1985 BJ73
This Australian market vehicle has been set up for off-road racing and was driven by Greg Miller and Jeremiah Proffitt in the 2011 Australian Outback Extreme 4×4 event.
History
The unparalleled success of the Land Cruiser J4 made it a legend. However, by the mid-1980s the venerable J4 began feeling its age. Toyota saw how the marketplace was evolving and responded with an updated J4, known as the J7. Being indestructible was a major element of the Land Cruiser brand, so Toyota spent three years developing the J7, ensuring that it would be as rugged and as powerful as its predecessor.
The J7 needed to satisfy the demand of diverse groups around the world: Australian miners in the Outback, suburban Americans, African safari tour guides and many more. The J7 would have a popular option known as the “heavy duty” Land Cruiser. Another would be the “light duty” model, designed to weigh less and offer greater fuel efficiency. The J7 would be capable of handling the most punishing terrain while offering multiple body styles, wheelbase sizes, and 20 different engines. This allows for over 100 different model configurations within the J7 model line.
Specs
Nickname: EXTREME OUTBACK CHALLENGE RACE TRUCK ARB73
Year: 1985
Model: BJ73RV-MRQ
VIN: BJ73-0001171
Color: WHITE
Engine: 3B
Transmission: 5F
Odometer: 375,297 km
Production Date: FEB-85
Market: AUS
Condition: MODIFIED
1985 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ73: 4X4 Shed
Neglected Toyota Land Cruiser BJ73 Cruiser prepares for a Terrain Tamer makeover
MY OLD BJ73 Middy has gone very much unloved since I drove it to Melbourne four years ago.
I used it regularly for eight months, but once the New South Wales registration ran out, it sat under a tree in my driveway, growing moss in the window rubbers and providing a home for countless spiders. I’ve started it once or twice a year; usually in autumn when the tree drops its leaves all over the FRP top and stains the plastic and I hit it with the CT18 and Karcher to clean it off.
More recently the high-pressure cleaner has been taking the paint off as well. Despite the fleet of new 4x4s we drive here at 4X4 Australia, I do miss driving the old bus. It’s authenticity, heritage, character, smells and rattles more than make up for the lack of creature comforts and performance. Perhaps it’s been the time driving the G300 Professional over the last few months that has reminded me of the simpler side to off-road motoring and has prompted me to action.
To get the Middy back on the road in Victoria will require a roadworthy certificate and, knowing it has a few nasty oil leaks and the possibility of other ailments a 400,000+km truck would have, I sought professional help. Terrain Tamer is an old Land Cruiser owner’s best friend. The company produces and sources replacement parts for most old and new Cruisers, as well as other 4x4s, and its massive warehouse in Melbourne is like a candy store for a kid like me.
Knowing that Terrain Tamer would have the seals and parts needed to fix the oil leaks and anything else, I took the Cruiser out there to have it thoroughly assessed. Terrain Tamer’s Allan Gray and in-house mechanic Tony Demetriou gave the Cruiser a detailed once over and came back with a pretty extensive list of things that needed attention. The oil leaks were coming from the steering box, rear main seal, transfer case and rear differential.
Then there were faulty light switches, cracked tail-light lenses, loose seat bolts, worn and leaking rear brakes, cracked rubber brake lines, loose wheel bearings, and a few other items that could be covered by Terrain Tamer’s extensive replacement parts catalogue.
Ultimately, it seems every part the guys touched or unbolted needed attention or replacement, and the list soon snow-balled.
Over the coming months we’ll show what was required to get the classic Cruiser roadworthy and ready to hit the tracks in 2018. With what’s going into it the car should drive like a new one by the time it gets licence plates back on it, and we’re looking forward to giving it a new lease on life with a swag of new or reconditioned parts from Terrain Tamer.
1985 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ73 Part 2 4×4 Shed
Terrain Tamer discovers myriad issues with the ailing Cruiser
I t seems my quest to get my old Middy back on the tracks in 2018 has opened a giant can of worms.
Every time the mechanics at Terrain Tamer pulled a component apart they found it worn beyond repair or something else that required attention. More than 400,000km of use will do that to a vehicle, and even things I thought ‘felt okay’ showed signs of wear and tear.
Sometime in the life of this 1985 BJ73 Cruiser, a previous owner has swapped out the standard naturally aspirated 3B diesel engine for a factory turbocharged 13B-t as was fitted to the BJ74 Cruiser. While the odometer shows more than 400,000km on the clock, it is unknown how many kays are on the engine or if the gearbox was also swapped out at some point.
