Builds Project LXXIV - 1988 BJ74 Land Cruiser Build
- Thread starter cruiseroutfit
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #62
Looks great! Love the rear bumper as well.
For the benefit of the sight impaired, what is the badge on the grill?
Looking good
Me gusto mucho!!!!!
2fpower
SILVER Star
To quote a hero of mine, FB.
"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it."
I don't come to this forum for a couple weeks, and I miss an entire build...... damn.
Seriously, Kurt. Congrats on the purchase and the new toy. Count me jealous.
"Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it."
I don't come to this forum for a couple weeks, and I miss an entire build...... damn.
Seriously, Kurt. Congrats on the purchase and the new toy. Count me jealous.
Tyre on the right, twin can carrier on the left.
- Thread starter
- #69
Thanks everyone, it has been a really fun project!
Japan Automobile Federation
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/
Kurt I could use a pic of your rear spring pack. I need to put a leaf back in that was removed by the PO. Oh, I also need new U bolts. They were cut off flush with the nuts..
↑
For the benefit of the sight impaired, what is the badge on the grill?
Japan Automobile Federation
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/
--------------------------------------------------------
Thanks....
Japan Automobile Federation
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/
--------------------------------------------------------
Thanks....
- Thread starter
- #72
Kurt I could use a pic of your rear spring pack. I need to put a leaf back in that was removed by the PO. Oh, I also need new U bolts. They were cut off flush with the nuts..
We have plenty of u-bolts
Assuming you have medium/heavy springs, the spring that is generally added or removed is in the #3 position (from the top), i.e. you have the main leaf (with spring bushing eyes), then the 2nd spring with the military wrap. The next spring is the load spring and often has a tapered end without the interleaf liner. You can see it here:
We have plenty of u-bolts
Assuming you have medium/heavy springs, the spring that is generally added or removed is in the #3 position (from the top), i.e. you have the main leaf (with spring bushing eyes), then the 2nd spring with the military wrap. The next spring is the load spring and often has a tapered end without the interleaf liner. You can see it here:
Excellent! Thank you.
I will be calling shortly for those and also the shims for the lateral movement.
- Thread starter
- #74
ExpeditionPortal gave the Project LXXIV some love 
http://expeditionportal.com/featured-vehicle-toyota-land-cruiser-bj74/
http://expeditionportal.com/featured-vehicle-toyota-land-cruiser-bj74/
Awesome, congrats. Both those bumpers look great. I hope they make them available to the public.
Your front bumper / winch combination looks great.
- Thread starter
- #77
View attachment 899442 Your list pales in comparison to the one my wife gives me every morning.
Your front bumper / winch combination looks great.
My wife offers up a similar list each day... I'm getting good at picking the fun items
- Thread starter
- #78
Tying up loose ends:
A few have asked about the sliders as I inadvertently neglected to make mention of them. When my partner Steve (LandCruisersDirect.com) and I were discussing the build and the crunched timetable we decided our best bet would be to source some off-the-shelf sliders. Turns out the fine gents at Cruisin Offroad has pre-made ones available and Steve went ahead and ordered them before it even made it to our shop. The take-off chrome steps ended up on my super-stock BJ74 "Righty". The bolt-on sliders are nicely made and don't require any modifications to the pinch-weld or frame to be installed. There are a couple minor things I would change if I were building them in-house but all told they are a viable option for your short wheel-base 7x Series and they have worked well on LXXIV.
Sliders installed on the bone stock truck.
The rear lights are still a work in progress i.e. they work but I don't know if I'm done with them and more so they likely won't be the same lights used on this bumper when it hits production. These lights are the standard 2" fleet truck & trailer variety, very inexpensive, great quality and easy to source. My debate was how to set them up color wise. The pivots of the carriers nearly fully block the amber turn signal and both corners, so an amber was mandatory. What about the second set of lights? Red for additional brake/park visibility or clear for a nice back-up light option? I'm still on the fence there and while the harness I built for the amber turn signals also included the wiring for the 2nd lights, it isn't terminated back inside the vehicle so they are non-functional for the minute. I'm waiting for the chance to get back over the the big-rig supplier to grab some clears, I want to see just how much light they will project as a back-up light before I commit. If the light they offer is dismal I'll mount a higher output LED option on one of the carriers or in the middle of the spare tire carrier.
