LJ70 Build Thread!

[karl webster]

Looking good ben

Think id drop a cage in whilst your at the stage you are. ( well fab something up yourself anyway.

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

I am planning on building and fitting a cage but not just yet, going to wait till its in OZ.

Cant afford to spend anymore money for the next few months!

 

[Paddler Ed]

Thanks Nigel.

There will be an inspection by customs to make sure the vehicle is clean and hasnt got any mud/organic material on/in it.

Then there will be an MOT style inspection when I come to register it on the road.

Ben,

Do you want me to find out what gets looked at for the VASS (NSW Blue Slip)? I've got a mate who does standard RWC (I know them as Pink Slips)

Got one last laning trip planned for a few weeks time, around my beloved Shropshire lanes with my mates!

Less than a month now till my insurance runs out which wont be getting renewed.

Just check that the Aussies are happy with you not being able to use the car for that last month; the way I read the documentation is that it must be available to you to use in the 12months before it gets put on the ship... also don't forget to SORN it when you don't renew the insurance. May just be worth checking a handling agent re the insurance thing.

Also don't forget with cancelling the insurance that you won't have any theft insurance...

 

[Ben]

Thanks Ed.

Not moving to NSW but would still be interested to know what they test.

Sent all the paper work off yesterday for the import approval. On the form you state what date the car will be taken off the road.

Ive sent all the paperwork off showing the vehicle has been available for use during the past 2 years.

Want to sorn it, and send the tax disc back as soon as the insurance runs out. 8 months tax the DVLA will owe me!

Yeah realise I wont have theft insurance, hopefully the fact theirs no steering wheel will deter most opportunist thieves.

As soon as the import approval comes back I will book the container and flight.

 

[Paddler Ed]

I'll ask 2 of the guys who are Victoria based; I know one of them (he's got a FJ60) having been out driving with him. The other does trucks mainly, but between them they know what they're looking for on the VicRoads checks.

HTH

 

[Ben]

I bloody hate this time of year in the UK!

Go to work in the dark, get home in the dark......................

Not to mention the cold, wet depressing weather!

Really doesn't make me feel like doing any work on my truck in the evenings.

Anyway.........................I managed to do a little bit tonight!

I picked up some seam sealer.

And sealed along the weld under the windscreen inside the truck.

Tomorrow I'm going to give it a coat of dark blue hammerite paint, and then the dash can be re-fitted.

Cheap air grinder arrived.

First weld to grind down was the corner on the drivers side door opening.

The grinder itself seems nice and solid and works well, but the grinding stones arnt great.

These 2 started off the same.

Hopefully they will last long enough to do the 4 welds that will be seen (drivers door, passenger door, and 2 rear doors.)

Very pleased with how its turning out.

Once its painted it will be an invisible repair!

The compressor struggled to keep up though.

But the grinder does spin at 22,000rpm according to the sticker on the side.

Not too fussed that the newish compressor isnt big enough for air tools. It will make me money on site in OZ, as it will be ideal for use with nail guns.

Onto the other side.

Also used it to smooth the inside corner on the A pillars which I couldnt do with an angle grinder.

I needed to try and bend/pull some of the dent out on the passenger side B post.

We prised the seam apart at the weekend so we could get a crowbar in and straiten the inside panel of the B pillar.

I found a piece of scrap steel in the shed which I thought would do to make a tool to pull/hammer the dent out.

Chopped a piece off and bent the end at 90 degrees.

The idea was to hook it behind the bent piece, and then use a hammer to hit the other end and pull the dent out.

It didnt work quite as well as I'd hoped.

But I managed to get it looking a lot better.

Im hoping a little bit more panel beating and a little bit of filler and the damage should be repaired.

 

[fridayman]

I hear you on the working in the dark! Getting cold is one thing, but in the dark I definitely don't work as well as I do in daylight.

Good to see the truck taking a 70 shape again

 

[clivehorridge]

Keep at it Ben, step by step. It's looking really good.

 

[x_shaun]

you need a slide hammer for that bent piller ben. tack weld some bolts or screws to the pannel and use the slide hammer to pull it out.

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Shaun, thats a good idea.

Hadn't thought of that.

 

[Ben]

Update time.

Friday night I carried on grinding down all the welds.

Painted the weld along the underside of the windscreen that I'd previously smoothed over with seam sealer.

Started re-attaching the wiring loom and attaching bits that needed to go back on before the dash.

