1990 Landcruiser HJ60 - A dream come true

[nick0303]

This is it, the 4th ride thread I am writing on here.

This one is a bit special for me as by acquiring this vehicle back in February of this year, I fulfilled a boy's dream. That is owning a cool Cruiser.

Like most people on here, I have an addiction to old motors (read cars not necessarily classic or even that desirable to most), and I have been guilty having too many of those automotive "jewels" sitting on my drive, much to the annoyance of my wife.
However over the course of the last 2 years I have managed to sale 3 cars from the fleet, those three to be exact.




Most notably, during that period, I recommissioned two of the fleet cars that I shamelessly had sitting unused for several years. I then subsequently made good use them as daily's for about 12 months each before moving them on to their respective new owners. (see threads on the Maxima and S-MX). Happily, both sales covered what the cars owed me. This meant that i effectively enjoyed a couple of years of free motoring. A bit of a bonus which seemed to please the wife.


So with "just" 3 usable cars on the drive including the wife's plus one project in the garage (that one) I felt compelled to treat myself to yet another, erm, car. The reasoning behind this indulgence was that, had I leased or PCP'd a new car during my two-year free motoring, I would have lost more money than what car-to-be was going to cost. The argument seemed strong enough for the domestic director of finance and I was given the green light to replenish the drive.

Before I go any further, I must explain that I always had a soft spots for no-nonsense, big-wheeled, go-anywhere off-roaders, in the like of 160/260 series Patrol, Defenders , CJ7 Jeeps and of course Landcruisers.

I think my interest towards rugged off-roader may have something to do with spending my childhood watching this:



h yeah, the Fall guy. Apologies to those of y ou reading this and are too young to know this 80s series. Granted the GMC truck was probably never a proper off-roader, but boy could this thing jump. Although is wasn't really good at landing and they apparently went through trucks like cigarettes during the takes, until GM issued some special builds with the engine relocated in the cabin to improve the centre of gravity for the jump scenes. Anyway digressing...

Actually, comes to think of it, perhaps what drew me to the Fall guy and his cool truck on the first place was Heather Thomas.... I mean, what a good looking lady right there.




Still digressing....Back to the cars then.

So yeah, Nissans, Defenders and Jeeps; all very good in their own ways. But also they all had drawbacks as far as I was concerned
Unfortunately most 160/260 series Patrol in this country have now dissolved into brown powder, whislt Defenders have been hit with the fashion stick and the ones in a good original condition are fetching far more money than I could justify spending on such vehicles. The Jeep can still be had at reasonable price and they are still a fair few CJ7 on the market to choose from. But for some reasons I felt the CJ7 would be more suitable to a younger demographic, plus it was made available in LWB.

Which leaves me with Landcruisers. Like the Defender and the Jeep, The Landcruiser has been around very pretty much the dawn of time (well 67 years to be exact). And in true Toyota fashion, it has evolved and improved over the years.
The Landcruiser, although very popular in some parts of the world, have had limited success in Europe compared to the aforementioned competitors. I, for one, always liked the underdogs, the stuff which were not as popular as the competition despite being equally good. So the Landcruiser have always been on my radar.

Ideally a 40-series like the one below would have done me nicely.




But the having a kid to haul around, forward facing return seats was a must and having two more door a bit of a bonus.

The 50-series would have ticked those boxes. But...



There is a reason why this vehicle was nicknamed the "iron pig". Not exactly a looker, although this wouldn't have bothered me too much if they were no so hard to come by and fetched a efty price tag (as does the 40-series for that matter).


Cue the 60-series.




Introduced in 1980 and was available in the UK till 1990, this was the first Land Cruiser to enter the then embryonic Sport Utility Vehicle segment. In fact, the 60-series was Toyota's response to Land Rover and their Range Rover. Obviously the level of luxury on the 60-series is a far cry from what a Range Rover would offers, but still, it did came with power steering, and even 4 electric windows towards the end of production.

This for me ticked all the boxes and in my opinion offers the added benefit of potentially looking pretty bad a5s.




Sadly, this is not mine, but a picture from Pinterest which I have saved for inspiration purpose.


