Just another JDM BJ74 in the U.S. (1 Viewer)

[theferg]

Figured I'd get a thread going on my rig now that I've had it a few months...

I've wanted a 70 series for years and years, but since I live in the U.S., it always just seemed like it was gonna be either a huge ordeal, or super spendy to get one. (I also used to be one of those "no way I'd drive a RHD rig"...) Then I find out @cruiseroutfit has a couple at the shop and a buddy of his, Steve @ LandCruisersDirect.com is bringing in a bunch of them and, as it turns out, they are pricing them very attractively. I got in touch with Steve, test drove a bunch of them, and after a short deliberation, I settled on my new rig: a 1989 JDM BJ74 LX.

She had 205,000KM on the clock, and runs the original 13B-T with the auto. She also came already lifted with OME springs (plus add-a-leafs) and some ridiculously long shackles and the worn out shocks that were too short and barely hanging on. (All of this info was discussed up-front with Steve @ LCD prior to purchase so I had no surprises.)

I started molding her into my own right away by throwing on a set of 255/85-16 BFG muds on Tacoma/Tundra spare steelies.

Up next I got back in touch with my old buddy Kurt ( @cruiseroutfit ) @ www.CruiserOutfitters.com and got all the pieces to replace all the leaf spring hardware with OME greasable pins and shackles as well as the correct OME nitro charger shocks. This fixed the terrible shackle angles, as well as the rough, no-shocks up front ride. It was quite the difference once I was finished.

[PIC coming soon]

I then added some Spidertrax 1.5" wheel spacers on all 4 corners in order to space the wheels/tires out to the width of the body. The Tacoma/Tundra steelies run a ~5.5" backspacing on a 16x7" wheel so the spacers were pretty much mandatory. (FYI, the wheels actually won't clear the TREs in the front without at least a 1/4" wheel spacer.)

[PIC coming soon]

Up next was taking the reproduction stripes provided by LCD and having them installed by a graphics pro. I searched around for local recommendations and ended up using Graphic Evolution in Salt Lake. I really liked the way I was treated there and the install turned out great in my book. I absolutely love these 80s decals and i think the stripe design these black 74s came with totally completes the truck's paint scheme. I'm also a HUGE fan of the 80s decals on all these trucks. :nerd:

Next, the steering wandered quite a decent bit, so after checking it out a bit, I got back in touch with Kurt and ended up replacing all the old worn out TREs and added in some OME castor wedges. This made a huge difference in the handling, but I still think it could be a bit better as after an alignment, IIRC, I'm still at like +1.5° on each side. (I'll double check that number...)

(At this point, Kurt liked me so much as a customer over the past 15 years, he took me on as a part time employee. So I've been helping him out the past few months for a couple days a week at the shop doing his bitch work. I also helped him walk through replacing the hard drive on his laptop...that thing was a total PITA that required COMPLETE dis-assembly all the way down to the motherboard...)

 

[theferg]

Back to the BJ74... she came with some ridiculous racing seats and no rear bench seat so I searched and searched for some replacements and found a few Mud and other Cruiser community folks that had some stuff, but nobody seemed to have a great, complete set available, and I also felt that getting any old pattern from any old other 70 just wasn't going to work for me given how cool the ones for these black ones are--and the fact that they should match the fabric on the door panels... I thought perhaps some straight gray ones from a new model 70 might work, but again, in the U.S., super hard to come by, especially as a set with the rear bench. So I ended up doing a little research into what J**ps are using and what guys are doing in 40s. I ended up taking a major leap (I knew they'd fit, but figured I'd have to do some crazy bracketry etc etc--especially in the back for the bench) and bought a set of matching Bestop TrailMax Pro II fronts and rear bench seat.

The front seats went in with barely any work at all on the existing seat brackets. I still need to get the driver's seat able to move back a bit further as I'm not completely comfortable with where it sits, but its def more room than the stock ones have.

