LJ70 Build Thread!

[Ben]

I will have to wait and see what the mining sector is like in a few years time. I know if I was working in the mines now id be earning £100k + per year.

With the welding qualifications I will have I could also go and work in other high paid jobs like on oil rigs etc.

I'm not sure what waffle board material is sold as in Australia. I know they sell it in huge sheets and its used for constructing temporary walkways/roads over fields etc. I've also seen it used to cover walkways and gantries in factories.

 

[Ben]

I've been doing more work on Michaels house.

The latest project is renovating the toilet. We ripped all the old plasterboard off and tiles up off the floor.





And got it all insulated (old toilet temporarily back in place)



Tomorrow its getting plastered and then I can paint the walls and ceiling, tile the floor, fit new skirting and architrave, new door, and fit and plumb in the new toilet.

The deck is now finally finished after I gave it 2 coats of oil.





I then found some time to do a bit more work on LJ.



Bull bar off.





Winch out.







Removed the rope, motor and top cover.



All the gears look ok and everything turns and rotates smoothly, so the problem must be the motor.



I left the winch on its side to drain all the old oil out.



Had a look at the motor and found the problem.





The old motor looked pretty old and wasnt a particularly high horse power one, so I will get the one off Michaels and he can order 2 new motors and the Gigglepin bits he needs.

Id like to upgrade mine to twin motors and air free spool. But that will have to wait as I cant justify that expense right now as I'm saving for the big trip I'm doing over Christmas. Hoping to be on the road for 4-5 weeks and thinking of driving half way round the continent.

I've got a leak some where in the air line going to the rear locker, so I tried finding it using leak detector spray.



I couldn't find it any where but I know it must be leaking because the compressor keeps firing up every 5-10 seconds. I even connected an off cut of air line to the compressor and with the rear locker engaged I held my thumb over the end of the
air line and this time after the compressor had run it didn't run again until I took my thumb off the end of the tube.
So I know its not a solenoid issue.

Anyway I wanted to fit the uprated air line kit to the rear locker anyway.



The bit it replaces.



Old bits removed.



New bits fitted.







I hoped that might fix it but the compressor still kept firing.

So I'm now going to replace the complete air line from the compressor to the new heavy duty bit. Only need about 3 meters of hose and we might have some at work. I was also thinking of running it inside a piece of diff breather hose as that should offer a lot more protection to it.

I need to strip down the winch and replace the leaking oil seal and give it a service, and obviously fit a new motor.

This is the sort of service kit I'm thinking of buying:

http://gigglepin4x4store.gostorego.com/winches-winching/winch-service-parts/gp-seal-service-kit.html

Also need to get and fit a new piece of glass for the rear door.

My mate gets here from WA 2 weeks today, then were off to the High Country for 3-4 days so I will need all these jobs done on LJ and my winch working and re-fitted for the trip.

 

[clivehorridge]

It's almost impossible to find leaks in an airline, you're going about it the right way, replace everything!

Good luck with the winch!

 

[Ben]

Thanks.

Thinking of getting the service kit and a new bottom gear on the link below.

http://smithiengineering.com.au/index.php/winch-maintenance.html

Just need to get Michaels 6hp motor then which is like this one:

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Warn-Win..._Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c5d09c561&_uhb=1

 

[jeepmadmike]

Ben from all my experiences of ARB's the air leak will be in the diff, blank them off at the axle and see what happens

Also working in the mines...... I know a couple of people who have gone to the Ozzie holes to make money, one came home after a month as he hated it the other is either dead or still there as no one has seen or heard of him! At one point the best money was for the dumper drivers ?? I think you could do well as a welder/fitter.
I work in UK quarries all the time and to be honest they are unpleasent places in the height of summer very dry, dusty either no shade or hotter still inside plant buildings. That said I wouldn't want to work anywhere else! but it is in my blood being the 5th generation involved in the mining and quarry world

 

[Ben]

Good suggestion thanks Mike.

I really hope it isnt leaking in the diff.

Really CBA to pull the diff out again.

Might have to just live with it if its leaking in the diff. The locker engages and works fine, but obviously the compressor keeps firing up.

I've heard lots of stories of people going to work in the mines, and like you say some just cant hack it. I've heard of others who end up drinking and gambling every night because theres nothing to do. Then they get flown out to civilisation every 3-4 weeks and then go crazy and spend all the money having a good time.

But I think I will be able to hack it, just need to stay focused! I'm there for a purpose and only there for say 2 years. It might be the toughest 2 years of my life but if I've got a nice house totally paid for and mortgage free at the end then it will be worth it.

