- Thread starter
- #41
How about you make a heavy duty LJ78.
Ask your mechanic if he can do this for you:
Yeah, that's downright amazing and awesome. You, Sir, are the King of all Prado Owners!
Diagnose knock in 2LTE (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter digitalbuck
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Yeah, that's downright amazing and awesome. You, Sir, are the King of all Prado Owners!
I know nothing about this ...When properly tuned and mated to an Intercooler, the 1HZ will really come alive.
I am curious why if you already have a well sorted LJ you would want to purchase a HZJ? What is it that you are going to get it off that "upgrade" that you don't currently have with your LJ?
- Thread starter
- #44
A truck that will appreciate in value like a Prado never will. I like my Prado a lot, at least I did back when I could drive it. It was my daily driver for more than 2 years. But every penny I put into it is a penny I'm throwing away. A 77 wouldn't be as much that way.
The only way you are going to make any kind of money on a Cruiser is if you import it yourself. Even then you have to get a lucky score at auction. It is not real appreciation, we have yet to really see if these early 90s 70 series trucks are going to appreciate in value.
Having just been through this process and getting a VERY good price on the original purchase I am not sure how much money I would actually make if I ever decided to sell. After properly going through a 28 year old truck and refreshing everything and adding all the mods I wanted and of course doing the work myself, I am still into the truck for and enormous amount of money. After fees and parts I have more than double the purchase price of the truck spent on top of what I paid for it.
If you can't pull an engine, can you rebuild an axle? That isn't a cheap service.
I have an entire spread sheet for my build and the costs add up fast. I am ahead, sure, but not near as much as you would think given the amazing price I paid for my truck. Mods lose money when you go to sell. You will Iose money when you sell your current rig and then likely lose money building a new one. If you just want to be able to say you own an HZJ, that is fine. It is your money. But if you are really trying to justify this as a wise financial decision, I have some bad news for you.
Having just been through this process and getting a VERY good price on the original purchase I am not sure how much money I would actually make if I ever decided to sell. After properly going through a 28 year old truck and refreshing everything and adding all the mods I wanted and of course doing the work myself, I am still into the truck for and enormous amount of money. After fees and parts I have more than double the purchase price of the truck spent on top of what I paid for it.
If you can't pull an engine, can you rebuild an axle? That isn't a cheap service.
I have an entire spread sheet for my build and the costs add up fast. I am ahead, sure, but not near as much as you would think given the amazing price I paid for my truck. Mods lose money when you go to sell. You will Iose money when you sell your current rig and then likely lose money building a new one. If you just want to be able to say you own an HZJ, that is fine. It is your money. But if you are really trying to justify this as a wise financial decision, I have some bad news for you.
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GTSSportCoupe
2LTE abuser
Solid thoughts and good advice. So very true.
- Thread starter
- #47
I understand, and thanks for your comments. I know that is all true. I didn't mean as a flip, or as a plan to make money. Just that Prados are not respected in the sales market in spite of being pretty rare in the USA. I know you dont recoup money from mods and I'm in for the long term.
I am not sure you are right with your assessment. I can buy a nice 1993 Prado at auction for less than $6000 USD. That vehicle sells in the US for $15000. LCD has a locked HZJ77 for $17k last I looked. The 1993 KZJ Prados would probably sell well here given that they are exceptionally rare in the US. I agree that Prados are not AS respected, but they are definitely still very respected.
- Thread starter
- #49
I do enjoy mine, and the replacement engine is on the way. And I do appreciate all of the help I get from you guys on Mud!
And, another thing to consider is this.
While the Prado may not share every part with it's brethren, the Light Duty designation is a bit of a misnomer. Toyota didn't invent a brand new vehicle and make it out of tin foil. It is built using parts from it's peers and previous generations of Land Cruiser for the most part. It's a plenty heavy duty vehicle in use all over the world. Maybe not to the degree the 70 series is used/abused. But, other then a slightly problematic engine in some instances, it is a well respected vehicle in some pretty harsh environments.
I don't think anyone will disagree that Land Rover has a well known and deserved pedigree as an expedition/utility vehicle in some of the harshest environments in the world. Despite some of it's inherent weaknesses.
As someone who intimately knows every nut and bolt in a Land Rover Defender/Disco/Range Rover Classic through many years of ownership over various models, I will say this. My Prado is a better built and engineered vehicle than any Land Rover I have owned including the one parked behind it currently. While I love my Land Rovers, they are a raging heap next to my Land Cruiser LJ78. And, I regularly drive them all over the place, miles from civilization ,without fear of them leaving me tragically stranded.
