school me on 4 door 70s

[lulo]

You can convert the elocker to air activated much more reliable especially un-locking which is where the problem lies. The elocker mechanism appears to get warped easily and jam requiring it to be dismantled on the trail to disengage it .

Or convert the e-locker to "manual locker engaged by cable" activated...


e-locker cable conversion - Pirate4x4.Com Bulletin Board


Elocker Cable Conversion - YotaTech Forums



(enjoy the summer )

 

[CYRUS]

the rear diffs are the same for all of them in strength.
the front as "mini truck" diff strength for the 77/81. the front of the 61 is the full sized (same as the rear center unit) diff and extremely strong.

does HJ60 have full size diffs both front and back?
sorry for all these newb questions.
just trying to figure out which truck im aiming for here...

 

[crushers]

yes,
but
there is more to consider besides just diff strength when making a purchase...

 

[Cruiser70]

KZJ is a light duty as well same as LJ coil springs all round but a better engine than the 2lt, well depending on who you ask

 

[CYRUS]

yes,
but
there is more to consider besides just diff strength when making a purchase...

go on im listening(or i should say reading)...

 

[crushers]

okay, here we go. this is what i tell my customers and then they make the final decision:
you are making a serious investment so you need to take into consideration how long you will be owning the vehicle for. if it is a one or two year investment then no big deal but if you plan on keeping it longer than that you need to take into consideration parts availability in the future. if parts are already becoming obsolete then what will it be like in 3 or 5 years?
the HJ61 is one of the toughest trucks that Toyota ever sold. other than the weak auto tranny and the sensitive throttle issue they are about as perfect as you would ever want BUT it is a 20-25 year old rig and parts are becoming an issue.

the HDJ81 is pretty good but it needs the BEB done as soon as it arrives here and should be checked every 100-150K. it also needs an aux tranny cooler and proper gauges installed (trany temp, pyro and water). it has a weak front diff for heavy duty wheeling if open. if factory electric then no issue there. the full time front diff leads to unneeded wear to the front birfs, ring and pinion, seals.

the HZJ77 is about as close to perfection that you will find in the post 90 year range. electric front diff and you are golden.

the PZJ77 is a sweet basic ride, cheaper, bit easier on fuel, bit less power.

the LJ78/KZJ78 are great trucks if you get ride of the weak front diff and the engine.

anything else you would like to know?

 

[CYRUS]

okay, here we go. this is what i tell my customers and then they make the final decision:
you are making a serious investment so you need to take into consideration how long you will be owning the vehicle for. if it is a one or two year investment then no big deal but if you plan on keeping it longer than that you need to take into consideration parts availability in the future. if parts are already becoming obsolete then what will it be like in 3 or 5 years?
the HJ61 is one of the toughest trucks that Toyota ever sold. other than the weak auto tranny and the sensitive throttle issue they are about as perfect as you would ever want BUT it is a 20-25 year old rig and parts are becoming an issue.

the HDJ81 is pretty good but it needs the BEB done as soon as it arrives here and should be checked every 100-150K. it also needs an aux tranny cooler and proper gauges installed (trany temp, pyro and water). it has a weak front diff for heavy duty wheeling if open. if factory electric then no issue there. the full time front diff leads to unneeded wear to the front birfs, ring and pinion, seals.

the HZJ77 is about as close to perfection that you will find in the post 90 year range. electric front diff and you are golden.

the PZJ77 is a sweet basic ride, cheaper, bit easier on fuel, bit less power.

the LJ78/KZJ78 are great trucks if you get ride of the weak front diff and the engine.

anything else you would like to know?

well the whole purpose of me buying a rig is for camping (so size does matter) then occasional off roading during or going towards the camp site (stoutness of the whole drive terrain would be nice) and obviously diesel just for milage per tank. trials may vary from light, medium to hard depending where the camp site is but nothing extreme. the second duty of that rig would be a winter vehicle for me so occasional winter wheeling might be in the agenda. but most of all it would be carrying my family plus camping gear so A/C would be nice addition too.

thats why i thought HJ60 would be nice since i can get it locally for a decent price plus some of them are already trail ready plus like what you mentioned that both front and rear axles of the HJ60 are pretty stout like the HJ61 which is nice but i still need turbo. the other one i thought of was HZJ77 but after you mentioned the price it made me hold back on it . unless $15k HZJ77 isnt bad at all then ill be all over it.

then there is the HDJ81. havnt rode a diesel one before but i have rode in a LX450 and yes it is nice. pure luxury but if the front axles are are tough as the HJ6* im not sure if ill be going for it since i dont want to break an axle making my way to the camp site with the wife bikering at me why did i buy a rig that cant handle a trail this harsh... i know than nothing is bullet proof but if buying and HJ6* or HZJ77 that has axles that can hold up better i would go for it anytime than getting a HDJ81

what would you suggest?

