Build HZJ75 Troopy - campin' roadtrippin' wheelin' build

[RobertoL]

Your cruiser is wide nose. Completely different situation than narrow nose when it comes to BS and bolt pattern.

Yes, it is a 5 bolt pattern

 

[TreadingLight]

Almost home and time to start working out next steps. Definitely tires. I am frustrated that BFG doesn't sell ko2's in 255/85/16. The cooper maxx st seems to be the closest thing to an all terrain i can find.

 

[TreadingLight]

Aaaand the decision is made. I've got a set of OEM 16x6 rims (thanks @svsisu for the part number) and a set of Cooper Discoverer S/T Maxx tires (thanks @coldtaco for the recommendation) on order.

 

[TreadingLight]

Historical Post (early 2020)

Not much happened with the troopy in 2020. I started the year off in Australia playing around with a rented 2020 Troopy with a pop top. Getting ideas of what I did and didn't like about camper builds, checking out the kangaroos, visiting some folks, and having a great time. When a rain storm flooded the creeks and rivers near Byron National Park, I learned how deep of a water crossing you can make in a late model 70 series. It was pretty impressive to see a bow wake off the front of the hood. I also spent 3 days camped unexpectedly at the last crossing, which was completely impassable until the river went down.

Australia, where you can actually rent a proper 4x4 camper

And then the pandemic hit. The airlines threatened to strand us. Regretfully, we cut the trip short and went home.

This was one of the busiest times in my working life. There was almost no time for the troopy. The west coast was on fire all summer. I didn't do much traveling in the states and I didn't get much work done on the troopy project. I think I managed to install the underhood light kit I got from Odd Iron Offroad (thanks @Gun Runner 5), but that was about it.

 

[TreadingLight]

Historical Post (early 2021)

After skipping our annual Baja trip last year, we decided to head back down for a couple weeks. We planned to just run down to Loreto and back. To get ready, I decided to dig into the electrical/charging system and shore a few things up. Here's what I was dealing with:

Messy terminals on an old Group 27 NAPA battery.

Messy terminals on a less old Group 65 battery. This one originally came out of my 60. Check out the awesome home-made battery tray.

The solenoid used to link and isolate the batteries.

The previous owner had a solenoid with some very undersized cable to isolate the battery. The solenoid was triggered by a +12v signal tapped from the windshield wiper motor. None of this gave me much confidence, so I decided to quickly tackle a few things before hitting the road.

1. Replaced the solenoid with a solid state battery isolator from Perfect Switch. This is another carryover from my 60. It acts like a diode but is a solid state device with essentially no voltage drop.
2. Ran a heavier gauge line from the alternator so the source side of the isolator.
3. Made a fusible links with a metripack connector since it had no protection - just wires terminated on the batteries.
4. Replaced the remaining NAPA battery with a Group 27M X2Power AGM battery.

And then we set off. This turned out to be the best Baja trip I'd taken since my very first visit to the Peninsula in 2012. We ended up driving all the way down to Los Cabos and back - spending more time and covering way more ground than originally planned. We drove along so many long desolate stretches of coastline on both the Gulf of California and the Pacific. We crossed over the Sierras. We barely touched Highway 1, instead spending most of our time on the dirt. It was awesome.

I like to joke that it's not a real Baja trip unless something breaks down. Usually I have to tackle one repair per trip. This time was a little more than I expected.

1. In San Ignacio the heater hose near the firewall started leaking. Easy fix with a chunk of 5/8" rubber hose from my box of misc stuff.
2. In Loreto the radiator started pissing coolant from several pinholes. I had the radiator soldered locally. I supplied the coolant but rather than dilute it he put 2 gallons of concentrate in the radiator. This led to me draining the radiator from the lower hose into a bucket on the side of the road to dilute as I couldn't drive up even a slight grade without overheating.
3. In La Ventana, I picked up a screw in one tire. I patched it without having to use the spare. It was around this time I noticed the tires were starting to get noisy and I was getting a lot of back-and-forth feedback in the steering wheel.
4. In an arroyo near Evangelisto, way out in the middle of nowhere, I woke up to find I couldn't get the starter to turn. I quickly figured out my auxiliary battery had failed. This made no sense however as all the stock systems were on the main battery. Or so I thought. I jumped the batteries together and quickly got moving. I found that while the starter was on the main battery, the main engine harness was on the aux battery. When it failed, there wasn't enough power for the starter solenoid.
5. While pulling out of a gas station in Cabo San Lucas, I felt the clutch starting to fade. It got progressively worse until I decided to bail from the group and make a beeline for La Paz where I found a brake shop that was able to jury-rig a repair to the master cylinder using a seal meant for a freaking Cherokee. It got me home though.

Despite the mechanical "fun", we still had an epic adventure. But I now had an even bigger list of stuff I needed to fix.

Coco's Corner - just before he moved to his new location on the now-paved Highway 5.

Two Land Cruisers on the Pacific. What a great way to spend the day.

