New to forum Bj73 owner

[Snowguy]

Hey,
I bought a bj73 85' in 2007 with 360k on the clock for 5500. i havent had a chance to go 4wd in the time i've owned the old girl and well i've finally figured that i wish to keep her as long as possible, old man says run it till it dies, i say that will never happen, considering its hit 412k on the clock now. Also i would be quite said to see her go.
So the plan is to get to work on her bit by bit, but being quite new to the 4wd mods, im trying to get a bit of info on what i can do to her, without making my daily drive undrivable legally.
Currently im looking into the panels (try and find good condition panels or fix the odd rust spot and restray her), turbo her (3b engine. good and very fuel efficient but not the best when on the freeway on a hill)
Also thinking of any other tips for jobs i can do to her regarding the mechanics of her, suspension, etc. Also looking at doing theses jobs on weekends with the longest without having a car being a week at the most for some bigger jobs.
any help anyone can chuck me would be wonderful.

 

[acer]

how 'bout a pic there snowie?
Cheers and welcome to mud.

 

[Snowguy]

Heres a pic of the front and passenger side. just took them now.
enjoy.
running 31x10.50 r15 lt. dont think they came standard with the 73' not sure.

 

[Clint79]

Its a neat looking cruiser atm mate
but some ideas
all the front end panels you can use off 7x series cruisers up to 06 if your chasing better condition second hand or new panels
put a post 1991 cruiser steering wheel on it get rid of the bus one
give it a new face lift and put some 78 or79 series grill and indicators on it, which are the later troopy and ute 99-06 model you can get chrome ones as well like the RV utes come with
Paint it all white,and the latest 7x series white is nice, better for when you scratch it in the bush
Some font flares to match the back
some 33 x 12.5 bfg At's
be like new

 

[Snowguy]

Thanks clint,
well white could be good, but plan is keep her red and white. I know that the paint being red the scratches will be noticable, just like the original colour scheme.
But thanks on panel advise, i was wondering what panels would fit there other then the 1973/4 series heard the 70 series wont thou being a shorty. mainly concerned bout replacing the bonnet as unlike the pre-storm weather quality pictures from yesterday, bonnet has got rust spots all around it. So next thing is engine and suspension. i know it rides bout 180Cm Wheel to highest point of frp roof (theres a car park that i couldnt go in because i was just bout to hit the roof.), and as for work i park undercover at night time for work, i wont be able to park there if i get a big lift or too big of tyres. but ill think bout the tyres. Unsure on original height but Might have a lift already not sure there is a qld mod plate next to the vin unsure what for.

Im looking at garrett turbos kits, any other engine modifications that really work well at getting the kw up on the 3b?

 

[Snowguy]

also, only need one front flare, some fool hit the car at uni but did no panel damage just knocked the flare off and then parked on it! wasn't in the best condition after that. they had a bit of white scratchs on their silver rolla.

 

[Clint79]

they arent a 1973/4 model just the class of this cruiser is called a 73 model for the mid wheel base the utes and troopys are call 75 series
the 7x series cruiser's started in 1985

turbo's are always good to make your diesel more fun

 

[roscoFJ73]

also, only need one front flare, some fool hit the car at uni but did no panel damage just knocked the flare off and then parked on it! wasn't in the best condition after that. they had a bit of white scratchs on their silver rolla.

Hi Snowguy. This mob might be able to match up the flare you lost

Fibreglass Replacement Panels

As to the turbo,I would get it compression tested before you fit one. 412000 klms is getting on a bit.
Some turbo companies will not fit a turbo to a 3B over 300000klms ,but of course there is nothing to stop you doing it yourself.

