Okinawan

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Aloreye

Aloreye

Joined
Nov 20, 2025
Threads
1
Messages
8
Location
US, but japan till 2028
Howdy everyone, I bought my own little Prado, an LJ78. at least that's what the Chassis Code said. Currently stationed in the downright tropical Okinawa Japan where rust is the ultimate killer, and man did it touch ol' gal pretty well everywhere. There is a laundry list of things that need to be done to her, but I at least got the fluids flushed, and an appointment for a rust restoration at one of the prominent places here on island. To say I'm a novice wrench turner is an understatement, so I anticipate I may have a lot of dumb questions on this forum at some point, but my first one would be, what are some of the first things I should be worrying about getting replaced or redone so that I may import it back to the states once my time on this rock is over? No incredible rush, just looking for some things to think on. I've heard these Diesels have problems if they begin overheating, which may be a problem in future but I have not seen it happen so far in the month that I've had her. But She's coming close to 200k Km, so I'm sure those problems are just around the corner.

This is everything the Chassis Code lookup told me

Body: Q-LJ78W
Grade: EX WIDE
Engine: 2L-TE
Drive: 4WD
Transmission: AT

And a list of all the things that I believe need to be done at some point on this
- Rust Resto (Scheduled) Oh and if anyone has ideas for paint colors, I'm all ears. Not married to the idea of making her look stock or OEM, and would rather something "unique".
- AC Renewal (Uses old refrigerant, probably gonna require a new system/retrofit)
- Infotainment - No radio, no speakers? nothin installed.
- Upholstery / interior (I think it's stock? and I'm not fond of having upholstery that is older than I am, or dealing with moisture issues.)
- Electric gremlins. (rear windows don't work, and I'm sure there's a simple explanation that will have me digging into my wallet.)

More photos to follow at some point. and thanks for accepting my profile!

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Welcome to Mud, your new home! :flipoff2:

Greetings from Greece and a ...Cold Warrior
Greek Navy 1987-89, served at the US Naval Base (NAVCOMMSTA) of Nea Makri
 
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Welcome to the addiction! 10 years USAF here and another 19 with the Corps, currently at Quantico.
 
Hey! I had an LJ78 for a while when I was stationed in Okinawa. Just become good friends with the Typhoon Motor folks and you’ll generally be in good shape when it comes to work that needs to be done.

Also, that’s my favorite Land Cruiser paint scheme, the two-tone.
 
EngineBlockEggs said:
Hey! I had an LJ78 for a while when I was stationed in Okinawa. Just become good friends with the Typhoon Motor folks and you’ll generally be in good shape when it comes to work that needs to be done.

Also, that’s my favorite Land Cruiser paint scheme, the two-tone.
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Well that's good to know, I've already done some talking with them to get some parts in, but their recommendations are head scratchers from time to time.

And the two tone is nice, but I don't think I'll stick with it unless I change paints.
 
Floridian civie that made Oki home, here. My Okinawan wife loves my '88BJ74 but it has been a dramatic 5 years of ownership here on Okinawa, dude. I been out here in total 20 years, and can give pointers on anything from where to wheel, to where you can get cheap tires (Miyagi junk yard) OEM Parts (Toguchi Parts near Kadena Circle) and some of the best places to take a LC out here. (North, basically)
Number one point- do not hit OVS (Okinawa Vehicle Solutions), they did my paint, which looks nice now, but messed up 20 other things (lost parts, hid vehicle from me, destroyed doors, made false promises, originally painted wrong color, destroyed pieces of this classic automobile... ...and I know the family that owns the spot. womp womp)
 
tsunamipapi said:
Floridian civie that made Oki home, here. My Okinawan wife loves my '88BJ74 but it has been a dramatic 5 years of ownership here on Okinawa, dude. I been out here in total 20 years, and can give pointers on anything from where to wheel, to where you can get cheap tires (Miyagi junk yard) OEM Parts (Toguchi Parts near Kadena Circle) and some of the best places to take a LC out here. (North, basically)
Number one point- do not hit OVS (Okinawa Vehicle Solutions), they did my paint, which looks nice now, but messed up 20 other things (lost parts, hid vehicle from me, destroyed doors, made false promises, originally painted wrong color, destroyed pieces of this classic automobile... ...and I know the family that owns the spot. womp womp)
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Oh nice, glad to have some knowledge about places here on Island. I'm getting the rust and paint done through kumano cave over in ishikawa and I've heard good things from everyone I've asked. Sorry about all the drama, but ya know, a smooth sea never made a good sailor and whatnot.
 
Aloreye said:
Oh nice, glad to have some knowledge about places here on Island. I'm getting the rust and paint done through kumano cave over in ishikawa and I've heard good things from everyone I've asked. Sorry about all the drama, but ya know, a smooth sea never made a good sailor and whatnot.
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Also heard good things about them
 
To answer some of your questions. If you want this as a keeper then you need to understand just how bad the rust is. Pictures would help. If you are just looking at surface rust here and there, then that can be fixed by thorough (expensive) surface prep and painting. However, if the doors, arches, sills, floor, roof seams etc are rotted through, then it is not going to be economic to undertake the massive repair work to properly repair the rust and have a decent body that doesn't need regular repair. Particularly if you are paying someone to do it properly (not just a cosmetic fix). The bubbling rust in the roof/A pillar join area is a major red light. Have a think about the cost of rust repairs before emptying your pockets on paint, sound system, reupholstery and other lipstick on a pig.

The 2L-T and an auto is about the worst combination you can get in these IMO and as you are already aware, heat kills these engines. Make sure your radiator is thoroughly flushed/cleaned. If there is a lot of rust/gunk inside, it should be opened and rodded out or replaced. The thermostat and fan clutch should also be tested by someone who knows what they are doing, or replaced. Still no guarantee that it won't crack a head, so be prepared to need a new head down the line.
 
