HJ61v JDM - The Solo Sleeper

[BJ41]

Thought Id post up a few pics of my 1988 JDM HJ61. We did a trip from Dublin to Dakar and back. I got a near perfect 60 imported from Japan
This is how it looked before it was shipped from Japan

This is how it looked after a few changes to get it ready for our trip

Had a 50mm Lift, New wheels, usual camping stuff on the roof rack, solar panel to run the fridge

Looking over the Atlas mountains in Morocco

Camp site with a few 80's .. after a lot of red sand

 

[LAMBCRUSHER]

nice...

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Awesome.

Were you ever worried that your truck would be stolen, since it looks so good?

 

[BJ41]

The trip was through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. I had been warned to lock all doors, bolt eveything to the truck and then put pad locks on everything . We slept in out trucks or tents and never left our trucks out of our sight. But to be honest most of the time we had nothing to worry about. I had plenty of people in Senegal offer to buy the 60 .. they love landcruisers down there

 

[BJ41]

Not something you would see everyday
Still not sure why I was so surprised ... I mean how else would you transport a couple of camels

 

[Quat]

That is the kind of trip I want to take. Been looking at driving to south america from the US when I get things squared away, or up to the arctic circle again. But africa is very tempting.

 

[BJ41]

Well I loved every minute of the trip ... but things are done different in Africa ... still a lot of corruption. We found the border crossings very expensive. You pay quite a bit for the pleasure for bring a truck in. But it's still a fantastic experience and like I said earlier I'd have not safety concerns once you respect the people and your surroundings

 

[nfranco]

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

 

[Quat]

If you don't mind me asking, how much is very expensive?

Been over there before and gotten to do some day trips in 70's series trucks and cruisers. Used to having to "tip". But that was always just for a person. If you have a travel blog up on the experience, I'd be interested in seeing it.

 

[Fly Guy]

The trip was through France, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Senegal and Gambia. I had been warned to lock all doors, bolt eveything to the truck and then put pad locks on everything . We slept in out trucks or tents and never left our trucks out of our sight. But to be honest most of the time we had nothing to worry about. I had plenty of people in Senegal offer to buy the 60 .. they love landcruisers down there

Awesome! I did a similar trip a long time ago... that brings back some great memories. Eight of us drove that route in an old Mercedes 300D wagon and a Nissan Patrol. The guy that organized the trip bought old vehicles in Germany and took others along to share the driving and expenses. We took 2 days to get through France and Spain, spent a month in Morocco, a week in Mauritania, and a few weeks in Senegal. Then he sold the cars in Dakar and we went our separate ways. He'd eventually head back to Europe to do it all over again.

We had no worries on our trip either, at least none that couldn't be solved with a little cash. You know, for things like speeding, contraband, forged entry visas for Mauritania, etc. I still can't believe some of the stupid crazy things we did on that trip!

One highlight I remember was visiting with a border guard in Mauritania just past the Moroccan border. He invited us into his little stone hut, no windows and hardly enough room for all of us, but we sat around his table and had a drink by "candlelight". His candle was a syringe taped to a propane bottle.

Would love to hear more about your trip!

 

[Big Cruiser Guy]

Very cool. More pics and details please!

 

[maat]

Love it.. Nice rig

 

[BJ41]

We found the border crossings experience because everyone (guards, customes, community tax, travel tax, police) all had to get a cut. The procedure was simple find a fixer and he sorts out the red tape. Rosso border ( Maritania/Senegal) ws about €150 plus €250 for car import. Maritania have introduced a tourist tax €150 plus the other stuff adding another €150. So travelling into Maritania then Senegal and onto Gambia is close to £1000 and then you get caught on the way back .
It wouldn't have felt so bad only for the fact we didn't stay in any country so it felt like we were for ever payin officials. Added to that there is endless check points which slows travel.
but like I said at the start I'd do it aging in the morning
a few more photos here
https://plus.google.com/photos/109668648359292586676/albums/6091508694236075553

 

[NEFJ60]

Expensive, but sounds like it was well worth it. Very cool!

 

[ozarkcruiserfj60]

beautiful truck,very cool color scheme. thanks for the write up and pic,keep up the good work

 

[TLC Norway]

What a rig!! Tell us more of the story!
And how did you import it?

Cheers from Norway

 

[BJ41]

The story is I had always wanted to do an "overland" camping trip. I spent a heap of money restoring a 40 series with the hopes of driving that somewhere exotic. The I met a few landcruiser nuts that were doing a trip to Dakar, and I decided this would probably be the best opportunity to actually do a trip. The only problem was I didn't feel my 40 was right for this journey. The plan was to be completely self sufficient for the trip, that meant not relying on hotels/hostels etc. Given the limited space and fear of having to (in case of breakdown) leave a truck behind I decided this was not a trip for the 40. It was one of the land cruisers guys going on the trip (an 80 series owner) that say his ideal truck for an African trip would be a 60 series. I didn't actually like the look of 60's but I was after something that would just work and keep working. So I starting searching the Japanese export sites and starting to convince myself that the 60's were in fact a good looking truck in their own special way .
I have had a few JDM vehicles (nissan 300zx, skyline, 40 series, toyota crown 1968) and soon to be 60 series. I have always found the Japanese grading system to be honest and reliable. Anything with a grade of 4.0 and up should be good. Getting the 60 bought and shipped is no problem what so ever, if you have a reliable agent in Japan. You cant help but be nervous when you send a heap of cash off into cyberspace and hope the truck arrives a few months later. But the truck did arrive and it was exceptional for 60 series. The chassis and body were 99% perfect, everything worked and I was surprised how much space was in the back. But most of all its a really comfortable machine. The color scheme just seemed perfect for an a later 1980's machine.
So now that I had the truck it was time to get it ready for the trip. The only thing it didn't have as factory, was cable lockers. I managed to source a set of axles complete with cable lockers in the Netherlands, had them shipped to Ireland and fitted to the 60. Then added a few bits like 50mm lift, bigger wheels, and a few bits. Now it was ready for any road trip, all I had to do was fit out the rear (storage, fridge, cooking stuff and bed). When I was creating the storage and sleeping area I wanted to keep one of the rear passenger seats
Below was the first attempt at creating a sleeping area.

 

[BJ41]

A few more photos
The jerry can holders were custom made .. they are really neat they sit top of the existing bumper and use the existing bolt holes and still allow the rear window to open.
The bed unit had a sliding top so it could be extended towards the fridge

Photo of the bed .. was surprisingly comfortable after a while

The roof storage boxes were a great addition. I had spare parts inside, I didnt need to use them in the end but it was good to know they were there is needed and the boxes were very low in profile so it meant I could keep the angle of the solar panel shallow

These are the sections that I made up for the interior, Fridge/storage on the left. The battery box and storage unit (Bed section directly behing the driver seat) and the rear bed section and drawer unit. This unit slides horizontally toward the fridge unit

This is a photo of the fuel can holder and gas can holder off the roof rack

 

[Quat]

Very nice. Looking forward to building one up and making a trip like that.

How useful were the lockers?

I think I'd have to add a solar shower.

 

[cruiserpilot]

You have convinced me to make my bed wider. Very well thought out. What kind of fridge is that? I don't see any kind of recovery gear, tools?
Curious as to what you carried for a trip like that. Do you worry about breaking down? Would local help be useful, or would you be nervous asking for any kind of help? I would really enjoy the opportunity to make a trip like that. You are very lucky.