Crazy Aussie idea

[Gwagg]

Florida friends,
My son is traveling around and is in Sydney Australia for a couple of months. We have been trading hundreds of emails of different cruisers that he sees and are for sale. I am trying to justify buying a Aussie 45 cruiser, let him drive it for while then export it into the US. The rarity of a RHD 45 suits me. but a rig with AC might change my mind. I will probably sell my FJC and use the aussie rig as a daily driver. We have looked at a lot of rigs but right now these two stand out but are at the higher end of the price range. Are we crazy?


I talked myself into wanting a diesel 2H or 3b since it will not run on the hwy much and florida has no mountains. Hard finding disc and power steering. I have made AC optional.

 

[Bret]

Would be a very nice cruiser for sure, for the money it would take I would want to make sure it was in very good shape inside and out, factory wiring, no rust, blah, blah.. But with AC (if it works well) I wouldn't hesitate to daily drive it. It has been a long time since I looked at importing, but if alll the boxes check out for glass, required safety equip, lights, registration, titling, etc. then I would give it some serious thought. Your the best judge of what you want and what it would take, put them on the balance and press on.

 

[FL cruiser]

Awesome!!! They are probably RHD if you don't mind that.

DO NOT sell your daily drivers without driving one for a while. These vehicles can be slow.
The smile on your face after driving one could fade away after a few weeks.

78-older: Will barely pull 60MPH
79-85: Will go 65MPH, but can't maintain it in a headwind or slight grade
85 newer; More likely to have a 5 speed with OD and possibly a turbo. Best option for US roads. Newer non-40 body styles though.

I put 33's on a BJ40 once, but slowed it down so much I had to go back down to 31's.

B anb H series engines are pretty slow. Old school simple, rugged and bomb proof.
Exception is a 12HT (6cyl turbo) Simplicity and Ruggedness of the old school Toyota Diesels, but power of the newer. Purrs like a kitten too.

 

[FL cruiser]

I forgot to mention. Look for frame cracks on the pickups, and then check to make sure the VIN on the frame matches the body. Lots of those old pickups that had been worked hard had numerous frame repairs and/or frame swaps. The nicest ones seem to be prior govt, municipality or utility trucks.

 

[super40]

i drove my fj40 as my primary daily driver for 2.5 years in the central fl weather. yes my fj40 has A/C. but its not like the AC in your new vehicle. the cool air blowing out of the AC unit was almost enough to displace the heat coming off the non insulated fire wall and floor. net benefit was ZERO. its cooler to drive with the doors off. as long as your moving its fine even in the summer, especially if its the usual morning and evening commute. sept through May you will have a smile from ear to ear. june july and august you may want to drive the fjc if you drive in the middle of the day regularly. nice looking 40 in the pic. be sure you invest some seat time in the RHD before you pull the trigger as its not for everyone.

 

[Gwagg]

Thanks for the advice. We have eliminated a lot of 45s because they have 200KM+ on rebuilt engines. There are also a lot of "Frankenstein" rigs for sale as well. It also is amazing how many people know so little about what they drive! I will start to drive the FJC at 62MPH max and see how many horn honks and fingers I get for a perspective. I had a petrol 40 many years ago but I lived in a small town so not getting over 60 was never an issue. I will not make it down under, even from China it is a 10+hr plane ride to try RHD. I figure if I get a unique enough vehicle over here it would be easy to unload and at least break-even if I was not happy with it. I looked at the some 70 series and they seem to have more creature comfort but sourcing parts would be a PIA. Life is all about choices.

 

[cruisermatt]

Sourcing 70 parts is not as hard as it was 3 years ago. Check out the 70 section, you will be surprised what's available in North America.

If it were me I'd be looking into a 1990 (newest you can bring over) diesel/manual 80 series.

 

[Gwagg]

42 sold when my son asked about it today...

 

[super40]

2x what matt said 70 series not the unicorn it once was.

 

[Gwagg]

Added new rig in 1st post as others sold.

 

[cruisermatt]

I wouldn't be so quick to sell the FJ Cruiser and ONLY own a 32 year old (it's an 1983 right?), rare, Non-US truck, the reality is parts are available, not that day though. And maybe not the next day either.

Unless you have other cars besides the FJ, or wife's car etc.

Plus you might end up hating the RHD. There's always a discussion in the 70 section about it, as most (all) 70's in the U.S. are European or Asian market imports. Do some reading on this.

