Newly Acquired FJ73

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thePunter1

thePunter1

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Mar 29, 2006
Threads
11
Messages
44
Location
Melbourne, Australia
Just downgraded (?) from a 100 Series Landcruiser to a FJ73. I took it away on the weekend to the Victorian High Country (Australia) and I have discovered that it is a very capable vehicle. However, I think that I could make it a bit better and make it a bit more safer and comfortable to drive. I have listed some points (my short list for now) below and I would like to get some thoughts and recommendations from others on this forum.

1) Spongy brakes – My normal DD car is 2 years old with good disc brakes all round. Is this normal for this car with front disks and rear drums? The first thing that I am going to do is replace the brake fluid but is there anything else that I should do?

2) Better brakes – perhaps just fixing the above will give me the result that I am after but what other options are there? Bigger, better rotors etc.?

3) Clutch pedal – there is no room to fit your foot under or to the left of the clutch pedal (right hand drive). Has anybody relocated or bent the clutch pedal so that you have more room for your foot?

4) Steering play – It is probably not unexpected from a 20 year old car, but is it as simple as replacing a couple of parts to give the steering more feel and make it a bit more responsive.

5) Fuel - I need to cary more fuel and I asked this question in another post.



Thanks in advance.
David.
 
thePunter1 said:
Just downgraded (?) from a 100 Series Landcruiser to a FJ73. I took it away on the weekend to the Victorian High Country (Australia) and I have discovered that it is a very capable vehicle. However, I think that I could make it a bit better and make it a bit more safer and comfortable to drive. I have listed some points (my short list for now) below and I would like to get some thoughts and recommendations from others on this forum.

1) Spongy brakes – My normal DD car is 2 years old with good disc brakes all round. Is this normal for this car with front disks and rear drums? The first thing that I am going to do is replace the brake fluid but is there anything else that I should do?

2) Better brakes – perhaps just fixing the above will give me the result that I am after but what other options are there? Bigger, better rotors etc.?

3) Clutch pedal – there is no room to fit your foot under or to the left of the clutch pedal (right hand drive). Has anybody relocated or bent the clutch pedal so that you have more room for your foot?

4) Steering play – It is probably not unexpected from a 20 year old car, but is it as simple as replacing a couple of parts to give the steering more feel and make it a bit more responsive.

5) Fuel - I need to cary more fuel and I asked this question in another post.



Thanks in advance.
David.
Click to expand...

Hi...congratulations on your new ride. Regarding the spongy brakes you should check the brake lines,the rear brake linings.If these are not alright the brakes will be spongy.Also may be a simple case of air in the system in which case you ned to bleed the brakes.

You will learn to live with the clutch pedal in time.Dont see how you can move it and be comfortable with footwell space.

I have a question though...How come the downgrade from the 100 series??
 
I bought the 100 series a few years ago in good condition. I took it on some serious 4WDing and it got a few dents and lots of scratches down each side. Over the years I spent a bit of money on it and it was a very capable and comfortable vehicle. But recently I had an accident in it and it was written off. So this time I thought that I would try something different. Something that I could take on some serious 4WDing and not have to worry about the paint work etc. The FJ73 is very capable and I will set it up with a winch and perhaps some lockers.
 
Last edited:
The brakes can be made reasonable with some work. Sponginess is a sign of air in the system usually or it can be the rubber hoses expanding.

Here is what I would do.
1 Bleed them and change fluid if its dark

2 Adjust the rears and then adjust the handbrake. I adjust them till they are just faintly scraping.



If that doesnt help you may need new pads shoes and rotors.
Taking the rear brakes apart and cleaning and greasing all the moving parts helped mine.

However the brakes on these will never be fantastic.Adjust your driving habits.

Shifting the clutch pedal would most likely cause uneven wear in the pedal pivot shaft. When they start creaking it is a PITA.
You can get use to lack of footroom

If you want more leg room, get a cushion made from high density upholstery foam about 100mm thick.
When you sit on it ,it will give you another 50mm and make a big difference;)

The steering fix depends on what parts are worn. Its most likely the tie rod ends. If everything is ok but you still have some play ,you can do the steering box adjustment. This is always done last after everything else.
If that dont work you may need the steering box rebuilt
 
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