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LJ70 Build Thread!

Good to hear the overheating seems sorted dude :cool:

Didn't Les have a sticker a bit like that devil yota badge? We like that :cool:

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Rocky Track = understatement! I would be frightened I would bust something serious (incl me in flip flops!)

Steve
 
Laid in bed this morning with the wife and all three of the kids!!! Not a lot of room, but gave me a chance to read through the last page of your thread Ben. Weathers looking a tad mental m8, so much so its been on the news over here a fair bit! Like the rad cowl, bet your chuffed its doing the job :) I started a thread some time back about those DynaBeads dynamic tyre balancing ceramic balls. What was interesting was that people had used all sorts including marbles, air-soft pellets and even pea shingle!!! http://www.landcruiserclub.net/foru...yone-using-a-dynamic-tyre-balancing-solution? I like the magnetic mud flap idea, but in the video it's not the flaps that are magnetic! It's the clamp and if you turned that clamp around the other way I reckon it would be pulled open and the mud flap would be gone! Another option would be to make an oversized hinge with some tube an a 6/8mm removable hinge pin. Hope you go the magnetic route though as its a very elegant solution :) looking forward to your next instalment :)
 
Second the above! I'm always amazed how much air the 80 viscous fan shifts, and I guess it's the same on your 70 now. Good to hear you've fixed it at the 11th hour! You can climb with confidence now!

Vids appreciated, keep em coming! :icon-biggrin:
 
Thanks guys. :thumbup:

I really am made up that the viscous fan has fixed the overheating issue! LJ is once again a complete pleasure to drive! :dance:

The video is good but I really wish she hadnt zoomed out quite so much as its not very clear how much I'm lifting wheels coming up that rocky hill! :icon-twisted:

Steven.............

I did spot that on the website for the truck mudflaps that they are a bit different to how I'm going to do mine but I wondered if thats partly maybe because there designed to be universal and obviously not all trucks will have a smooth straight piece of metal directly behind the rear wheels at the perfect height. :think:

I think the way I'm going to do it should work, and the mud flaps should merely flex and maybe flap slightly as I'm going along, thats if the magnets are strong enough.

The only issue I can see with this idea is after I've been driving some extreme tracks and the rear bar has been dragged into banks and is covered in mud it might need scraping off with a stick/wiping clean first before I can stick the mud flaps on. :think:

Tonight I want to get the fridge slide and water can holder bolted down ready for the trip.

After the 2 trips that are coming up I want to modify the back door to take the gas stove and repair the rust.

I also want to design and build a 3 battery tray for under the bonnet.

Then totally rewire the car and get the electrics 100% perfect. Working for Piranha means I can get everything I need including mountains of wire in every color possible so I can make a really good loom.

Then I want to get all the body work done and the whole truck re-sprayed.

I also need to get and fit new shocks all round and look at changing the front springs.

I want to build a roof rack and buy and awning for the side and one for the back of the truck.

A new set of 35" x 12.5 x 15 BFG KM2's

And my OZ Tent Bunker tent and a hammock.

I'd also like to make an internal roll cage.

Ideally all that before the Simpson trip in September. But I've also got heaps of work to do on Michaels house to cover the rent and possibly a trip to Europe in July/August!

Going to be a busy year! :thumbup:

Oh almost forgot...........................

We should hopefully be picking Frankenzuke up from the paint shop this morning! :dance:

I'm so excited cant wait to see how its turned out, then theres the exciting bit of adding all the finishing touches and making the front bar. :icon-biggrin: :icon-cool: :dance:
 
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Nice video clip
LJ squeaking a lot though ;) bushes?
Love the exhaust sound


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Awesome work Ben, I love reading this thread. Cant wait to see the next trip report.

Looking at that video though Im sure my KZJ70 articulates much further than yours. I know Ive never done anything nearly as extreme as you but Ive been on some pretty serious axle twisters and Ive never got it as tippy as Ive seen yours a few times with a front wheel several feet in the air.

