Can't wate I always enjoy you storytelling
Thank for posting!
Thank for posting!
Build spinning the roulette wheel (twice) on a 1996 Middle East HDJ81 at auction
- Thread starter John Young
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
- Thread starter
- #262
I don't think I have mentioned it, but after 2 immunizations and two boosters I finally contracted COVID a few weeks ago. I had been sick with what I thought was a bad flu and finally had gone to the doctor and while there insisted on a COVID test. It was positive. I recovered for the most part in about a week. But ever since then I've had periods of otherwise unexplainable exhaustion. After a week of fighting the good fight with the silver 80 I was really worn out. Saturday and Sunday were spent regrouping and doing nothing at all. So it was a pleasant surprise when on Sunday at 7:30 pm I got a message from the owner of the shop: "Mate, your land cruiser is ready."
He must have had his guys working the weekend to get me going again, which I greatly appreciate. I asked him what the problem is but his guys had just fixed it. It had turned out to be just a heater hose! This surprised me because I had looked pretty carefully and had not seen anything. But that was very good news because the engine did not have to come out.
I took off work early on Monday and went over to the garage. This is the old hose:
Unbelievably, this was the original factory hose with the original factory hose clamps. I had -attempted- to change out all the hoses during the past 3 years but this one had been missed, and moving around the engine swap must have been just enough to weaken it so that after 45 minutes of driving it blew. The guys had taken the identical hose off the Omani diesel to get me rolling again. The last thing the shop foreman said to me was: "Don't worry, I did a pressure test and you are good to go!"
Everyone missed this at two shops and over 3.5 years of work on the truck--and keep in mind that this engine had been on a bare chassis for weeks where everything was very visible. Things were a little crazy for a time when the frame swap was being done. Anyways...
I thanked the guys (made a mental note to order a bunch of hoses)--I later sent this to my favorite parts guy:
Given the location, I just don't see how I could have missed this even if it was the bottom attachment. Hell, with a knife and a pair of pliers I could have shortened the hose a little and done a field expedient repair myself. I swear I looked closely at the end of the hose and did not see a thing.
I have been spending a lot of parts lately, BTW.
This is just one recent order. I seem to be making a couple of these per week lately.
I had a functional 80 again. I climbed in, lit another cigar and started on my way for the 45 minute to an hour drive to Emirates Auction for the second time.
He must have had his guys working the weekend to get me going again, which I greatly appreciate. I asked him what the problem is but his guys had just fixed it. It had turned out to be just a heater hose! This surprised me because I had looked pretty carefully and had not seen anything. But that was very good news because the engine did not have to come out.
I took off work early on Monday and went over to the garage. This is the old hose:
Unbelievably, this was the original factory hose with the original factory hose clamps. I had -attempted- to change out all the hoses during the past 3 years but this one had been missed, and moving around the engine swap must have been just enough to weaken it so that after 45 minutes of driving it blew. The guys had taken the identical hose off the Omani diesel to get me rolling again. The last thing the shop foreman said to me was: "Don't worry, I did a pressure test and you are good to go!"
Everyone missed this at two shops and over 3.5 years of work on the truck--and keep in mind that this engine had been on a bare chassis for weeks where everything was very visible. Things were a little crazy for a time when the frame swap was being done. Anyways...
I thanked the guys (made a mental note to order a bunch of hoses)--I later sent this to my favorite parts guy:
Given the location, I just don't see how I could have missed this even if it was the bottom attachment. Hell, with a knife and a pair of pliers I could have shortened the hose a little and done a field expedient repair myself. I swear I looked closely at the end of the hose and did not see a thing.
I have been spending a lot of parts lately, BTW.
This is just one recent order. I seem to be making a couple of these per week lately.
I had a functional 80 again. I climbed in, lit another cigar and started on my way for the 45 minute to an hour drive to Emirates Auction for the second time.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #263
Retracing the exact route I had taken three days earlier, I was enjoying my cigar, listening to my favorite jazz show, Hot Jazz Saturday Night from WAMU in Washington DC online. Happy as a clam, but watching the temperature gauge closely.
I don't know about you guys, but on all my LC's the temp gauge seems to just naturally go and stay only about 1/4 of the way up and then stop and be rock steady.
About 30 minutes into the drive I notice that the gauge is about half-way up.... I think to myself, well, I am going to be proactive about this, so I turn on the heater despite it being about 85 degrees. I then congratulate myself for being so smart. Until I look over and see this:
I don't know about you guys, but on all my LC's the temp gauge seems to just naturally go and stay only about 1/4 of the way up and then stop and be rock steady.
