$14,000

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J

jblueridge

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If I spend $13-14,000 buying a BJ73 from say Land Cruisers Direct, and then more $$$ on taxes and fees for registration and such, how much more should I budget for a basic heavy pre-emptive strike servicing?

I'd do as much as I can myself. I have a lot of tools.
 
Have you got a photo? depends on the condition, a quick maintenance check & small repair, fluid change $1,200. I just spent on oils, diffs, transmission & t-case, engine oil (two lots), oil, fuel & air filters, brake fluid and power steering fluid, $400.
 
Just hypothetical for now as I try to plan a budget.
Was wondering if there were any parts or systems that were failure-prone.
 
Fortunately ( at least from my experience ) the 70 Series has been very reliable. The bulk of the money that I have spent has been on accessories more so than maintenance. Adding accessories is somewhat addictive.
*The exception to the rule is if you are fighting rust ...... Rust can be a budget destroyer.
 
Most of these units coming in, for that price, have rust hiding all over the place under shiny wax...If I were you, I would go see a truck before buying it - and if it's raining, even better so you can see if it has any water leaks. Pic's do not always tell the tail of what is hiding underneath...
A little bubble under the paint can and usually does snowball into a :worms:! A bubble is just the tip of the iceberg!
Leaky cowls / windshields and crappy factory paint jobs (barely any primer and paint used) seem to be cause of many rotten 70 series.
 
$14K is a huge outlay of cash. I agree with 1 ton you want to look at it in person.

I could also not live with myself with a 3B powered truck. You must drive one before you commit. They are dogs.

13bt's are not that much better and things like the turbo gasket overhaul kit are obsolete (since 2005!).

review threads on service issues with the engine- it is becoming old now and parts for the engine can be a hassle.

On the other hand the body accepts parts from modern trucks easily. A 2014 door fits a 1984 truck.

personally, I would source a 1990 1hz 70 series, pay the storage fees, and wait a year for import. You would be much happier although you wont get cable lockers (but there are a pair for sale in chicago for those who must have them).

1hz "mo better"
 
I want a diesel and I thought the 13BT was pretty long lasting.
You advise to source a 1990 but also to see it in person.... I don't think I can travel overseas to check out the vehicle.
 
I don't think 13BT it's a dob by any means .. sure it's not a gasser or rocket engine .. but healthy with right mix of fuel and boost will surprise you ..
 
Tapage said:
I don't think 13BT it's a dob by any means .. sure it's not a gasser or rocket engine .. but healthy with right mix of fuel and boost will surprise you ..
Click to expand...

X2
 
Yeah, I like what I read about the 13BT.

What are my chances of getting a club member to inspect an import for me?

Oh, what's the word on the FRP removable tops? Is that a desirable feature?
 
jblueridge said:
Yeah, I like what I read about the 13BT.

What are my chances of getting a club member to inspect an import for me?

Oh, what's the word on the FRP removable tops? Is that a desirable feature?
Click to expand...
What is the destination for the Cruiser ( before you purchase it )?
 
Great rig bj74, 13bt, not a sports car, but good constant power & reliability, fun to drive, and has bells andd whistles included as factory, if right one found.
I would search 13bt, bj74 in the forum read as much as you can and understand where the areas of concern you should be aware of , main areas are rust around windscreen, rusting in arches and rockers, understand and identify colour of smoke being blown as well , less klms the better of course, more you maintain and play with it, which you will as we all of rip things apart to see how it works and then maintain it as required. These are relatively easy to work on, if you can read a FSM, follow instruction, have right tools, and ask for guidance from forum as required,....... plenty of guys have either done or doing same project as yourself, so plenty of resource here to get you going.
"When you buy a bj74 you actually get a whole lot more""
 
OP, canada has hzj 73's and hzj77's imports.

Without getting hot and heavy about the 13BT I can only say from driving that engine in a mwb 70 series for 3 years in arizona, it could not keep up with traffic on phx to tuc corridor, it near overheated on 8% grades 4-5 months out of the year, and parts were rare and I have better parts connections than conservatively 98% of people on mud.

the biggest con to the 4 cylinder series is lack of top end and power. 120bhp on its best day (3B is 90 hp) and 159ft/ib
the hz is 129/135 hp, 187 ft lb.

to add a turbo to a 3B for $2000 is idiotic.
 
Having swapped a 1HZ with 1HD-T turbo setup for the 2H in my HJ47 and planning on doing the same swap with my HJ75 Troopy, I love everything about the 1HZ...No wonder it's still in production today.
 
I was looking at Land Cruisers Direct, which is based in Salt Lake City, I think. Their website is not real wordy right now; it says they are building a new one(?)

Oh yeah, Canada. I'd have to stash it for a year, right? Give me the time to read up on import protocols I guess.
 
I just picked up a BJ74 today from Steve at Cruisers direct and was very impressed with his inventory and the way they prep the cars for sale.They do get checked and they take em for a testdrive which to me is the only way to find out what you got, of course they also get cleaned up a bit but I do not see the same tecniques as used by the shady Ebay importers ;-)

Plus they list about a hundred pics of the rigs with all the good and the bad stuff on it.

I buy also Cruisers directly in Europe whenever I am there and can tell you that maybe 5 % of the Euro Cruisers compare in condition of what Cruiser direct is bringing in,there was a BJ73 there with around 50 K kilometers that looked like it was a year or 2 old instead of being a late 80's model.

And if the 3b is to slow put a turbo on it,and if the 13bt is to slow then maybe by a different kind of car,I have owned 70 series' with the 1HZ in it and they are slower then the 13BT and I hate the fact that the 1HZ ones have a way to short first gear for regular driving,it might be good offroad or when pulling a heavy trailer though.

Just my 2 cents

Joe
 
If you want to run up and down your local interstate highway at 80 mph than perhaps you don't need a diesel Cruiser.
I drive my BJ74 on a daily basis and my speeds range from 5 to 70mph, all of which the Cruiser manages quite nicely without over heating.
 
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