LJ70 Build Thread!

[TonyP]

wow Ben thats some sand collection you got going there.... incredible got in everywhere

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

nice bit of sand there for the next time you need to knock up a bit of mortar Ben

 

[Ben]

wow Ben thats some sand collection you got going there.... incredible got in everywhere

Its crazy Tony, it really is!

Spent another few hours the other night trying to wash the last of it out.

Im struggling to get the last little bit out of the sills and a section of the floor pan.

might try a powerful vacume cleaner, or blowing it through with my compressor.

nice bit of sand there for the next time you need to knock up a bit of mortar Ben

It is just like red building sand.

 

[Ben]

I must have spent 12 hours now washing sand out of the truck.

I want a new custom aluminium rad and electric fan. But ive decided to wait till I get it to OZ, as not only will I be earning a lot more money, but there will be more choice of reputable suppliers.

Saturday morning I went to the scrap yard and got another electric fan.

The old fan is seized solid.

With the new fan fitted and wired up, I continued trying to get sand out of the floor pan and sills.

I removed 2 of the body mount bolts, as I thought this would help with washing the sand out.

It worked well, and all the sand was now out of that section of the body.

I found the best method for removing the remaining sand from the sills, was to push the hose inside the sill and push it up and down the sill vigorously until the water ran clear.

Sunday morning I was greeted by the first frost of the season.

First job was removing the rear bumper.

No surprise loads more sand.

Ive been planning for a while to swap all the bodylift spacers, rust kill and dinitrol, and sort out the dodgy electrics.

So this stripping down and cleaning as a result of getting stuck in that puddle at Lincomb has only spurred me on.

So one thing ive been meaning to do is move the wiring loom that runs along the rear chassis cross member.

MR T in all his wisdom thought it would be a good idea to bring the wires out the bottom of the driver side rear quarter panel, run them along the chassis and then back into the body at the bottom of the other rear quarter panel.

More on that later though. first i needed to change the body lift spacers.

Popped the plastic caps out of the body to give me access to the body bolts.

I remembered them being a bugger to get to last time, when I did the bodylift, due to the fact the holes arnt directly over the bolts.

After trying various things I had an idea.

Cut the end off a 17mm spanner.

Clamped it at 90 degrees.

And welded it on.

Worked faultlessly!

With the bolts removed I could wash more sand out.

New bodylift spacers, which I bought a few weeks ago.

Jacked the body up.

Stuck a few blocks of wood under, just incase the jack should slip.

And started removing the old spacers and fitting the alloy ones.

Body lift spacers all fitted.

Removed the section of wiring loom from the rear chassis cross member.

It will eventually run along the floor pan from one side to the other.

Stripped all the conduit and tape from the loom.

Pressure washed all the mud and crap off the loom and hung it up to dry.

Ive had problems with the rear lights for a while, and the passenger side hasnt been working all lately.

Removed the light and this is what I found.

The main problem ive found with these cheap aftermarket lights is the bulb holders.

They dont seal very well against the light, and the bulb holder for the twin filament bulbs doesnt fit the bulbs properly. So generally ive had either stop or tail lights but not both at the same time.

So what I need is genuine toyota bulb holders.

Then I remembered the 4 runner lights were still in the shed, and luckily they still had the bulb holders.

Quality bulb holders.

These genuine ones have a rubber O ring to seal to the light and keep water/mud out.

The holes were very slightly different on the 4 runner lights.

A few minutes work with a file and they fitted perfectly.

Ordered a load of stuff from http://www.vehicle-wiring-products.eu/VWP-onlinestore/home/homepage.php

Hopefully the bits will be here tomorrow and I can finish sorting the wiring out in the back of the truck. All joins will be soldered and heat shrinked.

Once thats done I can rust kill and dinitrol the back end of the truck and inside the floor pan, and then re-fit the drawer system and everything else inside the truck.

New alternator will be here this week.

Then I just need to change the blown CV, clean the crap out from between the wheel and tyre on the tyre that I popped off the rim at Lincomb and re-inflate, and its ready for the extreme laning and wild camping trip which im organising for a few weeks time.

 

[ganbayar]

good job

 

[Ben]

Last night I made a start sorting the electrics out in the rear of the truck.

Ive never had much success with soldering.

Crazy really considering all the welding and fabricating I do. At work I regularly cut, mag drill and weld steel I beams that once fitted carry tonnes and tonnes of masonry yet I couldnt join 2 copper wires with a soldering iron.

Anyway....................................

Im determined to do the electrics on my truck properly. Firstly so that I dont have to come back to them again as theyve stopped working, and secondly because obviously its a big fire hazard if wiring isnt done properly!

So after watching 2 very informative videos on youtube I had an idea of what to do.



I particularly like the method he uses in the video to join the wires.

