moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815 
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Apr 11, 2019 15:43:19 GMT
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I posted some piccies of this alternative project, on my Morris Oxford Traveller RebuildIt seemed well received and a build thread was requested. It isn’t the standard fodder for RetroRides, but I think it will fit in fine. Why ?
I drove very very briefly a similar Land Cruiser whilst stationed abroad in Nigeria. Fell in love with them immediately, that was about 25 years ago Why this one ?
I’ve been watching the Classic Cruiser market almost spiral out of reach. 6-figure vehicles are not uncommon in the States, and over here there is a lot of rust and filler. I setup an eBay search for a cheap Cruiser, and expected to bag a much later model as a compromise. But this one came up, and a bid of £2100 got me onto the first step of ownership. I’m trying to build my perfect fleet and when finished this one will fit in just fine.  What is that ?
It is a 1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40. Originally from Spain so LHD BJ means 3-litre diesel with no turbo 40 is the shortest of the body variants Being 1979 is a slightly later revision with the fuel tank under the car, and not under the drivers seat. Why does it look that bad ?
It has passed through several hands in this country, including some time in Scotland. Nobody seems to have done much to it. Looks to have been last on the road in 2002 according to the tax-discs I have. All steel bodywork in contrast to the equivalent Land Rover, apart from the roof skin which is GRP. Ridden hard and put away wet – as a good friend of mine says. I’ve learned some lessons from my Morris build, and that is to expect the worst. Filler and shiny paint covers many sins, and gets you nowhere. This one wears its rust proudly on the surface. What did you get for your money ?
Tetanus - no seriously..... It is UK registered, so that was good. The engine ran from a 2L drinks bottle in the engine bay – again good. Factory PTO winch – again good. If necessary I could sell those and recoup my expenditure. It rolls No clutch No brakes A surprisingly big amount of spares The guy selling it, for extra cash also sold me a solid bonnet, and a better pair of doors. The doors are still rough though. What is the plan ?
Bolt as much stuff on as possible, to see what I’ve got. Get it running and driving so I can move it easily Replace the wings/bonnet/doors to get rid of huge quantities of rust Clean and pressure wash the underside, so I can see if the chassis is good – it does seem to be. Get a giant to-do list. Start gathering parts Start saving money Put it in storage until I’ve finished the Morris, and have some parts/money so I can start the rebuild. More pictures, and progress later…… |
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Last Edit: Apr 11, 2019 15:52:31 GMT by moglite
1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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jamesd1972
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,921
Club RR Member Number: 40
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Apr 11, 2019 16:08:26 GMT
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Nice ! As you say at least the rust is obvious and time and effort will be recouped in increase in value.Additionally it will be tax and MOT free next year as well.
What's the parts availability like ? OK but pricey / good in the USA ?
James
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Apr 11, 2019 17:35:46 GMT
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Nice ! As you say at least the rust is obvious and time and effort will be recouped in increase in value.Additionally it will be tax and MOT free next year as well. What's the parts availability like ? OK but pricey / good in the USA ? James Parts availability so far has been pretty good. I've bought Genuine Toyota parts from the Netherlands, France and Portugal already. UAE looks promising too. Availability is good, but parts are pretty expensive. In theory my Toyota stealer can get parts too, but it is cheaper to pay postage. There is a massive fake/clone/aftermarket industry in places like Costa Rica/Indonesia, so a holiday with a big empty suitcase could be the way to go  |
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1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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Apr 11, 2019 19:37:57 GMT
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we are back in lanzarote and there are quite a few tidy examples out here.I'm only on my phone so cant post links to older threads but check out the "spotted on holiday" thread for some older pics for inspiration. if i see any again this time around i will try and get some more piccies to bang up.
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating
'80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip
'97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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Apr 11, 2019 22:15:46 GMT
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fist pump ! and bookmarked
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These are awesome trucks mate and a decent investment indeed. Lots and lots of parts available here in Australia.
Cheers
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Awesome. I love these trucks. Will you leave it looking rusty?
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Awesome. I love these trucks. Will you leave it looking rusty? I did think about that when I was looking at the eBay piccies, but it is too far gone. There are too many holes, including around the seat belt mounts, so it'll get done properly. |
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1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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Good luck with the build, my friend has quite a few 40s and 45s, they all love to rust. Theres a company in the Republic of Ireland that manufacture handmade quarters, tubs, floors etc for these if you're in need.
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Apr 12, 2019 12:13:42 GMT
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Thanks for taking the time to put a thread up - I actually know nothing about them - they handle better than the equivalent-aged Land Rover?
