Scott's VDJ79

[scottmk1]

Ok so not long after I got the truck I decided to change the speedo face to one from Lockwood, so that it had an MPH scale on there. Fairly easy to do, the hardest part is getting the needle off as it's pretty tight. As you can see the black isn't a good match, but that isn't too important.

The next job was to do some sound deadening as it was very noisy in the cab especially at higher speeds. I used 2mm stuff from Silent Coat as the first layer, then some 10mm closed cell foam on top of that from the same people. Whipped the interior out, cleaned it up, and started applying the deadening.

I don't have any photo's of the finished article unfortunately, but it made quite a difference to the noise levels inside. A job well worth doing.

 

[scottmk1]

After using the truck for a while, I decided it needed a longer 5th gear. With the original setup the engine is doing around 2900rpm at 70mph, which is quite noisy, and thirsty! After doing some research I decided to get a new gearbox as they have a longer 5th gear (and 2nd) which brings the revs down quite a bit. The price difference between buying the box in the Uk & Aus was considerable, so I bought it there and had it brought over. I should actually have it later this week. My truck also has a home brew side exit exhaust, which on closer inspection is a heap of junk. Again I done some research and decided to get a full 3" system from Playtime Auto and bring it back over with the gearbox.

 

[scottmk1]

The suspension is a mixture of Toyota rear springs, OME shocks and unknown front springs. It appears to have a small lift, around 2". This meant that on full articulation the front anti roll bar made contact with the propshaft, the lift kits should come with spacers, but the were absent. Rather than buying some I knocked a couple up from some aluminium billet. Now the anti roll bar clears the prop at all travels. I also fitted new drop links whilst I was at it.

With the 2" lift the steering felt a bit light and vague especially at higher speeds. They say you don't need castor correction on lifts up to 2", but I found a set of correction bushes one ebay for £10 so thought it was worth trying. When they arrived I set about fitting them, the pic shows how far I had move the axle to bring the castor back to what should be roughly correct.

 

[Chris]

Great work there Scott. Very tidy stuff.

 

[scottmk1]

When fitting the new speedo face I obviously made and arse of it, as it was very jittery and would sometimes jam in certain spots. I played around with it and tried to get it working but no, that wasn't to be. After some more research I found a genuine Toyota version that was calibrated in MPH and km/h, basically plug and play so I went for it. It's a complete speedo unit that you fit into the dash binnacle. Can you see any difference from the one posted above?

Thankfully it now works exactly as it should.

 

[scottmk1]

Great work there Scott. Very tidy stuff.

Thanks Chris

 

[scottmk1]

Because I can't leave anything alone, I decided that I wanted to change all of the locks etc, the reason being I only had one key, and the ignition barrel sometimes refused to accept the key which was very annoying. I spoke to my local Toyota dealership about getting it done but they were not interested. Yet again I set about doing some research and got myself a complete set of locks, keys, fuel caps and an immobiliser ECU.

As ever, nothing is straight forward. After fitting the new locks, ignition barrel and immobiliser ECU it wouldn't start. That's because the engine ECU did not recognise the new immobiliser ECU. I cranked up Techstream, but couldn't see how to make these two ECU's friends. Yet more intense research was done, and I discovered that you can reset the ECU by bridging two terminal on the OBDII socket with a paper clip, and following a little procedure. I was a bit unsure about doing this, but it was getting near tea time and I was hungry so went ahead with it. Half an hour later it had worked!

 

[Chris]

Might have been easier to import the car as bits in boxes rather than the whole thing!

 

[scottmk1]

Might have been easier to import the car as bits in boxes rather than the whole thing!

You are probably right, by the time I'm done there won't be much left untouched!

 

[Charlie]

Looking good there…. white is the best colour for sure.
How did the new gearbox cost compare to the Terrain Tamer 5th gear mod, maybe next year I’ll look at upgrading mine too.... but with 33” tyres its not too bad, having said that a taller 5th would still be nice.

 

[Mike M]

Ok so not long after I got the truck I decided to change the speedo face to one from Lockwood, so that it had an MPH scale on there. Fairly easy to do, the hardest part is getting the needle off as it's pretty tight. As you can see the black isn't a good match, but that isn't too important.

View attachment 165469

The next job was to do some sound deadening as it was very noisy in the cab especially at higher speeds. I used 2mm stuff from Silent Coat as the first layer, then some 10mm closed cell foam on top of that from the same people. Whipped the interior out, cleaned it up, and started applying the deadening.

View attachment 165470

I don't have any photo's of the finished article unfortunately, but it made quite a difference to the noise levels inside. A job well worth doing.

Nice, i used the same stuff for inside my doors and rear quarter panels which made a big difference. Seen folk dropping the headlining and doing the roof as well but more work and risk of damage.

 

[scottmk1]

Looking good there…. white is the best colour for sure.
How did the new gearbox cost compare to the Terrain Tamer 5th gear mod, maybe next year I’ll look at upgrading mine too.... but with 33” tyres its not too bad, having said that a taller 5th would still be nice.

The new gearbox was £1900 from Oz, iirc Toyota Uk wanted almost £4k + VAT.

 

[scottmk1]

Nice, i used the same stuff for inside my doors and rear quarter panels which made a big difference. Seen folk dropping the headlining and doing the roof as well but more work and risk of damage.

I also dropped the headliner, not such a big job in a single cab, it is very flimsy though so your's would probably be best done with a few extra hands.

 

[Charlie]

The new gearbox was £1900 from Oz, iirc Toyota Uk wanted almost £4k + VAT.

Cheers, I have had a few things for my Troppy shipped from Australia now...... and as you say, normally works out cheaper too.

 

[scottmk1]

Yes it's surprising how much cheaper it can be. I think the TT gear upgrade is just under £1k to buy, then shipping, then fitting plus whatever you might replace when the box is in bits.

 

[Charlie]

Yes it's surprising how much cheaper it can be. I think the TT gear upgrade is just under £1k to buy, then shipping, then fitting plus whatever you might replace when the box is in bits.

TT gear upgrade is currently £610 plus shipping, duties and such from Aus, then the fitting...... new box is the best way to go for sure

 

[Mike M]

The new gearbox was £1900 from Oz, iirc Toyota Uk wanted almost £4k + VAT.

Interesting to read about this, my 76 5th gear is stupidly short as well and was thinking about the new box upgrade. I think the vdj box is the same as my grj , H151 and the latest are H152 I think. Do you mind me asking who you bought it through in Australia?

 

[Charlie]

Link to Perth Diesel Performance, not sure if the ship overseas MY17+ Landcruiser Gearbox - Brand New - [Leaving Land Cruiser Club]

 

[scottmk1]

Interesting to read about this, my 76 5th gear is stupidly short as well and was thinking about the new box upgrade. I think the vdj box is the same as my grj , H151 and the latest are H152 I think. Do you mind me asking who you bought it through in Australia?

I bought from Toyota in Sydney.

 

[Mike M]

I bought from Toyota in Sydney.

That's interesting to know that they ship to the UK. Even just to get some Toyota accessories like mats etc .

Oh btw if you need interior parts try cruiser consoles in Queensland, I'm waiting on speaker door pods arriving this week. As you'll know , the stock speakers are absolutely crap.

Mike

Mike