VIN decode help (1 Viewer)

[Cocobills]

In Costa Rica, have 76 BJ40 Chassis/VIN BJ40001881, supposedly a '76 model. How can I decode this VIN to be sure? Thanks guys!

 

[lostmarbles]

In Costa Rica, have 76 BJ40 Chassis/VIN BJ40001881, supposedly a '76 model. How can I decode this VIN to be sure? Thanks guys!

I might be able to check if I know your full model designation?

For example, mine is BJ40RV-KCQ

where

• R stands for RH drive
• V stands for hardtop
• K stands for 4-speed
• C stands for ambulance doors
• Q stands for Australian market

(No guarantees though ... even with that.)

 

[bj40green]

Hi Cocobills,

I'm in Playas del Coco. Mine is a Jan. 1978 BJ40-LV-KC / BJ40-014339
L= Left hand drive
V= Van/Hardtop
K= 4 speed on the floor
C= Swing out (ambulance) doors

Your VIN number seems a bit low to me.
You can find the date on your Marchamo paper or go to the Registro here: http://portal.ins-cr.com/Marchamo/Marchamo/frmConsultaMarchamo.aspx and look it up.

Also have a look here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/diesel-tec...r-engine-serial-number-vin-number-thread.html about B and H series VIN and engine numbers.

Hasta Luego,

Rudi

 

[JohnnyC]

mine is BJ40RV-KCQ


where

• R stands for RH drive
• V stands for hardtop
• K stands for 4-speed
• C stands for ambulance doors
• Q stands for Australian market

(No guarantees though ... even with that.)

You can goto toyodiy and type in the code there

for Tom ... his shows this:

BJ40RV-KCQ 09/1977 - 06/1980 BJ40 ARL VAN RHD B 4F VKC CBU WORB

DESTINATION: ARL: AUSTRALIA
BODY: VAN: VAN
DRIVER'S POSITION: RHD: RIGHT-HAND DRIVE
ENGINE: B: 3000CC DIESEL
GEAR SHIFT TYPE: 4F: MTM, 4-SPEED FLOOR SHIFT
BACK DOOR: VKC: VAN (HARDTOP), WITH SWING OUT BACK DOOR
BUILDING CONDITION: CBU: COMPLETELY BUILT UNIT
ROLL BAR: WORB: WITHOUT ROLL BAR

 

[JohnnyC]

and for Rudi's

BJ40LV-KC 08/1980 - 09/1984 BJ40 GEN VAN LHD B 4F VKC CBU WORB

DESTINATION: GEN: GENERAL COUNTRIES
BODY: VAN: VAN
DRIVER'S POSITION: LHD: LEFT-HAND DRIVE
ENGINE: B: 3000CC DIESEL
GEAR SHIFT TYPE: 4F: MTM, 4-SPEED FLOOR SHIFT
BACK DOOR: VKC: VAN (HARDTOP), WITH SWING OUT BACK DOOR
BUILDING CONDITION: CBU: COMPLETELY BUILT UNIT
ROLL BAR: WORB: WITHOUT ROLL BAR

 

[JohnnyC]

they are not 100% ... but.... close

 

[lostmarbles]

and for Rudi's

BJ40LV-KC 08/1980 - 09/1984 BJ40 GEN VAN LHD B 4F VKC CBU WORB

DESTINATION: GEN: GENERAL COUNTRIES
BODY: VAN: VAN
DRIVER'S POSITION: LHD: LEFT-HAND DRIVE
ENGINE: B: 3000CC DIESEL
GEAR SHIFT TYPE: 4F: MTM, 4-SPEED FLOOR SHIFT
BACK DOOR: VKC: VAN (HARDTOP), WITH SWING OUT BACK DOOR
BUILDING CONDITION: CBU: COMPLETELY BUILT UNIT
ROLL BAR: WORB: WITHOUT ROLL BAR

they are not 100% ... but.... close

I'm always learning new things about this. (ie. Finding your production date from
the Toyota EPC)

I can type in my chassis number (which is BJ40-0038478) on toyodiy and that's all it needs to automatically pinpoint my production date to July 1979.

I bet you could do it too from over there...

But if I try the same trick with Rudi's (and I believe to use the same chassis number format it would have to be BJ40-0014339 with an extra zero) ... toyodiy can't (or won't) do the same thing.

With the EPC version I have on my home computer, I must input both BJ40RV-KCQ (under "Model") and BJ40-0038478 (under "Frame No") then click both Search boxes and it automatically shows July 1979 as my production date too. So I know with 100% certainty that this is my official production date.

Inputting Rudi's BJ40LV-KC together with BJ40-0014339 doesn't work on my home computer either.

I'll try another one now ....

I won't say who owns this one, but it is an Australian BJ40 model that looks just like mine except for earlier identifiers like the rounded bezel so the model must surely be BJ40RV-KCQ (same as mine)...and his chassis number is BJ40-0014813... But inputting his details doesn't automatically generate his production date either (neither on toyodiy nor on my pc).

So has anybody got any idea what's going on?

(Inputting one owners details works whereas inputting another's doesn't... Seems to be a case of Toyota inputting only selected frame number records into their databases.)

