What did you do on your 70 series today? (23 Viewers)

[Trakkateer]

Re-glued the inner support structure of the hood. When the vent holes were cut, the inner part was not secured well, and the spots of glue failed one by one. The hood vibrations at idle were getting worse. Panel bond glue isn't cheap, but it sure works well.

 

[Jull]

Testfitting rims for the 75. J80 steelies are my favourite, but they need spacers. Anybody have a pic of those J80 wheels with black finish?

 

[coldtaco]

Testfitting rims for the 75. J80 steelies are my favourite, but they need spacers. Anybody have a pic of those J80 wheels with black finish?

View attachment 2783178View attachment 2783179

80 series wheels

 

[Bludozer]

80 series wheels

View attachment 2783233

Great looking set up!

 

[robmobile73]

Testfitting rims for the 75. J80 steelies are my favourite, but they need spacers. Anybody have a pic of those J80 wheels with black finish?

View attachment 2783178View attachment 2783179

These are tacoma rims on 2 inch spacers. I am however switching to 1 in spacers, of a slightly different size due to problems with the 2-in spacers. They come in this week I'll put a picture and explanation when done. The taco rims are cheap on eBay. I think they were less than 75 a piece with free shipping.

It's a bit tricky to get the right spacers. You need about 3/4 of an inch to clear the tie rod ends. Lug centric spacers are needed on the front as the hub centers the wheel. I am going with lug centric spacers for front and back. With them only being 1 in thick it should be fine on the rear not having the bore of the wheel also centering. In order to get it just right you'd have to get a pair of lug centric 108 mm bore for the front. And a pair of hubcentric 108 mm bore for the back. A slight dressing of the wheelbore with an angle grinder maybe removing one half to one mm was necessary for me.

 

[Jull]

80 series wheels

View attachment 2783233

Nice set up What is that tyre size?

These are tacoma rims on 2 inch spacers. I am however switching to 1 in spacers, of a slightly different size due to problems with the 2-in spacers. They come in this week I'll put a picture and explanation when done. The taco rims are cheap on eBay. I think they were less than 75 a piece with free shipping.

It's a bit tricky to get the right spacers. You need about 3/4 of an inch to clear the tie rod ends. Lug centric spacers are needed on the front as the hub centers the wheel. I am going with lug centric spacers for front and back. With them only being 1 in thick it should be fine on the rear not having the bore of the wheel also centering. In order to get it just right you'd have to get a pair of lug centric 108 mm bore for the front. And a pair of hubcentric 108 mm bore for the back. A slight dressing of the wheelbore with an angle grinder maybe removing one half to one mm was necessary for me.

View attachment 2783817

View attachment 2783818

Good info, thanks.



Actually, I already have these 80-series 8x16 wheels sandblasted and I would like to see them in black paint for comparing original silver/grey.

 

[cruiserdan]

Nice set up What is that tyre size?






Good info, thanks.



Actually, I already have these 80-series 8x16 wheels sandblasted and I would like to see them in black paint for comparing original silver/grey.

View attachment 2784048

That wheel design (dating from the 1960s) was never intended to be black. In my view they look stupid black. Here they are in the original finish on my BJ74.

 

[solomrus]

going to get down with the rear suspension this week. pull out the packs, clean them up, take out the extra leaves. the OME heavies are killing me...

then find some new shock bushings. these old OME's are self destructing.

i get to drive the 80 for a bit. 8^)

i'll update if i remember to take some photos.

--r

 

[SKULLYOTA]

I put my oil pan back on (with turbo drain bung), refilled the 15w-40. only a few to-do's before I can fire up the new turbo and injection pump!

 

[Owyhee Jackass]

going to get down with the rear suspension this week. pull out the packs, clean them up, take out the extra leaves. the OME heavies are killing me...


--r

How much weight do you carry regularly? I'm shopping for new springs as my troopy sags a bit, esp. when loaded for an extended camping trip. I'm considering OME. I've been dragging my feet as I think it rides pretty well as is and don't want to sacrifice the ride quality. I've added about 1000 pounds to my troopy since I bought it, roof rack, fridge, 3rd battery etc.

