For Sale Boulder, CO 1988 LHD BJ71 13B-T Cable Lockers SOLD (2 Viewers)

Location

United States

I've finally decided to just sell this--I had big plans, but, you know, life happens sometimes.

Relatively rare truck (most BJ71's are RHD from Japan--this one's LHD from Europe), I imported this myself from Italy. Some of you may have seen it here when it arrived at the Port:

Is this anyone in here? And my "introduction"

Hello 70 series forum guys, I usually spend 99.9% of my time on the 100 series section due to my LX470. I'll stop in here every so often because I dream of having a project 70 series to go along with my 470 in the near future. My normal gig is working out of Port Hueneme as a "casualing"...

forum.ih8mud.com

It's a mostly original, unmolested, nicely optioned truck, but it is 31 years old and shows some wear and tear as well as some signs of delayed maintenance. It has a lot of potential, but will need some love.

1988 Left Hand Drive BJ71, short wheelbase, with factory 13B-T direct injection turbo motor and H55 5-speed transmission. 292,500km (181,750 miles)

Also has:
--Original OEM Toyota cable actuated lockers (full floater rear axle)
--Original OEM Toyota suspension seats
--Power steering
--Power windows
--Power locks
--Rear heat
--Rear wiper/washer
--Rear defrost
--Original OEM Toyota 16" chrome steel wheels
--Paint is mostly original, but faded (hood especially) and patina'd
--Plenty of nicks, scrapes and bumps on the body--not a show car, this one's been used.
--Frame and floors are rust-free and very solid, but there are a couple (like, 2 or 3) rust spots on the body

I've managed to get a few things done on this since I've had it, including:
--new seals in the steering box (fluid was seeping out before)
--2 brand new batteries (it arrived at the Port with 2 dead batteries)
--rebuilt injectors (always a good idea on these cars)
--rebuilt turbo (on the advice of expert local Landcruiser mechanic)
But I really don't have a good place to work on it anymore, and I rarely have much time, so other than that, I've just kind of cleaned it up some since I've had it.

The front seats had been reupholstered by the previous owner before I got it, and they're obviously not original (though it's nicely done). The rear seat is missing. Rear interior is kinda rough--looks like someone was using it to haul firewood or something(?). Take a close look at the photos for cosmetic condition--good from far, but far from good.

Originally, I was going to pilfer the cable lockers from this and swap them into my Troopy, and if this doesn't sell, I may still do that someday. But for now, I know I'm not going to get around to it for a long time, and if someone wants this car complete, well, here ya go.

The bad news (there's always some bad news) is that while it starts right up and runs & drives well, it smokes more than it should and I haven't had it emissions tested because of that. Where I live, no emissions test means no registration, so I'll be selling it with all import documentation--EPA, NHTSA, Customs, etc.--as well as original Italian title, English translation of same, Bill(s) of Sale, and any other documents I can provide to help the buyer get it registered in their home state, but I won't have a Colorado Title in my name. It's a totally legit, rule-following, dot the "i" and cross the "t" import, nothing shady or questionable about it. That said, I implore any potential buyers to learn what is necessary to title a foreign market car in their home state. If it's Colorado, I can help (I've done several here), but if you're anywhere else, you'll need to do your homework.

I'm posting it here exclusively before throwing it to the wolves on Craigslist and/or Ebay. Might do that it a week or two.

$17,900

 

[gilmorneau]

More photos:

 

[gilmorneau]

And yet more photos:

 

[gilmorneau]

oops. sorry about the duplicate photos...

 

[FJBen]

GLWS, great looking rig!

 

[jpsfj60]

Did you sell it??

 

[gilmorneau]

Still available.

 

[bugsnbikes]

sounds like ignition pump hasnt been rebuilt/serviced?

 

[gilmorneau]

Assuming you mean “injection pump”?
No, it hasn’t. Shows no signs of trouble, and Toyota themselves say it’s rare they’re a problem—it’s the first line in the Factory Service Manual, before the troubleshooting section.
The rotary pumps are somewhat less robust, but 13B-T’s like this one have the inline pump, which is near immortal unless grievously abused.

 

[joekatana]

sounds like ignition pump hasnt been rebuilt/serviced?

Why would anyone do that when there are no signs that work/service is needed ?

 

[bugsnbikes]

31years old and smoke could be alot of things for sure- was just curious if p.o. had mentioned if it was ever serviced.

 

[desmocruiser]

A/C? Any water leaks around the windshield?

 

[gilmorneau]

Agreed there’s many things that could cause excess smoke, but I’m not suspicious of the injection pump.

The intake seems to me to be overly oily, so there’s the possibility of a bad oil seal somewhere, but I haven’t had an opportunity to look for a cause of that.

Really what needs to happen is a comprehensive, systematic troubleshooting, and if I ever find the time, I’ll get to it and post my findings, but time for working on Landcruisers is in short supply around here lately.