About 30 minutes into the drive I notice that the gauge is about half-way up.... I think to myself, well, I am going to be proactive about this, so I turn on the heater despite it being about 85 degrees. I then congratulate myself for being so smart. Until I look over and see this:
- Thread starter
- #265
The moment I saw the sopping wet passenger foot well I mentally started kicking myself. I know the heater cores are a weak link on our beloved 80s. All four of the 80's currently in my hands came to me with the heater disconnected. And each time I tried connecting them they either leaked or failed almost immediately. I had told the guys to hook up the heater and had not thought about it. The car had been driven some, but not really much.Oh man, you can't catch a break, John
And then I remembered the thing that the foreman had told me just before I left the shop--he had pressure-tested the system.
I bet that bit of good, reasonable practice was just slightly too much for that 25 year old heater core. And I, innocently, had opened the valve to the heater core to let all my nice coolant out.
Sometimes you just have to laugh. Thank God for cigars.
Many trucks come without any heater in the Middle East and those that do seem to have them disconnected by the time they are a few years old. But nobody bothers to clean them out, so they sit with stagnant, circulating coolant in them gradually corroding away. As with most things with this old truck, I was the author of this mishap.
- Thread starter
- #266
Okay...
It was 2:58 pm when I took that photo of the sopping passenger footwell. I immediately turned off the heater. Not that I expected it do do much given that the HDJ81 had the automatic climate control computer rather than the simple slide controls, which I vastly prefer.
I had gotten overconfident, leaving as late as I had. Now time was compressed again. I keep watching the temperature gauge. It is high and approaching the red line as I get off the freeway. It is in the red, but not over it as I pass the Fruit and Vegetable Market (again). What to do... I know exactly what the problem is this time. I know how to 'fix' it with a bit of hose, but I have no tools and no handy set of parts. The designated testing centre was only one traffic light and about a km away and I decide to chance it.
I get through the intersection and then enter the giant used car lot where the testing center is. Of course traffic is heavy. Of course there are semi car carriers blocking the road at several points. But I make it into line in front of one of the four testing bays and shut of the engine. For a moment I just sit there trying to get my blood pressure under control. My hands are shaking a bit, but less than last Friday. I knew what I was dealing with this time. Only too well. The line is very slow. It is now about 3:15 and it has not moved at all. And I just realized that I did not have the plastic hazard triangle which is an automatic fail on the test by itself. Well, one problem at a time.
Having been through diesel testing in Dubai before I knew that usually only a single bay is equipped to deal with it. So I get out of the truck and go over to one of the guys and ask and thankfully I am in the correct lane. Then I decide to see if I can put some more coolant in to get this thing through testing without seizing up. I grab another floor mat and open the radiator. This time there IS pressure. This is a good sign. It means that that leak is not as catastrophic as last time. The water will stay in for a while at least, or only leak out slowly, now that the heater is turned off. So I grab my water bottle and head to the men's toilet.
Back and forth I go. The day is a lot hotter than the previous Friday, and my water bottle is not large. But I persevere. Back and forth. Back and forth. Occasionally starting the truck and moving it forward in the line. Ok, I've got the radiator filled and nothing is leaking under the truck with the engine off and 'cool'. Now the hazard triangle... I look around and see a guy in a little work van several cars behind me and I think maybe he will loan me his triangle. I go up to him and smile and explain and he roots around and loans it to me, which is very nice. I promise that I will return it long before he will need it, and I give him another heartfelt thanks. I have a bunch of toyota emergency kits with these things in them but I just forgot to throw it in the truck.
Now I there is only one car in front of me in the testing line.
I start to get a bit keyed up again. I go over to the guys and explain that I have a 'small' leak in the heater core and I'd appreciate it if they not let it idle too long. The guy nods but I'm not sure he understood me. I start worrying some more. Finally it is my turn and I drive forward and get out. I try to explain about the frame swap letter from Al Futtaim but he waives his hand and says it will all be in the computer. He gets in and does whatever he does inside the truck then drives forward to the brake testing rollers. He does both front and back. When the back wheels are in the testing rollers that truck's rear end drifts to the left during the test. I think, well that's a failure right there. The technician sees me and tells me firmly to go over to the other side in the designated waiting area.
