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LJ78 Build Thread
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Toolangi & Black Range State Forests 4WD Trip.
I only work Monday to Thursday, so on Friday I loaded up The 78 and headed off for Toolangi just after lunch.
Toolangi, which is the closest edge of the High Country to where we live is a 40 min drive away and from there its possible to drive for weeks into the High Country which covers an area of thousands of square miles of forests, mountains and rivers!
I managed to squeeze the RV5 tent inside the car as I still havent fitted a roof rack.
I soon reached Toolangi and drove in from the Narberthong side.
Passed an area of recently harvested trees.
Locked the hubs in on The 78.
And continued on my way into the forest.
My friends Jiri and Aneta, who would be joining me later that evening had marked on the map 3 possible camp sites (highlited in orange).
The first one proved to be nothing more than a small patch of dirt at the side of the road so I continued driving onto camp site number 2.
And this one proved to be perfect!
The tent was soon setup, after all it is the original 30 second tent!
It was next to a pretty little river.
And even Lexi approved.
The fire was soon lit and cold beers out of the Engel.
I cooked dinner over the fire and as I always cook on the fire I dont even bother carrying my gas stove and gas bottle anymore, its much nicer and more traditional to cook over a fire than using a gas or fuel stove!
Potatoes and carrots in the pot boiling away.
And marinaded chicken skewers!
I sat enjoying the fire, beer and music while being mesmerised by the millions of stars I could see in the clear nights sky and a few hours later I was joined by Jiri and Aneta.
We sat around drinking late into the night.
The next morning I was up bright and early and the fire was soon going again ready to cook breakfast.
Sausage, egg, melted cheese, BBQ sauce on a toasted brioche bun, washed down with a litre of tea.
Jiri and Aneta got up and ate their breakfast and then we packed the camp up and hit the tracks.
The day would end up being known as "Fallen Tree Day" and it all began on the next track.
I figured we could squeeze under the big tree if we cut the smaller ones out of the way, so out came the chainsaw.
Just enough room.
After a few hundred meters we came across more trees we needed to clear.
And then more trees.
At this point we decided to give up on this track and turn around as the track looked very flat on the map and didnt look all that interesting and we didnt want to waste all day cutting trees off a boring track.
We drove a few more tracks and all was going well.
Then we came across a huge tree blocking the track!
So we got the tools out and got to work.
First I cut up from underneath about half way through and then did 2 cuts from the top to take a wedge out, so that the top cut wouldnt close up and jam the saw.
Jiri cleaned the top cut out with the axe.
And then did some more chainsawing.
As the tree was so big and the saw so small, we had to cut from both sides.
Birdseye view.
We then cut the other end of the tree and attached a snatch strap to the tree to try and pull it out of the way.
At this point we had cut virtually all the way through at both ends, but now the almost loose section was jammed against the other sections of tree.
We attached the other end of the snatch strap to the front of the Troopy and used a bridle to spread the load over both chassis rails.
And Jiri gave it a good few pulls, as can be seen in the video below.
As can be seen it creaked and cracked and moved a bit but it didnt come crashing down.
So we re-positioned the strap and were much more successful this time!
We rolled it off the side of the track and continued on our way.
A few tracks later we came across another fallen tree blocking the track.
As one end was already broken we figured we might be able to drag it out of the way, so we hooked the Troopy up and Jiri gave it a few pulls.
I only work Monday to Thursday, so on Friday I loaded up The 78 and headed off for Toolangi just after lunch.
Toolangi, which is the closest edge of the High Country to where we live is a 40 min drive away and from there its possible to drive for weeks into the High Country which covers an area of thousands of square miles of forests, mountains and rivers!
I managed to squeeze the RV5 tent inside the car as I still havent fitted a roof rack.
I soon reached Toolangi and drove in from the Narberthong side.
Passed an area of recently harvested trees.
Locked the hubs in on The 78.
And continued on my way into the forest.
My friends Jiri and Aneta, who would be joining me later that evening had marked on the map 3 possible camp sites (highlited in orange).
The first one proved to be nothing more than a small patch of dirt at the side of the road so I continued driving onto camp site number 2.
And this one proved to be perfect!
The tent was soon setup, after all it is the original 30 second tent!
It was next to a pretty little river.
And even Lexi approved.
The fire was soon lit and cold beers out of the Engel.