Edit: forgot about the clutch fun

 

[tlc_4play]

By the looks of the above pics your Troopy need some electrickery cabling TLC

Keep the updates coming

 

[TreadingLight]

Historical Post (mid 2021)

After I got home, I had to tackle a few projects. I also first learned about PartSouq and became a bit of an addict. Suddenly it became a lot easier to source OEM 70 series parts. The Troopy got:

1. New battery terminals crimped to the existing cables. I plan to redo all of the battery cables so this was a quick 'n' dirty fix.
2. Replaced the failed group 65 auxiliary battery (under warranty). I also discovered the homemade battery tray's lower fender mount had cracked the fender and come loose so the battery tray could bounce around on rough roads. No bueno.
3. Bought and installed new clutch master (31410-60432) and release cylinders (31470-60161). I also got rebuild kits (04311-60100 and 04313-60081 respectively) to carry as spares.
4. Replaced all radiator (16571-17020, 16572-17020) and heater hoses (87245-60160, 87245-60290, and 87245-60171) with a new OEM set
5. Had the tires checked for any separation at a tire shop. Nope, they are just unevenly worn. My suspension is pretty much shot and I suspect that's the culprit.
6. Most importantly, I replaced the hood rod support clamp (96112-10250) so the dang thing isn't flopping around.

That took care of the most urgent issues, but I decided I needed to get serious about base-lining the vehicle more thoroughly and finding all its gremlins.

I looked for a radiator or a shop that could re-core the current radiator. Toyota wouldn't sell me one locally, I called most of the vendors I know in the community, but no one had any good ideas for a steel radiator. I was a bit skeptical of having it re-cored since the previous owner had already done that once and the tanks were pretty beat up. It wasn't leaking at the time so this went on the back-burner.

I ordered an OEM fusible link (82627-60020) but found I didn't have the vehicle harness-side connector to attach it to. Does anyone have any ideas on where I could source that piece or ideas on how to replicate it? I could splice it into my harness and then use OEM fusible links. Until then I am still running my homemade links.

 

[SNLC]

Cool build thread. I have spent a lot of time in Baja myself and am way overdue for a trip down.

Cheers

 

[TreadingLight]

Get to it! Baja is great in all seasons. I usually go in the winter and time it for the whale migration. But I've taken trips in the spring and summer as well. Some day I want to go down in November for race season.

 

[RHINO]

For your electrical stuff contact mud member coolerman.

 

[mt72]

For your electrical stuff contact mud member coolerman.

Or if you are very patient with a hard to understand website this guy in Japan is the best place for plugs, electrical wires : hi-1000ec.com

 

[TreadingLight]

I'm back with another out-of-order historical post at the request of @woytovich. This'll be quick as I am about to head off to Death Valley and there's so much to do ...

Historical Post (Summer 2022)

From early on I'd wanted to upgrade the bumpers. My goals were to get a winch up front and to get my spare tire off the door in the back. I shopped around for and ogled bumpers for years before I decided to jump on the 4x4 Labs bumpers and sliders. I have zero regrets on that.

The front bumper has a nice departure angle but still enough room for an 8274. The rear is up tight on the body as well. The Troopy needs all the help it can get on clearance.

I had a bullbar added to the standard design so I can bounce burros and banditos off the front without damaging the grill.

They built mine with a large plate with holes to mount an 8274.

Here's a side view showing how tightly the bumper snugs up to the body. Sleek.

 

[TreadingLight]

What's a guy gotta do to get a Build tag on a thread around here?

Here's the rear. I have two swingouts. Since I am about to head to the desert I have both spares mounted. To fit a pair of 33s I had them drill some extra mounting holes on the swingouts. You can also get a ladder or a bike carrier for the left (narrow) side.

The only downside to having the bumper up so tight on the body is how the pivots obscure the tail lights. I think it is worth it though. I just put a pair of trailer lights on the provided tabs.

I keep a spare on the longer arm at all times. The carrier also holds the hilift.

I usually leave this swing out bare unless I need to carry bikes or head out on a remote trip.

Here's a closeup of the armor protecting the rear panels.

 

[woytovich]

Thanks!

 

[JDM Journeys]

What's a guy gotta do to get a Build tag on a thread around here?

Ask and ye shall receive.

Loving this thread, and the back story as you get time to create it is a great way to do it.

 

[TreadingLight]

A few pics from death valley. I have a lot of build thread stuff to post but this should tide us over.

 

[TreadingLight]

The Troopy keeps on keepin' on. It is hard enough to find time for the build, much less to write up what I am working on. So that's my excuse.

Instead, here's a photo from a few days ago.

Bahía Las Animas in Baja California

 

[TreadingLight]

OK here is some build thread content I have on hand. This is from just a few weeks ago as I was prepping for Baja.

I have a long list of build items that require some metal fab. Do I buy a welder and revive my shop class metal working skills? Tempting but I'd also need tools and talent for cutting and bending and drilling. Not impossible but I am also space and time constrained. Better to make friends that weld.

I've started making some @slcfj62 -inspired ultimate harnesses in exchange for some fab stuff. I'm pretty good with crimpers and wiring diagrams.

Enter Project #1 - relocate the license plate holder and factory light to my spare tire carrier.

This calls for a visit to @hairy_apple from the Totally Awesome Cruisers club for some quality time with the plasma cutter and tig welder.

Solving problems with superheated ionized gas

Now we need a bit of tungsten and a steady hand

Sweet. Just like Uncle Toyota should have done it!

I am very glad to retain the OEM license plate light

 

[71harrison]

Hey you wouldn't happen to have a photo up under the rear bumper of how it mounts up to the frame? Seems that the mounting setup on my kit is different than I've seen on others and wondering if troopy related. Your rig is looking great!

 

[TreadingLight]

Not on hand but I will get you some.