 

[solomrus]

How much weight do you carry regularly? I'm shopping for new springs as my troopy sags a bit, esp. when loaded for an extended camping trip. I'm considering OME. I've been dragging my feet as I think it rides pretty well as is and don't want to sacrifice the ride quality. I've added about 1000 pounds to my troopy since I bought it, roof rack, fridge, 3rd battery etc.

spare (split wheel with 235/85-16 tire), my 220#, sometimes a 75# dog, sometimes a 115# wife, sometimes wife and dog, once in a while a bit of cargo, not enough to require heavy springs.

omaha roads and a MWB truck make for some whiplash inducing oscillations. it takes a few hundred # in the back to make it tolerable. this truck is used for daily driver duties, so the comfort aspect is pretty high. right now i have the spare inside with 150# of sand in it to just take the edge off.

i'm going to see if removing the additional long leaves helps, and i think it should. i have OME dakar non heavies on my 40 and i really like them. now, if it doesn't, i'll probably get a dobinson's setup for the truck and just replace the front and rear packs and take care of all of it at once. the front springs like to fan apart when i steer making for a noisy suspension, and that is getting on my nerves as well. this costs me nothing but some time. but it's bonding time with my 73, so totally worth spending it.

--r

 

[RHINO]

Suspension talk.

I wanted to get Dobinsons on my troopy but they were out of stock everywhere with months to wait, I NEEDED new springs so I ordered Ironman. They were having one of there sales and the whole kit was a grand, couldn't say no.

I don't have alot of extras on the troopy and the ride was incredibly harsh, even in 4x4 I had a couple struggles on climbs because the springs just didn't give or flex much.

I took out the 3rd and 5th leaf from all four packs and man, what a transformation, she rides great, flexes well and shackle angles are good again.

Whatever suspension you get I think its worth it to play with the leaf packs and tune it to your rig, unless of course you go custom.

 

[Felde]

How much weight do you carry regularly? I'm shopping for new springs as my troopy sags a bit, esp. when loaded for an extended camping trip. I'm considering OME. I've been dragging my feet as I think it rides pretty well as is and don't want to sacrifice the ride quality. I've added about 1000 pounds to my troopy since I bought it, roof rack, fridge, 3rd battery etc.

You should balance your rig for the setup it is used the most. Fully loaded for camping, with gear, food, beer, wine, dog, wife and kids may be your favorite, but sadly it's not likely to be your common setup.
I belive, when really fully loaded, it is allowed to actually sag a bit, unless enough suspension travel is maintained and its not bottoming to the bumpstops.
Better that way than being oversprung and giving you a terrible ride when not fully loaded most time.
I have OMEs in my BJ73 and actually I consider my back being oversprung. It happens quickly! Also consider that OME usually comes with a lift.
Cheers Ralf

 

[solomrus]

lets keep this conversation going. lots of points being made, all good ones. i'm not a fanboy of any of the suspension systems out there, in the case of my 73, it came with the OME gear installed. i chose the dakar's on the 40 and ended up liking them a lot. they simply work.

i know no hard facts about the background of my 73. jeori has shared with me as much as he knows, and it boils down to the fact that this was a work vehicle for a good span of it's life. whoever had it, figured they could use the heavy setup. since i wanted to eventually put a lift on whatever 73 i ended up with, i figured worst to worst, i can spend some time getting it where i want it. i gave it a few months to loosen up a bit (truck was parked for several years), and it did, to a point. it's not going to get any better.

now it's time to get it set up the way i want it. so, to fill the needs that i have of the truck it should have a reasonably smooth and compliant ride, which i feel i can get from the springs that are on the truck. my tolerance for noisy suspensions has gone way down in recent years, so reasonably quiet is also a concern. these issues i will deal with as i work my way thru the refresh. i'm not an outdoorsman, i do not overland, rock crawl, or do any serious trail work. we may hit some low maintenance roads around here just to follow them back into the woods and see, but that's a rarity. basically, daily driver truck. yes, i could have bought pretty much anything for a daily... tacoma, foreigner, tundra... but none of those really fit my needs, and dayam they are expensive. i've wanted a diesel 70 series for years, and it's damn near perfect for me.

first thing i'll be doing is taking some measurements. i have a bit of LH lean on this truck. not a huge concern for me but if i can get it out of there, i will. i want to check some basic dimensions on the setup before i pull it apart and touch everything. i'm getting better at keeping notes on this kind of work, and if anyone is interested, i will share.

maybe it's just time to start my own thread. this might be too much for this one.