This is the one I was contemplating at:



Granted, no as cool as the picture above but the potential is still there.

[procrastinator]

Good choice. I have owned over 40 Landrovers of all shapes and sizes, then got an 80 series Landcruiser. Had it a few years then sold it on. Missed it a lot, bought it back and still running it as my daily.

[nick0303]

Having convinced myself that a 60-series Landcruiser was the truck for me, I set down at looking for a good example ready to use.

Now 60-series, like the early Patrols have become a rare sight in UK and the rest of Europe, partly because a lot of them got exported to Africa in the mid 90s to support militias and other warlords in their venture. At that point those buyers would cut the roof off their new purchases and stack them up in containers heading to Africa.
Here is one for example, fitted with the basic militia pack.



In fact if you believe the Internet, there are currently very few 60-series still registered in the UK. So finding one in usable condition with an MOT was down to sheer luck. I found it on eBay but neither the pictures not the description were good enough to make judgement. So I call the number on the listing for more info.

After spending a good 10-15mins talking to the owner about the car, he probably gauged my interest for the car. At that point he told me that he was opened to offers and willing to make a deal outside eBay.
To which I reply that I was going to put my bid up and sees how the auction turns out. Seeing that there had been no bid on the car so far and with only a few days remaining, the conversation quickly took and unexpected turn.
Seller: "so how much were you thinking on bidding for"
Me: "Well I was going to put the starting bid in and see how things go"
Seller: "OK, deal"
Me: " err, what do you mean?"
Seller: "you can have the car for the starting bid amount if you come with the cash and collect the car"
Me:"err, sure, OK then"
Seller: "but I will need a deposit to end the listing and hold the car for you"
Me: "mmm, ok, just how much deposit did you have in mind then"

Following on from that, was a debate on what would constitute a reasonable amount for the deposit, which ironically took longer than agreeing on the actual purchase price for the car). We eventually agreed on me transfering £200 via bank transfer and arranged a time to collect the Landcruiser from East London the following weekend.

I put the phone down , slightly taken aback by what just had happened. I mulled over the telephone conversation for a few hours before transferring the money across. The guy sounded genuine but again all con artists do.

Eventually I decided to follow my heart, ignore the brain and transfer the deposit across, followed by a quick message to the seller confirming the transfer and requesting the address for collection.

Waited for a reply, 10mins then 30mins then 1 hour then 2. Decided to ring the guy. No response. Holy cr4p, I just got rogered.
Spend the next hour reassessing the situation and decided to ring the guy again before deciding on the next step (.i.e inform the wife). The guy answered the phone this time.

"Hi, I ring you earlier to let you know that the deposit had been sent and I wanted your address to collect the car."
"Did you? Sorry I was asleep"
(WTF, asleep in the middle of the day?!? I spoke to block like 4 hours ago.)
"OK sure, can you text me your address?
"Sorry I'm not good with these things. Do you mind writing it down?"
(FFS)"Ok then, let me get a pen and paper"

So got the address and some of my confidence back.


An hour later my phone ring:

"Hi, it's about the car you agreed to buy"
"Yeeeeeesssss?"
"Can I have your full name and address please?"
"Er, why?"
"Because I want to prepare the sale receipt for it, I just like things to be in order"
(Says the guy who sleeps in the middle of the day) "ok, sure, I'll text those over to you, no actually do you have a pen and paper handy?"


The confidence was nearly fully restored at that point but I still wondered if I just agreed to buy a lemon.

[nick0303]

Came the following Sunday, we all jump into the wife's car and and drove down to the capital.


As we were getting closer to London, I was filling with anticipation and excitement .



However, as I had arranged to turn the trip into a family outing (very much a diplomatic move), we were first stopping at the British museum.
This is an amazing place which both wife and daughter thoroughly enjoyed. However as I was following them through the Egyptian section, the Japanese Dynasties and into the African tribal wonderful displays, all I was thinking of, was my Landcruiser waiting for me a few miles away, and whether or not I had made a foolish move to put a deposit down on a car I didn't see.

