Found this beauty in Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) - should I buy ?

[aljollano]

You are right. My bad...still don't like the sticker....

 

[MAKTLCFJ40]

Hi Mak
Yes, I was thinking this price would be acceptable. It has the original engine and it runs very well. Starts immediately, but of course, 90HP does not give the best acceleration. Checked with Toyota and no parts available. There was no car show rooms or distributors in the country until recently, so the spare parts in stock are not much.

I guess there are two kinds of restoration. Making it 100% original or go for a fully working sturdy workhorse with the right looks and abilities, which for me will be travelling in the provincce and being able to go on any road. This kind of modification will of course give the car a lesser value, but that is ok. Want it to be as soft a ride as possible and able to keep good speed on bad roads.

I am willing to spend a bit and have planned to do a two step thing. First get it into fully working order and get good suspension.
Then when I have time, to strip it down and do all rust and repaint, as well as getting new interior and possibly change the engine.
The 3B sounds like a good option (can install turbo ?) as well as the 1KD-FTV engine.

I will be staying in the country for a long period due to this being the last undeveloped frontier in Asia and business cases are endless.
So, investing a bit in this one should be fine.

They are not driving like UK here, but on the right hand side like in Europe/US etc. Many accidents when drivers try to pass lorries and have to bring half the car over in the other lane and others doing the same coming in the other direction.

With regards to customs duty, this is marginal. Still think using suppliers near the Thai border is a good option.
Bringing the car out of the country should be possible. Guess Myanmar citizens can go on a car holiday as well.
But, I better check it with the Ministry. Would not like to be stranded on the border coming back.

Thanks for good advice

===============================

Hi Thor
You are most welcome

In your case restoring to original specs might not be a good idea if you are in for a long stay,though it can be done as a hobby but not as a daily drive vehicle and in that part of the world you will never get no matter how much you spend/invest on it,it will always be your pleasure ride not meant for profit.IMHO a sturdy workhorse is what suits your needs
Although I'm still struggling to keep my 2F engine running daily on my FJ40
The interior is well kept and looks like it was or still is a beloved car under the circumstances and place.
This is a good article for getting to know your BJ/FJ :

http://www.fourwheeler.com/how-to/129-0609-toyota-land-cruiser-buildup-tips

2B,3B ,13B and 14B are nearly same power engines with 13B and 14B later models having direct injection and slightly larger bore n stroke.13B-T is much powerful as T stands for turbo.I haven't seen any 3B converted to turbo.14B-T is the most powerful of all of these,though 15B-FTE (150HP+) is actually the most powerful in B series but it came only in Mega Cruiser made for military use and I think lost bid to HUMVEE and very few vehicles were ever produced.Have heard of only Two FJ/BJ40 vehicles having 15B-FTE.

If this car was imported new or as a second hand vehicle in it's prime days (late 70's to mid 80's) and there are some still on the road you can find some local knowledge from old mechanics and check the car's history,a tourist might have sold it.You can check the car's full history either by applying by the book for a copy of it's original file kept in Auto registration office or through Mr.Benjamin Franklin ,the main idea is to check how the car came in this country ,through proper import or a tourist sold it,either way custom duty applies and how much it was paid by the first owner.Just saying as vehicles do smuggle in from Thailand mostly.

Any good mechanic with 30+ yrs of experience can tell and guide you a lot about the parts and tricks for modifying this car.
In my short travelling experience there is always a "Jeep" mechanic somewhere shuffling parts from and to into a CJ,RR,LR or FJ/BJ and especially in remote and undeveloped areas
If TLC is a hot pancake there then you can get your many modifying parts there in Burma as well no need to go to Thailand ,only find a good mechanic who has done or is doing these alterations on suspensions.He will surely know how n where to get rquired parts.Toyota 3S will surely not have old model parts.
For inquiring about a good mechanic,ask anyone local in your company with some knowledge about this field.You never know if your company's local driver turns out to be a better guide than all of us

Installing longer leaf springs and getting softer but long travel shocks e.g Rancho 9000 series might help.
Getting good condition used comfortable bucket seats from a crown,cressida or camry will also help.
You can change tyres to Bridgestone Dueler H-P 92A for better ride.
Front disc brakes should be high on your list if this one hasn't.

Hope this helps ,after suspension we will talk about engines after all you have a comfortable V8 vehicle right now

5grand for just number plate change? wow! this happens when too much sanctions are imposed on a poor country it's the common man that suffers.The TLC buyers club is a HAVE club and you have already described about the have not class.

take care
cheers!
MAK

 

[Thor Svendsen]

Hi MAK

Lots of very valuable information here and I spent all evening yesterday going through the links looking up and getting things on paper, so I can start purchasing the needed parts. I have decided to only do repair and technical upgrade of the car, making it safe and more comfy. I will not bother about the looks very much, but do a quick rust and preservation job to keep things from deteriorating. It is actually in quite good state.
You are right about the fact that it will be a waste of money going further. I want a fun functional car for rough off-road use with the best suspension possible.

