new to me BJ74 - "Lil' Chugger"

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patride71

patride71

10 Year 15 Year 20 Year
Joined
May 8, 2004
Threads
80
Messages
1,676
Location
Alpine, Texas
I have jumped into the 70 series diesel cruiser world after owning a number of cruisers (40s, 60, 80, 100, 200) over the past 20+ years. I bought this from a fellow MUD member Build - So now I have a BJ74... - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/so-now-i-have-a-bj74.816394/ in the Spring. It is going to be my designated dog hauler and wheeler. It is a bit crusty, but perfect for my intentions as I don't want to worry about bashing the sh$t out of it. Baseline has been completed, rebuilt knuckles, front calipers and a few other odds and ends. New rubber and replaced the JDM bumper with a plug and play bumper from CruiserTeQ. I know I might get roasted, but I ditched the PTO winch and went with a 24V electric winch. I drove it home, 400+ miles, a few weeks ago. It performed well, slow of course, and the auto trans is a dog as most of you know. I don't mind as it will make wheeling it a breeze. No huge plans other than to work out some quirks and just drive it. 1989 JDM BJ74, 13BT, auto tranny, F/R cable lockers.

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upgraded torque converter and a some extra boost makes a huge improvment on the street with these BJ74's if you want to keep the auto.
 
cruisermatt said:
upgraded torque converter and a some extra boost makes a huge improvment on the street with these BJ74's if you want to keep the auto.
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It does have boost, which helps. The hills are a killer though as I have to drop into 3rd or 2nd and it is still a dog and pushing EGT levels. It is what it is...at least it is not my DD.
 
Anyone know an alternative for the rear motor/tranny mount? NLA on these as well as the alternative (12371-61041). Looks like CityRacer has an aftermarket. Gordon included the OEM for the front when I bought this, but need the rear to complete. They are pretty shot as I live down a rough caliche road and could hear/feel it.
 
That didn't work as intended. This might be better
cruiseroutfit

Post in thread 'BJ74 engine mount'

Fwiw, the FJ62 mount (12371-61041) is a good fit. The stud location on the bottom is off by ~5mm and requires just a few minutes of massaging to fit. Sadly both the 58031 and 61041 are discontinued OEM. We have an aftermarket solution for the 61041 and are working on a solution for the 58031 proper too.

I was doing a last minute CruiserFest prep on my BJ74 (auto) and found a torn mount. We looked at a half dozen mounts from a similar era (early FJ60, FJ80, BJ40, BJ60, etc) and found the FJ62 the best fit, identical on the top at the trans and withing 5mm on each stud. I ovaled out the...
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Post #31 (or so) where Kurt shares his research results on an alternative
 
Thanks Larry...I did read through that and even posted on that thread last week. Doesn't appear the CruiserOutfitters carry the FJ62 mount and those are NLA in the market from what I found. Thus far the only I find is the aftermarket through CityRacer.
 
patride71 said:
Thanks Larry...I did read through that and even posted on that thread last week. Doesn't appear the CruiserOutfitters carry the FJ62 mount and those are NLA in the market from what I found. Thus far the only I find is the aftermarket through CityRacer.
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Sorry I missed that you had already found and posted on it. But explains why the topic was fresh in my memory.

Has your research surfaced any options that would bolt up to the transmission? If so, what would you think about fabricating a new cross member beneath the tranny? The fabricated cross member would be configured to utilize the alternate mount (that you identified) while keeping the tranny in its original position and attaching to the frame like the factory cross member. Not ideal, but enables you work with what is available and not break the bank. Good luck

PS Your Cruiser looks like a great addition
 
LDowney said:
Sorry I missed that you had already found and posted on it. But explains why the topic was fresh in my memory.

Has your research surfaced any options that would bolt up to the transmission? If so, what would you think about fabricating a new cross member beneath the tranny? The fabricated cross member would be configured to utilize the alternate mount (that you identified) while keeping the tranny in its original position and attaching to the frame like the factory cross member. Not ideal, but enables you work with what is available and not break the bank. Good luck

PS Your Cruiser looks like a great addition
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Look forward to wheeling it with you and the rest of the 70s gang next year at Roundup!
 
Small victories and unwanted discovery this weekend....got some small electrical matters sorted out like fuses (one dim headlight) and rewiring the license plate lights and horn. Did a bit of maintenance as well....the messy job we all love, draining the radiator. The coolant was pretty cruddy and oily, which was not encouraging. I plan on changing the oil next weekend, but it does smell a bit sweet. Not blowing white smoke or overheating, but I'm thinking might have a leaking HG. With 255KM and the fact it looks like it was not babied in Japan, I'm not shocked. It is not a DD for me and I probably put maybe 20 miles a weekend, so I'm not overly concerned. Any wheeling excursions outside of my local confines here, I'd trailer it anyway. I was still a bit bummed when I drained the radiator and saw the results.
 
patride71 said:
Small victories and unwanted discovery this weekend....got some small electrical matters sorted out like fuses (one dim headlight) and rewiring the license plate lights and horn. Did a bit of maintenance as well....the messy job we all love, draining the radiator. The coolant was pretty cruddy and oily, which was not encouraging. I plan on changing the oil next weekend, but it does smell a bit sweet. Not blowing white smoke or overheating, but I'm thinking might have a leaking HG. With 255KM and the fact it looks like it was not babied in Japan, I'm not shocked. It is not a DD for me and I probably put maybe 20 miles a weekend, so I'm not overly concerned. Any wheeling excursions outside of my local confines here, I'd trailer it anyway. I was still a bit bummed when I drained the radiator and saw the results.
Click to expand...

It’s possible you could have a leak at the oil cooler as well, however if it’s the original fiber head gasket, i wouldn’t be surprised to see it’s leaking
 
FJBen said:
It’s possible you could have a leak at the oil cooler as well, however if it’s the original fiber head gasket, i wouldn’t be surprised to see it’s leaking
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Thanks and good to know and check. Yeah, looking at it, I'd be shocked if it was not the original gasket.
 
Did a shakedown run to town and back this morning. 20 miles round trip and I live in the mountains, so there are some steep grades. Blew a bit of white smoke upon start up (not concerning) and blows black here and there until at operation temp (I live at altitude though). Never ran hot. Oil pressure was where it is expected. So I'm not going to chase zebras looking for a problem. Eventually I'll look at the oil cooler and read through the FSM on that. I'd need to collect the gaskets for the project. Funny my wife's old Subaru now has a leaking oil cooler. One bolt and one gasket to replace that on the H6 engine. The CityRacer transmission mount arrived today (Nakamoto/Taiwan), so that project is up next in June.
 
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