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HZJ75 Overland Build
- Thread starter johnnystrom
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johnnystrom
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- Jul 27, 2012
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Hi guys. Sorry for the long period of inactivity here. I've been away travelling, but will be back in the UK next week. Just to let you know that the truck is almost finished - snorkel is fitted (and looks good!), an 80w solar panel has been fitted on the roof, and 150L long range tank is being added. I'll post some final pics when I get it back home. It will on its way to Namibia in July. John
johnnystrom
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Thanks. It's just straight, no turbo. It aint quick, but it gets there! I'll be getting all the overlanding bits fitted in the back in the next couple of weeks, so will upload some pics as it comes together. John
Leopard
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steve allard
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A 70 litre water tank might be a bit OTT, unless you want to shower from it. Your wife will be proved right, the seats are not as comfortable, and less cab space than the 80 series. I will be interested to see the finished item. I am in Uganda, are you headed this way?
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johnnystrom
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Hi Steve. I just got back in the UK this morning, so will be getting on with the car again in the next few days. The water tank is already in there, but yes I agree it's probably overkill. Julian Voelcker at Overland Cruisers has the truck at the moment, with the long range fuel tank going in today (hopefully!). I'm collecting it on monday, so will keep you posted. Then I'll have to see about making the passenger seat a bit more comfortable! Seems to be designed for a sheep dog... Yes, I'll be heading to Uganda. Probably around October. Have you been to Rwanda too?
steve allard
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Hi, yes Rwanda is just up the road from here, congo and gorillas is around the corner, northern ug is fantastic. dont make your tyres too chunky, you will be on sealed roads 90% of the time, get an Engel fridge, plan time in Malawi, good times!!!
we used to call joburg to kampala the coca cola run, let me know if I can give you some info on it, Steve.
we used to call joburg to kampala the coca cola run, let me know if I can give you some info on it, Steve.
johnnystrom
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Thanks Steve. I just got the truck home today - nearly a week late! The fuel tank turned into a major headache as it had been manufactured to the wrong shape... Not my cost to rectify it, but an extra 5 days delay. But it's home now and I love the results. Photos to come soon...
I'm running it on BFGKM2s, so hopefully there will be plenty of opportunity for some off roading and not just tar between SA and Kenya! But yes, I'm expecting the roads in Rwanda and Uganda to be very civilised. I've prepped the car to be ready for the Kenya to Ethiopia route via Lake Turkana, but I'll be keeping an eye on the bandit reports before committing to that route. Have you been up that way?
I'm running it on BFGKM2s, so hopefully there will be plenty of opportunity for some off roading and not just tar between SA and Kenya! But yes, I'm expecting the roads in Rwanda and Uganda to be very civilised. I've prepped the car to be ready for the Kenya to Ethiopia route via Lake Turkana, but I'll be keeping an eye on the bandit reports before committing to that route. Have you been up that way?
steve allard
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I have never been to Turkana, plenty of murram roads that way though, security seems to be ok lately but wise to check first of course. You will have to seriously look for anti tar roads between Namibia and Uganda, but they are there hidden away in quiet places........
johnnystrom
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Well it all took longer than planned, but finally the truck is ready for loading and packing - it heads off to Namibia next week. Here are some pictures now that it's all done. We were pretty happy with the stick on graphics, which, in case you were wondering, shows the name of our blog. The only thing I've done since these pictures was to add two TracMat sand ladders to the roof, which may come in handy in the Kalahari...
I think this must be one of the cleanest 75's in the country. It shows only 100,000 miles on the clock, and although it was converted from kms to miles on arrival in the UK, the guy I bought it from only did about 6,000 miles with it in 5 years. So the mileage might be genuine - when the baseline service was done I was told that the condition of the joints/shafts/axles and other moving parts didn't look inconsistent with that mileage. It was resprayed grey (it was originally white) before export from Australia. The paintwork still polishes up really nicely and there are no scratches or dents. Hopefully that won't change too much in Africa...