I cooked dinner over the fire and as I always cook on the fire I dont even bother carrying my gas stove and gas bottle anymore, its much nicer and more traditional to cook over a fire than using a gas or fuel stove!
Potatoes and carrots in the pot boiling away.
And marinaded chicken skewers!
I sat enjoying the fire, beer and music while being mesmerised by the millions of stars I could see in the clear nights sky and a few hours later I was joined by Jiri and Aneta.
We sat around drinking late into the night.
The next morning I was up bright and early and the fire was soon going again ready to cook breakfast.
Sausage, egg, melted cheese, BBQ sauce on a toasted brioche bun, washed down with a litre of tea.
Jiri and Aneta got up and ate their breakfast and then we packed the camp up and hit the tracks.
The day would end up being known as "Fallen Tree Day" and it all began on the next track.
I figured we could squeeze under the big tree if we cut the smaller ones out of the way, so out came the chainsaw.
Just enough room.
After a few hundred meters we came across more trees we needed to clear.
And then more trees.
At this point we decided to give up on this track and turn around as the track looked very flat on the map and didnt look all that interesting and we didnt want to waste all day cutting trees off a boring track.
We drove a few more tracks and all was going well.
Then we came across a huge tree blocking the track!
So we got the tools out and got to work.
First I cut up from underneath about half way through and then did 2 cuts from the top to take a wedge out, so that the top cut wouldnt close up and jam the saw.
Jiri cleaned the top cut out with the axe.
And then did some more chainsawing.
As the tree was so big and the saw so small, we had to cut from both sides.
Birdseye view.
We then cut the other end of the tree and attached a snatch strap to the tree to try and pull it out of the way.
At this point we had cut virtually all the way through at both ends, but now the almost loose section was jammed against the other sections of tree.
We attached the other end of the snatch strap to the front of the Troopy and used a bridle to spread the load over both chassis rails.
And Jiri gave it a good few pulls, as can be seen in the video below.
As can be seen it creaked and cracked and moved a bit but it didnt come crashing down.
So we re-positioned the strap and were much more successful this time!
We rolled it off the side of the track and continued on our way.
A few tracks later we came across another fallen tree blocking the track.
As one end was already broken we figured we might be able to drag it out of the way, so we hooked the Troopy up and Jiri gave it a few pulls.
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But sadly it wouldnt move much as it was so heavy.
Rather than waste time clearing we decided to turn around and drive another track that looked interesting and was heading in the right direction.
But on the next track we found another fallen tree, this time even bigger than the last!
So we got the tools back out and got cutting.
Again, a cut up from underneath first and then a wedge cut out from the top.
Jiri cleared the wedge out with the axe.
After cutting the other side we used the Hi Lift jack to help us move the cut section out of the way.
And suddenly it was free and rolling down the hill!
It weighed a lot and took a lot of effort to roll it out of the middle of the track, even with the Hi Lift being used to push it slowly across but after half an hour of work we got it off the track and could continue with our drive!
The track was slightly off camber and the surface was very slippery so we had to be extremely careful not to slide into the section of tree next to the track.
We drove a few more tracks.
Through a nice ford.
Carefully around some nasty looking bog holes.
The mighty Troopy just made it through this section after a few goes forwards and backwards, each time inching a little bit further!
As we had spent most of the day cutting bloody trees we didnt manage to drive anywhere near as many tracks as we had planned, so we found we were not actually that far from our previous nights camp site, so decided to head there for the night.
But when we got there it was taken by 2 guys in 80's!
A quick look at the map and I spotted a dead end track not far away, up high in the hills so we decided to head for it.
When we got there we were greeted by a nice big flat open hill top that had recently been harvested, so there was a lot of fire wood around.
We got the fire lit and dried some wood we cut around it as the wood was a little bit damp.
And cooked dinner.
It was quite a cold night but seen as we had an endless supply of fire wood we built a bombfire and stayed incredbly warm all night!
I would say it was our best ever camp fire!
The next morning I was up very early, well before the sun!
The fire was soon roaring again and the kettle boiling.
And cooked breakfast.
Jiri and Aneta got up and had theire breakfast, we packed up and hit the tracks!
I found the construction of this bridge interesting, it was made from 10 precast concrete sections which were all bolted together.
I was surprised to come round a corner and find the track frozen!
Clearly the sun hadnt reached the floor in this part of the forest yet.
