Importing HJ60 from Canada

[rapovt]

I bought a hj60 from New Brunswick and the deal was that the guy I bought it from would deliver it to me in Vermont. He loaded it up with a chunk out of the frame and got to the border in Houlton, Maine. The 5 US Border guys debated for about 2 hours whether to let it in. 4 guys said let it go through but one said no. He said that you could fix the frame and drive it. He must have have been the top dog because his opinion ruled. So they went back,chopped off the roof and cut it in half under the drivers seat. This time right through with no duty.

[HZJ60 Guy]

Ok I dont understand. Do you want this truck to drive, or just want the drive train? Because I have a street legal HJ60 here in Washington. They are easy (relatively) to import. You can import HJ60's, BJ60's, and BJ70's because they WERE brought into Canada.




TB

[rapovt]

I bought it for it's drivetrain. It was very rusty

[VTCruiser]

glad to hear you got it in successfully in the end. the boarder can be a b*stard....especially with a whole truck...good luck with the swap!

[Stickboy]

It's too bad that the customs guys can't come up with a consistent definition of "inoperable".

When I brought the bj74 in some said engine/tranny removed, others said, frame cut. They all settled on the 1' chunk of frame out. I think the key is to really give them a heads up and bug them with confirmations (get names, etc...) until they know you by first name. Stop on the way up and confirm, take pictures etc... I brought a diagram of the frame and had them highlight where and how much to cut out. I also made sure to find out the agent's schedule and go during the time the friendliest one is working even if it means waiting several hours/days in canada.

i also brought pics of the 60 the drivetrain was going into just to set in their minds I wasn't trying anything on the sly....

my 2 cents...
mike

[madams557]

HZJ60_Guy wrote:

"Ok I dont understand. Do you want this truck to drive, or just want the drive train? Because I have a street legal HJ60 here in Washington. They are easy (relatively) to import. You can import HJ60's, BJ60's, and BJ70's because they WERE brought into Canada."

I don't understand your comment completely. Are you saying that it is easy to import a BJ70 into the U.S. because they were brought into Canada? I can understand that maybe importing a HJ60 or BJ60 into the U.S. for legal driving might be possible because they had been in the past as a gasser, but the BJ70 was never imported to the U.S. so I don't think it would be easy, even relatively speaking, to import a BJ70 into the U.S.

I know that I've seen them in the U.S., but other than waiting till they are 25-years old, I'd like to know how to import one legally.

[Radd Cruisers]

Originally Posted by madams557

HZJ60_Guy wrote:

"Ok I dont understand. Do you want this truck to drive, or just want the drive train? Because I have a street legal HJ60 here in Washington. They are easy (relatively) to import. You can import HJ60's, BJ60's, and BJ70's because they WERE brought into Canada."

I don't understand your comment completely. Are you saying that it is easy to import a BJ70 into the U.S. because they were brought into Canada? I can understand that maybe importing a HJ60 or BJ60 into the U.S. for legal driving might be possible because they had been in the past as a gasser, but the BJ70 was never imported to the U.S. so I don't think it would be easy, even relatively speaking, to import a BJ70 into the U.S.

I know that I've seen them in the U.S., but other than waiting till they are 25-years old, I'd like to know how to import one legally.

Do a search on the board on importing and you will be better informed.

[madams557]

Spikerman - I've recently imported a 1978 FJ45 from Canada, so I've already done quite a bit of research on the subject. Through the course of my research, I never saw any way to import an BJ70 and I never saw anything in the NHTSA, EPA, Customs, or NAFTA regulations that covered the fact that if a vehicle was imported into Canada that it would be possible to bring it to the U.S.

The reason I asked the question is because maybe I missed something. Would I like to have a BJ70? Absolutely. Hell, the BJ74s that I saw up in Alberta would be great to have here, but I just never saw a way to legally import one. Off the top of my head, the only way to bring a BJ70 into the U.S. would be to wait until one turned 25 years old. That way you would satisfy the NHTSA requirement - unless they change it and move the age requirement further back.

[Stickboy]

Check out thread "Everything I Ever Learned About Importing" 1st Post, Part 1, b-f. Talks specifically about BJ70's. Alex know's her stuff, definately the most well versed in this area.

-mike

[madams557]

Stickboy - I have read that post and it comes down to two key points - either a letter from Toyota (which is close to impossible) or a registered importer (which is far to costly). As for my experience, there are no Toyota's listed on the EPA list when I pulled the list up on their website in the Summer of 03, nor were there any Toyota's listed on the NHTSA list of acceptable vehicles. In the end, it looks like Registered Importers have a natural monopoly thanks to government red tape.

I'm not sure about the 'willing' of a vehicle, but here is an example given to me by the gentleman in D.C. who was considered an expert. A Canadian citizen came to the U.S. and brought with her a Pontiac 1000 or something along those lines. It was made in Canada and by a reconized U.S. manufacturer. However, she became a U.S. citizen and attempted to register her vehicle in the U.S. and applied for a NAFTA waiver. The car failed to pass U.S. safety standards because the Daytime running lights on her Canadain spec'd car did not meet current U.S. standards of the same manufacturing year.

Does it make since to me?? No. But this gentleman's advice was to always go through a Registered Importer because they are held liable for insuring U.S. compliance. My new goal in life is to figure out what it takes to be considered a Registered Importer.

I do remember reading that the restrictions on Diesels were a little lighter than on gassers, and it seemed that they would be easier to import. It should also be noted that a Land Cruiser with only two doors is considered a truck and therefore is levied a 25% tariff as opposed to a 2.4% tariff on passenger vehicles. The NAFTA exemption waives all tariffs, however for a non-Canadian product to qualify, it has to go through an extensive transformation. This transformation is based off of Customs product codes. If Toyota axles, tranny, engine, and body was imported into Canada separately then assembled in Canada, then that would qualify for NAFTA.

Okay, now I'm just ranting. I guess I'm just frustated because I wish we had more BJ70s in the states and the whole process was more simplified.

Michael

[squeezer]

In a nutshell... If the same body style of cruiser was sold in the US they can be brought in 100 legally from Canada.

This does not include any 70 series.... I will put 100 bucks on the line if anybody can show me a 100% legal way for someone living in the US to import a 70 without employing a RI.

-cb

[Landpimp]

I will add $100 to the pot I want a legal bj74, not a sorta legal one

Originally Posted by squeezer

In a nutshell... If the same body style of cruiser was sold in the US they can be brought in 100 legally from Canada.

This does not include any 70 series.... I will put 100 bucks on the line if anybody can show me a 100% legal way for someone living in the US to import a 70 without employing a RI.

-cb

[Stone]

A BJ70 is one thing...but I think trying to get a RHD BJ74 or any of the other 70 series that were never made available to North America would be a whole other can of worms altogether. :(