The 100w IPF spotlights are great, although during our test run up to the north of sweden to visit family last month it never got dark enough to try them out. 5,000 miles in 4 weeks with not a glitch...
There is a split battery system, roof mounted solar panel and 1000w inverter for mains power...
In the back there's a 35L Engel fridge and an 80l water tank. The water tank is connected to a General Ecology purification system, fed by a Shurflo pump and connected to a handy tap. On the other side it's mainly storage space for some boxes of supplies we're taking to a children's charity in Zambia that we support. But there is also room for two spare wheels - these do sit up straight, but were leaning over in the photo. The steel mesh divider also slides forwards and backwards so it holds them securely in place when they're upright...
There is a custom built aluminium roof rack which will hold the roof tent (see below)...
And an ARB awning from Devon 4x4...
Underneath are twin long range fuel tanks made by Allisport, so total diesel capacity is now about 230 litres. We have fitted upgraded Old Man Emu shocks to cope with the extra weight (although the original leaf springs that are on there are pretty meaty), and there are poly bushes all round...
On the front there are some heavy duty towing shackles...
And finally trying out the roof tent while visiting my sister in the New Forest. This is the Howling Moon "Stargazer" model - it has a fold back rain cover and zip out panels in the roof so you can lie back and look up at the stars through the mosquito net panels. We also have the rear room for it that zips on underneath which is perfect for a bit of privacy when showering at the back (we have a separate 40l water tank for a 12v shower). The mattress is pretty comfortable, and we thought the overall build quality of this felt better than the Eezi Awn ones we looked at...
I'll try to load some photos as we get some action shots in Africa, but if you want to follow what we are up to, you can look at our blog which we try to update fairly regularly while we're away - www.nystrom-adventures.com
Unfortunately we'll have to sell the car when we get back early next year, so let me know if you might be interested in buying it! It really has had no expense spared in the preparation - all mechanical work has been done by Julian Voelcker at Overland Cruisers, and all fabrication was done by Roger Young fabrication in Devon.
We can't wait to finally put it to good use now!
I think this must be one of the cleanest 75's in the country. It shows only 100,000 miles on the clock, and although it was converted from kms to miles on arrival in the UK, the guy I bought it from only did about 6,000 miles with it in 5 years. So the mileage might be genuine - when the baseline service was done I was told that the condition of the joints/shafts/axles and other moving parts didn't look inconsistent with that mileage. It was resprayed grey (it was originally white) before export from Australia. The paintwork still polishes up really nicely and there are no scratches or dents. Hopefully that won't change too much in Africa...
The 100w IPF spotlights are great, although during our test run up to the north of sweden to visit family last month it never got dark enough to try them out. 5,000 miles in 4 weeks with not a glitch...
There is a split battery system, roof mounted solar panel and 1000w inverter for mains power...
In the back there's a 35L Engel fridge and an 80l water tank. The water tank is connected to a General Ecology purification system, fed by a Shurflo pump and connected to a handy tap. On the other side it's mainly storage space for some boxes of supplies we're taking to a children's charity in Zambia that we support. But there is also room for two spare wheels - these do sit up straight, but were leaning over in the photo. The steel mesh divider also slides forwards and backwards so it holds them securely in place when they're upright...
There is a custom built aluminium roof rack which will hold the roof tent (see below)...
And an ARB awning from Devon 4x4...
Underneath are twin long range fuel tanks made by Allisport, so total diesel capacity is now about 230 litres. We have fitted upgraded Old Man Emu shocks to cope with the extra weight (although the original leaf springs that are on there are pretty meaty), and there are poly bushes all round...
On the front there are some heavy duty towing shackles...