 

[gilmorneau]

No a/c—it was a very rare option in Europe. I’ve never actually seen a 70 series originally sold in Europe that had factory a/c, though I have seen a couple with dealer installed units.

There’s a photo in the listing of where some rust is starting at the bottom of the windshield seal—presumably some water is getting in there, but I’ve never seen it leaking into the interior of the car. That said, I don’t run out to the car after every rainstorm to check it, either.

 

[jake2far]

Rust in body?
Open to offers?
Where is it located?

 

[gilmorneau]

Re: rust: It's a 31 year old Landcruiser, so, yes, there's a little here and there, but nothing rampant by any means. See the photo of the spot under the windshield. There's also a small spot at the bottom of the driver's side "B" pillar (visible in the 4th photo in the listing). The only place that's perforated is behind the driver's side rear wheel (between the mudflap and the bumper, on the bottom), where there's a combination of minor collision (looks like PO backed into something?) and rust. That's the only place that would require anything more than clean/repaint. Replacement panels are readily available should the buyer choose to address it.

Frame, floorboards, and the remainder of the body are rust-free, which is pretty exceptional for a Landcruiser of this age.

Re: offers: Sure, never hurts to ask.

Re: location: The car is located in Boulder, Colorado. If you're anywhere reasonably close, PM me and we can arrange for you to come have a look.

 

[gilmorneau]

NEW INFORMATION: Finally had some time this morning to do a little troubleshooting. Here's what I found:

Smokes blue. A light haze when running cold, a puff when I hit the accelerator. Didn't let it warm up completely, so I don't know if it would go away when the motor is at operating temp. Have to assume not. No noticeable white or dark smoke.

Intake pipe has a film of oil in it, pre and post turbo. Assuming it's (the film of oil) fed by the crankcase ventilation tube attached to the valve cover. Not a ton of oil in there, and none perceptibly blows out of the crankcase vent pipe when it's disconnected (with the motor running). Engine still smokes when crankcase vent pipe is disconnected. No change.

No evidence of oil in the coolant or vice versa.

Removing the oil filler cap, there's some blowby present. More like "puffs". Doesn't blow the cap out of my hand or anything, and there's no smoke apparent there.

I disconnected the turbo and ran it "naturally aspirated". Still smokes. No change. So it's not the turbo, which isn't surprising, since I just had it rebuilt.

Compression numbers, with the motor stone cold and at about 1 mile elevation above sea level:

#1: 380
#2: 170
#3: 370
#4: 365

Motor at operating temp would probably be a little better, and adjusted for sea level would add a few psi, but there's obviously a problem on #2.

I could remove the #2 injector, put the piston at TDC (compression), and pump some compressed air in there to see if I can tell where it's leaking, but didn't and probably won't. It's a PITA to do, and knowing won't change the fact that the motor's going to need to be torn down (at least partially) to repair.

My conclusions are these (feel free to contribute if you have other ideas):

Blue smoke = it's burning oil
Lack of white or dark smoke = probably not the injectors or pump
Smokes without the turbo attached = the turbo is fine
Oil in intake = blowby is forcing some oil through the crankcase vent pipe (not unusual and not enough to cause the observed amount of smoke).
No coolant+oil mixing = Head gasket probably OK
Low compression on #2 = Not a lot of options here. Kind of has to be either valves/seats OR rings/liner. Pumping compressed air into the combustion chamber could indicate which of these is the problem based on where the air leaks out (crankcase or intake/exhaust).

At the least (if it's "just" a valve or seat), the head will need to be pulled and repaired. If it's rings or cylinder liner, the motor would probably need to be pulled and rebuilt (maybe could be done with the motor in place, but why?). AFAIK, all the necessary parts are still available, and it's not a complicated motor at all, so if you're so inclined and have the skills and resources, it would be a good project.

The optimists among you might say: "just a stuck ring". Maybe.
The pessimists among you might say: "hole blown through piston, crankcase and oil passages full of shrapnel, OH GOD! Run away!!" Not likely--a holed piston wouldn't come up to 170, and the motor seems to run fine other than the smoke. No odd noises or anything.

So...Here's what I'm gonna do. I'm going to knock a couple of thousand dollars off the price, which should be more than enough money saved for the buyer to get it up and going no matter what's wrong with it, assuming the buyer is the kind of guy who can turn a wrench. If it doesn't sell in a reasonable amount of time, I'll just put it away until I can swap the lockers into my Troopy, fix the motor, or both.

 

[gilmorneau]

Quick addendum: While a poorly seating valve could cause the low compression on #2, it would be less likely to cause the smoke seen in the exhaust. More likely is a stuck or broken ring, or scoring on the cylinder liner, or both. Just thought of that.

I keep thinking I'll come up with an "easy" solution, but haven't yet.

 

[Malahki]

Your are a stand up guy to post those compression numbers
Obviously not trying to hide anything. I wish more sellers were like you!!
GLWS

 

[jfrench]

Your are a stand up guy to post those compression numbers
Obviously not trying to hide anything. I wish more sellers were like you!!
GLWS

Amen