Then we turned onto a track I've never driven before but will definitely be back to drive again!
The track was all uphill and consisted of huge rock steps!
With the rear diff lock engaged The 78 roared up the first few rock step sections!
Then it was Jiri's turn to bring the Troopy up.
Despite repeated attempts he could only get the front wheels up.
So we lowered his tyre pressures even more.
That got him a bit further but he was still struggling, so we tried using the MaxTrax.
They helped a little but still didnt help get him up, so I'm still of the opinion they are useless in anything but sand!
In the end we hooked the snatch strap up and I dragged him up the first rock step.
Rather than waste time clearing we decided to turn around and drive another track that looked interesting and was heading in the right direction.
But on the next track we found another fallen tree, this time even bigger than the last!
So we got the tools back out and got cutting.
Again, a cut up from underneath first and then a wedge cut out from the top.
Jiri cleared the wedge out with the axe.
After cutting the other side we used the Hi Lift jack to help us move the cut section out of the way.
And suddenly it was free and rolling down the hill!
It weighed a lot and took a lot of effort to roll it out of the middle of the track, even with the Hi Lift being used to push it slowly across but after half an hour of work we got it off the track and could continue with our drive!
The track was slightly off camber and the surface was very slippery so we had to be extremely careful not to slide into the section of tree next to the track.
We drove a few more tracks.
Through a nice ford.
Carefully around some nasty looking bog holes.
The mighty Troopy just made it through this section after a few goes forwards and backwards, each time inching a little bit further!
As we had spent most of the day cutting bloody trees we didnt manage to drive anywhere near as many tracks as we had planned, so we found we were not actually that far from our previous nights camp site, so decided to head there for the night.
But when we got there it was taken by 2 guys in 80's!
A quick look at the map and I spotted a dead end track not far away, up high in the hills so we decided to head for it.
When we got there we were greeted by a nice big flat open hill top that had recently been harvested, so there was a lot of fire wood around.
We got the fire lit and dried some wood we cut around it as the wood was a little bit damp.
And cooked dinner.
It was quite a cold night but seen as we had an endless supply of fire wood we built a bombfire and stayed incredbly warm all night!
I would say it was our best ever camp fire!
The next morning I was up very early, well before the sun!
The fire was soon roaring again and the kettle boiling.
And cooked breakfast.
Jiri and Aneta got up and had theire breakfast, we packed up and hit the tracks!
I found the construction of this bridge interesting, it was made from 10 precast concrete sections which were all bolted together.
I was surprised to come round a corner and find the track frozen!
Clearly the sun hadnt reached the floor in this part of the forest yet.
Then we turned onto a track I've never driven before but will definitely be back to drive again!
The track was all uphill and consisted of huge rock steps!
With the rear diff lock engaged The 78 roared up the first few rock step sections!
Then it was Jiri's turn to bring the Troopy up.
Despite repeated attempts he could only get the front wheels up.
So we lowered his tyre pressures even more.
That got him a bit further but he was still struggling, so we tried using the MaxTrax.
They helped a little but still didnt help get him up, so I'm still of the opinion they are useless in anything but sand!
In the end we hooked the snatch strap up and I dragged him up the first rock step.
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It didnt take much to get the Troopy up, in fact I didnt feel like I was towing anything! 
We discussed what line to take on the next rock steps and Jiri chose to go to the right, the opposite to my line.
This would prove to be a good line as he roared up on his own without any assistance!
Then it was time for these rock steps.
We let some dirtbikes pass us.
And chose our lines carefully.
We both drove that section without issue and continued onto the next rock steps.
Aneta drove the next section and did a great job!
We both really enjoyed the track and I would say it is the best I have driven for a while!
Next track.
We stopped for lunch under some high voltage powerlines.
The next track was marked as steep on the map and it didnt disappoint!
Next we went to look at an abandoned gold mine.
We were a bit surprised to find an exposed mine shaft with no fence or rail around it.
Few more tracks.
Nice views.
We headed for Cheviot railway tunnel to have a look at the tunnel.
From there we aired up and headed home.
It was a great trip and it was nice to be so close to home rather than 4-5 hours away like we often are when we do a High Country trip.
We are hoping to do one more trip at the start of September when Jiri and Aneta are back from their trip home to Czech and before I go back to the UK for 3 weeks.
We discussed what line to take on the next rock steps and Jiri chose to go to the right, the opposite to my line.
