My 75 series camper mark 2

[Coyote808]

Very interesting set up on the jacks there, Rosco. Looks similar to some of the electric over hydraulic lifts I've seen used to lift rubbish bins (you know, the ones that are really 40 ft. containers) up onto a trailer at the dump, except super down sized and man powered. Are those custom jobs, or did you pick them up at a local hardware or outdoor recreation outlet? Thanks a bunch for the pictures, by the way.
On a side note, hope you get well soon. Have some Miso soup, works just like chicken soup, only better. But it's made from soy beans and usually eaten with tofu and shoyu (aka soy sauce). Just a thought. Might be hard to get if you don't know a Japanese place nearby or can't find the instant Miso like we have here. Or you could go with chicken soup.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Very interesting set up on the jacks there, Rosco. Looks similar to some of the electric over hydraulic lifts I've seen used to lift rubbish bins (you know, the ones that are really 40 ft. containers) up onto a trailer at the dump, except super down sized and man powered. Are those custom jobs, or did you pick them up at a local hardware or outdoor recreation outlet? Thanks a bunch for the pictures, by the way.

The jacks can be bought from caravan/trailer parts suppliers. Ive seen them on US made slide on campers
The forks were welded on by the fabricator.
You can buy an electrically powered hydraulic type but for the weight I have, the manual ones are easy.
Some owners carry a rechargeable drill with a socket that fits the jack,saves about a $1000 on the factory auto type

On a side note, hope you get well soon. .

Feeling much better thanks

 

[Coyote808]

I am really liking your HZJ75, Rosco, makes me wish I had a 70 series. I guess my FJ60 will have to do until I can get my hands on a 75 legally. Such wonderful vehicles, so little money.

 

[roscoFJ73]

I am really liking your HZJ75, Rosco, makes me wish I had a 70 series. I guess my FJ60 will have to do until I can get my hands on a 75 legally. Such wonderful vehicles, so little money.

There is not a lot of difference between a 70 and a 60 in the years 84-90

Very similar frame
Same brakes,electrical,axles,steering,suspension.
In fact they are the same car almost with a different body.
There is certianly no difference in toughness.

I think the 60s look really good chopped into a ute

 

[Coyote808]

There is not a lot of difference between a 70 and a 60 in the years 84-90

Very similar frame
Same brakes,electrical,axles,steering,suspension.
In fact they are the same car almost with a different body.
There is certianly no difference in toughness.

I think the 60s look really good chopped into a ute

Well, I like the look of the 60 as a Wagon, and I don't think it looks too bad as a truck, but I just have always wanted a 75 series pickup ever since I was a kid (not too long ago, I'm still really young). I guess it's from watching all those awesome documentaries on National Geographic and Discovery Channel and thinking,"Wow, that's a really cool looking truck, and it's a Toyota! WAY COOL." Then as I got older, and started doing more research on it, and finding out that it's a Land Cruiser model which I had fallen in love with as the FJ40 and FJ60, and found out they came with DIESEL, I was immediately smitten with woes of wanting the other kid's toy so to speak. So here I wait patiently, with a dozen grand, drilling as a reservist in the Navy, going to College, and searching for a job, until that day I can get my hands on one of your wonderful little HJ or BJ 75s. And now your HZJ making me drool even more and cements my desire to get one to replace my little Ford.

 

[roscoFJ73]

So here I wait patiently, with a dozen grand, drilling as a reservist in the Navy, going to College, and searching for a job, until that day I can get my hands on one of your wonderful little HJ or BJ 75s. And now your HZJ making me drool even more and cements my desire to get one to replace my little Ford.

If I had my choice between owning a HZJ75 or being at college and in the Navy reserves with the future before me,I know where I would be.

In 13 months you maybe able to import a 1985 HJ75 cab chassis'
A HJ75 with a 12HT upgrade would be a mighty desirable vehicle

And back on subject. I left my 80 litre waecko going full bore off the 700cca cranking batteries and the solenoid isolated one battery for starting like it was supposed to.
The aux battery went on until the fridge decided the volts were too low.
Im glad I got that working. Turned out one battery had a bad earth and the solenoid didnt shut the main battery down ,allowing both to go flat.
Lucky I discovered it before I went bush.
Going to Bullfinch tommorrow for booze up
I hotel + 4 houses pop 15

 

[Coyote808]

It's always good to test things before you head up country, because when you're down town or near home you can always give the tow company a call and they can come jump your battery or, if you're lucky, you run across somebody like me who'll pull off the highway and help.

