BJ40 from the Philippines (1 Viewer)

[equus]

hey guys. Ive been reading off this forum for quite some time now and i must say i love it..

i recently acquired a BJ40 something from my dad.. he wanted it as a toy car but opted to just save maintenance cost and give it to his son (me) in the hopes that he will be a complete nut about it, restore it to full glory, then borrow it from him once in a while...

smart man, my dad...

anyways, these are the first few pics of it... he apparently stripped the doors... stripped the top... gave it a jeep spartan look, then decided to give it to me....

looks like i got my work cut out for me...

anyways, i have all the technical know how in my head and NONE of the actual practical experience to apply it... DIY is not too big here.. these are the following things i want to have done..

Lift kit
Engine restoration
Engine upgrade ( minor upgrades only just to ensure it being VERY roadworthy.. have no plans to turbo, etc...)
Body work
Canvas Top
upgrade wheels and tires 33/15/12.5 looking at the kumho kl71
interior - carpets, etc.. but want the theme to still be SPARTAN or wash n wear...

I plan for this rig to be my daily drive/occassional trail car..

1st of a multitude of questions:

lift kit - im pretty much set on hell creek 4 inch lift.. do any of you have any experience on shipping a bulk package like a full lift kit from mississippi to the philippines? any suggestions?

btw, let me take this opportunity to say I LOVE THIS SITE... it EFFIN AWESOME...

hope for your assistance LC masters...

PS ill take more detailed pics when i finally get it... itll be here in a day or three... I CANT WAIT!!!!!

 

[mossman40]

equus,

Nice looking BJ you've got there, nice father also !!

I've got the 2.5 inch Hell Creek lift, rides well and suits my needs. Shipping is costly. I can't even imagine what the shipping costs to the Philippines would be. I know I've read many complaints about the cost of shipping to Hawaii so shipping your way has got to be similar. Why not send Hell Creek an email and see what they think ?

Hell Creek Suspensions, Inc.

 

[audionaut]

hi equus,

mabuhay! where in the philippines are you going? lift kits are definitely cheaper bought in the states.
you can try one of those "balikbayan" box shipping. pretty cheap but normally takes 30-45 days sailing.

for other parts, you might also want to check out: 4x4ph dot com. it's a local 4x4 site with good info
and also a for sale section for parts, and such...

 

[kling-on]

equus,

Nice looking BJ you've got there, nice father also !!

I've got the 2.5 inch Hell Creek lift, rides well and suits my needs. Shipping is costly. I can't even imagine what the shipping costs to the Philippines would be. I know I've read many complaints about the cost of shipping to Hawaii so shipping your way has got to be similar. Why not send Hell Creek an email and see what they think ?

Hell Creek Suspensions, Inc.

I shipped a bikini top and other small parts USPS and it cost $70 I think a lift kit would give me a heart attack



Sweet lookin ride. I won't ask it's cost buddy told me what he paid and I fainted

 

[pbgbottle]

what year is that ? .nice rig your gonna have some fun with that .

 

[KZRSOIZE]

Great bj, welcome and enjoy in good health.

 

[KZRSOIZE]

Almost forgot, welcome

 

[mattcamp]

Very nice rig, that color is easy on the eyes.

 

[lostmarbles]

Welcome

Your fan shroud, aircleaner, intake manifold etc don't look standard for a landcruiser B-diesel (if mine is anything to go by).

Look forward to seeing more pics and hearing more about what you end up doing to the old girl.



PS. Here's mine for comparison:



PPS. I'd also be interested in knowing your build-year

 

[allan man]

"Pare" ganda ng cruiser mo....looks solid welcome....

 

[Devilmans Hand]

Cool lookin cruiser Flip. Would prob be cheaper to go Australian made for a lift though. Whereabouts in PI are you?

 

[equus]

thanks for the welcome guys.. im from manila basically, based here. Australia huh? actually, ironman and oldman emu are available here but EXPENSIVE... there is another option, i saw in one of the threads here that they went to a local "spring" shop to redo the leav springs... there are a lot of "spring" shops in the philippines that service the local "jeepneys"... is this a good way to go? or am i just putting myself into deeper cow poo since i have no clue what kind of springs are needed? hehehehehe... im sooo excited, im getting it from pampanga (a province thats abut 100 km away from home) on thursday... cant wait!!!

sir lost marbles, THATNKS SOOO MUCH for the picture... it will come in REALLY HANDY for the engine restoration.. there are a lot of landcruiser nuts here in the philippines actually but ive always been in the habit of looking through the internet.. its WAY better and costs a lot cheaper..

ive talked to tom laher actually and he was asking for my zip code but i figured he's having a hard time costing it out. any of you have experience with heavy balikbayan boxes? even if the shipping would cost me 200 dollars, itd still be a better option for me..

again, ill post the pics as the restoration comes along..

