Builds 1995 HZJ77 wagon build - Japan sourced (5 Viewers)

[Pip Bernadotte]

I’ll have to dig through my paperwork to figure out all the forms I did. iirc I had 4 main forms for importation. Deregisteation from Okinawa was more involved than export/import. I did not have any surprise costs aside from buying two new batteries when I picked up the truck.

I didn’t pay taxation either in Ohio during registration because I retained my Japanese title showing ownership prior to importation. This provision should apply to you but may vary state by state.

Deregistration should be alright. I'm the one who did the original registration paperwork when I bought it, so I already know which office I need to go to. Yeah... I'll have to see how the Chinesium batteries the PO had in it hold up to being shipped.
Cool! I hope SC does the same with taxes~ it would be nice to not have to pay that if possible.

Alright, sweet! Most people keep telling me to just swallow the 4-600$ for an importer and expect everything all up to be 4-5000$... and I'm like... really? So it's great to hear that you were able to do it yourself, and on the cheap.

 

[Blomdala]

Deregistration should be alright. I'm the one who did the original registration paperwork when I bought it, so I already know which office I need to go to. Yeah... I'll have to see how the Chinesium batteries the PO had in it hold up to being shipped.
Cool! I hope SC does the same with taxes~ it would be nice to not have to pay that if possible.

Alright, sweet! Most people keep telling me to just swallow the 4-600$ for an importer and expect everything all up to be 4-5000$... and I'm like... really? So it's great to hear that you were able to do it yourself, and on the cheap.

I was told that you need to use an ICF(?) or basically and import broker to do the paperwork at the port and such. No whether this is "required" or "totally worth a few hundred to not have to deal with the crazy paperwork and rules", I'm not sure. I did email a random shipper listed on port of hustons site, they quoted me ~3-4k for roll on roll off from Yokohama to Huston. I don't know if that included their brokerage service as well.

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

My cruiser is finally stateside! (As of June 12th.)
And I was able to pick it up the 16th! Though port fees, taxes, broker fees, port guide, etc came out to an additional $1,200-1,300 that I wasn't expecting... T_T so that hurt...

But it's here and I'm happy. (Though not too happy because State Farm said that I can't put it on my policy until late July...) so by it's gonna be sitting in my parents driveway for another month.

So, in the meantime, projects!

Project One: speedometer dial upgrade from KPH (only) to MPH/kph

Took the face plate cover off to attach the printed gauge face, but I couldn't figure out how to remove the needle... so I ended up cutting the face just enough to slip it over the needle. The face is held in by the two screws on either side of the needle, and some double sided tape. The printed face also didn't have a spot for the timing belt warning light, so I had to cut that out as well. All-in-all though, it looks quite good.

Project two: fix the foam on the AC ducts on the dash panel. For this I just went down to home depot and grabbed some 1/4" wide weather stripping, peeled off the old falling-apart foam and adhesive, a ND then stuck the weather stripping on. No more cold/hot air lost to the dash!

Project Three is a bit more ambitious.... I'm gonna try to fix the body rust on my rocker panels... (It appears that they got a bit more chewed up by the salt in Sapporo, Hokkaido with the previous owner than I originally thought... )

This is the passenger side portion right below the rear door where it meets the foot step and the rear fender flares.

This is the driver's side portion in the same spot right below the front of the rear fender flares below the door.

It seems to be primarily affecting the outer rocker panels on both sides so far, but I won't know for sure until I do some cutting... Wish me luck? Any tips? (or suggestions for people who can do body work in South Carolina? lol)

 

[FJ73Texas]

Welcome back to the USA but I assume you have been back for a bit now.

The needle can be tricky to remove. I used one of the plastic tools commonly used for interior panel clip removal but I guess that suggestion is moot by now since you finished it up. Looks really good.

 

[coldtaco]

I used two small spoons placed opposite each other under the head and pry up gently evenly

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

Forgot to add the "just arrived in the states" photos from when I picked it up at the port. It was a drive back to Columbia from Savannah with the Uhaul.

It was definitely NOT fun trying to get all the writing and tape and stuff off of the windhshield... even with a razor blade and "Goo Gone". Thankfully I'll be replacing it next week.

I find it humorous how tiny my parents look next to it in the trailer.

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

Found a place online that does vinyl window stickers and had to add a JDM/日本 with the white symbol in the circle next to it being the symbol for "Nagoya" which is the city I lived in while in Japan.

They joined the Clemson Tiger paw and SC palmetto tree stickers I already had on there while I was in Japan. (Had a bit of SC in Japan, and now a bit of Japan in SC)

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

So, my best friend and roommate got a bit jealous that I now have an (another?) off-road vehicle, and ended up pulling the trigger on a Discovery II.

So I've been working on a 1979 FIAT 124 spider, a 2001 Land Rover Discovery II, and my 1995 HZJ77 in a weird rotation (as parts for each arrive) over the past 5 weeks.

The Rover is being dubbed "Frankenstein" because we're using whatever parts we have at the moment, and will be engine swapping it when the V8 finally explodes sometime down the road.