So back to the truck.

After working out which wires I thought were for the rear light, I twisted the wires together and checked id got it wired correctly.

Next I soldered and then heat shrinked the connections.

I then started securing all the wires inside the convoluted tube and taping it up as I went.

First job tonight was to jet wash all the sand out of the drawer system and rear door cards.

Loads in the drawers.

I then carried on with the wiring.

Twisted the wires together and propped the light in place so I could check if the wires were the right way round.

Then soldered.

And heat shrinked.

Perfectly working rear lights.

Very satisfying after they havnt been working properly for a while now.

This section of loom will run inside the 75mm cable tray which forms the bottom of the drawer system. It will be held securely in place all the way along with cable ties.

This section needed connecting to the fuel level sender on the fuel tank.

So I drilled a hole in the removable plate, and found a suitable grommet.

All in place, with plenty of Sika flex to seal it and keep any water out.

Some of the bits I had delivered from Vehicle Wiring Products.

Convoluted tube and grommets.

Monday TNT couriers collected my knackered alternator from me to send to the company I bought it from.

I received a txt message today to say it would be delivered at 1PM today.

4.30PM today City Link couriers delivered a package to me.

1 brand new alternator!

So if your going to send a faulty alternator back for a warranty claim, it really does pay to make sure you clean it properly first.

So out with my trusty Hilti impact wrench.

And pulleys swapped.

10 minutes later and its fitted.

Started the engine and the gauge was showing a nice healthy reading.

And perfect reading at the batteries.

So quite a successful day really!

Back lights done, wiring loom in back sorted, and new free of charge £130 alternator received and fitted.

Next job is rust killing and dinitroling, then I can start putting the inside of the truck back together.

 

[Ben]

good job

Thanks.

Any pics of your truck?

I dont think ive ever seen a KZJ79.

In the UK we only got the LJ70 and KZJ70.

 

[ModelMakerMan]

Good job there Ben, nice to know the warranty on the alternators is a good service.

Dont forget to do the wiring in the door and connect it to the check straps so it doesnt bend and break again like we spoke about at Lincomb. Its a good time to do it while you have the door cards off.

 

[sae70]

Awesome Ben

I shall look forward to driving behind you in the future instead of covering my brake pedal with my left foot all the time

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Yeah must get that done before the door cards go back on Dave.

I was looking inside the door the other day, and I can see that plastic thing you spoke of that the wires need taping to.

I also want to fit a new rear washer jet and try and get that working properly again.

Got more electrical work to do in the engine bay. loads of wires to tidy up before it gets exported.

Think that will be a nice job to do while off work over Christmas. At the moment im just trying to get the truck sorted for my weekend away laning in a few weeks time.

 

[ModelMakerMan]

Ben just found the shock measurements you wanted. To get these measurements I removed the shocks and articulated the axle fully (till the bushes were binding up as the limiting factor) then measured between the upper and lower shock mounts.

Front:
Compressed Length: 14" (357mm)
Extended Length: 23" (584mm)

Rear:
Compressed Length: 12.5" (318mm)
Extended Length: 21" (534mm)

I fitted Rancho RS999157XL adjustable shocks which are 14" Compressed and 22" Extended which meant I needed to fit 2" extended bump stops at the rear. Im also thinking about fitting a 1" extension to the front shock and 1" extended bump stops to gain the extra inch on articulation but its probably not worth the effort really.

Ive been really pleased so far with the shocks. So far Ive not been stuck due to lack of articulation since Ive fitted them. I keep meaning to have a bit of a twist off but have yet to find anywhere suitably big enough to try. The adjustable shocks are brilliant, if you saw us turn up at lincomb on Friday night the truck was pretty loaded with 4 people + stuff, a wooden table, gas bottles, stoves and cooking stuff etc and I just wound the rear shocks up and there was no noticeable difference from if I were driving empty. When I take it off road I wind the shocks down at the same time as airing down.

 

[Ben]

Great, thanks Dave.

I meant to send you a PM requesting those measurements but totally forgot.

 

[Ben]

I did a bit of work last Saturday.

I decided to remove the swing away wheel carrier from the bumper to inspect the bearings.

The bottom oil seal had prevented water and sand from getting in, but as theres no seal on the top, the bearings were full of sand!

I soaked them in thinners and then used an air line to blast all the crap and sand out.

The bumper was completely rammed full of sand.

So I used the pressure washer to blast it out. I found wedging the pressure washer lance in position for 30mins seemed to get most of it out.

Re-fitted the drawer system.

The conduit containing all the wires fits neatly underneath.

Had to notch the bottom of one of the plastic trim panels around the conduit.

Found a great use for the cable tray that forms the bottom of the drawer system.................Ive run cables along and have used cable ties to keep them in place.

