Farewall Land Cruiser?

nickw

Adventurer
There isn’t anything domestically that compares to a 70 series.
Define "compares"? In what way?

I was the biggest LC fanboy for years, so I get the emotional aspect of this discussion....but when I look at things subjectively, it's honestly hard to look at a 70 Troopie and think I'd be happy with one day in - day out. I think 99% of people would feel the same.

I think both a Gwagon the new Defender compare for all practical applications. Sure you won't find either one of those in a mine or 25 years later on a dusty ranch being worked by a farm hand, but from a 'practical' perspective, daily, reasonable load, service life expectations and getting you to where you need to go....they tick all the boxes and then some. None of us are driving across the Sahara, fueling up on diesel out of a 55-gallon drum in the DRC, filling the trans with used motor oil, mounting a .50 cal gun in the bed or stacking 15 people on the roof.....with that said, the thought of that is cool....I get it.
 

nickw

Adventurer
You can get them waaaaay cheaper and it’s twice the truck an f350 is and you can commute in them. I did it for a year.
Used ones sure, you can get a used F350 cheaper also. Get real though, service intervals, service $$ and practical limitations for most folks limit their daily use. I commuted in my 78' FJ40 too, it sucked.....
 

nickw

Adventurer
All 1-tons ride like a crap until you put weight on them. I've only been in a leaf spring 70. I have no clue about the ones with coils. I like that the 7x has good payload without being huge. That's draw for me.
Agree - the 70 rides like crap as does a 1-Ton pickup, one can tow 3x as much as the other and has 2x+ the payload, not to mention $20k cheaper....which one do you pick.

The only positive is it's size, I 100% agree, that is really the only argument for the LC. It's why I bought a new Ranger over a F150/F250. Starting to regret that a bit now that we have a travel trailer, but I do drive in the city and like being able get around easier.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Used ones sure, you can get a used F350 cheaper also. Get real though, service intervals, service $$ and practical limitations for most folks limit their daily use. I commuted in my 78' FJ40 too, it sucked.....

Isn’t it up you the individual? Not everyone desires to cruise at 90 with a 49 speed auto returning 100 mpg with a 20’ lift and 80” tires.

You can get a cheap used f350 but come on it’s less of a truck.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Define "compares"? In what way?

I was the biggest LC fanboy for years, so I get the emotional aspect of this discussion....but when I look at things subjectively, it's honestly hard to look at a 70 Troopie and think I'd be happy with one day in - day out. I think 99% of people would feel the same.

I think both a Gwagon the new Defender compare for all practical applications. Sure you won't find either one of those in a mine or 25 years later on a dusty ranch being worked by a farm hand, but from a 'practical' perspective, daily, reasonable load, service life expectations and getting you to where you need to go....they tick all the boxes and then some. None of us are driving across the Sahara, fueling up on diesel out of a 55-gallon drum in the DRC, filling the trans with used motor oil, mounting a .50 cal gun in the bed or stacking 15 people on the roof.....with that said, the thought of that is cool....I get it.

Like I said before. I’m not a follower of trends and fads. I like my fj60 because of things such as Toyota had the for site to used the same wheel bearings on the front and rear axle. The same size socket is used on all of the fill and drain plugs on all of the gear boxes. Hell they use the same tool kit on a 299 series that they used in my 60. Not everyone needs to have the latest and greatest gadget and have the truck change every couple of years. I’ll never sell my tundra and I’ll never sell my 60.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
That's one reason I wonder about the 200 series. It went to cartridge bearings in front like the 4Runner and Tacoma. I hate those f'n things compared to plain old tapered rollers. Although as I understand it the 200 series method doesn't require as much careful pressing like the 120/150 type hubs not to ruin the bearing during reassembly. But instead of a couple of spare bearings wrapped in a sandwich bag now I have a 10 lbs assembled hub to carry.

It’s still built strong though. I saw a pic I’ll see if I can find it if a tundra wheel bearing compared to an f250 and the tundra was way bigger.
 

nickw

Adventurer
Like I said before. I’m not a follower of trends and fads. I like my fj60 because of things such as Toyota had the for site to used the same wheel bearings on the front and rear axle. The same size socket is used on all of the fill and drain plugs on all of the gear boxes. Hell they use the same tool kit on a 299 series that they used in my 60. Not everyone needs to have the latest and greatest gadget and have the truck change every couple of years. I’ll never sell my tundra and I’ll never sell my 60.
Well that Ford Superduty I snapped a pic of has less gadgets and is much more overbuilt than any Tundra or 60 series. The 60 series probably wins the longevity competition, but to your point, really only an advantage if you do all your own work. Parts are not getting any easier to find, particularly OEM ones, for the cruisers. Lots still available, but stuff like long blocks, trans, interior pieces, engine accessories, etc. are long gone. PITA unless you are an enthusiast or wanna spend $$ at one of the cruiser specialty shops.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Well that Ford Superduty I snapped a pic of has less gadgets and is much more overbuilt than any Tundra or 60 series. The 60 series probably wins the longevity competition, but to your point, really only an advantage if you do all your own work. Parts are not getting any easier to find, particularly OEM ones, for the cruisers. Lots still available, but stuff like long blocks, trans, interior pieces, engine accessories, etc. are long gone. PITA unless you are an enthusiast or wanna spend $$ at one of the cruiser specialty shops.

