Sold the 73 today

[roscoFJ73]

Its been a great 7 years ,but she was sold today. The longest I have owned any vehicle and the one I had the most fun in (or maybe it was the old Holden with my girlfriend in the back seat when I was a teenager )

Ive spent the last few weeks tidying up anything that needed doing and in the last year or so had a lot of maintenance work done like the brakes ,rear diff and steering.
Those who drove it recently,including a mechanic and govt lic inspector,all commented on how tight and smooth it felt for a 22 year old landcruiser.
I had only ever done 30000klms on the rebuilt 1HZ and gearbox,the 75 series had drawn my eyes away

The speedo was just shy of 300000 klms

Anyway she's gone now and I hope the new owner gets the same reliabilty and has great adventures like I had.:sniff:




As she appeared in the classifieds

 

[Clint79]

7 years sheet thats a long time ,going to have a few beers to night ay
Sorry to hear it go mate ,how come you had to get rid of it?
i hope the new owner understands how rare and what type of cruiser combo they bought from ya and how they proberly wont find a hz 73 for sale again so to take that bit more extra care with the beast

What the dosh from the 73 going on a ...1hdft for the 75?

 

[roscoFJ73]

7 years sheet thats a long time ,going to have a few beers to night ay
Sorry to hear it go mate ,how come you had to get rid of it?
i hope the new owner understands how rare and what type of cruiser combo they bought from ya and how they proberly wont find a hz 73 for sale again so to take that bit more extra care with the beast

What the dosh from the 73 going on a ...1hdft for the 75?

LOL both the guys that were interested in it were ex Range/Landrover owners who I think got sick of the constant maintenance and price of the parts.
I think they were both impressed at how such a high klm 4wd could still be nice to drive and ride in,although the buyer reguarly drove troopys at work.

I got sick of paying out for 2 lots of rego,well 4 actually if you count the Honda 650 and Commodore
Looking for Triumph bike Might have to go to Sydney/Melb next month for what I want.

Still have my sights on a 1HD T conversion for the 75,just sorting out a few paint and panel issues at the moment

 

[Khorrassany]

It's hard to part after 7 years especially from the 73 series! Good luck with the 1 HD-T conversion.

 

[roscoFJ73]

It's hard to part after 7 years especially from the 73 series! Good luck with the 1 HD-T conversion.

I have to find an engine 1st,probably a tired,complete unit that I will have rebuilt.
I think towards the end of this year or early next year

 

[VajaFJ70]

Great car, hope new owners know what they got.
I think I will keep mine forever

 

[Capitalguy]

I feel your grief Roscoe, if you feel you need therapy over the sale you don't have far to look

 

[crushers]

flipper

7 years? holy crap. i am trying to think of any vehicle i kept for 7 years before getting bored and selling them.

solution: go buy a HZJ73, it will help ease the pain!!

 

[roscoFJ73]

flipper

7 years? holy crap. i am trying to think of any vehicle i kept for 7 years before getting bored and selling them.

solution: go buy a HZJ73, it will help ease the pain!!

Im not going to miss it too much. I like the 75 series better as its more useful for camping.
Once my son and his friends got drivers lic the 73 sort of become obsolete,although thats a painfull word to use in the same sentence

 

[Clint79]

Im not going to miss it too much. I like the 75 series better as its more useful for camping.
Once my son and his friends got drivers lic the 73 sort of become obsolete,although thats a painfull word to use in the same sentence

Maybe thats why the swb and mwb stopped selling in Aus as the utes and troopys suited most fellas needs and seemed to be that bit more practical

 

[prado t]

Those Utes seem real pop down there. It must go with the terrain. Whats this? You are going DI. Good for you!

 

[roscoFJ73]

Maybe thats why the swb and mwb stopped selling in Aus as the utes and troopys suited most fellas needs and seemed to be that bit more practical

I think it was more to do with the influx of cheaper alternatives like the Pajero,Jackeroo and Feroza's.
In the mid to late 80s the aussie dollar was worth a bit more than half of what it is worth now and the Landcruiser MWB and SWB were expensive toys.
For about the same you could get a 4dr 60 series which made more sense to a family guy.
I dont have the figures but I reckon the 60 and 75 series must have outsold the MWB 100:1

If it wasnt for the mining companies and the govt,the 75 series would not have been any near such a big seller either

 

[roscoFJ73]

Those Utes seem real pop down there. It must go with the terrain. !

They are our workhorses(and the Patrols). Anything else falls to bits when in 4wd constantly or on corrugated roads.
I think its the dryness of the terrain.
When rainsoaked mud dries out it goes as hard as rock and Australia is about 4/5ths desert which only gets rain 1 in every 4 years.

 

[JuanJ]

Hello Rosco,

You got a nice 73. Wish I could buy it...

I hope it goes to a caring home. I hope the new owner appreciates the truck he got.

Maybe thats why the swb and mwb stopped selling in Aus as the utes and troopys suited most fellas needs and seemed to be that bit more practicalMaybe thats why the swb and mwb stopped selling in Aus as the utes and troopys suited most fellas needs and seemed to be that bit more practical 03-20-10 06:18 PM

Just my opionion: the swb/mwb is practical if you do not carry much equipment. Otherwise, a Troopy/ute is the way to go.







