BJ74 vs HZJ73 (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Jun 21, 2005
Threads
41
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Location
Ontario, Canada
Which would you recommend, mileage and condition being equal? Truck will hopefully have FR/RR factory lockers and a PTO winch.

I'm trying to decide which JDM Cruiser to buy and have narrowed it down to either an HZJ73, a BJ74 or possibly an HJ61. Looking for a daily driver for the city and highway that will see regular - fairly hardcore - offroad excursions to and around the camp.

I currently own a '78 FJ40 that has undergone a frame-off restoration (completed 3yrs ago by PO) and has a freshly rebuilt 2F gas engine (I had it rebuilt last winter by 4wheelauto, 12K on it). I will probably look to sell this rig once I have a replacement.

Also, interested to know if anyone recommends a particular importer and why. I've been communcating with Louis at Adventure Imports as well as Michael at Rising Sun Imports - both come across as knowledgable and reliable. I'm located in Montreal/Ottawa region but I also visit Vancouver with some regularity.

Thanks for any help!

Peter
 
Hey Peter,
gonna move you to the nice friendly people in the 70x section.

They can help ya.
 
The once obvious difference would be of course the engine. One is no longer in production and was never sold in Canada, the other is a current production engine that is sold in Canada. The 13BT however is based on the venerable 3B which has an excellent reliability record and survives as the 14B(T) and the 15B(T) in trucks. The 1HZ when looked after also has an excellent track record the world over. The parts pipeline would likely to stay on for the 1HZ for much longer than the 13BT being that is it is still being produced today. With excellent vendors like G&S Cruiserparts and 4wheelauto, however, you will get many years of excellent parts supply for either engine.

The HZJ73 will have an updated front axle with a smaller differential, similar in size to the 80 series. While stories of broken ring and pinion abound in the 80 and 75 series circles, the lighter 73 series may not tax the smaller diff as much.

As if to make up for the smaller diff, Toyota gave the newer axle a somewhat larger CV/birfield joint, similar in concept to the welded aftermarket birfs in the early years. It is hard to say if they are indeed much stronger though (mental note: send a 1990 birf to Bobby Long for testing someday). The front diff rebuild kits will cost a bit more where you are as these take a different kit with slightly larger seals.

The HZJ73 front brakes are larger than the BJ74. The newer gearbox output shaft will have an O-ring on the transfer input gear to help combat fluid transfer into the t-case if it is late 1991+. The steering wheel on the HZJ73 is much nicer IMO. The newer grille is plastic rather than metal, according to "Dave" these crack easily at the top mounts. The suspension bushings were reportedly tweaked by Toyota for the second generation (1990+).

With all that said, a nice low mileage BJ74 would likely be nicer than a high mileage and abused HZJ73.

Dave
 
petermac said:
Which would you recommend, mileage and condition being equal? Truck will hopefully have FR/RR factory lockers and a PTO winch.

Peter

Its a case of "6 of one or half a dozen of the other".

Both are great combos .I would probably get the 1st one that comes along in my colour but then again I might veer towards the newness factor and what Beanz said too:D
 
BJ74's are becoming harder to find in very good condition and production stopped in 1989 (IIRC). So these models are getting more rare and the price is going up.

I'm surprised that you would consider a HJ61 over a HDJ80. The HZJ73 and the HDJ80 will come down in price over the next few years. These trucks are just starting to be imported since the production began in 1990. Soon Australia will ot be able to import these trucks (switching to 25 year imports) and the price should drop even more.

The HZJ73 shares more drivetrain parts with the 80 series as mentioned above, which means you can easily and cheaply get parts from sources on this board. Plus don't let anyone tell you that the BJ bigger front diff. is any stronger than the reverse cut new style front diff. (a la 80 series).
 
HDJ 81's will be allowed into Australia, they need some kind of special certification that some garages or importers have to apply for - so that is a falicy. It will make them more expensive of course. And, when Aus is out of the market for most cruisers there are still many countries getting into the JDM market - like Africa who is a big buying market.

I don't see the prices of HDJ 81's and HZJ7xx going down at all, there are many people getting into the importing business - some legit, most not. More buyers equals higher dollars - sorry but thats the reality of it all. You can of course buy cheaper priced cruisers, there are a few available every week in Japan, but most are crap and not worth buying - atleast I wouldn't sell them to any of my customers.

The main thing is parts availability. Parts for hj61's and BJ models will be available for years and years. Many parts for CDN model diesel cruisers are not available or are being made unavailable through toyota canada - the point being that with the JDM's coming in - we finally have a resupply of cruisers and parts. I'll eventually bring in a few parts rigs to ensure i and my customers have a good parts base - i think you will see others doing this as well.

Some Parts for PZH, HZJ models are available from G & S in BC, ENS in Sask (with a 2-3 day delivery), and a few other mining companies.

The main things that we need are brake, windshield, engine parts ie starter motors, alts etc, these are more readily available. I am sure companies will start to bring in HZJ to part out in the near future - only makes sense as more will be coming in over the next few years. Most other parts like mufflers, bearings, seals, can be made to fit.

If you deal with a solid importer they can also bring parts in from Japan in a matter of a few days. That is the best option for really hard to get items.

