LJ78 2L-TE vs Delica L400 4M40 (1 Viewer)

[GTSSportCoupe]

Thanks for the guide @GTSSportCoupe! I'll consult this when I'm planning out the upgrades.
I'll definitely do the gauges and EGR delete. Will EGR delete be a problem bringing it from BC to AB though, when I have to do a new province inspection?
Do you think it really needs a trans cooler? I thought the automatic trans on these things was solid.

As these vehicles were never from North America, I'm not sure they could even recognize what they came (EGR) with from OEM? You could check with some the AB members to see though. You can block of the EGR while leaving it intact too. Just cut a gasket size chunk of metal from some tin sheet and install in place of one of the gaskets (at intake manifold for example).

The idea behind the trans cooler is to have some of the heat dumped before the ATF flows through the radiator. This reduces load on the rad. Which reduces coolant overheating problems. When out of lock-up, the torque converter can create a huge amount of extra heat.

So, as of right now, I am looking at two LJ78s. My friend still has the original LJ78 and he is considering selling it in a couple of months(which would buy me time to repair my trooper and try to get some of my money back for it). Probably $6-7k. As I mentioned, the interior is f***ed up, but the frame/body is super clean and the engine runs well. He is also working on an intercooler mod and an exhaust mod, so it will come with a pre-installed inercooler (he's doing top-mounted though). The main benefit is that I know I can trust him (unlike the f***head I bought the trooper from) since he's a friend and an experienced mechanic. He lent it to me for a day actually, and I cruised around a bit and that test drive is what convinced me I actually want an LJ78. Extremely comfortable ride.

If you're serious about your friends truck, I'd ask him not to even bother if it's a top mount intercooler. They don't work nearly as well as a front mount, and are almost a waste of time IMHO (I've had one before on another vehicle and it sucked). It would be better for you to get it unmolested so to speak (again, just my 2 cents).

The other one is the broken engine LJ78 in PG for $4k (but I would offer less). I looked at it more closely. Possibly a little rust on the underside, but nothing terrible, and the interior is better than my friend's truck. My friend said he'd give me the 2LTE out of his parts Hilux (minus the turbo, which has gone to his LJ), so I figure I could get it stock for $4-5k. That frees up $2-3k for upgrades, but means a lot of extra work + it's an unknown quantity. The other thing I'm thinking is, if I'm going to buy an LJ78 with a broken engine for ~$3k, would it not be more worthwhile to just swap a more powerful engine in right off the bat? I think I could get a 1UZ for $1k or so. That said, I really like the sound of the 2LTE actually, but you guys talk it down so much on here that I'm worried about it.

I like my 2LTE a lot actually. I just want to cover my ass and not 'recommend' it so to speak. The original cylinder heads were a problem, there is definitely no two ways about that. Once they've got the later head, been intercooled and tuned up, they're pretty decent little motors for their displacement. My truck accelerates and pulls hills about the same as or better than my friend's HDJ81.

1UZ is a lot of work. Especially if you're new to working on vehicles and electronics/electrical. MPG will be worse. Talking to an owner of a 1UZ LJ78, he's had overheating problems also; so you won't necessarily even leave those problems behind. 2LTE can make the same torque as a 1UZ; just less hp.

There's also this one, that came up in AB yesterday, for $7.5k. Looks really clean, and low miles, but it means a trip over the mountains, and I think it's a bit too expensive.

I think that price is quite reasonable actually; looks clean. If that is a recent import, nearly guaranteed it's going to need a cylinder head and a bunch of maintenance though.

 

[gannex]

As these vehicles were never from North America, I'm not sure they could even recognize what they came (EGR) with from OEM? You could check with some the AB members to see though. You can block of the EGR while leaving it intact too. Just cut a gasket size chunk of metal from some tin sheet and install in place of one of the gaskets (at intake manifold for example).

This is a good idea.

The idea behind the trans cooler is to have some of the heat dumped before the ATF flows through the radiator. This reduces load on the rad. Which reduces coolant overheating problems. When out of lock-up, the torque converter can create a huge amount of extra heat.

Oh ok. Do you think this is really still necessary if you upgrade the rad/fan though?

