Builds The Latest Edition - My 1993 KZJ78 Land Cruiser Prado (1 Viewer)

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Joined
May 13, 2018
Threads
26
Messages
250
Location
New Zealand
Hi all,

Figured I would share my latest acquisition: a classic/original 1993 KZJ78 Prado. It's in very sound condition overall, and the seller had owned it for the past 13 years (with receipts throughout their ownership). Plan for this is a simple yet a effective touring build. It already has a 2" lift, snorkel and worn 33's. I'll keep the lift components for now, but will look to get some new rubber, as well as add a few basics: roof platform, LED light conversion, etc.

Maaaan, I must say these coils are lovely after riding round on leaf-springs for the past year or so.

Here's a few pictures to quench the Cruiser thirst:

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A Little Stretch of the Legs:

Headed out on a recent afternoon to a local river just to test the new rig out with some light offroading up the river bed. I was very impressed. A lot more flex than my VDJ (1VD V8 Diesel Cruiser) with leaf springs. These coils really are amazing!

A few pics, because we know we all love those!

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New Kicks!

I personally don't enjoy the aesthetics of the factory four-spoke alloys, so I had been hunting for something different. Trying to keep the "classic" spec of the Prado, I wanted to avoid black steel wheels if I could, however finding suitable alloys seemed to be an uphill battle. That was until I stumbled on these beauties! Size specs: 33x12.5x15 rubber, on 15x8.5 -33 Offset wheels.

Absolutely loving the chrome, classic JDM look!

Let me know your thoughts.

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So this arrived....it was the last one in stock, so I bit the bullet and purchased it as supply chains are soooo slow at the moment. Unsure if I will fit it or not - it's a lot of weight up top. Let's see.

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Looks like a great find! The little 1KZ is a great powerplant. I might have missed it, but which transmission did you get? Auto or manual? My 1KZ in front of a 5 speed (in my Prado 90) is a great match, and gets around really well, even at altitude.

"Holey" wheels seem period correct, IMHO.

What size footprint did you get in the Motop? Near as I can tell it is the Aus equivalent of my Canadian "Evergreen" model. I got the 50" wide version, and it fits like a glove on my HZJ77 (same roofline as yours, obviously). Been really happy with it in the month I've spend with it so far. Setup time is so fast as to be almost nothing. You're going to love it, methinks!
 
Nice truck you got! The new wheels really suit it too. Am curious of how the tyres sit in relation to the wheel arch flares when looking from the front/back, are they inline with them or still inwards ? I run same size tyres but have 10" -35 wheels and they sit slightly outwards of the flares, but I prefer how the 12.5 tyres look when mounted on 8" wheels (+ less chance of popping beads when offroading) so I wanna go that route now.

Oh and bdw I also have a similar rooftop tent on my LJ79 and I love it!
 
Gorgeous lc
 
Great looking car!
I'm enquiring about importing a KZJ78 into Australia as my new tourer.
Great value for money, comfort and coils all round 👌

How's the fuel economy compared to a VDJ V8 with the tyres? Any niggles/things to look out for before purchasing?

It'd be cool to see some more photos!
 
Anything LJ out of Japan had potential for cracked heads due to the emissions crap. Haven’t heard too much about the KZ, but I would be cautious about them too. The ECM seem to like to leak some of that magic juice (capacitors and what not) the older they are. I would recommend getting the least molested (like not repainted) you can find, but be aware that Japanese vehicles can have a lot of hidden rust too.
 
It’s always a nice day when new bits and pieces arrive in the mail. On this occasion it was the Crashpad Gear Bag in Storm colour, and a Frontrunner ladder. Both look to be excellent bits of kit.

The ladder actually took a bit of finessing, with the supplied bolt threads being barely long enough to attach the locknut. With some force, it managed to grab.

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Today I fitted a Rhino Rack Pioneer Platform. If you go on their website and click “fit my vehicle” they list two sizes. I went the smaller one as I have a sunroof and still wanted to utilise as much of that as I could. Rhino Rack also list the legs as RL150, but opted for a more “low profile“ look and went with the RL110’s and added a 10mm spacer.

Very happy.

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Next in line was fitting the Frontrunner Dropdown Table onto the barn door. These things are brilliant, and they go on all of my builds.

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I had some Onestone armrests left over from a previous Troopy build. These are designed to fit on the VDJ models which have less cushioning at the armrest. With a small amount of redrilling and pushing the mount outwards, it’s now snug.

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Mounted an awning I had lying around in the garage. I will go with a full 270 degree awning soon, but this will do in the meantime.

I also added a sense of character to the wee rig, with some Toyota patches on the headlining.

A “Dougs Tub” has been a great addition to the glovebox and stops things coming out whenever it’s opened.

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First trip away in ‘Charlie’. I headed for the Southern Alps, about an hours drive inland from my home city of Christchurch. Met up with some good buddies and went up the Wilberforce River for a nice day out. Had lunch at a hut then returned back down river.

So happy with how the Prado performed. Having had a number of leaf sprung Cruisers lately, the coils and peppy wee 1KZ made for a fun and comfortable day out.

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