75 vs 78? -- 70-series vs 80-series? (1 Viewer)

[Seneca]

Noob question time. I was looking for a FAQ section in the 70-series threads, hoping to find bullet points to help answer the following:

1. What are the major distinctions between the 75s and 78s? EDIT: I should've specified (now that I have a better sense) Troop Carriers. 70-series Troop Carriers.
2. Are coil springs vs... leaf?
3. What are the major differences between 78s and 80-series (other than the obvious -- e.g. a totally different aesthetic).

Just wondering -- because I'm eyeing a major purchase of an HDJ75 that's gorgeous, and built, but... this comes at the tail end of spending years looking for an 80-series, so... it's a major shift.

I'm trying to gather a sense of whether I should continue the (now multi-year) search for an 80, or go with the bird-in-hand HDJ75?

Thanks for any feedback.

EDIT deux: Adding my intent, per solid recommendations:

My intentions with it and interest in this one (linked below) are:

• being able to travel damn near anywhere and not have to plan far ahead for hotels, etc. (e.g. ALCAN highway, the 101, etc.)
• camping anywhere
• deep woods camping with the ability to not get stranded
• capability to reach places pretty much only Land Cruisers can get (to camp, etc.)
• It's "sick" (aka "hella" to anyone who grew up on Nirvana and Radiohead, or "far out" to anyone who grew up on... The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc.. yeah)
• I've been looking for a RHD, manual, 1HD-FT land cruiser for ages (and am already in the hole $5k for one that will never materialize)
• Met and really liked the seller, who also seems meticulous (as can be seen with the mountain of tasteful work that has been done), and this is a major factor when I look to buy anything previously owned (i.e. "we buy the seller as much as the rig")
• I've recently learned that I could easily put $100k into a rig over time and still not get it as pristine as a condition as this one is in. At least, that's what I've gathered over the past ~few months. So maybe going all-in with all the mods (which this one already has) makes the most sense?
• It's stoic (hat tip to @sodafeld1 )

Some of the bullets above are pretty redundant, but... there they are.

Also this is the truck I'm looking at, since this post keeps getting edited and I'm mixing in info without critical context:

1987 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER TROOPY HJ75 NITRO GEAR BUILD — Uncommon Motor Cars

This is a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy Pop-Top HDJ75 Troop Carrier Trakka. Buy this one and do it all: Camp, run trails, road trip, get groceries, scale mountains, or if you want, you could even live in it. For sale on consignment via owner Carl Montoya, co-founder of Nitro Gear and Ax

www.uncommonmotorcars.com

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

78 Series have front coil springs and an electronic instrument cluster/panel.

Post 2006 78 Series have a wide nose and a wider front axle because of a frame change to hold a V6/V8 engine.

80 Series have coil springs all around and wider frame and axles. Some 80 Series have full time 4WD.

There were no HDJ75s, just HDJ78s. An HDJ75 is quite likely an engine-swapped truck.

HDJ78s are rare and sought after.

I would get the 75/78 Series and stop the 80 Series search.






Juan

 

[TonyP]

A 78 is only a 1999+ Troop Carrier
A 75 could be a 1984 - 1998 Troop Carrier, single cab, dual cab fire truck, four door suv, ect...

They're very different vehicles. I suggest driving one first of you haven't already.

 

[FJ73Texas]

78 can also be LWB Prado so have to be careful about using just the “78“ prefix alone. Most of us know that though.

 

[Seneca]

Hello,

78 Series have front coil springs and an electronic instrument cluster/panel.

Post 2006 78 Series have a wide nose and a wider front axle because of a frame change to hold a V6/V8 engine.

80 Series have coil springs all around and wider frame and axles. Some 80 Series have full time 4WD.

There were no HDJ75s, just HDJ78s. An HDJ75 is quite likely an engine-swapped truck.

HDJ78s are rare and sought after.

I would get the 75/78 Series and stop the 80 Series search.






Juan

Excellent feedback! Thanks for the breakdown; Exactly what I was looking for.

If you're interested (being on I8MUD, I suspect you are), this is the one I'm looking at:

1987 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER TROOPY HJ75 NITRO GEAR BUILD — Uncommon Motor Cars

This is a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy Pop-Top HDJ75 Troop Carrier Trakka. Buy this one and do it all: Camp, run trails, road trip, get groceries, scale mountains, or if you want, you could even live in it. For sale on consignment via owner Carl Montoya, co-founder of Nitro Gear and Ax

www.uncommonmotorcars.com

I met the owner last week to look at the rig, and it's exquisite to my less-familiar-with-70-series eyes, so I'm both scraping together what I can to buy it, while trying to firehose my way to learning as much as I can about 70-series so I don't get myself into something I didn't understand going into it -- mostly looking for pitfalls I didn't know about, that *everyone* knows about H(D)J75s, etc. -- and *everyone* of course excludes me since I'm playing catch-up with the switch from the 80-series search.

