Building my HDJ-80 and dads HZJ-80, EU

[Vitek]

Hi,

So me and my dad we have two 80s, in this topic I will discuss their story, purpose and the work on them.

1996 VX spec hdj80, factory triple locked, full leather, sunroof etc. 1HD-FT, full time 4wd h151f with hf2av

1993 STD spec hzj80, no lockers, bench first row, vinly everything and ambulance doors. 1HZ, originally full time 4wd but now converted to part time, h150 hf2a

 

[Vitek]

So its started with the Hzj 75 we had. This got me into wanting a land cruiser and after a lot of reading and thinking I came to the conclusion, I want a 95-97 hdj80, triple locked, 1hd-ft, sunroof and 6H4 dark red colour.

May 2020 after searching for a while througout Europe for the ideal one, I found one literally 700 meters from my home, a guy was selling his:

461.000 km (almost 300.000 miles)
He bought it with a cooked engine for quite cheap, replaced the engine, rebuilt the front axle and did some much needed maintenance. As far as I know, the car was previously used as a off road touring car, it has been to africa, asia several times. The car already had 2 inch OME lift installed, brand new Cooper stt pro 285 75 r16 (33 inch) tires. New depo lights.

A picture from its previous life:

So before installing the engine, everything was refreshed, replaced since it was much easier to get all this PM done while it was out. The new engine came from the UK with 160.000 miles on it. Also, the front axle had a complete rebuilt. New bearings, axle shafts, crown wheel and pinion and all the bits.
A pretty good start right? Of course, there was still a lot to be done.

 

[Vitek]

First, we dived into the extreme amount of extra cabels installed in the car:

Some years ago, someone made a good job, installing an inverter, radio, extra lights all around, extra horns, winch, rear power outlet, front power outlets etc.
But that was a long time ago. All that remained was a mess, with probably many PO adding and or removing things.
The car had some funny electrical things, lights on the dash randomly came on, was quite strange and not so comforting during driving. Also, there were some loose cables, so it was a priority to sort this out ASAP before something goes bad, causing an electrical fire or any other issues.

There was also some rust on the car which needed attention:

 

[Vitek]

So things on the list for the hdj80:

remove all none oem wires, fuses, connections, tidy up the wiring DONE
oil pressure gauge was not working, replaced both the sender and gauge DONE
repair rust on the front door and around windshield, install new OEM windscreen seal DONE
polish the car and remove all remaining marketing stickers DONE
repair non working central locking for trunk door, add a remote control unit to the system DONE
Take out all the seats, carpets and trim and clean the inside from the strange smell, dust and the dirst of the previous 20 years DONE
replace the bendix in the starter, check if that is causing the strange noise
replace every silent block/bush under the car as most of them are worn and broken
rebuild the rear axle, differential and driveshaft
rebuild the transmission and transfer case
fender gaskets needs to be replaced and fenders to be tidies up from those ugly screws which are installed now
replace seat gears in both front seats DONE
install CDL switch DONE
install new steering shaft and gear shifter rubber seals to reduce the noise in the cabin
recover the steering wheel and install a fitting grey airbag instead of the brown one
refill the AC and get the AC system cleaned and sterilized


Some of this work was quite easy to get done and relatively cheap, some is not. I will keep on editing this list as it goes.

I also realized the PO, the guy who replaced the engine and got the front axle rebuild was a bit hectic, when he had the money, all new OEM toyota parts (luckily for most important things) but when not, cheap aftermarket or for instance he left in the worn out silents in the front axle at a complete axle rebuild.... I mean like really??!!

I have bought everything for the rear axle, all new OEM bearing, seals, gaskets, bolts and studs. New rotors and pads, from bosch and aisin will go on aswell. I also bought every silent block/ bush with new bolts and studs. Beside that ordered a lot of good to have parts, which I will need or wanted to have while they are still available.
Huh, after the first months of making order every 2 weeks needed to better plan and revise this as it got quite expensive quickly. Here in Europe, when you order from the usual UAE supplier you have to pay import fees and VAT. Practically, what you pay for the order with shipment, x 1.3 (my country charges 3% import duty and 27% VAT). Very unfortunate thing.
But now the shelfs are nicely loaded with toyota parts in my garage

 

[Vitek]

So lets talk a bit about the hzj80.
After getting the hdj80, my dad realized he wants the comfort of coils, 5 doors and the flex of the 80, but meantime he was not so fond of all the electrical bits coming in the VX trim level. Therefore, he needed a hzj80. All vinyl, super basic, but hey, what is not there, that cant break down right? These are quite rare in Europe, only a few country got them and some UN ones also pop up from time to time. 2020 August a company specializing on Land cruiser restorations and builds offered one for sale, we knew it will be sold quickly so my dad went, looked at it and bought it.

