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BJ42 Build (finish off?) thread

So quick update, the roll cage has been stripped and will be painted today. I'll hopefully do the same for the spare wheel carrier today too. I've ordered some viton rubber sheets to make some gaskets for where the roll cage meets the bodywork - i've seen a lot of instances where the body rusts around the bolt holes so hopefully the gaskets will prevent that. Got an original steering wheel waiting for me at the post office so I'll pick that up and get it in.

Then over the weekend I'll start looking at the serious bits - difficulty getting the gearbox into 5th and R, Rodger's already suggested some adjustment on the slave, but any other advice is welcome. After that I need to get the handbrake installed, which I'm hoping is just a case of doing what it says in the repair manual... fingers crossed.

Oh, and I may have found some info about registering a car without an MOT but my French isn't good enough to be sure so I'll be checking in with some friends over the weekend to get a better translation.

IME as a Brit in Romania, you'd be surprised who can help yo get through the red tape side of things. You need to be legal, it's a must, but DIY is a nightmare. Try to find someone in the know, and for a few sheckles, you can have an easy life. There's always a way, you know, whatever the problem.
 
Yup, at the moment I think that I basically just have to take it for a test, it doesn't have to pass in order for me to register it - that's what I need to check. So I can just drive it down once I have all the mirrors on and the handbrake in and get them to list everything wrong with it. I also suspect if I take it to the local 4x4 garage they are likely to be a bit lenient...

The impression I have from last night's research is that if I'm late with the registration, the only consequence is a fine, which is also reassuring.
 
Spare wheel carrier is mounted, spare wheel is stripped and repainted but I need to order a new tyre for it.

Rearview mirror is cleaned, painted and back in. Original steering wheel is back in, and while I was doing that, found that the horn itself wasn't working, so fixed that. Modified the clutch slave to make 5th and R a little easier to engage, but still not quite right - it looks pretty well worn so I'll order a new one and put it in at a later date. The electrics are all a bit of a mess, I think I'll probably have to start over, which could take a while, but at least I'll know it's done properly.

The hand brake also needs sorting out, but I can't find any details in any of the repair manuals I've got. Anyone got any info on how the cable should be routed on a later 40 series? And generally how to clean/repair/adjust?

Given the lack of doors I think I'll be fitting the rear view mirrors to the panel the bonnet attaches to, unless anyone has any reasons to think that's a bad idea?
 
As mentioned in my pm www.magastore.pr do wing mirrors that bolt onto the windscreen hinges.
As a post 79 truck you should have a pull up floor mounted handbrake lever, previously they were mounted as pull out from the dash board onto a prop mounted h/brake drum. (very hard to find and even harder to get working to the necessary standard).
The rear drums will have the pivots on them if it's a floor mounted lever. If so it is the same as a 60 series although you'll have to adjust the cross cable as 40 axles are slightly narrower. The handle to clevis pin cable is longer but as you want to go for original seats you may want to mount the handle further forward. If a photo helps I can take one of my set up.

Regards,
Rodger
 
Thanks Rodger, much appreciated.

I've got the full floor-mounted handbrake assembly, and am comfortable with that side of the installation, it's the mounting of the cable through various attachment points on the undercarriage that I'm having trouble following. I've also got way too much cable and am trying to ascertain if that's because a) the cable is routed incorrectly, and should be taking a longer route around certain components b) the cable routing is ok, he just hadn't finished the job or c) another problem altogether.

This thread is the only thing I can find anywhere, either in manuals or online, about the cable and it's attachment points. Does this look roughly similar to yours?



Thanks,

Alex
 
My 79 40 had a prop mounted handbrake probably due to the lack of space from the 3 front seats. If you have just 2 seats you could choose either system depending on availability of course
 
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Alex,

My truck being pre 79 originally had a prop mounted park brake but with the 2H & 5 speed and 60 series axles it has the rear shoe type brake now. i don't have the remnants of those cable locators so i just attached the cable in logical places to get the extra length out of the way so IMO pics of my (simple) routing won't help at all.
The photos in that thread seem very convoluted and unless you have the correct cable I think it isn't going to get rid of any excess although the lift may help a little. As the 60 cable is longer I put a gentle curve into it to get rid of the excess because it is located at the front and on the axle.
Megastore had re-drillable arms (2 below the unavailable ones) and they have SS hinges - not cheap - as well. However you have a rear view and if wing mirrors are not fitted is there a MOT/legal requirement for them?