12HT and the H55F (five speed) is a great combo. Just remember no matter how much money the seller put into to that to try to sell it, for the first 30 years of its life it was a beaten up, worked hard, put away wet, work truck. Especially the 45 pickups. In the 45 section a ton of the Aussie FJ45 owners report frame damage. Just something to look out for, over there Land Cruisers aren't weekend toys, they are daily works beaters just like the F150 or Chevy pickup here.

 

[Gwagg]

Driving down Fairbanks in Orlando yesterday and see this thing sitting in a car lot next to I-4.

It had a Costa Rica license plate on the front. Frame was completely painted with POR15. Looked like drum brakes in the front. The transfer case had the drum brake. No rust marks on body panels. Bed was custom made wood and wood sides. I think this is the H engine. Engine bay was really clean. $34,800 is a lot of money!! I would be surprised if they could get half that?

 

[FL cruiser]

No A/C, 4 speed and drum brakes. It's going to be a hard sell. 79 should be the 2H

Costa Rica cruisers had front drum brakes up until 84 when they quit making them.

 

[cruisermatt]

Ah Nort Northam. He is NOT a cruiser expert, just a classic car flipper getting in on the trend.

 

[cuteo100]

It is an H motor, not 2H.

 

[Gwagg]

Look at this rig -

1984 HJ47 running full HDJ79 running gear!! 1HDFTE factory turbo diesel, EGR blanked off and intake plenum cleaned out, rebuilt fuel pump and injectors and custom UNICHIP tuned to 155RWHP. Gearbox, front and rear diffs-79 series, 4 wheel discs, front and rear air lockers. 79 series dash and AUTRON LCD gauges- engine temp,turbo boost,exhaust gas temp and oil pressure, digital dual battery monitor, 100 series seats. Removable canvas canopy in mint condition, built in lockable tool box which houses the dual batteries and ARB air compressor, 2x12 volt outlets in the tray to run fridges. 200 litre long range fuel tank, body is in excellent condition with absolutely NO rust!! Will sit on 150 all day long, no problem doesnt run hot, doesnt use any oil or coolant, or have any leaks AT ALL.

Outside my budget and I think you can not import a car with a newer engine.

 

[cruisermatt]

The engine that is in the vehicle has to be a 25 years old to be imported IN THE VEHICLE. However, if you were to pull the engine, you would be able to import them separately and reinstall it here.

1HD-T's began in 1990 I believe. However, that is an FTE and a bit later. Cool rig though.

 

[geoffnlp]

Gwagg, I don't know what part of Central Florida you are in, but I have a 1984 FJ45 Troopy pictured in my avatar I imported from AUS and am thinking of selling. I am in Altamonte Springs if you want to drive it to see how you like the RHD. Cheers, Geoff.

 

[Gwagg]

Thanks Geoffnip but I am committed to learning to drive a RHD now.

My Son and I have purchased a 1981 HJ47. We looked at many vehicles and landed with this UTE. I had a long list of items I wanted but my unicorn could not be found. My son quit his job in Sydney and took a train to Brisbane and picked up the HJ. I paid for a full inspection which uncovered only items that you would expect in a 32year old cruiser. The shop did not have time and did not think a compression test was needed. To date he has driven it over 1550 miles with just a broken muffler mount.

My son sleeps in the back in a tent or in a hammock across supports the PO added. He starts a job at a ranch in NE Australia Monday the 29th. Communication has been just some text messages and at a small town in Winton where he was able to upload some photos. Once at the ranch we expect little communication from him. it could be 3 months before it gets to the US.

We are the third owner. 166,000 KM, RHD, 2H, 5spd, manual steering, front disc brakes, extended range tank, hydraulic lift tray, dual batteries. It has a rear spring that is compressed. The PO stored it for 23 years before pulling it out and doing maintenance to do a long outback trip. The mechanic that inspected it for my son thinks something heavy was left on one side of the tray-back during storage. One spring pack is compressed. The inside cab has odd scratches making me think it had items stored in it as well. I am researching import/export options as well as looking for some items to ship back in it. My one mistake was the wood tray back floor. I have to get it fumigated or pulled out before shipping.

 

[geoffnlp]

Gwagg, I'll bet your son is having a blast over there, my Troopy is in central Florida already, I imported it about a year ago, so if you are around Altamonte Springs you can take it for a drive. Also if you are looking for someone to import it, I had two vehicles brought over from Australia through a company called AUStoUSA imports, talk to Phil, they did a great job with transporting for a fair price, he is a member on MUD here also. Cheers, Geoff.