After I got the fronts done, I started working on the rear bench. I set it in and it looked like the fit was going to be pretty good, albeit a bit shorter in width than I would really like (it fits completely inside the wheel wells), I then started looking at the mount brackets and trying to figure something up....while I was looking to fit them in, i noticed that the spacing on the mounting holes on the front brackets was nearly identical to the spacing on the factory nuts in the floor for the factory bench seat. Then I noticed that if I flipped those brackets from side to side (Right to the left, and left over to the right) they lined up nearly perfectly width-wise as well. All i need to do was lop a corner off of each to account for the wheel well, and then the front brackets and bench seat bolted right in. I couldn't believe it and I'm still super stoked on it. The rear latching mount for the bench seat was a different story and I have ended up making a custom bracket for it (sadly, I messed up and cut the striker piece too short and I haven't finished this piece.....Its on my list for "one day"....)

The seat part numbers I used are 39450-09 (RH front), 39451-09 (LH front), and 39435-09 (rear fold-n-tumble bench). They are "charcoal" (IMO, more like smoke--aka, light gray) and they are all vinyl. I'm really liking them so far, though I did have an issue with broken teeth on one of the reclining gears, but Bestop sent me out a replacement within a week after I filed the issue and provided pics and a video of the issue.

 

[wardharris]

Awesome, congrats!!

 

[theferg]

Once I was decently comfortable in the drivers seat, and she was handling well enough, I added front and rear bumpers and front winch. I plan to use this truck as my daily driver, as well as for mild to medium expedition type trails. Based on what was available at the time (earlier this year), I opted for an ARB front winch bumper with a 8000#, 24V electric winch from Come-Up, and a Kaymar rear bumper with tire and dual-can carrier swing-outs. All of which I again got through CruiserOutfitters.com (with the help of LandCruisersDirect.com and Outback Proven for the Kaymar rear). Got these all installed with the help of Kurt and Bryce at the shop as well as info from @cruiserdan as he had just finished installing a Kaymar rear on his BJ74. I absolutely love this setup.

I also added a set of OEM Toyota mud flaps on all four corners, though I had to remove the front ones as the 255s rubbed on them when turning. I plan to move the front axle forward an inch or so and will try fitting them up again and see if they still rub.

 

[theferg]

I really started driving her on a daily basis at this point. She was running really great, but after the Kaymar rear went on, I noticed the left rear corner was getting some nasty diesel soot building up on it. I peeked under and remembered I needed to do something about the tailpipe dumping out 2 inches in front of a cross-brace on the Kaymar rear. I tried to come up with a few different solutions on cutting it back or turning it down or adding a turn-down tiip, but nothing seemed like that great of an option. Then whilst I was debating that dilemma, I had to take a trip up to Park City via Parleys Canyon--its a steep pass that gains elevation super quick. I ended up getting super duper near the overheat line on the stock gauge. Like scary close. Luckily I was able to crank the heater and roll down the windows and take the pull at grandpa speed and I was able to make it. After that, my exhaust dilemma was decided: new larger exhaust all the way through. After searching around on here a bit and talking with a local trusted exhaust shop, I went with 2.5" starting all the way at the turbo turn-down pipe. I had to take the same canyon a week later again and it pulled it much, much easier and didn't get close to over-heating.

I also plan to add some extra gauges in the next few months for EGTs, water temp and boost...and anything else that makes sense....

[PICS soon]

 

[theferg]

I then took her for a test drive from SLC down to Moab and offroad from there to Cruiser Fest 2014 in Toole, UT.

I love being back in an awesome Cruiser and love how she handles on and off-road (other than the pulsating, warped rotors that will be getting attention soon....).

 

[Oldtoy74]

Nice rig ferg , my first bj74 was a black silver model, and the interior with striped seats were pretty neat, enjoy your drive, as they are cool to drive and cool to play with, look forward to what you do with her, happy days

 

[Chester]

Love the phrase "Then whilst I was debating that dilemma, I had to take a trip up to Park City via Parleys Canyon-"

The "had to" part say's it all.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Does your Cruiser have an aux transmission cooler?

