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LJ70 Build Thread!
- Thread starter Ben
- Start date
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- Oct 13, 2010
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OK super quick update guys and sadly no time for pics.
I got quite a bit done yesterday.
The interior is all back together in the rear with the drawer system and fridge all re-fitted.
The sand flag and anderson socket is mounted on the bull bar ready for the auto electrician to wire up the socket.
I re-fitted a load of the interior in the front now the auto electrician had done a lot of his wiring.
And finally the brakes....................................
I started with the rear and jacked the axle up so both wheels were off the ground. The wheels spun fine with no resistance and no strange noises. The wheel bearings felt OK apart from the drivers side which for some reason had a tiny bit of play in it.
I pulled the drums off and everything looked OK. The shoes and drums looked fine.
The front next................
Same thing jacked the axle up so the wheels were off the ground, they spun fine again with no abnormal noises. The drivers side wheel bearing had a tiny bit of movement so I adjusted it.
The discs and pads all looked perfect, the pads are like new still!
I called my mechanic and he said that I've got a brake imbalance and I need to determine if its the front or back.
To do this I need to drive along reasonably slowly in say 2nd gear and apply the handbrake slightly and use the brakes and see if the surging peddle is still there or not.
If its not then its the back, if it is then its the front.
Then to fix it I need to get the discs or drums machined.
He suspects it will the be the rear because the shoes were round the wrong way in the drums. If its the rear I might just try my spare set of drums on it, had I spoken to him while I had it all apart I would have fitted them.
Still need to change all the UJ's on the prop shafts and a few other little jobs then shes trip ready.
I got quite a bit done yesterday.
The interior is all back together in the rear with the drawer system and fridge all re-fitted.
The sand flag and anderson socket is mounted on the bull bar ready for the auto electrician to wire up the socket.
I re-fitted a load of the interior in the front now the auto electrician had done a lot of his wiring.
And finally the brakes....................................
I started with the rear and jacked the axle up so both wheels were off the ground. The wheels spun fine with no resistance and no strange noises. The wheel bearings felt OK apart from the drivers side which for some reason had a tiny bit of play in it.
I pulled the drums off and everything looked OK. The shoes and drums looked fine.
The front next................
Same thing jacked the axle up so the wheels were off the ground, they spun fine again with no abnormal noises. The drivers side wheel bearing had a tiny bit of movement so I adjusted it.
The discs and pads all looked perfect, the pads are like new still!
I called my mechanic and he said that I've got a brake imbalance and I need to determine if its the front or back.
To do this I need to drive along reasonably slowly in say 2nd gear and apply the handbrake slightly and use the brakes and see if the surging peddle is still there or not.
If its not then its the back, if it is then its the front.
Then to fix it I need to get the discs or drums machined.
He suspects it will the be the rear because the shoes were round the wrong way in the drums. If its the rear I might just try my spare set of drums on it, had I spoken to him while I had it all apart I would have fitted them.
Still need to change all the UJ's on the prop shafts and a few other little jobs then shes trip ready.
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
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Thanks Gary.
This last week has been crazy!
Everything else in my life has taken a back seat and I've put all my effort into getting LJ ready for the trip, so no gym, tafe, 4-5 hours sleep a night, skipping meals and working every hour possible on LJ!
I've had a few issues but I'm hoping everything is now sorted.
All that is left is to finish packing LJ which I will hopefully get done tonight or in the morning and then at lunch time I'm picking Nelson up from the airport!
Then we will have a busy afternoon picking up supplies for the trip as well as showing him a few places then in the evening were going out for beers and steak and then Saturday morning we leave for Adelaide!
I'm ridiculously excited!!!!!
I'm going to get a big update done in the morning (about 12 hours time) and that should bring you all up to date and then I can start the trip and hopefully keep you all up to date with our progress on what will be the adventure of a life time!
This last week has been crazy!
Everything else in my life has taken a back seat and I've put all my effort into getting LJ ready for the trip, so no gym, tafe, 4-5 hours sleep a night, skipping meals and working every hour possible on LJ!
I've had a few issues but I'm hoping everything is now sorted.
All that is left is to finish packing LJ which I will hopefully get done tonight or in the morning and then at lunch time I'm picking Nelson up from the airport!
Then we will have a busy afternoon picking up supplies for the trip as well as showing him a few places then in the evening were going out for beers and steak and then Saturday morning we leave for Adelaide!
I'm ridiculously excited!!!!!
I'm going to get a big update done in the morning (about 12 hours time) and that should bring you all up to date and then I can start the trip and hopefully keep you all up to date with our progress on what will be the adventure of a life time!
