75 and 79 Series Pickup Discussion and Importation (1 Viewer)

[Will Van]

I was having a discussion in the classifieds section about the logistics of importing a 75/79 series pickup, versus just building the truck with a stretched 80 frame. Rather than continue to hijack the seller's thread, I moved the discussion to the Tech section.

Does anyone make a turn-key 80 series frame ready to drop the 79 series pickup body onto?

The 75 to 79 series transition upgraded to front coil springs and the optional 1HZ motor? Any other significant design changes? H150/151?

Any creative (but not illegal) ways to avoid the Chicken Tax when importing a 75/79 Pickup?

@bottombracket
@Mr Cimarron
@FJ73Texas
@lowenbrau

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Is a 75 Series frame even compatible with a wide nose 79 Series?

 

[Mr Cimarron]

Is a 75 Series frame even compatible with a wide nose 79 Series?

No the front mounts are a bit wider or taller I believe

 

[Mr Cimarron]

The Subaru BRAT had seats in the bed for a reason.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I know the frame mounts for a 75 Series ARB brushbar and a 79 Series brush bar are different by approximately 3".

 

[Eco 45]

Is a 75 Series frame even compatible with a wide nose 79 Series?

It can be but you will need to widen the front fender mounts, not a hard job. The front mounts all seem to sit about the same height above the frame when comparing a 75 series, 79 series narrow and 79 series wide. Early 79 series (narrow) were basically 75 series with coils suspension on the front. Different inner fender parts but outsides were the same. As the V8 was wider thus came the introduction of the 79 series wide or as most people think of the 79 series. The frame was widened in the front 3 inches to make room for the engine and the new facelift was to cover the engine. US Customs has been educating their officers, at least up in the NW, so any truck coming in now should expect to be hit with the chicken tax. Only way to avoid it would be to buy a junk 70 series here and import the newer parts to make it look new. Parts aren't subject to the chicken tax, but there are other fees involve.

 

[FJBen]

The creative way to get one is buy parts and make one. there is someone in the classifieds selling newer cab/bed combos occasionally. It will be a huge project and $$$ but really cool.


There are no turnkey kits for 80 series frames. I can even imagine the price on those.

 

[lowenbrau]

Here is what I know on the topic. 70 series pickups were never officially intended for the North American market. They are imported to Canada and the US for industrial users (ie mines) but Toyota takes a dim view of them winding up on the pavement. I don’t think the chicken tax applies to NAFTA (soon to be CUSMA) Countries. It is a common misconception that Canada got all the good LandCruisers but we actually only got diesels from ‘78 to ‘87 and in ‘89 the last Cruiser with a Toyota badge imported for dealer sale was a lowly gasser FJ62. The mines, however were hooked on BJ75s by that point and the industrial market was well established. Enns Industrial imported thousands of Cruisers for underground use between then and now. These days Miller and others have joined in. Many wind up in US operations as well though I don’t know who the importer is.

Canada also gets credit for being a great source of Cruisers because a Calgary TLCA member figured out in the early 2000s that you could import affordable 15 year old JDM Toyotas that were often in very good condition. This started a wave of pop up importers that flooded the country in fantastic wheelers that satisfied a generation. Once folks realized that RHD can be a PITA and parts were difficult to find only the enthusiasts wound up with them. Insurers discovered that the JDM drift cars were a high risk and pressured the provincial authorities to make it difficult to own JDMs as well and the bloom came off the rose. The timing was about right for a bunch of them to be old enough to head south and it furthered the idea that Canada was a great source for Cruisers. Occasionally ( as now) the exchange rate has added to the incentive. These days the opportunity for the 70 series fan seems to be in body parts. Mine outfitters have given up on protecting bodywork with nurf bars and now just build custom steel boxes on HJ79s and sell the bodies as surplus. Often the axles will get swapped for Spicer planetary axles as well. In the end the 1HZ is really the drawing card for underground use. It uses less air than other options and survives for 10000 hours at the rev limiter.

My God that’s a long post let’s wind it up... And they all lived happily ever after.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

The creative way to get one is buy parts and make one. there is someone in the classifieds selling newer cab/bed combos occasionally. It will be a huge project and $$$ but really cool.


There are no turnkey kits for 80 series frames. I can even imagine the price on those.

I would suggest reading @c2dfj45 's multiple threads on building a 79 Series. I realize there are a lot of talented builders on 'MUD but the requirements of time, talent and money to build a 79 Series from parts definitely isn't for the faint of heart. I would personally suggest seeking the best 75 Series pickup you can find.

 

[bottombracket]

Land Cruiser Heaven is reportedly offering completely built trucks, but I do not know if they have accomplished this yet.

You may want to ping Frank and check in.

 

[FJ73Texas]

The Subaru BRAT had seats in the bed for a reason.

I can't remember the last time I have seen a BRAT. Just like our 70 series, they tend to return back to the earth quickly except for those plastic rear seats.

 

[FJBen]

Land Cruiser Heaven is reportedly offering completely built trucks, but I do not know if they have accomplished this yet.

You may want to ping Frank and check in.

View attachment 2313942

Interesting

Maybe I'm crazy, but $39k seems low. I guess that "starting at $39K" is pretty vague in what you actually get. I suppose this is one way to get a 79 in the US.

 

[bottombracket]

I think that is a VERY reasonable price point for a complete truck.

I specifically have NOT kept an accurate tally of costs for my 79 project, mostly because I don’t want to know, but also I want to be truthful if my wife asks me how much it cost!

“I don’t know. Really, honey, I don’t!”

 

[FJ73Texas]

I think that is a VERY reasonable price point for a complete truck.

I specifically have NOT kept an accurate tally of costs for my 79 project, mostly because I don’t want to know, but also I want to be truthful if my wife asks me how much it cost!

“I don’t know. Really, honey, I don’t!”

Just tell her that for every dollar you spend on your project, she can spend a dollar on her own.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

If I'm not mistaken Proffitt's was charging considerably more than that years ago and that was for a gas burner. If $39K is a fair price point, I'm way over budget.

 

[OGBeno]

I’d think very hard before plopping down $39k for Colombian manufacturing.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I’d think very hard before plopping down $39k for Colombian manufacturing.

But it will have a great paint job.

 

[FJBen]

If I'm not mistaken Proffitt's was charging considerably more than that years ago and that was for a gas burner. If $39K is a fair price point, I'm way over budget.

Yeah I thought of you on this Charles. I don't know if that $39K is the "we put the body on the frame and give you a VIN" portion or what it entails but still seems cheap. They do diesel conversions starting at $20k. 1HZ starts at $15k
You are buying an 80 series (unless rebuilt will have at least 150K miles), frame modifications, body modifications and were all those 79 body/bed combos

I think @Onur is right, it appears a lot may be sourced in SA. They say sourced with 1FZ and manual.

Although I will say I have NO idea the quality of their work. $39k could be a stellar price for that work, or a nightmare just beginning.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Onur would need to confirm but I believe a new 1HZ from Toyota is probably close to $12-14K.

 

[joekatana]

There is just no way that any business can offer a turnkey 79/80 for 39k , a private person with the right connections and time to wait for the right donor deals and free labor might be able to get close to that number but anyone at an hourly rate that needs to make a profit can’t even come close to that.