75 vs 78? -- 70-series vs 80-series? (1 Viewer)

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75 vs 78:
  • 75 is generally more rugged
    • Stronger gearbox but less nice to operate
    • Stronger and simpler front suspension but not as comfy
    • pre-90 75 have bigger front axle
  • 75 has a better turn radius than 78 (and a lot better than a wide nose 78)

Good point -- intentions are a miss by me-- I'll add to the main post, but in short:

  • being able to travel damn near anywhere and not have to plan far ahead for hotels, etc. (e.g. ALCAN highway, the 101, etc.)
  • camping anywhere
  • deep woods camping with the ability to not get stranded
  • capability to reach places pretty much only Land Cruisers can get (to camp, etc.)
  • It's "sick" (aka "hella" to anyone who grew up on Nirvana and Radiohead, or "far out" to anyone who grew up on... The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc.. yeah)
  • I've been looking for a RHD, manual, 1HD-FT land cruiser for ages (and am already in the hole $5k for one that will never materialize)
  • Met and really liked the seller, who also seems meticulous (as can be seen with the mountain of tasteful work that has been done), and this is a major factor when I look to buy anything previously owned (i.e. "we buy the seller as much as the rig")
  • I've recently learned that I could easily put $100k into a rig over time and still not get it as pristine as a condition as this one is in. At least, that's what I've gathered over the past ~few months. So maybe going all-in with all the mods (which this one already has) makes the most sense?

I also prefer RHD, manual transmission, and diesel, so... there's also that.
I see nothing in this list pointing for the need of a Troopy vs a Land Cruiser SW.

The real point of a Troopy is being able to create an inside living space (and by living space I don't mean sleeping inside), that is the specificity where the Troopy shines and that no other 4wd can provide you stock.
If you want to live outside with the back of your 4wd setup as a big gear organizer or even setup the back as a big permanent double bed, a SW is perfectly fine for that purpose, and more versatile.
If you want to be able to spend time time in your vehicle, play cards, cook, eat, work, etc. then a Troopy is probably the only design suitable in stock form.
 
What gives me the fizz about your proposed purchase is the upgraded engine.
I love my 1991 HZJ75 but there are times when there just isn't enough power from the 1hz engine to maintain momentum and I'm forced to downshift, normally a snowed in uphill section.
Things my HDJ81 would breeze through take a bit more thought.
Just do it you will not be disappointed.
 
75 vs 78:
  • 75 is generally more rugged
    • Stronger gearbox but less nice to operate
    • Stronger and simpler front suspension but not as comfy
    • pre-90 75 have bigger front axle
  • 75 has a better turn radius than 78 (and a lot better than a wide nose 78)


I see nothing in this list pointing for the need of a Troopy vs a Land Cruiser SW.

The real point of a Troopy is being able to create an inside living space (and by living space I don't mean sleeping inside), that is the specificity where the Troopy shines and that no other 4wd can provide you stock.
If you want to live outside with the back of your 4wd setup as a big gear organizer or even setup the back as a big permanent double bed, a SW is perfectly fine for that purpose, and more versatile.
If you want to be able to spend time time in your vehicle, play cards, cook, eat, work, etc. then a Troopy is probably the only design suitable in stock form.

Here comes another newbie question.... what does "SW" stand for?

Also, thanks for the feedback. I hadn't connected the dots on that major distinction (livable inside is what sets the troopy apart, if needed). I guess for me, "stealth camping" would be something I'd certainly want to be able to do, which would shift things slightly toward the troopy in that case.
 
SW = Station Wagon
 
If you want comfort and excellent ride quality. The 80 is king for that.

It would take a lot of effort to get the 7x to the ride quality of the 80.

The 80 lacks in space though. If living-in is a requirement. The troopy is for you.

You can also haul more gear in a Troopy. So depending on what you want to do, the Troopy offers that flexibility.

78 vs 75.

For me, a 75 would be my choice. The 78 outside a 1HZ offers EFI. EFI gives better performance but is a little more complex than the 75s.

At the end of the day, all three are great options. And in many cases interchange parts.