Just as i read you're getting Supplies i thought of this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRN_X00c5Z8 XD
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Good on yer Ben! You've made it! Did you get the brakes sorted in the end? I'm interested to find out the cause, assuming you did.
Good luck on the trip, and let your mistakes be little ones!
Good luck on the trip, and let your mistakes be little ones!
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2010
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Thanks guys.
Update might have to be delayed slightly as LJ still isnt quite finished!
Might have to do it on the way to Adelaide while Nelson drives!
Regarding the brakes...................................
I did what my mechanic mate suggested and with the handbrake pulled on slightly the brake peddle didnt pulsate when pressed! Which indicated it was the rear brakes.
I removed thbe drums and the inside of the drums felt noticeably bumpy and unevenly worn.
I should have spotted that when I pulled the drums off before really.
I've fitted some other drums and will be taking it for a test drive shortly but I think it will have fixed it.
Not even 7am here and I'm going back out into the garage to do some more.
Update might have to be delayed slightly as LJ still isnt quite finished!
Might have to do it on the way to Adelaide while Nelson drives!
Regarding the brakes...................................
I did what my mechanic mate suggested and with the handbrake pulled on slightly the brake peddle didnt pulsate when pressed! Which indicated it was the rear brakes.
I removed thbe drums and the inside of the drums felt noticeably bumpy and unevenly worn.
I should have spotted that when I pulled the drums off before really.
I've fitted some other drums and will be taking it for a test drive shortly but I think it will have fixed it.
Not even 7am here and I'm going back out into the garage to do some more.
Blown80
Well-Known Member
Thanks Gary.
This last week has been crazy!
Then we will have a busy afternoon picking up supplies for the trip as well as showing him a few places then in the evening were going out for beers and steak and then Saturday morning we leave for Adelaide!
I'm ridiculously excited!!!!!
Ummmm........Ben, hate to burst your bubble, but we actually leave here Saturday morning.
You have to be HERE Friday afternoon/evening remember...!!
Pack faster........
Last edited:
Ummmm........Ben, hate to burst your bubble, but we actually leave here Saturday morning.
You have to be HERE Friday afternoon/evening remember...!!
Pack faster........
Get ya finger out Ben!
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2012
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Ummmm........Ben, hate to burst your bubble, but we actually leave here Saturday morning.
You have to be HERE Friday afternoon/evening remember...!!
Pack faster........
oops! Wheres Mum when you need someone to pack for you?
tonytoyota
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- Sep 9, 2010
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Hi Ben good job have a good one Love to be on the trip with you lot one Day from Tony
Edward Moyse
Member
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- 102
Keep imagining Ben's face when he reads that... How long's the drive? Australia is a small place so not much I reckon... ;-) Crossed fingers it all works out ok!
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Joined
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Thanks guys.
In my tired state I wrote Saturday instead of Friday.
Had a super busy day today and it started off very badly!
I noticed yesterday that there was a bolt missing off the lock on one of the rear doors, not a problem I will stick one in there. Did that, shut the doors and thought nothing more of it!
Went out to the garage this morning to start packing LJ and found the rear doors wouldn't open!
It turned out the bolt I'd fitted was too long and was stopping the lock mechanism from opening.
With the fridge and drawer system in place I couldn't get the trim off the inside to get at the lock.
I spent 3 hours messing around, climbing in and out of the back with different tools unbolting bits that I could get to and in the end welded up a special tool to get the bolt back out! I had the 9" grinder set up and was almost at the point of cutting the hinges off the door!
Anyway.......................
Eventually I got in and got everything back in and working!
Picked Nelson up from the airport and then spent all afternoon driving round sorting stuff out for the trip and doing all the food shopping!
LJ is almost fully packed and we will be leaving in the morning for the 8 hour drive to Adelaide!
Sadly I still havent had time to post the update and 200+ pics up but hopefully soon.
If I dont get time to before the trip starts you can follow our progress here:
http://uk-oz.com/
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have a good trip Ben - looking fwd to reading all the updates 
- Joined
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Pre Trip Preparations Part 1
Thanks guys.
I picked up some stainless steel bolts for the drawer locks.
Cut some pieces of angle to bolt onto the underside of the ply wood top for the locks to lock against.
Picked up a new oil seal for the swingaway.
Cut and stikaflexed some rubber to the bumper for the swingaway to close against.
Used a plastic packer to wedge it in place while the stuff dried.
Stripped out the interior for the auto electrician.
I re-fitted some guards underneath.
Drove LJ to work.
Drilled through my dash.
And fitted a 12v socket for the satnav.