Aside from its characteristic rattling noise and vibration, the direct injection 13B-t engine goes well and the oil leaks from the rear main seemed to be the only major problem with it. Terrain Tamer’s Shadin King pulled the gearbox out to access the rear of the engine and replace the seal, which revealed the seal had been leaking extensively and the heavy-duty clutch fitted by a previous owner was shot because the clutch plate was oil-soaked. The clutch joined the growing pile of parts that were headed for the trash, and a new replacement was sourced from Terrain Tamer’s extensive warehouse.
Allan Gray took a look at the gearbox and transfer case as there were oil leaks there too, and he was impressed to find one of Terrain Tamer’s modified gears had already been fitted. This part is indicative of what Terrain Tamer does: it looked at the OE part (and where they are known to fail) and then had a re-engineered part made to solve the problem and built to OE or better quality. For these gears and many other parts, they are made in Japan in factories that make the OE parts.
Inspection of the gearbox’s input shaft also showed wear there, so the job was passed over to ‘Gearbox Dave’ to give it a full overhaul. Dave does these full-time, stripping them down, diagnosing the faults and reassembling them with new and improved components. It’s not just old Cruiser boxes, either, as there are always V8 70 Series boxes in the shop and those from other 4×4 makes and models.
Even though I thought the old five-speed shifted fine, Dave found a number of components that showed wear and replaced them with Terrain Tamer parts as needed. With new seals throughout, the leaks will be gone and, combined with the new Terrain Tamer clutch, it should now shift better than a new one.
The steering box was another source of oil that had the Cruiser leaking like an old Land Rover – I was always topping it up whenever the power steering pump started screeching, so it needed a fix. Shadin stripped the pump and revealed that the surface on which the offending oil seal ran was badly worn and pitted, rendering the box unserviceable. There are no new replacements for these available, so a second-hand box in better condition than mine was found and reconditioned before being fitted to the chassis.
With new clutch master and slave cylinders, the new Terrain Tamer clutch, and the rebuilt gearbox, the driveline should be top notch now. The reconditioned steering box, along with freshened-up swivel hubs including new wheel bearings and stub axles, will have the front end feeling schmick, too.
Rare Turbo Diesel: 1991 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ73
The saying goes, “if you want to go into the Australian Outback, take a Land Rover. But if you want to come back again, take a Land Cruiser.” As with many 4×4 models, the Land Cruiser story begins in WWII, and Toyota was tasked with reverse-engineering an abandoned American Bantam GP. Various evolutions in design and capability meant that the Land Cruiser became its own model, entirely separate from the original inspiration, though it still retained body-on-frame construction, live axles, and nearly unmatched off-road capability. Coupled with Toyota’s legendary reliability, the Land Cruiser has been a wildly successful off-roader and is popular in some of the world’s harshest climates. You can find this one here on eBay where the current bid at the time of writing is $18,100.
This example was imported to the U.S. from Spain in 2020 and was reportedly used by the previous owner as a recreational vehicle. Highlights include a folding windshield, diesel four cylinder engine, five speed manual transmission, two-speed transfer case, off-road instrumentation including altimeter, pitch, and roll, air conditioning, and a two-door hardtop body style. The body and frame are exceptional for an off-roader, and while there are some minor dings here and there, everything looks clean, straight, and, most importantly, clear of major rust.
The removable FRP hardtop and interior are in good condition as well, both clear of stains and rips in the cloth. Patterned gray cloth seats with vinyl sides are included, with matching gray interior plastics. Images of the dashboard show an appropriately low (for a diesel engine) redline of 3500 RPM, and about 173,000 kilometers, which translates to about 107,000 miles. This being a Spanish-market example, all measurements are in metric.
The seller notes a rare diesel five-cylinder was optioned, but I only count four fuel injectors in the engine pictures. A quick web search turns up very little on the rare Motori engine, but reading the included pictures of the vehicle’s original documentation brings up information on a 2.5L four-cylinder. Regardless of however many cylinders it has, the Motori engine was indeed a rare option, though Land Cruisers were available with dozens of different engine and transmission combinations from the factory over its several decades in production and global sales market. Its rare engine, capability, and reliability would make it a perfect addition to any Toyota fan or off-roader’s garage.