It is 3:47 as my truck leaves the testing rollers and goes inside for emissions and visual inspection. I'm kicking myself for not leaving more time. They do emissions and it rolls forward to visual inspection. Normally they leave on the engine while doing this but the guy looks over and makes a key turning gesture with a questioning look on is brow. I nod viperously and he obligingly turns off the engine and I breath a sigh of relief.
They go around testing things like retracting seatbelts and lights and whatnot. It seems to take forever. Then it is time for the frame inspection.... Up it goes:
I'm a little sad as I realize this is the last time I will see underneath this truck.
After a time that felt like forever but actually was only a couple of minutes it comes down and they drive it forward and park it in front of the little office. The guy gives me a slip of paper and tells me to go into the office. I go in and there is one clerk. It is 3 minutes to 4. And there are at least 10 people in there waiting for the clerk. He finishes with the customer and I push my way forward and both apologizing him and all the other guys (and they are all guys BTW) and begging if he can please help me next because of the 4 pm cutoff at Emirates Auction. He looks at me and it is obvious he knows all about the EA cutoff and he kindly does help me next, which consists only of confirming my cell phone number and accepting payment of 170 AED (about 50 USD). He then says I will get everything by email and sms, and I'm done. I leave the little office and then come to a dead stop.
I turn around and go back inside and say to the clerk: "Just out of curiosity, did it pass?"
He frowns, looks down at his computer, clicks several keys, looks up and says: "Yes."
It was 2:58 pm when I took that photo of the sopping passenger footwell. I immediately turned off the heater. Not that I expected it do do much given that the HDJ81 had the automatic climate control computer rather than the simple slide controls, which I vastly prefer.
I had gotten overconfident, leaving as late as I had. Now time was compressed again. I keep watching the temperature gauge. It is high and approaching the red line as I get off the freeway. It is in the red, but not over it as I pass the Fruit and Vegetable Market (again). What to do... I know exactly what the problem is this time. I know how to 'fix' it with a bit of hose, but I have no tools and no handy set of parts. The designated testing centre was only one traffic light and about a km away and I decide to chance it.
I get through the intersection and then enter the giant used car lot where the testing center is. Of course traffic is heavy. Of course there are semi car carriers blocking the road at several points. But I make it into line in front of one of the four testing bays and shut of the engine. For a moment I just sit there trying to get my blood pressure under control. My hands are shaking a bit, but less than last Friday. I knew what I was dealing with this time. Only too well. The line is very slow. It is now about 3:15 and it has not moved at all. And I just realized that I did not have the plastic hazard triangle which is an automatic fail on the test by itself. Well, one problem at a time.
Having been through diesel testing in Dubai before I knew that usually only a single bay is equipped to deal with it. So I get out of the truck and go over to one of the guys and ask and thankfully I am in the correct lane. Then I decide to see if I can put some more coolant in to get this thing through testing without seizing up. I grab another floor mat and open the radiator. This time there IS pressure. This is a good sign. It means that that leak is not as catastrophic as last time. The water will stay in for a while at least, or only leak out slowly, now that the heater is turned off. So I grab my water bottle and head to the men's toilet.
Back and forth I go. The day is a lot hotter than the previous Friday, and my water bottle is not large. But I persevere. Back and forth. Back and forth. Occasionally starting the truck and moving it forward in the line. Ok, I've got the radiator filled and nothing is leaking under the truck with the engine off and 'cool'. Now the hazard triangle... I look around and see a guy in a little work van several cars behind me and I think maybe he will loan me his triangle. I go up to him and smile and explain and he roots around and loans it to me, which is very nice. I promise that I will return it long before he will need it, and I give him another heartfelt thanks. I have a bunch of toyota emergency kits with these things in them but I just forgot to throw it in the truck.
Now I there is only one car in front of me in the testing line.
I start to get a bit keyed up again. I go over to the guys and explain that I have a 'small' leak in the heater core and I'd appreciate it if they not let it idle too long. The guy nods but I'm not sure he understood me. I start worrying some more. Finally it is my turn and I drive forward and get out. I try to explain about the frame swap letter from Al Futtaim but he waives his hand and says it will all be in the computer. He gets in and does whatever he does inside the truck then drives forward to the brake testing rollers. He does both front and back. When the back wheels are in the testing rollers that truck's rear end drifts to the left during the test. I think, well that's a failure right there. The technician sees me and tells me firmly to go over to the other side in the designated waiting area.