Ran the hose for the boost gauge.
Got LJ on the hoist.
Removed all my clear poly tube axle breathers.
And replaced it with proper stuff with proper fittings.
Heres a better shot of the guard I re-fitted and the new steering damper location.
I also spotted a weeping rad hose.
Greased all the UJ's on the prop shafts which was when I noticed the grease didnt squeeze out around every cap and decided I should change them all for new.
Made a cardboard template then a steel version of the brake pipe drop bracket.
Removed my old shocks.
Moved LJ to next to my welding bay next so I could fix the bottom shock mounts and fit the new shocks.
New shocks from FNB 4WD in Adelaide.
Badly worn bottom mounts.
Found some washers and drilled them out to fit snugly over the bushes.
Otherside was even worse.
New shocks on.
I found out a space case that my boss said I could borrow for the trip.
Was thinking of putting it on the side so the OZ Tent could go down the middle of the rack or on the other side.
Also grabbed a sandflag out of the showroom.
Along with some of these awesome straps to strap the space case on with.
Took LJ to the autol electricians and was very impressed with the ride from the new rear shocks.
I also had the boost gauge working which indicated 12psi on maximum boost which I think we can up slightly!
Grabbed some bits for the auto electrician.
Super loom and spot/driving light wiring kit.
Fuse boxes and mounts.
Anderson sockets/plugs and relays.
And a circuit completer that I didnt end up needing.
Got LJ back on the saturday after hed spent all day Friday working on her.
12v dash socket working.
New switches fitted.
Super bright LED strips in the rear.
LED lights in rear bumper which are on a 3 way switch so on/off/on with reverse.
Switches (one needs changing as they didnt have the right colour).
In the back with the drawer system sat loosely in place.
Sockets all wired up along with extra anderson sockets.
Finished fitting the dash pod now all the wiring was done.
More bits to re-fit.
Really pleased with this idea.
Bolted the drawer system in place.
On rubber body mounts this time to hopefully reduce any rattles.
Drilled and painted the lock bits for the drawer system and got them bolted on to the underside of the ply.
Stainless steel bolts for the side panels.
Along with the original seat belt bits.
Then the drawer top could go on.
Small drawer.
Cut some rubber to line the inside of the small drawer.
Couldnt resist loading some of the recovery stuff in that lives in the small drawer.
Fridge slide next.
And fridge.
This is the cable I picked up for the fridge slide as the standard power cord doesnt work very well and got damaged in the mechanicsm as it needed a certain amount of cord which becomes slack when it closes.
Waffles.
Back of the drawer system next.
Wheels off next to investigate the brake fault.
All looked ok.
Couldnt find the locking wheel nut key.
Actually really well designed as I couldnt hammer either a metric or an impreial socket it over them as they were either far too small or big.
Ground the end of a piece of square solid rod to fit and hammered it in.
But it sheared off.
Out with the welder!
Welded a nut on.
Other side.
Brakes looked ok.
I adjusted the wheel bearing while I had the wheel off.
LJ then went back to the auto electrician for the day and then I got her back and back in the garage.
New fuse box fitted and you can see the new colour coded loom which goes through to all the switches in the cab.
Needed to mount the quick release mount for the sand flag next.
I also mounted an anderson socket for my compressor.
First piece of sand flag fitted.
I started sorting stuff out to carry in the drawers.
OK....................................
I'm out of time guys!
6am here now and I've got to get up and drive to Adelaide to meet up with Chris, Tony S and all the other guys and girls for our epic outback 4wd adventure!
I will try and get part 2 of the preparations update up soon.
Thanks guys.
I picked up some stainless steel bolts for the drawer locks.
Cut some pieces of angle to bolt onto the underside of the ply wood top for the locks to lock against.
Picked up a new oil seal for the swingaway.
Cut and stikaflexed some rubber to the bumper for the swingaway to close against.
Used a plastic packer to wedge it in place while the stuff dried.
Stripped out the interior for the auto electrician.
I re-fitted some guards underneath.
Drove LJ to work.
Drilled through my dash.
And fitted a 12v socket for the satnav.
Ran the hose for the boost gauge.
Got LJ on the hoist.
Removed all my clear poly tube axle breathers.
And replaced it with proper stuff with proper fittings.
Heres a better shot of the guard I re-fitted and the new steering damper location.
I also spotted a weeping rad hose.
Greased all the UJ's on the prop shafts which was when I noticed the grease didnt squeeze out around every cap and decided I should change them all for new.
Made a cardboard template then a steel version of the brake pipe drop bracket.
Removed my old shocks.
