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75 Troopy lots`n`lots

Franglais

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Oct 23, 2021
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great_britain
Hi all. I`m a new Troopy owner and will up for any advice from you all.
I`m looking to do a bit of touring with it. Off- road for sure, but not into "winch challenge" territory. (Each to their own, but cars are for driving not pulling)

What suspension have I got? Yeah, sounds dumb, but from past experience what you`ve been told, assumed etc isn`t always accurate.
Is it standard springs or not? Is measuring from hub centre to mid point of wheel-arch a good indicator?
Yep, depends on vehicle weight etc, but how else is this done? Jack up the chassis so the springs are "no load"?
There are rubber spacers between body and chassis, about 40mm. I assume these are standard as the body only just clears the chassis in the arch.
On front, hub to arch top, 550mm. On rear, hub to arch 600mm.

Four wheels are white alloy, the spare is under body mounted and a steel split rim, different sized tyre.
So, I`m looking for 1? 2? 4? whatever wheels similar to those fitted.

Following wheels, I reckon I`ll want to mount any new spare wheel(s) up out of the muck.
I`ve read a thread about rear door mounting. As I understand it the 75`s doors have no provision for mounting spare wheels, but the 76s and 78s do? And it is possible to fit a 76/78 door to a 75? (cutting off an extra loop).
I am probably up for a replacement bumper with swing outs, but they ain`t cheap, and not too easy to source. Would a bumper designed for a 76 or 78 fit?

The vehicle has a "Silva" car compass fitted, but the fluid has party drained from it. Anyone got one for sale? Seen them at 80 quid on line but being a tight ole git that seems a lot to me.
Also has a Garmin 128 marine GPS fitted, but that seems dead. Be nice to have that period fitment working, but as I said, I`m a skinflint so am wary of chucking money about.

In the future:
I`ll be fitting a night heater, prob a Chinese E-Bay one.
Revising the split charge system, and prob fit solar panels to keep batteries topped when parked.
Maybe fit a 12v air con for when parked. Not cheap and needs power hence look at power first. And it is about 2.4m high as it stands, so may go for one to fit on side/rear rather than on roof if i do go for it.,
Winch? Dunno. I like the idea of being able to get myself outta the mucky stuff, but it is extra weight and expense. Will I be doing much stuff in the real wilderness? A farm jack and ratchet straps can be effective too.
Extra fuel tank? As above, dunno? Nice to have more autonomy but is it necessary? Not for Europe, but maybe for later and further.


Long post, so apologies for that.
Some pics so you can see what I`m on about.
 

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Welcome franglais. There are a few 75/78 owners in the forum
 
Cheers! :)
Which roof on your Troopy?
And a question about the awning please: Is that the 270deg one? How is it attached to body? Below the roof line I assume, and is it bolted through or with riv-nuts, and/or reinforcement plates or ??
 
Hello,

A bit late but I just came across this.

I can only offer a bit of info to the questions you raise:

The suspension is not stock. This has been built to handle Dakar support if the stickers are genuine so it has uprated suspension for dune bashing.. stock would have single shocks all round, you have doubles. There seems to me a mix of shocks on the front, Tough Dog are South African, no idea on the other. The red ones on the rear I don’t know, maybe Koni.

the white Alloys are common on Raid vehicles. Not sure where you’d source another. The OE wheels, as per your spare are only 6” so limited tyre options. (If you want a set with new tyres I’ll have some available shortly).

Ref Body I don’t think it is lifted but pictures not easy to tell. You’ll usually see distinct spacers if it is.

ref rear bumper the 76 is a different shape I think, less overhang than the Troopies.

ref compass and GPS. For a compass try a boat jumble you might get lucky. For the Garmin I wouldn’t waste your money with another old one, it most likely will go the same way. Mine died, not much use and cared for.., bought by a guy who rebuilds them and sells on eBay but he couldn’t fix it… seems the hardware just croaks on them eventually and they’re not much use today with the advances of tech. Again you might find one in a boat jumble. (Both are marine products)
 
Wheels are 'arcasting racer' = very good wheels, buy an extra one.
You can fit a 78 series reinforced rear door to hang the spare wheel. Had this on my 75 and is very solid. It survived overland trips to south africa and mongolia with only a change of hinges. Be sure to check the hinges as they wear out with the extra weight.
I guess the roof is from roycreations. They went bust a few years ago.
For the A/C : I fitted an ac from a wrecked 78 series in my 75. All the wiring is already there. If it's a 24v electical system, you'll have to work with a voltage converter and 2 relays, because the 24 volt ecu's are impossible to find. But it's not a difficult job.
In this thread, you can see pictures of the spare wheel and the selfmade rear bumper : 'Goodbye cruiser (on the Pamir Highway.....)'
(Maybe someone can make a link of it?)
 

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Thanks for the replies.
I`ve now put a new rear door on, with tyre mount, 76 Troopy spec.
New "Arcasting Racer" wheel sourced too. Yep, expensive, but a steel framed alloy, so fingers crossed that is a one-off purchase.