Lunch went past then further sections of the museum were explored until I received a call from the seller.
"Hi it's about the car you agreed to collect"
"Yeeeeeesssss?"
"Just wondering if you are were still coming today"
"Yes we are, should be with you in the next 2 hours as agreed" (Like I was going to kiss goodbye to my £200 deposit)
"OK, see you soon"
Blimey, he is certainly keen to get the rest of the money.

Finally came the anticipated moment when we pull over in a North East London street, right behind a parked gold 60-series Landcruiser.

The first impression was that it was not as good as the photos and description on eBay would have suggested, but the seller did mention some rust issues over the phone and in all honesty I was kind of expecting something worse. The wife on the other hand was clearly expecting to see a brand new car and was not impressed on driving all the way to London to pick this "old thing"up.
No matter though, my mind was already made up at this point, I was going to get this car and my wife clearly had no appreciation for classic motoring.

The guy came outside before I even walked up to the front door, showed me around and took me for a long test drive. Everything seemed as expected except for the electric windows not working.

Turns out the window module had failed with the driver window open, so the window was once raised back manually and the whole system had since been disconnected.
As this was never mentioned, the seller agreed to take some money off the agreed price so all was well as far as I was concerned.
We shook hands, lots of £20 notes were exchanged and I became to proud owner of a 1990 4.0 60-series Landcruiser.

Following on from that the drive home was uneventful, bare the sheer amount of traffic around London on a Sunday evening.
We made it home just before midnight, washed out from the long and exiting day.


Next day, a cold morning on the 20th feb, I could contemplate on my latest acquisition sitting on my drive.

[grizz]

I love these indestructible busses.

Good luck and have much fun.

Will be watching

[surprisingskoda]

There's always a niggling amount of uncertainty around any great deal. Been through so many like that, and always when it's something you really want, too. The relief when it works out heightens the excitement on the drive back I find, you never have a drive in a car that's quite the same as the drive home after you weren't sure what you were buying.

[flyingbeemer]

Hi Nick great car and never go wrong in the 80´s and 90´s when I worked for TTE we had a few that we sent to Kenya for the rally and finally we left one there it was brown metallic Lhd and we did what Top gear did we used and abused it and rebult what was required the test and development engineer Dago Röherer even sank it in a river when there was torential rain and weit had to abandoned it till the next day when it had travelled down thw river nad was submerged in water. It was taken back to Nairobi, it was worked till the engine and all mechanical parts were clean the fueland all fluids replaced interior dried out and only the necessary electrics were replaced (ignition and lights) it started up and was used for while till it was replaced with a more modern version.BAck in Colgne we had a work hack Hilux that had been rolled in Kenya and we even got ot through the german MOT here and we drove it till Ove the boss said new as we have an image now. We had 6 Cruiser of the new generation in 1990 and after the Safari used as chase cars (full of people parts and driven flat out)when returned to Cologne the only part holding the body to the chassis was the steering column and the fueltank filler, we had to lift the body and replace and strenghten the mounting points, as you can see we tested vehicles to destruction including rolling Mercedes and MAN 4x4 Service barges. We had service Hiluxes with Kenian built suspension and on one Safari rally we lost a Hilux with crew no radio contact etc a day later they appeared at a service point having rolled the Hilux in a riverbed and having to put it back on its wheels and then unload everything clean it all well oils fuel etc and all the parts get a bit messy when tumbled around. They had to bodge the broken suspension and get the panles straight so the steering work and this Hilux then serviced till the end of the rally using afew tyres due to the mis aligned steering but the fearless boys said it was ok even at 80 mph. Not to forget the base of all servicing the Hiace what a tough 2 wd van that was it just never stopped.. I only have pics of the HiaceThese cars are really tough enjoy regards Gavin

[kevstarlet]

Love the 60 series, the workshop I'm in currently has four 60 series in it. I honestly think they're the best shape cruiser. flyingbeemer: I'd sell my left arm for those hiace vans😍😍

[nick0303]

Jul 1, 2018 12:55:05 GMT flyingbeemer said:

Hi Nick great car and never go wrong in the 80´s and 90´s when I worked for TTE ....