If you're serious about your friends truck, I'd ask him not to even bother if it's a top mount intercooler. They don't work nearly as well as a front mount, and are almost a waste of time IMHO (I've had one before on another vehicle and it sucked). It would be better for you to get it unmolested so to speak (again, just my 2 cents).

Well he seems to be determined to do the mod. I discussed it with him and mentioned that front mounts are supposed to be better, but he is convinced that he can do a top mount in a way that will be good, and that the front mount creates too much lag. I think he wants to install a BMW intercooler in a way that will stick pretty far out of the hood with air flowing through both ends (rather than just a hood scoop) so it doesn't suffer from heat soak like a typical top mount intercooler would. Also, if the vehicle is worth $5-8k or so, does it really make sense to install a $2k+ intercooler? That water to air mod you did is beautiful, but that must've been super expensive. Anyways, I still have to fix my truck and try to sell it, so I won't be buying an LJ for at least a month or two. I'll see how it runs once he's done the mod (I will be helping him for the sake of experience). How exactly would one determine how effective an intercooler mod is? Is there like a certain boost to heat ratio one should look for or something?

I like my 2LTE a lot actually. I just want to cover my ass and not 'recommend' it so to speak. The original cylinder heads were a problem, there is definitely no two ways about that. Once they've got the later head, been intercooled and tuned up, they're pretty decent little motors for their displacement. My truck accelerates and pulls hills about the same as or better than my friend's HDJ81.
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Would you preemptively upgrade the cylinder head, or just wait 'til you run into problems?
When I originally drove my friend's LJ78, it had problems with the boost 'cause the guy he bought it from had installed a s***ty aftermarket ebay turbo. Since then, he's swapped in the toyota turbo from a hilux and changed the exhaust, and I drove it around for a day, and I have to say, I really liked the engine. The acceleration got much better with the toyota turbo and the top speed is fine, but what I really like is how it feels cruising at low speed. It's got a really nice rumble to it and I like the feeling of the torquiness. I don't think the comparison to the 4D56 is quite fair. I've driven L300 Delicas and they just don't feel as solid as the LJ78. I can't imagine how much better the 2LTE would be with an intercooler. I can't say how it compares to a 4M40 though as I've only ever driven the V6 L400.

1UZ is a lot of work. Especially if you're new to working on vehicles and electronics/electrical. MPG will be worse. Talking to an owner of a 1UZ LJ78, he's had overheating problems also; so you won't necessarily even leave those problems behind. 2LTE can make the same torque as a 1UZ; just less hp.

yeah, maybe I am underestimating how much work it is. I was thinking of just paying my friend to do it though, as he works in a shop that strokes/bores/swaps engines. That said, if I buy the broken one, it might be more sane just to use the 2LTE from the hilux, since it will be free, plus I've been annoyed with the MPGs I'm getting with my petrol V6, so I guess a V8 would be even worse. Honestly, after the crappy turbo was switched out, I found the stock 2LTE to be more than adequate. I figure an intercooled 2LTE would be great. Plus, you get the fuel efficiency and the comfy diesel rumble.

I think that price is quite reasonable actually; looks clean. If that is a recent import, nearly guaranteed it's going to need a cylinder head and a bunch of maintenance though.

I will ask the seller what maintenance has been done.

Once again, thanks for all your suggestions! We'll have to have an island LJ78 meetup once I get this all figured out!

EDIT: Oh wow the low kms LJ78 in AB just sold. That was about ~12 hours on the market. I guess that sets the price for clean Prados in Western Canada.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

This is a good idea.


Oh ok. Do you think this is really still necessary if you upgrade the rad/fan though?


Well he seems to be determined to do the mod. I discussed it with him and mentioned that front mounts are supposed to be better, but he is convinced that he can do a top mount in a way that will be good, and that the front mount creates too much lag. I think he wants to install a BMW intercooler in a way that will stick pretty far out of the hood with air flowing through both ends (rather than just a hood scoop) so it doesn't suffer from heat soak like a typical top mount intercooler would. Also, if the vehicle is worth $5-8k or so, does it really make sense to install a $2k+ intercooler? That water to air mod you did is beautiful, but that must've been super expensive. Anyways, I still have to fix my truck and try to sell it, so I won't be buying an LJ for at least a month or two. I'll see how it runs once he's done the mod (I will be helping him for the sake of experience). How exactly would one determine how effective an intercooler mod is? Is there like a certain boost to heat ratio one should look for or something?