Rear bumper light configurations.
The reason this build needed to come together so quickly was for the Cruise Moab this last May, not that I had to take this vehicle but I wanted to and thus in needed to be ready by the time I left just a few days after the build. During the Cruise Moab event, I would be a trail leader for 3 days of off-road travel in the San Rafael Swell (Devil's Racetrack, Eva Connover and Black Dragon Canyon for those familiar with the area). Our group would consist of ~20 vehicles and thus communications were essential. Despite my personal preference for 2M (ham) there are still enough users out there with CB only and I would need to have options for both. CB was easy, I leaned on my old standby Cobra 75WXST. They are simple to mount, completely hidden when removed and I've had decent luck with the range and clarity on them. I mounted the control box behind the glove box and used a mag-mount antenna on the LH fender. The antenna isn't permanent but I'll need to bend and powder-coat a fender/hood lip bracket that will work... still on my to do list. For 2M I went even more basic, my hand-held with a remote mic. The range isn't insane but for trail duty it worked out just fine. I do plan to install a full mobile 2M unit and matching antenna, again waiting on the fender/hood lip bracket and some more time.
Cobra CB with the control box mounted behind the dashboard.
Mag mount antenna, while temporary it has proven a decent solution.
The last major item on my to-do list was a power port in the rear for the fridge and any other accessories. I was at a cross-roads, 12V or 24V? 12V would require the use of a simple 24V->12V converter but they are easy enough to source and install. However the main accessory I plan to use in the rear is the ARB fridge/freezer so why not get the better performance offered by the 24V. I wired it as such knowing it will be easy enough to change in the future. I used the ARB 12/24V harness kit, it includes a nice flush mount receptacle for the fridge outlet proper. Just to be on the safe side, I added a "24 Volt" label above the outlet.
Fridge outlet.
Following CM the BJ74 spent some time in the shop getting some clean up and a minor repair. The last day of Cruise Moab the engine was sporadically failing to shut off with the key. The 13BT turns off with a vacuum cutoff to the intake and we quickly found it had a vacuum leak at the clutch booster (yes these have vacuum assisted clutch systems for a really easy pedal push). I tracked down a new booster assembly but decided to pull the existing one to see if I could identify the failure point. The booster has an output seal that can wear out or more likely dry up a bit from lack of use which can cause it to let vacuum leak. Sure enough a new seal did the trick and it hasn't failed to shut off since. Check that for a super easy repair and an inexpensive part cost.
You can see how the ID of the old seal is substantially larger than the new seal.
Shaft that the seal rides on.
Beyond that it has been getting some trail time. Most recently the Retro Ramble which is a 4x4 event for 80's era rigs. This year was the inaugural event and we had a small group of neat vintage 4x4's including my buddy's Samurai that lost a head gasket out in the Great Salt Lake Desert. We tried swapping a head gasket along the trail but it didn't take (thinking cracked block). LXXIV to the rescue, we pulled him the ~50 miles back to the highway and met a buddy from SLC with a trailer to pull him into the valley. It wasn't record pace towing but she lugged the Samurai around nicely.
Retrol Ramble
I've been out of town for a few weeks and was really craving a rip around town in LXXIV (pronounced "El-Lix-Iv" around this parts), my wife must have read my mind as she arrived to pick me up at the airport in the beast. Keeper!
A few have asked about the sliders as I inadvertently neglected to make mention of them. When my partner Steve (LandCruisersDirect.com) and I were discussing the build and the crunched timetable we decided our best bet would be to source some off-the-shelf sliders. Turns out the fine gents at Cruisin Offroad has pre-made ones available and Steve went ahead and ordered them before it even made it to our shop. The take-off chrome steps ended up on my super-stock BJ74 "Righty". The bolt-on sliders are nicely made and don't require any modifications to the pinch-weld or frame to be installed. There are a couple minor things I would change if I were building them in-house but all told they are a viable option for your short wheel-base 7x Series and they have worked well on LXXIV.
Sliders installed on the bone stock truck.
