First time buyer looking for advice

[TheSquare]

Hey! First post here!

I live in Finland and have been on the look out for a 70-series LC for a little while since my current car will get scrapped within the year. Long story short I've never owned a land cruiser, closest is a couple of Lada Nivas, the LC from wish I suppose. And as such I'm looking for some buyers advice.

Mostly looking for a short body and have found some RJs and LJs that look decent. But I'm not familiar with what to look for when buying one. I've heard that rust is one of the first things to check, and based on that the general condition of the driveline etc. can be inferred, sort of.

So far I've checked an -89 RJ70 2.4 Petrol (400kkm). And first impressions were not great. Apart from some rust holes and general wear, the car would barely idle and sputtered and choked a lot when I was test driving it. In addition it was quite loud, the subaru forester I currently drive, hell even my old Ladas didn't scream like this one. Couldn't see any holes in the exhaust underneath, just a pretty sizeable dent. Another issue was the suspension. It was a pretty stiff ride, and I'm not sure if I'm just not used to old suspensions or if they've messed with it somehow. Was somewhat hard to tell how well maintained the car was, since it was caked in dirt underneath, but what was visible was not terribly rusty. The frame looked good, but I'm not quite sure about all the mounts, fasteners and bushings. Most mechanical replacements I could do myself, but I no longer have access to a welder. So I'm hesitant to put down the money for this car as it seems like a bit of a gamble with the owner not providing much info about its service life etc.

On saturday I'm checking out a -91 LJ73 2.4 TD (300kkm). Just based on pictures I've requested, the frame and the running gear seem to be in good condition. The rear windows seem quite badly rusted, but that's less of a concern. What I've heard is that the 2.4 TD engine commonly has overheating issues, so that's something to ask about. Checking the car out in person, are there any tell-tales that the engine might be cooked?

A lot in one go, but I'm trying to get my start with land cruisers to be a good one.
Thanks in advance!

 

[Omrib]

I own a 97 HZJ 73 with about 500kkm on it.
By now, pretty much everything needs some sort of a rebuild.
E v e r y t h I n g......
But, I have managed 5 different 3 day desert trips and many close to home short offroad drives in the past year, with a rear axle that needs a rebuild, a transfer case with play in the rear output, oil going from t-case to transmission (needs leveling every 2000 km) and many more issues.

If you want to enjoy them for many years to come, save a large budget to get it eventually straightened out to spec.

70's are fun to work on and parts are usually available

Just get into a good state of mind , and it helps to have a plan

Good luck

 

[TheSquare]

Thanks!

That's good to know. I'm not planning on going off-roading with it to any greater extent. So once I've done an initial assesment and swapped out wear parts that need replacing, the only other thing I want to do is rust protection and a repaint. Mostly I need a reliable daily that isn't a post 95 bread-dough looking car. Lots more fun to maintain a car that you like! We don't salt our roads here afaik. So managing rust should be somewhat easier.

One question is about engines. I hear kind of conflicting things about 70s. Some say the NA 3LTD is the best you can go for. Others swear by the NA 2.4L Petrol. Most of what I can find in Finland is the 2.4 petrol. But I did find one with the 2.4LT TD, and I would prefer a diesel engine myself unless it's clearly a worse choice for some reason that escapes me. Then again, word is even the factory turbo diesel 2.4 commonly has overheating issues. where the top cover cracks and starts leaking. Replacing that when I get my hands on the car is not an issue unless there's a good chance it will keep happening. What's the general consensus on what 70s engines people prefer? Is it just preference?

 

[Tennessee Jed]

Lots of threads with similar questions and answers on all these engines. It's really helpful to use search and get lots of information you won't get just by asking.
To start with:

Search results for query: 3L diesel

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[sadam_husain]

When buying older vehicles I've always tried to find something with the least rust, repairing bodies and chassis/frames is always time consuming, difficult, costly and demoralising and the rust is usually a whole lot worse than you realised, mechanical repairs are typically a lot easier and faster to do, good luck finding your new 70 series

 

[TheSquare]

Thanks both!
Yeah I have done a bunch of research amd can't find any definitive answers. So I'm weighing pros and cons and choosing by my own preference I think. Everyone seems to have their own anyway.

And yeah, rust management is a lot of work, especially hard to do when I don't have a shop with a welder. It's probably worth investing in a mig since a lot of replaceable bodywork is expensive as hell.

My old Nivas would "cookify" quite quickly, and staying on top of that was more work than keeping the tranny alive and engine firing up reliably. "Swedish quality: lasts forever with minimal maintenance. Soviet quality: breaks all the time but is cheap and easy to fix"

Thanks for all the tips! Much appreciated.
I'm getting more familiar with the 70 series as I'm doing more research. And now starting to look at buying a bj70 3.0 diesel elsewhere in europe and road tripping home to finland. Whatever I end up buying though I'll likely have a new thread for the inevitable restoration work I'll be doing.

Thanks again!

 

[TheSquare]

And now we're crusing

Drove home the -92 lj73. It is in really good condition. The only rust damage is on the removable rear window frame. And the seller gave me two rear doors to fabricobble with.

Really happy with it. Although for daily driving the 35x12.5 mud tires will likely be swapped to something more modest.