Once again, thanks for all your suggestions! We'll have to have an island LJ78 meetup once I get this all figured out!

EDIT: Oh wow the low kms LJ78 in AB just sold. That was about ~12 hours on the market. I guess that sets the price for clean Prados in Western Canada.

I wasn't suggesting a air/water setup. With a bit of work it is possible to do a FMIC air/air which would not be that much more expensive than a top mount.

Lag on these trucks is from the ancient turbo technology. Also, if a FMIC gives lag, it's because people are using too big a piping. 2" is plenty for this motor. Less volume = less lag. In addition, its a truck not a sports car. 1 sec of lag is not a big deal at the end of the day.

If you plan carefully I think you could do a FMIC for around $200-400CAD.

Holes in the hood of your new truck is what I'd be trying to prevent!! Thats sort of what I meant by 'unmolested'. It naturally will want to behave like a chimney as heat wants to rise. If he puts a fan on....well, the pressure in these engine bays is high as it is. High pressure prevents the main fan from working efficiently. Adding more pressure by trying to force air down into the hood from the top will make the matter worse.... Anyhow, I understand if it's not yours yet, there isn't much you can do really, so I'll stop ranting - sorry.

We were going to try and get a LJ78 meet happening this summer, but COVID sort of screwed that up! Definitely would be good to meet you and the others at some point.

Interesting about the AB LJ78. I did think the price was fairly reasonable for how things are these days.

Regarding intercooler efficiency, I believe if you could take the hot air exiting the turbo and cool it to ambient temperature, your intercooler would be 100% efficient. No one ever achieves that. Mine cools the hot turbo air enough that I can easily hold onto the pipe exiting the intercooler. Maybe up to 55C depending on ambient temps and the load the motor has been under. With easy driving in west coast typical weather it would be much cooler.

 

[gannex]

I wasn't suggesting a air/water setup. With a bit of work it is possible to do a FMIC air/air which would not be that much more expensive than a top mount.

Lag on these trucks is from the ancient turbo technology. Also, if a FMIC gives lag, it's because people are using too big a piping. 2" is plenty for this motor. Less volume = less lag. In addition, its a truck not a sports car. 1 sec of lag is not a big deal at the end of the day.

If you plan carefully I think you could do a FMIC for around $200-400CAD.

I know you were just referring to an air/air FMIC, but I figured doing all the piping would still end up costing me a fair bit. I'm definitely wouldn't do a water/air FMIC unless I had a much more valuable vehicle or found a super good deal like you did. My friend who owns the truck seems to think that the advantage of the TMIC is mostly the simplicity. Less extra piping, no need to remove AC (which is really necessary in AB) or space (that could be used for the second battery), and he thinks it's better if the IC can move with the engine. I see the points you're making though. If it was my vehicle, I'd probably do the extra plumbing to install the FMIC. That said, if he wants to sell it to me and it looks like the TMIC is cooling the air sufficiently, I'd probably still buy it at the right price, especially when unmodified LJ78s are selling for $7.5k in 12 hours in Western Canada.

Holes in the hood of your new truck is what I'd be trying to prevent!! Thats sort of what I meant by 'unmolested'. It naturally will want to behave like a chimney as heat wants to rise. If he puts a fan on....well, the pressure in these engine bays is high as it is. High pressure prevents the main fan from working efficiently. Adding more pressure by trying to force air down into the hood from the top will make the matter worse.... Anyhow, I understand if it's not yours yet, there isn't much you can do really, so I'll stop ranting - sorry.

So I think the idea is to get the IC pretty much outside the hood, rather than in a big hole, under a hood scoop, like a hotrod. I think that could look pretty cool with a nice fibreglass cover. It could get kinda annoying after a while though. But the other thing I'm thinking about is: doesn't the FMIC in front of the rad get hit by all sorts of rocks and stuff if you take the LJ offroad?

We were going to try and get a LJ78 meet happening this summer, but COVID sort of screwed that up! Definitely would be good to meet you and the others at some point.

