There's a New BJ70 in My Garage! (1 Viewer)

[HoffLarr]

Today I got my passenger seat done! For those of you who do not know, the plan with my passenger seat is to change it out for one that folds flat and to build a drawer/sleeping platform at that level so that when I go out on short weekend trips or overnighters, I can sleep in the 70. I originally had a rear passenger seat from a Mercedes and I worked on it forever to try to get it to work, but in the end it was too difficult so I picked up a rear passenger seat from a RAV4 as it looked like a good candidate to fit. The seat folds flat, which is my requirement, and it also flips up, which I really don't need.

The RAV4 seat is at the right height when bolted to the suspension part of the seat, but it is too far forward if just bolted straight to the suspension so I had to make a couple of adaptors to bolt the RAV4 seat to the suspension and get it positioned correctly.

 

[HoffLarr]

It looks good installed and feels comfortable. The only difference is that the back of this new seat is flat and doesn't conform to your body.

Once I put the seat cover on, you wouldn't know that there are two different seats there.

When folded flat it is about 13" above the floor in the back (just a bit higher than that milk crate behind it). It's a bit higher than I wanted because I would have preferred more head room to leg room, but I think it will be ok. I tested out sitting on a crate in the back at 13" and I had to bend my head forward, but it wasn't too bad. The nice thing about the Mercedes seat that I gave up on is that it would have attached to the floor and when folded flat it also folded down to the floor so it was not as high when folded, but was a sitting height when not.

I thought that maybe I could make it work if the seat was flipped up and then I could make the platform any height I wanted, but the seat takes up too much room and doesn't leave 6' for sleeping. As it is with the seat folded flat, there is barely more than 6 feet from the back door to the dash.

Just a pic to show how the back of the seat attaches.

If I were to do it again, I would make a couple of changes, but all in all, I am quite happy with it.

 

[arnott1t]

I like it… the tumble option will be handy i bet...

 

[ibex offroad]

Looks awesome nice work Larry

Ibex

 

[dare]

Nice, the tumble option would be super handy. I hate not being able to fit so many things in the back just because the seat is in the way (Mine has rear drawers and rear seats). You could attach something to the back of the seat so it functions as a table when folded.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[HoffLarr]

Thanks guys. It's surprisingly simple once figured out.

Nice, the tumble option would be super handy. I hate not being able to fit so many things in the back just because the seat is in the way (Mine has rear drawers and rear seats). You could attach something to the back of the seat so it functions as a table when folded.

I was thinking I might have to make something go across the back for my sleeping platform, a double duty table option would make it even better.

The other option I thought about with the seat folded up is I could replace the suspension part of the seat with a box and use it for more storage. I'm just not sure how my passengers would feel about that.

 

[HoffLarr]

Installed the map pockets I found the other day. I think that normally these would go closer to the front of the door, but they do stick into the door by about a 1/2" so there needs to be a space for that and at the front of the door there is not. Near the back is a space that is JUST big enough and so that is where I put them. Measured things out very carefully and made a couple of paper templates and voila!

And from the back everything is screwed in place. The top three screws were originally not there as the top was basically "riveted" in place by melting the plastic. The black line is where there is a space in the door.

 

[HoffLarr]

Official Name Change

I have been thinking about this for a while and I think it is inevitable so I am officially changing the name of this rig.

Anyone following this thread can see a trend growing where pretty much everything going on this Cruiser is from a scrap yard or found on Kijiji etc. Used roof rack, used wheels, used seat... For crying out loud, the seat brackets I just made were a combination of an old bed frame and an old jack!

Because of that I think it is fitting to officially rename this BJ70 - SCRAPPY. (Which thankfully has two meanings.)

 

[HoffLarr]

Well, the folding seat has already proven itself useful.

I bought an ARB bumper from Mike and with the seat folded down it just fit in.

 

[RockDoc]

Nice score. When you mount the bumper, make sure you add a GOOD recovery point. My 60 series ARB didn't have a solid recovery point built in. I'd try to work in a thick bar for a D ring / shackle to bolt through that attaches directly to the frame rail.

 

[RockDoc]

Crappy pic... just pulled my old bumper out of the grass for it.

Don't ever use the tab I'm pointing to for recovery, very weak and will tear. Stupid of ARB to have put them on there, too tempting to use.

