My new arrival, Jimboomba- an '84 HJ47 Troopy (1 Viewer)

[Rustic76]

I have always loved the look of the troop carriers and with a family of five, we had definitely outgrown my '76 FJ40 that I had owned for 15 years. So the decision was made to sell the '76 and search for a good troopy. While trolling Gumtree one day, I found what looked to be a near flawless, original example in Jimboomba, QLD AUS. It was an original owner truck with 238000 kilometers on the clock. It was not my favorite color (681 Green) but a fairly rare one and appeared to be in great shape.

I shot a PM off to Phil @AUStoUSA. I told him I was looking for a troop and he mentioned the same green troopy that I had seen on Gumtree. A few more conversations and two days later the troopy was mine.
My kids and I decided Jimboomba was a perfect name for the new troopy.

Here she is a few days ago when I picked up Jimboomba at AustoUsa's warehouse, which is conveniently only about 50 miles from my house.

I had never driven a RHD vehicle before so I had a crash course for about a mile before hopping on Interstate 5 for the drive back home. It took a few miles and one coffee stop to relax but all in all, smooth sailing. I was a little worried about how the 2H would drive considering Ive heard mixed reviews. She drove great. It is quiet, smooth and cruised down the freeway easily at 65mph.

A few days later, the weather is crap so I decided to wipe down the interior and pull out a few of the gadgets that had been added that I had no use for like the trailer brakes and the UHF radio. Plus the wiring for these and the aftermarket CD player was a bit of a mess so I pulled the UHF and brake controller and all their wiring and rewired the CD player. It turned out much cleaner under dash.

Next I decided to toss the ugly green turf carpet that was covering the span of the rear wheel wells. I almost felt bad, the PO must have really spent some time installing this as the carpet was perfectly trimmed around every jumpseat and seatbelt bracket. I also pulled out the grey carpet and started wiping away the remnants of Aussie dust and was stoked at the outcome! I have never seen a bed this clean. It is near flawless. There are some scratches at the sill but the rest is perfect!!!

I had a smile ear to ear!!! That is OEM toyota paint, from the factory in 1984!! not a single dimple or pit.

Jimboomba also had the thick, sheepskin seat covers which were a little dirty so I pulled those off too to reveal the perfect seat backs with only one small scratch. I had been told that the seats had some cracks so I was expecting to see seats all cracked apart but was also thrilled to see they were in great shape too. The OEM floor mat was in great shape minus the small crack u under the clutch. This thing was like cracking open a 32 year old time capsule.

Here are a few more pics I took before the stormy weather started here.

 

[daniel.watters]

Love that color too.... And the graphics!

 

[Rustic76]

Here are a few more...

The seals for the ambulance door windows are not in the best shape so I have a new set coming from @Racer65.

 

[Rustic76]

Love that color too.... And the graphics!

Thanks Daniel, The stripes have grown on me too. They give it a cool retro 80's vibe!

 

[whitey45]

What a beauty! Green is a very rare color, never seen a troopy this clean and rust free. A big plus to have the rear jump seats in order as well! It must be a one owner rig! Great find Justin!

 

[ukaviator]

WOW so clean! Congrats!
Excited to see where you take this

 

[Rustic76]

Thanks guys. The more I poke around I am astonished how clean it is. There is one random rust bubble on the lower bib. Other than that I can't even find surface rust. There is an old sticker on the back corner window that says "Rustproofing Aust". It does have a semi-solid coating to the frame, axles, and suspension components. The story is that after the owner would tour Australia, he took the troopy back the the dealer where it was cleaned and rustproofed.

 

[Michael B]

Very very nice Troopy. That's quite a find! Congratulations.

 

[Rustic76]

What a beauty! Green is a very rare color, never seen a troopy this clean and rust free. A big plus to have the rear jump seats in order as well! It must be a one owner rig! Great find Justin!

Thanks Brian,

All the rear seats and seat belts are there. The jump seats don't even look like they have been used! It is a single owner truck, in the stack of papers that came with it was the original 1984 carbon copy of the Toyota dealers delivery slip to the owner.