As such, we're modding it however we want as well. So I made a new differential shifter and brake lever cover for it. We like it so much we're gonna do the headliner in the same fabric.

 

[D21FJ60]

I know people hate on the LR products but Disco IIs are fantastic looking trucks. Any idea what the swap will be once teh v8 grenades? Make sure to do the front prop shaft upgrade since htey come factory non serviceable and eventually grenade.

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

He also needed a new license plate cover, and I had a spare from my HZJ.


I had to fabricate a new door mounting bracket and wire in some new LED lights

Thus, I bring to you: the Toyota Discovery II (heresy, I know.)

We just thought it would bebfunny, because it's soon going to be a mix of parts from a variety of vehicles. (Land Rover, Toyota, Volkswagen, etc)

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

I know people hate on the LR products but Disco IIs are fantastic looking trucks. Any idea what the swap will be once teh v8 grenades? Make sure to do the front prop shaft upgrade since htey come factory non serviceable and eventually grenade.

We're looking at swapping in a VW TDI engine (or possibly an imported 1KD-FTV from a Prado).Depends on $$, time, and difficulty of the separate swaps, but we definitely want to go diesel with it. (14mpg using Premium fuel is killing him at the moment VS my 22mpg diesel in the 77)

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

Anyways, back to the 77!

I like the look of the 1999+ signal housings and lenses, but don't like the clear lenses... (clear on left, orange on right)

so I decided to change them out. (I also finally got around to adding the flashy little "DIESEL" badge to the front grill)

I also installed the 24v LED turn signal bulbs and new flasher from Odd Iron Off Road. (They're REALLY nice, and make the signals a LOT brighter) - Picture is of the new flasher wired into the under-the-steering wheel relay box

Oh yeah... sadly with the 77 and the Fiat moving into the drive way we were kind of running out of room, so my '74 FJ40 had to be moved into storage... I can't wait to finally have a shop space where I have enough room to give it the love it deserves.

Poor old 40....

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

The HZJ77 vs the Fiat 124 Spider

It's just so tiny in comparison...

Also, I did the math and the average age of the four vehicles that I own is 38 and I'm turning 33 next weekend... I guess I have a thing for classics.

 

[FJ73Texas]

Let me know how your windshield install goes.

I take mine in tomorrow to get a new OEM windshield installed. First one I got ended up being broken on one of the bottom corners. Long story but short version is that I missed it when I picked it up (I think...).

Glass is a such PITA.

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

Let me know how your windshield install goes.

I take mine in tomorrow to get a new OEM windshield installed. First one I got ended up being broken on one of the bottom corners. Long story but short version is that I missed it when I picked it up (I think...).

Glass is a such PITA.

The windshield was a bit of a PITA... but we got it in. I ended up getting a new gasket from Cruiser Outfitters because the one I had from megazip was for the chrome trim and I'm not a huge fan of it.

Incidentally, I now have the chrome trim and a new (1year old) gasket for a HZJ77 if anyone wants one?

 

[Bing173rd]

Can't delete, wrote in the wrong thread.

 

[FJ73Texas]

The windshield was a bit of a PITA... but we got it in. I ended up getting a new gasket from Cruiser Outfitters because the one I had from megazip was for the chrome trim and I'm not a huge fan of it.

Incidentally, I now have the chrome trim and a new (1year old) gasket for a HZJ77 if anyone wants one?

Glad you got it changed out. I have been happy with my "chrome-less" gasket also.

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

I've been negligent in posting... But here's what I've been up to:

I finally mounted the passenger side "oh s***" handle (grab handle) on the A-pillar. There weren't any holes for it, but I just pulled up the headliner and drilled two in the same spots that it is on the driver's side.

One of the holes (the upper one) went through the sheet steel rather easily.

The second one didn't... so I stopped drilling to check and guess what I found? There was already a captured nut there? (BUT not on the upper one?!? WHY???)

Anyways, I painted them both to keep them from rusting, and then popped a nut-cert into the upper hole and bolted the handle on. Easy-Peasy. (and now my OCD for random things is satisfied because there are grab handles on both sides of the truck)

 

[Pip Bernadotte]

Next project was taming the rust on the rear sills... It's pretty bad, but I don't have the confidence to fix it at the moment... so I wire wheeled them to get the thicker rust off and then put POR15 on it. It'll hold for now until I can get to it later.

I've done some body work before, and I'm decent at welding (I made patch panels and welded them into the floor pans in my 1979 Fiat spider)... so if there's anyone in the South Carolina / North Carolina area that's willing to help, I'd appreciate it.

 

[FJ73Texas]

I am afraid to look too deep into the sheetmetal of mine now.

Regarding the handle install. On the PZJ70 I had which was LX trim...the headliner stopped (where you see the sewn line) at the top of the windshield instead of going all the way down to the dash. On my HZJ77, it goes all the way down the A pillar to the dash like in your pictures and I hate that because I would like to add a handle also but too afraid to start peeling back headliner.