Also, part way up the upright there is a pair of holes suited to attaching a cast hook. After a few good pulls, the upright started to tweek and twist. Not a good recovery point either.

When I still used this bumper I had a cast hook attached directly to the underside of the frame rail for recovery. If I were to use one again, I'd cut a hole out of the face of the bumper to run a thick bar / tab through it to bolt directly to the frame.

 

[Bambino840]

Have to agree with Curtis. I have used the tab and it was bent the first time. It could also be reinforced to work but Curtis' idea is the rock solid way.

 

[HoffLarr]

...run a thick bar / tab through it to bolt directly to the frame.

That was pretty much my thought no matter what bumper I put on the front and/or back.

This one appears to be made a bit differently from yours though. There are holes right through where it appears the bumper will bolt to the frame. I'm guessing this is for the recovery points.

 

[HoffLarr]

Making good progress on my bed/drawers now. I've been working on designs for the past couple of weeks trying to get the best use out of the space. I wanted a kitchen drawer under the bed and came up with what I thought was a good design, but when I actually measured the space, it was not going to work so I had to redesign it because of the wheel well depth.

The first thing I had to do was to create a floor that was one level. There is about a 4" drop behind the front seats for the rear passengers. I wanted to create some storage out of it and found out that the space held a couple of 5L jugs of oil very well and also a 4L with some extra space that can hold another 3 1L containers. I wanted to use the space for stuff that was not going to be taken out daily and figured having the extra fluids is a good thing.

You would think that Toyota made those spaces just for these 5L jugs, the floor is moulded perfectly for them, right down to the handle which only fits one way because the floor is raised where the handles are.

The plywood floor that my drawers will attach to. The plywood is bolted down using two of the bolt holes for the rear seat and two of the holes for the catches for the rear seat.

The basic carcass of the drawers. Top drawer will house the kitchen and the bottom drawer will just be storage. Above the wheel well is more storage for long items like roasting sticks, poles, pie irons, or anything else that will fit. The top will be hinged for access from the top. I don't have the piece on there yet, but the width of my bed will be 26" which I hope will be wide enough. I used 26" because I had a cushion from a trailer that is 26" wide so I hope it works.

I am also going to use the space in the body for some more storage like you can see here. I think I can fit 4 1L bottles in there.

On the passenger side under the wheel well storage is an odd shape so I will put things like booster cables and rope etc. in there.

 

[HoffLarr]

This is the plan for the kitchen drawer when it expanded. 3 drawers on the left with a back and a shelf on top of that back. The left side is hinged to the right and flips over to make twice the counter space. On top of that is just a bar for hanging things. Thinking of cutting a hole for a sink (plastic bin)/cutting board but at this point don't really think it is worthwhile.

I'm also planning on adding a cabinet on the driver's side over the wheel well. Water storage and a few drawers above. The wheel well pretty much takes up the whole length so there is not much opportunity to use the space, but I will make the divider between the drawers and wheel well a frame only and that way, little things can be stored in there and if needed, they can be accessed by taking out the drawer. Again, only for stuff that will be used rarely.

 

[cruiserpilot]

What thickness and kind of plywood is that. Looks like G2S, I have been struggling with storage in my
60 and I really like where you are going with this. I use the small tool bags for everything from booster cables, recovery
stuff, ratchet straps and even tools! Having fluids storage is really difficult. Thanks for all the pics. J

 

[MrMoMo]

I'm seeing some very familiar sights in your thread! Wish I had found it before I started my bodywork (Ours is also an '85, 12V CDN) . Similarly, am now starting to work on a storage system! Seems I am just a few months behind everything you are doing! FYI, I notice a big difference when comparing a BJ70 and BJ60, the 3B when powering a 70 seems manageable, but my 60 without a turbo was a complete dog.

In planning out your storage, did you just split the width 50/50 or did you take into account the different door widths? I'm looking at installing a slide out kitchen on the left, with the fridge and a 1/2 width back seat on the right (see my expedition on a budget thread).... But have to finish all the bodywork first! (The other thread!). What kind of paint did you use?

 

[HoffLarr]

What thickness and kind of plywood is that. Looks like G2S, I have been struggling with storage in my
60 and I really like where you are going with this. I use the small tool bags for everything from booster cables, recovery
stuff, ratchet straps and even tools! Having fluids storage is really difficult. Thanks for all the pics. J

The whole system will be made out of 3/4" and 1/2" ply. The 3/4" ply that I'm using is a low grade birch. I bought a fair amount of it a few years back when it was really cheap. It is low quality and full of defects, but it is a good smooth surface that paints well. The 1/2" in the picture is just the cheapest ply that I could buy because it is more structural than visual.