Eurasiaoverland said:
To answer some of your questions. If you want this as a keeper then you need to understand just how bad the rust is. Pictures would help. If you are just looking at surface rust here and there, then that can be fixed by thorough (expensive) surface prep and painting. However, if the doors, arches, sills, floor, roof seams etc are rotted through, then it is not going to be economic to undertake the massive repair work to properly repair the rust and have a decent body that doesn't need regular repair. Particularly if you are paying someone to do it properly (not just a cosmetic fix). The bubbling rust in the roof/A pillar join area is a major red light. Have a think about the cost of rust repairs before emptying your pockets on paint, sound system, reupholstery and other lipstick on a pig.

The 2L-T and an auto is about the worst combination you can get in these IMO and as you are already aware, heat kills these engines. Make sure your radiator is thoroughly flushed/cleaned. If there is a lot of rust/gunk inside, it should be opened and rodded out or replaced. The thermostat and fan clutch should also be tested by someone who knows what they are doing, or replaced. Still no guarantee that it won't crack a head, so be prepared to need a new head down the line.
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I appreciate the honesty here, I went into this knowing that it would be one hell of a fix, the first thing I did was go and consult a body shop here on Island that specalises rust abatement and restoration. That whole process was in the budget but the rust is real bad, it's not surface and it's in all the places you outlined. I'll get some photos up today for it. Thankfully enough the paint comes with the restoration.

I'm also hamstrung due to Japanese regulations, so I cannot change much about the vehicles engine or transmission until I'm done with JCI inspections. But after that and closer to rotation I'll be thinking about options to change engines and maybe get into a manual at the same time. But that's years from now, same with the sound systems and upholstery.

I really do appreciate the pragmatism, I'm wide eyed and bushy tailed over here about this so it's good to temper some expectations.
 
I know it's the last thing you want to hear, but a rust box with a lackluster engine and transmission has nothing really going for it. A cheap rust fix will not last long as to properly fix this, long term, requires basically taking the body apart, not just patching here and there. I have done this (doing the work myself) with a vehicle that I am sentimentally attached to and would never, ever do it again. There's no way in any developed economy that you will spend less on a proper repair than you could put into getting a much better vehicle. If it was in other ways rare or desirable it might be a different argument, but that is not the case here.

I would either drive it and start looking/saving for another vehicle or sell it and get something else. An HZJ7x will be more but is a far better platform. Or you could get a diesel 60/80 etc etc.
 
I heavily disagree with how negative eurasiaoverland is being... landcruisers on this island specifically retain their value because of the overwhelming military presence. Heat destroys engines but we're in Japan, maybe the second best place (Oz) for LC parts. I replaced my 13BT once already, to attest to that, but it's an ''88 and ~300k km on it. I have no intentions of moving to a -60 or -80 series, although the 80 series is pretty dope looking. (I had a '97 Surf that made me love 80 series bodies for the similarities)
Being in Brunei and having a good wealth of LC knowledge is respectable for opinions about environmental decay on these trucks, but we have a huge amount of support on Okinawa and very solid market for these things.
There's nowhere to drive fast or far, so idk what a lackluster engine has to do with anything.

Also @EngineBlockEggs - Typhoon Motors on Foster is gone, the USMC ate it for their humvees and dragons.
The Kadena onbase spot is available but overused, the new Foster spot is tiny and nowhere near what the old building was.
@Aloreye a better friend would be (Instagram:) ironox_130surf_okinawa his name's Taishi, he's great people. Has a welding machine, lift, and massive love for Toyotas.
 
tsunamipapi said:
I heavily disagree with how negative eurasiaoverland is being... landcruisers on this island specifically retain their value because of the overwhelming military presence. Heat destroys engines but we're in Japan, maybe the second best place (Oz) for LC parts. I replaced my 13BT once already, to attest to that, but it's an ''88 and ~300k km on it. I have no intentions of moving to a -60 or -80 series, although the 80 series is pretty dope looking. (I had a '97 Surf that made me love 80 series bodies for the similarities)
Being in Brunei and having a good wealth of LC knowledge is respectable for opinions about environmental decay on these trucks, but we have a huge amount of support on Okinawa and very solid market for these things.
There's nowhere to drive fast or far, so idk what a lackluster engine has to do with anything.

Also @EngineBlockEggs - Typhoon Motors on Foster is gone, the USMC ate it for their humvees and dragons.
The Kadena onbase spot is available but overused, the new Foster spot is tiny and nowhere near what the old building was.
@Aloreye a better friend would be (Instagram:) ironox_130surf_okinawa his name's Taishi, he's great people. Has a welding machine, lift, and massive love for Toyotas.
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Not having any love for a 2L-T with an auto is something of a matter of opinion, I'm not saying it's a terrible car. Fine for driving around island roads (but a liability going up a hill on a US Interstate).

My point is that rust is rust, and an LJ78 is not something like a 2000 GT which is worth restoring regardless of condition. If you want a long term keeper, start with something better upfront.
 
I come back bearing follow on photos of rust, there's a couple of spots where she's got it bad, but honestly it's not as bad as I previously thought. I think the full restoration I'm already scheduled for early next year will solve all of those woes.
@tsunamipapi i may need that radiator guy down the line lol
And there is a Tsunami on Hansen, but not much availability for garage space at that one. Just good for getting the OEM parts that are still available.

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All that rust is repairable, there are even factory repair panels available for most, if not all of those places. Just be prepared to find a lot more once you start digging into it, the full extent is never visible on the surface.
 
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