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decoco

decoco

10 Year
Joined
Oct 5, 2015
Threads
76
Messages
1,486
Location
Canada?
Owned an 80 for a little bit and I've started to dream of a 70s diesel, early 90s model from Japan.
I'd like to know if you guys can point me in the right direction of the "fools guide" to Diesel 70s ownership.

What I should start considering, and looking for and what I should shy away from.

The HZJ 73 platform seems kind of nice, and may fit the bill, but when it comes to this I'm pretty new. Any help will be greatly appreciated; I tired scouring on the searches, but didn't find a substantial of info.

*edit* I still have the 80s... at least for now, but not thinking of selling soon.
 
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What use will you give it, do you want to keep it stock, how many people to carry, and how long will you own it? Those answers might narrow it down a bit.
 
DamoPeru said:
What use will you give it, do you want to keep it stock, how many people to carry, and how long will you own it? Those answers might narrow it down a bit.
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2 people,
Stockish, - if it's a pretty specimen, I won't do too much to it and try to preserve it.
Use: admiring it, daily driver, and occasional off road trips.
 
decoco said:
2 people,
Stockish, - if it's a pretty specimen, I won't do too much to it and try to preserve it.
Use: admiring it, daily driver, and occasional off road trips.
Click to expand...
You would be hard pressed to beat the HZJ73 for your purposes. Buy the absolute best one you can based on your budget.
 
Gun Runner 5 said:
You would be hard pressed to beat the HZJ73 for your purposes. Buy the absolute best one you can based on your budget.
Click to expand...

can some of the crew recommend me to something to look out for, or a thread/article for pointers.

for ex. fzj 80s:
phh, birfield and kunckle maintenance, headgasket, etc.

What are some notoriously weak points or things I should look have gotten looked after?
I remember seeing that some of the diesels had some notoriously weak point that everyone checks if it's been done or not but I don't remember what it was....
 
Call @SteveJackson at www.landcruisersdirect.com. He is a great resource to bounce questions off. I purchased my HZJ73 from him in Feb of this year. My use plans were very similar to yours. Steve answered a ton of my questions and was super helpful as I made my choice of vehicles.

I will say that my biggest learning thus far is that I purchased an exotic vehicle that was never sold in North America. Owning this truck requires one to do their research and learn about how to maintain and modify it. You'll also need to be paitient when it comes to ordering parts as you need to figure out what works and what doesn't. You also find the parts are sometimes not available in the US so you become very familiar with ordering from AUS, Japan and other places around the globe. It just means you have to plan out your projects a little more... as you can't order everything via Amazon Prime.

With all that said, the information on this forum and the others in AUS have been extremely helpful. There really is a lot of information available to help you maintain your truck. Google will become your friend. There are also a lot of great vendors here that stock a lot of parts or can get them for you.

Good luck with your 73... they are a ton of fun.
 
2L-TE .... A checkered history
B Series and H Series diesels are good engines however they're somewhat dated and parts may be an issue.
Can't go wrong with the 1HZ....
1HZ 4.2L 6-Cylinder Diesel Engine

The 1HZ is a bulletproof and legendary engine used in Toyota's around the world. Displacement is 4164cc with a 12-valve OHC and indirect injection.
As with ALL VINTAGE vehicles rust can be an issue.
 
All I can say is this...

Capture01.webp

1993 Toyota Land Cruiser HZ SUV, Crossover | used cars & trucks | Calgary | Kijiji

or this...

Capture02.webp

1995 Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ77-HV | used cars & trucks | Edmonton | Kijiji
 
What will you be using the truck for?
What's your budget. How long do you think you'll keep it before you lose interest.
Got a wife? Kids or a Dog?
How often do you haul the odd person?
All things to concider.

Coming from growing up with a BJ70 and being squeezed in the back with my siblings there isn't much room. The lady, the pup and yourself it's a good vehicle. Same goes for the 73. Not something you really want to use the back seat for.... My dad currently owns a hzj73. The extra room is nice, but the 70 could squeeze and maneuver down some tight tight stuff that the 73 can't.

Don't bother with the auto, it's a utilitarians cruiser like a 40 series, get a manual it's a lot more enjoyable to drive. I ditched my hdj81 because the auto was boring.

77s fit the bill for me because the 4 door. The back seat is cramped but not as bad as a hzj73. I also bought my truck with the intention of owning it for 10 years minimum. We will see how I feel about it in 2021. Also if you think these trucks are getting expensive our southern neighbors probably aren't helping your cause in terms of prices. JDM cruisers in Japan anything remotely close to 25 years old are really expensive due to the US market wanting them.

You will pay lots for a clean 3.5-4 body grade with a B interior. Add in criteria you want a manual transmission and lockers, well the rarety just increased and so did the price conciderably.

They are enthusiast vehicles remember that. They have to be worth what you are willing to pay. If it fits your criteria, go for it.
 
thanks for all the responses.

As far as uses, explained above. It's more about me really like the god damn vehicle, and looking at a diesel for the consideration of condition. Bringing something in from Europe, South America is not worth the additional headache rather than getting something here and just sitting on the wrong side when driving.

How long will I keep it- why is this a big item in the decision, but at least 4 years, depending on life plans.

Space use is not really a concern. No children, no dogs, No family in the near area, no wife, and I have the 80 as well for when s*** hits the fan.

Models in my favorite order:
1) Pickup- seems impossible here.
2) 2 door long wheel base
3) 2 door short wheel base
4) 4 door long wheel base



`they have to be worth what you are willing to pay`- not sure what this means though
 
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Keep an eye out on Ontario Kijiji. There are a few clean LHD HZJ75s around that fetch around $25k Canadian.

You'll like the HZJ73, they are nice trucks. Tricky to find here, but they are around.
 
thanks for the all the responses, so let's say I wanted to start taking a look. What should I be looking at as far as maintenance that needs to be performed or should have been performed?
 
decoco said:
Models in my favorite order:
1) Pickup- seems impossible here.
2) 2 door long wheel base
3) 2 door short wheel base
4) 4 door long wheel base
Click to expand...

Pickups are not impossible, just takes a little patience. I have imported several and have one on a boat somewhere similar to this:
IMG_1952.webp
 
Change out to manual locking hubs as the push button actuators quit unexpectedly. BEB (big end bearings) aren't as prone to failure in the 1HZ as the 1HD-T but it's not a bad idea to change anyways.

These things are sorta gutless so you might want a turbo and if you do make sure to budget for that as there's no cheap safe way of doing it.

Automatics are pretty lame too so I would make a manual a very high priority. Winches and lockers can be added afterwards and if not essential then it'll make it a lot easier to find a clean example with low miles and better price.
 
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