The current owner is a great dude from all accounts I've gathered, including my own from meeting him, and we often buy the owner as much as the vehicle. It's also apparent that he's meticulous when it comes to details, which showed in the walkaround he gave me of the rig. Darn near every nook and cranny has been touched, save for the engine bay (since they rebuild the engine, etc. before the stripped it down for a respray.

There's really nothing I don't like about the rig (other than the price), including its provenance.

 

[Seneca]

A 78 is only a 1999+ Troop Carrier
A 75 could be a 1984 - 1998 Troop Carrier, single cab, dual cab fire truck, four door suv, ect...

They're very different vehicles. I suggest driving one first of you haven't already.

Ah okay. The one I'm looking at is a 1987 H(D)J75 Troop Carrier. I drove it this week, and it's solid. Not as *smooth* as an 80-series, but I kind of like a bit of the rougher handling.

 

[Seneca]

78 can also be LWB Prado so have to be careful about using just the “78“ prefix alone. Most of us know that though.

Oh, I see. I should have specified Troop Carrier to begin with, since the 75s and 78s Troop Carrier was what I meant to ask to compare. Looks like the 70-series branches off in a number of directions.

 

[FJ73Texas]

Oh, I see. I should have specified Troop Carrier to begin with, since the 75s and 78s Troop Carrier was what I meant to ask to compare. Looks like the 70-series branches off in a number of directions.

I wasn’t picking on you. Sorry if it seemed like I was.

I just threw that out there for newbies that might read this thread.

Basically 70 all the way to 79 used for the 70 series line up. Even 72 which seems to be the rarest of all. Sorry for the hijack. I will stop now.

 

[Seneca]

I wasn’t picking on you. Sorry if it seemed like I was.

I just threw that out there for newbies that might read this thread.

Basically 70 all the way to 79 used for the 70 series line up. Even 72 which seems to be the rarest of all. Sorry for the hijack. I will stop now.

Oh no no, I didn't get that sense at all. It's great info, so thanks for adding the context for us newbies. I know about Prados, for instance, and assumed they were considered a 70-something based on their similar aesthetic, but wasn't sure even about that.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

That’s quite the awesome rig.
I don’t see much overlap in comparison to an 80.
Knowing your intentions for the vehicle would help determine which model would seem to fit your wants and needs best. This one will have leaf springs front and rear.
There are no pitfalls that everyone knows about with this model, after it’s been completely refurbished to such an extent.
I guess one could consider the RHD as a disadvantage, and note the high cost of diesel fuel currently.

 

[sodafeld1]

personally I like the hj75
1 I have 1 and a half hj75 troopies
2 prefer leaf springs
3 prefer the more utilitarian design
4 in my eyes, easier to work on and repair
5 usually solid colour single paint, no gloss
6 love the layout versatility of the troopy, camping, lugging stuff or carry 10 passengers
7 simpler
8 just look cooler and the real deal 4wd (imo)
9 in the process of eliminating as much electric components such as edic.
10 the pump and injectors are mechanical on mine.
could go on..

would have preferred a 40 series troopy and a hz engine would be better (for me), but it is what it is.


looks pretty neat the one you are looking at and I think I recall seeing the nitro blog somewhere, they were doing a good job. Also, considering how much time they put into it let alone money. That one has all bells and whistles besides being child / family friendly. Must be a good price they are asking.

I know of a diesel specialist putting the hd into a 40 seried ute. Injectors are expensive to service on the hd, but not for a diesel specialist.

 

[sodafeld1]

I like your ih8mud tag , seneca! the hj75 is probably more stoic with manual windows

 

[FJBen]

Excellent feedback! Thanks for the breakdown; Exactly what I was looking for.

If you're interested (being on I8MUD, I suspect you are), this is the one I'm looking at:

1987 TOYOTA LAND CRUISER TROOPY HJ75 NITRO GEAR BUILD — Uncommon Motor Cars

This is a 1987 Toyota Land Cruiser Troopy Pop-Top HDJ75 Troop Carrier Trakka. Buy this one and do it all: Camp, run trails, road trip, get groceries, scale mountains, or if you want, you could even live in it. For sale on consignment via owner Carl Montoya, co-founder of Nitro Gear and Ax

www.uncommonmotorcars.com

I met the owner last week to look at the rig, and it's exquisite to my less-familiar-with-70-series eyes, so I'm both scraping together what I can to buy it, while trying to firehose my way to learning as much as I can about 70-series so I don't get myself into something I didn't understand going into it -- mostly looking for pitfalls I didn't know about, that *everyone* knows about H(D)J75s, etc. -- and *everyone* of course excludes me since I'm playing catch-up with the switch from the 80-series search.

The current owner is a great dude from all accounts I've gathered, including my own from meeting him, and we often buy the owner as much as the vehicle. It's also apparent that he's meticulous when it comes to details, which showed in the walkaround he gave me of the rig. Darn near every nook and cranny has been touched, save for the engine bay (since they rebuild the engine, etc. before the stripped it down for a respray.