Good luck
 
Excellent feedback! Thanks for the breakdown; Exactly what I was looking for.

If you're interested (being on I8MUD, I suspect you are), this is the one I'm looking at:


I met the owner last week to look at the rig, and it's exquisite to my less-familiar-with-70-series eyes, so I'm both scraping together what I can to buy it, while trying to firehose my way to learning as much as I can about 70-series so I don't get myself into something I didn't understand going into it -- mostly looking for pitfalls I didn't know about, that *everyone* knows about H(D)J75s, etc. -- and *everyone* of course excludes me since I'm playing catch-up with the switch from the 80-series search.

The current owner is a great dude from all accounts I've gathered, including my own from meeting him, and we often buy the owner as much as the vehicle. It's also apparent that he's meticulous when it comes to details, which showed in the walkaround he gave me of the rig. Darn near every nook and cranny has been touched, save for the engine bay (since they rebuild the engine, etc. before the stripped it down for a respray.

There's really nothing I don't like about the rig (other than the price), including its provenance.
Hello,

I checked the ad. This 75 Series looks good.

The 1HD is a good, reliable engine with enough power.

I would give this truck a try.

Remember, our Cruisers are always a work in progress.





Juan
 
If you want comfort and excellent ride quality. The 80 is king for that.

It would take a lot of effort to get the 7x to the ride quality of the 80.

The 80 lacks in space though. If living-in is a requirement. The troopy is for you.

You can also haul more gear in a Troopy. So depending on what you want to do, the Troopy offers that flexibility.

78 vs 75.

For me, a 75 would be my choice. The 78 outside a 1HZ offers EFI. EFI gives better performance but is a little more complex than the 75s.

At the end of the day, all three are great options. And in many cases interchange parts.

Good luck

Thanks, @Lo2aY! More great info.

Hello,

I checked the ad. This 75 Series looks good.

The 1HD is a good, reliable engine with enough power.

I would give this truck a try.

Remember, our Cruisers are always a work in progress.





Juan
Thanks, @Jaun! Appreciate you giving it a look. Cruisers being a perpetual work in progress certainly seems to be the rule lol.
 
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be tricky to eliminate electrics from the hd, but if you can afford to pay someone good, it would be a dream realm, I shall never have the pleasure to visit!
I daresay I couldn't afford to keep my troopy if I didn't do the work myself. Always carry tools, feel naked and unguarded without.

would be interested in feeling a h55 mated to a hd, to me as far I know, the h55 is a very slow trans..
1HD-FT like this truck has is fully mechanical.

H55 to a 1HD-# works with a 1HZ bellhousing. It should be fine if you're not planning power-up mods and have some mechanical sympathy. Don't load her up in 5th gear.

If you plan power-up mods and/or a heavy right boot, start piling up parts for a H15# swap.
 
Oh woah! There she is, fresh(ish) from Aus. Thanks for sharing!
Do you still have the BJ74?



Everyone is pretty much spot on. That 75 looks fantastic and has been built out nice. Yes it’s pricey, but it’s one of a kind in the US.

I’ve owned 6 80 series and they are fantastic. They are however not a troopy. If your goal is to camp, store gear and pretty much stop and live out of the rig, it’s a troopy hands down. The 1hd-ft will make this much more pleasurable to drive and takes one one of the “complaints” of the big troopy.



Yep I still have her. She looks a little different but not much.

1C61EDAA-F386-4318-B993-A351411FE7F0.jpeg
 
I think the 75/78 vs 80 question has been settled. For camping, you're better off with a 70. If you want a manual with the specs you provided, you're better off (in the USA) with a 70. For a 1HD... well, both are relatively rare.
I have no clue what the asking price on that HDJ75 is, but I'm assuming it's a lot. For sure you "save" some money by buying this one, but honestly the biggest thing for these vehicles is rust. Can't overstate this enough. If there is rust anywhere, then walk away, and buy a rust-free model and built it out yourself (unless, of course, time is of the essence, which, based on your longterm search, doesn't seem to be the case). You can replace engines, transmissions, seats, add a pop-top roof, etc., but you can never truly rid a chassis/body of rust.
However, the Trakka roof is really, really cool, and in my opinion, the best-looking (NB - not the best) roof there is for the Troopy.
But those rims... those rims have to go, pronto!!!
Welcome to the madness!
 
