From: martin@NREL.ColoState.EDU (Martin Fowler)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
Subject: Re: Toyota Landcruiser Question
Date: 13 Apr 92 23:11:03 GMT
Organization: Natural Resource Ecology Lab, Colo. State Univ.

In article <1992Apr9.232303.9739@nas.nasa.gov> Matthew W. Blake writes:

>I am considering buying a Toyota Landcruiser, anywhere from a late 70s version
>to late 80s.  I can find virtually no info on these vehicles, such as books
>on different models.  Does anyone have experience with one?  Any problems?
>Any specific years to avoid or things to look for when inspecting one?
>Anyone ever work on one?  Easy/hard/other?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Matt Blake
>blake@nas.nasa.gov

This probably won't be unbiased: I'm addicted to the things.  I've been 
around LC's since '69 when my folks bought a new one.  They bought a '76 
in '85, then sold me the '69.  I put in a rebuilt motor and made lots of 
other repairs (new crank shaft (long story), new brake drums, new wheel 
cylinders, new brake shoes, new gas tank, new carb...) and put on some 
accessories (soft top, can carrier, floor shift conversion, roll bar,...).   
Then two years ago, with child on the way (the dog has to fit in the back, 
too), my wife and I bought an '86 LC wagon and we were a two-Land-Cruiser 
family.  Sadly though, the old 'Cruiser went neglected, and bowing under 
pressure from my younger brother, I sold it to him last month.

Like any old vehicle, they can be hard to work with if they haven't been
maintained (frozen bolts, etc), but otherwise are not too bad.  The
engine compartment (pre-pollution controlled especially) is pretty
airy with lots of room to work.  And parts are very available.  I've
dealt both with my local Toyota dealer and the California-based shops
listed below and have had very little trouble.  My experience is that
it is best to stay with stock replacement parts -- they have been
the best quality (well, I did put a Weber carb in the old '69).

I don't know that there were any bad model-years for the Land Cruiser,
but they did change slightly over the years.  Toyota seemed to make
changes to the design every three years or so.  I don't remember the
exact dates, but it was around 1971 when a roll bar and floor shift became 
stock, then maybe '73 when they went to a four-speed.  The standard 'F'
engine lasted until '75 when they upgraded to the '2F' (used through
'87, I think).   The F and 2F (and 3F) were both straight six-cylinder engines
with lots of low-end torque (nice for creeping 4WD, but not good for
pulling trailers up mountain highways).  In '88 they went to the 3F
which has fuel-injection, and possibly some other modifications.  I
chose the '86 wagon because I wanted the newest model that I could still
work on in the field.

Ah, if you are looking for the FJ40 (short wheelbase version), they
were imported only through '83.  Since then, the only US model has
been the Wagon (FJ60).

When I bought the wagon, I looked for a vehicle that had been religiously
maintained: oil changes every 3,000 to 4,000 miles, and serviced every
15,000 miles at the dealer.  Don't worry too much about an oily looking
oil pan; I haven't seen one that didn't leak some.  It usually doesn't 
amount to much, but just looks messy.

Good sources of information (and PARTS!) are:

Specter Off-Road Inc.
21723 Plummer St.
Chatsworth, CA. 91311
(818) 882-1238

Man-A-Fre
5076 Chesebro Road
Agoura, CA 91301
(818) 991-6689

They both deal only in new and used LC parts (they are good for technical
advice also).

-Martin

P.S.  My idea of bliss is a half-dozen Land Cruisers of varying states of 
repair in my back yard.