Im thinking the shocks are severely limiting the axle travel. When I upgraded the suspension on mine I wasnt happy with any of the shock lengths supplied in any of the lift kits from aftermarket companies for the SWB 70 series. They were all too long in compression and too short in extension which would have limited the suspension travel. Once I fitted the new springs I fully compressed one side of each axle whilst letting the other side fully extend without any shocks installed, measured the compressed and extended lengths and bought shocks which matched as close as possible to those measurements. I also went for adjustable damping too which means I could set them up to suit the truck and also adjust them for on and off road driving.

Its also worth thinking about the castor bushes you are using too. When flexing the axles without shocks I found the bushes to be the next limiting factor in articulation after the shocks. I have standard Toyota rubber bushes installed, polyurethane is not as flexible as rubber so these will also limit your articulation. Ive seen that Pedders sell rubber castor correction bushes that boast better flex than Toyota bushes. Might be worth a look?

Sorry if Im telling you stuff you already know, just an observation from looking at the pics and video in this thread. :)
 
Nice video clip
LJ squeaking a lot though ;) bushes?
Love the exhaust sound


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Thanks Andy. :thumbup:

Yeah I never noticed it whilst driving but watching the video back theres a definite squeak. :doh:

Could be the new bushes, should I have greased them? :think:

Awesome work Ben, I love reading this thread. Cant wait to see the next trip report.

Looking at that video though Im sure my KZJ70 articulates much further than yours. I know Ive never done anything nearly as extreme as you but Ive been on some pretty serious axle twisters and Ive never got it as tippy as Ive seen yours a few times with a front wheel several feet in the air.

Im thinking the shocks are severely limiting the axle travel. When I upgraded the suspension on mine I wasnt happy with any of the shock lengths supplied in any of the lift kits from aftermarket companies for the SWB 70 series. They were all too long in compression and too short in extension which would have limited the suspension travel. Once I fitted the new springs I fully compressed one side of each axle whilst letting the other side fully extend without any shocks installed, measured the compressed and extended lengths and bought shocks which matched as close as possible to those measurements. I also went for adjustable damping too which means I could set them up to suit the truck and also adjust them for on and off road driving.

Its also worth thinking about the castor bushes you are using too. When flexing the axles without shocks I found the bushes to be the next limiting factor in articulation after the shocks. I have standard Toyota rubber bushes installed, polyurethane is not as flexible as rubber so these will also limit your articulation. Ive seen that Pedders sell rubber castor correction bushes that boast better flex than Toyota bushes. Might be worth a look?

Sorry if Im telling you stuff you already know, just an observation from looking at the pics and video in this thread. :)

Thanks Dave. :thumbup:

Yeah LJ doesn't articulate anywhere near as much as id like. :thumbdown:

When we removed the front shocks before and lifted either front wheel up with the forklift and let the other side droop the shocks were just about right. The major limiting factor was the bushes binding up, and in particular the ones at the chassis end of the arms. I imagine its even worse now as there new bushes where as the old ones were totally shot and loose. :think:

I'm going to lift it up with the forks again before I order any shocks to make sure I get the right length.

What make are your shocks?

Interesting thoughts about the poly castor correction bushes. Weve got a Pedders store just up the road near Kaymar HQ so I might go and have a look next time I'm over that way. :thumbup:
 
Hey Ben; how much would it cost to get a fan shroud made up do you reckon? I need one for my 4Runner (although as we rarely top 35* up here it's not as critical...) as my plastic one is in many pieces in the back yard, and a "new" plastic one is hen's teeth to find...
 
If you take it some where and say make me a rad cowl please, then it could be a few hundred dollars +.

You would be batter making yourself a cardboard template and working out where the folds need to be and getting some accurate measurements.

Then go to your local friendly metal fabricator with your measurements and say I need a piece of steel this size please. Then when its cut say I need a 90 degree fold here here and here.

Then if you've got access to a drill and jigsaw drill the mounting holes and jig saw out the center. :think:

If you make your way down here I might be able to make you one. :icon-wink:

If I hadnt cocked up the measurments on mine and then had to cut it and weld it all back together it would have only been an hour or 2's work. :thumbup:

Cant you get a used one from a wrecker?