 

[audionaut]

hi equus,

i've shipped balikbayan boxes from california for less than 100 usd. there is no weight limit per se, as long as you can fit the items in the provided box, you're good to go. of course you have to declare the items as personal use (ie. non-commercial - something like that). downside is that it takes a month by ship. anyway, while you're at it, you may want to try sourcing those oem soft-top frames. they are pretty hard to come by. the vinyl top is not a problem, our local upholsterers in PI can make them for cheap. goodluck!

 

[IH8Wood]

I love the PI. I've been I've there probably six times diving around Dumaguete, Bohol, and Northern Mindanao.

I'm guessing that leaf spring technology is widely available, so I'd definitely look into a local spring shop, but try to find one that really understands what you want, or find some local cruiserheads for recommendations.

 

[equus]

audionaut,

I have a strong suspiscion that a lift kit will not fit in a balikbayan box... or are there big balikbayan boxes that can accomodate this? i really hope so though.......

IH8WOOD,

glad to know you like it here sir! msg me if you're in the vicinity, maybe i can take you around luzon this time. Ive driven at least 5 to 6000 kilometers around the luzon area and contrary to what others might think, luzon is BEAUTIFUL as well. of course all highways for me for now.. up until i get my 40 up and running... then its off the beaten path!

lostmarbles,

If i may ask, if my dad does not know what year this is, is there a way to find out by serial number? i guess that info is in this site somewhere.. hehehehehehe...

okay guys so comment on my decided lift please... 2.5 lift kit via suspension... maybe an extended shackle, 1 to 1.5 inch... then 33 x 12.5 x 15 wheelset.... i saw the pics in this site with regard to the different lifts... im REALLY tempted to do 4 inches but that MIGHT mean i need to get bigger tires eventually... $$$$$$$$$ i have to stop spending soo much... haaaaaaaaaay... but I LOVE IT...

anyways, again will the post the pics on wed night or thurs morning.

 

[lostmarbles]

lostmarbles,

If i may ask, if my dad does not know what year this is, is there a way to find out by serial number? i guess that info is in this site somewhere.. hehehehehehe...

Some people can work out the production year off the VIN but I've never been able to do so easily. The usual way they do it is by comparing their VIN to those on a list (that someone has put together based on information from people who know both their VIN and production year). But from my experience - the lists are often restricted to USA-market cruisers, and even then ... just to FJ40 models.

If your bezel has square-ish corners (like mine in my picture), and if your cruiser is a "genuine factory BJ40" (rather than an FJ40 that has had an engine-transplant for instance) then it could be anything from 1978 through to 1983 or perhaps even 1984 IMO.

Note: In this part of the world the BJ40 was replaced with the BJ42 model (3.4L 3B engine rather than 3.0L B engine) in 1981. So if it had been sold new here, it could only have been 1978, 1979 or 1980.

Before 1978 the bezel was of different design (with rounded ends).



PS. Do you have a plate like this anywhere? If so ..post up a picture ...(I've blocked my full VIN number because "ya never know what nasty things some people will get up to" )

(The model designation on this plate reveals quite a bit about my vehicle.)

 

[pbgbottle]

i think over there they got the B engine in late 74. look at that rig it has wipers up on top. old style spare tire carrier , custom roll bar, no blower motor ,newer master cylinder. older side emblems ,newer turn signals ,who knows what year it could be,it also has an F or 2F rad in it .the diesel has the top rad hose go to the other side of the rad on top if that makes sense

 

[lostmarbles]

i think over there they got the B engine in late 74. look at that rig it has wipers up on top. old style spare tire carrier , custom roll bar, no blower motor ,newer master cylinder. older side emblems ,newer turn signals ,who knows what year it could be,it also has an F or 2F rad in it .the diesel has the top rad hose go to the other side of the rad on top if that makes sense

Well spotted Jake

So I withdraw my previous comments - and now think its pre-1978 (and most likely more towards the "1974" end).



PS I'm not at all familiar with those early BJ40s and perhaps the aircleaner and intake manifold he has are indeed normal for them.

 

[equus]

bezel? aint that the ghost guy that michael keaton played a decade back? gawd i sorta hate my position now as an ignoramus...

so i guess ill just call it a 40 then.. thanks for the indicators pbgbottle! im seriously taking all these things down... found the kumho kl71's here at about 173 USD per tire. also saw AMS wheels for 163 USD. total wheelset cost to bring it up to 33 x 12.5 x 15 at 1,347 USD.. comments please? when i see the prices here, sometimes i get this feeling its easier to import everything...

 

[DanS HJ-45]

so i guess ill just call it a 40 then.. thanks for the indicators pbgbottle! im seriously taking all these things down...

Aside from your data plate on the firewall, you can get the serial number off the frame. It's on the right hand side, in the front. It's just behind the front spring hanger on the framerail. It will say FJ40-XXXXXX or BJ40-XXXXX or somesuch. Pretty easy to decode from that.

Dan