I have a 1985 BJ73. It's extremely cool and I like it a lot. However. It is a little short on space, and it has quite a few issues, e.g. needing new suspension, leaky windscreen, grumbly gearbox bearings, noisy diff, a few bits of minor rust and panel damage, doors don't seal right & rattle, needs new paint, e.t.c. e.t.c. The normal stuff a 4wd truck is starting to get at 32 years of age & 300,000+ km
I am considering my options. I want to stay with the 70 series because I spent a lot of time driving a lot of them while working in Australia, I like the basic, solid interior and the industrial aesthetic of the trucks.
What it's to be used for is: My only vehicle. Daily driver to some degree (I live 1.9km from the office and mostly bike to work so it doesn't do a lot of town k's). Touring type 4wding - not extreme rock crawling or playing in massive mud holes, but long highway K's, gravel roads, driving up alpine river beds, some beach travel. Something where I can chuck some 33" AT's on it, a rack on the top for kayaks, and fit gear in the back with enough space for 4 people. Looking for good fuel economy and reliability over maximum power.
Options I am looking at:
1: Keep and fix up the BJ73 and just use it. I paid only $5000NZ for it and I've had it for 2 years now and done 30,000km ish, but it might take another 15-20 grand or more to get it where I want - rear bar, new suspension, fix rust, fix paint, turbo, gearbox rebuild, find a FF rear diff, lockers (new diffs), possible injector pump rebuild, etc. I also don't have a shed or garage suitable to do much of the work in myself. Pros: no initial outlay, just fix things as they come up. Cons: it's still 32 years old and space inside is a bit limited. Turbo install requires certification to be legal, modified vehicle insurance etc might be expensive and a pain. Parts are a bit hard to find. Rust repairs seem like they're never "final". 24V is a slight hassle.
2: Sell the BJ73, buy a HZJ77 if I can find a decent one (possibly import from Japan) Pros: Nice torquey NA engine, no modified vehicle certification required, reliable, proper heavy duty 70 series gearbox & axles, lots of space. Cons: Most of them in NZ have the 1PZ not the 1HZ, they're all probably rusty in the same places as my 73, and have many of the same problems as they all seem to have 300,000+ km, the 1HZ is a bit of a slug still.
3: Sell the BJ73, buy a VDJ76. Pros: They're awesome. New vehicle, parts more available, probably less rusty and broken. Cons: They're expensive. So expensive. So so so expensive. And a common rail rebuild or maintenance costs an absolute fortune.
4: Sell the BJ73, buy a cheap LJ78 and convert it to 5-speed and either 1KZ-T (mechanical injector pump is available in NZ) or 3L-T. Pros: Cheap, coil sprung, I like the 2-tone brown ones. Cons: Modification hassles, not heavy duty gearbox or diffs, I don't trust the electronic 4wd select button on the R151 as it failed in my Surf. I don't want a factory KZJ78 because I prefer the LJ78 (real 70 series) interior.
What do people think?
List of stuff my BJ73 needs that I can think of off the top of my head:
-New paint
-Minor rust repairs in rear DS arch, firewall seam, windscreen frame, doors, rear light buckets.
-Probably a new fibreglass windscreen frame and seals
-Rear DS quarter panel repaired (panel damage)
-Turbo.
-Gearbox rebuild or at the very least new bearings
-Full float rear diff
-New springs, shocks, steering damper
-At least a rear locker
-Power steering pump (bearing?) is a bit noisy
-Injector rebuild probably
-Injector pump rebuild eventually
-Rear bar
-Clutch booster delete (change to non-boosted HZJ73 master cyl?)
-Brakes rebuilt
-Doors repaired (cracks etc)
-Surface rust on chassis treated
-New seals on FRP top sliding windows
-Minor FRP top damage repaired
I am considering my options. I want to stay with the 70 series because I spent a lot of time driving a lot of them while working in Australia, I like the basic, solid interior and the industrial aesthetic of the trucks.
What it's to be used for is: My only vehicle. Daily driver to some degree (I live 1.9km from the office and mostly bike to work so it doesn't do a lot of town k's). Touring type 4wding - not extreme rock crawling or playing in massive mud holes, but long highway K's, gravel roads, driving up alpine river beds, some beach travel. Something where I can chuck some 33" AT's on it, a rack on the top for kayaks, and fit gear in the back with enough space for 4 people. Looking for good fuel economy and reliability over maximum power.
Options I am looking at:
1: Keep and fix up the BJ73 and just use it. I paid only $5000NZ for it and I've had it for 2 years now and done 30,000km ish, but it might take another 15-20 grand or more to get it where I want - rear bar, new suspension, fix rust, fix paint, turbo, gearbox rebuild, find a FF rear diff, lockers (new diffs), possible injector pump rebuild, etc. I also don't have a shed or garage suitable to do much of the work in myself. Pros: no initial outlay, just fix things as they come up. Cons: it's still 32 years old and space inside is a bit limited. Turbo install requires certification to be legal, modified vehicle insurance etc might be expensive and a pain. Parts are a bit hard to find. Rust repairs seem like they're never "final". 24V is a slight hassle.
2: Sell the BJ73, buy a HZJ77 if I can find a decent one (possibly import from Japan) Pros: Nice torquey NA engine, no modified vehicle certification required, reliable, proper heavy duty 70 series gearbox & axles, lots of space. Cons: Most of them in NZ have the 1PZ not the 1HZ, they're all probably rusty in the same places as my 73, and have many of the same problems as they all seem to have 300,000+ km, the 1HZ is a bit of a slug still.
3: Sell the BJ73, buy a VDJ76. Pros: They're awesome. New vehicle, parts more available, probably less rusty and broken. Cons: They're expensive. So expensive. So so so expensive. And a common rail rebuild or maintenance costs an absolute fortune.
4: Sell the BJ73, buy a cheap LJ78 and convert it to 5-speed and either 1KZ-T (mechanical injector pump is available in NZ) or 3L-T. Pros: Cheap, coil sprung, I like the 2-tone brown ones. Cons: Modification hassles, not heavy duty gearbox or diffs, I don't trust the electronic 4wd select button on the R151 as it failed in my Surf. I don't want a factory KZJ78 because I prefer the LJ78 (real 70 series) interior.
What do people think?
List of stuff my BJ73 needs that I can think of off the top of my head:
-New paint
-Minor rust repairs in rear DS arch, firewall seam, windscreen frame, doors, rear light buckets.
-Probably a new fibreglass windscreen frame and seals
-Rear DS quarter panel repaired (panel damage)
-Turbo.
-Gearbox rebuild or at the very least new bearings
-Full float rear diff
-New springs, shocks, steering damper
-At least a rear locker
-Power steering pump (bearing?) is a bit noisy
-Injector rebuild probably
-Injector pump rebuild eventually
-Rear bar
-Clutch booster delete (change to non-boosted HZJ73 master cyl?)
-Brakes rebuilt
-Doors repaired (cracks etc)
-Surface rust on chassis treated
-New seals on FRP top sliding windows
-Minor FRP top damage repaired