 

[Radd Cruisers]

The axles aren't weak, and your wife probably would be out walking if you were driving into camping spots that are severe enough to break a front axle.

There are trade offs with the front ends, and the only thing that has been mentioned is ring and pinion size... overall, the 80 series have the largest front end parts but the smaller 8"high pinion diff.

The 70 series high pinion front axle is maybe only a hair stronger than the 60 series but have the 8" high pinion diff.

The 70 series can be upgraded to a 9.5" diff if you use an older 70 series housing.


Seriously, if you are breaking front end parts at all, you need to change your driving style or build a trail-only vehicle. I've run anything from 30x9.50 tires to 38x14.50s and have had so little front end damage that it's really just not an issue if you do your maintenance.

Pick the vehicle you like the best and enjoy it.

~John

then there is the HDJ81. havnt rode a diesel one before but i have rode in a LX450 and yes it is nice. pure luxury but if the front axles are are tough as the HJ6* im not sure if ill be going for it since i dont want to break an axle making my way to the camp site with the wife bikering at me why did i buy a rig that cant handle a trail this harsh... i know than nothing is bullet proof but if buying and HJ6* or HZJ77 that has axles that can hold up better i would go for it anytime than getting a HDJ81

what would you suggest?

 

[lshobie]

I've never broken a high pinion front end, axle or birf. I run 36X13's and I beat the truck pretty hard sometimes. I was trying to find chromoly front axles for my truck and I called bobby longfield - he told me that unless I am running over 39 inch tires I will never break a front axle, the birf could blow if technique was bad though.

Oh, and I run chinese front birfs - 39 bucks each - and they are still going strong with the ARB locker in the front

Engine/tranny/tcase rebuild this summer, front end overhaul next year.

 

[crushers]

if you know how to pick a trail then a stock LJ78 with decent tires and a winch will get you to where you want to go cheap and comfortably.
if you are not worried about parts in the future then the HJ60 is the best bang for the buck and reliable.
the 8* series is for malls

and NO i am not recommending a LJ78, i am just saying that if you know how to drive you can take almost anything anywhere.

 

[CYRUS]

hows the auto tranny on the HZJ77?
btw what's the towing capacity of these this lets say it has turbo upgrade on it

 

[ForealBoreal]

hows the auto tranny on the HZJ77?
btw what's the towing capacity of these this lets say it has turbo upgrade on it

as whats said before if your worried about axle stregth your wheeling wrong. Just get a locked landcruiser and be happy.

HDJ81s that have manual transmissions have the R151.
HZJ7* and HJ6* have the H55F.
From what I have been reading is the 55f is better.... some guys refer to the 151 as a bit of a slush box.

the autos that the 60's 70s and 80s have is the a442f or the a440f there isn't really much of a differnce between the two. I don't like auto transmissions to be honest....

I recently switched my hunt from a HZJ77 to a 73 because I could modify the 73 more and I don't need a 4 door because I am still young and I don't have kids. Down the road I would consider it when I need the extra space. The 77 will happen just not at this point in my life.

Your going to pay big dollars for a locked one with low kms in good shape. I was looking at about 16 or 17 grand just in japan not including shipping, taxes and a bunch of preventative maintenance. To do proper pm work its about 3 grand if you pay someone to do everything......

You would be very happy with the 70 series if you are a simplistic person. my last 81 was a bit of a mall queen, and I didn't like that. Your call on what your after. Its going to be a long wait if your looking for a good locked 77 though, everyone wants them....

 

[SimonInAustralia]

HDJ81s that have manual transmissions have the R151.
HZJ7* and HJ6* have the H55F.
From what I have been reading is the 55f is better.... some guys refer to the 151 as a bit of a slush box.

Not quite, HZJ78/79 have the R151F, but I suppose you can't get those registered up there for a few years yet.

Don't think I have heard the R151F being called a slush box, it is often said to be weaker than the H151F used on the factory turbos, but is nicer shifting than them, and is probably weaker than the H55F as well.

 

[ForealBoreal]

i read somewhere (on here but I don't know where exactly) that the trans that come with the manual 81s are slushboxes compared to the h55f

 

[SimonInAustralia]

Slush box is what people normally call auto transmissions.