Cheers

Rodger
 
Hi Alex,
On my bj46, the handbrake cable runs quite straight in the middle to the rear axle, where it curves to the left rear wheel.
Maybe you have the cable from a 45 or 46 cruiser, this would explain the excess length.
Btw I'll be returning home today, so from this afternoon on I won't have 'live' access to the cruiser. I'll try to get pictures from the cable routing.
Btw2 http://www.4x4extreme.be/ is a Belgian specialist in 40 series who does restoration and race conversions of the trucks. Good parts source.
 
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DSCN2596-900.jpg


on a bj46 (slightly longer than a bj42 )
making the photos I noticed I missed a bracket last time I replaced the fuel tank.
As you can see, there is not too much play in the cable, so make sure you have the correct model.
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DSCN2598-900.jpg
DSCN2596-900.jpg
DSCN2595-900.jpg
 
Thanks Rodger, I'm not 100% sure on the legal requirement for them but I'll double-check before ordering - if I do though I'll probably get those arms, I'd rather no drill into body panels unless I really need to. Have you ordered from those guys before? Is the stuff good quality? I'm looking at the moulded carpet but 200+ euros is a lot if it isn't good quality/fit.

Cheers,

Alex
 
Thanks for those photos Firewout, extremely helpful! I'll have another go at it tomorrow and see what I come up with but that looks very much like what I need to be aiming for

Had a quick look at that website too, a lot of parts I hadn't seen elsewhere, this could get expensive! ;) Rodger, they also have OEM door hinges, so I'll probably try to grab a set for each side to fix the door situation. I'll keep you posted.
 
PS Thanks again for the help, very much appreciated
 
Ok, I've got the handbrake cable routed correctly now (thanks again Firewout) and there is very little play in the cable, except for behind the rear diff, once the cable connects from the o/s drum. The tension in the o/s cable is fine, but the cable that carries on to the n/s drum is a little slack, but equally the cable in the cab, that attaches to the handbrake assembly, isn't protruding enough and doesn't seem to want to move. What should I be doing to allow more cable at the handbrake assembly end? Or should it be moving freely on it's own?

I'll hopefully be starting on the electrics tomorrow too - any general advice about re-wiring a 40?
 
So, here's where she currently is:


The roll cage is mostly back in but I haven't bit the bullet and drilled the footwells for the front mounting plates yet. I'm assuming there's no way to attached the roll cage plate to the uppermost footwell panel, I have to just go through both panels and make sure I drill straight?!

Harnesses are new to me. From what I've seen online most people have the rear mounting point on an extra roll cage bar just behind the front seats, or bolted to the floor. For simplicity I've just bolted it in using one of the bolts on the rear roll cage plates. Please tell me if there's a reason why this is a really bad idea. The seats aren't ideal for harnesses but they're what I've got at the moment so they'll have to do for now.
 
Looking really cool Alex!

As for the harnesses, I'd say they're ok as is, the most important aspect should be that the harness stops you falling away from the seat in a roll-over scenario, which yours should, because the rear anchor is well below should height, and the rear mounting should ideally be central to the C/line of the seats.

They look, in the photos, to be a little offset to each side of the truck, so maybe they should go to the floor, and possibly closer to the seat.

Others may have better opinions... I'm no expert by fat....

My experience with harnesses was 40 years ago, in a 1962 rally prepared Austin mini :lol:
 
So, finally took out the handbrake cable today. The inner cable was completely seized after goodness knows how many years sat in a box, but with a bit of lubricant, elbow grease and gentle smacking-really-hard with a hammer I managed to unseize it and after an hour or so of pulling either end it was moving easily enough to function in the manner intended. I imagine it will loosen further with use, but I'll keep an eye on it. Here's a photo of it reinstalled and tightened up.


Tomorrow the re-wiring begins. 14 days to get it ready for the french MOT, probably all going to come down to how long I have to wait for any parts I need to order. Fingers crossed.
 
Started looking at the electrics today, but something tells me it's going to be slow going, everything's a bit of a mess at the moment. I thought I'd kick off with the windscreen wipers. Motor tested, works fine. Relay tested, continuity seems to be right, if not perfect - the spade connectors could do with a clean. So, if the wipers still aren't working it's got to be a grounding issue or a wiring problem somewhere right?

I think I'm going to have to take off the dash to get a better idea.

Does anyone know if there's a list of the wire colours and what system they connect to anywhere, had some trouble tracing the some wires..
 
wire colours will be in the manual.
did you have a look in the download section of this forum for a manual of your truck? If you don't see it, you'll have to post more messages . maybe the downloads only show up when you have 50 posts.
 
I can't download from here but I think I have a copy already, and it's a 1980 manual but I think the BJ42 underwent some changes in 1981 didn't it? Or will it be identical in most regards?
 
I guess they will be identical. the things I looked up for my BJ46 worked out ok.
 
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