Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives For Land Cruiser lovers

There seems to be a lotta love for Toyota on the Campfire, so I thought I'd share a couple vids I stumbled into. Vintage bone stock LCs driving around Austrailia. Best LC porn I've ever seen.

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Well I like 'em anyway........

I like them too and would love to have one!

Great vids.
Once you own one you wonder why you waited so long to get one.
I put 100k on my 1987 fj60, sold it with 250k on it for 2 thousand more than I paid for it. I will definitely own another 60.
Currently own a 94 fzj80, probably the best cruiser for NA. Coil sprung solid axles, selectable lockers available, good for 300k before rebuilds.
Cushy ride and leather keeps the wife happy too.

I've been considering a Land Cruiser after my 05 Sequoia dies (if ever).

Backroads, what kind of fuel economy did your 60 and 80 give you? Were they bone stock, or did you run slightly larger tires? From everything I've read on the net, 14mpg is about tops, and that's if driving like an old lady. Is that about right?

I'd LOVE to own an FJ60, but I know an 80 would be much easier to sell my wife on. I tried to explain to her that a restored 60 has 1000 times more style and class than the new plastic trimmed $60K pretentious stuff that's on the market today, but I'm not sure she's buying it yet.........but I'm trying to wear her down.

The 60 got 14 all the time. You could get 16 if you never went faster than 55. The 4-speed manual is part of the problem, the best mod in a 60 is the 5-speed swap.
Bone stock with 31's. Stock are 29's.
The 80 gets 14 most of the time, less if you push it, more if you baby it. Now running 285/75's which are 33's.

You have to realize that an 80 is basically a heavy 3/4ton.
Don't think of them as slow trucks, think of them as fast tractors.
Get your wife into a well maintained 80, they are very luxo on the inside.

Fast tractors. Thats right. I bought a 93 locked FZJ80 last year. It drives like a light armored tank compared to the toyota trucks and 4Runners I've had.

I managed a 14.6mpg tank a month ago. Mine is lifted 5", geared 4.88, running 315 (just less than 35") tires, with a winch and ARB bumper and part time 4x4 conversion. My 97 4Runner gets high 17-18mpg, so I'll take the loss to drive the TLC.Normal mileage has been high 13's, but I'm learning to use the mass to my advantage.

A guy on IH8MUD is working out some inexpensive diesel conversions using Isuzu or Cummins TDs. The more he works out the little stuff, the greater the interest is going to be. IT should be taking these pigs into the 20mpg range.

[quote=kletzenklueffer

A guy on IH8MUD is working out some inexpensive diesel conversions using Isuzu or Cummins TDs. The more he works out the little stuff, the greater the interest is going to be. IT should be taking these pigs into the 20mpg range. [/quote]

I agree that this would be a good way to go (I have a '97 80 series that gets a solid 12 mpg around town). However, i question the inexpensive part - most of the conversions are pretty involved. I hope he gets it done.

I drive a 97 Lexus LX450 which is the LC with a Lexus badge and a few interior upgrades. 14mpg is about tops and I'm running 285 all terrains in the summer and Buckshot Maxxis during the winter. I get some odd looks and comments when the Buckshots go on the Lexus. I also have Sportsman's Camo MO Duck Blind seat covers throughout. It's my luxury hunting vehicle and it has gotten me into and back out of some of the nastiest duck holes imaginable. It still amazes me that something so luxurious can be so capable off-road.

Luckily about a year ago I traded for a Mercedes slk 230 that has become my daily driver. At double the mpg of the Lexus it saves me about $250 a month in fuel.

You got some pics of that ride? I bet it looks awesome!

tominboise- When I say inexpensive, I mean in comparison to some other diesel conversions. A Toyota factory diesel conversion will cost from $8-10,000 for the engine and another 5-10K more for the install. The Isuzu diesel is from NPR serivce trucks and can be had for $2-4000. The conversion can be done for under $10,000, and maybe 7 or 8K if one tries.

I'm playing with the idea of a 5.3L Vortec swap in the future.

Here's about the only pic I have.

I have owned a lot of LCs. The first was a FJ40 bought new in 1968 and the last was FJ62 in 1988. I don't worship at the TLC altar any more for a lot of reasons but the main one, which none of you seem to have for some reason, is RUST! Everyone of them that I owned from the 1968 to the 1988 was fender falling off rusted out in ten to fifteen years. The 1988 was so bad the fenders and doors had to be replaced with new parts, they were too far gone to fix. They are expensive to fix as well. I liked them well enough to keep buying them but finally had enough.

I lived in Colorado and South Dakota during those days and those are states not well known for rusting issues but the Toyotas sure did. So did my Toyota Hi-Lux pickup. They might be better now but back then they were junk as far as rusting out went.

The best mileage I ever got was in the FJ62 coming across South Dakota after a pheasant hunt. The roads were icy and the 4wd switch had failed so we went about 40 miles an hour the whole trip. The average for the FJ60 was about 14. That one was my favorite truck.

It seems toyota worked out the sheet metal issues and resolved the rust issues. My 82 Toyota 4x4 had some rust in the bed when I sold it two yeas ago, but nothing major.

My 93 FZJ80 has no rust anywhere and I keep looking. Even with a frame that has nearly baked on Georgia red clay (our dirt rusts).

My 97 4Runner has no rust issues.

My 86 4Runner had one spot on the body. A lot of it is due to poor washing, awareness of problem areas, but The Chevy and the Jeep I had also had rust problems.

Thanks for posting these videos.

I've got a FJ62 that I grew up driving that I've trying to talk myself into sending to Profitts (or somewhere) for a converstion. I need to do it while my daily driver, a 94 FZJ80, is still running strong.

Do any of you have any thoughts on Profitts, other than expensive?