Been scratching my head looking at the wiring on it. 12v with 24v starter of course.
There is a "yellow top" battery in the back, but that is showing less than 2volt so I don`t expect to use that. The different coloured spaghetti running everywhere...12v and 24v sockets and a 1500watt 24v inverter (?!)...are confusing me a lot. I am leaning towards simply ripping it all out and starting again.
A bit like buying your perfect house, then after a fortnight knocking down walls and changing everything, but hey-ho!
Lots of options available now that weren`t around before, re battery type etc. A lot of info to sort through.
 
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Well, my previous post seems wrong already.....
12v with 24v starter? Maybe not.
Playing around with a multimeter led me to investigate a bit. So, the rear lights are 24v and the alternator is marked 24v.
So, it appears to be a 24v system throughout, except for a split charge system leading to a 3rd (dead) 12v battery in the back.
Time out for thought now before making any more assumptions.
Better check on headlights too, I guess, are my spare bubs any good?
..
..
And, 24v headlights.
At least I haven`t bought and tried wiring up a 12v winch. That might have entertaining for any spectators, but not so much fun for me.
 
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When you're interested, I have factory manuals for the hzj 75 on my gdrive. Also a electronic parts catalogue available.
 
Thanks, Firewout. A manual would be very useful. :)
When you're interested, I have factory manuals for the hzj 75 on my gdrive. Also a electronic parts catalogue available.

Looked around the wiring a bit more yesterday.

There is a live from the pos on the first starter battery to a split charger. This leads to a (now dead) 12v battery in the rear. The cable is pretty small so it can`t be much of a current passing when working. A live goes to a fuse box, and from there leads marked as cig lighters, and radio.
Also extra wiring under the bonnet from a black (original?) "Power Supply" box back into cabin. I haven`t traced them all through yet, but one is 24v permanent, and the others seem to be "accessory" and when engine running.

I`m thinking that I`ll get a 24v split charge system so I won`t be drawing unevenly from the starter batteries, and will have two 12v batteries in the back for a larger capacity when parked.
Then use a 24/12 step down transformer, and maybe 24/240 inverter for whatever I need to run. I know there will be losses everytime the voltage is changed, but I already have 12v fridge and heater, and mains microwaves (dunno whether or not to get one) are cheaper than 24v ones.

So many options.
I guess that many more people go from small battery capacity to larger, than complain of having too much battery capacity. Not a zero cost choice though. Weight, space and money are all considerations.
Some electrical extras are unnecessary, but don`t we notice what is missing more than what is there?
Everything is a compromise, and no "correct" or "wrong" solutions.
 
I agree with your thoughts to rip out all the old aftermarket wiring and start over. That way you know the system to fault find and know it is safe.

I’ve been doing tons of research and now finally spending on charge systems, batteries etc for my 78, happy to share what I’ve chosen and why
 
I agree with your thoughts to rip out all the old aftermarket wiring and start over. That way you know the system to fault find and know it is safe.

I’ve been doing tons of research and now finally spending on charge systems, batteries etc for my 78, happy to share what I’ve chosen and why
Thanks for that. I am interested in your thinking.
I`m leaning towards a24v Durite split charger relay, so the vehicle batteries are always balanced, and I`m not taking power from just one at 12v as at present.
Two 12v batteries in series in the back...somewhere... 230v mains inverter, (a microwave is tempting) and a 24v to 12v converter to power those 12v bits I already have. Again by using a dropper (yes, some lower loss) I`m keeping the leisure batteries balanced.
I like the idea of light and long lived Lithium type batteries, but at what price? Lead-acid EFB are much more likely to be purchased I think.
But I`m confused by so many options* out there, and your thoughts and reasoning would be helpful.

*Old world problems: too much choice!
 
I can’t comment on 24V systems as no experience other than running a 24V winch off a 12V system with clever connections…

ref microwave, I thought the same on my trailer build and added an inverter and microwave but tbh barely ended up using it.

I went with AGM’s for my trailer set up as I had space and load capacity and the price difference was crazy.

I have purchased Lithium for the 78. Avoid the many cheap generic units with different branding and go with something decent. I ended up going with two Renogy 100Ah after finding a video of it’s strip down and examination, their 200Ah offering is however the generic cheapo and to be avoided.

The main reason’s for finally taking the LiFePo option was the ability to use all the charge and the quick recharge time. Weight saving was a bonus too.

I opted for Victron isolated dc-dc and MPPT chargers.

In my FJ I used a Blue Sea ML ACR to charge my aux battery, if you want a split charge system this is one of the top brands but again at a price.
 
Thanks Gr8Yota.
Yep, LiFePO give a lot more bang for their size, but I am still fretting at their initial cost against (heavier and shorter lived) batteries......I know it makes a lot of sense, but I haven`t quite talked myself into it yet. I`ll look again.
I`m thinking of the microwave for when it`s too cold/wet outside. (I`m too old to get cold!) I do have a gas cooker built into the existing cabinets, but cooking inside should (IMHO) be kept to a minimum, so I`m thinking of a cooker that can be used in or out, but a microwave can do the same job quicker with less steam i reckon. Cooking on gas or BBQ outside can be a real pleasure, but inside? Keep it quick. (Just my take)
 
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