SHED: 79 SERIES LANDCRUISER
THE 79 CRUISER GETS A GOOD GOING OVER.
IAM A firm believer in fixing or replacing things before they become an issue. The part in question may last a bit longer and save you some dollars in the short term, but whatever you saved by stretching your luck is going to cost you more if you break down in the scrub. Plus, it’ll take up valuable holiday time and generally stuff you around no end. It’s just not worth it!
So, in the last couple of months the Cruiser has been getting a good work-over. For starters, we rolled into Outback 4WD in Bayswater at the start of the year for a 140,000km service in preparation for a year of touring (which kinda never happened).
Apart from the normal full service and pre-trip inspection, the crew at Outback serviced the front and rear wheel bearings; replaced all hub seals axle gaskets and front brake disc pads; machined the front disc rotors; and replaced the rear spring shackle, pin bushes and all sway bar bushes.
A bit of ‘notchiness’ was noticed in the front-end swivel hubs and the clutch pedal was down a bit, indicating the clutch was on its way out. With assurances that both would last for at least 10,000 kays, we headed off on a little jaunt through Outback NSW, towing our Trakmaster camper. It wasn’t too strenuous a trip on either man or machine, but we did come unstuck on one occasion when we slipped off the road and into a quagmire of black soil. With no Maxtrax (I’d left them at home as it was planned to be an ‘easy’ trip) and not a tree in sight, it was out with the shovel. Slipping the Cruiser into low range and engaging the front and rear diff locks, I managed to extricate myself from our silly predicament. The clutch got a hammering amongst all that though, and it wasn’t smelling really well after it!
Back in town I washed the mud from underneath the truck and rolled back into Outback 4WD for the two biggish jobs of clutch and swivel hubs.
For the replacement clutch, I again went for an Exedy Safari Tuff clutch kit (exedydirect.com.au). I’ve had these same units in my Patrol for the last 340,000km and, while I replaced one at about the 250K mark, I’ve found them to be a tough, durable and a very reliable replacement to
THE CRUISER DRIVES AND STEERS BETTER AND THE CLUTCH FEELS A LOT HEALTHIER. LET’S HOPE WE CAN DO A LONG OUTBACK TRIP BEFORE THE YEAR IS OUT!
the not-so-great original units. These Safari clutches are also easy on leg muscles and I haven’t had any issue with noise or any shudder from these units. I expect to get the same years of service and mileage out of this new clutch.
Having dropped a gearbox of an early model Cruiser while in my carport, it’s just amazing how quickly a well-trained mechanic with all the right gear can do such a job. It’s no wonder I now leave most of my mechanical work to professionals.
With the clutch done it was time for the swivel housing. This time I went for a Terrain Tamer kit (www.terraintamer.com). TT has a large range of wheel bearing and swivel hub kits for different model Cruisers and Hilux vehicles, and they come complete with all bearings, seals, washers and the like. All the bearings are made in Japan, have a Rockwell hardness rating 2.5 points higher than the OE bearings, and are designed and manufactured for a longer service life. The seals are also the very best you can get, with improved sealing surfaces and construction to prevent oil loss and protect against ingress of unwanted substances. It was a job of a few hours to fit the new kit, but I knew if I had to do it the job would have taken a lot longer.
With all that work done, the Cruiser drives and steers better while the clutch feels healthier. Let’s hope we can do an outback trip before the year is out!