And as I'm sure you know, warm food, a cold beverage of your choosing, and good company after a day's travel is great on the spirits, no matter what happens that day. Emphasis on cold beverage of your choosing and spirits.

And it seems, Youth and Wisdom are mutually exclusive, I guess I should just be more patient and continue with the free photos of all the great 75 cab + chassis trucks around on this site as I await that great day called, "No more college debt."

 

[roscoFJ73]

I took my 75 series camper away last week and slept in it for 4 days. It was a good time to evaluate various aspects of the camper.
Some of the things I want to change or add are

1 The stove that came with it is a POS and will be heading to the rubbish bin this week. Im not sure what Ill replace it with.
The old one has a burner that sits too high and allows the wind to blow the flame away from the frying pan.
Apart from that,the ever resourceful previous owner had it held together with plastic ties which melted on the weekend before I noticed they were there .
It also had broken control knobs which were glued on and began breaking off while cooking a meal

2 The kitchen sink is too big and needs too much water to get a decent depth to wash dishes. Will be replaced with a plastic container.

3 The 80 litre Waeco fridge is a little power hungry and my 100 amp battery is only good for 2 days.
I will add another battery in paralel and look at getting some solar panels after talking to some other owners.
I have a small genny but using them in quiet camping areas is not etiquette. The amount of sunlight here also makes them more suitable.


4 The mattress is a cheap thin type and will be replaced with a high density foam type.

5 The ladder to get up top is too long and will be cut down or maybe replaced.
It is a proper heavy duty scaffold ladder and the non slip rungs kill my bare feetwch:

Other things that met with my approval is the tent up top .I was going to replace it but it is quite spacious and is very cool on a hot day with all the windows open to a nice breeze.
I can put it up or take it down in minutes,even in the dark.

The storage system is great. Everything I needed fitted in very neatly and I had quite a few admirers who wanted a closer look

Fridge kept everything cool and I felt superior to the others that had to drive 30 klms every day to the shop that sold overpriced ice

Here is some pics of where we camped and fished. It is Betty's Beach near Two Peoples Bay ,about 40 klms east of Albany and about 450 klms south of Perth.
It has about 6 -7 shacks owned by the local angling club.
The Ranger said its ok to use the shacks if the door is open and you leave them clean. And its all free to camp there
Water was warm and the day temps were about 30-35C .Night time required only a sheet or thin blanket

 

[roscoFJ73]

Some more pics of the surrounding area. There are hundreds of secluded bays in the area ,some of it National Parks but lots of other areas owned by the local council where you can take a well behaved dog.

At night it was great to look along the coast and be only able to see the odd fishing or camping light for 20 klms

 

[roscoFJ73]

Plenty of other Toyota's there too

 

[Coyote808]

Wonderful looking location, Rosco. Makes me want to go down there and see the wonderful sights, but I know there's stuff up here that makes you folks drool too. Like real surf. Here's to hoping my truck will be done by Monday.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Wonderful looking location, Rosco. Makes me want to go down there and see the wonderful sights, but I know there's stuff up here that makes you folks drool too. Like real surf.

Surf we have plenty ,especially if you want to ride a good wave on your own without fighting for it
The waves are not as big as you guys get,but we have 10000 miles of coastline
Although, with 4-5 White Pointer attacks in the last few weeks I aint get out there anytime soon

The snow makes me drool,I get sick of the dust and the heat and the bush flies.
Some nice lush north american forests would be nice to visit and see some big rivers

Here's to hoping my truck will be done by Monday.

Whats happening to that?

 

[Coyote808]

Whats happening to that?

When I got the truck, it had been sitting for over a year as the owner was in Iraq on deployment and his wife doesn't know how to drive a manual car. If it were anywhere else, it'd be fine, but it was sitting on the beach, and salt in the air got into the cooling system and crystalized practically, and seized the water pump. It would idle fine, but once I got it moving on my way home, it jamed the pump shut and the bugger over heated, blew the gaskets, and the heat caused the head to crack. Been waiting on the machine shop for over 3 months now. And I'm getting really angry because I don't have much money left because I still haven't gotten a job and had to drop out of school, and now this. So far, it's not going too well.

