Importing a 1982 FJ45 Troopy to SOCAL

[syeterian]

1 question Sir , can u elaborate on the Red Pull Knob on upper LH of your dash

please , is that your choke ?

does it light up with a small bulb and glow ?

thanks for your time

i love the stripes and SAUDI-SPEC. Graphics package as well

good luck !


matt

The signal knob?

 

[syeterian]

""I had decided to fully frame restore my dad's 1982 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 Troopy (gasoline 2F engine).""

Looking at your pictures, what needs to be (urgently) restored ???

Mechanic checkup and cosmetics (in and out)

 

[Geezer Cruzzer]

You might check into a Montana LLC for registration and plate. Many people us a Montana LLC to skirt taxing, licensing and emission issues in their home states. Don't know how that would work out in California.

 

[3_puppies]

this one is listed in the classifieds for referrance,

SOLD - 1983 Troopy in LA area

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[whitey45]

No problem picking up from the port. I have imported 6 cruisers from australia and sold all of them out of state!

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

which states would be ideal to sell to?

Montana

 

[syeterian]

Montana

Awesome, thanks

 

[syeterian]

No problem picking up from the port. I have imported 6 cruisers from australia and sold all of them out of state!

Good to know, thanks for the info buddy..do you have anything active in the market ?

 

[handala]

Quick hijack... I’m in Beirut scoping out this beauty.... end of hijack.

 

[David70FJ40]

I realize the distance for this is quite long but NC does not require emissions testing for vehicles 25 years old or older.

 

[greenbeast]

Oklahoma, we don't give a s*** about emissions!

 

[whitey45]

I have an 81 hj47 for sale in the classifieds. It needs restoration, but runs and drives great! No takers at 7k, but it has no title, so probably holding it back. I’m going to keep it and restore it and get it titled.

 

[syeterian]

Quick hijack... I’m in Beirut scoping out this beauty.... end of hijack.

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I was gonna say the surroundings look familiar

 

[syeterian]

As others mentioned, if primary residence of the import is in Calif, you will need to worry about smog.

From reading elsewhere, I've heard that Calif is cracking down on out of state registrations such as the Montana LLC gimmick. With a unique looking rig like a 45 troopy, I would be very wary of going that route.

If only importing it to Long Beach but not registering in CA, and sell to another state wouldn’t be a problem I believe as others are mentioning

 

[syeterian]

As I noted, if you intend to primarily use it in Calif, you will need to register it in Calif especially if your driver license is Calif. As I stated, there is a crack down on the Calif residents who use the "Montana LLC" type of out of state schemes to get around Calif emissions.

If you are just reselling it out of state, the port of entry's smog laws will have no impact.

thanks for clarifying it further

 

[syeterian]

which one would you go for?

 

[tlaporte]

OEM on the left is my preference.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

It’s time to get the hell out of California. Enjoy your truck in better places.

 

[mattressking]

The answer is a hard no. By the book, the car is not legal for importation to California. California has a strict no Direct Importation clause. It does not have a BAR/CARB cert plate, no similar chassis for adherence. I don't care what anyone says, it is not legal. Diesel is the only *maybe*. The problem is that the DMV is rejecting registration after the fact. Some get through some don't. Lately more and more are being rejected months later.

The only way to make the vehicle legal is....

1. Bring it into conformance with BAR/CARB. Usually around $10k.

That's it.

Everything else is a legal gamble. You're on your own. I've seen cars be crushed that were *imported*. The only other option is pre-1975. You should be able to get away with that, but again, its a gamble.

Tag it in another state, park it in a garage if you live here. Even easier if you are military or DoD contractor, they won't question you then

 

[DCAlbarran]

I have imported 2 cars from overseas in the last 3 years. One, a 1972 from Italy into Hueneme, and the other a 1970 from the Netherlands into Long Beach (neither are Land Cruisers) I live in Simi Valley. You cannot direct import anything newer than 1968 into California anymore. Diesel or gas, does not matter.

Car can come into a California port, and all paperwork can be done (customs and epa) but can’t be registered here without being registered in another state first. The 1972 car I bought I registered in Oregon, didn’t need to take the car there, just the paperwork and a VIN verification form (the will accept the CA form as long as it’s done by the DMV or a peace officer: no AAA etc.) Oregon is nice because they have antique plates where you only pay a one time registration fee.

The 1970 car, a Citroen, I am just being lazy about. I’ll do the same thing.

As far as smog, yes pre-1976 gets a pass, but that only applies once it’s registered here. 1968 is the year California goes by for the last few years.

Are there people out there who know a guy who knows a guy? Perhaps. But I don’t, so this was the easiest way.