There's really nothing I don't like about the rig (other than the price), including its provenance.

My buddy actually imported that cruiser to the US years ago. At the time it had a turbo 2H. He sold it awhile ago and it has changed hands a few times before this last full overhaul.



Here a picture of it in the background. My BJ74 is in front. This is around 2014ish.

 

[Seneca]

That’s quite the awesome rig.
I don’t see much overlap in comparison to an 80.
Knowing your intentions for the vehicle would help determine which model would seem to fit your wants and needs best. This one will have leaf springs front and rear.
There are no pitfalls that everyone knows about with this model, after it’s been completely refurbished to such an extent.
I guess one could consider the RHD as a disadvantage, and note the high cost of diesel fuel currently.

Good point -- intentions are a miss by me-- I'll add to the main post, but in short:

• being able to travel damn near anywhere and not have to plan far ahead for hotels, etc. (e.g. ALCAN highway, the 101, etc.)
• camping anywhere
• deep woods camping with the ability to not get stranded
• capability to reach places pretty much only Land Cruisers can get (to camp, etc.)
• It's "sick" (aka "hella" to anyone who grew up on Nirvana and Radiohead, or "far out" to anyone who grew up on... The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc.. yeah)
• I've been looking for a RHD, manual, 1HD-FT land cruiser for ages (and am already in the hole $5k for one that will never materialize)
• Met and really liked the seller, who also seems meticulous (as can be seen with the mountain of tasteful work that has been done), and this is a major factor when I look to buy anything previously owned (i.e. "we buy the seller as much as the rig")
• I've recently learned that I could easily put $100k into a rig over time and still not get it as pristine as a condition as this one is in. At least, that's what I've gathered over the past ~few months. So maybe going all-in with all the mods (which this one already has) makes the most sense?

I also prefer RHD, manual transmission, and diesel, so... there's also that.

 

[sodafeld1]

Good point -- intentions are a miss by me-- I'll add to the main post, but in short:

• being able to travel damn near anywhere and not have to plan far ahead for hotels, etc. (e.g. ALCAN highway, the 101, etc.)
• camping anywhere,
• deep woods camping with the ability to not get stranded,
• capability to reach places pretty much only Land Cruisers can get (to camp, etc.)

I also prefer RHD, manual transmission, and diesel, so... there's also that.

It would do that!

 

[Seneca]

personally I like the hj75
1 I have 1 and a half hj75 troopies
2 prefer leaf springs
3 prefer the more utilitarian design
4 in my eyes, easier to work on and repair
5 usually solid colour single paint, no gloss
6 love the layout versatility of the troopy, camping, lugging stuff or carry 10 passengers
7 simpler
8 just look cooler and the real deal 4wd (imo)
9 in the process of eliminating as much electric components such as edic.
10 the pump and injectors are mechanical on mine.
could go on..

would have preferred a 40 series troopy and a hz engine would be better (for me), but it is what it is.


looks pretty neat the one you are looking at and I think I recall seeing the nitro blog somewhere, they were doing a good job. Also, considering how much time they put into it let alone money. That one has all bells and whistles besides being child / family friendly. Must be a good price they are asking.

I know of a diesel specialist putting the hd into a 40 seried ute. Injectors are expensive to service on the hd, but not for a diesel specialist.

All excellent points, and I agree (with those that I understand enough to agree with -- given that I haven't worked on them yet, I can't say, but they sure look easier to work on).

I'm trying to eliminate electric (at least, the more sensitive electric components involved with the primary functions of the rig), so I feel you there.

I'm not far from Torfab in, Everett, WA, and they specialize in servicing only Land Cruisers, especially the 1HD-FT, so I lucked out on the draw with that one.

 

[Seneca]

I like your ih8mud tag , seneca! the hj75 is probably more stoic with manual windows

Exactly right! And you just made yet another connection I'll have to add to the list of reasons to get it!

 

[Seneca]

My buddy actually imported that cruiser to the US years ago. At the time it had a turbo 2H. He sold it awhile ago and it has changed hands a few times before this last full overhaul.



Here a picture of it in the background. My BJ74 is in front. This is around 2014ish.

View attachment 3190494

Oh woah! There she is, fresh(ish) from Aus. Thanks for sharing!
Do you still have the BJ74?

 

[sodafeld1]

be tricky to eliminate electrics from the hd, but if you can afford to pay someone good, it would be a dream realm, I shall never have the pleasure to visit!
I daresay I couldn't afford to keep my troopy if I didn't do the work myself. Always carry tools, feel naked and unguarded without.

would be interested in feeling a h55 mated to a hd, to me as far I know, the h55 is a very slow trans..

 

[sodafeld1]

Good point -- intentions are a miss by me-- I'll add to the main post, but in short:

• It's "sick" (aka "hella" to anyone who grew up on Nirvana and Radiohead, or "far out" to anyone who grew up on... The Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc.. yeah)

I also prefer RHD, manual transmission, and diesel, so... there's also that.

yep rock on with 'lotus flower' yorke, when truckin