MFCs will swell up and contact the inside of the basket. I did not want plate fasteners chewing into the can. I mounted an external plate bracket to the tab that the license lamp is bolted to. I used the lamp to secure the bracket to the tab.
Just another JDM BJ74 in the U.S.
- Thread starter theferg
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Hopefully I don't regret this decision at some later time... 
Aus plates are wider and have small holes in all for corners. Those holes line up with the odd-looking holes in the can basket and that solved the mystery. My presumption is and Aus plate would be rivited to the basket and those rivets would be in the corners of the basket and would clear the can radius.
I would crack the cap open the relieve pressure on the can before you lift it out of the basket so you don't drag it over the bolt heads.
I would crack the cap open the relieve pressure on the can before you lift it out of the basket so you don't drag it over the bolt heads.
Great looking truck. Hey, i was told that Kaymar didnt make 70 series bumpers any longer???
They do. The challenge is getting one shipped over here. They do not however make a version for the 70/71/73/74 variant. You have to get a 78 version and "play with it" to make it fit.
"Play with it" ......
In my neck of the woods that translates to wood shims and duct tape.
The wood comes into play for sure.....
Would love to see some more pics, especially of the seat mounts, front and rear, and the rear bench. Is the bench still exceedingly close to the front seats or did the bracketry changes move it back? What did you do for rear seatbelts, if anything? What about comfort factor of the Besttop front seats versus OEM? Is the front passenger seat still able to fold and slide forward for easier entry into the back seat? I have OEM front and rear and am looking to gain a few inches more room in the front and several in the rear and have been toying with the ideas of modified brackets versus aftermarket seats. Cruiser looks awesome by the way. Can't beat Kurt and Steve, I'm super happy with mine.
Thanks
theferg
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- #29
Yep. The kaymar def took some extra work to fit up to the 74, as Dan says. Chopping some parts off and ovaling out a bunch of the mount holes. The USA dealer for Kaymar is Outback Proven, but I know they have no more for the 7x in stock in the USA and unsure on when/if more will be coming. I was able to sneak the last one out of the few that arrived together earlier this year when @cruiserdan and a couple other folks got theirs.
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theferg
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- #30
I do have some more pics and am planning on adding them in the thread...i just spaced where I put them. I think they are on a compy at the home office. I'll try and get them up tonight.
The front seat brackets I know nothing about as they are the ones that came with the truck. They appear to be the stock non-suspension seat brackets with some minor modifications. Both the fronts seats tilt forward and also slide forward, though the slide feature is built into my seat brackets, and the tilt feature is built into the seat.
As for the rear, I def gained a good amount of leg room over a stock rear bench. I would guess around 6". I'll take some measurements on where mines at vs where a stock one sits. Also, it still folds and tumbles right snug up to the front seats. For seat belts, since its a bit of a smaller bench (40" wide), I went with just two lap belts. The ones I used were some 40 series style jump seat, non-retractable seat belts. I've bolted one end into where the stock striker catch is and then drilled two holes through the floor right at the same body cross support and bolted the other ends through. I plan to go with some shoulder belts back there once I get a roll cage in.
Ferg-Man, im in the market for either a 74 or a HZJ 73. Im looking for an auto. As long as you keep them cool they make the best wheeling machines. What is it about that auto you dont like?
At least you have some...
Depending on how much and what kind of wheeling you plan on doing, I think you should consider doing the Advance Adapters 4;1 low range kit in your transfer case rather then regearing your axles. The AA gears will give you a 10% under drive in high range which will be almost the same final drive as doing the 4:56's but with the benefit of the 4:1 crawl gears.
theferg
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- #34
Didn't really come across this info before as an option. I may have given it a little thought, but I don't really see this rig needing a 4:1 crawl. Maybe years down the road when it becomes a beater....
As it stands now, I've got the first diff (a spare diff so I can still drive) already at an installer getting 4.56 installed. I'll post up more detail on it a bit later though as its no regular old diff that's going in (click the link in my sig and you might get an idea of what I'm up to... 
)
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theferg
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- #35
Honestly, it may be a bit of the "grass is greener" syndrome as I drove a couple manual BJ70s and 74s in Moab and around Kurt's shop.... But I also just really liked being able to control which gear it was in and not worry about overheating the trans or burning up a torque converter. I also like the idea of being able to push-start the rig if I ever have battery issues. And on top of that, the ease and $$ of a rebuild on the H55F vs the A440F should that be necessary. Plus, all the extra mods that must/should/could/would be done on the auto (external cooler, trans temp gauge, modified valve body, HD torque converter, etc etc) and the manual doesn't seem to need much of any type of extra anything (maybe a HD clutch or something at some point at the very most).
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Thanks!
Definitely more room and I think the front seats move further back too right?
Ferg, these are a great option... and we have some in stock on the the shelf too!
fireball
SILVER Star
Ferg - truck looks great! A few questions if you don't mind:
What exactly is the interior color? Is it a gray/blue plaid? I like it, very "overtly 80s!"
How do you like the 255/85 MTs? Do you think that is a good size for the 74?
Any more photos of the Kaymar bumper? Looks great!
Thanks
What exactly is the interior color? Is it a gray/blue plaid? I like it, very "overtly 80s!"
How do you like the 255/85 MTs? Do you think that is a good size for the 74?
Any more photos of the Kaymar bumper? Looks great!
Thanks
fireball
SILVER Star
@theferg bumping your thread again because I just saw somewhere else that you were planning to fit e-lockers into your 74. Any progress on this? I just bought a 74 and am trying to decide what to do... was mainly consider TJM vs. ARB, but would be interested to hear more about this e-locker swap you're planning/doing.
@cruiseroutfit Do you still have the grey OEM locker switch mount available for the 70 series? Will it fit the 73/74s? Since these only got cable lockers from the factory I'm not sure the switch mount would work?
@cruiseroutfit Do you still have the grey OEM locker switch mount available for the 70 series? Will it fit the 73/74s? Since these only got cable lockers from the factory I'm not sure the switch mount would work?
@fireball The 70-series also came with E-lockers on the post-1990 models when they introduced the front high-pinion. The POD (switch mount) shown in your post above is the correct POD for the 70-series and the dial-style locker switch will work perfectly (that's how they came from factory). The dash didn't change much on the 70-series until their later years and I am sure you can retrofit that POD to any 70-series model/year without much complication.
fireball
SILVER Star
Thanks Alberto. I didn't know if there was also an interior re-design that happened b/w '89 and '90 that might affect fitment. The pre-1990 vehicles (like my truck) never got e-lockers so that why I was wondering if this would fit.