Once again 1 ton vs 1/2 ton. I’ll find the pic

I can go to my local dealer and order an h55 brand new. A transmission never offered here and they support it
I have gone to the dealer and purchased all kinds of parts for my 60. Including interior pieces. It’s not difficult at all.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Ah, so we're in the anecdotal which truck proves the bigger male anatomy part of the argument, then?

I think the obvious size comparison usually shown is between the F150 and Tundra. That I think is true, the typical domestic 1/2 ton is often undersized compared to the 70/200/Tundra parts. I think the general consensus on Mud is a Tundra falls essentially around a F250 or F350 in equivalence, which I have no reason to believe isn't true.

The Cruiser is built for unimproved roads and as a work truck, so you'd expect it to be fairly stout like that underneath, I agree with you there. Same argument as the Prado/GX/4Runner/Tacoma/Hilux is built to be a commercial truck in most markets and probably would be more similar to an F150 in some ways.


There you go :)
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Yeah, exactly. Since you can buy a F350 XL for $30,000 less than UZJ200 is why the the rumors continue to swirl that you're going to get the name "Land Cruiser" slapped on a Sequoia soon in the US. Only the second buyer really cares about what's underneath.

Rumors.
I’d still get a land cruiser over a ford. I dislike domestic car companies. Lost respect for them when they were bailed out. Yea ford revived 5 billion. The land cruiser is built light years better than an f anything. It will last longer.
 

nickw

Adventurer
Once again 1 ton vs 1/2 ton. I’ll find the pic

I can go to my local dealer and order an h55 brand new. A transmission never offered here and they support it
I have gone to the dealer and purchased all kinds of parts for my 60. Including interior pieces. It’s not difficult at all.
Which is the point.....you can buy a 1-Ton for less than a 1/2-Ton. Bearing size on a IFS 1/2 Ton front end is meaningless, you gotta look at the whole engineered package.

The H55 available because it's still used overseas, but would hesitate to call it 'supported'. You are not going to be able to take a 70 series with a OEM H55 to any dealership let alone a FJ60 with a swapped in H55 and expect any service besides a fluid change or basic maintenance, if that.

Again, some parts are available, many are not through the Toyota supply chain.....I'll admit I don't know exactly what is or isn't, but know several of the major components are not. These threads exist over @ IH8mud for a reason:

 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Toyota got backing (e.g. a bail out of about $2 billion) from the Japanese government (JBIC) in 2009 for Toyota Financial Services, the U.S. company that writes loans on their cars here.


But it wasn’t my tax dollars .
I still have zero respect for the domestic brands.
Those jeep workers that were getting high and drinking during lunch and building jeeps. Fired and then hired back. I at one time was one of those that thought and believed that only murica can build trucks. I have since woken up and realized it wasn’t true. I respect Toyota and how they manufacture. Apparently so do the domestic companies as they have started to adopt the similar practices. The fact that a janitor walking past a car or truck being built can stop the assembly
Line of they see something wrong with it is crazy. No domestic manufacturer would ever Implement that.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
Which is the point.....you can buy a 1-Ton for less than a 1/2-Ton. Bearing size on a IFS 1/2 Ton front end is meaningless, you gotta look at the whole engineered package.

The H55 available because it's still used overseas, but would hesitate to call it 'supported'. You are not going to be able to take a 70 series with a OEM H55 to any dealership let alone a FJ60 with a swapped in H55 and expect any service besides a fluid change or basic maintenance, if that.

Again, some parts are available, many are not through the Toyota supply chain.....I'll admit I don't know exactly what is or isn't, but know several of the major components are not. These threads exist over @ IH8mud for a reason:


What does services to you mean? I’m not going to take any transmission back to the dealer and have them rebuild it. They’ll just ship it off and have it rebuilt somewhere else.
I would never be able to go to a ford dealer in Africa and buy a transmission never sold in Africa.

The tundra still has the biggest rear axle. 36 spline shafts. The 5.7 has had 6 bolt main since day one. It’s a whole package. I’m not saying it’s a 3/4 ton. But it is built pretty strong.
 

toylandcruiser

Expedition Leader
So you're fine then with Toyota using the same suppliers for the Tundra and Tacoma? There's so many Dana, Spicer and Delphi labels on on my truck I'd think it was already a Ford or Chevy.

Same supplier for what?
So what they use domestic stuff. They brought the specs for the Tcase to the domestic supplier and the supplier asked if they were sure they wanted it built that way and Toyota said yes.
 

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