Re-fitted the rear bumper.

And wheel carrier.

I then managed to pressure washer the crap out from between the rim and the tyre which was causing it not to seal properly. That done I was able to re-fit the wheel to the truck and put the spare back on the wheel carrier on the back.

While the front end was jacked up I tried to establish which CV/shaft is damaged.

I locked the steering both ways, and turned the wheels while listening for any abnormal noises. I aslo engaged the front ARB locker and listened for any abnormal noises but still couldnt pin point the faulty side.

What I now plan to do is to engage the front locker with both front free wheel hubs locked, and when it starts making a banging noise while driving, is to unlock one hub. If it still bangs, I will lock that hub and unlock the other side.

One great thing about running a truck with manual free wheel hubs is if you manage to blow a CV/shaft. Your able to engage the front locker, and leave the side with the broken CV/shaft unlocked, and you then have 3 wheel drive and so can hopefully drive out.

One of the nights this week I decided to change the air filter and fuel filter.

Couldnt believe how dirty the air filter was.

The air box was full of leaves and twigs aswell.

The fuel filter was too tight to undo, so i removed the entire filter housing and got it on the bench.

No surprise SAND!

Even the fuel that came out of the filter had sand in it.

So im guessing some water must have made its way into the fuel tank when the filler neck was under water?

Strange if it did though as the truck has run fine since, and ive ran the tank till its almost empty.

Anyway...........................

after re-fitting the fuel filter housing in the engine bay I had a look at some loose wires that I found ages ago but wasnt sure what they were for.

After using the multi meter and realising that one of these wires became live with the ignition on, I wondered if it was for the pre-heat circuit that hasnt worked for a year or 2.

So I connected it to the glow plugs and found that the pre-heat light now lit up when the ignition was switched on.

But i realised it was far too small a wire to handle the sort of AMPs the glow plugs must draw.

Then I tested another of the wires and discovered that with the first wire connected to the glow plugs, it too was now live, and after the ignition had been on for approximately 2 mins it went dead.
It was then that I realised that the first wire I connected to the glow plugs needs to be earthed.

So i connected it to a suitable earth point, along with another engine earth wire I found that wasnt connected to anything, and suddenly ive got a working pre-heat circuit again!

When i started it up it sounded like a different engine!

So much smoother and quieter.

Judging by how long the glow plugs stay on for, compared to how long i used to switch them on for with the separate switched wire id fitted, its not really surprising, as i was always scared of switching them on for too long encase i burnt them out.

Drove to work the next day and it felt a lot smoother and there was definitely more power. I guess this was down to the filter change.

Im getting a bit better with auto electrics now which is nice.

It feels very satisfying to fix electrical problems on my truck, some of which ive had to live with for the last few years.

Only fault I still need to fix is the oil level/pressure gauge. Need to work out which wires need connecting where on the engine.

Sunday will be my only day off before the big laning trip, so need to get the front wheel drive fixed!

 

[sae70]

OMG Ben!!! That sand must be the bain of your life at the moment

I'm loving your new found electrical skills

Hope the weekend goes well for you m8

Speak soon

 

[username_11]

take the rear prop off, front locker and only one hub in, will soon pin point the broken one lol

it's probably cracked the bell or the star if they're really bad it can jam the steering up

this is my best exploded cv joint

 

[TonyP]

Now that is impressive...

 

[Ben]

Sand? What sand? I havnt seen any sand.



Thanks Steven.

Ive got my medical examination tomorrow with disease tests and chest x-ray.

I just hope they dont find anything wrong with me that could affect my VISA.

Once thats done, and providing i pass, im just waiting for my police certificate to come back. Then its just a waiting game then for the department of immigration to look through all the forms and send me a VISA!

 

[Ben]

take the rear prop off, front locker and only one hub in, will soon pin point the broken one lol

it's probably cracked the bell or the star if they're really bad it can jam the steering up

this is my best exploded cv joint

Thanks.

You really went to town on that one!

Is there anyway of doing it without removing the rear prop?

 

[Chris]

Handy clip Ben, but SODDERING? Where did he learn to speak English? Oh, America, I see. One thing I try to do is not touch the bare wire with my hands, as it introduces grease from your skin. If you part strip the wire, you can twist the outer sheath off which in turn twists the strands of the inner core. The little stand device is a very handy thing. I could have done with one of those many times over. I also prefer not to twist the wires together when I want a really neat flat joint. I just take the bare untwisted ends of the core and push them together, like shuffling cards, then I sodder, sorry solderize it. Always felt that twisting too much can weaken the strands.

I cannot believe how much sand you had in there. That hole didn't look that bad. Nice looking alternator there.

Chris

 

[Ben]

Thanks Chris.

I hadnt thought of grease getting on the wires.