Need help identifying/finding parts for a 1994 70-series land cruiser

[Edward Moyse]

Hi all,

I have a land cruiser which I need to find parts for - according to my registration documents it's a RJ 73 LV-MNEW FRP-Top, but this doesn't seem to match up to anything when I look on toyota.com (or elsewhere). It's 2-door, 2 seat model, with a 22RE engine from 1994.

It failed the bi-annual inspection here in Switzerland because of problems with the shocks, but more importantly, rust on the windscreen frame. I spoke to a local garage who said they can cut out the damaged piece and re-weld it, but it'd be better and cheaper to find a replacement window frame (I have one of the ones which drops down, so this is easily changed, if only I knew what to search for!)

Since I've just had a partial engine rebuild done to pass the anti-pollution check, I'd really, really like to save this fantastic car, and would appreciate any help.

Thanks!

Ed

 

[Ben]

Hi Ed,

Welcome to the club.

Your LandCruiser is quite a rare one. I've not seen any in Europe before, but I have seen some down here in Australia.

However there are a few surrounds available in Europe.

http://www.euro4x4parts.com/toyota_...rj73_2_4_petrol_1985_1996/l/windshield_frame/

http://quickparter.com/oem-parts/5630190K20.html

One in Russia:

http://www.partsbase.org/toyota/lan...l-1984-1990-eu-3-cowl-panel-windshield-glass/

How rusty is yours?

You may be surprised by just what a decent welder could do regarding cutting the rot out and welding new metal in.

 

[Edward Moyse]

Hi Ben,

Thanks a lot! That first link is ~1000 euros, which is a lot more than I was hoping to spend, and I think the second one actually redirects to Japan, so I probably couldn't get it here in time. But at least now I know what to look for.

To my mind the rust isn't so bad - if it wasn't for the fact that it'll be checked VERY carefully by the swiss inspectors now I'd be tempted to cut it out and re-weld myself. But given that it has to be perfect, I asked at a local garage who recommended I first looked for parts.

Glad to know I've got a rare one ;-) It seems like it did some service for the Swiss mountain fire service, so I think it's even been modified a bit.

It's a great car though - I hope I can save it.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

Ed

 

[Ben]

Your welcome.

Would love to see a pic of it.

 

[Edward Moyse]

Your welcome.

Would love to see a pic of it.

Here you go! You can see the rust on the first, a not-so-great picture of it in the middle (I'd love bigger tyres but the snow/muds are quite practical here) and the engine getting taken apart.

 

[Ben]

Love it!

I'm actually getting very tempted by a 73/74 with the FRP roof. I was thinking of removing the roof and having a soft top custom made for it so I could drive it around with the roof off most of the time, but could quickly put the soft top on if needed.

Am I right in thinking that the glass in the rear doors is fixed, so with the roof removed the glass is left sticking up from the rear doors?

I think that may look odd, so I would probably cut that off if I converted one to a soft top.

Have you removed the roof before?

My boss was telling me that the roof on these is made of 25mm thick solid plastic.

I'd always presumed they were thin fibreglass.

 

[Paddler Ed]

Yep, the back doors are basically the same as yours Ben, but you can get the half doors to go with the removable roof; probably easiest found on a xJ70 with the soft top; they also then have detachable door tops at the front (easiest seen by the black frames). I was planning on getting a set of doors from a Troopy or a 70 if I'd kept my FJ73.

The roofs are pretty solid, based on our one we had before.

Does your 73 have coil springs all round Edward? Our FJ73 had leafs, but that was because it was a 3F engine and therefore what I'd think of as a "heavy" Land Cruiser, rather than the "light" that a 22R, 2L or 1KZ engine one is.

This was our one:

1986, FJ73 poverty pack, vinyl seats and no electrics beyond ignition, lights and radio!

 

[Ben]

I didn't think soft top 70's were ever sold in OZ.

This one is nice:

http://clarkies.jp/stock/000285.html

 

[Paddler Ed]

I didn't think soft top 70's were ever sold in OZ.

This one is nice:

http://clarkies.jp/stock/000285.html

That's an interesting one Ben; as it's a 2H (or similar) it's got leafs rather than coils, and the "heavy" front end like my 73 did.

I think like a lot of things, such as Delicia's, were never sold in Australia, but rather were brought in by the grey importers from Japan. There was an RJ70 soft top on Carsales at one point (when I first came over) but isn't there now...

 

[Edward Moyse]

The roofs are pretty solid, based on our one we had before.

Does your 73 have coil springs all round Edward? Our FJ73 had leafs, but that was because it was a 3F engine and therefore what I'd think of as a "heavy" Land Cruiser, rather than the "light" that a 22R, 2L or 1KZ engine one is.

Yep, mine is springs all round (and to answer another question, I'm 99% sure the roof is fibre glass, but the car isn't nearby right now to check).

I've not taken the roof off yet, but I'll probably have to to get it into the garage of the house I'm building (definitely the roof rack anyway).

Off to Toyota in Geneva this afternoon to ask how much for a new exhaust gasket costs - I'm betting that the answer will be ridiculous...

 

[Edward Moyse]

In case anyone is interested, I've paid 109 CHF for the two gaskets which connect to the exhaust recirculation (not sure if that's the proper term) and a bunch of bolts, and was quoted 2200 CHF for a new windscreen frame... Ridiculous as expected (I got the gasket because I need it urgently ... the frame will have to be sourced another way...)

 

[Rodger]

Hi Edward,

It maybe worth trying Euro 4x4 for the parts you need. Try calling Nikolai on 0034 972374410. He does the international sales and may be he could help you.
The screen surround looks like the other 73 models and there are a few in Spain and more in France, so if nothing else it may be worth looking at the forums in those countries. although I'm in Spin I'm not on any Spanish forums... ebay.es or ebay.fr??

Hope that helps

Regards,

 

[Edward Moyse]

Thanks a lot Rodger (and everyone else who helped) - in fact I've now managed to find the surround from http://www.balleydier4x4.com (who were very helpful). It was "only" 600 euros too! So assuming I can repair the exhaust manifold, I'll drive there and get it...

Slowly getting there...

 

[Edward Moyse]

Quick update - the new windscreen frame is on, my exhaust manifold is holding up nicely, and even better - the Swiss decided my car is safe on the roads for another two years! The inspection was insane though - they were literally banging the chassis with a hammer to check for rust, and at one point the guy got some pliers out and bent part of the metal around the wheel arch back, saying he shouldn't have been able to do that if there wasn't corrosion!!!!

Anyway it passed, and now I can finally enjoy driving it again (and think about getting some big fat tyres for summer ;-) )

 

[lc27]

Hi ben
if you like the convertible and want to transform your, check out this video and watch it to the end
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zxImBhGPr_c