New LJ78 Owner, need EBay Lift Kit opinions

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The best advice I was given was the recognize the fact that the LJ78 is a fairly heavy Land Cruiser that is somewhat under-powered and as such treat it accordingly. In other words don't keep your foot in the accelerator ( and turbo) trying to make it do something it was not designed to do. Despite the engine issues, the LJ78 was probably the most comfortable Land Cruiser I have ever owned and a great people hauler. I actually wish I had kept it and just replaced the engine if needed at some point.
Good luck....
 
Thanks guys. I love my LJ78 and am going to do everything I can to make her last; including driving like a grandpa. To me it's the perfect landcruiser in every way except for the small engine.

If my 2lte head cracks, I'm going to buy a 3l engine (2.8litre N/A version of the 2lte) from an importer, and use the 2lte parts to make it into a 3lte. Sounds like others have done this with decent success.
 
1978HJ45 said:
Surely a modern camera can take interior photos?:)
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Subtle, haha! :) The interior in mine is nothing to write home about. The previous owners were very hard on it. However, it turned out that a local outfit (Rocky Mountain Imports) was parting out an LJ78. I was able to get a number of parts from them to fix up the broken/missing interior bits in mine. I'm still waiting on the factory front mats and a couple other minor things from them.
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You must have the "deluxe" model. :) My LJ78 did not have diff. lock or the sun roof. I see you still have your factory flare in case you have to fight off a bear.
 
1978HJ45 said:
You must have the "deluxe" model. :) My LJ78 did not have diff. lock or the sun roof. I see you still have your factory flare in case you have to fight off a bear.
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It's the EX5 model which I believe is the loaded version. Seems to have about everything except for a factory winch and the fender flares.

The diff lock was a must for me. I think I probably would have passed on the truck other wise. I will be using this truck in the back country, and it will be seeing some very rough terrain. As time and funds allow, it will be receiving other equipment such as a winch and custom bumpers, etc.

Heh, the flare was missing from mine, but I got a flare from the truck that was being parted out. Expired in 2004, so I should really just get rid of it. I thought it looked neat though... :D
 
I believe the factory diff lock was an optional extra, just like the winch.

Interior looks to be in top condition.
 
gotoy said:
I believe the factory diff lock was an optional extra, just like the winch.

Interior looks to be in top condition.
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Thanks for the info and nice comment. I see in your signature that you converted an LJ into a KZJ. How much work was this? How was the wiring? Did you use a full KZJ front cut, or just the engine? I'm curious, as I may be up for a swap like this sometime down the road if my 2lte bites the dust. If you have a thread documenting your process, let me know. :)
 
" if my 2lte bites the dust " ...... you are seeing the glass "half empty" :D
Owning a LJ78 requires a proper attitude and alcohol seems to help. :)
 
GTSSportCoupe said:
Thanks for the info and nice comment. I see in your signature that you converted an LJ into a KZJ. How much work was this? How was the wiring? Did you use a full KZJ front cut, or just the engine? I'm curious, as I may be up for a swap like this sometime down the road if my 2lte bites the dust. If you have a thread documenting your process, let me know. :)
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I used a kzj 78 front cut. So came complete with wiring, dash, gearbox and axles. Cost (mine was a manual which are more expensive than an auto plus 5 yrs ago), 5000USD at today exchange rate, or 4100USD at the 5yr ago rate!! . Here, I could have bought an engine off the floor complete with wiring for 1/2 that price...well 5yrs ago. Now the prices are higher.
No thread documenting....was not a member here then haha.
Using a front cut is the easiest way for the conversion. More or less a straight unbolt and bolt on. The engine mounts had to be modified. The dash is much nicer than the square one. Almost everything except the front cut chassis was used.
The difference with the 1kz is immense, 2lt not even up to the mark.

You might be far better off with a 13BT for conversion, no ECU.
 
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gotoy said:
I used a kzj 78 front cut. So came complete with wiring, dash, gearbox and axles. Cost (mine was a manual which are more expensive than an auto plus 5 yrs ago), 5000USD at today exchange rate, or 4100USD at the 5yr ago rate!! . Here, I could have bought an engine off the floor complete with wiring for 1/2 that price...well 5yrs ago. Now the prices are higher.
No thread documenting....was not a member here then haha.
Using a front cut is the easiest way for the conversion. More or less a straight unbolt and bolt on. The engine mounts had to be modified. The dash is much nicer than the square one. Almost everything except the front cut chassis was used.
The difference with the 1kz is immense, 2lt not even up to the mark.

You might be far better off with a 13BT for conversion, no ECU.
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Great info; thanks a lot. I'll have to price one out near me (Vancouver BC) just out of curiosity. Then at least I know my options.
 
Thats a decent looking truck, very clean underneath.