I'd be down. I will move from BC to AB sometime in the next couple of months, but I'm always going to be coming to BC pretty often (especially once I have a ride that's capable of safely driving through the mountains!).

 

[gannex]

@GTSSportCoupe if I come over to the island with the cruiser, do you want to have a mini LJ78 meetup and maybe help me go over my upgrade plans?
Will wear masks and stuff if desired.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

@GTSSportCoupe if I come over to the island with the cruiser, do you want to have a mini LJ78 meetup and maybe help me go over my upgrade plans?
Will wear masks and stuff if desired.

Sure, I'd be happy to chat. I'll send you a PM when I get a sec.

 

[gannex]

Sure, I'd be happy to chat. I'll send you a PM when I get a sec.

Dankeschön :- ))

 

[gannex]

@GTSSportCoupe
@jmylie
Man, this truck is awesome, but the previous owner really didn't give it the love that it deserves. When I first test drove it (probably part of the reason I thought I needed a petrol wagon) it had some kind of crappy aftermarket ebay turbo in it and the boost wasn't really working properly, so it was so slow. We put a good Toyota turbo out of a 2LTE Hilux Surf into it and it drives a lot better now. The guy even painted all the nice chrome with some kind of s***ty spray paint, so we are removing it with this "aircraft paint remover" acid stuff. It is such a joy to see this truck reveal itself :- )

The truck is coming out of hibernation

Thank you for being honest with me about the 2LTE. When I first started this thread, I was intimidated by the challenge of owning an LJ78, but then I went out and bought that rusty Isuzu Trooper, and it was nothing but problems. I've got it running really well now, but it took a lot of work to get it healthy 'cause the previous owner just did the bare minimum to keep it rolling (man I hope I can sell it). All the work me and the mechanic (the guy who sold me the LJ78) had to do on the trooper helped me get a lot more familiar with vehicle ownership and maintenance in general and now I am confident that I will be able to handle all the maintenance and upgrades on the LJ78. It will be great to chat about it in person and I'm looking forward to a trip to the island. It was Vancouver Island that made me fall in love with Land Cruisers in the first place. I was hitchhiking and this lady picked me up in one and I was just like wow. This is a nice truck.

Anyways, I think that's it for this thread. I will start a build thread soon.
Also, my mechanic friend changed his mind about FMIC vs TMIC (as you can see). We are going with FMIC. I thought the hood scoop would look really cool, but I watched that 1 hour YouTube video from Garanin Corp and it made me realize that these things look coolest when they're kept as close as possible to stock. The FMIC in the picture is too long though. I think we are going to switch to a shorter one so we don't have to cut anything. The body on this truck is so clean, cutting it would be such a shame. I think we can fit a good BMW one without cutting any metal.

The sad thing is the guy painted the grille flat black too. I can peel the paint from the chrome with acid, but the acid might melt the plastic grille. I was thinking I might just paint the toyota/turbo logos on the grille yellow. Do you think I should go with yellow, or try to carefully peel the paint off the chrome TOYOTA with a small paintbrush? I don't want this to be an ugly truck. The other thing I was thinking is maybe we should just affix an oldschool metal TOYOTA badge from an FJ45 to the front. WWYD?

Also, what do you think about manual boost control? Is it really necessary?
same question for manual locking hubs. The auto hubs work fine.

 

[jmylie]

If the auto hubs work fine, don't change them. However, if the auto hubs do give up the ghost, manual hubs may be the easier, less expensive replacement.

You can get the grill:

RADIATOR GRILLE | Toyota LAND CRUISER LJ77LV-MNXW BJ73,LJ7#,RJ7#,HZJ7#,PZJ7#,KZJ7# | Parts Catalogs | PartSouq

If you are looking for RADIATOR GRILLE Parts for Toyota LAND CRUISER LJ77LV-MNXW BJ73,LJ7#,RJ7#,HZJ7#,PZJ7#,KZJ7# then we advise you to pay attention to the range of our spare parts catalog for Toyota!

partsouq.com

There may be less expensive places to get the grill from.