That wreckers in NSW that Paul and I use are very good! Prices seem good and super quick delivery. :clap:

http://www.allfourx4.com.au/
 
Watching LJ move on that video I wonder if your rear springs are too soft and or you don't have enough rebound damping Ben, so it squats down more than is ideal and is generally wobbling about a lot more than ideal as well? Just a thought, might be way off.
 
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Steve

Ages ago I bought a S/S Devil Toyota badge from eBay (not fitted yet) no record of it so can't post a link, but here's a pic.

DSCN1422.JPG
 
Geeze Ben, you don't 'arf belt up those tracks some :wtf: ! Just as well your handy in the workshop.
Bet you don't let Erin drive it like that .
 
Thanks guys . :thumbup:

Watching LJ move on that video I wonder if your rear springs are too soft and or you don't have enough rebound damping Ben, so it squats down more than is ideal and is generally wobbling about a lot more than ideal as well? Just a thought, might be way off.

You might be on to something there John. The shocks are definitely all shot, but I have been very pleased with the 80 series front springs that I've fitted on the rear.

I really need to get the new shocks measured and ordered and decide what I'm doing with the front springs. :icon-biggrin:

Ages ago I bought a S/S Devil Toyota badge from eBay (not fitted yet) no record of it so can't post a link, but here's a pic.

View attachment 11233


Oooh shiny, I like that! :icon-cool:

Geeze Ben, you don't 'arf belt up those tracks some :wtf: ! Just as well your handy in the workshop.
Bet you don't let Erin drive it like that .


:lol:

Well the first time she came out with me 4wding we did a night drive and drove up Rockey Track. When we got there on Sunday and she saw the track she was only too happy to jump out and film. :lol:

So no she hasnt driven LJ hard yet but I've said I will teach her though and get her driving harder stuff. :icon-twisted:

Useful for a number of reasons, one being it means if were on a track that requires a lot of winching I can then run up and down rigging everything up while she sits and winches/drives.

The other thing is if were in the middle of no where and I fall over and injure myself/get attacked by wildlife at least she will be able to drive us out of there. :icon-biggrin:
 
Last edited:
Watching LJ move on that video I wonder if your rear springs are too soft and or you don't have enough rebound damping Ben, so it squats down more than is ideal and is generally wobbling about a lot more than ideal as well? Just a thought, might be way off.

the problem is the radius arms will never allow for really good flex, the way the arms work mean they try to twist the axle along it's length like a torsion bar, now the movement in the bushes do allow for a difference in angles between the arms but even with super soft bushes your still limited to the overall diameter of the bush, also for radius arms to flex they need allot of weight acting upon them, ok for flexing on flat ground but once you start getting uneven while going uphill the weight is virtually gone and you'll lift tyres like you've got bricks for coil springs, mine still likes to lift the front tyres even with the back end flexing like crazy (3 linked)

ben have you compared an 80 series front radius arm to yours? just wondering if the superior flex arms could be made to fit?
 
the problem is the radius arms will never allow for really good flex, the way the arms work mean they try to twist the axle along it's length like a torsion bar, now the movement in the bushes do allow for a difference in angles between the arms but even with super soft bushes your still limited to the overall diameter of the bush, also for radius arms to flex they need allot of weight acting upon them, ok for flexing on flat ground but once you start getting uneven while going uphill the weight is virtually gone and you'll lift tyres like you've got bricks for coil springs, mine still likes to lift the front tyres even with the back end flexing like crazy (3 linked)

ben have you compared an 80 series front radius arm to yours? just wondering if the superior flex arms could be made to fit?

Agree. :thumbup:

No I havent but I will! :icon-wink:

Michael's 80 should have been back from being serviced today, and I could have compared, but when they drained the front diff oil they found a tooth! So now its going to be away for a few more days as its got to obviously have a new ring and pinion. :icon-biggrin:

You say youve 3 linked your rear but arnt they 3 link as standard? 2 x trailing arms and a panhard rod? :?

doesn't look like LJ is getting anywhere close to that being the real problem imo but I am going on 80 series experience.

I will get some pics when I lift it up with the forklift at work, it really doesn't flex well and the bushes bind up quite quickly/badly. :thumbdown:

80's flex beautifully! :clap:

Not that I'm envious or anything! :eusa-liar: :lol:
 
YYY
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