Nice anecdotes and great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[nick0303]

Thanks guys for the positive comments

Jun 30, 2018 21:06:45 GMT procrastinator said:

Good choice. I have owned over 40 Landrovers of all shapes and sizes, then got an 80 series Landcruiser. Had it a few years then sold it on. Missed it a lot, bought it back and still running it as my daily.

I was contemplating an 80 series, and was on the verge of getting one when I came across my 60-series. 80-series do have a good follow-up in the UK and parts are easier to come across. But I prefer the look of the 60-series so when I came across this one, I just had to have it.

Jun 30, 2018 21:42:18 GMT grizz said:

I love these indestructible busses.

Good luck and have much fun.

Will be watching

Yep, they are durable. Slowly approaching the 300,000 miles on the clock and still going strong, with hopefully another 300,000 miles (and the rest) to come.

Jul 2, 2018 21:19:01 GMT kevstarlet said:

Love the 60 series, the workshop I'm in currently has four 60 series in it. I honestly think they're the best shape cruiser.

I'll definitely agree with that statement


In fact talking about the look, I realise that I have been rambling a lot and not delivered a great deal of pictures of the actual vehicles. So time to make amends for my long-winded posts.







The truck was fitted with a 2" lift kit with heavy duty suspension.







Lots of room under the bonnet, hopefully to be partially filled with a turbo in due course.






Nice 80s brown interior. No retro ride would be complete without one!

[nick0303]

Jul 1, 2018 0:26:21 GMT surprisingskoda said:

There's always a niggling amount of uncertainty around any great deal. Been through so many like that, and always when it's something you really want, too. The relief when it works out heightens the excitement on the drive back I find, you never have a drive in a car that's quite the same as the drive home after you weren't sure what you were buying.

Yep, I totally relate to the first drive excitement, which is made stronger when the wife decides that she has had enough waiting up, put her foot down and disappear into the distance - "I'll see you home darling", "er, yes thanks"


But for me the most memorable drive was actually my first commuting to work with the truck, which I will elaborate on now. (Warning, more rambling coming up)


After purchasing the car and driving home, I kept the car on the drive for 2 weeks, unused, to give me the chance to have a better look at the vehicle before starting to use it as a daily commuter.

Then on the 1st March of this year, it started to fullfill his daily duty.

Timing couldn’t have been better. The snow came down quite heavily in the West Midlands as well as other part of the country on that day. But the truck managed to take my daughter to the child-minder and then me to work without any drama. I was one of the first few that had made it to work.



At first the 4WD system was slow to engage due to probably never been used in London. But after a few operation of the transfer case lever it became quicker to respond.

I live in the middle of the Clent Hills, just outside Birmingham, and we tend to feel the effect of the snow 2-3 folds over the city, with untreated lanes and low traffic. My daily drive to work consists of twisty narrow lanes and a 16% incline just to get to the nearest “main” road. The decent of the say incline on the way back from work was a bit unnerving with snow and ice covering the entirety of the decent. But once again the Landcruiser was brilliant. In low range and 1st and 2nd gear, it felt sure-footed. Here are some pictures of the truck on its maiden decent the snowy hills!








On the 2nd day, my purchase became even more worthwhile when I had to tacked up to a meter snow drift on the way to work. Once again the truck performed so well, it was if the snow wasn’t even there.




Where we live, a 4WD is basically a must in the winter, and sometimes in the spring when we need to tackle flooded areas. Here is the car with one of its stable mate, the wife’s Rangey, another brilliant car that adds comfort to the exceptional off-road capability.

[deano123]

I bounced around the deserts of the middle east and africa for over a decade in Landcruiser J70 pickups, brilliant things. Looked for one for ages back here but couldnt never find one so ended up with a 100 series landcruiser, kept it for a couple of years then sold it and it was shipped to Kenya to sell on out there.

[ironmighty07]

That looks solid!! The tale of buying reminds me when i sold some merc wheels and deliver them...only fot the buyer to be blind, then wanted a lift to cash point...and he kept using phrase "blinding"..the most surreal experience!!

[wodge]

Lovely! Just needs OE skinny steels for perfection.