I'm also thinking I'd rather not be FIFO (fly in fly out) I'd rather have my cruiser there and then be able to spend my week off going 4wding and camping. Make the most of being in the middle of no where.

I guess only time will tell if I'm able to do it or not but I am a pretty determined person!

 

[clivehorridge]

I guess only time will tell if I'm able to do it or not but I am a pretty determined person!

Of that, Ben, I for one am certain.

The only thing I can advise is keep your options open. 2 years down the mines is one thing and an admirable target to get your house as soon as possible. I did that the long and painful way (and expensive) and at 60 I've only been a true house owner (paid up) for five years.

On the other hand, as a specialist welder, you may be able to achieve the same goal in say 5 years, and have a good quality of life, meaning living in civilization, having weekends, socializing and all the other things that "normal" people have. You still get your house early and you have some quality of life.

Don't get me wrong, just don't be afraid to have a plan B and be ready to switch either way depending on your circumstances.

My life certainly hasn't gone to any plan, I've had to adapt quickly to each change of direction that circumstances put me in. Luckily I've survived so far and I've done very well on it, or well enough for me and my family.

That's all I can offer I'm afraid.

 

[Shayne]

You can do it Ben but how difficult it is or isn't depends largely on your mindset . to go in "determined" will make it harder for yourself , you will be clock watching and calendar counting and that's not good . Instead try to accept you have no other option but to be in the mine from day one , your not looking to the future or dreaming of a better life , accept this IS your life . With the latter mindset your circumstances will very quickly become "normal" and your daily routine will adapt to the new circumstances in much the same way as it did when you were a kid and changed schools or when you left the UK and started again in Oz .

 

[Ben]

Thanks guys.

Well I've got to live in Victoria the next 17 months and my fabrication course is likely to take atleast 2 years, and I accept that theirs a chance that in a few years time I might not want to leave and go to the mines.

My life at the moment is the best its ever been. For the first time I 100% love my life.

My job is awesome as is living with Michael.

Today I finished welding the comp bar I've been making.



And got it painted.



Tomorrow the customer is bringing his Suzuki in so I can fit the new bar.

I've got hundreds of battery trays to weld up, but once I've made a start on them I should finally be able to get a few days back on the Jimny build.

My boss is ordering me the new bottom winch gear tomorrow and I'm getting a price on an OZ tent Bunker.

Ben from all my experiences of ARB's the air leak will be in the diff, blank them off at the axle and see what happens

So I tested the airline today going to the rear locker. I removed the airline from the fitting above the rear axle and held my finger over the hose with the locker switched on. The hose held the pressure perfectly and the compressor didn't run again until I took my finger off.

So the airline is clearly not the problem.

I reconnected the hose back up and the locker engaged then roughly 10 seconds after the compressor switched off it fired up again.

When it turned off again I decided to time how long it would hold pressure for before firing up again only this time it didn't fire up again and held pressure for the next 30mins.

I turned the locker on and off a few times and after engaging, the compressor didn't fire up again.

So its definitely an intermittent fault and for now atleast it seems to be fixed.

 

[Ben]

OK update time............................

I decided I didn't want to buy Michaels winch motor off him so I started looking at new ones.

I want a 6HP one and after looking at the prices from all the various suppliers in Australia as well as the price my boss came back with I thought they were all too expensive.

So then I looked on Amazon.com and found that Warn sell on Amazon in the US for less than half the price everyone else in Aus sells them for.

So I've ordered a new 6HP motor. Only trouble is I might not have it before my trip which is in less than 2 weeks time. But thats cool I will just have to not drive anything too extreme! I will also see if I can borrow a tirfor from work as a back up.

Anyway.....................Pics.

My boss did get me a new main gear very cheap.





After work I stripped the winch down.



Brake off being careful not to loose all the bearings.









Drum off and gears out.



The gear on the end of the shaft on the pic below is the gear that meshes with the main gear which is badly worn. This smaller gear is also badly worn and needs replacing aswell.



We also discovered that the plastic/nylon bush that the main oil seal turns against hadnt been fitted properly so it was no wonder it leaked oil.

So slightly annoying that I bought a winch that had supposedly been rebuilt with new genuine parts.

From this I draw 2 possible conclusions.

1. The guy was a completely incompetent and doesn't know how to rebuild a winch.

or

2. He lied.

Anyway......................

I will get the parts I need and rebuild it and I will have a great winch when its done that should give me many trouble free years of use.
Also the great thing about these winches is they will last a life time as all the bits are easy to get and their not hard to rebuild.