Juan

 

[crushers]

after owning a troopie (short period of time) a MWB and the 75 truck this is my observation.
the MWB is comfortable but not a work vehicle. makes a great family hauler.
the truck is extremely practical for 2 people.
the troopie is a friggin bus, i would not want to travel in the city with one but everywhere else it is nice. it is like sitting in a HUGE tin can, loud, chilly, loud, bouncy (empty) but i will own another.
but the perfect truck, in my eyes is this one:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/70-series-tech/183243-70-series-double-cab.html and that is because you can seat 5, have the crap on the deck out back, warmer, quieter... best of all worlds.

the 73 is fun, top off in the summer with a bit longer wheel base for smoother ride, bit more room in it for carrying stuff or people. nice compromise.

 

[ForealBoreal]

after owning a troopie (short period of time) a MWB and the 75 truck this is my observation.
the MWB is comfortable but not a work vehicle. makes a great family hauler.
the truck is extremely practical for 2 people.
the troopie is a friggin bus, i would not want to travel in the city with one but everywhere else it is nice. it is like sitting in a HUGE tin can, loud, chilly, loud, bouncy (empty) but i will own another.
but the perfect truck, in my eyes is this one:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/70-series-tech/183243-70-series-double-cab.html and that is because you can seat 5, have the **** on the deck out back, warmer, quieter... best of all worlds.

the 73 is fun, top off in the summer with a bit longer wheel base for smoother ride, bit more room in it for carrying stuff or people. nice compromise.

I would say the swb and mwb is built for 2 people for sure. Its not fun if your in the back seat of one of those trucks. I do love the places you can go in the swb model though. The bj70 could go places that the 73 can't go just because its shorter.
As for the 70 series pickup, that truck is sweet! I would love one of those. I have the heart set on an hzj77. Now if I could get a 70 series with a 1hd-t over a 1hz oh would that be nice. You never know I might have to invest in a turbo in the future truck. I have a 70 series fetish, there i said it.

 

[roscoFJ73]

after owning a troopie (short period of time) a MWB and the 75 truck this is my observation.
the MWB is comfortable but not a work vehicle. makes a great family hauler.
the truck is extremely practical for 2 people.
the troopie is a friggin bus, i would not want to travel in the city with one but everywhere else it is nice. it is like sitting in a HUGE tin can, loud, chilly, loud, bouncy (empty) but i will own another.
but the perfect truck, in my eyes is this one:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/70-series-tech/183243-70-series-double-cab.html and that is because you can seat 5, have the crap on the deck out back, warmer, quieter... best of all worlds.

the 73 is fun, top off in the summer with a bit longer wheel base for smoother ride, bit more room in it for carrying stuff or people. nice compromise.

The 73 was great for towing a small trailer around and it was a damn sight easier to park than the 75.
I think the 73 is the best allrounder in the landcruiser range,it can do just about all the jobs you will ever need of it.
The young guy that bought it sometimes drove troopys at work and I think he picked up on how much easier it was to manouvre in traffic.
I think you could quieten the inside of the troopy down a fair bit with a false floor and lots of camping gear

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

After hearing you guys I want a 73/74... Too bad the newest ones available to me are 1995 model year and in not-so-good shape.

Has anyone restored a 73/74?





Juan

 

[roscoFJ73]

Hello Rosco,

You got a nice 73. Wish I could buy it...

I hope it goes to a caring home. I hope the new owner appreciates the truck he got.



Just my opionion: the swb/mwb is practical if you do not carry much equipment. Otherwise, a Troopy/ute is the way to go.







Juan

It went to a good home

Hello,

After hearing you guys I want a 73/74... Too bad the newest ones available to me are 1995 model year and in not-so-good shape.

Has anyone restored a 73/74?





Juan

The good thing about them is the FRP top which does not rust.They also have the removeable windsceen frame.
A long as the rest of the body is good,it should be easy.

But nothing is ever a piece of cake.

I virtually rebuilt that one I had.
When I got it had no brakes,the disc rotors,pads ,brake shoes and drums and master cyl all needed replacing.
The clutch had disintergrated and the master cyl was leaking.
The aircon was in a cardbord box and I had to visit the ex owner 3 times to get it. (He still owed money on the vehicle and hadnt told his parents he was selling it,nor had he told them that it was in such a bad state)

I spent about $4000 getting it licensed and driveable.

Then I had to do the suspension,steering and tyres which was flat and rode like it was on steel wheels,another $2500 approx

Over the next few years I realised he probably never changed the oil or maintained the coolant system as the 3F engine,gearbox and diff all got tired at about 260000 klms.
The cam in the 3F was worn out and the valves could not be adjusted.
The synchros in 1st ,2nd and 3rd made it unenjoyable to drive.
Hence the diesel swap and rebuilt gearbox.

I must have poured over $20K into the 73

 

[JuanJ]

Hello Rosco,

I like the detachable top and folding windscreen too.

So you got a 73 in bad shape, and restored it. Now that is a project.

The engine was abused. The body made it worthy to restore, I guess.

A lot of work indeed, but it can be done. And you make it look interesting.




JuanJ