I think the 75/78 vs 80 question has been settled. For camping, you're better off with a 70. If you want a manual with the specs you provided, you're better off (in the USA) with a 70. For a 1HD... well, both are relatively rare.
I have no clue what the asking price on that HDJ75 is, but I'm assuming it's a lot. For sure you "save" some money by buying this one, but honestly the biggest thing for these vehicles is rust. Can't overstate this enough. If there is rust anywhere, then walk away, and buy a rust-free model and built it out yourself (unless, of course, time is of the essence, which, based on your longterm search, doesn't seem to be the case). You can replace engines, transmissions, seats, add a pop-top roof, etc., but you can never truly rid a chassis/body of rust.
However, the Trakka roof is really, really cool, and in my opinion, the best-looking (NB - not the best) roof there is for the Troopy.
But those rims... those rims have to go, pronto!!!
Welcome to the madness!
I prefer simple easy to clean rims. Not too keen on splits personally, they can be dangerous reassembling, and they can pop from fine dust ingress, I have experienced in the desert. But they are for the true remote location enthusiast for sure.

I don't mind paying the tyre shop to put them on and balance, and my spare shall get me the 200-400km to them.
 
1HD-FT like this truck has is fully mechanical.

H55 to a 1HD-# works with a 1HZ bellhousing. It should be fine if you're not planning power-up mods and have some mechanical sympathy. Don't load her up in 5th gear.

If you plan power-up mods and/or a heavy right boot, start piling up parts for a H15# swap.

Great info! I didn’t consider the transmission pairing with the engine.

From some quick reading, if sounds like the H151F pairs better with the 1HD-#. Does that sound about right?
Everyone is pretty much spot on. That 75 looks fantastic and has been built out nice. Yes it’s pricey, but it’s one of a kind in the US.

I’ve owned 6 80 series and they are fantastic. They are however not a troopy. If your goal is to camp, store gear and pretty much stop and live out of the rig, it’s a troopy hands down. The 1hd-ft will make this much more pleasurable to drive and takes one one of the “complaints” of the big troopy.



Yep I still have her. She looks a little different but not much.

View attachment 3191647
Gorgeous. Colorado looks pretty nice too.
 
Great info! I didn’t consider the transmission pairing with the engine.

From some quick reading, if sounds like the H151F pairs better with the 1HD-#. Does that sound about right?

Gorgeous. Colorado looks pretty nice too.
I don't want to poo the hd as I am 100% certain it is excellent, but the injectors are electric. To service hd injectors cost 600 each, for a 2h $100 aud each in comparison..not that the 2h is a comparable engine to the hd.

for example, just pointing out the difference in maintenance cost, which I look at closely.

you should service injectors every 100k kms. don't want to party poop, just beware from all angles. Depends on your future money supply.

also, I just kind of wonder why they stayed with the h55 (maybe they had a beautiful shiny one in their pocket at the time), don't get me wrong, I have 1 and half of them, I like them. Just, you can't tow in 5th gear with them...there is better gear boxes I believe..

Still, overall, it would be hard to get something better than this one.

God, I wish it would stop raining here for pity sake..
 
I don't want to poo the hd as I am 100% certain it is excellent, but the injectors are electric. To service hd injectors cost 600 each, for a 2h $100 aud each in comparison..not that the 2h is a comparable engine to the hd.

for example, just pointing out the difference in maintenance cost, which I look at closely.

you should service injectors every 100k kms. don't want to party poop, just beware from all angles. Depends on your future money supply.

also, I just kind of wonder why they stayed with the h55 (maybe they had a beautiful shiny one in their pocket at the time), don't get me wrong, I have 1 and half of them, I like them. Just, you can't tow in 5th gear with them...there is better gear boxes I believe..

Still, overall, it would be hard to get something better than this one.

God, I wish it would stop raining here for pity sake..
The 1HD-FTE is an EFI engine. The 1HD-FT is not. It is a full mechanical engine in the same way that a 1HZ or 1HD-T is.