Started fitting the dash.

Finished grinding down all the welds.

First thing this morning I gave all the welds a wipe of filler.

While the filler was drying I carried on fitting the dash.

Need to get a new blower surround as the brittle plastic shattered when I was removing it.

New speedo cable to fit next. Going to be nice having a working speedo after not having one for a year.

I imagined it would go through the bulkhead and down towards the gearbox/transfer box but it actually comes out of the transmission tunnel in front of the gear stick.

Bit awkward to get to with the x-eng handbrake kit fitted.

Sanded down the filler and applied a bit more.

While the second coat of filler was drying I fitted the speedo and connected the new cable.

Once the filler was dry I sanded it down with some 800 grit wet n dry paper.

I was then ready to apply some primer. Remembered to bring my PPE bag home from work this time so had a slightly better mask.

Primer on.

I put extra hardener in the primer as it was only 4 degrees.

Once that was dry I sanded it down with wet n dry paper, then applied the top coat.

Much better job this time, I built it up with lots of thin coats and didnt get any runs!

I just hope it dries in these horrible cold conditions.

Carried on re-fitting the dash.

Fitted the new sunroof.

Both front seats fitted.

Starting to look and feel like a car again.

Bolted the side bars back in place. They did an excellent job of protecting my side windows in the roll over.

The paint job isnt perfect and at some point I want to re-spray the entire truck, but...................................

If it goes to OZ with dodgy paintwork that should mean I pay less tax as the customs guys will value it a lot lower with the dents and dodgy paintwork.

My mate is coming in the morning to help me fit the windscreen and side windows. Were then going to fit and adjust the front doors, and then I can crack on and re-fit the wings, bonnet, grill and bumper.

Hoping to have it all finished tomorrow ready for next weekend which will be my last weekend of green laning as my insurance runs out on the 14th.

 

[Red Oktober]

Excellent work as per usual Ben

 

[Paddler Ed]

Just a thought Ben, do you get a wet right foot when driving?

It was a common problem (ie all 3 work Troopy/Utes suffered from it) and is quite well known in Aus. There's a gromit or something that wears in the bulkhead and allows water to drip down... only problem is that it's easiest to fix when the dash is in pieces...

 

[Ben]

Thanks Carl.

I did used to get some water in the drivers foot well, but this was due to the old screen leaking. Could see it dripping off the rubber screen seal.

I didnt find any rubber grommets behind the dash, so maybe its just the heavy duty 70's that got that.

I was looking for rubber bungs as I want to give everything a coat of dinitol wax to prevent corrosion.

 

[sae70]

Well done Ben Looks like it'll keep the rain off your head and wind out of your face Looks a good job does that

 

[Paddler Ed]

I'm sort of confident that the Bunderras suffered as well, as a friend in Aus fixed the leaks in a number of his over the years! It starts as a small hole from memory and gets bigger... as they do when they rust...

I can't remember exactly what the cause is though, which isn't helpful. I do know that I never suffered from a wet foot in my 73! I think the main reason I found out about it was that I used to drive/work bare foot a lot on the property when I was first there, so I felt it dripping on my foot in the rain, if you were wearing boots you would be none the wiser.

On the vent controls are they the same as in an LN130 Surf/4Runner? or is there an extra bit at the end for the 70 series? I can't remember exactly...

 

[Ben]

Thanks Steven.

vent controls are different to 4-runner/surf I think Ed.

Im not too bothered about it as I'm going to fit aircon at some point, so when I get the rest of the bits I need from an OZ wreckers yard I will pick up a new vent control surround.

For now I will super glue the pieces back in so I can still read whats what.

 

[clivehorridge]

bravo Ben, a lot of work between now and next weekend... but I guess you'll get there, you always seem to pull off your plans but I really don't know how...

 

[Ben]

Thanks Clive.

Got big plans for next weekend!

 

[clivehorridge]

I'm a bit worried as to how well the side doors will fit. I know you put them on after the tacking, but have you tried them since? I had the misfortune to reverse my car pass a tree, with the driver's door open. Truth is, it was on a hill (in my garden) and I was washing it. Couldn't reach one part, so like a fool I reached in and relaxed the handbrake. No guesses as to how well the handbrake stopped the car from rolling after I snatched it on from outside! The tree stopped it eventually, but not until it had bent the door way past its limits twisting the A pillar in the process. The door has never fitted properly since. I wish you better luck!