So, I feel that as more of the Prados come into the states and more of us figure out the nuances of keeping the engine whole, their reputation will grow. Lot's of the Toyota diesels seem to have shortcomings that I view to easily be as bad as the head issue on the 2LTE. But, more work,time, and money have went into overcoming those issues.
I feel that a lot of the early ones that came in may have been in the hands of people who thought they could just get in and drive it like their car. That ended in tears obviously. Or, had pre existing issues when they were sold. As in the case of Nick's.
All that being said, I still want a 70 series and will almost definitely wind up with one at some point. But, I have a well documented vehicle hoarding problem, so don't use me as an example.
If you like your Prado and are willing to do the needed mods, more power to you and have fun with it.
While the Prado may not share every part with it's brethren, the Light Duty designation is a bit of a misnomer. Toyota didn't invent a brand new vehicle and make it out of tin foil. It is built using parts from it's peers and previous generations of Land Cruiser for the most part. It's a plenty heavy duty vehicle in use all over the world. Maybe not to the degree the 70 series is used/abused. But, other then a slightly problematic engine in some instances, it is a well respected vehicle in some pretty harsh environments.
I don't think anyone will disagree that Land Rover has a well known and deserved pedigree as an expedition/utility vehicle in some of the harshest environments in the world. Despite some of it's inherent weaknesses.
As someone who intimately knows every nut and bolt in a Land Rover Defender/Disco/Range Rover Classic through many years of ownership over various models, I will say this. My Prado is a better built and engineered vehicle than any Land Rover I have owned including the one parked behind it currently. While I love my Land Rovers, they are a raging heap next to my Land Cruiser LJ78. And, I regularly drive them all over the place, miles from civilization ,without fear of them leaving me tragically stranded.
So, I feel that as more of the Prados come into the states and more of us figure out the nuances of keeping the engine whole, their reputation will grow. Lot's of the Toyota diesels seem to have shortcomings that I view to easily be as bad as the head issue on the 2LTE. But, more work,time, and money have went into overcoming those issues.
I feel that a lot of the early ones that came in may have been in the hands of people who thought they could just get in and drive it like their car. That ended in tears obviously. Or, had pre existing issues when they were sold. As in the case of Nick's.
All that being said, I still want a 70 series and will almost definitely wind up with one at some point. But, I have a well documented vehicle hoarding problem, so don't use me as an example.
If you like your Prado and are willing to do the needed mods, more power to you and have fun with it.
- Thread starter
- #51
I've done most of the mods. That engine though...for some reason they failed to engineer it so that the cylinders would be able to successfully chew up and swallow the lock washers I dump into it. Rascals...
The only inherent issue with most of the Toyota's diesels are the owners insistence that it perform like a 2018 Duramax. Most are not "left lane on the Interstate" type of engines.
What you talking about? My mighty 2H-T sits in any lane just fine
Totally agree with this. However, with the right mods even the 2L-TE can make a fair amount of power...ok, maybe not a fair amount, but "more than enough" power...and be reliable doing it. I know @GTSSportCoupe has tons of mods done. I would love to know what his dyno numbers are. I bet they would surprise a lot of people.
I thought all of your roads were one lane and made up of sea shells and ground up moose antlers.
I didn't say it couldn't go in the left lane, I simply implied it shouldn't.
Diesel Land Cruisers are "go slow and enjoy life" kinda vehicles.
Well said. Stay out of that left lane, you are just blocking up the Prius behind you. Never fear though, momentarily they will be in front of you impeding your progress.
I didn't say it couldn't go in the left lane, I simply implied it shouldn't.
Diesel Land Cruisers are "go slow and enjoy life" kinda vehicles.
Hello,
x2.
Owning a Land Cruiser means welcome to life in the slow lane.
Above 85 km/h you are just wasting fuel.
Juan
I didn't say it couldn't go in the left lane, I simply implied it shouldn't.
Diesel Land Cruisers are "go slow and enjoy life" kinda vehicles.
Look at my sig. I own a LWB truck with a 1PZ. This is a concept us PZJ77 owners are more familiar with then just about any other Cruiserheads. The PZJ77 is in the running for the most under powered Land Cruiser of all time.
For years I drove a "H" powered 45 Series. Everywhere I went I had enough cars stuck behind me to make it appear that I was leading a funeral.
