Why 70s

[FJBen]

@FJBen I tried to be as comprehensive as possible in the build thread. It’s more than 48 parts.

@Omrib message me if you have any questions. I LOVE the soft top.

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Love that cruiser! I keep that thread on favorite to modify my aftermarket softtop.


@Omrib I have a 1/2 oem aftermarket soft top. It’s a good option if you don’t want to spend as much and find the whole oem setup. It’s not as cool as the OEM, but it’s a decent substitution.


I’m not sure the full oem price but I’m guessing it’s 2-3 times the price of the aftermarket just seeing some of the prices.

 

[Omrib]

Love that cruiser! I keep that thread on favorite to modify my aftermarket softtop.


@Omrib I have a 1/2 oem aftermarket soft top. It’s a good option if you don’t want to spend as much and find the whole oem setup. It’s not as cool as the OEM, but it’s a decent substitution.


I’m not sure the full oem price but I’m guessing it’s 2-3 times the price of the aftermarket just seeing some of the prices.

Yes, I would presume at least 2400 $ before shipment and taxes and excluding the model specific rear half door setup (which probably cost more than the whole package).
Also, reading through the amount of work invested in @bottombracket 's setup.....that is a man on a mission!!!
I am not quite sure I am ready for that quite yet.
Maybe I will collect parts until my pension and start then.
Cheers

 

[bottombracket]

@Omrib plan on triple that for the whole setup. At least.

 

[Omrib]

@Omrib plan on triple that for the whole setup. At least.

Seems probable.......I might as well keep this as a dream for the future. Sorry I got you all excited....

 

[FJBen]

Seems probable.......I might as well keep this as a dream for the future. Sorry I got you all excited....

Yeah that’s why I did the partial oem one. It’s a pricey endeavor for full OEM.

 

[bottombracket]

It only hurts once.

Plus, this might be the only Cruiser related thing I’ve done that my wife actually LIKES.

 

[joekatana]

@Omrib plan on triple that for the whole setup. At least.

Maybe we should commission a mutual friend to go on a parts hunt next time he is on vacation in his native country

So it's all the little stuff then that drives that price up as the canvas itself is very reasonable right ?

 

[Omrib]

Maybe we should commission a mutual friend to go on a parts hunt next time he is on vacation in his native country

So it's all the little stuff then that drives that price up as the canvas itself is very reasonable right ?

Hi Joe
Well, yes....not quite the actual size (the little stuff )... but the amount of staff and details.

It sure is much cheaper than anything else I have seen.
For example, at least in this part of the world, where they tax everything, I once saw that a Mitsubishi Pajero (swb soft top) was around 14k$ just for the tarp....

I assume, if you already have a good windshield frame (and gaskets), already bought the foldable wiper arms have good hinges, don't mind about the full height rear doors, willing to drill and weld on existing OEM sheetmetal....you can probably pull this out in around 2300 $ net, but would still need to ship it and invest a ton of work.
After reading @bottombracket 's thread (twice), I think this is totally out of my budget for the next 2 or 3 years.
I would probably invest a couple of thousands refurbishing the air conditioning, servicing the front and rear axles, also need to replace ARB o-rings front and back....and just drive it for a while, see what else breaks.
However I would like to see the list through so that all of @bottombracket 's work can be summarized into one excell sheet so that anyone can allocate the needed parts more easily.
It is also about 40C around here this time of the year and I would rather invest my time in an air-conditioned environment...
I will update and ask for help in refinement when ready.
Cheers
Omri

 

[joekatana]

Hi Joe
Well, yes....not quite the actual size (the little stuff)... but the amount of staff and details.

It sure is much cheaper than anything else I have seen.
For example, at least in this part of the world, where they tax everything, I once saw that a Mitsubishi Pajero (swb soft top) was around 14k$ just for the tarp....