It is 3:47 as my truck leaves the testing rollers and goes inside for emissions and visual inspection. I'm kicking myself for not leaving more time. They do emissions and it rolls forward to visual inspection. Normally they leave on the engine while doing this but the guy looks over and makes a key turning gesture with a questioning look on is brow. I nod viperously and he obligingly turns off the engine and I breath a sigh of relief.
They go around testing things like retracting seatbelts and lights and whatnot. It seems to take forever. Then it is time for the frame inspection.... Up it goes:
I'm a little sad as I realize this is the last time I will see underneath this truck.
After a time that felt like forever but actually was only a couple of minutes it comes down and they drive it forward and park it in front of the little office. The guy gives me a slip of paper and tells me to go into the office. I go in and there is one clerk. It is 3 minutes to 4. And there are at least 10 people in there waiting for the clerk. He finishes with the customer and I push my way forward and both apologizing him and all the other guys (and they are all guys BTW) and begging if he can please help me next because of the 4 pm cutoff at Emirates Auction. He looks at me and it is obvious he knows all about the EA cutoff and he kindly does help me next, which consists only of confirming my cell phone number and accepting payment of 170 AED (about 50 USD). He then says I will get everything by email and sms, and I'm done. I leave the little office and then come to a dead stop.
I turn around and go back inside and say to the clerk: "Just out of curiosity, did it pass?"
He frowns, looks down at his computer, clicks several keys, looks up and says: "Yes."
- Thread starter
- #267
It is now just before 4 pm. I know I am not going to make it before the cutoff, but perhaps they will have mercy, being aware of the situation. I DO remember to drop the emergency triangle with the guy in the work van, thanking him again, and then get back into traffic for the 1-2km drive back to Emirates Auction:
BTW, here's a larger map so you can see how close the Fruit and Vegetable Market is to the used car area:
Like the map says, it is a 7 minute drive if everything cooperates. Everything mostly does. The temperature gauge says about halfway up, higher than I'd like but not a cause of alarm. I get to Emirates Auction, park, and walk into the intake office a 4:06 pm.
The guys recognize me. I sit down. I tell them that the truck passed. and we start into the paperwork. It takes about 30 minutes and there are a few times when the clerk calls over colleagues and asks them questions but it all works out and they give me an intake sheet:
And they tell me where to drive it in their yard. I do so and by this time a friend of mine has arrived from Abu Dhabi. He came up to look at an old Rolls Royce of all things. He took this picture. My last with the silver truck:
That's the famous water bottle, BTW.
That was not the end of the adventure for the day, but I will post separately on that.
BTW, here's a larger map so you can see how close the Fruit and Vegetable Market is to the used car area:
Like the map says, it is a 7 minute drive if everything cooperates. Everything mostly does. The temperature gauge says about halfway up, higher than I'd like but not a cause of alarm. I get to Emirates Auction, park, and walk into the intake office a 4:06 pm.
The guys recognize me. I sit down. I tell them that the truck passed. and we start into the paperwork. It takes about 30 minutes and there are a few times when the clerk calls over colleagues and asks them questions but it all works out and they give me an intake sheet:
And they tell me where to drive it in their yard. I do so and by this time a friend of mine has arrived from Abu Dhabi. He came up to look at an old Rolls Royce of all things. He took this picture. My last with the silver truck:
That's the famous water bottle, BTW.
That was not the end of the adventure for the day, but I will post separately on that.
- Thread starter
- #268
Ok, so we had some fun that afternoon after all the pain of getting the silver truck formally into the EA system. We wandered around the EA lot and saw some really interesting vehicles:
This 40 series from Yemen was amazingly well-preserved. Worn yes, but very presentable.
With lots of original goodies
My buddy and I watched and it went for more than we expected. My friend was bidding on it but it went beyond what was sensible.
That's about 35K USD after fees and all.
Maybe I need a Ferrari?
This 40 series from Yemen was amazingly well-preserved. Worn yes, but very presentable.
With lots of original goodies
My buddy and I watched and it went for more than we expected. My friend was bidding on it but it went beyond what was sensible.
That's about 35K USD after fees and all.
Maybe I need a Ferrari?
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #269
Or maybe a Bentley?
The Power Wagon was sold already.
Note the AC condenser add-on and the uber cool mechanical winch, all in pretty good shape.
The Power Wagon was sold already.
Note the AC condenser add-on and the uber cool mechanical winch, all in pretty good shape.
