Importing Cruisers and parts from AU

[Turkeypen]

Hey Larry - -

I was seriously in lust with that vehicle! (My horse and car thief ancestors left me with a dangerous gene) Glad to know its in the Club. Why 2k to ship? Could it have been driven down by a kanuck friend after the $300 paperwork? Final question, with all the Canadian rust issues, would it be better to wait for one from arid Aussie? If so, which years do you like and 12 volt v. 24 volt - - what's the deal.

Glad to hear your daughter was OK. My wife and daughter hit a 300 lb bear this month going 60 in the rain in the 100. Now she knows why I insist she drive a cruiser. She won, and I now have a new bumper and some new paint.

Finally, can I drive your 70?

 

[cruiser4life]

Hey David - Good to know your girls are OK. Coming back from the Whee on Sunday I passed a dead bear on the shoulder of I-40, between the Montreat and Old Fort exits. While it appeared to be a recent kill, I don't believe it was a 300 pounder.

Back on topic, one of my good friends from college is moving to AU for a few years. He is aware of my cruiser sickness and I am sure he'll be able to assist from a few angles.

I loaded him up with tons of info, including this ride, which is at the top of my list right now:

 

[Turkeypen]

That is precisely where the Bear v. Cruiser incident happened (9/28/08).

And that is precisely the vehicle I need to add to the colllection-- is that a Turbo BJ75? What year, etc., etc.,

 

[cruiser4life]

Interesting. I'd guess it is the same one then and since it has been a month, that's likely the reason it doesn't appear as large.

A coworker and I grazed a bear near that stretch of 40 about 10 years ago. I don't know if we killed it (hoping not) but we were in a company car and didn't really care about the vehicle damage.

Info on that 70 series cab chassis GXL:

http://www.caradvice.com.au/11937/2008-toyota-landcruiser-70-series-cab-chassis-gxl-review/

EDIT: Funny stat from the article and another reason I love Land Cruisers:

0-100km/h: N/A

 

[cruiser4life]

Here you go David - already here, the price is right and the auctions end today!

GSA Auctions®, General Services Administration, Government Site for Auctions

(Search by State (Kansas) at the upper right)

 

[LDowney]

Hey Larry - -

I was seriously in lust with that vehicle! (My horse and car thief ancestors left me with a dangerous gene) Glad to know its in the Club. Why 2k to ship? Could it have been driven down by a kanuck friend after the $300 paperwork? Final question, with all the Canadian rust issues, would it be better to wait for one from arid Aussie? If so, which years do you like and 12 volt v. 24 volt - - what's the deal.

Glad to hear your daughter was OK. My wife and daughter hit a 300 lb bear this month going 60 in the rain in the 100. Now she knows why I insist she drive a cruiser. She won, and I now have a new bumper and some new paint.

Finally, can I drive your 70?

David,
I am not a member of Upstate, but I am member of TLCA and STLCA. However, I tend to read the posts for all the south eastern TLCA chapters as an opportunity to learn (rather than just stay with the STLCA page). This is what lead me to this discussion.

I opted to have the truck shipped for a number of reasons. First, my security clearances at work would be temporarily withdrawn for leaving the country for pleasure which would disrupt work temporarily upon my return. Second, I got two BJ70s in the pruchase. I got the truck you saw at GSMTR and a second parts truck (running, titled, complete truck that is very rusty), so I thought it would be too long of a trip with an unproven truck flat towing another. Also when I ran the numbers on gas/food/lodging plus airfare up, the cost differential was not enough to justify the trip (to me & my bride). Finally, I must have a flawed anti-social personality because I don't have any Canadian friends to even approach about driving it down.

Canadian rust is a significant consideration. It is my understanding that the western provinces use almost no salt on the roads, so your chances of finding a truck with moderate rust damage are higher out there. However, the ones I have purchased have been from the eastern provinces. Here I got lucky in shopping around and found two that had been well cared for (annual rust proofing by the previous owners), so the rust was limited.

With regard to waiting for right hand drive (RHD) trucks, I am uncertain if I would ever be able to import one of those for the road even when we reach the 25 year rule. The government seems to be in the mode of changing the rules and making it as difficult as possible (for me or a RI). The Australian trucks would be a good choice for parts, but I opted for Japan because the Aussies are repotred to use/abuse their trucks more than the Japanese on the average. For example, the parts truck that I purchased from Japan had the equivalent of 65k miles on it, full floater, cable lockers and a PTO winch plus AC. The cost to dismantle, crate and ship will be more than the truck cost, but that is what I understood when I started down this path to restore my rusty BJ (parts truck).

The 12 volt system was only on the 1985 Canadian BJ70s. The glow plugs and starting system performs much better in the Canadian cold with 24 volt. Therefore, the '86 and '87 trucks all got the 24 systems. Here in the south, starting in sub-zero conditions is not a major concern, so I would prefer the 12 volt system for ease of adding accessories (stereos/lights/winch). I did appreciate the starting performance of the 24 volt system last January at Royal Blue (TN ORV area north of Knowville), because the over night lows were well below zero (reported to be below -10 F) and the truck started right up.

Yes, I will let you drive the truck. I will be riding shotgun in the passenger seat. Also for your expectations, I have the fuel volume turned way down on the injector pump trying to get the best fuel economy out of her that I can, which leaves her slow off the line due to power.

 

[Turkeypen]

Thanks Larry, great info! Yes, I have some kanuck friends who drive down and visit me once a year. I really like the laid back, hard working attitude of Canadians and I would imagine it would translate into well-cared for trucks. I guess the fun and rowdy nature of Aussies would, likewise, translate into cruiser abuse (sort of the same dichotomy between UC members in North and South Carolina. ) I will keep the info on the Western provinces in mind (where is my map?)

 

[informationjunky]

eBay Motors: Toyota : Land Cruiser (item 110298392797 end time Oct-17-08 15:17:48 PDT)

3F but doesn't look rusty.