I assume, if you already have a good windshield frame (and gaskets), already bought the foldable wiper arms have good hinges, don't mind about the full height rear doors, willing to drill and weld on existing OEM sheetmetal....you can probably pull this out in around 2300 $ net, but would still need to ship it and invest a ton of work.
After reading @bottombracket 's thread (twice), I think this is totally out of my budget for the next 2 or 3 years.
I would probably invest a couple of thousands refurbishing the air conditioning, servicing the front and rear axles, also need to replace ARB o-rings front and back....and just drive it for a while, see what else breaks.
However I would like to see the list through so that all of @bottombracket 's work can be summarized into one excell sheet so that anyone can allocate the needed parts more easily.
It is also about 40C around here this time of the year and I would rather invest my time in an air-conditioned environment...
I will update and ask for help in refinement when ready.
Cheers
Omri

I do have some doors with removable tops and foldable windshield wipers , metal fab or modding is no problem .........I do feel you on the 40 degree weather since it's hotter then hell here in Tx now.

I am running a bikini top for many years now on my 73's but am considering putting a oem soft top on my next build.

 

[Felde]

Owning a BJ73 FRP top, I have also looked into options for a soft top or something more breezy.
I admire the work @bottombracket did on his OEM softtop, but, man, that's a lot of money.
I'm only aware of one vendor in Dubai who provides a vinyl top kit. A guy in Portugal makes tops in a family business.
He offers FRP tops with the windows been replaced by foldables and also some openings in the roof. Nice, if it wasn't for the shipping cost and the space to store the bulky additional FRP top..
Cheers Ralf

 

[Omrib]

Owning a BJ73 FRP top, I have also looked into options for a soft top or something more breezy.
I admire the work @bottombracket did on his OEM softtop, but, man, that's a lot of money.
I'm only aware of one vendor in Dubai who provides a vinyl top kit. A guy in Portugal makes tops in a family business.
He offers FRP tops with the windows been replaced by foldables and also some openings in the roof. Nice, if it wasn't for the shipping cost and the space to store the bulky additional FRP top..
Cheers Ralf

I have seen that FRP modifications here on Mud, it looks really sweet.
For once, as you noted, you don't need to store the FRP when you don't use it.
Another plus is that you can still have a roofrack on permanently, especially if you still got kids going out with you, and the vehicle is used only for recreational purposes.
You also would probably always need a roof over your head, at least in my country it is not fun driving around exposed to the sun.

Probably only thing I am missing from the FRP as well as from the OEM soft top, is the option to drive with roof only, no sides and windscreen folded.

This was something I always admired in local CJ8's (and 5's)

I am still thinking about it
Thinking does not require a budget

 

[Felde]

Thinking does not require a budget

... then it's called dreaming
That's what I do, still.

 

[FJBen]

I’ve got the top from Dubai. It’s a great “affordable” option. The main pieces are OEM like the rear hoop, pieces above the door, and crossbars over the whole top.

The rest can definitely be improved but overall it’s a good fit in the market.

 

[SNLC]

All those espousing the love of 80 series please tell me where you can buy trim pieces new like sun visors etc. Oh that's right they are DISCONTINUED for a 25 year old vehicle.

While the 74 (73) is discontinued and the roll bar interior trim pieces are obsolete every other piece should be able to be found. Hell even the soft top was upgraded to 60160 and can readily be found.

Fact is, 7x series still made today.

You can still get a lot of interior parts for an 80, depending on color. But yes they are going NLA as the 80 ages.

Cheers

 

[Remanon]

What about one of these? KZJ73 for 13.5k?



View attachment 3059782

last week i was about to buy KZJ70 from this Ukrainian seller in Slovakia. While checking VIN through carvertical i found that it has originally 328 991 km but just a month after there was 276 491 km.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

A couple days ago I found this 15 minute video discussing the importation of a 70 series into N. America from Dan Grec, a Canadian with some Australian roots, apparently.

"Join me as I sit down to discuss the logistics, legalities, price and what is required to import a legendary 70 series Land Cruiser into North America. With legendary payload, unbeatable global parts support and monster 4.5L V8 turbo diesels, what's not to love about this iconic vehicle? "

Spoiler: The question becomes more of a Why not? He decides it's not for him.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

The video is from Dec, 2022.