[Cartman]

Wow! I just went through the entire thread! Brilliant! I also shared it on facebook for my friends to read!

Harjeev bhai, awesome buy! I'm amused how it completely dwarfs the Alto. It is humongous! The travelogue, the story, all of it mesmerizing! Like a hindi film, has a happy ending!

Beautiful!!

Cheers buddy!

Cartman.

[HappyWheels]

Harjeev,

It just seems faith that you got to pick this one. Looks almost like this one was waiting for you! Such a long time on the classified and still...! Sigh!

Congrats!

[lsp]

Harjeev paaji
Congrats!! Balle balle, Chak Ditte Phatte!!

Awesome purchase sirji!! You went practically all the way across the country to fetch the beauty. Or should I call it the Beast? Good to see you are leaving no stone unturned to bring it to top notch condition. Those guys were practically sitting in the engine bay & working.

As requested earlier, please post interior pics too.

[maddy42]

Amazing Attitude Harjeev. You took all the glitches in your stride and looks like you were smiling with each minor issue rather than cribbin about it. Beautiful vehicle and gosh it satisfies the mileage kya hai question satisfactorily too!!

By the way could you post some costs as it would help guys looking for one or contemplating buying one such vehicle.

Keep up the spirit man. 5 Star for the vehicle and the man behind the wheel.
Maddy

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by SirAlec

One more thing Harjeev, i forgot to mention in that other thread.

For registration, your vehicle needs to be present there.

@SirAlec: Ihave spoken to a RTO agent and he said if i get he car its ok, if not then the charge would be 3k extra. This was when I spoke to the agent for getting a NOC FORM No 28. He said that charge for just the NOC is 2k and if I do not get the car then its 3k extra.
Now I am trying to get it registered in Mumbai. One option that I have come across is that the vehicle can be registered on the basis of a LIC policy, but the policy has to be more than 6 months old. Will see what I can manage, but if I retain the Mumbai number I save atleast 50k’s which can help me change the tyres on the cruiser. I will be in Mumbai and will meet the RTO agent(s) in a couple of days, with my fingers crossed.

Originally Posted by Mpower

[/list]Looking good Harjeev. Are all these parts readily available or do they have to be ordered from overseas? or is it coming from Toyota dealer?

All these parts are easily available. Atleast that has been the experience till date. However even if some parts are not available then the guys from where I bought my stuff said that they will source it and in 2-3 weeks they should have it.

Also, I hope you will dump the Taiwan headlight change back to the original OEM (nonprojector) one. It looks so much better.

I will do that, but a little later. The original headlamps cost a bomb. About 15k + for original and there is another company DEPO which are slightly cheaper. So I am waiting, maybe next year. The throw of these Taiwani lights are pathetic but the HELLA 4000 are more than adequate. he he he

Originally Posted by chargerman

great car i had one of that, its called a HJ80 as it has the HZ engine, those yokohamas AT+2 are bad tires, the AT-S is much better, you mustve had a noisy highway trip! i am surprised you get most service parts in india for this. do replace the headlamps the stock look with the yellow built in fog is the best look....we get everything for this here so if you need anything from dhaka let me know! enjoy mudding.

@Chargerman: Thanks
I actually did quite a lot of homework on the spare part availability before I was even mentally prepared to buy the cruiser. As I said in my 1st post, I was contemplating between the FJ80 & the Mitsubishi Pajero or the likes. So I frequented markets and workshops talking to the workshop owners, vehicle owners etc, just to get an insite and idea on the ownership experience, cost of spares, spare availability etc. As I believe that buying a vehicle is quite easy. Its the maintenance that’s difficult. Now I am not saying that one would get all the parts sight off the shelf like to do of vehicles like a Mahindra or Maruti or Hyundai. But spares normal serviceable parts like what all I bought are available easily.

Originally Posted by GTO

Whoa, that's a heck of a detailed report. I have a feeling this thread is going to become a bible for owning LC80's in India. Though I posted earlier, I'm rating it 5 stars now.

Thanks a lot GTO.
I am just trying to share my experience like I did with my MM550 thread. I never could do it with either the RHD or the LHD CJ3B that I restored and am still restoring(LHD).

Harjeev, you know what the best part of refurbishing such a classic is? The fact that you'll retain it for a long time and thus, don't mind spending a tidy packet getting her back in shape. End of the day, it'll cost you less than 50% of a new Fortuner with twice the presence / style / class / capability / offroadability.

I totally understand what you mean. You must be getting the same feeling when you would be spending money on your CLASSIC. Nothing else would have prompted you to buy and install a brand new XD3P engine into it. I get the same feeling when I get work done on my CJ3B and now this. Its a wonderful feeling something like the MASTERCARD advert PRICELESS!!! Further it was and is totally worth every each and every minute I spent when I started my drive back to Delhi from Bangalore and as small as 5 odd bucks I spend while getting air checked up at the fuel station. PRICELESS

Originally Posted by Cartman

Wow! I just went through the entire thread! Brilliant! I also shared it on facebook for my friends to read!

Harjeev bhai, awesome buy! I'm amused how it completely dwarfs the Alto. It is humongous! The travelogue, the story, all of it mesmerizing! Like a hindi film, has a happy ending!

