LJ78 (more mods)

[crushers]

so...
it seems there is going to be a LJ78 heading up to Alaska this summer for a nice 250-300 mile off road run. this means i want to modify it to be able to turn 36" tractor tires reliably.
i have 4 months to complete this...
here are the questions that come to mind:
has anyone taken the elec locker LJ rear diff and installed it into the front of a LJ?

okay that was easy...
now, the mods will be simple (i think). i can run 34" tires on it in stock form so with a 2 1/2" lift i should be able to clear the 36s (might have to trim the fenders and drop the bump stops to reduce rubbing)
custom skid plat that will reduce the amount of mud that will collect but still be able to protect the vunerable.
dual t/cases to be able to turn the 36s effectively.
loose the rear bumper and the running boards and add a set of side bars
move the factory front winch to the back and a 8274 to the front...
roof rack for the spare tires.
drawer system in the back.

am i missing anything? you boys that have run in alaska, any advice?
so PacToy, BJ44, Denis what advice do you have?

 

[PacToy]

Looks like you got everything covered pretty much.

I got to tell ya as you already know, put a little bit of lift and some tires on those LJ/KZJ 78s and they wheel pretty damn good.. Now your adding two lockers. I can only begin to imagine what a 78 series Prado can do!

Those 78 series Prados work very well off road.. A little top heavy though.

Only thing I can think of is get rid of those damn electric hubs if you already haven't.

Take Care,

Randy

 

[PacToy]

Wayne,

I was just pondering the idea of your Alaska expedition and I thought about everything your adding and everything your need and I thought damn that is gonna be a heavy bitch on smaller diameter coils..

So it brought me to the question. After all the weight do you think your gonna have enough lift left to clear 36"s? I really have no idea but I would say it ain't happnen Capt'em.

Of course I have known be be wrong on a few occassions.
.

Take Care, Wayne

Randy

 

[crushers]

Randy,
thanks for the advice...
after talking with a coupe of guys that have done the run they have talked me out of moving the winch to the back (might still swap it for a 8274 though). talked me out of the side bars, as well as the dual t/case... it seems wheeling in Alberta is similar to wheeling in Alaska just without the trees...

i am planning on dropping the spring bump stops to reduce upward travel...

i am going to try and bolt on the tractor tires on a stock suspension and see what i need to clear the tires... i might even trim the fenders (i like low and stable)...

cheers and thanks Randy

 

[PacToy]

Randy,
thanks for the advice...
after talking with a coupe of guys that have done the run they have talked me out of moving the winch to the back (might still swap it for a 8274 though). talked me out of the side bars, as well as the dual t/case... it seems wheeling in Alberta is similar to wheeling in Alaska just without the trees...

i am planning on dropping the spring bump stops to reduce upward travel...

i am going to try and bolt on the tractor tires on a stock suspension and see what i need to clear the tires... i might even trim the fenders (i like low and stable)...

cheers and thanks Randy

Wayne, I do not think I gave that much advice. SHane (BJ-44) might have some good tips on the LJ-78 also but I think your contacts who have run the trail will be your best bet for your expedition..

I was just pondering some thoughts that with the Prado would give you a safe and good time and bring you home safe.

Take Care,

Randy

 

[crushers]

Randy,
the unit will be trailered to the trail head and trailered back home and once on the trail it will see about 20 km/hr. it is a off road run of 250-300 miles of track, no roads, starting and finishing in the same spot.
do you know if the locker from the rear will fit into the front?
cheers

 

[PacToy]

Wayne,

No, I don't know the answer to that question but that is a question to ask Shane (BJ-44). He is very knowledgable in that arena.

I trust you will bring many pics to share of your expedition!!

Take Care,

Randy

 

[denis]

has anyone taken the elec locker LJ rear diff and installed it into the front of a LJ?

The opening and bolt pattern are the same between a rear and a front 8" elocker. Cut weld drill tap the exact same thing as an 8" rear mod.
You will have serious interferences between a low-pinion and the tie rod though.
The 80 series front housing and diff will work with the LJ gears.

 

[denis]

Denis what advice do you have?

pull the carpets and looks at where the electronics are. Right now in the shop I have a nissan pickup that took a bath, the engine management, ABS airbag antitheft, PDL boxes had a very bad time. Luckily enough the engine management is mostly mechanical so the antitheft can be bypassed relatively easily, but the other devices will go out the undow unless a couple of grands are spent at the nissan dealer.
If you're going to do anything wet with a vehicle that relies on electronics, think twice, if you still want to do it spend some time to make sure it won't leave you stranded, should the worst happen. I don't know how this would apply to your Alaskan trail or how hardcore it's meant to be, but if you really need 36" tires it's probably more than a mall-to-mall run.
Just the intermittent wiper relay at toyota is $200-ish. Ask me how I know
One of the big tire clearance issue will be on the backside of the front wheel opening, it will rub badly especially if the wheels are wide with little backspacing.
IMO more tire isn't always better especially if the vehicle is not suited to it, or needs a lot of compromises. You could run 34s and not worry about gearing or articulation.
I'm quite sure the LJ would do well in most situations. The carpets and electronics would be my biggest worries.

