will be even warmer. My girlfriend had a blanket over her, but then that's not exactly surprising. I can't stand cars that get muggy hot- it distracts me from driving. So for me, the heater works perfectly. Unless it is really icy then I can easily get it too warm. That'l do.

That pic above was of it on the way back.
Here are a couple more, leaving the city

Up behind Wye River,
and on the way home- this is sitting on about 100Km, though with the 33's the speedo reads 85-90.

 

[Volcano cruiser]

'Rocket' eh?- well, I haven't named it yet so maybe

The heater works pretty well. The christening drive was at night down to Wye River on The Great Ocean Road- 3-ish hours on the highway. It was icy outside but the cabin wasn't all that bad- and once I get the newly replaced rear door seals to actually seal tomorrow then it will be even warmer. My girlfriend had a blanket over her, but then that's not exactly surprising. I can't stand cars that get muggy hot- it distracts me from driving. So for me, the heater works perfectly. Unless it is really icy then I can easily get it too warm. That'l do.

That pic above was of it on the way back.
Here are a couple more, leaving the city

Up behind Wye River,
and on the way home- this is sitting on about 100Km, though with the 33's the speedo reads 85-90.

Hans,
Wye river area looks like a fun off road drive. The rig looks great, really is turning out very nicely. Didiyou do the woodwork on the steering wheel as well? I can't remember. In any event it all is really coming together nicely. John

 

[Chamba]

G'day Hans,

Looks great, I actually really like the older doors on it, and the wood work looks great.

How far from the CBD is Wye River? My Father-in-law lives in Melbs, and we visit periodically. Next time I will have to bring Lexie so we can meet up and play in the dirt!

I bought a 1980 BJ40 in Melbs too that I need to get shipped here. I was thinking about driving out and picking it up with my stepfather-in-law's HZJ78 and a car trailer. That rig is in Officer, is that near you?

Cheers,

Josh

 

[beejay42]

Cheers John,
Nah, I bought the steering wheel as is- it's a Nardi wheel, lovely and light, made in Italy and bought off ebay second hand from Japan (there are heaps that come out of Japan, Momo and Nardi, leather and wood, they seem to go nuts on them there and update them regularly). I got it for the same price as a new Chinese one available here.
And yeah, Wye River is awesome, my partners parents have a beach house down there. The whole area is amazing, this is a pretty typical shot of the scenery along The Great Ocean Road

It is a whole slab of coast with forest to the ocean, mostly national parks, and criss-crossed with 4x4 trails.

Thanks Josh,
Yeah, I really like the old doors as well. The negative to them is that the regulators are a bit dicky and have the tendency to come off the rail if you wind too high or low- I am working on a solution to that one.
I am pretty happy with the woodwork as well- it just gives it such a nice feel. This steering wheel is perfectly sized IMHO- only thing is it is a bit slicker/slipperier than my last wood wheel- so I am going to give it a matte finish soon for a bit more grip (rub it down with pumice stone powder).

Wye River is about three hours from us and the CBD. On the Great Ocean Road, after Lorne and before Apollo Bay. Quite a drive but then it is worth it for the view when we get there.

Plus there are plenty of trails up behind that whole area going all the way through the Otways. I have a lot of exploring to do (I couldn't get far in my partners Forester before she would panic attack and make me turn around)

I had to google Officer, and it is in the Eastern Suburbs, maybe a 45 minute drive from us (and the CBD). Not too far really.

And yeah, let us know if you're coming down and we can get the beasts muddy. I am still in the very early days of figuring out the trails around here- and getting used to my truck on them- but there are plenty of spots out and about Melbourne.

No doubt it would be fun to pick up your BJ rather than get it transported. I would have liked to drive mine down from Brissy rather than transport it- but I just couldn't manage it at the time.

Thanks guys,
Hans.