Here we go!

I've been waiting a long time to start a thread like this, and though I wanted to keep this on the down low, I let the cat out of the bag a little early.  I'm pretty sure people are going to be sick of hearing about this truck very soon, but you'll have to do your best to forgive me... this is the truck I've wanted for a very long time!

The story so far:

I've always wanted a 70 series Land Cruiser, plain and simple.  Realizing how difficult they were to locate, and how expensive they could be, I always figured it would be a while until that kind of dream came to fruition.  With my 80 series built to do what I need it to do, I realized I was driving it much more than my 2006 F-150.  I had purchased the F-150 while I was in the Army, and though it was an amazing truck (SuperCrew, 4x4, Lariat, Pristine, etc.) I really just preferred my Land Cruiser.  After discussing it with the boss lady and mulling over the pros/cons of no longer owning a pickup, I decided to sell it.

With that in mind, and after a few chance meetings with some very cool Cruisers (those BJ70's and Doug Graham's FJ60) I started the hunt for a diesel or V8 converted 60 series, while keeping my eyes open for an imported 70 series.  After several weeks of looking at V8 converted 60 series wagons, I saw the troopie pop up for sale or trade.

As with most classifieds with the word "trade" in there, the seller was bombarded with a range of interested parties with various trades, even after we entered an agreement.

The classified was posted on 10/17/11.  I e-mailed the seller on 10/18/11 and told him I was very interested.  After getting a ton of pictures and questions answered, we made a gentleman's agreement that I would pick the Troopie up as long as it was in the type of shape that was described.  After 2 months of battling scheduling issues and getting everything arranged, I got to fly down to pick her up.

Here are a few exterior pics from the seller:

Here is a quick run down of specs and what has been done so far:

• 1994 Toyota Landcruiser 75 series Troopcarrier
• 1HZ inline 6 cylinder naturally aspirated diesel
• H55F 5 speed manual trans
• Factory Limited Slip rear axle
• Leaf springs all around and they appear to have a 2in lift over stock
• A/C blows ice cold even in the Phoenix summer
• Factory snorkle with Donaldson large pre-cleaner
• National Luna dual battery setup with 2 Odyssey batteries up front and a group 31 Sears/Odyssey battery in the rear.
• Custom fuse box in rear
• Extreme Outback High Output compressor & 2gal tank in rear
• Pioneer cd player with aux input
• 4 new speakers
• 4 custom bucket seats with custom frames/mounts by Safari Pacific, this allows a pass through from the front to the back of the rig. Also gives stadium style seating to the rear folks so they can see out the front & sides easily
• Triple layer soundproof & insulation done to floor/roof/walls
• Custom rear storage/sleep setup for 2. This includes a Storm case.
• Custom rear bumper with swingout for the tire & propane tank
• Custom interior LED setup with Red or White light mode
• 3 Rigid LED light bars, 2x6in & 1x10in, these are wicked bright
• 5 33x10.5x15in BFG AT's that are 6 months old
• National Luna 52L Weekender

Recent documented work:

• New injectors
• Rebuilt to new spec Injection Pump
• New glow plugs
• New timing belt
• Complete front end rebuild
• Longfeld Lifetime Birfelds & Axles
• New fan clutch
• New AC idler pulley
• New belts on AC & Alt with spares included

Few more I took this morning:

I've got a ton of spare parts, extra interior bits, and a laundry list of stuff I want to do.  As it stands right now, this rig is very well set up and ready to go.

The first thing I'll need to remedy will be an oil leak that I was aware of when purchasing the vehicle.  Based on the oil underneath, I think it might be the rear main seal, or something on the transmission.  The levels stay high, but the transmission and bell housing have a coating of oil that pools and eventually leaks on the ground.

In addition to that, I will be installing all new weather stripping (included in sale) and examining the interior panel situation.  I've got all of the OEM panels, as well as a slough of home made ones that the seller included that have cut outs for side storage.  These aren't installed, as he wanted me to be able to do with them as I pleased.

Longer term work will include a reworking of the interior storage and sleep platform, tie rod ends, eventual suspension refreshment (new shocks at least) and a little bit of body work.

Here are a few shots of the Troopie on the drive back, and a shot of the oil leak:

So cool. Congrats on landing your dream rig! Looking forward to watching where you take it...geographically, cosmetically, and functionally

I like that license plate, you going to transfer that over to your WA plates? 

Thanks everyone!

The RHD took about a day of driving to get used to. My first experience with it (aside from the parking lot and some practice) was leaving Phoenix through rush hour traffic... that taught me some valuable lessons, to say the least.

By day 2, it was easy, and by now, it's second nature. It was actually confusing for me to hop back in to my 80 series, as I kept turning the wipers on when I tried to hit my turn signal :)

You should see the look on people's faces when my dog sits in the front seat with me!

Drive-thru's aren't an option unless the lady is riding with me. I did get some funny looks when I went through one of the immigration inspection checkpoints, but I haven't been through a toll booth yet.

The previous owner told me he got out of a red light camera ticket with the RHD... they sent him the ticket and someone had circled the empty "Drivers Seat" with a red marker and put a question mark on it!

Thanks!  Unfortunately this is the only one I've got laying around :)

As far as a semi "project" related update, it seems my oil leak may be a bit more of a problem than I originally thought.  Based on everything I saw, I was pretty sure the worst case scenario was rear main seal, best case was something akin to the oil pan gasket, or maybe even something simpler like a loose bolt or leaking drain plug.  The rear main I would need a shop to do as I don't have the tools to drop the transmission and move it around, but I was mentally prepared for that.

Unfortunately, after doing the best I could to degrease everything and track down this leak, I still don't have a positive answer.  I took the truck to a fellow Cruiserhead that specializes in Toyota Diesel engine swaps and conversions for his opinion.  After pointing out that the interior of my bell housing's inspection cover was dry, he ruled out the rear main seal as the culprit for my oil leak.  He then got in the engine bay, and with a light bar and an inspection mirror determined that the oil seems to be coming from the back of my engine, right above the bell housing.  Based on that info, he's thinking the head gasket might be cracked in that area.

He performed a sniff test in the radiator and determined that there are not any exhaust gases or fumes in my coolant.  My oil looks good, exhaust seems fine, and there are no other indications of HG failure.

Either way, it's looking like I'm going to have to drop the Troopie off at the shop after the New Year for a bit more work than I anticipated.  This is a true "forever" rig, so the last thing I want to do is skimp on maintenance.

I'll be continuing to clean the bell housing over the next few days to see if I can actually see the oil leak.

Not the news I wanted with a vehicle purchase...

Here's a pic of behind the engine.  Firewall on the left, engine on the right:

Well, a few hours and a ruined shirt later, I think I have tracked the leak down to the HG.  I cleaned everything up as best as I could given the angle, fired the Troopie up, and was able to observe (via an old shaving mirror and my surefire) the smallest of leaks coming from what seems to be a crack in the head gasket.

Looks like Tor from Torfab is going to be getting some of my business sometime in the next few weeks.