Hello to anyone reading along here. Well where should I start... this is my first time posting pretty well anything of significance online so please bare with me while I figure this all out haha.
2 years ago I made the move from the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the magnificent coast of Western Australia. I initially came for the work but stayed for the amazing 4WD adventures and my love for over landing and surfing. I instantly fell in love with the LandCruiser here and had to have one, But what do I buy? at first I thought they were all the same.. nothing could be farther from the truth. I had so many decisions to make for myself, Engine options, manual or auto, factory locking Diffs, PTO winches (never had I ever seen this before) for anyone buying their first cruiser you probably know how overwhelming this can be. To be honest it also didn't help I was extremely picky. Well after about 1 1/2 years of probably turning down just about every model made I came across a model I didn't even know existed - The BJ74!! I instantly knew this was the one for me, big enough for me to take all the gear I'd need for a week or two away but small enough to be a reliable daily around the city.
Now onto the vehicle!
So what exactly did I get? I picked up a Jap import 1986 BJ74. This thing was immaculate, with only 165 000 KM on the odometer it was just past the break in period hahah(from what I hear the 13BT is a beast). It really was in prime condition, what do I mean by that? it still has the factory plastic wrapping on the door panels. I mean they're a bit torn but its a good story to tell. Everything looked amazing inside and most of the exterior as well. With so much good there is always some bad right? Land cruiser = Rust... am I right? The driver door suffers from the red cancer but I could ask for it to me in a better place for repairs to be made so im not to upset.. for now anyways. I was pretty excited to finally have a vehicle running on 24 volts, being a heavy diesel mechanic this was right up my alley. I love how fast it cranks over with so much life!. The PTO winch is cool as I have never seen this used before but I think the cool factor will wear off and I will be left wanting an electric winch for a few reasons but non the less I'm still excited to try it out, maybe I'll change my mind. I'm really not sure how I feel about the FRP top at the moment I think i sit pretty neutral I don't hate it but I dont love it either. After all that is what makes the 74 iconic and recognizable. I have to say I absolutely love the 13BT it has the right amount of power and probably a bit of room to grow with some tuning and upgrades. I drove the early 2000's era Hilux for a few months with the 3.0L diesel and it was and absolute slug even going down hill hahah. I was kind of expecting this from the 13BT but that turbo works a treat and really gives it what it needs to keep up in traffic and is not too bad on the hills/highway as well. The H55F is great, I dont have much to say here. it goes 1-5 and back again with no issues but a 6th gear on the highway would be nice but I'm probably dreaming here.
So what are my Plans for the ol girl?
- New suspension front/rear
- Tires/wheels not sure what size yet
- Some type of roof rack probably some form of exo cage but we'll see
- Rear Fit out
- Front/rear bumpers electric winch
- updated front seats with suspension bases
- Rust repair on door
- FRP surface crack repair
- Maybe a small 12V system for cruise control
- 24V stereo
Probably more to come but that is a start.
Attached are some pics of the unmolested rig. As I go along with the build ill probably be keeping all OEM parts just incase I want to go back to that original look.
2 years ago I made the move from the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the magnificent coast of Western Australia. I initially came for the work but stayed for the amazing 4WD adventures and my love for over landing and surfing. I instantly fell in love with the LandCruiser here and had to have one, But what do I buy? at first I thought they were all the same.. nothing could be farther from the truth. I had so many decisions to make for myself, Engine options, manual or auto, factory locking Diffs, PTO winches (never had I ever seen this before) for anyone buying their first cruiser you probably know how overwhelming this can be. To be honest it also didn't help I was extremely picky. Well after about 1 1/2 years of probably turning down just about every model made I came across a model I didn't even know existed - The BJ74!! I instantly knew this was the one for me, big enough for me to take all the gear I'd need for a week or two away but small enough to be a reliable daily around the city.
Now onto the vehicle!
So what exactly did I get? I picked up a Jap import 1986 BJ74. This thing was immaculate, with only 165 000 KM on the odometer it was just past the break in period hahah(from what I hear the 13BT is a beast). It really was in prime condition, what do I mean by that? it still has the factory plastic wrapping on the door panels. I mean they're a bit torn but its a good story to tell. Everything looked amazing inside and most of the exterior as well. With so much good there is always some bad right? Land cruiser = Rust... am I right? The driver door suffers from the red cancer but I could ask for it to me in a better place for repairs to be made so im not to upset.. for now anyways. I was pretty excited to finally have a vehicle running on 24 volts, being a heavy diesel mechanic this was right up my alley. I love how fast it cranks over with so much life!. The PTO winch is cool as I have never seen this used before but I think the cool factor will wear off and I will be left wanting an electric winch for a few reasons but non the less I'm still excited to try it out, maybe I'll change my mind. I'm really not sure how I feel about the FRP top at the moment I think i sit pretty neutral I don't hate it but I dont love it either. After all that is what makes the 74 iconic and recognizable. I have to say I absolutely love the 13BT it has the right amount of power and probably a bit of room to grow with some tuning and upgrades. I drove the early 2000's era Hilux for a few months with the 3.0L diesel and it was and absolute slug even going down hill hahah. I was kind of expecting this from the 13BT but that turbo works a treat and really gives it what it needs to keep up in traffic and is not too bad on the hills/highway as well. The H55F is great, I dont have much to say here. it goes 1-5 and back again with no issues but a 6th gear on the highway would be nice but I'm probably dreaming here.
So what are my Plans for the ol girl?
- New suspension front/rear
- Tires/wheels not sure what size yet
- Some type of roof rack probably some form of exo cage but we'll see
- Rear Fit out
- Front/rear bumpers electric winch
- updated front seats with suspension bases
- Rust repair on door
- FRP surface crack repair
- Maybe a small 12V system for cruise control
- 24V stereo
Probably more to come but that is a start.
Attached are some pics of the unmolested rig. As I go along with the build ill probably be keeping all OEM parts just incase I want to go back to that original look.
