My 75 series camper mark 2 (1 Viewer)

[roscoFJ73]

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

Thanks I was determined that it would not cause any wind drag.
The storage space is very welcome.
I may have to reinforce the roof of the box to take the weight of the left hand spare tyre

My next mod will be to lower or replace the existing water tank inside the alloy box.Im not happy with the height of the tank,nor the way it is fixed. The mountings look to flimsy to me and I dont want to lose all my water if it falls(it hangs from the inside of the roof inside the alloy box).

Ive seen some ultra thin tanks that may fit up front between the camper and the cab and removing the existing tank would allow me to store gerry cans of water or fuel inside when I need extra
I got a custom made tank priced but he wanted $950 AUD for an 85 litre tank between the chassis.


Today is for more mundane things.
Last weekend I got a horrible screeching and banging from the rear RH wheel. I thought it was the newly rebuilt diff or the wheel bearing collapsing .
I couldnt feel any heat or movement so I drove the last 150 klms home with the noise coming and going.
When I pulled the RH rear brake disc off ,one of the handbrake shoes fell out.
It seems a mysterious piece of metal has gotten inside the handbrake drum and ripped out the anchor spring and clip holding down the front shoe.
It also destroyed the long spring on the adjuster
The piece of metal is too mangled to identify whether it came from the brakes or is foreign. I keep wondering if the guys that rebuilt my diff dropped something in there.
Im waiting for the sun to come up so I can start.

I did have one slight problem with the 75 on the way home.
About 1 hr from home I smelt something hot,burning,coolant smell ......:agh:
When I popped the bonnet I noticed my rad cap was not on tight and had steam coming out of it
I had someone looking at the electrical wiring near the radiator last week and Im thinking they must have lent on it..

I let it cool down,restarted it and put about 5 litres of water in .
The gauge was off the scale (but at least I know it works now) but everything seems ok ,no bubbles ,no overheating or leakage.
I guess I was lucky,partly my fault for not checking it as I only checked the coolant bottle level and oil level.

 

[Coyote808]

Any updates with the HZJ75, rosco?

 

[roscoFJ73]

Any updates with the HZJ75, rosco?

Nup,been dealing with electrical probs all week but all seems to be well now except for the glow plug timer.
Im getting a custom removeable ladder made in the nest week or so.
Then I want to start reorganising the plumbing and electrical wiring on the inside.
Im also getting a spray on bed liner on top of the alloy box to waterproof it and then some kind of awning off the side

 

[Coyote808]

Electrical gremlins are a pain. But once you get those out of the way, and get that awning set up, I think it would be a nice truck to spend the weekend out camping in. Just wish I could get my hands on a 75 series truck.

 

[lulo]

Great Project!

I like your 75 "Rosco" Camper

 

[rchalmers3]

Hey there Rosco,

Just read through your thread, very interesting! Coupla off subject questions:

How come you didn't introduce your dog to us?

Your bio says you emerged into this world in '29. G'won, that the truth or are you pullin one over on us?

Cheers pops,

Rick

 

[roscoFJ73]

Hey there Rosco,

Just read through your thread, very interesting! Coupla off subject questions:

How come you didn't introduce your dog to us?

Your bio says you emerged into this world in '29. G'won, that the truth or are you pullin one over on us?

Cheers pops,

Rick

The dog is a stray I found on Australia day 06 and has since been named Matilda or Tilly for short.
She always wanders under the cruiser for a look or to give your face a lick when Im working on it.
Tilly is a very curious dog and likes to inspect the work Im doing and always gets in the pics without help from me
Tilly is always hoping I will take her in the Landcruiser for a run in the bush,but she wont get in a car unless I drag her in.

I feel like I was born in 29 but its closer to 59

 

[rchalmers3]

Well I haven't seen pictures of ya, but I bet you look good for a 79 year old then I reckon. Check your bio 'mate.

Sounds like Tilly picked a good owner.

Rick

 

[Coyote808]

Tilly picked him for his truck. Because as we know, Dogs love trucks.

And the people demand more awesome pictures of Australia and your Cruiser.

