Builds 1993 LJ71 in NYC: Build Thread (1 Viewer)

[misterclean]

Hello everyone, I've been lurking for some time now, and would like to introduce myself along with my newest build. I recently imported an 1993 LJ71 from Japan for my Dad to have as our latest Father+Son project car.

I had imported an LJ78 last year to get to know the platform and quickly fell in love while I wrenched on it, much of which I could not have executed without the help of the folks here on Mud! My Dad had always wanted a Land Cruiser, and grew fond of the 70 Series Prado during my LJ78 ownership. He ended up wanting a shorter, narrowbody -J71 to have as a longer-term project and enjoy during retirement.

I fully supported the idea, and ended up chasing one particular low-mileage LJ71 at the auctions in Japan. We finally won it at auction last October, and we picked it up at the port when it finally arrived last week. It's a 1993 SX A/T model with 40,000 Km. Upon inspecting the car in person, it's in great condition considering its age. It has no rust, but was repainted last year by the selling dealer prior to being sent back to auction. Thankfully, they did a good job and the respray was only done to repair the badly faded paint. Given its low mileage, I'm still wondering what life this LJ71 had lived prior to us purchasing it.

There are the typical worn items and issues to address that are expected with any 30-year old vehicle, so that's where Dad and I intend to start with this project. The goal is to build a clean, comfortable, "Street Cruiser" that is ready to tackle the rough streets of NYC. First up is changing all the fluids, mounting a set of new tires (and refinishing the wheels at the same time), alarm install, and a complete detail to get a baseline for the build.

After that, a belt service, Pyro/Water Temp/Boost gauges, and an exterior lighting upgrade are planned. To freshen up the interior, I have some leather seat covers I never got to install on my LJ78, along with some plans to install a double DIN head unit with CarPlay, backup camera, upgraded speakers, etc.

We both would have preferred a 1KZ-TE, but the 2L-TE in this LJ71 looks to be in good health so far. After we finish maintenance on the engine, we're going to remove the EGR system, most likely in the spring. New suspension will be going in during that time as well. Was thinking about Dobinson's Height Restoration Kit and was hoping someone here on Mud could chime in about J71 specific kit options.

I have gained heaps of knowledge from you folks here on Mud, so thank you all for that once again! My Dad and I have spent many hours combing through these forums in anticipation of our our own build, and have gotten endless inspiration from other members here.

Enough of me talking, though! Here's the LJ71!

At the auction:

Picking up at Port Newark:

My JNC770 jump pack wasn't enough for the LJ71, so this was the situation at the port:

And again after refueling, next to my "support truck" that couldn't provide any support at all since I forgot jumper cables! Had to call Hagerty Roadside for a jump.

But after this, I actually drove the truck home ~50 Miles and it was a delight to drive. Everything worked, though it was clear the suspension has sagged and the shocks are past their expiration date. The tires are also in need of replacement. Thanks for getting this far! That's it for this post, more to come!

 

[misterclean]

Some baseline photos:

 

[misterclean]

First order of business was changing the oil with Rotella T5 and an OEM filter I had in the stash from my LJ78.

First Transmission Pan drain & fill. I have a box of this in the stash, so I plan on repeating this drain and filling process until I need to reorder, and then evaluate the fluid to see where I stand. Also topped off the coolant with Toyota Red and changed the fuel filter at the same time.

 

[misterclean]

The first of many car washes - took a trip to the local coin operated wash bay so Dad could pressure wash the caked up grease at the knuckles. I think we will need a rebuild, as many of the wear items that did not perish due to mileage did so because of time. We'll keep progressively cleaning the car when we can to really get a good idea of what needs doing now and what can wait.

Paint looks good even after just spraying some water on it. I'll be ceramic coating the paint when I get the chance, and hopefully since the respray is quite new, I do not have to polish much.

 

[misterclean]

Finished up the keyless entry/alarm system today. The truck came with two sets of keys, one for the doors and the other for the ignition. I can't figure out why - it doesn't look like the steering column was ever tampered with. Perhaps the previous owner just liked having two sets of keys?

Either way, went with a Viper system since I installed a similar system on my old LJ78, and I've never really had a problem with DEI products.