And finally trying out the roof tent while visiting my sister in the New Forest. This is the Howling Moon "Stargazer" model - it has a fold back rain cover and zip out panels in the roof so you can lie back and look up at the stars through the mosquito net panels. We also have the rear room for it that zips on underneath which is perfect for a bit of privacy when showering at the back (we have a separate 40l water tank for a 12v shower). The mattress is pretty comfortable, and we thought the overall build quality of this felt better than the Eezi Awn ones we looked at...
I'll try to load some photos as we get some action shots in Africa, but if you want to follow what we are up to, you can look at our blog which we try to update fairly regularly while we're away - www.nystrom-adventures.com
Unfortunately we'll have to sell the car when we get back early next year, so let me know if you might be interested in buying it! It really has had no expense spared in the preparation - all mechanical work has been done by Julian Voelcker at Overland Cruisers, and all fabrication was done by Roger Young fabrication in Devon.
We can't wait to finally put it to good use now!
Marius De Kock
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Looking very good. I'll hopefully see you in Africa at some stage.
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Its a lovely looking truck it seems ludicrous that you have to sell it once you return . Would i be right in thinking it must be sold as it was built through charity funding or something similar ? Would it not serve the charities better to adopt and share the vehicle allowing other willing individuals to take up the gauntlet as it were . The truck is good for another 200,000 miles if maintained and thats a fair few visits to Africa with a new driver each time and a considerable contribution to good works .
Just a suggestion that could turn a 2 year adventure into one that spans decades . Best of luck on your trip i'm sure it will be a life changing experience .
Just a suggestion that could turn a 2 year adventure into one that spans decades . Best of luck on your trip i'm sure it will be a life changing experience .
johnnystrom
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Thanks for the likes guys. Shayne, nice idea, but no we have funded every penny of it ourselves. The reason we (probably) have to sell it when we get back is that we had to sell both our cars and invest quite a bit in savings to pay for it! The charities we support are micro charities with no big corporate donors, and every penny we raise for them goes directly to them, with no middle men or "executive" salaries. We think that big international charities, despite good intentions, often do more harm than good. We'd rather know exactly where the money we raise goes to, and it's great to see the direct benefit it has. The charity we are sponsoring at the moment helps to re-integrate disabled children into normal life, and tries to address the stigma of disability which is one of their biggest obstacles. We're delivering physio and medical equipment to them which isn't easily available there, and also sponsoring a tiny local community business which manufactures wheelchairs. You can read more about it here...http://www.justgiving.com/nystrom-adventures
But I'm deviating from the thread! If anyone has any questions about the car or the equipment we fitted, just drop me a line. Or if you have any questions about shipping to Africa, and the paperwork side of things, I'll also do my best to answer them.
But I'm deviating from the thread! If anyone has any questions about the car or the equipment we fitted, just drop me a line. Or if you have any questions about shipping to Africa, and the paperwork side of things, I'll also do my best to answer them.
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Fair play to you with the "direct benefit" approach . A group of close friends went to Africa on a charitable excursion lasting maybe 5 years with short home breaks about 15 years ago , but they all bought themselves a house for cash and had plenty of cash left over on their return ? . And though i'm sorry to add a negative to your thread i feel its better to say it than not as forewarned is forearmed - only one of the group returned without having contracted A.I.D.S and he has incurable hepatitis instead . Please note though all were young and single and , each admits , promiscuous . Regardless of this i can sit for hours over a beer listening while they recount their adventures and it speaks volumes that non have any regrets .
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Great truck, love what you've done to it. 
Enjoy your trip, I look forward to reading all about it.
Be careful with any big river crossings. Those standard Toyota snorkels arnt water proof. Weve had a few troopies in work lately to have Safari snorkels fitted in place of the standard Toyota ones.
Enjoy your trip, I look forward to reading all about it.
Be careful with any big river crossings. Those standard Toyota snorkels arnt water proof. Weve had a few troopies in work lately to have Safari snorkels fitted in place of the standard Toyota ones.
Looking forward to following your blog, great truck and so well prepared.
Good luck, be safe!
Good luck, be safe!
