Funky JDM Mirror

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maximus

maximus

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Threads
7
Messages
52
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Hey everyone,

My quest for a reasonably priced (yet good condition) HDJ81 continues. I found a guy who is selling his here in Vernon and it looks like it is in decent shape. He bought it from Silverpeak Trading and here's a like to a picture on the "sold" portion of their website:

http://silverpeaktrading.com/rob/1990_hdj81_50k/1990_hdj81_50k.html

You will note the funky fender mirror. Does anyone have any experience removing these? I presume there will be some nasty holes there once removed, so I'd need to find a creative way of fixing those, too. Suggestions are welcome.

Also, when I took it for a test drive, everything looked great, except the steering wheel which was worn down (smooth and shiny). It's got 92,000 kms on it now:

1990 Toyota HDJ81 Vx Ltd. Landcruiser Vernon, Okanagan

Is this typical of an 80 with this many kilometers on it? Naturally, I'm concerned that it was rolled back in Japan which people always seem to go on about although I've never actually seen any evidence that this is as big an issue with JDM vehicles as claimed.

Thanks for your help,

Max
 
Roll back is possible, the wheel shouldnt wear that quickly in my opinion. Ask for the auction sheet - and a compression test. Are the connecting rob bearings changed? Front end service done?
 
Yes, I would do as Louise says and pay someone to have a very close inspection of it. Seems to be $300 is the going rate for an inspection by a good diesel familiar 4x4 shop which would include all components. In Vernon you might find that you have to go to a diesel shop for an engine inspection and another 4x4 specialist shop for the rest. A little red flag right away is that the seller lists the engine as a "4.2L V6 – turbo diesel". The engine in there is a 1hdt and it is an inline 6. Not a big issue but it makes you wonder how much the owner knows about his rig. IMO, his asking price is a bit high unless it is in real good condition. Drive it first and see if you like it and if it feels okay. If so, spend the money to get it inspected. Minor issues like bearings, brakes, etc can be bargaining points to reduce the price. Turbo, fuel injection issues like an injector pump or injectors would imply a need for a large price reduction or walk away. Low engine compression, IMO, is a walk away and be glad your $300 spent saved you from a +/- $7,000 repair. It is unlikely the seller would knock $7,000 off the selling price.
 
Hey, thanks for the replies. I agree that getting it thoroughly inspected is a must-do, particularly compression.

Of course, being the vain guy I am I'm also concerned about looks... well at least the looks of my vehicle. :D

Does anyone have experience with removing the funny looking JDM mirror on the fender?

Thanks,
Max
 
Sorrry, got so involved with the idea of inspecting the truck I forgot about the mirror. Best thing to do is to take off the fender and mig weld the holes up, grind flat, fill, primer and fresh paint. You can fill small holes (1/4 inch) with bondo, sand, primer and paint. If you not picky about the perfect match you can use small can of paint match and just do the one section. But if you want it to look perfect, then a body shop is the place and do the whole fender. Whatever you do, don't slap fiber glass underneath and fill the hole with bondo. Moisture will eventually get in between the glass patch and the metal and then you got rust. Now if you don't want to go to any of that trouble, fashion up a plate and a seal to use it as an adapter to mount your CB or HAM antennas. A lot depends on how many holes are there and how big they are.
 
maximus said:
Hey, thanks for the replies. I agree that getting it thoroughly inspected is a must-do, particularly compression.

Of course, being the vain guy I am I'm also concerned about looks... well at least the looks of my vehicle. :D

Does anyone have experience with removing the funny looking JDM mirror on the fender?

Thanks,
Max
Click to expand...

No problem removing the mirror, a quick trip through the bush should do it.
 
canucksafari said:
:confused:...? See post 6.:hillbilly:
Click to expand...

see, that's what happens when you haven't bushed wacked much!! i get it!! lol! and i realized too that it's RHD so no real blind spots on that end, i'm such a newb! :hillbilly:
 
If the wheel is worn like that, then it does not have 92,000 km on it. A huge proportion of auction vehicles in Japan are rolled back (or the original owner just disconnects the speedo cable for half the time) because of the 150,000 km limit. That said, an HDJ81 with twice or three times that many km is still a great vehicle. Best to buy on overall condition rather than what the odo says.
 
:D
Yes, I think I could see that happening eventually. As soon as I get over the initial "it's my new truck and I have to baby it" phase. :steer:

I guess there's no easy way to remove it and keep it looking good. I like the idea of a CB or UHF antenna or something like that, though.

Cheers,
Max

kim said:
No problem removing the mirror, a quick trip through the bush should do it.
Click to expand...
 
Actually, on closer inspection, it looks to me like the steering wheel on a lot of cruisers is like that. It may actually be the leather (or "leatherette" / vinyl) they use. The pics from Outback's selection compared to pics from the truck I drove are not that different...

Maybe if I get the truck inspected and everything checks out I should just get a sweet leather steering wheel cover and not worry about it. Actually, my Hilux Surf has a leather cover for the wheel and it's pretty decent. Perhaps that's why I felt the wheel on the LC was shiny, worn down and "thin" feeling... Who knows...
 
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