The rear lights are still a work in progress i.e. they work but I don't know if I'm done with them and more so they likely won't be the same lights used on this bumper when it hits production. These lights are the standard 2" fleet truck & trailer variety, very inexpensive, great quality and easy to source. My debate was how to set them up color wise. The pivots of the carriers nearly fully block the amber turn signal and both corners, so an amber was mandatory. What about the second set of lights? Red for additional brake/park visibility or clear for a nice back-up light option? I'm still on the fence there and while the harness I built for the amber turn signals also included the wiring for the 2nd lights, it isn't terminated back inside the vehicle so they are non-functional for the minute. I'm waiting for the chance to get back over the the big-rig supplier to grab some clears, I want to see just how much light they will project as a back-up light before I commit. If the light they offer is dismal I'll mount a higher output LED option on one of the carriers or in the middle of the spare tire carrier.
Rear bumper light configurations.
The reason this build needed to come together so quickly was for the Cruise Moab this last May, not that I had to take this vehicle but I wanted to and thus in needed to be ready by the time I left just a few days after the build. During the Cruise Moab event, I would be a trail leader for 3 days of off-road travel in the San Rafael Swell (Devil's Racetrack, Eva Connover and Black Dragon Canyon for those familiar with the area). Our group would consist of ~20 vehicles and thus communications were essential. Despite my personal preference for 2M (ham) there are still enough users out there with CB only and I would need to have options for both. CB was easy, I leaned on my old standby Cobra 75WXST. They are simple to mount, completely hidden when removed and I've had decent luck with the range and clarity on them. I mounted the control box behind the glove box and used a mag-mount antenna on the LH fender. The antenna isn't permanent but I'll need to bend and powder-coat a fender/hood lip bracket that will work... still on my to do list. For 2M I went even more basic, my hand-held with a remote mic. The range isn't insane but for trail duty it worked out just fine. I do plan to install a full mobile 2M unit and matching antenna, again waiting on the fender/hood lip bracket and some more time.
Cobra CB with the control box mounted behind the dashboard.
Mag mount antenna, while temporary it has proven a decent solution.
The last major item on my to-do list was a power port in the rear for the fridge and any other accessories. I was at a cross-roads, 12V or 24V? 12V would require the use of a simple 24V->12V converter but they are easy enough to source and install. However the main accessory I plan to use in the rear is the ARB fridge/freezer so why not get the better performance offered by the 24V. I wired it as such knowing it will be easy enough to change in the future. I used the ARB 12/24V harness kit, it includes a nice flush mount receptacle for the fridge outlet proper. Just to be on the safe side, I added a "24 Volt" label above the outlet.
Fridge outlet.
Following CM the BJ74 spent some time in the shop getting some clean up and a minor repair. The last day of Cruise Moab the engine was sporadically failing to shut off with the key. The 13BT turns off with a vacuum cutoff to the intake and we quickly found it had a vacuum leak at the clutch booster (yes these have vacuum assisted clutch systems for a really easy pedal push). I tracked down a new booster assembly but decided to pull the existing one to see if I could identify the failure point. The booster has an output seal that can wear out or more likely dry up a bit from lack of use which can cause it to let vacuum leak. Sure enough a new seal did the trick and it hasn't failed to shut off since. Check that for a super easy repair and an inexpensive part cost.
You can see how the ID of the old seal is substantially larger than the new seal.
Shaft that the seal rides on.
Beyond that it has been getting some trail time. Most recently the Retro Ramble which is a 4x4 event for 80's era rigs. This year was the inaugural event and we had a small group of neat vintage 4x4's including my buddy's Samurai that lost a head gasket out in the Great Salt Lake Desert. We tried swapping a head gasket along the trail but it didn't take (thinking cracked block). LXXIV to the rescue, we pulled him the ~50 miles back to the highway and met a buddy from SLC with a trailer to pull him into the valley. It wasn't record pace towing but she lugged the Samurai around nicely.
Retrol Ramble
I've been out of town for a few weeks and was really craving a rip around town in LXXIV (pronounced "El-Lix-Iv" around this parts), my wife must have read my mind as she arrived to pick me up at the airport in the beast. Keeper!
Awesome work, wish mine was running at the moment 
- Thread starter
- #80
Awesome work, wish mine was running at the moment
It looks like we have very similar rigs
What's the story on yours?