 

[Rustic76]

Now for some questions for y'all.

The troopy has a bit of a stink bug stance. I'm thinking the rear spring packs have add a leafs. I took measurements and my 40 I no longer have stood at 34.5 inches at the wheel well with an OME springs. The same measurement on Jimboomba..

It's kind of hard to see in my pic but there is a super thick leaf second from the bottom. Does anyone know if this is an add a leaf?

 

[Rustic76]

Saving up for some new 33x10.50's to replace the 31's. While waiting for the troopy to ship I got antsy and started acquiring some stuff.

I wanted to replace the sunraysia wheels on the troopy with something from toyota that are more my style. Tough decision between steelies and caps or late model 40 series wagon wheels.

Since all my other cruisers have had steelies and caps, I decided on the OEM wagon wheels.

After a lot of searching I got a set of 4 from another mud member and then they went in for a blast and powder coat.

I didn't want a stark, bright white so I did an almond PC color. Here is pic of how they turned out. Can't wait to see how they look on the truck.

 

[chappohj47]

Very nice troopy I know a bloke who would of paid an arm and a leg for that troopy in that color as it's the same as the one he ownes

 

[Rustic76]

Here is a pic of the typical, massive Roo-bar. It is in great shape but I will prob remove it for a simple OEM bumper. If anyone wants it and can come pick it up, let me know.

I like the rocker protection that the side bars offer and they are stout, tied into the frame. I thought about cutting them just in front of the running board and leaving them there to serve as sliders.

 

[daniel.watters]

I don't think you can go wrong with either wheel combo. Those late model whites will look good. I would not rule out the 16 inch gray splits... Especially with the green!

 

[Rustic76]

I don't think you can go wrong with either wheel combo. Those late model whites will look good. I would not rule out the 16 inch gray splits... Especially with the green!

I agree. I was originally going to do splits, I ended up deciding against it just for the fact that most tire shops refuse to mess with them.

 

[Pauciflora]

G'day Rustic 76, Congratulations on the purchase. I always worry when someone buys an Australian import that they have been ripped off by an unscrupulous Aussie and are disappointed. But, I reckon you have done well. It looks like a beautiful example and even down under where we have a proliferation of Land Cruisers they are starting to demand serious money. I hope you and your family get years of loyal service and enjoyment out of Jimboomba. Cheers, Ben

 

[Rustic76]

G'day Rustic 76, Congratulations on the purchase. I always worry when someone buys an Australian import that they have been ripped off by an unscrupulous Aussie and are disappointed. But, I reckon you have done well. It looks like a beautiful example and even down under where we have a proliferation of Land Cruisers they are starting to demand serious money. I hope you and your family get years of loyal service and enjoyment out of Jimboomba. Cheers, Ben

Thanks Ben, much appreciated, Mate.

- Justin

 

[CharlestonG8R]

Congratulations! Man, that thing is nice. I really love those graphics - so typical of the era but not many examples like this are left. Can't wait to see more. I'm glad to hear that Jimboomba runs well - and quiet? Did I read that correctly?

 

[Rustic76]

I should have said "quiet for a 40 series." I expected the diesel to be a lot louder. So far I'm pleased with the performance of the 2H. Unlike a 2F, I was able to pass a few gas stations without fueling up .

Now I'm on to checking the brakes. I noticed the pedal has very little firmness. i bled the system and noticed the nipples up front had very little pressure. Jacked up the front end and noticed the discs grab just for a second then let go, even with the pedal to the floor. Gotta figure out if it's a brake booster or master cylinder issue. The master looks new. Noticed a vacuum was being created in the master cylinder reservoir when pumping the pedal. Guess it's time to learn how a 2H vacuum system works.

 

[Michael B]

Vacuum is generated from a pump on the back of the alternator and routes to a canister then to the booster. The canister should be located in the drivers floorboard attached to the frame.