 

[BJ-44]

If you are trailering it I think you got got it covered, if your driving it up there bring a spare head If you don't have a front e-locker from an 80 just put a lock-right in it. Having to modify the steering for for the low pinion locker wouldn't be worth the trouble to me. The surf we did a straight axle conversion with the Prado front axle hasn't had any issues with the lock right in it. With 35's and the rear bumper off mine does well for not having lockers, there are no rubbage issues with the Zeal 4.5 lift and 35's off road.

 

[crushers]

Thanks Denis
Thanks Shane
to be honest i have not thought about the elec for the LJ78... i will have to water tight the system. we will be fording up to 42" of water many many times (so i have been told).
this is good news about the 80 series front locker fitting into the LJ78 housing. so i just swap the 4.9 over onto the 80 housing and bolt it up, run the wiring and i have front and rear lock...cool. i have a e/locker sitting here from a 81.

the carpet is going bye bye. i am going to hippo line the interior and make a drawer / tray system using plexiglass (water proof and lightweight as well a thin and strong.) MDF is one of my favorite materials to work with but if it gets submerged it could mean trouble. i want to keep the weight down (thanks Randy) and as much clearence as i can for sleeping on top...water proof tupperware conatiners for packing "stuff" into the cabinet...

cheers

 

[denis]

If you want to make a dedicated trail/ expedition rig in a wet environment out of the LJ you may even want to consider getting rid of the E pump altogether ?
Otherwise your plan sounds very close to what I would do.
The LWB will make a nice stable platform and having a sleeping area can't be beat.
While I think about it, the bottom of the center console is not waterproof, ask me how I know

 

[clintnz]

The ECU on the LJ's is mounted pretty high, up above the glovebox.

Cheers
Clint

 

[crushers]

i will be removing the (remaining) front seats and all the carpet to make sure i get to all the holes...
anyone looked for one way valve to use for draining the floor area...
can you just remove the elec IP and replace with an older IP??

(the older 2LT started easier and (to me) had more power)

 

[denis]

The IP is a bolt-on deal, you will only have to worry about a throttle linkage. (and maybe the cold start water lines)
The 1st gen. will have a 9mm pluger rather than a 10mm which is not so good for a big power quest but is sufficient for a mild build.

high flow one-way drain valves ->

 

[denis]

The ECU on the LJ's is mounted pretty high, up above the glovebox.

That's a very good thing which gives a good bit of safety margin on that issue

 

[light_duty]

I wonder if you'd have issues removing the ECU on the auto-tranny model, since the tranny is also controlled by ECU. I'm pretty sure this has been discussed over on the toyotadiesel.com forums.

 

[denis]

I had not thought of this, I know the auto engine ECU can be made to work with a manual but can the ECU work without the engine control ? (same ECU for engine and transmission) Yes I think it's been covered before somewhere. Worst case scenario with a couple relays you can hook a manual shifting control for the auto.

 

[crushers]

so...
i through the 36" tractor tires on the LJ78 with no lift and drove it down the alley. yes they rubbed on the exhaust when i turned right but i was surprised they even fit at all...
then last night i got to thining i want a doubler (dual t/case) and went serching for info and came across the most wicked thread about this... down side is it was about the A340F and not the A343F which means the output shaft is a different length in the prado... not to be disallusioned i contacted Marlin about the issue and am waiting for a response back...
then i found out my lift kit arrived from California and with the help of a buddy i got the springs and shocks installed and yep, it does give you a 3" lift... i am installing the caster bushings tomorrow morning and the longer brake lines front and rear. i also have to move the elec hub wires down a coupel inches as well as the breather lines...

i should have pics sometime tomorrow of what it looks like with the dinky 29" tires on it...
if i go doubler then i will need to rework the tranny support, cut out one crossmember and of course the driveshafts will need moding...

if i go with an elec 80 series locker up front i am curious if i need to relocate the cross link to the top of the steerng knuckles...????

cheers

 

[Tapage]

Please take a bunch of pics and videos on this trip .. sound awesome.

Side note. Are you worried for your auto tranny and 36" tractor tires with stock gearing .. ?

I thought are 20% more tire size .. compared to factory 30" tires.