The kitchen drawer is mostly 1/2" with a 3/4" bottom to house the legs (it may have to be 1" though) so I am planning on using a higher quality for that. Birch would be nice, but if that is too expensive then I will just used sanded fir because I want to use what I make and not feel guilty about damaging the finish.

I'm seeing some very familiar sights in your thread! Wish I had found it before I started my bodywork (Ours is also an '85, 12V CDN) . Similarly, am now starting to work on a storage system! Seems I am just a few months behind everything you are doing! FYI, I notice a big difference when comparing a BJ70 and BJ60, the 3B when powering a 70 seems manageable, but my 60 without a turbo was a complete dog.

Thanks, but I think it is the other way around. I wish I would have found your thread first. Great work. Unfortunately I'm not at that level yet. My goal is just to keep the rust at bay.

In planning out your storage, did you just split the width 50/50 or did you take into account the different door widths? I'm looking at installing a slide out kitchen on the left, with the fridge and a 1/2 width back seat on the right (see my expedition on a budget thread).... But have to finish all the bodywork first! (The other thread!). What kind of paint did you use?

My impetus for doing the storage is all because of the bed. I stated out thinking about how I could have a sleeping platform for short trips instead of using a tent and from that comes the storage. And from that came the kitchen. I decided on the width only based on what I thought I would need for sleeping and what I wanted for the kitchen depth and trying to keep it at the minimum. I then figured why not use the useless space above the wheel well on the other side and I think it is going to work out well. As an added benefit, I have found that I can either fill the space between the two cabinets with a piece of plywood or another slide in storage unit and have a double bed if there is ever company on a trip. Of course foot space would have to be shared.

As for paint, I really don't know what it was. I used epoxy primer and whatever brand they gave me at the Napa body shop. It is really not that good of a paint job. It has too much orange peel, but again, that works for me because I am not afraid to scratch it (and I already have).

 

[Speediet44]

Wow just found your thread(s), still reading through Little Devil, I'm very impressed with both!
I have noticed mention of a local 4x4/toyota group, when does the group meet?
In the end, you don't specify what happened with your transmission,was it the shift tower?

 

[HoffLarr]

Welcome Speediet. You are in our groups forum right now. We usually meet every second Wednesday of the month, I believe, Bambino can correct me if I am wrong, and there will be a post in this forum a few days before the meet to let people know when and where and to see who can attend. Hopefully you can make it out.

We also have an introduction thread so maybe post up some info there about yourself. We are always happy to have more members!

As far as my transmission, I got the shop to rebuild both the transmission and the transfercase, not that it had to be but since it was out and disassembled anyway so most of the labour had been done. And they installed a new clutch as well. It was all reassembled with the same top plate and it does shift better now, the shop thinks it works fine and was surprised at how the problem was not the top plate, but I think it is still a bit temperamental some times, but I don't know if that is usual or not. So, in the end it does work better/well, but was a very expensive fix.

In some ways I liked the shop and in others I did not. They were very accommodating to take me in the back and let me see the transmission and transfer and all the disassembled parts, and they actually let me take the top plate and syncros with me for a weekend to get a "Second opinion" (thanks Tyler) so they were good that way. But what I didn't like was that they could not actually pinpoint the problem and definitively show me what was wrong. They just thought there was an issue with the top plate but didn't know what exactly it was. I also found on our wheeling trip the next weekend that there was an issue with the linkage in the t-case from 4 low to 4 high that caused a bit of anxiety when I thought I would have to drive home in 2 low (essentially) but again thanks to Tyler we worked that out but I had to get the shop to fix that and the owner seemed very casual and unapologetic about it all.

the big lesson that I learned was to not give too much free reign to the shop. I told them to go ahead and fix the problem and what I should have told them was to try to fix it using the least invasive method first. They did not understand the vehicle and its rarity and its parts rarity. They went full bore and pretty much tore the whole transmission and t case apart and then found out how hard parts were to find. In fact, I had to tell them where to get the rebuild kits. But like I say, I think they are good guys, but I needed to make it clear that they should take it slow because parts are to find and expensive.