 

[Musafir]

if you know how to pick a trail then a stock LJ78 with decent tires and a winch will get you to where you want to go cheap and comfortably.
if you are not worried about parts in the future then the HJ60 is the best bang for the buck and reliable.
the 8* series is for malls

and NO i am not recommending a LJ78, i am just saying that if you know how to drive you can take almost anything anywhere.

omg dont say that word

 

[FJ40 that green thing]

I keep hearing the 1KZ is a sketchy engine too. Have people been having head problems too like the 2L-ts?
1HZ - 6cyl
1PZ - 5cyl
1KZ - 4cyl

isn't the 5cyl and the 4 cyls basically chopped versions of the 1hz?

Wow, this is an old thread, The data on this notion is a bit sketchy from what I can tell. The LJ with 2LT (early years of the box prado) are known to crack cylinder heads at a certain point due to indirect injection and/or being slightly underpowered, many have been replaced under warranty or previous ownership. The 1KZ-TE is the successor to this engine, the KZJ7X I believe 1995 and 1996 were fitted with the 1KZ and its a great engine! pulls well, pretty quick (for a cruiser) and efficient. These models have only recently been able to be legally imported into the US. People say to avoid these 1KZ models like the 2LT, but I haven't heard much of this from people with actual first hand experience with the 1KZ motor, pretty much always hearsay. I personally believe the reputation of the early LJ7X followed the Box style Prado until the body refresh in late 1996 to the next generation Prado, kZJ90 where the 1KZ-TE engine continued to be used until I believe the mid 2000's, Toyota had however added an intercooler to the newer model Prados. I don't think if the 1KZ was that bad of an engine Toyota would continue to use it for another decade. I threw caution to the wind and bought a 96 KZJ78 with 200k+ KM on it and it runs amazing, love it. Time will tell what issues the 1KZ-TE engine develop for me with more use. I am guessing it will be similar to other owners of 25+ year old 70 series and I'm ok with that.

 

[coldtaco]

It’s usually the Japan market 2LTE and KZ engines that have head issues due to the emissions on them. Seems like the European versions didn’t have as much problems.

 

[jmylie]

Wow, lots of great info in this thread.

I had a HJ60, really liked it but it would loose a drag race with a fully loaded school bus.

Not a problem on the highway and good fuel mileage for a Land Cruiser.

Lifted with 33's and it wheeled off road just fine.

I now have a LJ77 with the dreaded 2LT. Mine is from the European market and I have not had an issue with overheating even running a/c in the summer. Still not a drag racer but definitely quicker than a HJ or FJ.

Also lifted and on 33's. I have not wheeled anything difficult but it seems capable.

Road salt destroyed my HJ60. Lots of trips to upstate NY, brown truck was white with salt. Rust finally got to it.

I did try to wash it frequently but should have had the frame and undersides treated. I did make it to the 500K mark (km not miles).

I have 320K (km) on the LJ and expect it to make 500K also.

Surprisingly, the LJ is very close in size to my FJ55, so there is room for hauling camping equipment.

If you do not need the full rear seat, the LJ has split rear seats, so you could fold one half down for more storage.

However, there is also 3rd row seating if you have more passengers but storage will be limited.

Good luck in your search.

 

[Gun Runner 5]

Wow, lots of great info in this thread.

I had a HJ60, really liked it but it would loose a drag race with a fully loaded school bus.

Not a problem on the highway and good fuel mileage for a Land Cruiser.

Lifted with 33's and it wheeled off road just fine.

I now have a LJ77 with the dreaded 2LT. Mine is from the European market and I have not had an issue with overheating even running a/c in the summer. Still not a drag racer but definitely quicker than a HJ or FJ.

Also lifted and on 33's. I have not wheeled anything difficult but it seems capable.

Road salt destroyed my HJ60. Lots of trips to upstate NY, brown truck was white with salt. Rust finally got to it.

I did try to wash it frequently but should have had the frame and undersides treated. I did make it to the 500K mark (km not miles).

I have 320K (km) on the LJ and expect it to make 500K also.

Surprisingly, the LJ is very close in size to my FJ55, so there is room for hauling camping equipment.

If you do not need the full rear seat, the LJ has split rear seats, so you could fold one half down for more storage.

However, there is also 3rd row seating if you have more passengers but storage will be limited.

Good luck in your search.

I thought, perhaps incorrectly, that the 2L-T was actually a fairly reliable power plant and only had issues when the letter “E” was added.