 

[robmobile73]

lets keep this conversation going. lots of points being made, all good ones. i'm not a fanboy of any of the suspension systems out there, in the case of my 73, it came with the OME gear installed. i chose the dakar's on the 40 and ended up liking them a lot. they simply work.

i know no hard facts about the background of my 73. jeori has shared with me as much as he knows, and it boils down to the fact that this was a work vehicle for a good span of it's life. whoever had it, figured they could use the heavy setup. since i wanted to eventually put a lift on whatever 73 i ended up with, i figured worst to worst, i can spend some time getting it where i want it. i gave it a few months to loosen up a bit (truck was parked for several years), and it did, to a point. it's not going to get any better.

now it's time to get it set up the way i want it. so, to fill the needs that i have of the truck it should have a reasonably smooth and compliant ride, which i feel i can get from the springs that are on the truck. my tolerance for noisy suspensions has gone way down in recent years, so reasonably quiet is also a concern. these issues i will deal with as i work my way thru the refresh. i'm not an outdoorsman, i do not overland, rock crawl, or do any serious trail work. we may hit some low maintenance roads around here just to follow them back into the woods and see, but that's a rarity. basically, daily driver truck. yes, i could have bought pretty much anything for a daily... tacoma, foreigner, tundra... but none of those really fit my needs, and dayam they are expensive. i've wanted a diesel 70 series for years, and it's damn near perfect for me.

first thing i'll be doing is taking some measurements. i have a bit of LH lean on this truck. not a huge concern for me but if i can get it out of there, i will. i want to check some basic dimensions on the setup before i pull it apart and touch everything. i'm getting better at keeping notes on this kind of work, and if anyone is interested, i will share.

maybe it's just time to start my own thread. this might be too much for this one.

My BJ73 when I got it had worn out seats and original stock springs that were completely flat/worn out. I bought a suspension seat which I like alot and made a big difference. Shortly afterward I put in OME medium springs, new rubber bushings, and shackles. Huge difference. If I were to do it over I would not have gotten the suspension seat, just done new springs. The suspesion seat is a forklift seat with very firm padding, that tilts and has adjustable arm rests. While the ride is nowhere near as smooth, my back is less sore after a 3 hour drive in the BJ73 than it is after a 3 hour trip on the cushy seats of my tundra..................If your truck jars your back too much after you get your suspension sorted and you still want to keep the leaf spring truck you might try a suspension seat.

 

[joekatana]

Well , I have to admit that most of the time I am very proud to have a “crawler” build entirely with Toyota parts besides suspension and wheels and tires , especially when you see all the “Jeep” crawlers with chevy engines, ford transmissiond, aftermarket transfer case and dodge axles and still they call it a zjeep !
Then there are days like these where I have spent many hours trying to get the damn rear broken axle shaft out that was stuck and last resort was to cut a hole in the axle to get it out . Worst part is that even though this is a 80 series axle and there are still tons of these on the roads here toyota no longer sells the shafts for the elockers, 2 companies have “upgraded” shafts or at least one of the 2 seems to be an upgrade at over s 1000$ but they are also 12 weeks out……, times like these I think it would be a lot easier for me to just swap in some build Dana’s but maybe that would lead me also to some LS Atlas bs so I am gonna fix this and give it another go


Anyone has a spare elocked shaft they are willing to sell

 

[Felde]

now it's time to get it set up the way i want it. so, to fill the needs that i have of the truck it should have a reasonably smooth and compliant ride, which i feel i can get from the springs that are on the truck. my tolerance for noisy suspensions has gone way down in recent years, so reasonably quiet is also a concern. these issues i will deal with as i work my way thru the refresh. i'm not an outdoorsman, i do not overland, rock crawl, or do any serious trail work. we may hit some low maintenance roads around here just to follow them back into the woods and see, but that's a rarity. basically, daily driver truck. yes, i could have bought pretty much anything for a daily... tacoma, foreigner, tundra... but none of those really fit my needs, and dayam they are expensive. i've wanted a diesel 70 series for years, and it's damn near perfect for me.

first thing i'll be doing is taking some measurements. i have a bit of LH lean on this truck. not a huge concern for me but if i can get it out of there, i will. i want to check some basic dimensions on the setup before i pull it apart and touch everything. i'm getting better at keeping notes on this kind of work, and if anyone is interested, i will share.

maybe it's just time to start my own thread. this might be too much for this one.