For other 70 Series LJ and KZJ owners looking to install an alarm, I tapped the following:

12V Constant: Black/Red @ IGN Switch Harness, Under Dash
Starter Kill Relay: Uses Brown/Red @ IGN Switch Harness, Under Dash
Ignition Input: Black/Yellow @ IGN Switch Harness Under Dash
Door Trigger (Negative When Open): Black Wire Main Body Harness Plug @ Kick Panel
Door Lock - Lock, + Unlock Output: Red W/Black Stripe @ Connection to Door
Door - Unlock, + Lock Output: Red W/White Stripe @ Wire Harness to Door
Parking Light Flash: White Wire @ Black Plastic Connector, Steering Column

I ran wires to the siren and for a hood pin to the engine bay. Picked up some "nicer looking" hood pins on Amazon and Dad made a bracket out of some scrap metal since I preferred not to drill any unnecessary holes in the engine bay. Turned out well, and better looking than the old-style pins.

After getting the alarm buttoned up, I swapped the steering wheel for the one off my LJ78. The one that came on this truck was yellow like all of them. It's unclear what I'll end up doing with this. I might try repainting it, then wrapping it with the Amazon leather wrap, or perhaps try and source a custom wrap that covers the entire spoke.

Placed an order for a Dobinsons Stock Height Restoration Kit + Steering Damper today. The sales rep at Dobinsons said it would be a 3 month wait for the springs to arrive stateside, so I guess that will be a project saved for the Spring. Plenty of work to do in the meantime!

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Registry - U.S. 70's Registration.

I realize this has been tried before but with the increasing number of 70 Series in the U.S., I thought I would give it another shot. If you live in the U.S. ( nothing personal Canada ) and own a 70 Series can you post the type and state in which you reside. Feel free to post a photo. Hopefully...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[FJ73Texas]

It is not uncommon for the ignition to be swapped out by itself leaving you with two sets of keys.

It takes a bit of research but you can buy complete new lock sets from Toyota that will give you one key for everything.

 

[flx]

I was going to say that tou could have used the 4runner to push start the LJ71 but then saw it was an automatic x) Didn't new those little fellas had existed in auto.

A cute new truck anyway !

 

[FJBen]

Welcome!

I’d be all over a coolant flush and fan clutch rebuild and radiator flush/rebuild, thermostat change to make sure it’s running as cool as possible.

 

[Rigster]

Welcome!

I’d be all over a coolant flush and fan clutch rebuild and radiator flush/rebuild, thermostat change to make sure it’s running as cool as possible.

Welcome, that is a wonderful find with such low mileage. In addition to this, I would also strongly recommend if you do not have the service history to change out the timing belt. Even though it is not ready mileage-wise, if it is still original, its got to be drier than a cactus-fart. Small investment to ensure your peace of mind for such a nice low mileage engine

 

[misterclean]

Thanks for the comments everyone! Since I was a bit of a hoarder for my last LJ78, I actually have an OEM Timing Belt, V-Belts, clutch oil, and non-diluted Toyota Red ready to go for this LJ71. Just waiting on the weather to warm up a bit before tackling the install, and will likely be replacing the thermostat with the forum-reccomended Tridon 82C as well. I've poked around the hood and there is no timing belt sticker, but it does look like someone has removed the fan at one point and the v-belts have been replaced relatively recently. Either way, the belts are the first major mechanical job scheduled!

Before that, we'll be installing water temp and boost gauges along with a pyrometer using an OEM altimeter housing. I'd like to plumb up the gauges to get baseline readings of the engine vitals so I can accurately measure any improvements we eventually make. Still debating on where to mount the pyrometer probe - I mounted post-turbo on my last install and I want to mount pre-turbo this time around. I'm deciding between placing the probe in the soon to be deleted EGT flange, or remove the turbo and drill at the manifold.

As for the key, I was reading up on how to "re-key" the lock cylinders. If I can get a set of Toyota wafers and figure out how to do it the right way, I'll re-key the ignition cylinder to match the outer doors.

 

[misterclean]

In other news, I got the truck in the air on jackstands for the first time since picking it up, removed the wheels, and dropped them off to the powder coater. I originally wanted to do a DIY job and rattle can the wheels, but this design has nooks and crannies that are best addressed with a sand blaster versus by hand. The inside barrels were also caked with brake dust, a nightmare for any DIY guy.

Dad liked the less aggressive tread pattern (and price) of the Yokohama Geolandar G015, so we purchased a set of those in the forum-recommended 235/85R16 sizing to have mounted and road-force balanced after the wheels are refinished. We're going with a silver that's a few shades darker than OEM to give the truck a more modern, OEM+ look.