- Thread starter
- #270
Or maybe a Fiat Panda 4x4?
Or this Suzuki with an extended body and fiberglass top. Looked factory. Never seen one before.
This was a very interesting vehicle. I'd be tempted to get it for my older boy if I did not have so many projects right now.
Or this Suzuki with an extended body and fiberglass top. Looked factory. Never seen one before.
This was a very interesting vehicle. I'd be tempted to get it for my older boy if I did not have so many projects right now.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #272
And here was a very interesting animal: a Mutsuoka, which is a legit marque in the JDM. They take frames from other manufactures and do their own bodies, as I understand it.
In this case, it appeared to be based on a Mitsubishi.
What a nose!
In this case, it appeared to be based on a Mitsubishi.
What a nose!
- Thread starter
- #273
And whatever the hell this thing is:
Nope.
Nope.
- Thread starter
- #274
Then over in the back lot there was an ok 62:
And a tragic Jeep
And then there was this . . . . thing . . .
And a tragic Jeep
And then there was this . . . . thing . . .
- Thread starter
- #275
I found it fascinating.
Someone had lavished money on it. The construction was top-notch, but the overall effect in person was the ugliest thing I have ever seen on four wheels. Just awful. And it was BIG. I can only imagine that the project was undertaken and completed and then the guy who commissioned it had the same reaction as I did. It looked basically unused.
Hope you all enjoyed some of the stranger things at EA.
Someone had lavished money on it. The construction was top-notch, but the overall effect in person was the ugliest thing I have ever seen on four wheels. Just awful. And it was BIG. I can only imagine that the project was undertaken and completed and then the guy who commissioned it had the same reaction as I did. It looked basically unused.
Hope you all enjoyed some of the stranger things at EA.
- Thread starter
- #276
The drama of getting the silver truck live on the auction was not over yet. About a week later I got a call from the very nice young man who had helped me in their office saying that they had figured out it was not a GCC truck. So they would have to do a new sales contract for 7% commission instead of 5%. I said fine, but I also was getting anxious about it because Ramadan was coming up and I definitely wanted the auction to complete before Ramadan began--nobody does much of anything during Ramadan. I was imagining that buyers would not even look at the EA inventory for the most part. So instead of waiting for them to email me the revised contract, I drove across the Emirate to EA one last time for the silver truck. I'm glad I did too. They said that it must be a US truck and they only sell US trucks as scrap. Not good. I was able to persuade them that the JDJ81 was only ever sold in Japan. Whew! The truck is -not- scrap. It has problems, yes, but it is NOT scrap!
The young man assured me that the truck would soon be live on the auction, and I lit up another cigar and took another stroll at EA to see what was new. But no, the several horses on auction were not at that EA lot.
Do horses have passports?
(shudder!)
The gold plating was actually quite nicely done on this Bentley.
The young man assured me that the truck would soon be live on the auction, and I lit up another cigar and took another stroll at EA to see what was new. But no, the several horses on auction were not at that EA lot.
Do horses have passports?
(shudder!)
The gold plating was actually quite nicely done on this Bentley.
- Thread starter
- #277
And this thing...
Anyone want a 'new' 100 series?
This forklift operator was actually pretty good. He was on the frame rails.
Anyone want a 'new' 100 series?
This forklift operator was actually pretty good. He was on the frame rails.
- Thread starter
- #278
I am happy, thrilled, and pleased to confirm that the silver truck actually is live on the EA auction.
We shall see what we shall see.
We shall see what we shall see.
Thanks for posting the pics, cool to see what all is out there!! Trying to figure out what they had going on....and the more I look the more I wonder!! There is a whole bunch goin on there!! The steering.... then the two track bars, then the leaf spring perches, then the Jeep coil mounts.... The steering stabilizer mounted to one of the track bars..... the more I look!!!! lol Any idea what it sold for?
- Thread starter
- #280
Here are the rest of the photos I took:
This next photo is of the underside of the hood. Someone spent some time and effort to do this nicely.
It is a big turbocharger on the thing and big intercooler. The construction quality was good, but the overall impression was just ... I'm kind of speechless.
I don't know if it has gone up for auction yet, but I did just send their customer service an email asking what they will be calling it, and if it will go up on auction. It may already have gone. No idea.
The other thing I will mention is that in person the tube frame with all of its swoops did not look beefy enough for what it is. Maybe I'm wrong but I would not want to depend on it as a roll cage. The whole vehicle is massive.