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Apr 12, 2019 12:34:13 GMT
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Good luck with the build, my friend has quite a few 40s and 45s, they all love to rust. Theres a company in the Republic of Ireland that manufacture handmade quarters, tubs, floors etc for these if you're in need. I've spoken to that firm in the Republic of Ireland - yes they seem to be well versed in LandCruiser I may well ship my tub over to them for refurbishment. Whereabouts is your friend in the country - I'd love to look over some other 40's to get my eye in. But what the rest of you want is......yep pictures of rust. Frilly door - I don't think even the repair panels that are available are big enough for this  Other side is no better, and the glass is broken, so I will be swapping that out for a spare  The back doesn't fair much better. But even in this state, the doors still close better than any Land Rover ever did  I hope I'm not being too cocky - but the rear crossmember seems intact !! That number plate holder isn't original, but works remarkably well  The drivers floor.... well actually most of the structural integrity is in the original Toyota rubber mat over the top of it. The pipes are for a vacuum tank.  This winch is quite highly prized in the Toyota world I believe. There is a PTO on the gearbox with powered in/out. There is a flange which drives the shafts to the front winch, but there is a also a flange to the rear, but I don't believe I can make use of that. The setup needs a new shear pin - about 5p - and a new actuator cable for the PTO lever - about £200.05  Other than that I think it will work. I'm no expert but the cable/chain assembly looks original !! I might have to look at preserving/restoring that. This picture cannot by itself convey how rusty that bonnet is, or the wings, or even the remaining headlamp.  But we have a plan...... |
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Last Edit: Apr 12, 2019 12:36:07 GMT by moglite
1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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Apr 12, 2019 12:51:41 GMT
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Good luck with the build, my friend has quite a few 40s and 45s, they all love to rust. Theres a company in the Republic of Ireland that manufacture handmade quarters, tubs, floors etc for these if you're in need. I've spoken to that firm in the Republic of Ireland - yes they seem to be well versed in LandCruiser I may well ship my tub over to them for refurbishment. Whereabouts is your friend in the country - I'd love to look over some other 40's to get my eye in. .... He's in the north west of Ireland, Co. Roscommon. Major Toyota 4x4 hoarder |
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Frankenhealey
Club Retro Rides Member
And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death
Posts: 3,887
Club RR Member Number: 15
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Apr 12, 2019 12:52:29 GMT
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In rust we trust as all else is filler. Good luck with the build and bookmarked.
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Tales of the Volcano Lair hereFrankenBug - Vulcan Power hereThe Frankenhealey here |
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Apr 12, 2019 13:23:14 GMT
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He's in the north west of Ireland, Co. Roscommon. Major Toyota 4x4 hoarder Shame - that is a bit out of a trek from Hampshire |
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1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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Apr 12, 2019 17:32:53 GMT
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In my experiece, a maintained/ decent condition Landcruiser will be more reliable than anything made in England. Superb vehicles. John.
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Apr 12, 2019 18:06:26 GMT
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Yes it got its rust issues but that all looks repairable in my book and its easy for me to say it but I have sorted far worse than this before today - its already looking miles better with the bolt on bits that you have sourced - I would highly recommend getting the tub / shell dipped though when you commence the restoration - it makes life so much easier than digging out rust / filler / fibreglass etc with a angle grinder
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Yes it got its rust issues but that all looks repairable in my book and its easy for me to say it but I have sorted far worse than this before today - its already looking miles better with the bolt on bits that you have sourced - I would highly recommend getting the tub / shell dipped though when you commence the restoration - it makes life so much easier than digging out rust / filler / fibreglass etc with a angle grinder Indeed - anything on the body that I plan to re-use will get dipped - but there won't be much. I don't want this one to be a weld-a-thon. Parts are available, and the tub is gone in a lot of places and I will be on the lookout for a better one, or get the guys in Ireland to do their magic on it. Have some more piccies of what I got on day 1 I didn't know there was a big box of stuff coming - a very pleasant surprise. Some of it, like the grille will be very usable, but some is unidentifiable and junk. The eagle-eyed will see lots of bits of windscreen wipers.....  Stupid previous owner bodges seem remarkably rare, but they did have a good go at the wipers. If I need new/repaired parts it could get expensive, as this vehicle is 24V !! Rust repairs in the windscreen surround were obviously a work in progress, as they never drilled the holes for the spindles.  From the inside, the vent panels are in the spares pile luckily, but it shows there is still a lot of rust in the windscreen surround, that will be going in the bin alas.  Another interior picture ? Why not....  Smells pretty bad in there  But original front seats with the metal backs, I believe are quite rare (sure they need fresh vinyl but that isn't difficult) Rear benches are complete and original too, they are the longer 2-seater ones, which makes fitting a roll-bar difficult - which is a shame. Not sure what the plan for the interior is yet, but I want the option of running without the hardtop, and that has the top seat-belt mounts built in, so something needs to change, either a factory style roll bar, or some kind of bolt in harness bar. Enough for now. |
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Last Edit: Apr 13, 2019 6:44:10 GMT by moglite
1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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moglite
Part of things
Posts: 815
Club RR Member Number: 144
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Apr 14, 2019 19:42:44 GMT
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Nice find with that tub kevstarlet - I wouldn't have looked to Ireland for a rust free tub. I don't have storage space for a tub at the moment, and that one is RHD which would be tricky alas. The GRP stuff is interesting too, I think I'm going to go steel wherever possible, but it is good to know such things exist. More pictures - always good...engine time. Its a B engine, so a 80HP 3L diesel. The drinks bottle was the fuel tank  I've since found the battery clamps But I've also found the top of the air filter has rusted through !!  It is a little tricky to start, as the glow plugs don't work, some white smoke and quite smelly when running, but anybodies guess how old the diesel in the tank is, but I suspect an injector overhaul may well be on the cards. The original bonnet has hit the scrap heap, as has the drivers door. Time to get it up in the air, and get the wheels off, and get out the pressure washer.  Thankfully it doesn't seem to have been used in the mud, and the chassis appears in good shape, with just a couple of minor areas of corrosion noted. The chassis will get blasted and powder-coated when the time is right. One of the minor jobs was to replace this glass  A Dutch company had a good replacement, and as I often work in Amsterdam, it was easy to get it shipped to the office (along with a few other goodies), and then hand carry it home. Things like broken/missing windows isn't good for project morale IMHO. More soon |
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1967 Morris Oxford Traveller
1979 Toyota LandCruiser BJ40
1993 Daimler Double Six
2007 Volvo XC70 2.4D
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Other than that I think it will work. 