With the truck up in the air, it was a good time to have a better look at everything underneath. So far, so good. The yellow paint marks from the factory are still on the suspension components, which is nice proof that the mileage is indeed as low as it is on the odometer. However, the two rear shocks are leaking - the setup from Dobinsons can't come soon enough!

Like many other 70 Series, the high-mount stop lamp LEDs have gone a bit dim over the years. Has anyone where tried this LED 3rd Brake Lamp from AliExpress? Seems cheap enough, but in my experience, lighting from Ali is often hit or miss.

 

[misterclean]

I'm still waiting for the shop to finish restoring the wheels, and since it's quite cold in NYC this weekend, not planning to do much on the car.

I was able to get replacement keys cut for the door locks - the previous owner was quite the handyman and decided to label the door lock keys by cutting the plastic off and drilling a hole through them. He finished it off with a custom soldered copper wire keyring! Fixed that with some TR33 key blanks off eBay. If any owners need the OEM PN for 70-series keys (with the plastic head), it's 90999-00212.

In the meantime, working to mock up the gauges, which will be housed in the OEM altimeter cluster hood. Still debating on EGT probe placement - be it at the exhaust manifold or at the capped EGR pipe, but most definitely will be measuring pre-turbo temps.

Got a package from Buyee in today as well! Always love overnight parts from Japan. Ordered a complete lighting package to freshen up the exterior, and I'm pleased that the vendor off Yahoo Auctions Japan sent over DEPO pieces. As mentioned before, some of the AliExpress lighting I've ordered in the past had questionable fitment and quality, but these DEPO lenses look great and should fit well.

 

[misterclean]

Got the DEPO lighting installed, except for the headlights. I'll be waiting till the weather gets warmer to install those so I can freshen up the headlight buckets and ensure no grille clips break from cold temps.

Got the wheels back on the car, and they look great. Real happy with the slightly darker silver powder coat (Cosmic Grey) that gives it an OEM+ look. New tires are the same Geolandar A/T that came with the truck from Japan, but in 235/85R16 sizing.

Also spent a day detailing the exterior. Got to try out a new Rupes polisher and compound and finished it off with Cquartz Ceramic Coating. Brought out the shine in the paint!

Parts from Partsouq, Radd Cruisers and eBay are slowly coming in, so hopefully I can get started with the mechanical work soon.

Side note, does anyone know of a good thread on side window removal? I need to replace the window runs on mine, which I already have. I am debating on 1) If I should buy and install new weatherstrips on both inside and outside and 2) If my DIY ambition is enough to take on the job of removing-replacing-reinstalling the sliding window, or if a trip to the glass shop is in order.

 

[LDRF]

Got the DEPO lighting installed, except for the headlights. I'll be waiting till the weather gets warmer to install those so I can freshen up the headlight buckets and ensure no grille clips break from cold temps.

Got the wheels back on the car, and they look great. Real happy with the slightly darker silver powder coat (Cosmic Grey) that gives it an OEM+ look. New tires are the same Geolandar A/T that came with the truck from Japan, but in 235/85R16 sizing.

Also spent a day detailing the exterior. Got to try out a new Rupes polisher and compound and finished it off with Cquartz Ceramic Coating. Brought out the shine in the paint!

Parts from Partsouq, Radd Cruisers and eBay are slowly coming in, so hopefully I can get started with the mechanical work soon.

Side note, does anyone know of a good thread on side window removal? I need to replace the window runs on mine, which I already have. I am debating on 1) If I should buy and install new weatherstrips on both inside and outside and 2) If my DIY ambition is enough to take on the job of removing-replacing-reinstalling the sliding window, or if a trip to the glass shop is in order.

View attachment 3248705View attachment 3248706View attachment 3248709

Those wheels look fantastic!!!

 

[Nzpighunter]

Got the DEPO lighting installed, except for the headlights. I'll be waiting till the weather gets warmer to install those so I can freshen up the headlight buckets and ensure no grille clips break from cold temps.

Got the wheels back on the car, and they look great. Real happy with the slightly darker silver powder coat (Cosmic Grey) that gives it an OEM+ look. New tires are the same Geolandar A/T that came with the truck from Japan, but in 235/85R16 sizing.