[keyring]

Bookmarked!
I love this, I’ve got a Suzuki sj, that I use for off-road and as a daily when other things are broken/it’s snowing. And if I was to sell it, an old land cruiser or patrol would be top of my list!

Do you plan to use this for some off-road fun too? Or is it staying on firmer ground?

[kevstarlet]

If you need any panels for it Klokkerholm do rear arches, pockets, front wings and maybe more.

[strangersfaces]

Can't wait to see your photo reenacting this jump...., and to learn what motivation you add to the engine compartment to make it possible....

[nick0303]

Right, taking the opportunity of some holidays away from home to add more babbling on here:

Jul 3, 2018 21:36:52 GMT keyring said:

Bookmarked!
I love this, I’ve got a Suzuki sj, that I use for off-road and as a daily when other things are broken/it’s snowing. And if I was to sell it, an old land cruiser or patrol would be top of my list!

Do you plan to use this for some off-road fun too? Or is it staying on firmer ground?

Would have loved an SJ, I think they are the best value for money rugged off roader out there. But I needed a larger vehicle and the Landcruiser was the logical choice for me.

It will eventually venture on the muddy paths when I can convince someone to go with me. However there won't be any rock crawling or anything like that as I would rather keep the body panels straight.

Jul 3, 2018 21:45:33 GMT kevstarlet said:

If you need any panels for it Klokkerholm do rear arches, pockets, front wings and maybe more.

Klokkerholm didn't seem to be doing the panel section I needed. So instead, I sourced some sections from Cruiser world in Holland. Those are pressed reproduction and I am not very happy with the quality of the product if I'm honest. They are showing ripples and dents which I have been told to be part of the normal pressing procedure.
Sounds like bull excrements to me but I think they will do the trick nonetheless. I guess I will find out next month.

Jul 3, 2018 21:47:55 GMT strangersfaces said:

Can't wait to see your photo reenacting this jump...., and to learn what motivation you add to the engine compartment to make it possible....

Lol, that seems half feasible. Just glad I didn't post this picture the first time around, that'd be a more challenging feat.

Jul 3, 2018 21:18:33 GMT wodge said:

Lovely! Just needs OE skinny steels for perfection.

Ah yes, thought about it long and hard and I was with you on that one, assuming you meant those:



However, those rim are split design and as I am not planning overlanding in the middle of the desert or any remote locations, I couldn't justify living with the drawbacks of splits rims on a daily basis.


So instead I got myself an original set of 16in wheels, sourced from a breaker up north.

Here is the donor vehicle with the wheels still on:




And the wheels freshly off loaded back home:


Years of neglect were clearly showing, but I was hopeful they would look half decent under all that grim.
Luckily a mate of mine is into his car detailing and he was dying to have a go at them. Never thought Landcruiser and detailing worlds would ever meet, but here is the proof:



It's amazing how much some elbow grease, know how's and lots of polish and wax can achieve. Even the back faces don't look to shabby:



To say I am chuft with my new rims would be an understatement.




They now needs new boots. The original tyre fitment on those would have been 215r16, so still on the skinny end of the spectrum.

But as I want to fill the increased arch gaps from the suspension lift, I will be fitting 235/85R16 which I think are a good compromise between look, off road performance and gearing.

From the same donor car, I also sourced a set of decent front end trims/grille, to complement the bling of the new wheels.

Old front end:







New front end





So status so far:

• Mechanical inspection and long overdue full service - check (details in there)
  
• Achieve Badass look with and the shinny bits - check

Next off, tackle the crunchy bits of the body and treat the vehicle to a rust proofing treatment.

[wodge]

Great work so far, the new wheels are a massive improvement! If this is a long term thing you can get a one piece equivalent of the split rims from www.stocktonwheel.com/heavy_duty.html (the series 22) very popular with Yota drivers stateside who want the look without the danger.

[keyring]

Great update and progress! The wheels and new front end really have made a massive difference!
As you said about the SJ, that’s the one thing that lets it down for me, not having more room, but then it being so small is what contributes to it being as good as it is off-road... so it’s one of them ones I guess haha