So, I just happened to click on this thread a couple of days ago. I haven't looked at it for years (obviously, since there were a couple of posts that I never responded to in 2010 and 2011
). In short, yes there have been some upgrades. So, I figured I'd update this a little bit. First off, I bought a BJ42 from Mud member and local Cascade Cruiser member Esh in 2010 and spent the next 3 years fixing it up. I sold it back in August of this year. That rig took up 95% of my Land Cruiser time for the past 4 years.
In the very first picture I posted, I pointed out my Great Uncle as the only one still alive in the picture. Sadly, he passed away on Feb 6th of this year at 101 years of age. He had a mild heart attack two days before. However, he got to watch his beloved Seahawks win the Superbowl the night before a massive heart attack took his life. Honestly, not a bad way to go. He died happy, which is pretty much how he lived his life. He was just a happy man. I think it is kind of a telltale of anyone who lived through the Great Depression. Those were the low times, and everything else was gravy throughout his life. He will be missed. Again, he is standing on the left side of the picture. My Grandfather is kneeling in front.
On to the upgrades. Years ago, I replaced the 3 speed with a 4 speed while retaining the 3 speed case. No pictures, because that was several years ago. Besides, it just looks like a transmission. However, I made the cross member behind the parking brake drum removable at that time. That mod has saved me countless hours! Ignore the booger welds. I'm a much bettwer redneck welder now!
Also several years ago, I added a VIAIR compressor and 2.5 gallon tank. For years I just used it for filling up my tires after wheeling. Looks kinda like this. I mounted it on my passenger fender. The tank is under the rear.
In the past year, the main thing I've done is install a Scout power steering system. I braced the frame and mounted the box.
Inside the engine bay was a little tougher. I bought a Bill Dory bracket from Georg, but I wanted to use my stock air cleaner. Instead of using the BD bracket, I made a bracket to install the pump below the air cleaner using part of the alternator bracket. I moved the alternator to the passenger side using a 2F bracket. All this necessitated using a different water pump pulley, clutch fan, and crank pulley rather than the stock set up.
I had a power steering pressure line made.
Welded some u-joints and D shaft together to connect the column, and added F250 shock towers and longer Bilsteins.
A new Toyota radiater since mine was over 80% plugged (yet still cooled decently
)
And finally a tie rod and drag link made by Mud member Medusa.
And viola! Power steering. I should have done it years ago!
It makes such a huge difference in driveability!
Next up, I added a 4+ rear U-bolt flip kit. In the process, I moved my axle back about an inch and took a leaf out of the rear spring pack. Much more flexy and conducive to my current wheeling style.
For another mod, I added some LED lights to the dash cluster, roll bar, and outside around the drip rail. The cluster lights are tied into the headlight circuit. The roll bar LEDs are hooked into the dome light. And I have a three way switch to turn on the outside lights. They are awesome for setting up camp at night. Esh turned me onto them, and I'm sure glad he did. They are cheap, draw very little power, and work great!
I added a 3 way switch to activate the dome light or exterior lights. And yes, I know the backing plate is on upside down. I like it that way. It says "No" and "No".
And, also in the above picture, you can see that I added an air locker to the rear. I had an Aussie locker in the rear for the last few years. I got tired of driving it on the pavement, so I swapped in the ARB from my BJ42 before I sold it (sorry again, Water
). I put the Aussie up front. It's amazing how capable these rigs are with lockers front and rear! Since I already had the air compressor, I just added it into the 2.5 gallon tank. Everyone was out of the ARB rocker switches at the time, so I just wired in an On/Off switch. The nice thing with this set up is that I didn't have to cut into my dash. I just added the DPST switch into the spare hole in my dash. Works great!
That's all I've got for now. I figure I might as well keep this up to date from now on, seeing as how I now only have one Cruiser. I have lots of plans for this rig. We'll see how far I get.
