Project Hundy Build Thread - 2000 UZJ100 Land Cruiser

Tacoma

Et incurventur ante non
Location
far enough away
I have some personal experience with this particular vehicle, but I will withhold comment until the upgrades are detailed, as my comments pertain to the "after" version.

I will say again though, that the 105 series Land Cruiser might just be my idea of a personally perfect vehicle: turbo diesel, "small" size, straight axle and barn doors? Yes please!
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
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Sandy, Ut
Great start to a build thread. Now time for more pictures.

Coming soon :D

It's a good looking ride and it will make a great expo vehicle. I too have realized space is at a premium and had to move into a large SUV. I really wish the FJ80 had more rear leg room and a larger engine or even better yet Toyota could have imported the FJ105 or FJ70, but not very many rigs are perfect right out of the box. When I was shopping for a new rig a few months ago I drove several hundies and really liked them. My only hang up was the fit an finish on some of the interior pieces like the window switches, the cheap feeling transmission selector and it felt bigger than it was. Things I really liked were the engine performance, visibility and roominess. They are great vehicles and I am sure you will do a great job building it to fit your needs.

I don't know what it will be but I can promise it won't be an 'expo' vehicle ;)

No such thing as an FJ105 (it would suck if their was as at best it would have a 3FE on that heavy chassis), your likely thinking of an HZJ105 (I6 diesel non-turbo) or the HDJ105 (I6 turbo). Both are fantastic trucks but having spirited around in both I can tell you the 2UZ spanks both of them in all but fuel economy. Personally I'll take a few mpg hit in favor of reliable power. The *70 platform is sweet but if you think the 80 didn't have enough legroom, you would feel beyond cramped in a 70. They are shorter and narrower. I've got a mid-wheel base BJ74 (I4 Turbo-diesel with the removable top) and while it has a few more inches than the 70, its still not something you could load with 4 adults worth of gear. The longer 75, 76, 77, 78 platforms would be the true winner for me here in the States but apparently Toyota did their research and for those committed to owning, they are stateside. There is a clean BJ70 for sale here locally, $18k.

I have some personal experience with this particular vehicle, but I will withhold comment until the upgrades are detailed, as my comments pertain to the "after" version..

Zip your lips :D
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
On a sandy beach in Baja she earned her name, Death Star (pre-explosion) :D

The truck exceeded my expectations, hauling 4 people and a weeks worth of gear to La Paz, MX and back including hundreds of miles of bombing down the race course as a chase rig. I'm on the tail end of the 1800 mile drive home now, part II coming soon :D
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
On a sandy beach in Baja she earned her name, Death Star (pre-explosion) :D

The truck exceeded my expectations, hauling 4 people and a weeks worth of gear to La Paz, MX and back including hundreds of miles of bombing down the race course as a chase rig. I'm on the tail end of the 1800 mile drive home now, part II coming soon :D

Sweet!

I bet that report is going to kill the previous owner... ( :p )
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
Moderator
Vendor
Location
Sandy, Ut
Right on. That might just correspond with our experience of increased performance in town, at half-as-high as SLC.

100%, the difference from SLC -> LV was doubled @ sea level. I never gave the power a second thought until we started climbing the hills on 15 in central Utah.

That said, I live here not there so gears???
 

Greg

Make RME Rockcrawling Again!
Admin
100%, the difference from SLC -> LV was doubled @ sea level. I never gave the power a second thought until we started climbing the hills on 15 in central Utah.

That said, I live here not there so gears???

I've often wondered how a 4.7 with a supercharger would run... not to give you any bad ideas. ;) Our '03 4Runner with the 4.7 is pretty damn quick, I can't imagine how it would be with some boost!
 

Tacoma

Et incurventur ante non
Location
far enough away
100%, the difference from SLC -> LV was doubled @ sea level. I never gave the power a second thought until we started climbing the hills on 15 in central Utah.

That said, I live here not there so gears???

I think that's the way to go.... and you know how I like turbos and superchargers heh.
 

cruiseroutfit

Cruizah!
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Location
Sandy, Ut
I'm a big fan of the TRD Superchargers however they are no longer available new from Toyota and I'd hesitate to put one on the 165k motor. I've driven just about every Toyota that can be TRD supercharged (4x4 that is) and I can't think of one I don't like :D
 

Tacoma

Et incurventur ante non
Location
far enough away
I'm not sure it NEEDS one, but once you get everything ELSE nailed down, if you were bored, some power-adder is always FUN. I thought it motored around with an appropriate amount of power, just nice and smooth, kept us at eh, defensible speeds without any trouble.
 
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