If I was to keep the grill, I would paint the Turbo logo red.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[gannex]

If the auto hubs work fine, don't change them. However, if the auto hubs do give up the ghost, manual hubs may be the easier, less expensive replacement.

You can get the grill:

RADIATOR GRILLE | Toyota LAND CRUISER LJ77LV-MNXW BJ73,LJ7#,RJ7#,HZJ7#,PZJ7#,KZJ7# | Parts Catalogs | PartSouq

If you are looking for RADIATOR GRILLE Parts for Toyota LAND CRUISER LJ77LV-MNXW BJ73,LJ7#,RJ7#,HZJ7#,PZJ7#,KZJ7# then we advise you to pay attention to the range of our spare parts catalog for Toyota!

partsouq.com

View attachment 2407365


There may be less expensive places to get the grill from.

If I was to keep the grill, I would paint the Turbo logo red.

Just my 2 cents.

Oh I have the grille. It's just not attached 'cause we've got to mount the intercooler. But the previous owner spray painted the grille fat black too. I'm just going to peel the spray paint of the Toyota and the turbo. I'll consider red. Got to deal with the mechanical stuff first though ;- )

 

[gannex]

Wow guys!
Thank you all so much for all your advice. I am so fkn happy with this truck. At first everything you said seemed intimidating, but after I went through driving an actually unreliable truck for a few months, I see the difference. My other truck has a cleaner interior and a functional stereo and all of that, but it is a total P.O.S. This Cruiser has an absolutely solid foundation. It just has some wear and tear on the interior and requires some upgrades. But it is still a Toyota so I might have to put some money into an intercooler and all of that, and it might be a trick to find a replacement rear passenger window, and parts might be a little harder to find, but at least I won't have to hitchhike to other cities with parts and tools to fix it left me stranded on the side of the road, and at least I won't have to pay fkn towtruck bills.
I think I got a very good deal on this truck. I paid $1k more than the original price my friend asked, but he has swapped the original aftermarket ebay turbo (which had a bad waste valve) for a Toyota turbo and it actually has plenty of power now. And that extra $1k included the intercooler and the tranny cooler. I am really excited to get all these mods done and get this thing awesome.
Another thing: Everyone told me to import a 1994 KZJ78. I looked into it and frankly I think this was a way better deal. Now that it's got the stock Toy ota turbo and all the leaks have been sealed, this thing has more than enough power for me. I think it is actually a unique truck in that it rides so well and has such a decent top speed with such a small displacement engine. It is actually an impressive feat of engineering. How can the 2L-TE pull such a tank around? There must be some sort of secret Japanese engineering magic involved.
Now I just have to decide: Am I going to install a big roof rack for carrying rubbermaid tubs, or should I just mount a little machine gun from the sunroof? Or can I fit both? It looks like it's finally time for me to learn AutoCAD.

 

[AirheadNut]

I'm glad you're enjoying it! the LJ78 is really a great platform, and IMO once all the engine troubles are dealt with I think they make a better daily driver than the HD 70-series due to the coil suspension. Just personal preference, but I would look into OnShape rather than AutoCAD, short of SolidWorks I have found it to be the easiest CAD program to use, it runs in a browser or on a mobile device, and its free if you're fine making public documents.

 

[gannex]

I'm glad you're enjoying it! the LJ78 is really a great platform, and IMO once all the engine troubles are dealt with I think they make a better daily driver than the HD 70-series due to the coil suspension. Just personal preference, but I would look into OnShape rather than AutoCAD, short of SolidWorks I have found it to be the easiest CAD program to use, it runs in a browser or on a mobile device, and its free if you're fine making public documents.

Hey there! Thanks for the response.
I haven't checked in here in a while. I managed to trade the Isuzu Trooper for a Lexus LS400 and now I am driving it across the country, so I have left my LJ78 back in Vancouver. After I sell the LS400, I'll fly back and pick up the LJ78, and then I'll start to work on the next phases of the build.

I totally agree with you about the LJ78 being the perfect daily driver Land Cruiser. It is great on gas, its power is adequate for the city even without intercooling, a bigger turbo, etc., it rides like a Rolls Royce, it has very nice styling for the ladies, and it's big enough to move lots of boxes/people/etc around. I love it.

I'll let you know when I start up the build thread.