This would prove to be a good line as he roared up on his own without any assistance!
Then it was time for these rock steps.
We let some dirtbikes pass us.
And chose our lines carefully.
We both drove that section without issue and continued onto the next rock steps.
Aneta drove the next section and did a great job!
We both really enjoyed the track and I would say it is the best I have driven for a while!
Next track.
We stopped for lunch under some high voltage powerlines.
The next track was marked as steep on the map and it didnt disappoint!
Next we went to look at an abandoned gold mine.
We were a bit surprised to find an exposed mine shaft with no fence or rail around it.
Few more tracks.
Nice views.
We headed for Cheviot railway tunnel to have a look at the tunnel.
From there we aired up and headed home.
It was a great trip and it was nice to be so close to home rather than 4-5 hours away like we often are when we do a High Country trip.
We are hoping to do one more trip at the start of September when Jiri and Aneta are back from their trip home to Czech and before I go back to the UK for 3 weeks.
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Ben it looks like you need a bigger chainsaw…
Great trip and great write up…as usual…
Great trip and great write up…as usual…
Brill, love these trips and reports, Ben.
Any sign of Bec mellowing and tagging along with young Sam? You must miss them when you’re away...
Any sign of Bec mellowing and tagging along with young Sam? You must miss them when you’re away...
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Thanks guys. 
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report.
3 big trees across the track, the 2 we cleared and the burnt one we left.
Oh and a load of smaller ones on that first track but we dont really count those, they were only babies!
Thanks Rich.
I definitely want a bigger saw, especially as I have plans to make a device that will bolt to the saw and allow me to plank timber out of tree trunks!
When we finally buy a house in a few months time we will have a log burner for heating the house in winter and I will buy a council permit to collect wood in Sate Forests, which allows you to take any fallen trees/wood already on the ground.
That campsite we stayed at on the second night was full of huge sections of tree that the loggers had left which would make great timber for furniture if it was planked and dried.
Thinking long long term, I dont think I can ever work for anyone directly again when I eventually leave Piranha and I'm thinking I would enjoy working from home, in a workshop building furniture, ideally furniture that combines both metal and wood.
I saw some beautiful tables recently with very simple steel frames/legs, powder coated black with a lovely hardwood top on and a 4 digit price tag! They were the sort of thing that would take about a day or 2 to make each.
Yeah it was pretty chilly, especially the second night, but it is the middle of winter now and we were pretty high up.
Was a great trip though.
Thanks mate.
I still have my LJ70, its currently in the middle of being rebuilt with a rare softop body and Lexus V8 engine.
I'm hoping it will be finished and be back on the road (and off it) by the end of the year.
Thanks mate.
She has a little but I understand it would be really hard work with him at the moment because he doesnt really enjoy being strapped in his car seat anymore and hes hard work at home, into everything and constantly moving around. Hes very close to walking now, pulling himself up on everything and climbing on the furniture.
I'm really looking forward to when hes say 3-4 years old and can start coming on trips with me properly! I'm sure Bec will be glad of a break from him by that age and I really cant wait to take him away on adventures in the High Country! Hes going to love it!
Thanks Ben, everytime a read your post, it's like have had this experience!
How many trees did you find on the road??? I was disappointed at the second one
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report.
3 big trees across the track, the 2 we cleared and the burnt one we left.
Oh and a load of smaller ones on that first track but we dont really count those, they were only babies!
Ben it looks like you need a bigger chainsaw…
Great trip and great write up…as usual…
Thanks Rich.
I definitely want a bigger saw, especially as I have plans to make a device that will bolt to the saw and allow me to plank timber out of tree trunks!
When we finally buy a house in a few months time we will have a log burner for heating the house in winter and I will buy a council permit to collect wood in Sate Forests, which allows you to take any fallen trees/wood already on the ground.
That campsite we stayed at on the second night was full of huge sections of tree that the loggers had left which would make great timber for furniture if it was planked and dried.
Thinking long long term, I dont think I can ever work for anyone directly again when I eventually leave Piranha and I'm thinking I would enjoy working from home, in a workshop building furniture, ideally furniture that combines both metal and wood.
I saw some beautiful tables recently with very simple steel frames/legs, powder coated black with a lovely hardwood top on and a 4 digit price tag! They were the sort of thing that would take about a day or 2 to make each.