Moved LJ to next to my welding bay next so I could fix the bottom shock mounts and fit the new shocks.
New shocks from FNB 4WD in Adelaide.
Badly worn bottom mounts.
Found some washers and drilled them out to fit snugly over the bushes.
Otherside was even worse.
New shocks on.
I found out a space case that my boss said I could borrow for the trip.
Was thinking of putting it on the side so the OZ Tent could go down the middle of the rack or on the other side.
Also grabbed a sandflag out of the showroom.
Along with some of these awesome straps to strap the space case on with.
Took LJ to the autol electricians and was very impressed with the ride from the new rear shocks.
I also had the boost gauge working which indicated 12psi on maximum boost which I think we can up slightly!
Grabbed some bits for the auto electrician.
Super loom and spot/driving light wiring kit.
Fuse boxes and mounts.
Anderson sockets/plugs and relays.
And a circuit completer that I didnt end up needing.
Got LJ back on the saturday after hed spent all day Friday working on her.
12v dash socket working.
New switches fitted.
Super bright LED strips in the rear.
LED lights in rear bumper which are on a 3 way switch so on/off/on with reverse.
Switches (one needs changing as they didnt have the right colour).
In the back with the drawer system sat loosely in place.
Sockets all wired up along with extra anderson sockets.
Finished fitting the dash pod now all the wiring was done.
More bits to re-fit.
Really pleased with this idea.
Bolted the drawer system in place.
On rubber body mounts this time to hopefully reduce any rattles.
Drilled and painted the lock bits for the drawer system and got them bolted on to the underside of the ply.
Stainless steel bolts for the side panels.
Along with the original seat belt bits.
Then the drawer top could go on.
Small drawer.
Cut some rubber to line the inside of the small drawer.
Couldnt resist loading some of the recovery stuff in that lives in the small drawer.
Fridge slide next.
And fridge.
This is the cable I picked up for the fridge slide as the standard power cord doesnt work very well and got damaged in the mechanicsm as it needed a certain amount of cord which becomes slack when it closes.
Waffles.
Back of the drawer system next.
Wheels off next to investigate the brake fault.
All looked ok.
Couldnt find the locking wheel nut key.
Actually really well designed as I couldnt hammer either a metric or an impreial socket it over them as they were either far too small or big.
Ground the end of a piece of square solid rod to fit and hammered it in.
But it sheared off.
Out with the welder!
Welded a nut on.
Other side.
Brakes looked ok.
I adjusted the wheel bearing while I had the wheel off.
LJ then went back to the auto electrician for the day and then I got her back and back in the garage.
New fuse box fitted and you can see the new colour coded loom which goes through to all the switches in the cab.
Needed to mount the quick release mount for the sand flag next.
I also mounted an anderson socket for my compressor.
First piece of sand flag fitted.
I started sorting stuff out to carry in the drawers.
OK....................................
I'm out of time guys!
6am here now and I've got to get up and drive to Adelaide to meet up with Chris, Tony S and all the other guys and girls for our epic outback 4wd adventure!
I will try and get part 2 of the preparations update up soon.
Last edited:
peter kohler
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have fun Ben
- Joined
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Thanks guys.
Were on route to Adelaide and are having a bit of an issue with the rear springs.
Since loading all the gear in shes now sat far too low on the back and feels terrible going over even the slightest bump in the road.
Shame because unladen she drives beautifully!
I've been in touch with Chris at FNB and hes looking into finding me some airbags to fit or even some stiffer 80 series front springs on the back.
I can get some +110kg 80 series OME ones from a place on route, but not sure they will be stiff enough, I've searched through Steven (SAE70's) threads trying to find the spring info he posted but cant seem to find it.
My concern is that I buy the +110kg springs and find there still not stiff enough, I've currently got 200kg of fuel and water on board + another 200kg+ with the fridge, slide, drawer system, food, rear bar and spare wheel.
Were on route to Adelaide and are having a bit of an issue with the rear springs.
Since loading all the gear in shes now sat far too low on the back and feels terrible going over even the slightest bump in the road.
Shame because unladen she drives beautifully!
I've been in touch with Chris at FNB and hes looking into finding me some airbags to fit or even some stiffer 80 series front springs on the back.
I can get some +110kg 80 series OME ones from a place on route, but not sure they will be stiff enough, I've searched through Steven (SAE70's) threads trying to find the spring info he posted but cant seem to find it.
My concern is that I buy the +110kg springs and find there still not stiff enough, I've currently got 200kg of fuel and water on board + another 200kg+ with the fridge, slide, drawer system, food, rear bar and spare wheel.