Also spent a day detailing the exterior. Got to try out a new Rupes polisher and compound and finished it off with Cquartz Ceramic Coating. Brought out the shine in the paint!

Parts from Partsouq, Radd Cruisers and eBay are slowly coming in, so hopefully I can get started with the mechanical work soon.

Side note, does anyone know of a good thread on side window removal? I need to replace the window runs on mine, which I already have. I am debating on 1) If I should buy and install new weatherstrips on both inside and outside and 2) If my DIY ambition is enough to take on the job of removing-replacing-reinstalling the sliding window, or if a trip to the glass shop is in order.

View attachment 3248705View attachment 3248706View attachment 3248709

Taking them outs easy I had two screw drivers with masking tape round them to try protect the paint and just pop a corner and work your way round. Haven't put them back in but I've done the back windows and wasn't to bad with paracord so hopefully there just as easy

 

[misterclean]

Made some progress with the gauge pod installation. Originally I was going to mount the gauges in a modified altimeter hood, but I did not want to make a hole in the metal dash for the wiring and also did not want an unsightly gap when installing an altimeter hood on a dash pad without the OEM notch portion.

Dad and I decided on an SAAS from NZ - the fitment is okay at best and required quite a lot of trimming. Additional modification was required in order to mount a third gauge on the pillar pod that only came with two mounting cups. I used a GlowShift universal gauge cup sourced from Amazon and mounted it on the pillar pod using a 3D printed wedge. The end result is good, but I need to trim down the edge facing the windshield a bit more in order to get the gauges to face the driver's seat instead of the window.

As always, I aim to make every install I do as clean as possible: custom harnesses cut to length, soldered, and fabric taped prior to final fitting. Also used add-a-fuse connectors for the lighting and power harnesses for the gauges to make for a reversible installation in the event we move these gauges elsewhere.

 

[misterclean]

Parts are trickling in - we received the LED 3rd Brake Light from Aliexpress today as well as the knuckle rebuild kit from @Radd Cruisers. Looking forward to rebuilding the knuckles soon, hopefully within the next month after the complete belt service gets squared away.

Quality on the LED 3rd brake light is good, much better than the dim OEM one currently on the car. Since the OEM Koito lens and PCB is still serviceable, I may explore refitting new diodes to it.

 

[misterclean]

Since the pyrometer probe needed fitting and I wanted to monitor temps pre-turbo this time around, Dad and I got to work on removing the EGR system. I really want to give a hat tip to the members here - Dad and I spent a few hours going through the various threads here for ideas and info on how to properly remove the system. Shoutout to @GTSSportCoupe and @AirheadNut since their EGR Removal and Butterfly Valve discussions and findings were real helpful to us!

Also wanted to thank @Copydoc for this blockoff plate illustration:

This drawing helped us know that we had the right scrap metal on hand to make the blockoff plates, and I hope it can help other people here too!

For reference, this is what the engine bay looked like before we started:

After the fuel filter was moved out of the way, we disconnected the top vacuum sensor (blue plug), forward-most "UFO" valve and bracket, and intake tube connected to the throttle body:

The intake portion of the EGR pipe came off without any trouble, though admittedly I did marinate the nuts in PB Blaster in anticipation of a battle. With 40K Km on the odometer, this is already more than enough gunk for my liking. Glad we decided to tackle this job sooner rather than later.

 

[misterclean]

The exhaust side of the EGR came out without issue as well. I removed one nut from the top and the other from underneath. Here's what we were left with:

Dad got to work on the blanking plates by using the original gaskets removed from the system, and I got work removing the throttle body to clean it along with the parts of the engine bay exposed by our work:

I removed both butterfly valves while the throttle body was off the car. Also to note, the screws for the large butterfly plate are pressed on the other side of the shaft and the screws are easier to strip than those used for the small valve. I used a Dremel on the ends before trying to remove them, and ended up stripping one anyway. Had to notch it out to fit up a flat screwdriver. Here's the result:

I did not have both throttle body gaskets and the original ones had crumbled during disassembly. Having failed to see this coming and order gaskets from Partsouq before starting this project, I resorted to gasket maker. Not wanting to go to the parts store to get Permatex Blue, I used some Hondabond Dad had in his toolbox. If it doesn't hold up, I'll have to spring for those OEM gaskets. For those who need it, they are part numbers 17116-54030 and 17116-54011. Not available locally in the USA.

Started the reassembly process after getting the intake pipe cleaned: