LJ70 Build Thread!

[sae70]

Wow Ben! Can't believe how seeing the truck out there has made me think just how embedded your becoming. Bet you just want to get in her and rip her up and down all day.

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Tony, pics of course to follow.

Clive, no more pics of blondes I'm afraid.

Laura saw those pics on here and wasnt impressed.

Jim great idea! Thanks mate.

Cheers Steven.

I called Vic roads this morning and bought an unregistered vehicle permit, meaning I can drive my truck for the next 14 days!

Obviously if I'm stopped then I'm on the way to get some tyres, get some parts, get it inspected, registered etc.

On my lunch break and I'm going back in the LandCruiser!

Seems crazy to think less than 7 days ago it was on a ship and now I'm driving it!

 

[AndyCook]

great to see the truck arrive with all your clobber. The end of a long and amazing journey to get everything to Oz.
really chuffed for you and glad you have your tea mug too

now the real adventures begin - in the outback

 

[Maverick]

Excellent news Ben - just dont go turning it over down under!! Or is that turning it under down over???

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Been building the last jump today!

Built this jump yesterday.

So lunch time it was time to take the 70 for a spin!

Had to stick this in the windscreen.

Brimmed the tank at the fuel station. $104.

So £70 for 80 litres of fuel. Cheaper than the UK but still not cheap.

Think I need to start filtering waste veg oil and run on that!

Last jump finished.

Daisy did a great job painting the tractor.

Need to cut myself some waffles.

I got given this Sub/Amp which is in a solid metal box.

Going to fit it in the back of the cruiser some where.

First pics om 70 in the bush.

Today was a 12 hour day and tomorrow will probably be the same.

Everyone is working flat out getting ready for the event and all the jumps are now out on the course.

Tomorrow their is a guy coming to fit a new windscreen on my cruiser.

I also need to go and pick up a set of 31" tyres from a guy I met at the 4wd club meeting. Need to get them on before the Road worthy inspection on Friday. Also need to fit some new indicators in the front bumper, as the LED ones are still flashing fast like their is a blown bulb, and their not very bright anyway.
Also need some mud flaps.

 

[Graham]

Thanks guys.

Been building the last jump today!

Also need some mud flaps.

.
There you go, I fixed it for yeah !

 

[Crispin]

Awesome Ben - Can't say I am jealous at all
Looking forward to the pics of the weekend....

 

[Leopard]

Looks great, Ben! Nice to see your old friend made it over OK.

You've become quite the talking point of this form. Reason I say that is when I went up to fetch the HZJ75 Troopy from Jonnie a couple weeks ago, I think you we're the first subject when we got onto the forum. Good on you!

I'll be in Aus in 2 weeks time, but not coming that far south. Going down as far as Canberra.

 

[clivehorridge]

What a bummer, apologies to Laura for all the lewd things the others said about her. We're really not a bad lot... Except Gra I notice....

The truck looks cool all clean and straight again. Well done Ben!

 

[Caron De Kock]

An awesome update and pictures, wow, what a life you are living in OZ..! Can't wait for your next update

 

[Paddler Ed]

Does it not need a compliance plate Ben? I'd have thought that VICRoads will be looking for one... if it does need one then you'll need to pay through the nose for that as well...

Can you not get it engineered with those tyres on, instead of the 31s?

I'm waiting for my student visa to come through at the moment; hopefully hear in the next week or 2, and then I'll be back to planning Aus again... provisionally for another year, but we'll see what happens!

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

First heres some jump/course pics for Tony.

The jumps Tony built are still looking good.

OK........................Back to the LandCruiser!

Un-packed a few boxes of stuff yesterday morning and got it back into the drawers in my truck.

My treasured Metinch spanners fit nicely in the front of the drawers next to the 54mm hub socket.

These are the leisure batteries I've got. The same as JW's IIRC.

Any idea how long a fridge will run for off one of these batteries?

Need to mount the battery(s), sub, and fridge in the back.

Re-fitted my seat covers.

The sub fits nicely between the front seats. Might build a cargo barrier and mount it to that.

I found this interesting on the sun visor of the old hi-lux.

A guy turned up to change the windscreen for me.

He straightened the frame that was slightly twisted.

Pushed the rubber seal on the new screen.

I found it interesting in that he used no soapy water. He also re-used the old seal and said not to seal around it afterwards (even though I told him Toyota say to do that in the FSM) he said sealing around it will block up the drain holes at the bottom.

New screen in.

12 hour day done at work and I was on the road for an hour collecting some 31" tyres from one of the guys I met at the 4WD club meeting.

Got it in the workshop to change the wheels/tyres.

Tiny.

The workshop theyve got here is awesome!

Theyve got almost every metal working tool and machine anyone could wish for.

Going to be able to make so many cool parts for the cruiser.

I've ordered some bumper indicators, they should be here later today. I'm also going to pick up some rubber arches/flares.
Theyve got a big roll of rubber here which I will make some rear mud flaps out of.

Then its just the road worthy inspection and then off to the licensing authority to check the chassis number and issue my number plates.

Thats the plan anyway.

 

[Ben]

Does it not need a compliance plate Ben? I'd have thought that VICRoads will be looking for one... if it does need one then you'll need to pay through the nose for that as well...

Can you not get it engineered with those tyres on, instead of the 31s?

I'm waiting for my student visa to come through at the moment; hopefully hear in the next week or 2, and then I'll be back to planning Aus again... provisionally for another year, but we'll see what happens!

