So much room inside the troopy. If you decide to repair rust with filler instead of cutting and welding, I cannot say enough good about using a "rust converter" underneath a good long fiber(kitty hair) reinforced filler for strength and resistance to the bubbling out reputation that bondo over untreated steel does after a few years.Well, not the weekend but last week.
Finally found me something what i always wanted to have. A troopy.
This one is a 1986 BJ75, 306k km's on clock, 3B+H55F, diff locks, winch... rust.
Build thread will be started eventually, i have my HJ61 resto, 540 and HDJ80 in queue before attempting to start on this one, so don't hold your breath.
What did you do on your 70 series today? (32 Viewers)
- Thread starter IH8MUD
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Well, not the weekend but last week.
Finally found me something what i always wanted to have. A troopy.
This one is a 1986 BJ75, 306k km's on clock, 3B+H55F, diff locks, winch... rust.
Build thread will be started eventually, i have my HJ61 resto, 540 and HDJ80 in queue before attempting to start on this one, so don't hold your breath.
Nice. Really hoping to make it up to Finland next year. I'll have to swing by.
Filler is for fine finishing welds or scratches, not for rust repair. Period. IMO it just makes no sense to hide the rust underneath something that does not last. Rear wheel arches are done exactly that way and now they are about to fall off.
Repair panels and/or new steel is the only way to go, that's how i like to do it. Check out my 61 resto thread, it's not up to date though.
Welcome!
I make no recomendation that you should "hide" rust or cover it up. I make the comment about rust converter, because It has worked well for me. It actually converts the rust to black chemical compound that is strong, seals the metal, and is no longer rusting. Whether you use filler alone , or just to level out your welded in repair, the fiber reinforced polyester filler is much stronger and more adhesive than basic bondo. Good luck!Filler is for fine finishing welds or scratches, not for rust repair. Period. IMO it just makes no sense to hide the rust underneath something that does not last. Rear wheel arches are done exactly that way and now they are about to fall off.
Repair panels and/or new steel is the only way to go, that's how i like to do it. Check out my 61 resto thread, it's not up to date though.
Welcome!
Oh sorry, i somehow managed to miss the rust converter part completely!
I have never used it but looks like it might be good for small and hard to reach areas.
I have access to pro sandblasting equipment tho so that usually gets the job done.
Thanks for the tip, even i messed it up a little.
jblueridge
SILVER Star
It took me a minute to realize you removed the hoop "roll bar". Cool.
I changed the color on this one so everything needed to go off the body for paint .
Would love one of those to scoot around town in. Such fun lil 4wds.
The bumper that came with this truck had been cut up for various reasons. I took it by some metal fab shops and they all quoted 4+ hours at $120 an hour so I called in a favor to a friend and got a new ARB bumper. While I was prepping the frame rails to install it, I remembered I ordered recovery points from Road Runner Offroad on eBay when I first got the Troopy. Everything is installed and ready for the 12k Come Up winch... Time to get this thing dirty and scuffed up.
Totally! I had a BJ73 briefly, it was an absolute blast to bomb around in, and turned lots of heads too. The tractor like driving experience was great for short distances, but I wasn’t keen on long trips in it.
Started the day like this:
And ended like this:
Hard to tell but I gained like 6" of ground clearance today. Kept the 2.5" tubing which may or may not have been the best idea. Magnaflow muffler. I decided to keep the short side exit cause it's kinda badass and I can easily see what my smoke is looking like.
Believe it or not, that wacky old thing hanging off caused a 1' section of the old downpipe to have a pretty gnarly crumple. I'm all but ready to install my boost controller and start dialing down my black smoke. I'm going to avoid touching the fueling if I can and just adjust for high altitude (7000 ft).
On the subject, I hae been having really awesome customer service from Banks Diesel Power for the EGT/Boost combo set I bought. I initially needed new plastic tubing and they sent it to me priority and free. I also asked if I could exchange the 0-50 psi gauge they sell in the kit with their 0-15 one and I'm just paying shipping for that exchange. Might be good info for people that haven't added those.
And ended like this:
Hard to tell but I gained like 6" of ground clearance today. Kept the 2.5" tubing which may or may not have been the best idea. Magnaflow muffler. I decided to keep the short side exit cause it's kinda badass and I can easily see what my smoke is looking like.
Believe it or not, that wacky old thing hanging off caused a 1' section of the old downpipe to have a pretty gnarly crumple. I'm all but ready to install my boost controller and start dialing down my black smoke. I'm going to avoid touching the fueling if I can and just adjust for high altitude (7000 ft).
On the subject, I hae been having really awesome customer service from Banks Diesel Power for the EGT/Boost combo set I bought. I initially needed new plastic tubing and they sent it to me priority and free. I also asked if I could exchange the 0-50 psi gauge they sell in the kit with their 0-15 one and I'm just paying shipping for that exchange. Might be good info for people that haven't added those.
Funny as I prefer to use my HZJ73/5’s for longer trips and the LJ73 for around town
Indestructible 47
SILVER Star
Watch this space, these puppies arrived a few weeks ago... just waiting on brake lines and springs
Added mounts for my high-lift to the front bumper. It was up on the back of the roof rack and was always rattling loose and a bit of a PIA to get to. Still requires a Bungee cord to keep the foot from rattling, but its way more secure than it was.
jblueridge
SILVER Star
I like your bumper and the jack mount.
What is the round-ended object protruding in front of the tire in your photo?
What is the round-ended object protruding in front of the tire in your photo?
Hello all...newbie here. Might be buying a 1990 LJ70 VX. My concern is it has 200k miles. Spent most it’s life in spain. Here’s a video of it running. Thoughts?
Looks like a shovel handle for the HiLift (leverage)
That looks very nice and clean from the video. Much nicer than mine was. Is it 200K KM, or 200K miles? If it is 200K km I wouldn't worry. I have a 89 BJ73 base model that came from spain. One peculiar thing to look at on vehicles from Spain is the cooling system. Rub your fingers down the fins on the radiator, If they crumble when you push them it is a original radiator and will need recore or replacement. Does the heater work, or has it been bypassed/disconnected with a hose simply looping around the engine. Spain is warm and antifreeze is often not use so there is more corrosion in the cooling systems of their vehicles. This is a good bargaining point as recore or made to bolt in radiator will be $400+ and labor cost. A new aluminum radiator that requires some minor fabrication (drilling bolt holes) can be had for $150. Look at the freeze plugs on the sides of the engine block and ensure they are not leaking, or patched up with JB weld/epoxy putty. (this is easy to repair with new plugs, or the dorman rubber bolt on freeze plugs without removing the engine). For someone who doesn't know it's easy to say "this engine has leaking freeze plugs and I'll have to pull the engine to get at it to replace the plug properly" which is a great bargaining point.
It looks like the original paint. If not look for bondo around the normal rust repair areas(windshield frame, rear fenders and quarters).
People say the LJ is prone to cracking heads, but it has coil suspension so it should ride better and have better articulation off road. The heavier duty landcruiser with leaf springs may survive some types of abuse better/longer,(hitting unmarked potholes or washouts at night at speed on some 3rd world country highway while having the vehicle overloaded or when your survival dictates you have to cross a obstacle to get where you are going so you have to use speed with no care about breaking the truck) but you won't need to subject it to that stateside.
Lastly I would say flush all political correctness from your mind and think up the worst stereotypes/behavior of the culture and people where the vehicle comes from and how they may mistreat or not care for a vehicle or do shoddy repair work. Now go look for those problems.