 

[roscoFJ73]

When I got the truck, it had been sitting for over a year as the owner was in Iraq on deployment and his wife doesn't know how to drive a manual car. If it were anywhere else, it'd be fine, but it was sitting on the beach, and salt in the air got into the cooling system and crystalized practically, and seized the water pump. It would idle fine, but once I got it moving on my way home, it jamed the pump shut and the bugger over heated, blew the gaskets, and the heat caused the head to crack. Been waiting on the machine shop for over 3 months now. And I'm getting really angry because I don't have much money left because I still haven't gotten a job and had to drop out of school, and now this. So far, it's not going too well.

Thats sure is bad luck. I would be prioritising getting back into school though even if the cruiser had to go.
Shops that take 3 months to do a simple job suck. I had a whole diesel rebuilt in a week.

 

[Coyote808]

School is a top priority, but that doesn't take as much of a priority as being able to feed, house, and hydrate myself. Finding employment in this market when minimum wage is $7.75/hr and poverty level is $14.00/hr, and that's a lower end estimate. Cost of living here is a LOT higher than the average. I hope to be able to find a job so I can at least stay at home with my parents and help with bills, because they currently cannot afford to pay for the cost of living for three people. Just need to follow up on a lot of the possible leads on jobs.

 

[roscoFJ73]

I finally bought one of these Apollo roof top tents. Its a chinese knock off of the Hannibal and and Maggioleno (sp) type.
It was less than half the price and while the soft material is not up to the standard of the others,its easily replaced.
The fibreglass shell looks top notch.

I have removed the old canvas and put it up for sale( Im surprised at how many want to look at it)

This is a video of one, but not mine,but identical
YouTube - APOLLO FIBERGLASS CAR ROOF TOP RACK CAMPING TENT BOX

Its a fair bit smaller than the old canvas ,but Im looking for quick and easy erection times when Im on the road.
For longer stays I will get an Oztent RV4(also known as the 30 second tent)

 

[gilghana]

Looks Great Rosco! Like you say the important bit is the fibreglass. The quality of the Chinese stuff is getting so good - I believe there are a few Chinese winches putting better known Western manufacturers to shame. Only a matter of time before that applies to pretty much everything.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Looks Great Rosco! Like you say the important bit is the fibreglass. The quality of the Chinese stuff is getting so good - I believe there are a few Chinese winches putting better known Western manufacturers to shame. Only a matter of time before that applies to pretty much everything.

Thanks. Ill probably have it fitted this week,still not decided on which way to go.

The best winches,well the best priced reliable winches, are the chinese made ones that get "fixed up" when they arrive in oz.
Like the Premier Winch,it has blitzed the field in some comparos in the last couple of years.
Its only $300-400 more than a cheapy.
Terrain tamer's new winch is supposed to be good also.
Not so keen on being the test pilot for the chinese lockers

I sold the old canvas top to the 1st buyer today,it must have been too cheap

 

[roscoFJ73]

I had some progress on the fitting of the Apollo roof top camper I bought recently and Im really happy with how its turned out.
I had the 2 frames made in stainless 40x40mm tube and bolted to the frame of the camper underneath.
I took it out and gave it a real hammering last weekend and all held tight.
Another thing I like is that is has very little wind drag

This has given me a great more storage space that is easy to access. Behind the tyres will be the storage spot for a Oztent RV3 or similar,and at the end my fold up table and chairs

The next thing I need to do is get a ladder fabbed up as I havent found anything suitable. A ladder did come with the camper but it was junk and too short as well.
The ladder I want wont touch the ground,it will hang off the side when in use and stow awy when on the road.
Something like the ladders on aluminium scaffolds or a transom ladder on a boat.

On the opposite side to the ladder I want to install one of these Open Sky 2500 awning. They are about half the price of the ARB type
http://www.4x4store.com.au/images/detailed/500openskyawningopen.jpg

 

[gilghana]

Sweet as! Really like how you have the extra storage space and yet the tent is basically cab height.