Hello,
For that price I would run as well.
However, it is possible to swap the engine for a 3B or a 14B-T (or something more modern like a 1HD-T) provided you get it at the right price.
It looks like a good project rig.
Juan
Fair Market price for 1992 70 2 door Turbo diesel
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Hello,
For that price I would run as well.
However, it is possible to swap the engine for a 3B or a 14B-T (or something more modern like a 1HD-T) provided you get it at the right price.
It looks like a good project rig.
Juan
Yes , one of the newer B engines or 1HZ-1HD T if you want a guaranteed engine parts supply for at least the next 5+ years.
I assumed it was 19K euros which is even more but maybe it's "only" 19 US. Too much regardless.
- Thread starter
- #46
He has it listed at 19K (US). I guess he does not know what you guys know about this vehicle.
Maybe they do know. I'm sure someone will come along and buy it; after all it's a "diesel".
That or he DOES know about it
individual heads, bad cooling design, low power, terrible reliability...From what I have read, there are 4 and 5 cylinder versions of the VM engine...so possible he is right on it being a 4 cylinder VM.Here's some mud knowledge on the 2.5
@chrisspaulding
The VM motors are terrible. They are awful and they suck. They all die around 200,000kms. These motors have individuals cylinder heads on each cylinder (there is a 4 cyl and 5 cyl version of theses engines. The 5 started in 1990 and was also intercooled at that time) and they require regular head re-torquing as part of their service/upkeep. People don't do this and the heads warp and leak. You can not refinish these heads once they warped, you need new ones. You can buy new ones and VM parts here http://www.euro4x4parts.com/ They are almost 250 Euro a bare head!!! I don't know of a service manual out there. I've had my guy in Spain search and he's found nothing. They also put a similar version of this VM in the early turbo diesel Range Rovers rovers, before the 200tdi came along. They sucked in those too.
You'd be wasting your money trying to fix the VM motor. They suck, did I mention that? They installed 4.56 gears in these trucks to make it pull harder, because.... yeah, you guessed it, they suck.
@joekatana
I am one of those people that has real life experience with the 2.5 VM in the Land Cruisers as well as the VM that was installed in mid 90's Cherokee's and I have to say they are great.......best boat anchors ever made once you pull them out of the trucks
other forums:
We have a similar story on my buddy's 73. VM Specialists gave me all the measurements for the heads and I gave him what they actually were and the result was it needed new heads at £250 each plus £30 per gasket. Not much except there are 5 heads and 5 head gaskets!
Apparently if they get too hot - not necessarily overheat - the heads warp and the re-machining tolerances are very small and ours were outside the range.
I don't think I have those measurements now but it maybe worth getting them from VM, stripping out the first head and checking. If they are within tolerance then they could be machined and all it would need is new head gaskets.
Give the guy at VM Specialist a call - he is very helpful.
@lulo
In Spain and Portugal were sold BJ-73 units with 3B engines, and BJ-73 units manufactured by Salvador Caetano with Italian engines (VM Motori) 5-cylinder and 4 cylinders (2.500 cc 115 hp)
Check this link and read the info of this engines (VM Motori):
- VM Motori S.p.A.
The reason for making this model BJ-73 in Portugal with VM engines, was the restriction of import of Japanese cars in the late 80's and early 90`s.
The four cyl is the HR 492 HI, the straight 5 is the HR 588 HT (not intetcooled).
In Italy VM parts are cheap, you can find it at the supermarket
When I started looking at landcruisers again several years back I was amazed at how "the price" of old landcruisers had gone up. In my mind I vividly remember decent used FJ40's being 2-4K in the 80's and a really sweet rust free clean one being 5-6K in the late 90's. If you look at "prices" now it would lead you to believe buying a classic landcruiser is a better investment than buying real estate.....You really need to look at what they sell for and not what people are asking for them. There are alot of people that really don't want to sell their LC but will put it on Ebay or Craigslist with a silly high price just in case there's someone out there with more money than sense wanting to pay that high price. Then others actually wanting to sell their LC come along and list it basing their price on these crazy asking prices.
