78 Series Troopy build up

[gilghana]

Thanks guys! Over the next few weeks hopefully ("real") work will ease off a bit over Christmas allowing me to get on as there is still some stuff to do:
- all the wiring (loads of it!)
- side mounting for roof tent (ladder gets in the way if you are in/out the back door.
- Fridge mount/tie down
- cargo barrier
- solar panel
- extend breathers
- waterproof the snorkel (don't intend serious wading but you never know...)
- fold down table on barn door
- seat covers (canvas)
- wheels to paint black!
- mount 6 x Grabber AT2 and put the MT's on the 105
- water filter
- better interior lights (led?)
- home made slider-steps
- home made gas bottle carrier
- underbody sealing (tropical africa spec don't really have) for corrosion and noise damping...

Will certainly keep the thread alive until the day it hits the road!
Gil

 

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

Gotta love those 70 series

Jumbo GilGhana, I am envious of anyone who has a troopy (yes you too Andrew) and enjoy seeing your build.

I have a 73 series (HZJ73) from Japan and had her (NOMAD) for about 3 years now and have started a build here (http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=18525&highlight=HZJ73+build) and will get back to it as soon as I can get my knackers cleared. Been out on along haul to central Mexico and am in the midst of emails, mail, bills, gear cleaning and stowing, getting the rig ready for winter (just had a major snow 6 inches) and getting ready for Christmas. I am also working on getting my photos edited, sorted and stored to CDs to show the lads and family as well as other trail buddies and will link them on line when i get them posted. Close to 1000 or more of my trip and side trails.

All the best from snowy Kanukistan and Merry Christmas

 

[gilghana]

Well,
thanks for the words of encouragement folks! So just before Christmas DHL delivered me a parcel from UK containing some very cool LED caravan awning lights that I bought off fleebay... My idea was to supplement the ****py rear interior light and rig one up to illuminate the rear door where a drop down table is going to go. When I ripped the innards out of the carravan lights they were perfect - 50cm long by 1cm wide with 30 LEDs and fully waterproof.

But first was to finish off the fridge installation:

Very pleased with the installation, solidly mounted to the slide with big spreader plates and large turnbuckles, and the great thing is that it is not as high as I feared - both of us can flip the lid and see inside without too much stretching.

Then I wired in one of the LEDs to the rear interior light (just removed the festoon bulb) so it works off the door - what a difference!

Then I wired in my two batteries - but the complete wiring is a LOT more work - but I am impressed with their performance. I have had the fridge running since Christmas morning, set on minus 15. When I hooked it all up I was on 80% SoC and when I turned it off today at 6pm (27th) it is on 58%. Not bad considering ambient is about 32 Celsius.

Here is the rear door table LED in operation:

These are the marine hatches that I will try to cut down to fit in the rear panels:

So next steps will be to finish off the wiring with compressor installation, extra 12v sockets, solar panel on the roof, wire in rear flood light to the aux batteries, get the battery monitor in the cab and fit in some circuit breakers. Then I will box in the batteries with carpet covered custom ply and fit the cargo barrier. After that it is going to be minor tidying jobs and not much else... well that is maybe "famous last words" - there is ALWAYS something more to do,
Gil

 

[4Rescue]

I love this truck... Great build up of one fo the greatest 4x4's of all time and probably the BEST overall overland rig ever.

Cheers

Dave

 

[Storz]

So awesome!

 

[gilghana]

Thanks Guys:
So this afternoon I fitted the rear door table - luckily I still got plenty of my custom made Mahogany (Khaya Ivorensis with WBP glue) marine ply left. My GF cut them out - a mere 20 mins with a small vertical bandsaw and a belt sander... She has a lot of cool tools in the carving workshop she runs here in the company. Then I got busy with the self-tappers and some stainless steel wire.

To hold it closed I just rigged a short section of the SS wire with a couple of cable lugs crimped on and a bolt to latch the cable lugged wire over - simple and effective.

Well Saturday we finally got an overnight camp to test it out. It opens HIGH - higher than our old conventional folder. The exact height I don't know but if you check these pictures you will see it's height compared to the troopy which is a tall vehicle! Space inside is not a problem at all - for two normal sized people... Okay John Candy would be having a problem. The interior light is a great thing - I wired it to a 12v plug that is next to the fridge, so tent erection consists of:
- stand on rear bumper and undo two catches and flip tent up, then reach in and grab plug and put into socket
- remove ladder from inside the tent and slide into the rail. Finished! Soooo simple.

