Land Rover & Toyota Question

[01001010]

My fight for a local D110 Crew Cab Tomb Radier isnt going very well. So I'm still in the marker for a new-to-me vehicle. There is a gentleman that lives near my sisters house with nothing but older 40-series Land Cruisers. I've had the opportunity to stop and have a chat with him and he's actually an ex-Landy owner. I asked him about the change and he quickly said "They dont leak!" ...haha..."understandable", I said.

He imports, sells and collects some for himself. I love the fact that all of the ones he has are Diesels and are in prestine condition! None are below $5k.

I may go ahead and ask him to let me test drive one.

So with that in mind, what is the Land Rover equivalent of a FJ/BJ 40?

[rmuller]

A Series. Pick your model I, II, IIa, III ... pick your length 88 or 109... pick which side your steering wheel is on, and go from there!

* Yes, I know I skipped SI 80/86.. FC101s... Lightweights.. Cuthbertsons.. Pink Panthers.. etc..

[rmuller]

You can also get a diesel Series without much issue.

[01001010]

Nice! I've bounced back and forth between different ideas and like always cant make up my mind...

• Diesel conversion on my truck
• a COMPLETE restoration on my truck (you dont see too many fully restored D1s)
• D90
• a series (haven't REALLY considered it until recently)
• one of these FJ/BJ trucks

Decisions decisions!!!

[rmuller]

Start with how much money you want to spend and how much work you want to do and what the intended purpose of the vehicle is.. that'll determine what your course of action is.

I would personally stay with a Rover... you already know the community and have connections through it... I picked up a Jeep Wrangler last year and looked into the community and had no real interest in it.

I also think the complete restoration of the D1 will be a waste of money, there will be no increase in value of it and nothing 'special' about it.

[01001010]

I really want to be able to tackle difficult trails, drive across the country, and possibly OUT of the country, so a Diesel would be MORE than nice!

[rmuller]

for long travels, you'd probably want a LWB.. something like a Series 109" ... also remember these trucks don't go very fast.. there are overdrive systems available though.. but i think you'll be peaking around 60-65mph. Diesel will be nice on the trails and for gas, but I think you'll find these old diesels not great for highway driving.

[KevinNY]

Problem is FJs rust like there is no tomorrow.

[01001010]

Originally Posted by KevinNY

Problem is FJs rust like there is no tomorrow.

You are absolutely right! This guy, Mike is his name, brings his trucks in straight from Japan and from South Africa...all the 2drs he has are good...but the wagons!!..OH MAN...he only has 2 of those, obviously the ones that STILL havent been sold.

[Muddy Oval]

[*]Diesel conversion on my truck

Horrible idea. Far less power, might prove troublesome w/emissions laws both state and Federal. Will cost 4x the value of the truck if done properly.
[*]a COMPLETE restoration on my truck (you dont see too many fully restored D1s)

It's your money- it won't be worth anything although you'd spend a fortune on it.
[*]D90

Good investment if you buy cheap- they are out there, you just have to jump on 'em when they pop up. Not fun on long distance trips and lack storage space for long trips.
[*]a series (haven't REALLY considered it until recently)

Incredible bang for the buck. They are undervalued now and they will eventually gain value significantly. The 4cyl engines have enough power to go anywhere, but don't fit well with the American "gotta have horsepower" kind of mindset. The diesels w/overdrive will cruise at 65 and get mid 20's for fuel economy. You could do a stage one w/V8 or make one- maybe a 300tdi if you're building one up. Don't bother with 200's- they are dinosaurs and production of replacement parts are on the shelves for a couple more years but the production of them stopped already... once they're gone, forget it.
[*]one of these FJ/BJ trucks

They rust quickly- they are really cool and have decent enough support to keep one running for a long time to come. Just as unique as a Series and likely about the same in reliability. People joke about Land Rover reliability but there are lots of them crossing continents and doing daily driver duty going on 30-40 years.

[toyota_jon]

the fj-40's are really cool machines, and i really like them. a diesel on obviously is going to be pretty rare so comming by parts for it could be a bit of a challenge. although we are talking toyota reliability, which speaks volumes for itself and combined with the overall reliability of disels. if you go that route, por-15 or some similar rust inhibitor over the fenders and frame. it'll take some time and money but well worth it in the end. these machines are also extreamly capable off road stock. if you plan on doing long distance drives you may wanna consider something else they are like a jeep and really lack cargo room. so you really have to be a minimalist. also getting used to leaf springs after your D1 you'll really be missing those coils. also toyotas are incredible in the ability to interchange parts between years and models to suit what you wan to do. for example i upgraded my front brakes. the master cyllendar is from a 90's land cruiser, the rotors are from an 80's LC and the calipers are from a later model 4runner. bottom line IMO... fun play toy for 4x4ing but i wouldn't own one for long distance wheeling or as my primary car. just my .02

[TerryS]

JC,
Gotta agree with everyone else: Don't throw anymore than necessary at your Disco.
Old FJs are cool, but tough to keep up with the rust, unless you start out with a rust free one. They are climbing in value all the time and you'd never be stuck with it if you decided you didn't like it enough to keep. There seem to be alot of them in FL.
Another truck worth considering is an 80s vintage 3 door G wagon. They can be had for about the same money as an FJ, are easy to work on, but like old FJs, and series trucks, rust is a major issue. Many will have lots of rusty body panels, but unlike series and Defenders, they usually will have pretty sound chassis. There's loads of variety in them. They came in 4cyl gas (230G) 4cyl diesel (240G, very rare in US) 6 cyl gas (280G) and 5 cyl NA diesel (300G)
There are later diesels like the 350G, but then you're into more money.

[OkieRover]

There was an FJ 40 in our neighborhood. Well it was actually in the shop more than it was in our neighborhood. They took it to the same guy I got my first Rover from. He said that the FJ was so much trouble because "they" didn't drive it like it was designed to be driven.
Now what that was I'm not sure. I'm thinking they drove it on the highway or in the city too much. I know they never offroaded it.
In any event they spent a ton keeping it on the road.

They sold the FJ and got a Disco 2. Then they sold it and got a Tahoe or whatever. About a year or two later they had another Disco 2.

No I'm not a stalker. They just live near the main drag in my neighborhood. And I notice "things".

[01001010]

Wow, thanks for the input guys! A G eh? I gotta look into that...all the Gs down are are riding on 24"s and slammed to the ground. I do know that a block away from the gentleman with all the FJs, lives another man who owns a mog...a PANz-jfhdjkfh (however you spell it)...and I havent seen that thing move from the driveway.

As for D1 restoration, I really do feel bad sometimes when I put my truck through hell. One day, maybe not so soon, but ONE day I would like to restore my truck to its former glory. I always have loved the lines of a stock D1. Can you resist?...



I wheeled my truck A LOT in stock form, and I was impressed from the very first outting! It'd be nice to hear...did you see what that guy did in his stock D1???.

But as you all have suggested, that will be a much later project. And since I already know I can't get rid of it (tried selling it and came to my senses), it'll be around in a few years for me to do.

So early LWB Series....I'll have to be honest and say I havent read up on them as much as I should have, so off to do some research! I'll be back with further thoughts.

[rmuller]

I'd look at either a IIa or III 109"