 

[bj40green]

and for Rudi's

BJ40LV-KC 08/1980 - 09/1984 BJ40 GEN VAN LHD B 4F VKC CBU WORB

DESTINATION: GEN: GENERAL COUNTRIES
BODY: VAN: VAN
DRIVER'S POSITION: LHD: LEFT-HAND DRIVE
ENGINE: B: 3000CC DIESEL
GEAR SHIFT TYPE: 4F: MTM, 4-SPEED FLOOR SHIFT
BACK DOOR: VKC: VAN (HARDTOP), WITH SWING OUT BACK DOOR
BUILDING CONDITION: CBU: COMPLETELY BUILT UNIT
ROLL BAR: WORB: WITHOUT ROLL BAR

Hmmmmm, Mine is build date Jan. '78 and imported and taxes paid in Feb. '78 and not the later series with the square bezel '79 and later.

Toyota started using (full) VIN numbers for the EPC in the 80's and started with the USA, while other countries didn't have/used VIN numbers for years. That's my thinking.
[EDIT] I spend some time on the EPC and found that the EPC uses VIN numbers (starting with JT1xxFJ4xxxxxxxxx) for Cruisers with engines 2F, 3F, 3B, 13BT, 2H, 12HT, 2LT, 22R starting as early as 1975 but not for all markets. [/EDIT]

But if I try the same trick with Rudi's (and I believe to use the same VIN format it would have to be BJ40-0014338 with an extra zero) ... toyodiy can't (or won't) do the same thing.

Tom, not an extra zero and its 014339 and not 014338. On my side of the ocean it doesn't work to enter the pre official "VIN" number in Toydiy.

For Cocobliss: I have access to the National Registry. If you send me a PM with your email and license plate number I can send you a print out of your truck data.

Rudi

 

[lostmarbles]

Hmmmmm, Mine is build date Jan. '78 and imported and taxes paid in Feb. '78 and not the later series with the square bezel '79 and later.

Toyota started using (full) VIN numbers for the EPC in the 80's and started with the USA, while other countries didn't have/used VIN numbers for years. That's my thinking.

Rudi

Good idea Rudi.

But that wouldn't explain why that 1977 Australian BJ40 frame number that I tried doesn't trigger a production date (whereas mine does).

(BTW - As far as the EPC is concerned, mine is Australian too because that is where it was sold new and that is where I bought it..)

And out of interest, do you have any idea what a USA-type VIN code would appear like for my cruiser (if it had been sold new in the USA ... which of course I understand no BJ40 models really were).



PS. An idea I have had is that perhaps the EPC has a memory... In other words, perhaps only vehicles who have had all their details officially and correctly inputted by a Toyota Dealer sometime/somewhere in their early life (perhaps because of a warranty-claim or something like that) have this amount of information pre-stored by Toyota with the aim of helping any other dealer who wants to order parts for this vehicle in the future (or perhaps with an internal aim ... such as determining which production run suffered an assembly error).

 

[bj40green]

Hi Tom,

A VIN number is 17 digits.
In the EPC the VIN starts with the first 9 digits.
For a FJ40 it looks like this: JT1P0FJ40, where JT is: Japan, 1P0 is ??? and the model number in this case FJ40. The next 8 digits are the serial number and other codes. Google for more explanation on this. Click here: -► https://www.google.com/search?q=VIN...7&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8

My research shows that all those VIN numbers start with JT1, the next 2 digits differ per model, then the model number, and so on.

My EPC is set to "General Market"
In the EPC type: Land (enter)
Select a model lets say: BJ40 (791210).
The VIN column is empty untill you scroll down.
You'll see that from FJ40 with a 2F engine the first 9 VIN digits appear.

I think that it is useless to put every VIN# from every sold car in a repair database.
For repairs you only need the basic info to determine what you're dealing with.
For owner or theft registration you'll need the full 17 digit VIN# because that's car and owner specific.

Rudi

 

[Jimmlovebj40]

Can any one help me understand what this means would like to know what is the year and original color. I am new to this and just bought a used bj40. Thanks for the help

I might be able to check if I know your full model designation?

For example, mine is BJ40RV-KCQ

where

• R stands for RH drive
• V stands for hardtop
• K stands for 4-speed
• C stands for ambulance doors
• Q stands for Australian market

(No guarantees though ... even with that.)

 

[lostmarbles]

If I'm reading that frame number correctly as 050015 then it has build date of February 1981

Sorry but I can't help with the colour code..

 

[Jimmlovebj40]

Thanks for your reply. I added additional images found in the hood.

Where do I go to find out about changoing gear ratios for the decent speed is slower

 

[lostmarbles]

The 2977cc engine in a BJ40 doesn't really have enough power to warrant going for a higher final gear ratio in my opinion..

If you really want a higher cruising speed with less noise, then fitting both a larger engine and a 5-speed gearbox would be the way to go I reckon...

 

[Jimmlovebj40]

Thanks again for your reply Tom. I am not concerned about top speed for now. My concerns is more for going down hill while off roading.

J

 

[lostmarbles]

Oh...

What box is in the BJ40 now? Is it an H41?

If so...only if you're into serious rockcrawling would you need a lower ratio than "1st gear low ratio" in my opinion...

There are alternative gearboxes that serious rockcrawlers use ... but that's beyond my area of expertise anyway

 

[Jimmlovebj40]

Again thanks for advise will look into what gear box I have.

 

[Gredon3]

my 1977 FJ40 that im about to start a re-rego on, been unregistered for 20 years has L/C V.T. on Australian Plate, L/C is land cruiser but cant find what the V.T. is, maybe van top?, but I cant find the manufactures plate, also a sticker on underside of bonet says "Exhaust emission control system EM+EGR, but it has no air pump, injector rail, EGR valve, VGV, VSV, ABV or surge tank, am i screwed???