Hopefully not Ed.

From my experience over here its all about who you know, not what you know. If this wasnt a public forum, youd be amazed at some of the things I could tell you have gone on over here with everything.

 

[Crispin]

Nothing changes Ben - Same stance, different continent.

What you up to after the show then? Big trips or more work?

 

[Rob]

From my experience over here its all about who you know, not what you know. If this wasnt a public forum, youd be amazed at some of the things I could tell you have gone on over here with everything.

That is certainly not the first time I have heard that, especially when quarantine is involved.

 

[Ben]

View attachment 6140


Nothing changes Ben - Same stance, different continent.

What you up to after the show then? Big trips or more work?

I could stay here for the next 20+ years. Theyve got enough work for me, and would love me to stay.

I'm certainly going to stay a while but not sure how long. After this there is a few miles of fencing to put up and then theres 3 cottages that need totally renovating. \Then there is also the main house that they want extending.

Obviously I've got to stay in Victoria for the first 2 years as condition of my VISA, so whether I stay here for the full 2 years or get my own place I really dont know.

The beauty of this place is if I tell them I want to have 2 months off in June to go on the Kimberly trip I think they would be cool with that, and obviously i wouldnt be paying rent on some where while I'm away.

The windscreen guy was telling me about a huge forest 20mins from here where there is some really extreme tracks.

So at the moment their isnt really any reason to leave. Need to get my truck finished (is that possible?) save up some money and then go travelling.

That is certainly not the first time I have heard that, especially when quarantine is involved.

 

[Ben]

Finally got a spare 5 mins as finished early today. Only 11.5 hour working day.

So time for a few replies.

.
There you go, I fixed it for yeah !

Awesome Ben - Can't say I am jealous at all
Looking forward to the pics of the weekend....

Thanks Cris.

Looks great, Ben! Nice to see your old friend made it over OK.

You've become quite the talking point of this form. Reason I say that is when I went up to fetch the HZJ75 Troopy from Jonnie a couple weeks ago, I think you we're the first subject when we got onto the forum. Good on you!

I'll be in Aus in 2 weeks time, but not coming that far south. Going down as far as Canberra.

Thanks mate.

Awesome!

I did wonder who had bought it when Johnie posted saying another club member had bought it.

Looks like a good one.

Shame we could have met up for a beer! Give me a shout if your over again and anywhere near Melbourne.

What a bummer, apologies to Laura for all the lewd things the others said about her. We're really not a bad lot... Except Gra I notice....

The truck looks cool all clean and straight again. Well done Ben!

No worries mate.

Thanks.

An awesome update and pictures, wow, what a life you are living in OZ..! Can't wait for your next update

Thanks Caron.

Just about to have a read through your build thread.

 

[Ben]

I bought some cheap floor mats to go in the Astra, so that the mud/4x4 mats can go in the LandCruiser.

Been driving the farm 70 today, as I've been going round knocking posts in to screw the jumps to.

I think it looks better with the sides on.

I like how on these 70's they have a hollow tube at the front of the chassis, where a lot of people store a shovel.

Isn't this a view every LC owner wants out of their back window? An old, obese, border collie holding on for dear life?

Drove to Clark Rubber at lunch time and bought some rubber for the flares. Great store.
They sell so many different types of rubber and plastic. All sorts of strips, sheets, tubes, rolls etc.

They had a few different sizes, and I bought 6meters of the 70mm wide one. Not really what I want but hopefully it will look OK. I would rather have solid poly/rubber arches similar to the original Toyota ones, but as no where seems to make them these will have to do.

Also picked up the new side lights/indicators for the bull bar.

The truck passed its road worthy test today.

It was exactly the same price as my last 5 MOT tests in the UK, so I'm happy.

I've booked it in for Tuesday morning to hopefully get it registered.

Cant wait to take it off road next weekend with the 4wd club!

 

[Ben]

Wow, one man's entire life on a trailer lol. Great to see everything got passed! I know I'd be eager to take my truck for a spin if it'd just arrived - I'm sure I don't need to ask for plenty of pics when you take yours out

I personally wouldn't bother with a split charge system at all; simply run a live off your main battery to your leisure battery and put a heavy duty kill switch in the middle (big red plastic key style). That's all I've done with mine. Advantages are it's far cheaper than a proper relay, it's more reliable (you just need to remember to remove the red key when you turn the engine off), and if you happen to find you have a flat battery on the motor then just flick the red key to jump-start off your leisure battery (I use a large 120Ah car battery instead of a deep cycle one so I can use it for this purpose). No short-circuits when you submerge it, no mystery faults randomly occurring, it's keeping it simple and effective.

I'll be there in 5 years or so dude, keep a TED or twelve on ice for me ;-)

I mentioned the idea to a friend who owns and runs a 4x4 garage over here and this was his response:-

The old change-over switch concept is very old school and such ‘budget’ measures are not ideal.
Firstly, people forget and that causes dramas after a long drive and no charge in the second battery, or they drain both when stationary.

Secondly, they potentially introduce surges into the electrical system when connecting due to differences in voltage potential when switch under load and there is no means of surge protection built in.

Its just not worth it. In more modern vehicles it can actually fry ECU’s.

Leave that suggestion to the history books I’m afraid.

 

[grantw]

Ben was that forest called Wombat State Forest? I've had many a muddy times in there with my Surf - great fun. and I thought you had your truck through customs waay too easy. But glad it has all worked out for you the way it has ... we might have to start calling you the golden boy