Must have been cold to get a frost like that, but bonfire helped
Mine looked cool, as did the chainsaw action and rocksteps
Yeah it was pretty chilly, especially the second night, but it is the middle of winter now and we were pretty high up.
Was a great trip though.
Thanks mate.
I still have my LJ70, its currently in the middle of being rebuilt with a rare softop body and Lexus V8 engine.
I'm hoping it will be finished and be back on the road (and off it) by the end of the year.
Thanks mate.
She has a little but I understand it would be really hard work with him at the moment because he doesnt really enjoy being strapped in his car seat anymore and hes hard work at home, into everything and constantly moving around. Hes very close to walking now, pulling himself up on everything and climbing on the furniture.
I'm really looking forward to when hes say 3-4 years old and can start coming on trips with me properly! I'm sure Bec will be glad of a break from him by that age and I really cant wait to take him away on adventures in the High Country! Hes going to love it!
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So at the front I have a steering guard which protects the drag link from damage. Its made from 8mm thick steel and has the Toyota logo laser cut into it.
I'm going to sand blast it and then electro plate and powder coat it soon.
Then I have a transmission guard.
The standard guard for the later rectangular headlight LJ/RJ/KZJ 70's is a very small piece of 2mm steel.
This is what they look like:
But I discovered that the earlier round headlight 70's have a very substantial guard that goes across both chassis rails.
I'm not sure if European round headlight 70's got these guards?
But certainly Australian models did.
I've now fitted these earlier guards to both of mine.
This is the one I've just sand blasted and had electro plated for my LJ70.
It then got powder coated satin black and this is it fitted.
Then there is also a guard on the fuel tank.
While I was getting a load of bits for my LJ70 electro plated and powder coated I also got the rusty rear heater pipes done for The 78, so now I can get the rear heater plumbed back up safe in the knowledge that the pipes arnt going to rust through for a long time.
So it’s pretty much standard Toyota guards from the front axle back? Just the front bash plate in 8mm steel?
Yes thats correct and in 8 years of owning and driving 70's off road I've never damaged anything underneath!
That’s been my experience so far Ben, with my lifted 80.
With a reasonable lift, I’ve never really seen the need for bash plates, and in some circumstances I would go as far as saying they could be a liability, snagging brush and other obstacles, when the truck would normally ride over them.
I’ve had minor rock “grazes” on the axles (mainly at the diff) but nothing more serious.
JMHO of course, I don’t want this to become a heated debate on here, it’s each to their own.
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Agreed!
I think on some vehicles its necessary, if they are a bit fragile underneath. But not with LC's, Toyota builds them tough to handle what most people put them through!
The only exception would be if you were say doing events like Tough Truck where you're clambering over huge rocks and boulders. Most people doing events like that sheet the whole of the underside of the vehicle in thick (8-10mm) alluminium sheet to help protect everything.
I think on some vehicles its necessary, if they are a bit fragile underneath. But not with LC's, Toyota builds them tough to handle what most people put them through!
The only exception would be if you were say doing events like Tough Truck where you're clambering over huge rocks and boulders. Most people doing events like that sheet the whole of the underside of the vehicle in thick (8-10mm) alluminium sheet to help protect everything.
This was kind of my point in asking Ben. I’m pretty new to taking the truck off road and as it’s my daily driver I don’t want to ruin anything so seeing (and hearing) just what the trucks can handle without fear of damage is a comfort. Of course it doesn’t stop my over Engineering nature want to shroud everything in ally plate but then I don’t want to be driving a 4 tonne slug! My 80 has a composite guard around the auto box and although I generally try and avoid anything potentially damaging it hasn’t suffered more than a scratch.
A set of rock sliders rather than the ally side steps I have would probably be the best upgrade I could have in that area and possibly a front plate like yours.
A set of rock sliders rather than the ally side steps I have would probably be the best upgrade I could have in that area and possibly a front plate like yours.
Pat
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Ben,I would definitely carry 3 plastic wedges as they can help to keep your cut open.For planking timber there is what’s called an Alaskan mill which is reasonably priced so not worth while to spend time making one up.We also had a logasol frame which was very good but you need to have a FE loader.
They were from Finland and Stihl had the agency.There seems to be plenty of timber there.tata for now,Pat
They were from Finland and Stihl had the agency.There seems to be plenty of timber there.tata for now,Pat