The Land Cruiser market has gone CRAZY in Spain. 5 or 6 years ago, you could pick up a clean VM power Bj73 for 2000-3500 euro, 3Bs 4000-6000 euro. There was already a demand from buyers from North Africa. When I was importing them, I would often get in a bidding war for these trucks with guys from N Africa or lose it to them because they go there first. Spain was still recovering from a recession, demand was low, prices were cheap. After a few years, several other people in the US started doing the same. During this time, there was a LOT of talk on the Spanish LC forums about how the demand was going up and how so many of the Spanish trucks were getting exported. In the same way that the prices of the 60s and 80s have gone through the roof here in the US, the same happened with the 70s in Spain. People KNOW that Americans will pay for these trucks. The have access and are on THESE forums. They SEE what the 3000 Euro truck they sold is selling for here. Many have jacked up the prices and go fishing. What do they have to lose, especially when someone does not care, is looking to make a huge chunk of dough with NO recourse or consequences for what they are doing.
As we have seen on this forum and others, there's been a HUGE increase in the interest in the 70s series. In the past we were a small cult in the Land Cruiser fraternity. Not any more... 70s are being imported from EVERYWHERE. A lot or junk. Unfortunately, many of the people looking for these trucks are not familiar and as knowledgeable about the ins and outs of these trucks. Understandably. We've all seen the horror stories unfold on the forum here. People buying VM powered trucks not knowing that they are buying, case in point @Hamachi . Not that anyone is blaming or faulting you. It's good you are discovering this for yourself BEFORE you spend all that money and get a truck with a turd for an engine. Look, there are folks buying BEAUTIFUL, clean LJ78s from Japan only to discover the limitations of the 2LT motors for US highway driving. Drive a bunch of these before you buy one. I'm a HUGE fan of the 3B motor, but I cant own one because I do 75-80mph on the highway. The CONCEPT of these trucks is great. The REALITY is different. Drive several, find the one you love, the one you can live with day to day and THEN start your search. Do not buy something you do know about and haven't driven. Would you buy ANY car in the US over the internet without ever having gotten in one and driven it? I mean never having ever sat in and driven that same model car? Maybe you would, but doing it that way will probably end up with a lot of disappointment and upset. Find someone from the forum that is near you, go see and drive their truck. See what you think, make sure it works for you. KNOW what you are buying. These are awesome trucks and there is an amazing community here to support you. Do your homework, be smart, be safe, take your time. You want to find your dream truck, not a nightmare...
What the heck, for $25,000 I’ll sell you my 1HDT powered Spanish BJ73!
The Japanese tend to take really good care of their vehicles. They have to to keep passing jci. Speed limits are slow there, not as much shade tree mechanic work, and they don't put as many miles on their vehicles. Low mileage imported "Prado" Land cruiser from japan with the KZT engine may be a good less expensive option. There are a lot of them for sale on the Japanese used car export websites.
While I agree with the comments being made about the VM engine. $19K is a decent deal these days (IMHO) for what seems to be a clean LHD 73 with factory doors that have removable tops. Especially if it has factory A/C.
You can always swap out the engine later.
Never seen a factory FRP 70 but seems like there are aftermarket ones in Colombia that started life as a FST 70.
Wayne from Canada did at least one frp conversion on a soft top 70. That was a while ago. Looks pretty good.
I forgot about that one and recall seeing the thread with pics when I first started browsing mud. Not sure if the pics are still around.
Hello,
I found a picture. I remember Wayne took a 73 Series FRP top, cut out some 11 in. and then glued it back together.
I have seen aftermarket SWB FRP tops but nothing close to what Wayne did.
If I remember correctly, there was a company in Australia that made FRP tops for Light Duty 70 Series. I am not sure whether this company is still alive. Sadly, I do not have any pictures of it.
Juan