Hj's are nice and simple to work on as are the HZJ and BJ models, the main diff is the size. If you want to store lots of stuff the an HJ is nice, HZJ77 is pretty roomy as well, but the engine is less powerful than the HJ61. The cable locking diffs are also great. Tough call between an HJ61 and HZJ77 - I like the looks of a 77 and wil be getting one for myself. If I were pulling a trailer i'd get the HJ61. Bj models aren't great for long distance or hauling heavy trailers, but are great for touring around and excellent for wheeling of course, i like them better in the tighter terrain of ontario and quebec where my camp is.

Regards,
 
nice summary there Louis.
the PZ/HZ engines can be easily turbo'd and will make more power than the 12HT when complete (if installed by someone that has an idea what they are doing)
the wheel base of the 77 series is identical to the 60 series in length and the room inside will be very close as well.
i love the looks of both the 61 done up and the 77 done up, they both turn my crank and send shivers down my spine (not everyone will agree)
one thing not mentioned is how much quieter the PZ/HZ trucks are in comparrision to the 12HT and the 13BT. there is a true notable difference.
as for the "weak center units on the front of the newer models, Jeff grenaded the front of my/his HZJ75 in moab a few years back but a donor front unit had him back on the trail in a matter of hours. he was in low lock on 35s with a 3500 lb box on the back. for me this isn't a great concern unless you are highly abusive or are packing a ton and a half of weight in the back...
cheers
 
The BJ74 gets my vote, especially considering that you've stated it will see the trails a lot. The low end torque of a 13B-T is hard to beat. I recently let a long time owner of an HZJ75 drive my BJ74, and he stated that he liked the 13B-T way better than his turboed 1HZ. The main difference is he liked the way the 13B-T produced all the torque without having to be spooled up like his 1HZ.

And as previously stated, the BJ74s are getting harder and harder to find...which was the main reason why I decided not to sell mine a little while ago. If you can find one with relatively low mileage, in good condition, and have the H55f tranny, lockers and PTO...you'd be lucky.

As far as importers go...in addition to Wayne and Lshobie, some other ones that I've heard good things about are Marko from Outback Imports and the Barry from Mustang Connections.

Good luck in your hunt. I also like the retro look of the HJ61 and the 12H-T, and I can see why you like those too. The 12H-T is a very powerful and smooth powerplant, and is nothing like its 2H cousin. :beer:
 
crushers said:
nice summary there Louis.
the PZ/HZ engines can be easily turbo'd and will make more power than the 12HT when complete (if installed by someone that has an idea what they are doing)cheers

Unless you tweak the 12HT the same percentage as the 1HZ...right? And then the discussion about precups, pumping losses, and other such minor stuf comes up.

:D

gb
 
i am not sure Greg since no one i know has played with the 12HT much to prove the theory either way...
but i am guessing you could be right.
 
Dont forget, the 73 has electric lockers (not bad just different) and it has AUTO front hubs (bad IMO).

You probably cant go wrong either way you go.
 
HZJ60 Guy said:
Dont forget, has AUTO front hubs (bad IMO).
.
why, what have you seen with the elec locking hubs?
 
crushers said:
why, what have you seen with the elec locking hubs?

Wayne, everything about the Land Cruiser (at least in the past) has meant tough, simple, strong.

Auto hubs arent any of those.

I dont want auto hubs. I dont want electrip four wheel drive. I dont want electric lockers if I CAN have simple cable lockers.

Etc etc etc etc.
 
Greg_B said:
Unless you tweak the 12HT the same percentage as the 1HZ...right? And then the discussion about precups, pumping losses, and other such minor stuf comes up.

:D

gb
Gb, Lets not forget the 12HT has a better bottom end, also a gear driven cam.These engines are not going to reach 7,000 RPM [ I hopeLOL] so the OHC is of little value.It takes a day to set the tappets on the 1HZ and an hour or so to do the 2H , 12Ht. My mate at the wreckers here claims he could sell 4 heads a week for 1HZ motors if he could source them.Seems second hand heads are scarce here.Sounds like this is not a problem across the pacific.:cheers:
 
crushers said:
why, what have you seen with the elec locking hubs?

Wayne, do you think the electric locking hubs are superior? State why, pictures of one taken apart would be good if you want to make it believable.

Just because it is rare, does it mean it's superior?

Dave
 
bigbrowndog said:
Gb, Lets not forget the 12HT has a better bottom end, also a gear driven cam.These engines are not going to reach 7,000 RPM [ I hopeLOL] so the OHC is of little value.It takes a day to set the tappets on the 1HZ and an hour or so to do the 2H , 12Ht. My mate at the wreckers here claims he could sell 4 heads a week for 1HZ motors if he could source them.Seems second hand heads are scarce here.Sounds like this is not a problem across the pacific.:cheers:

Why buy used 1HZ heads when they are only $1100 newfor OEM heads in Vic?
When I was speaking to engine rebuilders regarding my engine ,the reputable ones said get a new head.
Others were prepared to rebulid the head but without warrantee.

All the rebuilders I spoke to agreed the 1HZ head was the weak point but definately not a fault.
 
beanz2 said:
Wayne, do you think the electric locking hubs are superior? State why, pictures of one taken apart would be good if you want to make it believable.

Just because it is rare, does it mean it's superior?

Dave
never said they were stronger but until i see one broken, i will not beleive they are weaker either...
newer doesn't mean weak either.
 

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