Sounds like a plan, man.
There is no way to revitalize a tired spring. If the material is tired, it doesn't simply give it.
My were so flat they bottomed out. Less than a finger space to the bumpstop. They just had to go.

But if you say your springs are actually ok, why not refurbishing the packs?
Take them apart, clean them. Center bold, resp. Hole in axle plate and U-clamps must be OK! That's a safety thing.
Noise usually comes from loose leave clamps and worn slid plates between the leaves. That can be fixed.
New bushes and new shocks, new shackle pins, if needed, that will make the hell of a difference, as the others correctly pointed out.
You will know what you get, and it saves quite some money.
And as I said: If it sags a bit when fully loaded, that's no point to me, unless the ride is smooth in whatever your normal condition is..

You say this is actually an OME setup? Those are prone for leaning. Check the forum. There are plenty of discussions around this. (Some I'm also engage in as my OME setup leans to the right. Key apparently is the orientation of the rear springs, which come as A and B from OME, vs LHD and RHD.)

BTW: Is there a build thread or some pics? Would be cool. I like discussions and support like this.
Regards Ralf

 

[solomrus]

ralf, yeah, i don't have a build thread, but i am thinking it's time to put something together. i started in on the project last night, and i'm trying to remember to take pics and such... i get into the doing and i forget to stop and take a shot or two. next thing you know, i'm almost finished and crap i was supposed to take photos.

give me a day or two and then look for a new thread. i'll post the big projects in there (have one of jeori's ac kits to install next) and flit around in here with smaller things.

one thing i have to say is that i really appreciate whoever did the maintenance on this thing in the netherlands. everything on this truck has been greased and or had copper anti-seize put on it. just about every bolt i have touched so far has come apart with very little struggle. i did break one of the 8 x 1.25's in the radiator support, but i got into a hurry and didn't heat it enough. i grease or anti seize everything i work on here at the shop as well. simply because it is amazing how rusty the chassis fasteners can get on a subaru in just a couple years up here.

anyways, the driver's side pack came out in about 30 minutes. no fuss, no muss. none of the pins were stuck, all of the fastener's came out. if the passenger side comes apart half as easily as this side, i will consider myself lucky. i was all prepared to fight with it... nice for a change.

i wire wheeled all of the leaves off last night and made a huge mess. going to wipe them down tonight and put some rust converter on them to keep them from getting all nasty again.

yes, they are OME's, still had the old school label on the top spring. all of them are in really nice shape, still arched well, nothing cracked or broken. slight pitting from being on the road, but i see no issues with putting them back together and slappin' them back on the truck. i separated out the extra leaf and put it aside so i don't accidentally install it again.

the biggest problem here is me getting into a rush because i want to drive the 73 all the time. not that the 80 is bad... i just prefer the 73. 8^)

--r

 

[robmobile73]

Got some good work done the past couple days. Got my tires rotated and balanced. Oil change for a fresh 8 quarts of rotella T. Old 2 in wheel spacers replaced with properly torqued and fitted 1 in wheel spacers with loctite. She's rolling and running smooth. If preparation and other situations with the family make a positive shift I may be able to work a miracle and make it to windrock this weekend.
So a great wheel spacer combination for the 70 series to run Tacoma rims or 1 inch spacers with 106 mm bore lug centric in the front and hubcentric in the back. They will require some attention with the grinder on your rims and on the front locking hubs. You also have to buy them in pairs two different sets. I went with a full set of lug centric 1-in hopefully they'll work fine in the back using only the lugs to center them.

 

[Trakkateer]

While searching for something else, I found this and had to have it.
Found on teepublic.com