 

[DamoPeru]

Nice rig, congratulations! Do those front seats allow a seat belt buckle to be bolted to the side of the seats? I'm trying to free up the floor in between the seats

 

[theferg]

Thanks all!

Does your Cruiser have an aux transmission cooler?

@1978HJ45 - It does not have an aux trans cooler. That is something I've thought about doing as I've read that this auto almost needs to have one.

I have to say though that I'm not in love with the auto--frankly, I really wanted a 5-spd manual--so I'm undecided on how much $$ and time I will be putting into the auto.... (trans cooler?, torque converter upgrade?, valve body upgrade?, etc etc ). The auto sure makes daily driving quite easy though.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I was told all kind of doom and gloom if I didn't install an aux cooler so I did. I agree that the auto gearbox can be a pain because it shifts into overdrive way to early but that issue can be somewhat negated by shifting manually or downshifting into 3rd gear when necessary. 90% of the time I really enjoy the automatic because I am old and lazy.

 

[wardharris]

I really enjoy the automatic because I am old and lazy.

Those of us past a certain point in life prefer adjectives such as "experienced/mature" and "efficient"

With an auto, one can more easily hydrate and enjoy the benefits of brewed beverages....

 

[NM Frontier]

Your 74 looks great! Love the stripes! As for time and $$ to put in to the auto box, under a $100 and two hours of tinkering will get you a aux cooler. It's worth it for peace of mind and I bet would help keep ya pushing those 255s.

 

[jblueridge]

Very much liking the rear bumper with dual can carrier. Seems like perfect addition. Looks stout too.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Those of us past a certain point in life prefer adjectives such as "experienced/mature" and "efficient"

With an auto, one can more easily hydrate and enjoy the benefits of brewed beverages....

View attachment 961531

Naw..... In my case, old and grumpy are probably more accurate adjectives.
I'm easily recognized because my pants don't fit and they are pulled up just shy of my armpits.
I shuffle when I walk.
I can use a toothpick with my teeth in or out.
Depends undergarments are on my Christmas list.
I look forward to my AARP magazine etc.

 

[theferg]

I hear what you all are saying on the comfort of the auto, I haven't had a manual in an off-roader since I had an '84 FJ60. That's been almost 10 years ago that I sold it off. I've been an avid fan of autos in wheelers, but like has been said, this auto kicks into that OD super quick, and then locks up even quicker. I just would appreciate a bit more control over the shifting in a rig like this one. When I first got it, i actually did a lot of driving around in 3rd. Everything around town I stayed in third. I only ever put it up into OD when I was doing highway speeds. I started noticing the tranny hump getting quite hot at times, so I put the kibosh on that idea and started looking into the tranny upgrades. I def agree that an aux cooler would make a big difference, and I actually have one sitting around that never made it onto a previous project. I've been planning to throw it on regardless, it just hasn't made it to the top of my to-do list yet.

I do still manually downshift it into 3rd when getting on and off the interstate.

Another thing I have decided to do is to re-gear to 4.56 in the diffs. I've got a spare diff out at an installer getting it done right now. I've determined that with these tall 255s, I could def use another 25-ish % getting this truck moving. I am sure I will miss being able to cruise no problem at ~85mph down the flat highway, but i will def not miss having to get over into the slow truck lane at ~55mph in order to pull any sort of grades. There's one grade in particular I have to take a couple times a week and I really hate it.

I am thinking that with 4.56 I'll be a lot more happy with the auto. Time will tell I guess.

 

[theferg]

Nice rig, congratulations! Do those front seats allow a seat belt buckle to be bolted to the side of the seats? I'm trying to free up the floor in between the seats

I'm not sure. I kept the original belts in place. I'll take a peek around them and see if it looks like it can be done.

 

[cruiserdan]

Did you bolt the license plate directly to the can carrier basket?

 

[theferg]

Did you bolt the license plate directly to the can carrier basket?

I did. I had to drill new holes for the US plate (as you may have guessed). I put the bolt heads on the can side, and the nuts on the plate side. Seems to work just fine.

Did you mount your plate some other way?