Thoughts on 75 Series Ute

[Rackers03]

Hi there,
Found a good lookin 75 series landcruiser with the 2H non-turbo diesel engine. Only 260,000 on the clock, heavy duty towbar, long range fuel tank, 2 x light bars, great canopy with lights, awning, new filters, new alternato, drawer with fridge slide, 12V outlet in the canopy, UHF radio. The guys only wanting $6,000 for it and it doesn't look to have any rust so I was wondering if there is any problems with the old 75s and if so how to fix them/spot them and what else would it need for touring.
Also what are the 2H engines like?
Cheers,
Hugh

 

[phs]

2H motor is solid mate

Regular oil changes and it will go around the clock
Good first car to start with, get a locker in the rear some decent tyres and your set

Don’t add a turbo and it will be ok
The gearbox won’t last if you go for more power

 

[Albynsw]

My young bloke had a 60 with a 2H and it was great but that are not fast but just keep going and going

 

[cam04]

Gutless, slow, uncomfortable mongrels of things. Other than that they are great. It will be a 30 year old Ute. Can you get historic rego for it? I might be getting old but I got paid to drive them and I couldn’t get out of them quick enough.

 

[Spooner]

My young bloke had a 60 with a 2H and it was great but that are not fast but just keep going and going

What they said , slow and F all leg room if you are tall, but will last longer than most anything

 

[phs]

Don’t stress too much mate
I had a 3B in my first 70 the 2H is like a rocketship in comparison.

A lot of valuable learning available in a basic non turbo 4wd, Get a hand winch go local short 4wd tracks get the hang of 4wding no need to jump straight into a big wrig it won’t help if you don’t know how to use it

low and slow

 

[Rackers03]

2H motor is solid mate

Regular oil changes and it will go around the clock
Good first car to start with, get a locker in the rear some decent tyres and your set

Don’t add a turbo and it will be ok
The gearbox won’t last if you go for more power

cheers mate, can't wait to get the rig (hopefully sometime this year)

 

[wedgetail]

possibly the best (toughest anyway) ute toyota ever made. I reckon the 2H is a better (stronger as in more durable, uses less fuel - largely because of the inline fuel pump which if not unreasonably abused should last forever, plus timing gears and an oil pressure cutout switch) than the 1HZ. They also had the full sized front diff, not the little one everything got from 1990 on. And a decent hand brake due to full sized shoes

 

[greysrigging]

I had a HJ45 for 11 years. Should never have sold it. Those naturally aspirated H and 2H engines are bullet proof and relatively easy to rebuild.

 

[phs]

I had a HJ45 for 11 years. Should never have sold it. Those naturally aspirated H and 2H engines are bullet proof and relatively easy to rebuild.

No electronics is a huge plus

 

[barnsey062]

They are pretty reliable old motors & you can keep them on the speed limit until you hit an incline in the road or start going up hills, mine was really good & reliable but i just got sick of moving over to let everyone go past me when i hit a hill,
the more camping gear you put in your canopy or the more weight you carry the slower they are up hills but it will get you too where ever you are wanting to go & back again without any problems, they are a pretty reliable old engine,
I just decided that i didn't like moving over anymore & swapped the 2h out for a 12ht & have found that i can now sit on the speed limit when going up hills so no more moving over to let trucks go past
the 12ht has more hp & lots more torque & i have found the fuel economy to be a lot better with the 12ht, but thats probably because the 12ht doesn't labor as much while pulling up hills,
one thing you should do if considering buying it is to pay someone who knows what they are looking at to check it over for you,
things start to add up pretty quickly if you have to pay someone to repair stuff, remember its 30 years old & unless the previous owners have kept up with regular maintenance, swivel hubs bearings brakes gearbox cooling system etc you could end up spending the asking price again in repairs,
you could get lucky but having someone check it out first will give you peace of mind.
I have pretty much replaced everything on mine now & although it doesn't look much, my cheap cruiser now owes me over 20k & thats not including the 10k it cost me when building the canopy, i still have a list of stuff that needs doing, suspension exhaust etc but its slowly getting to how i want it.

This is how i got mine, I swapped it for a $1200 floor sanding job.

This is a recent photo of how it looks now.

 

[wedgetail]

Yeah owning this sort of vehicle kind of goes without saying I feel - either do all (or almost all) of your own maintenance or absolutely pay through the nose

 

[barnsey062]

Yeah owning this sort of vehicle kind of goes without saying I feel - either do all (or almost all) of your own maintenance or absolutely pay through the nose

Yep, i learnt how to do everything on this one, the best part about doing everything yourself is you get familiar with all of its workings, lots of questions were asked & lots of youtube videos watched, but it does help having worked on all of my cars since a very young age so being mechanical minded also helps out a lot too.

 

[Batts88]

Good old motor if serviced correctly the oil needs to be changed every 5,000km as it gets very dirty same as old patrol motors. You can look at extending it by adding a bypass filter later on if you want. If your mechanically minded , like working on vehicles then you might like it as most old vehicles need things replaced as they wear out. As for power there fine but you can always fit a decent snorkel, extractors and exhaust to give it a bit more that's about all they need it's a real 4wd and not a modern high tech vehicle that needs massive power, traction aids to do the same job.

Fitting a better fuel filter with a water trap unless it has been done already is much better than the paper one they have, are easier to change and will extend servicing to 10,000 or 20,000 km. I woud drain the fuel tank to see if any rubbish comes out as well. Also check if it has a water trap near the fuel tank my 2H 60ser had one they need draining and can clog up. If diesel only trickles out time to change it out they can shut you down.

I wouldn't fit anything bigger than a 32" tyre so you can maintain good hwy speeds I had 31" on my 4 speed 60ser it happily ran at 110kph you also get to take more notice of what's around you in these older vehicles, see more side tracks others miss because your not in a hurry.

 

[Rojac]

Great allrounder, I have a1990 HJZ ute with canvas canopy, basic no electric gimmicks to go wrong, comfortable, I'm 6'4" and find it very comfortable especially on long trips, you sit with a good posture, it is gutless more so as the km's roll on, I have a 1HZ with just over 460,000km, doesn't like hills, hates hills when towing, regular oil/filter changes, get a decent stereo and turn it up as that gets rid of those annoying squeaks and rattles that you can't seem to find

 

[greysrigging]

Mate has this old 75 with the 12HT... bloke in his early 70's... done a magnificent job on it... c/w auto tranny from the source vehicle.

 

[CBear]

Hi I'm just reading this thread as I'm taking a look at a 75 series to buy and trying to do some homework. Thoughts? It's got a 1HZ with aftermarket turbo

 

[itlldoo]

looks neat !
but would want to give it a good look over before any cash given, 25 years young

 

[CBear]

Cheers for reply. I agree..as it's a few $$