Here we go!
This last weekend I was able to land my first diesel land cruiser a 1988 BJ74. My previous and first land cruiser was a 1993 FZJ80 which was great but lacked character.
This thread will be dedicated to build and maintenance. A good way to keep a log on this 30 year old truck. After driving it home almost 150 miles. My lady (who convinced me to get the 74) and I decided that an appropriate title for this truck will be Mountain Goat.
So here’s a little synopsis:
It’s got 368,000 kilometers on the 13-bt / 5speed h55 tranny. It has a front manual spartan locker. A OME 2 inch lift. It’s got sliders, front, and rear bumper. I was worried about rust after seeing a lot of other cases. Fortunately it looks like it was patched. Although there are little patches bubbling and visible I’m glad it’s not rot.
Here are the things that I need to do:
-Oil Change/Filter. I’m going to use Rotella 15-40
-Flush the Radiator and change over to Preston’s Green (don’t judge).
-Flush and fill brake fluid.
-Service both axles and t-case.
-Have a beer.
-Windshield has a nice crack.
-Front brakes need servicing.
-Front axle needs to be rebuilt.
-Rear main seal drips.
-Oil pan is leaking.
-Oil drain plug is like a leaking sink atm. (fixed)
-Turbo doesn’t sound so hot. Either look into it or find an aftermarket solution. (rebuilt)
-Truck won’t turn off unless I stall it (which hurts my soul) . I’m suspecting the VCV or vacuum hoses. (fixed)
-Change all vacuum hoses. (fixed)
-Half of my dash cluster is not lit and my radio doesn’t work along with all dash lights.
-Headlights only work on high-beam. (fixed)
-Do some rust PM and clean while I’m in there.
As of now that’s all that I’ve gotten myself into. I’m sure there’s more to come but I hope with some better maintenance and care it’s not anything horrible.
As for the things I want to do:
-Replace all shocks with Tough Dog.
-Find an ARB front bumper.
-Learn to weld and make a rear swing out.
-Make more ergonomic sliders. I’m going to go with a similar design to BIOR’s step slider.
-Maybe a couple solar panels to power all my 12v accessories on an independent system.
-Line the interior with insulation and clean the carpet. (done)
-Upgrade the stereo system. (done)
-Get some sort of winch or nag the PO to send me the PTO.
-Retint the windows.
-Get 17 inch Steelies and look into 35’s (One day). (looks like I'll be doing 16 inch steelies)
Now a little about me. My name is Alika and I was Born and raised in Maui and am in San Diego going to school to be a M.D. I’m broker than your average BJ74 owner but thats okay! I think I’m better off pursuing stitches and incisions than wrenching. I’ve come to terms that I’ll never make a good mechanic, but I’ll try my hand at wrenching and electrical work.
For the meantime I’m going to drive the Goat. Read and learn as much as I can, order parts, spend money I don’t have. But hopefully make friends and contacts on the forum and enjoy this truck to it’s full potential! Many questions to come!
BJ74 Documents - Google Drive
This last weekend I was able to land my first diesel land cruiser a 1988 BJ74. My previous and first land cruiser was a 1993 FZJ80 which was great but lacked character.
This thread will be dedicated to build and maintenance. A good way to keep a log on this 30 year old truck. After driving it home almost 150 miles. My lady (who convinced me to get the 74) and I decided that an appropriate title for this truck will be Mountain Goat.
So here’s a little synopsis:
It’s got 368,000 kilometers on the 13-bt / 5speed h55 tranny. It has a front manual spartan locker. A OME 2 inch lift. It’s got sliders, front, and rear bumper. I was worried about rust after seeing a lot of other cases. Fortunately it looks like it was patched. Although there are little patches bubbling and visible I’m glad it’s not rot.
Here are the things that I need to do:
-Oil Change/Filter. I’m going to use Rotella 15-40
-Flush the Radiator and change over to Preston’s Green (don’t judge).
-Flush and fill brake fluid.
-Service both axles and t-case.
-Have a beer.
-Windshield has a nice crack.
-Front brakes need servicing.
-Front axle needs to be rebuilt.
-Rear main seal drips.
-Oil pan is leaking.
-Oil drain plug is like a leaking sink atm. (fixed)
-Turbo doesn’t sound so hot. Either look into it or find an aftermarket solution. (rebuilt)
-Truck won’t turn off unless I stall it (which hurts my soul) . I’m suspecting the VCV or vacuum hoses. (fixed)
-Change all vacuum hoses. (fixed)
-Half of my dash cluster is not lit and my radio doesn’t work along with all dash lights.
-Headlights only work on high-beam. (fixed)
-Do some rust PM and clean while I’m in there.
As of now that’s all that I’ve gotten myself into. I’m sure there’s more to come but I hope with some better maintenance and care it’s not anything horrible.
As for the things I want to do:
-Replace all shocks with Tough Dog.
-Find an ARB front bumper.
-Learn to weld and make a rear swing out.
-Make more ergonomic sliders. I’m going to go with a similar design to BIOR’s step slider.
-Maybe a couple solar panels to power all my 12v accessories on an independent system.
-Line the interior with insulation and clean the carpet. (done)
-Upgrade the stereo system. (done)
-Get some sort of winch or nag the PO to send me the PTO.
-Retint the windows.
-Get 17 inch Steelies and look into 35’s (One day). (looks like I'll be doing 16 inch steelies)
Now a little about me. My name is Alika and I was Born and raised in Maui and am in San Diego going to school to be a M.D. I’m broker than your average BJ74 owner but thats okay! I think I’m better off pursuing stitches and incisions than wrenching. I’ve come to terms that I’ll never make a good mechanic, but I’ll try my hand at wrenching and electrical work.
For the meantime I’m going to drive the Goat. Read and learn as much as I can, order parts, spend money I don’t have. But hopefully make friends and contacts on the forum and enjoy this truck to it’s full potential! Many questions to come!
BJ74 Documents - Google Drive
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