Hi everyone;
After much futzing around with Delicas and a lemon of an Isuzu Trooper, I finally bought my friend's 1991 JDM Land Cruiser Prado LJ78, now dubbed "The Space Whale".
Herein, I'll be documenting my build progress. My plan is to do things in order from most to least necessary, starting with an overhaul of the essentials, and eventually making my way to a full overlanding rig. After, driving around for a couple of months, I've realized that the LJ78 is the perfect vehicle for my lifestyle. It's not fast, but it's fast enough for highway driving and it's faster than a Delica, it's not too bad on fuel, and I absolutely love the boxy 5 door LWB wagon platform. It's long enough for me to sleep in the back at 6'0" with one of the rear seats pulled. It's big enough to carry large objects like toolboxes and such around, it has more than enough off-road capability for my current needs, and it's absolutely beautiful. I've already managed to pack my whole apartment into it twice, gone off-road camping a few times, and managed to save a few weeks on rent by sleeping in it for a few weeks.
This particular LJ78 has a pretty worn out interior and 261 k kms, but it runs very well and, most importantly, the body is rust free and pristine. When I got it, it had a crappy ebay turbo, which wasn't working properly, all the chrome was spray painted black (badly), and it had an incredibly loud straight pipe exhaust. The friend who sold it to me is a mechanic with a workshop, so we've been working on it together there. We are also scrapping a 1994 Hilux Surf, from which I've bought the head and plan to pull any other useful parts.
The old Samurai awakens:
Surf:
Here's what we've done so far:
I am currently preparing for yet another move, this time across the Rockies into the snowier climate of Alberta, so I am preparing the LJ78 for the winter. I will have to pack all my belongings into it and drive across the mountains. Fortunately, I've rented an apartment with a heated outdoor garage, so I'll have a place to store The Space Whale to protect it from hail storms and to work on it in the winter time. Today, I swapped on a new set of wheels with grippier tires off my buddy's troopy:
Here's what I'm definitely going to finish before the trip over the mountains:
After much futzing around with Delicas and a lemon of an Isuzu Trooper, I finally bought my friend's 1991 JDM Land Cruiser Prado LJ78, now dubbed "The Space Whale".
Herein, I'll be documenting my build progress. My plan is to do things in order from most to least necessary, starting with an overhaul of the essentials, and eventually making my way to a full overlanding rig. After, driving around for a couple of months, I've realized that the LJ78 is the perfect vehicle for my lifestyle. It's not fast, but it's fast enough for highway driving and it's faster than a Delica, it's not too bad on fuel, and I absolutely love the boxy 5 door LWB wagon platform. It's long enough for me to sleep in the back at 6'0" with one of the rear seats pulled. It's big enough to carry large objects like toolboxes and such around, it has more than enough off-road capability for my current needs, and it's absolutely beautiful. I've already managed to pack my whole apartment into it twice, gone off-road camping a few times, and managed to save a few weeks on rent by sleeping in it for a few weeks.
This particular LJ78 has a pretty worn out interior and 261 k kms, but it runs very well and, most importantly, the body is rust free and pristine. When I got it, it had a crappy ebay turbo, which wasn't working properly, all the chrome was spray painted black (badly), and it had an incredibly loud straight pipe exhaust. The friend who sold it to me is a mechanic with a workshop, so we've been working on it together there. We are also scrapping a 1994 Hilux Surf, from which I've bought the head and plan to pull any other useful parts.
The old Samurai awakens:
Surf:
Here's what we've done so far:
- replaced ebay turbo with OEM Toyota turbo from the Surf
- stripped paint from the chrome
- welded a proper muffler on
- replaced all fluids + new fuel filter
- new stereo + partially installed rear speaker boxes from the Surf (they're just sitting on the floor right now)
- replaced valve cover gasket
- replaced 3/4 glowplugs (one glowplug is busted and stuck in there (I'll have to fix that soon))
I am currently preparing for yet another move, this time across the Rockies into the snowier climate of Alberta, so I am preparing the LJ78 for the winter. I will have to pack all my belongings into it and drive across the mountains. Fortunately, I've rented an apartment with a heated outdoor garage, so I'll have a place to store The Space Whale to protect it from hail storms and to work on it in the winter time. Today, I swapped on a new set of wheels with grippier tires off my buddy's troopy:
Here's what I'm definitely going to finish before the trip over the mountains:
- Fuel injector rebuild
- replace timing belt, water pump, and thermostat
- add projectors to the bull bar
- replace lightbulbs for indoor lighting
- fix passenger side window motor (it works intermittently)
- fit a block heater
- Fit air/air FMIC
- Roof rack + thule case
- fully dialed in sound system