Warren messaged me last night and one of the things he asked was:

I need to relocate my fuel filter on my 1hd FTE and know its possible but not sure how or where. Could you ask around the workshop and see if anyone can help or advise.

warren

Now it just so happened that today I had to work on a customers 100 series that had a relocated fuel filter!

The customer had fitted one of our battery trays himself and had fitted it wrong. This had resulted in damage to the inner guard.

My job was to repair/weld the guard and fit a new tray.







The body was cracked around one of the captive nuts and the other one had been completely torn out.



Welded and painted.



New tray in.



Relocated fuel filter.









All done.



While on the subject of battery trays..............................

The company I work for are the biggest manufacturer of aftermarket battery trays in the Southern Hemisphere!

I've currently got to weld together 200 of one type. Today I managed to do 10 in less than an hour. Which is pretty quick. What takes the time is bolting them on and off the jig.



After welding almost everyday for the past 3 months my welding is getting a lot better and I'm now consistently producing good welds.





This is a little Suzuki that were putting back together as its just been resprayed.





Going to weld another 10-20 battery trays in the morning then spend the rest of the day working on the red Jimny. Got heaps of welding to do on it.

Before then I've got homework to do.

 

[warrenpfo]

Thanks Ben it seem the only way is to install a battery tray. I will take a look at your site and consider my options.

Keep up the good work you are a legend and deserve all that you are getting.

 

[Ben]

Aww thanks mate.

Your welcome, I'm always happy to help if I can.

 

[Ben]

Oh almost forgot.....................

The Old Man Emu front suspension that has been ordered for the front of LJ should be here this week, all the way from NZ.

OME don't sell a lift kit for the LJ70/KZJ70 in Australia they do sell a Bundera lift kit but its a different setup on the Bundera to the later LJ70/KZJ70.

But NZ is full of LJ70/KZJ70's so OME make and sell a lift kit out there for them, hence why its got to be shipped from NZ.

 

[clivehorridge]

Hey Ben, nothing like hundreds of boring battery tray welds to inspire you to weld well and quickly, first time. Having to go back over work will add considerable time and frustration!

You'll be expert in no time! Well done!

 

[Ben]

Thanks.

I actually don't mind welding the battery trays, normally I'm just doing 2 or 3 of the special order ones. This will be the first time in 3 months where I've got a considerable amount to make (200). So long as I get 20-30 done this week we will have enough in stock for the next few months.

I imagine if all I was doing day in day out was welding battery trays then I probably would hate it, but getting to play with............ Sorry, work on 4wd's for most of each day with just a bit of time welding trays is cool.

 

[Ben]

Feels like ages since I've updated the thread!

Work is still going really well!

Wednesday and Thursday I did a bit more on the Jimny build.

Final suspension adjustments.







I welded the other front shock hoop I'd made to the chassis and then moved on to the back and found some OME shocks and got them fitted.



Then I got the rear axle off.



And got it on the bench ready to be welded and gusseted.



The other job I did on Thursday was fitting my bosses new top of the range Gigglepin winch to the comp truck. The next event is in 3 weeks time and theirs a chance I might be the co-pilot.





Then Friday was spent at TAFE (college) learning how to weld with oxyacetylene.



Then I've been working on Michaels house all weekend.

The plasterers got the toilet plastered then I gave it 3 coats of paint.

Then tiled the floor.



Wired up the new light and extractor.



Grouted the tiles.



And plumbed in the new toilet.



I then fitted the skirting boards and architrave.

We've also started on the next room which is the study.

Before pics.





We totally gutted it.





Every wall is being insulated and then re-boarded in sound check plasterboard. Were also changing all the doors for thick solid core ones.

Michael has a huge stereo which cost him over 10k. Each of the speaker boxes contains 2 12" sub's and we regularly have it cranked right up. It sounds better than the sound systems in a lot of nightclubs.

So we will be renovating and sound proofing every room in the house.

This evening I got a load more skirting board, and 3 doors painted ready for fitting later this week.



OK....................

I promise we will have more LandCruiser pics soon.

A week tomorrow I'm taking my mate on a 3-4 day 4wd trip to the High Country.

Got a bit of work to do on LJ before then though.

 

[sae70]

Did you use your pants to clean out the winch

 

[Ben]

Bought some from K Mart and they didn't fit properly so their now rags!

 

[Paddler Ed]

Did wonder if it was this week or next week you're away.

Australian houses (all over Aus) seem to be stuck in the 1970's at times! Good job on the renovations; we looked at some howlers here in Armidale before we got this one.

^You know that M&S and Debenhams ship to Aus...

 

[clivehorridge]

Did you use your pants to clean out the winch

Thought Ben might say they'll freshen up in the wash!