You might even want to think about a larger engine. Toyota made 14B and 15B for the Dyna trucks.
They also take well to turboing and are fairly cheap if you know where to look.
I think these are about 4 litres,but externally they are the same size as the 3B. They have longer strokes and bigger bores with reinforced engine blocks,unbreakable in a 73 series

The "1" on the front of the engine code means direct injection as opposed to indirect injection on the 3B

 

[hzjoe]

i have a hzj 73 love it put a 2.5 inch old man emu 33 mud bf superwinch 8500 the truck is perfect decent amount of money go with omemu my opinion;very nice truck you get,welcom

 

[Snowguy]

Thanks alot everyone,
Looking into the 14b-15b engines, see about that if i do need a new engine, turbo wont be until july, but getting saving and what not so if i think the engine needs to go then ill upgrade engine instead of getting turbo. Plan is to do most of the work myself under direction of my dad (mechanic for 35+ years), if something goes wrong i want to know what has gone wrong.
Contacted the people at FRP about the flare waiting for a reply.
Putting the car in for service with my old man in march, planning to get somethings done in a 2 day period including some rust repair and bit of paint, disc brake replacement (calipers, rotors and pads) hopefully a bit extra money left over for other modifications.
Now couple other questions.
Thinking would it be a good idea to swap or modify the side step to rocksliders style?
Will i need more clearance if i was to go 33 inch tyres?
If i do go either of the 14b/15b engines will they be better on the fuel.

Dont know if talking nonsense.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Now couple other questions.
Thinking would it be a good idea to swap or modify the side step to rocksliders style?

Yws if your going to get serious offroad

Will i need more clearance if i was to go 33 inch tyres?

Depends on the state of your current suspension.Judging from your pics ,the rear will be ok, front maybe.
I would stick with smaller diameter tyres until you have the power to turn larger ones
I have gone bak to 31 in tyres on my 73 series and they work quite well on road.
The 33 in tyres cause more sway,make the brakes less efficient but are great offroad.
They do give a nice ride on the highway and quieten things down.

If i do go either of the 14b/15b engines will they be better on the fuel.

Bigger cc almost always incurs a bigger fuel bill,but I cant see it being that much bigger.
I have not done this swap,but the few who have seemed quite happy.

Dont know if talking nonsense.

They are good questions. The ones that talk nonsense are the one who come along with all these preconceived ideas on how to build a monster truck to impress everyone,but are not interested in doing basic maintenance.
Modified 4wds need to have good brakes,steering and be reliable.

 

[Snowguy]

Thanks rosco,
good to know im looking at this in a somewhat positive light, just saving me a bit of money down the track, i am more aiming for keeping her original, but also trying to get her to last for years to come and having a brilliant ride that doesnt look over the top, as i know there aint many on the road these days in australia, being 2010 its now becoming a classic 4wd(25+ years old).
Also getting 700-750kms out of one tank for 4wd this old makes me want to keep it.

 

[Hulsty]

Looks like a solid vehicle, same colour as my old one! You'll probably find rust will be your main issue. Check behind the flares and pop out the tail lights, both mine had rust in the tail light buckets.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Thanks rosco,
good to know im looking at this in a somewhat positive light, just saving me a bit of money down the track, i am more aiming for keeping her original, but also trying to get her to last for years to come and having a brilliant ride that doesnt look over the top, as i know there aint many on the road these days in australia, being 2010 its now becoming a classic 4wd(25+ years old).
Also getting 700-750kms out of one tank for 4wd this old makes me want to keep it.

The MWB are a really useful vehicle and they can give a good ride when set up right.
I remember the 1st time I took my son camping and I was surprised and pleased how much gear I managed to load in the back.
When the back is loaded,the noise levels drop to that of a late model car and the ride becomes super smooth

The only downside to that camping trip was that mine was prediesel swap and the petrol cost really stung. From memory ,I was struggling to get 400 klms from a tank

 

[Snowguy]

Looks like a solid vehicle, same colour as my old one! You'll probably find rust will be your main issue. Check behind the flares and pop out the tail lights, both mine had rust in the tail light buckets.

Thanks yeah plan is to get as much of the rust out of the car bit by bit, but thanks for hits on where some could be hidden.
Saw your 2 bj's both looking very nice!