I raised my LJ78 using Ironman parts, a much better drive - I did fing that it had a tendency to oversteer as I hadnt done the castor correction bushes (dobinsons do a set) - I found that removing the anti-roll bars improved its on road feel, and also marginally improved axle articulation.

I had np problem engine wise with my LJ, but it was somewhat underpowered, a 3.0 KZT engine is a revelation.

Rear diff is a result for a Japanese market 78, it was an optional extra and not a hugely popular one as there are very limited 'off-road' opportunities over there. I note you think it has 'lost' some mileage - if so its not likely to have been in Japan, they have the most stringent mileage checks I've ever come across.

Enjoy your truck.

Pete
 
wobbly said:
Thats a decent looking truck, very clean underneath.

I raised my LJ78 using Ironman parts, a much better drive - I did fing that it had a tendency to oversteer as I hadnt done the castor correction bushes (dobinsons do a set) - I found that removing the anti-roll bars improved its on road feel, and also marginally improved axle articulation.

I had np problem engine wise with my LJ, but it was somewhat underpowered, a 3.0 KZT engine is a revelation.

Rear diff is a result for a Japanese market 78, it was an optional extra and not a hugely popular one as there are very limited 'off-road' opportunities over there. I note you think it has 'lost' some mileage - if so its not likely to have been in Japan, they have the most stringent mileage checks I've ever come across.

Enjoy your truck.

Pete
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Hi Pete, thanks for the nice comment and information.

I guess I got lucky with the rear diff lock option. For some reason I thought it was more common on the LJ78.

Interesting that you say they don't swap gauge clusters or roll the mileage back in Japan. I was under the impression from reading that I'd done that it was not that uncommon. Well, you've instilled some faith in me that maybe my truck does only have ~165,000kms or so. Maybe it just had a lot of hours put on it in Japan, but not many kms.

I'm definitely enjoying it!

Cheers,
Nick
 
Hi there folks!

Some great advice in this thread, I'll definitely go with OME medium kit for my 1992 LJ78 Prado!

I've contacted RADD Cruisers in BC and they're very helpful and know their stuff. Unfortunately they don't have the parts I'm looking for in stock and it will take a month just to get them to the shop, and another bit of time to ship them up to the Yukon where I live...aaaand more time to get them installed. I told them I'd get back to them, since my suspension is totally shot at the moment and I can't drive it until I deal with this.

I've found a set of OME mediums on ebay but it says they're for the 90 series Prado cruisers....would they fit on my 70 series rig?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ARB-Old-Man-...ies&hash=item2c9113901b&vxp=mtr#ht_722wt_1153

Thanks all!
 
mikesmithlj78 said:
Hi there folks!

Some great advice in this thread, I'll definitely go with OME medium kit for my 1992 LJ78 Prado!

I've contacted RADD Cruisers in BC and they're very helpful and know their stuff. Unfortunately they don't have the parts I'm looking for in stock and it will take a month just to get them to the shop, and another bit of time to ship them up to the Yukon where I live...aaaand more time to get them installed. I told them I'd get back to them, since my suspension is totally shot at the moment and I can't drive it until I deal with this.

I've found a set of OME mediums on ebay but it says they're for the 90 series Prado cruisers....would they fit on my 70 series rig?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/ARB-Old-Man-...ies&hash=item2c9113901b&vxp=mtr#ht_722wt_1153

Thanks all!
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Hey, I'm pretty sure the 90 series is completely different than the 70 series and won't work for you. RADD probably orders their OME stuff in bulk shipments to save money on shipping costs. If you are really in a rush and don't mind spending more money you may be able to get your suspension shipped directly from Australia to you. Although if you go to that effort, you might consider the Dobinson suspension that many people here are so fond of (also can be bought from Australia).

Good luck.
 
No, they won't be any use on a 70.
 
Thanks for the advice. Looks like I'll be waiting a little bit to get the right parts. But once it's dialed I'll be all set for adventures! Better to do it once and do it right.
 
Hello, sorry for reviving an old thread, I have a LJ77 manual and I was looking at suspension lift kits.. Here in Cyprus the only available options are from OME. I don't have any heavy accessories on my truck so normally I should go with the medium duty lift (OME872 & OME873). The guy at the shop though only has the OME874 for the front.. Should I be ok with heavies on front and mediums at the rear?
 
Tony89 said:
Hello, sorry for reviving an old thread, I have a LJ77 manual and I was looking at suspension lift kits.. Here in Cyprus the only available options are from OME. I don't have any heavy accessories on my truck so normally I should go with the medium duty lift (OME872 & OME873). The guy at the shop though only has the OME874 for the front.. Should I be ok with heavies on front and mediums at the rear?
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I would not recommend this. I have mediums with a winch and bumper and they are still stiff. Too stiff and it is a rough ride with poor articulation. You could consider just putting in spacers. I added spacers to my OME medium. Bought them from ebay australia. I think any 70 series front coil spring spacer will fit. You should still put in the OME nitrocharger shocks though.
 
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