I can legally drive the car to Thailand and back and an do the upgrade work there I guess. From Yangon to the nearest border to Thailand takes about 14 hours. That is the Myawaddy border town. From there I have to find the nearest place where I can find a Landcruiser FJ/BJ specialist. Closest Thai city will be Nakon Sawan.

So, if anyone in this forum knows about a Thai FJ/BJ specilaist, then that would be good.
To get it in 100% working order, I need to change the original parts that are in a bad shape now and then do the "suspension" upgrade or maybe a combination with new parts as suggested by MAK above. From what I see that needs replacement (have no spare part numbers or drawings available and are looking for this) this is:

- Tie Rods
- Arm Rods
- Idler arm
- Steering cross ball
- Coupling bushes
- Joint cross-ball
- Drive shaft bearing
- brake pads
- new headlights (very low lux, can hardly see at night). Glass looks fine and reflectors too.
- new signal lights all around as well as the two round red ones at the back.
- Also fresh tires
- all filters etc for engine
- new gaskets for all the doors and windows

The engine runs very well, but not much power. Starts in a split second.

One of my colleges goes to Japan next week and has promised to look for parts there. It would have been great if I had some drawinfs showing spare part numbers etc. or even a handbook/manual. Anyone knows if that can be found online ?

 

[peteinjp]

Thor,

Pm sent about diagrams- check your inbox.

Sadly the sliding window runners, weatherstripping etched are NLA as is the roof gaskets and other middle wheelbase specific rubber.

Pete

 

[MAKTLCFJ40]

Hi Thor,

This item list is a must have if this car has weaker or needs replacement parts.
If you are going for an engine/gear and suspension swap you might not need all of the original OEM items as they will be replaced by the new setup.

You might find some here ,enter the vehicle year n select hardtop ,if you find your desired part again recheck with the site's rep.

http://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/toyota-land-cruiser-parts.html

You can download some helpful manuals from here :

http://www.rooney.org/tlc/manuals

You are used to driving modern high power V8s maybe it's a feeling that you feel about engine being low power but it was a reasonable powerful engine in it's prime days . But I still think that opting for a good 150+ HP with good torque engine should be swapped with it's matching auto or manual gear.
I think you should take a couple of days trip by yourself first to find out about a good garage in Thailand and then take your car there.
Some western and Australian companies have dealers of their respective products try to contact them, e.g ARB etc.
You might be able to find chinese made rubber gaskets , try Alibaba.com.

In Bangkok there are high end garages and will be expensive ,however finding a "specialist" in remote area near border will be like striking gold.You may however find a "shuffler" ,with your knowhow n guidance and his manual labour, provided the parts in hands you can achieve this

For high power headlights get the 84/85/86 model headlights of a Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero ,I have changed these with OEM sealed beams and have 100watts of tubes in them ,they fit easily ,nearly same size and difference in light power is huge!

All the best and good luck!
cheers!
MAK

 

[chanmyae1983]

Hehe.... I bought the Lincoln Navigator since it was a good buy. A comfortable drive and at 34.000 USD instead of 85.000 USD for a same year Landcruiser Prado. Calculating the extra fuel costs compared to getting a high priced diesel, really justifies this purchase.
And the second hand value of the cars here are insane. A new Hyundai pick up truck goes for 14500 USD and same model 8-10 years older for only 2-3000 USD less !!

I am the CEO and main shareholder of Nordic Technology Group Myanmar. We are in the Oil & Gas, Telecom and Transport sector and expanding nice and quietly. So much needed here and should be supplied in a corporate decent manner. The country has sufered a lot, but things are now definitely on the right track.

And now its is getting harder to get a registration permit. One need to have a defined parking space approved by the quarter police.
Many are therefore registering their cars in Mandalay and other areas. This Landcruiser have Mandalay plates and if I want it to have Yangon plates, I need to pay an extra 5000 USD.

Importing parts are not a problem, but for anything above 500USD value an approval from the ministry have to be obtained and applied for before the parts arrive. Then one have to fight the parts through the customs department with many surprises along the way.

The car has a legal title - already checked, but thanks for the advice.

I guess paying a bit more than I should, is still ok, since I love to drive it and feel happy behind the wheels (see attached picture).
Will use it for travel in the regions where the roads require a vehicle of this type or maybe join the local Off-road Club.

Hi bro
I would like to buy .How to can connect you.

 

[White Stripe]

If I was in your situation I would do a spring over and some 35" tires. It will be slower, but should keep people from tailgating and give a nice ride. U will need the perches swapped around and high angle driveshafts. But u can use the leafs u have. Just buy new bushings.

 

[studawg]

"You most likely know it as Myanmar, but it will always be Burma to me." - J. Peterman