- Joined
- Sep 25, 2011
- Threads
- 89
- Messages
- 3,678
- Location
- Harbour City, the New Southern Wales
- Website
- www.freewayoneentertainment.com
A few months ago I took the plunge and ordered a JDM BJ74 through a car importer in Sydney. They'd never even heard of such a thing but I took a punt and a few weeks later it sailed for the bottom half of the globe. Six weeks later she passed through Customs and landed in Concord, Sydney. That was two weeks ago.
A week ago I flew down to pick it up, catch up with some friends and drive 'er on home. I left Sydney at 5am yesterday morning with about 6 hours of drunken/excited sleep on a borrowed mattress and headed north. Up until then I'd driven only around the streets of Sydney and a quick overnighter out to Canberra [600km round] to see my sister. I'd told a handful of Brisbane peeps about my impending toy and so now I was about to put my money where my mouth was.
I won't tell you much about the journey as it's pretty uneventful when you're dog tired and in a noise-maker like a LandCruiser but I will report back my findings on my BJ74 and give it a bit of a review whilst I'm here. I'm also available if anyone wants pics of anything or has questions. PM away. The truck is pretty much stock as a rock and aside from a few mods here and there it will stay that way, so it will probably be a long-living example of Toyota manufacturing knowledge should anyone need it. Anyway, I digress.
Where to begin.. Probably the drivetrain. The 13B-T is without a doubt the greatest engine I have ever driven, aside from a 1HD-T. Mine is what I believe to be a genuine 96 000km engine. This little mill is incredible, the sheer power output, torque, ease of starting, the turbo specs, the H55F ratios, the final drive ratio - everything. The entire package is so well put together I couldn't fault it. This little engine pulled a heavy MWB full chassis truck pulled up hill and down dale all day, sitting comfortably on 110km/h or more if you wanted. One of the drives from SYD - BNE is the New England Highway and it is full of hills, long fairly steep-graded ones too where you'd run out of puff halfway up in a N/A diesel. The 13B-T pulled up in 5th with no problems. Not just no problems, there was always more power. Often I'd be stuck behind petrol powered sedans for miles until there was an overtaking lane, and they'd assume I wouldn't overtake, probably because I was a dirty old LandCruiser. Wrong. This little motor flew past them 110, 115, 120, 125, 130km/h. Incredible! Only once I had to downshift and that's because it was a really, really steep hill. This thing would happily sit on 120km/h all day without raising a sweat. And at 100km/h it returns 10l/100km. At 110km/h it jumps up to 14l/100km and at 100km/h with the air-conditioing on it returns 14l/100km. All tests on 31" tyres. But it's a 23 year old car with a lot of extra weight a passenger doesn't have and the aerodynamics of a parachute. So I am very, very happy. If you're considering an engine swap into a 40/70 series then I would seriously investigate a 13B-T/H55F.
Suspension/brakes. Well in true car-fxxxing-dealer style it all needs attention. All four springs have sagged a little, the front doesn't really move at all [a little like the problems Millardo was having with his 40] and all 4 shocks are fxxxed. It also needs TRE's and probably some brake work in the near future. But it stopped when I needed it to and got me home more than safe. Probably a testament to Toyota than anything.
NVH. It's a Toyota. Down the track I'm hoping to line it with that tar/aluminium stuff who's name escapes me at the moment. That should bring the noise down. Having said that it's a lot better than my old BJ40. A lot. I salute you 40 drivers!
PTO. Haven't used it yet. Will report back in a little.
PO mods. Nothing too crazy. The most irreversible one would be the gluing of a rig of some description to the dash pad. I'll remove it and get a mat. To his credit it's pretty much bone stock. It even has service history. Anyone read Japanese? Not sure if this was OEM or PO added but there was a speed reminder beep that sounds like a fxxxing air-raid siren that came on every time you went over 105km/h. Tired + hungover + LandCruiser NVH + air-raid siren? You add it up.
Space. I slept in the back for 20 mins just south of Glen Innes. I had the rear seat folded and I was kind of leaning on my bag and the seat [had my bag in the L-shape between the seat and the floor] and I was very tired but it was comfy! I'm 6'3".
Overall a great truck, I am very happy. Sure it needs a few tweaks here and there and I think I paid too much but it is done and I am home with my first Cruiser in 9 years. It's been too long.
As I said, PM me or post any questions you have. I will try to give an unbiased opinion where possible.
Thx heaps to roscoFJ73 and all the guys who gave advice on what to check before I left. Now I'd better go update my signature line.
Cheers!