 

[roscoFJ73]

And the people demand more awesome pictures of Australia and your Cruiser.

Not much to show recently but I did go to the Woodarburrup fundraiser for a local charity
It was a mens only event with 600 showing up,mainly farmers and people who work on the land.
It was as much beer as you could drink in 24 hrs for $50. There was a woodchop event,horse racing,farm dog racing,auction,gambling(shhh)and a well known local comedian.


It was a long drive,400klms each way for an overnight stay
The pic of my cruiser is an early morn pic as I was packing up ,there are still 3 asleep under the shade.
One has a roo tail in his sleeping bag,LOL

I think the guys in the blue 45 are pig hunters. The truck was packed with camping gear and 2 huge hounds in cages
Half the vehcles there were cruisers,mainly 7* series trays like mine. There were also a lot of Hiluxs and other series.
I guess most of the vehicles were diesel except the Cessnas which some farmers flew in. The farm had its own runway which was also the racetrack.

Everyone bought their own generator and the noise at 2am was like a construction site with random dogs fighting over scraps,drunks vomiting and loud music.

The beer came from a semi trailer with beer kegs protruding from the side,help yourself.
Some were filling up 1 gallon plastic buckets to take back to their camp

Note the mobile bar those guys had in the 3rd pic .They pushed it from one event to another

The 2nd and 3rd pic are late afternoon autumn at lattitude 34.2 south which is about as far south you can go in WA.
The haze is from some bush fires a 100 klms north

 

[joshoisasleep]

wow what an awesome fundraiser. I think that would probably be illegal in Canada!

 

[roscoFJ73]

wow what an awesome fundraiser. I think that would probably be illegal in Canada!

I think it was a little bit on the sly here too:wink:

There was not a flyer or signpost to be seen anywhere. From what I know ,it was all word of mouth and invite only.
We drove the full length of a 40klm dirt road and back trying to find the right farm gate from a vague description.

 

[Coyote808]

Sounds like an interesting time, and aside from the gaming, would be perfectly legal out here.

Plenty of cruisers. Boggles the mind!

 

[roscoFJ73]

Plenty of cruisers. Boggles the mind!

In rural areas, its not uncommon for half the vehicles in town to be Landcruisers.
The outback cops use 78/79 series or sometimes a turbo diesel Sahara 100 series or maybe 200 now.

Took this pic of a turbo diesel troopy. It has 3 single seats for the police,2 in front and a centre seat midway.
The rear section holds 4 prisoners with its own aircon.
Bumpers have slots underneath for hi lift jack.
They usually have a 40 litre car fridge and water tank.Sometimes a locker for spare uniforms.
This one is about 1800 klms from its original deployment. We can tell by the number plate

It really is an expedition rig for the cops

.

 

[Coyote808]

Very nice there, Rosco. Wish I could upload some pics from my old phone of the City & County Roadworks 1991 FJ80s that I've seen around here. That is probably one of the few Cruisers I wouldn't want to go for a ride in.

 

[lulo]

Perth Police Xpedition Rigs


Thanks for the pic...

 

[roscoFJ73]

Perth Police Xpedition Rigs


Thanks for the pic...

No problems mate
This is cab chassis also used for outback patrols. The rear is made by the same family that used to make dual cab Arkana 45/75 series .
The rear costs about $6000 and is transferred to new vehicles as the old one is retired.
I like the design of the bed,would make a good replacement for the original bed and probably last longer.
Someone has been selling an entire rear like this for $1000 for some time

 

[Coyote808]

That's an interesting design. Very practical. Although I think the look of being in the back of that truck looks a bit uncomfortable. I think that's a pretty good deterrent to not wanting to commit a crime in the middle of nowhere.

 

[roscoFJ73]

That's an interesting design. Very practical. Although I think the look of being in the back of that truck looks a bit uncomfortable. I think that's a pretty good deterrent to not wanting to commit a crime in the middle of nowhere.

Yes,people under arrest may have to travel 400+ klms plus in there.

 

[lulo]

Yes,people under arrest may have to travel 400+ klms plus in there.

Hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaa...


Don´t sell beer inside???


Thanks again Rosco...