SOLD NorCal: 1993 HDJ81 Land Cruiser VX-LTD 152k miles (1 Viewer)

Year

1993

Vehicle Model

1. 80 Series

Location

San Carlos, California United States

Mileage

152000

Color

Black

Selling my RHD 1993 HDJ81 Land Cruiser VX-LTD with 1HD-T motor and A442F automatic transmission that I imported to the US from Japan in April 2020. The reason I'm selling is that imported another HDJ81, a 1996 with a 1HD-FT motor and 5 speed. Don't have room for both so this one has to go.

Asking price: $21,000
Location: San Carlos, CA
Mileage: ~152,000 miles (the odometer reads ~68,000 kms but it was reset at ~177,000 kms, so total of 245,000 kms; I have paperwork from the auction company showing proof of the reset by the previous owner)
No Lockers

Work/Mods by previous owner:
- painted black (color code on firewall is 183 which is Dark Bluish Gray Metallic), he color matched the bumpers
- turbo timer
- Rancho lift? I believe it's about a 3-4" lift. The shocks say RS9000 and the steering damper says Big Country on it. No idea the age or mileage
- Depo headlights and taillights
- HID headlights
- 3" exhaust. Not sure the brand, but it had these really ugly dual tips. I paid an exhaust shop to chop the tips off and reroute it to a single tip exiting just behind the right mudflap
- Vinyl seat covers
- Panasonic head unit. It's stuck in Japanese so can't get navigation to work but I was able to connect my phone with Bluetooth
- Deerfield 16" three piece wheels (all except the spare)
- front bumper extension. Haven't seen these on another 80 before but the front bumper is essentially pushed forward about 2 inches.
- updated grill to the newer 80 style with the sombrero logo (he also added LEDs to the back of the Toyota emblem which I unplugged but you can plug it back if you want)

Work/Mods done by me:
- BEBs and rebuilt driveshafts done by Georg @valleyhybrids
- oil change every 5,000 kms (new filter every 10,000 kms)
- new air filter
- replaced the transmission fluid
- added a tranny cooler and tranny oil temp guage
- ACSD delete
- 2 new batteries
- new voltage converter relay (connects the 2 batteries together when starting for the 24v starter)
- Prinsu roof rack with a 40" light bar (NiLight)
- spare tire carrier (bought off a fellow mud member who custom made it himself. similar design to the SummitCruisersJR stock bumper carrier but not as nice.)
- OPOF sliders
- Brand new set of 5 BFG KO2s in 315/75r16, less than 500 miles on them

The good:
Low miles
Engine runs great, no blowby. She'll smoke a tad when you floor it but I think that's normal
Drives great, transmissions shifts fine, O/D and ECT work perfectly
A/C blows cold
Ok gas mileage, I got a heavy right foot and get about 15-16mpg
Undercarriage doesn't show any rust
Overall she's in pretty good shape for an almost 30 year old car
Just got a full detail so she's super shiny

The bad:
Paint is bubbling from rust in a couple spots around the rear hatch glass (see photos)
Other blemishes and scratches in the normal spots
Rock chip on the front windshield (see photos)
Suspension will probably need a refresh. One of the shocks is leaking but I honestly can't tell when I'm driving it
All the windows work but some are kinda slow
Center console fridge doesn't work. The A/C works fine so I think it's electrical. might be the switch
Window trim pieces need a refresh
Rubber gaskets under fender flares need a refresh
Condition of knuckles is unknown

I have clean Nevada title and registration in hand.
I tried to be as transparent as possible and show everything. Happy to show potential buyers in person or over video chat.

 

[dzl40]

more photos

 

[dzl40]

more

 

[dzl40]

ttt

 

[dzl40]

more photos. engine bay, firewall stamp, timing belt service sticker, and aftermarket tranny cooler

 

[dzl40]

trunk, wheel, bumper extension, rubber fender flare gasket, and window trim

 

[dzl40]

depo lights and more interior shots

 

[dzl40]

compass/altimeter, headliner, and more interior shots

 

[dzl40]

center console fridge, shifter and aftermarket tranny temp gauge, buttons, turbo timer, owner's manual plus Japanese service records and an extra key

 

[dzl40]

auction sheet from when I bought it

 

[dzl40]

video of cold start showing no blowby and no smoke:

 

[dzl40]

got some great questions in my DMs. figured I should post the answers here too (my answers are in red):

First off, for the odometer, did the importer you used have to get the paperwork from the owner to verify the mileage roll back? Do you know why he decided to roll the mileage back? Just wondering how they were able to prove to you that it wasn’t a scam to make you feel ok with the decision to buy it. I don't know why it was rolled back. If I had to guess, they probably replaced the speedometer for some reason. Maybe it was broken (on my other 80 the trip meter doesn't work). The roll back is actually noted on the auction sheet, it's in Japanese so I didn't notice it when I bid on the car. I only realized it when they sent me closeup pictures of the dash. I have no reason to believe it's a scam. The undercarriage and condition of the motor seem to match the mileage plus generally speaking the auction companies are pretty reputable.

Could you explain the turbo timer the prev. owner installed? What’s the benefit of having that added? (this is the first turbo diesel ive researched that had one worked on) So after driving for a bit, the turbo can get hot from spooling. I guess it's a good idea to let the car idle a bit to let the turbo cool gradually before shutting off the car. Instead of just sitting in the car to wait for it to cool, the turbo timer lets you remove the key and leave the car while it idles for a set period of time, then shuts off automatically.

Do you know how/why the bumper was pushed forward? (I would eventually put my ARB front bar on this from my FZJ80). Was the frame underneath modified to allow the extension? Easy to revert back? No idea but I'm guessing for looks? It's just a couple brackets that go between the frame rail and bumper, super easy to remove and shouldn't be a problem.

Did you have to do any retiming once removing the ACSD? Did you remove it because it was leaking or another reason? Preventative maintenance mostly. I've read on MUD that these can degrade over time and then send bits of plastic into the injection pump causing thousands of dollars worth of damage. They're only needed in really cold climates so I just removed it to be safe. I still have it if you want it.

The seats look great. Are they original? I don’t think I’ve seen seats that look like that in other 80 series' from the factory. I believe they're original but they're covered. I haven't removed the covers so I don't know what the originals look like.

The timing cover says the belt was changed at 167,546KM. So basically, ~50,000 miles ago? And it was scheduled to be changed on 28 Aug 2021? Yes, I think it's recommended to do them every 100,000 kms so it's probably due for a change soon.

Do you tow with this? What’s the reason for the added trans cooler? I've towed a few times which is why I added the cooler. The JDM cruisers didn't come with a factory trans cooler (I'm guessing they don't really tow in Japan?). I also added hitch wiring (standard 4 pin u-haul style) and have an OEM hitch (I took it off but can put it back if you want it).

 

[Rpd590]

Is the FT that you just imported also from Japan?

 

[dzl40]

Is the FT that you just imported also from Japan?

Yes, and before you ask it's not for sale!

 

[Rpd590]

Yes, and before you ask it's not for sale!

Ha, wasn't going to. Got a LHD 5 speed on the way here.

 

[NLXTACY]

Ugh. This is killing me

 

[dzl40]

Ugh. This is killing me

My offer still stands! I'm willing to accept some products/services for my other 80 instead of all cash.

 

[NLXTACY]

My offer still stands! I'm willing to accept some products/services for my other 80 instead of all cash.

I think we need to talk

 

[seatosummit]

Ohhh looks great in black!