Pics:
1. McDonalds in Singleton. The lack of good coffee reduced me to eating at the Golden Arches..
2. A 2km long coal train about an hour short of Tamworth.
3. The sunset at 110km/h about an hour southwest of Warwick. Got my second wind.
A week ago I flew down to pick it up, catch up with some friends and drive 'er on home. I left Sydney at 5am yesterday morning with about 6 hours of drunken/excited sleep on a borrowed mattress and headed north. Up until then I'd driven only around the streets of Sydney and a quick overnighter out to Canberra [600km round] to see my sister. I'd told a handful of Brisbane peeps about my impending toy and so now I was about to put my money where my mouth was.
I won't tell you much about the journey as it's pretty uneventful when you're dog tired and in a noise-maker like a LandCruiser but I will report back my findings on my BJ74 and give it a bit of a review whilst I'm here. I'm also available if anyone wants pics of anything or has questions. PM away. The truck is pretty much stock as a rock and aside from a few mods here and there it will stay that way, so it will probably be a long-living example of Toyota manufacturing knowledge should anyone need it. Anyway, I digress.
Where to begin.. Probably the drivetrain. The 13B-T is without a doubt the greatest engine I have ever driven, aside from a 1HD-T. Mine is what I believe to be a genuine 96 000km engine. This little mill is incredible, the sheer power output, torque, ease of starting, the turbo specs, the H55F ratios, the final drive ratio - everything. The entire package is so well put together I couldn't fault it. This little engine pulled a heavy MWB full chassis truck pulled up hill and down dale all day, sitting comfortably on 110km/h or more if you wanted. One of the drives from SYD - BNE is the New England Highway and it is full of hills, long fairly steep-graded ones too where you'd run out of puff halfway up in a N/A diesel. The 13B-T pulled up in 5th with no problems. Not just no problems, there was always more power. Often I'd be stuck behind petrol powered sedans for miles until there was an overtaking lane, and they'd assume I wouldn't overtake, probably because I was a dirty old LandCruiser. Wrong. This little motor flew past them 110, 115, 120, 125, 130km/h. Incredible! Only once I had to downshift and that's because it was a really, really steep hill. This thing would happily sit on 120km/h all day without raising a sweat. And at 100km/h it returns 10l/100km. At 110km/h it jumps up to 14l/100km and at 100km/h with the air-conditioing on it returns 14l/100km. All tests on 31" tyres. But it's a 23 year old car with a lot of extra weight a passenger doesn't have and the aerodynamics of a parachute. So I am very, very happy. If you're considering an engine swap into a 40/70 series then I would seriously investigate a 13B-T/H55F.
Suspension/brakes. Well in true car-fxxxing-dealer style it all needs attention. All four springs have sagged a little, the front doesn't really move at all [a little like the problems Millardo was having with his 40] and all 4 shocks are fxxxed. It also needs TRE's and probably some brake work in the near future. But it stopped when I needed it to and got me home more than safe. Probably a testament to Toyota than anything.
NVH. It's a Toyota. Down the track I'm hoping to line it with that tar/aluminium stuff who's name escapes me at the moment. That should bring the noise down. Having said that it's a lot better than my old BJ40. A lot. I salute you 40 drivers!
PTO. Haven't used it yet. Will report back in a little.
PO mods. Nothing too crazy. The most irreversible one would be the gluing of a rig of some description to the dash pad. I'll remove it and get a mat. To his credit it's pretty much bone stock. It even has service history. Anyone read Japanese? Not sure if this was OEM or PO added but there was a speed reminder beep that sounds like a fxxxing air-raid siren that came on every time you went over 105km/h. Tired + hungover + LandCruiser NVH + air-raid siren? You add it up.
Space. I slept in the back for 20 mins just south of Glen Innes. I had the rear seat folded and I was kind of leaning on my bag and the seat [had my bag in the L-shape between the seat and the floor] and I was very tired but it was comfy! I'm 6'3".
Overall a great truck, I am very happy. Sure it needs a few tweaks here and there and I think I paid too much but it is done and I am home with my first Cruiser in 9 years. It's been too long.
As I said, PM me or post any questions you have. I will try to give an unbiased opinion where possible.
Thx heaps to roscoFJ73 and all the guys who gave advice on what to check before I left. Now I'd better go update my signature line.
Cheers!
Pics:
1. McDonalds in Singleton. The lack of good coffee reduced me to eating at the Golden Arches..
2. A 2km long coal train about an hour short of Tamworth.
3. The sunset at 110km/h about an hour southwest of Warwick. Got my second wind.
However once fixed ,it will be like new.Those thing make a huge difference to driving pleasure on a 70 series.
