I just got back from three weeks in Costa Rica. While there, I came across this rather beat Cruiser that I think I can pick up at a good price but I have no experience with these and seaching didn't provide much information.

The registration says it is a 13-passenger vehicle and was built in 1981. The VIN plate is painted over but I could make out HJ45xxx. It has drum brakes, front & rear with a parking brake on the TC. It has a 6-cyl diesel, 4-spd transmission and power brakes and no P/S. The rear axle is the semi-float type. The body is pretty beat especially the doors, both front and rear. I might be able to replace them if they are interchangeable with the FJ40's. Mechanically, it apears sound and runs good. I think the engine has never been overhauled and is the original according to the registration. It looks like most of the original parts, like rear bench seats, glass, etc. are all there.

As I plan to spend more time in CR, I'm thinking of trying to buy this vehicle for driving down there. I have some local connections to get the body fixed. It is a cool-looking vehicle and I would be inclined to leave it pretty much stock.

What is a reasonable price to pay? Can I get new replacement body parts like the doors and fenders for it? Where can I find specs on this vehicle, especially the engine? I would consider replacing the wheels and tires as the ones on it are 7.50x16 on split rims. What are my options for larger tire sizes and what suspension mods would you recommend? Looking at the TC, there appears to be a block off plate on one side. Is this for a PTO? Any other guidance would be much appreciated.

I took a bunch of pictures of it but my wife has the camera and she will not be back for another couple weeks.

soooo, that's what we'd call a troopie. they were never sold in the USA by toyota although some of them have made their way here.

i spent some time in CR two years ago and saw a few troopies. they seem to be the least common cruisers down there. if you were to buy one, you should be able to get it for $2-5k depending on the condition of the rig. bodywork is cheap in CR, so that's almost a non-issue. the fenders and doors are the same as all the fj40 and fj45 series rigs for those years, so they're not terribly hard to find either.
domestic cruisers were never sold with the diesel engines in them. they were sold in middle and south america as well as in canada. not too many people in the states really know what they're doing when it comes to working on them, but they're a fairly simple design and hold up pretty well. not a lot of power though. if you were to keep the rig in CR, you should be able to find a mechanic who knows how to work on them. that engine also came in the fj40s and 45 trucks in those areas.
you'll have to stick with the 16" rims since the troopies used bigger brakes and the 15" rims won't clear from what i hear. there are plenty of tires available for that rim size.
for lift kits, i'd look at the old man emu stuff. they work well and hold up well.

hope that helps. now post some pics.

soooo, that's what we'd call a troopie. they were never sold in the USA by toyota although some of them have made their way here.

i spent some time in CR two years ago and saw a few troopies. they seem to be the least common cruisers down there. if you were to buy one, you should be able to get it for $2-5k depending on the condition of the rig. bodywork is cheap in CR, so that's almost a non-issue. the fenders and doors are the same as all the fj40 and fj45 series rigs for those years, so they're not terribly hard to find either.
domestic cruisers were never sold with the diesel engines in them. they were sold in middle and south america as well as in canada. not too many people in the states really know what they're doing when it comes to working on them, but they're a fairly simple design and hold up pretty well. not a lot of power though. if you were to keep the rig in CR, you should be able to find a mechanic who knows how to work on them. that engine also came in the fj40s and 45 trucks in those areas.
you'll have to stick with the 16" rims since the troopies used bigger brakes and the 15" rims won't clear from what i hear. there are plenty of tires available for that rim size.
for lift kits, i'd look at the old man emu stuff. they work well and hold up well.

hope that helps. now post some pics.
Thanks for the info. While in CR, I looked at at several 40 series Cruisers. The ones with diesels were all 4-cylinder except for the HJ45 which was an inline 6-cylinder. None of the diesels that I drove had much power.

The more I think about it, the more inclined I am to try and buy it. I will contact my wife, who is still in CR and start negotiations.

Another, question: this truck has vacuum power brakes but it is on a diesel. On my E-350 diesel van there is an auxiliary belt-driven vacuum pump to provide vacuum. On the Cruiser, I did not see such a pump. Where do they get the vacuum for the brakes?

When the camera (and wife) return to the US, I will post pictures.

The pump is on the back of the alternator.

Buy the troopie and give it to me.:)

If you need parts let me know. I have access to diesel stuff...

See if you can get a 2H motor. They have a better oiling system. Are you sure it's an '81 J-45s? J-47s were being made as early as '80. Also, consider an aftermarket turbo as Diesel Troopies can be dogs. I love them and will one day keep one for myself... For now, I just sell them. There's a couple different turbo options out there. I just bought a troopie in OZ with an aftermarket turbo. I want to say it was a powerglide....


Try and get the bench seats for the back of it. Once the Troopies are in the states it's a little more expensive to buy and ship seats... For now you can just throw in the back of the rig when you bring it up, even if you don't want them.

Oh, try and track down a full floater axle. You can load those things to the brim with stuff and could max out a Semi floater.

HTH

One last thing...






PICS!

The pump is on the back of the alternator.


correct. i just looked it up in my factory repair manual.....

Buy the troopie and give it to me.:)

If you need parts let me know. I have access to diesel stuff...

See if you can get a 2H motor. They have a better oiling system. Are you sure it's an '81 J-45s? J-47s were being made as early as '80. Also, consider an aftermarket turbo as Diesel Troopies can be dogs. I love them and will one day keep one for myself... For now, I just sell them. There's a couple different turbo options out there. I just bought a troopie in OZ with an aftermarket turbo. I want to say it was a powerglide....


Try and get the bench seats for the back of it. Once the Troopies are in the states it's a little more expensive to buy and ship seats... For now you can just throw in the back of the rig when you bring it up, even if you don't want them.

Oh, try and track down a full floater axle. You can load those things to the brim with stuff and could max out a Semi floater.

HTH

Thanks for the info. All the bench seats are installed in it. They are in rough shape but are all there.

The data plate on the firewall had been painted over but I could make out the HJ45 followed by some other letters. All I know about the engine is that it is the original 6-cylinder diesel. And, YES it is a dog!! The registration stated that it was a 1981. I wished that I had gotten copies for the paperwork as I remember that an engine number was on the registration but I did not write it down. Getting simple things done like making a photcopy in CR can be quite challenging.

The full floater sounds like a good upgrade. If I'm successful in the purchase, I will try to locate one down there. I plan to keep the vehicle in CR so there are some limitations on what I can do with it. Some of the mods that I might consider would include: P/S, SPOA, ARB or electric lockers F&R, turbo, tires and wheels, disk brakes (primarily because of possible mud contamination problems with the drum brakes), lower gears, A/C and a heater.

For now I will focus on purchasing the vehicle and, if successful, I need to do a lot of research. I also will need to obtain FSM's for this beast, preferably in English.

One last thing...






PICS!

Will post once my wife and camera return back to the US!

where are you in CR?


Around here (Tamarindo) the troopies are pretty tough to find.
You should be able to swap in disks from a hilux (front) to improve the braking.

Parts and mechanics are easy to find.

Good luck

Perez Zeledon