Itroducing my BJ70, mods and history.

[pablosubo]

Hello everyone.

Well, this time I´ll honor my promise of presenting my rig in the fórum.

Before this I had a Lada Niva. Althugh it completed lacked of any comfort, I can assure you that is a pretty good 4x4.
Very light weighted, very easy to fix and extremely cheap to maintain, there where many occasion in which my little lada left in shame some bigs 4x4….

But a friend of mine invited me to travel in a 70 series, and it was love at first sight.
Here in argentina, finding a 70 series is difficult.
Finding a shot-chassis 70 series it´s almost impossible.

“Almost impossible” means that the possibility exist… and a few moths after traveling with my friend, a BJ70 appeared on sale.

This pics are from the sale post….

There where a few problems to solve:
1. The bj70 was 1.500 km West form my house.
2. I was on duty (I work in an oilfield) 3000 km south form my hose.
3. I didn´t have the cash to buy it.

I asked a friend of mine who lived near where the TLC was to go and take a look at it. That same day, he calls me and just said 2 words “Buy it”
Although it was an 1986 model, this Bj70 had some paper problems when entered Argentina and has been putted away for 10 years.
It was in really good shape!

I call the owner an told him that I wanted to buy it. And just like that, with a gentlemen arrangement by phone, the transaction was done.
I told him that I will travel on 2 weeks time to fetch it and pay him.

So I had 2 week for fundraising. I sold my Niva and some other things and just like we spoke, after 14 days I went to Mendoza, payd him and travel 1.5000 km with my new Bj70.
I asked the owner: Is the truck in good shape to travel 1.500 km?
- Just put some gas on it and enjoy the trim
And so I did.



After some weeks of enjoying it just as it was. I started with the never-ending mods road.

First was to replace the 31” A/T tyres (brand new) with a Mud tyre.
After some benchmarking, I bought Kuhmo MT Road Venture, an excellent tyre so far. After 40.000 km I still running them and I´m really happy with them


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The next step: ARB diff lock on both axles.



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[pablosubo]

The following mod was one of the most difficult to take.
Although I loved my BJ70 originality, the front bumper was giving me really trouble when going off-roading.
Just as my friends pointed out, I had a heli-pad instead of a front bumper.

Whenever I entered a river cross, I would hit the botton with the bumper and loose my inertia.


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Note all the sand on top of the bumper. My friends though that I was dragging the river…


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In this photo, I´m standing on the back door. Note the disappointment of my copilot on the dashboard


So I went to visit my friend the blacksmith, who knows a little bit of 4x4 (after modifying 4 trucks for the Dakar competition….).


The most difficult part, was to find out how to relocate the PTO winch. I love this winch and didn´t wanted to take it off.

So we dissemble all the front, cut some chassis bridges (cross member?) and mover the winch back as far as we could, just in front of the radiator. After positioning the winch, new bridges where welded (before cutting the original bridges, we welded some pipes in order not to deform the chassis…).

After that, a bumper was build in front of the winch.

The result, although it does not look as nice as a normal bumper, technically speaking was amazing. I did win a lot of attack angle, and didn´t lost my PTO winch!!


Before the work
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The process

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…and the final result!!

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We algo worked other things out:

Replacing original… “estribos” (I don’t know the translation) by some rocksliders

Replace this….
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For this….
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Replacing the bottom protection with “u” profiles (more rought, allows better air circulation and avoid mud deposits

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Removing the back bumper

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[pablosubo]

Improving illumination:
I relaced the old headlamps, first with 2 Hella 5000, later with Ironman xenon lights, and the old lights whent to the roof. I added a led working lingt on the rear

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And I think that´s pretty much until now.
The next week I think the OME suspension kit will be arriving, so I{ll installed it together with a power steering which I got form Europe.

Ah…. And putting this: an intermittent windshield wiper.


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[pablosubo]

Lests see some action....

Is the clinometer working ok???

Yes, it is!

My copilot!

ARB keys....

This is me and my smile!

The good thing about short-weel chassis....

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Great looking Cruiser and photos .... Thanks for sharing.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

Nice Rig! Nice country too.

 

[NGray]

Very nice. Really like that bumper.

 

[lacalvette]

Thanks for sharing, really nice truck and beautifull trails!

 

[Import Driver]

Hola de Bolivia.

Nice truck. Your english is really good!

 

[hzj79lee]

Nice rig! Does it comes with 3B or 13B-T engine?

 

[hzj79lee]

Please don't depend too much on the altimeter. U installed a roof-rack, so 30 degree sideway is safer, don't try 40. We don't want to see such nice rig overturn.

 

[pablosubo]

Thanks a lot for your comments.

I`m Glad you like my rig & Argentina´s landscape.


Argentina it´s a beatufull country, specially If you enjoy traveling and the contact with the nature. It´s a shame that, as many countries in the reggion, we suffer a lot thanks to corruption and white-glove thiefs (also called politician ).


Regarding the engine, my BJ is equipped with it´s original 3B. This means no turbo, and a lineal injection pump.

This gives as a result a 90 hp engine.
Torque while rockcrawling it´s amazing. With 31´ tyres, it goes really good.

The probem is than wiith 90 hp, I can`t upsize my tyres, and speed on highways is about 100 km/h (120 km/h max speed, but at a very high RPM regimen).

That`s why I`m analysing if i`ll go either for a turbo or for a 1HD-T engine... which will allow me to go for 33 or 34 tyres, winning both in speed and torque....( and also clearance!)...or may be I`ll leave it just like that, jejejeje


Regardin the clinometer, it`s not the original, but one from a Nissan Patrol. It looks very similar to the original. It`s true than having the roof rack with the hi-lift and the metal strips, rather than using this clinometer, I use "the other" clinometer.... (the one which is located on your butt... when you think you are about to sh*t your pants... that´s the moment to stop


Thanks again for all your comment`s.

I would like to share this video I edited on one of my trips. This time not as pilot but as a copilot.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LLaj67qZwU

Regards!!!

Pablo

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Argentina it´s a beatufull country, specially If you enjoy traveling and the contact with the nature. It´s a shame that, as many countries in the reggion, we suffer a lot thanks to corruption and white-glove thiefs (also called politician ).

Corrupt -incompetent politicians ......fortunately that is not an issue in the U.S.

 

[Redd]

great write up, cheers

 

[monke south]

Fantastic! Love all the pictures. Keep going!!

Chad

Sent from my iPhone using IH8MUDp

 

[Michael Hanson]

Nice post. Great country. Mike

 

[1985bj70]

Great truck, very nice! Thanks for sharing.