 

[Vitek]

A full cleanup, rust repair and rust prevention treatment for the undercarriage was done.
A lot of time passed in between, so the car we bought in 2020 August, gut delivered in September, we could finally really use it when we took it home 2020 Dec 30.

 

[Vitek]

New pump,new timing kit, new thermostat, new radiator, all japanese such as Koyo or original Toyota. Rebuilt AC pump. Of course at the same time all liquids and filters on the car were also replaced. I mean like for a 28 year old car, this is baselining.

Not such a nice engine bay right? Along the road, we will need to tidy this up.

New OEM radiator, I was very lucky to source one within the EU for a decent price.

 

[Vitek]

Received the new sunshades for the HDJ. This set was made in France, for every window on the car, including the windscreen, its a multi layer insulation stuff. Really nice fit, will work great for my camper setup. It was not cheap, but could not find a cheaper alternative or the time to do it myself.

And a group photo, cause they look great together!

 

[landcruisertx]

Received the new sunshades for the HDJ. This set was made in France, for every window on the car, including the windscreen, its a multi layer insulation stuff. Really nice fit, will work great for my camper setup. It was not cheap, but could not find a cheaper alternative or the time to do it myself.
View attachment 2594057
View attachment 2594054

And a group photo, cause they look great together!

View attachment 2594053

where'd you order the shades from?!?

 

[Vitek]

Here is the link to the advertisment, I had to get the help of a French speaking friend to get in contact with them.
I paid around 300 euros with shipping for the full hdj set and for 2 extra hzj80 rear window ones, as those are barn door windows not split tail gate.
Let me know if you need help with contacting them

 

[Vitek]

Here is the link to the advertisment, I had to get the help of a French speaking friend to get in contact with them.
I paid around 300 euros with shipping for the full hdj set and for 2 extra hzj80 rear window ones, as those are barn door windows not split tail gate.
Let me know if you need help with contacting them

Sunshades

 

[Vitek]

So some progress on the hdj with the tire carrier:

This was made with the design of @tangaTZ , we just had to transfer thing into metric. Thanks a lot for the CAD files!
I wonder where could be some gas struts placed to keep it steady once its open?
Later on it will be mirrored for the driver side also, probably for a jerry can or a storage box.

Cheers

 

[Vitek]

So some updates:

I bought with a friend a JDM hdj81 VX limited. He wants the engine and the body shell. I want all the JDM goodies to be transferred to my EU spec VX. The rest we will sell.

Currently what I am thinking to keep/transfer to my hdj80:
- Altimeter console
- Tire carrier
- Fridge console
- Seats
- Rims
- Running boards
-VX limited trim for the doors
-Headlight washers

I will also move the front bumper if its an OEM winch one, probably with an aftermarket winch installed, we will see.
For the center console fridge, I am not sure if its worth the trouble, once the car is here and I can start to inspect it and I will decide.

Its a 1992 non locked one, so axles are kind a useless for us.
What elso would you recommend to keep from this truck?

 

[HLN245]

I have an altimeter/compass console that fits between the sun visors but need the wiring and plate and anything else to make it work. Can you help?

 

[Vitek]

I have an altimeter/compass console that fits between the sun visors but need the wiring and plate and anything else to make it work. Can you help?

Sorry, these things I will needto make it work in mine also.

 

[Vitek]

So some closer look on the donor Hdj81:

Thereis a 70? series tank installed as a subtank. It has a transfer pump to the main tank, but no gauge to know how much fuel is there... Also there is a LPG tank in the trunk, which attached to the intake, accoring some research I made, this is for better fuel burn, fuel efficiency... I dont know to much about this system and we dont inted to keep....

The exhaust has seen better days !

 

[Vitek]

The inside is dirty.... very dirty... But the seats are not totally worn out, ripped or stained. A good cleaning will make them nice again!

 

[Vitek]

The winch plate is definetly not OEM. I had high hopes that maybe the plate will be original, but not. This will be sold and I am still on the market for an OEM pto or electric winch

 

[Vitek]

There is bunch of extra parts, like springs ( PO told these were the original, but quite sure they are not from toyota) and shocks. I am quite new to this JDM adjustable suspension thing, how does it work?

What a pity for the rear licence plate light...

 

[lp2k]

Nice truck- and yes it will be a long road and a lot of euro to rebuild. It is worth it. The license plate can be replaced or repaired.