Didn't really know whether to put this in the Diesel section or the 80 forum...I'll give it a go here. It's going to be a long-term thread documenting this build. I thought it might be interesting since the 12H-T was never offered originally in the 80 series...so there's probably going to be a few interesting kinks to work out along the way.
The 12H-T was the engine I really wanted...I felt that it had the right combination of simplicity, power, efficiency, and robustness that to me embody the idea of a Land Cruiser. When this donor vehicle presented itself, I couldn't say no.
I will post pics of my FJ80 later...it's in stock form with tiny little 29" tires that already seem to be too much for the lowly 3FE to turn, even when guzzling back all that gasoline in the effort. Needless to say, I can't wait for the day I tear that gas pot out of my truck. Special thanks to Driley for taking time out and checking this truck out for me in his hometown and giving me an excellent report about it. Also thanks to all those who generously offered.
Here's a pic of the 1991 FJ80 that will be the transplant recipient:
The 12H-T came to me by way of a rusty Canadian HJ60 that someone had dropped this poor engine into.
The original transplant into this rust bucket ran, but the quality of the transplant was somewhat lacking...there were wires routed in the most ridiculous manner, and it looked like some construction material served as custom bracketry in the engine bay.
Starting to take the rusty stuff off...
Most of the front bib gone...it was very entertaining finding all sorts of different sized bolts and nuts jumbled together in this truck. For example, the right engine mount had the usual 17mm nut, but the left engine mount was secured with a "custom" 19mm nut.
My good friend, Sheldon, putting the engine hoist into position...
The most beautiful word to ever grace the top of a Toyota diesel engine..."TURBO".
This photo is me leaving Sheldon in a precarious position just to take an "action" photo...
A sweet 12H-T liberated from its rusty tomb...
A Canadian HJ60 body now available for sale...complete but with typical Toyota rust. Hey...it's Left Hand Drive...who wants those mint Japanese right hand drive imported crap when you can drop a turbo diesel into this sweet chassis? LOL!
The beast ready for prep work in preparation for the transplant into the FJ80. That's Sheldon's 24V 1HD-FT in the background...but I'm sure nobody's interested in that thing. Drool!
More to come as the build progesses!
The 12H-T was the engine I really wanted...I felt that it had the right combination of simplicity, power, efficiency, and robustness that to me embody the idea of a Land Cruiser. When this donor vehicle presented itself, I couldn't say no.
I will post pics of my FJ80 later...it's in stock form with tiny little 29" tires that already seem to be too much for the lowly 3FE to turn, even when guzzling back all that gasoline in the effort. Needless to say, I can't wait for the day I tear that gas pot out of my truck. Special thanks to Driley for taking time out and checking this truck out for me in his hometown and giving me an excellent report about it. Also thanks to all those who generously offered.
Here's a pic of the 1991 FJ80 that will be the transplant recipient:
The 12H-T came to me by way of a rusty Canadian HJ60 that someone had dropped this poor engine into.
The original transplant into this rust bucket ran, but the quality of the transplant was somewhat lacking...there were wires routed in the most ridiculous manner, and it looked like some construction material served as custom bracketry in the engine bay.
Starting to take the rusty stuff off...
Most of the front bib gone...it was very entertaining finding all sorts of different sized bolts and nuts jumbled together in this truck. For example, the right engine mount had the usual 17mm nut, but the left engine mount was secured with a "custom" 19mm nut.
My good friend, Sheldon, putting the engine hoist into position...
The most beautiful word to ever grace the top of a Toyota diesel engine..."TURBO".
This photo is me leaving Sheldon in a precarious position just to take an "action" photo...
A sweet 12H-T liberated from its rusty tomb...
A Canadian HJ60 body now available for sale...complete but with typical Toyota rust. Hey...it's Left Hand Drive...who wants those mint Japanese right hand drive imported crap when you can drop a turbo diesel into this sweet chassis? LOL!
The beast ready for prep work in preparation for the transplant into the FJ80. That's Sheldon's 24V 1HD-FT in the background...but I'm sure nobody's interested in that thing. Drool!
More to come as the build progesses!
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