Negative points:
- So far I have only identified one. The tent is held up by two gas struts (gabriel IIRC) which have a lower metal section covering the rod (like the top boot or metal cover on a shock absorber). These have some sort of really **** finish on them and mine corroded simply from the inside of the tent being a little bit damp. Rusted really badly - absolute junk. Okay it is just a matter of removing them, wire brushing and properly painting.

I intend to get a small 12v fan mounted in the ceiling of the tent next to the light to help with tropical conditions.

Otherwise very happy with it. The ease of put up/down is a real improvement over the folding types. And I would rather trade a bit of interior tent width than having a big overhang.

These pics were taken just after dawn in the rainforest. Wasn't proper camping - we only went closeby just to test the tent and fold down table & LEDs - all good so far.

 

[DaveM]

I want / need this truck! Everytime I see a sweet 70 series and then reflect on how I can't have one in the US... I die a little inside

 

[redthies]

:drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool::drool: and:drool:!


PS... I had 113 drools up... thought that was about right and then the host said I could only have ten... stupid host!

 

[DavidG]

I want / need this truck! Everytime I see a sweet 70 series and then reflect on how I can't have one in the US... I die a little inside

X100. Painful.

 

[Christian P.]

wow just discovered this thread. Makes me want to keep mine and give it a facelift...

 

[peterjems]

I am glad to have found this thread with some very good things that I am interested in. It is a very good post with some very good pictures and explanations at the same time. I just loved the post. I came to know about many interesting things through this. Thank you for sharing such informative posts. Keep up the good work going.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Very nice.. I really like it.

 

[4Rescue]

Oh god Gil, I'm so in love with your truck... :drool: :drool: :drool:

Said it 1,000 times, gonna say it again: That is, to me, THE MOST AWESOME truck on the planet (well, any 70 Series Troupy really). There is just something about driving these trucks that puts a smile on my face like no other vehicle I've ever driven. I feel the same way about my 4Runner. Every time I got in the Troupy in Australia even if I was just heading into town for a shopping run or to pick up a guest... it was like I was fireing up to go on an adventure no matter what. Course when you're on a Cattle station in Australia everything IS kind of an adventure so Still, I always turned around and marveled at her when I parked (I do that with my 4Runner too that's how I know I love these trucks so much)

It was funny cause to the Aussies they're just a Troupy... I was SO extatic to be given the keys to a 70 series Ute and access to the Troupy's whenever that I thought I was in heaven (actually, for me I was in heaven and I miss it EVERY DAY) Alot of the guy's got a kick out of how into the "ratty work trucks" : -All various ages of Cruisers and Hillux's :drool: - I was... To me it was a dream come true... to them it was just a 4wd truck. Kind of like someone getting excited by a Shivvy Scotsdale 10 here in the states...

Alas I and so many other Toyota-philes live in the land of "no you can't have one no matter how little sence that makes" SO, either I 1) move back to Australia -my personal fav- 2) I get over it -probably not gonna happen- 3) I wait a few years till some of the improved models are legal to import -I'm not keen on waiting-

Or, and this is my fav cause it has to do with complewtely ignoring/decieving/defying the Government :
- I bring in the 78 4.2 TD Troupy I want from liike Germany so it'd be LHD and get one with factory Lockers and FF-rear end
- I swap off the vin for something like an 80 series of the same age
- register it down at the cabin as a 90 whatever "landcruiser" : no DEQ no inspections etc
- Then I drive it and if I ever get pulled over hope that the guy's not a Toyota nut like me...

honestly if you ran the vin it's be a 1998 Landcruiser" they don't throw body code in there. I just really don't see the risk.

I gotta say it might be a risk, but I doubt I'd ever have a problem.If I get one

Cheers

Dave

 

[Bugspray]

Sweet, sweet build and ride! Im green with envy over the Troopy. I just have one teensy bit of advice, I would put another crossbar under the middle of the RTT. From past experience with my very similar autohome the stress of weight getting in and out of the tent and constant flexing from the road it could start to spiderweb/delaminate the fiberglass. Cant wait to see this rig rambling around Africa!

 

[Rudy]

Sweet build! There's a guy in Colorado rebuilding a right hand troupy as a camper. I think it's the same guy that builds the Mitsu campers. Wish I could find his pictures and I wuld post them. I saw them somewhere a week or two ago, and it looked pretty used. Cant find the link un my history file.