The H55 was factory in this truck, and I'd expect would need some transmission tunnel mods to fit in a H15# which is what mr Yota put behind the 1HD-#
 
The 1HD-FTE is an EFI engine. The 1HD-FT is not. It is a full mechanical engine in the same way that a 1HZ or 1HD-T is.

The H55 was factory in this truck, and I'd expect would need some transmission tunnel mods to fit in a H15# which is what mr Yota put behind the 1HD-#
ahh sorry, my mistake and my learning. Muddling the hd-fte and hd-ft. Are the injectors on the hd-ft electric? The hd-ft is direct injection isn't it.?
I should just research it by myself, but, maybe good things to discuss upon this build for some general education for an ignoramus like me. Just learning, and perhaps a pause before someone spends lots of money.

The build does look marvelous.

Just from my ignorance, I still wonder why not put a h15# whilst changing the engine. I guess transmission tunnel mods would be even bigger a job to what is already heaps of work.

How would you have done the same build HJ? Recognizing you are experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable.
 
ahh sorry, my mistake and my learning. Muddling the hd-fte and hd-ft. Are the injectors on the hd-ft electric? The hd-ft is direct injection isn't it.?
I should just research it by myself, but, maybe good things to discuss upon this build for some general education for an ignoramus like me. Just learning, and perhaps a pause before someone spends lots of money.

The build does look marvelous.

Just from my ignorance, I still wonder why not put a h15# whilst changing the engine. I guess transmission tunnel mods would be even bigger a job to what is already heaps of work.

How would you have done the same build HJ? Recognizing you are experienced, dedicated and knowledgeable.
The 1HD-FT is full mechanical. All the 1HD-# are direct injection, as are 12H-T, 13B-T, 14B-T, 15B-# etc.

I like the FTE, esp. for a build with a few horses because you can get very good boost and fuel control with a unichip with boost control setup.

Having said that, the simplicity of the mechanical engines is appealing. Personally, if this was a build for me (or a customer) I'd be steering it towards a H152 which is the gearbox out of the MY16 onwards 70 series. You get the shorter first gear of the H150 (early coil spring front 70 and 1HZ powered 80, and the slightly higher 2nd of a H151 which is factory HDJ80/FZJ80/FZJ105/HDJ100 and the taller 5th which is very nice on the highway. I can't leave an engine alone and the H15# do much better with power up mods. Having said that, my FJ62 has had a H55 behind a supercharged 3F-E for close to 12 years now and it's been fine, I'm just mindful not to let her rip in 5th gear.

I'd like to measure sometime, i wonder if a coil spring 7# transmission 'hump' would fit easily into the cab of a 75. The newer cab is deeper so might not be as simple as I hope. If it worked, would be a nice neat way to do it.
 
The 1HD-FT is full mechanical. All the 1HD-# are direct injection, as are 12H-T, 13B-T, 14B-T, 15B-# etc.

I like the FTE, esp. for a build with a few horses because you can get very good boost and fuel control with a unichip with boost control setup.

Having said that, the simplicity of the mechanical engines is appealing. Personally, if this was a build for me (or a customer) I'd be steering it towards a H152 which is the gearbox out of the MY16 onwards 70 series. You get the shorter first gear of the H150 (early coil spring front 70 and 1HZ powered 80, and the slightly higher 2nd of a H151 which is factory HDJ80/FZJ80/FZJ105/HDJ100 and the taller 5th which is very nice on the highway. I can't leave an engine alone and the H15# do much better with power up mods. Having said that, my FJ62 has had a H55 behind a supercharged 3F-E for close to 12 years now and it's been fine, I'm just mindful not to let her rip in 5th gear.

I'd like to measure sometime, i wonder if a coil spring 7# transmission 'hump' would fit easily into the cab of a 75. The newer cab is deeper so might not be as simple as I hope. If it worked, would be a nice neat way to do it.
interesting that you would go for the h15#.
And if a customer wanted something with minimal to no electrics, indirect injection for ease of biodiesel use (direct injection can be succesful with bio but often more problematic I believe). What would you recommend?
 

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