Beautiful!!

Cheers buddy!

Cartman.

Thanks man. I am happy that you liked it and thanks again for sharing.
What is you FB id. PM me your email id and Ill add you.

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Harjeev,

It just seems faith that you got to pick this one. Looks almost like this one was waiting for you! Such a long time on the classified and still...! Sigh!

Congrats!

Yup!!! I couldn’t believe it and still cant. The simple explanation that I can give is that was destined for me. I very regularly check the classified section of teambhp and I am sure that I must have see it back then when it was posted, May 2009. At that time I wasn’t mentally nor financially prepared to spend 10-12 lacs on a vehicle and further I was restoring my MM550 and the CJ3B RHD. But its wonderful to have it now. Cheers Mate!!!

Originally Posted by lsp

Harjeev paaji
Congrats!! Balle balle, Chak Ditte Phatte!!

Awesome purchase sirji!! You went practically all the way across the country to fetch the beauty. Or should I call it the Beast? Good to see you are leaving no stone unturned to bring it to top notch condition. Those guys were practically sitting in the engine bay & working.

As requested earlier, please post interior pics too.

Will definitely do that my today evening. Actually if you see the advisertisement in the classified section, the previous owner has already posted somepictures of the interior. But I would definitely do that by the evening.

Originally Posted by maddy42

Amazing Attitude Harjeev. You took all the glitches in your stride and looks like you were smiling with each minor issue rather than cribbin about it. Beautiful vehicle and gosh it satisfies the mileage kya hai question satisfactorily too!!

Thanks Maddy!!! You know what, when one is alone, what would one crib and more than what, whom would one crib in front off.
It has been my experience that one tends to become a little stronger in difficult situations, especially when one is alone, atleast I tried then the whole mental system works towards making efforts to sort out the problems at hand rather than worrying and cribbing about it and making the whole situation more difficult than its already is.

By the way could you post some costs as it would help guys looking for one or contemplating buying one such vehicle.

Keep up the spirit man. 5 Star for the vehicle and the man behind the wheel.
Maddy

I would definitely post the cost once I sort out the transfer in my name.
Cheers and thanks again for voting 5 *’s

[tsk1979]

I suggest you keep writing down all minor and major expenses you do on the vehicle(for example belt change).
Also make a small note in an excel sheet on how difficult was it to procure parts etc., for the said job.
This will really help others understand the cost of ownership and ease of ownership

[gotzuk]

Excellent thread, Harjeev.
This one will be a definitive LC maintenance/ownership thread.

Just one thing though. What you have is not the FJ80!

The FJ80 came with either the 3F/3FE 4 litre 6 cylinder petrol engines.
Your LC with the 1HDT 4.2 litre 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine is known as HDJ80 or HDJ81(Japanese Domestic Market).

See your vehicle's VIN plate, it will be mentioned there as a suffix for the model and frame numbers.
I am surprised nobody pointed that out earlier.

Cheers

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

I suggest you keep writing down all minor and major expenses you do on the vehicle(for example belt change).
Also make a small note in an excel sheet on how difficult was it to procure parts etc., for the said job.
This will really help others understand the cost of ownership and ease of ownership

Thanks for the great suggestion Tanveer. I have already been maintaining a summary in excel in the following format. Further as you said that I should also add a note in the row which I should write a remark as to how, when & where I procured the part(s) will further make the report more to the point and a great reference on a later date.

Sr Date; Kms; Description; Unit of Mes; Type; Cost; Total; Dealer; Remarks;

Originally Posted by gotzuk

Excellent thread, Harjeev.
This one will be a definitive LC maintenance/ownership thread.

Thanks a lot Vaibhav for appreciating and I will try my best to keep it as updated as possible.

Just one thing though. What you have is not the FJ80!

The FJ80 came with either the 3F/3FE 4 litre 6 cylinder petrol engines.
Your LC with the 1HDT 4.2 litre 6 cylinder turbo diesel engine is known as HDJ80 or HDJ81(Japanese Domestic Market).

See your vehicle's VIN plate, it will be mentioned there as a suffix for the model and frame numbers.
I am surprised nobody pointed that out earlier.

Cheers

You are right. the VIN place says that my vehicle's a HDJ80R-GNMEX with 1HD-T 4164cc engine.
BTW I am trying to get myself acquainted with the ih8mud forum but the site is so vast that I havent been able to grab much. Any other references where I can get more info on the FJ80... oops HDJ80

[gotzuk]

Originally Posted by harjeev

BTW I am trying to get myself acquainted with the ih8mud forum but the site is so vast that I havent been able to grab much. Any other references where I can get more info on the FJ80... oops HDJ80

Ih8mud is by far the most authoritative forum for Land Cruisers. I have been crawling through that forum for quite some time now and the wealth of information available there is amazing.

I would say you start off by downloading and printing FSM's for your vehicle.
It will give you a insight on the mechanisms along with being a ready reckoner to get get correct part numbers.

Download the 1HD-T engine repair manual here Toyota Workshop & Repair Manuals - Page: 1
and the Body and Chassis manual here Toyota Workshop & Repair Manuals - Page: 3

Cheers

[V-16]

Harjeev, congrats buddy. Great car and great in depth upkeep. Lot of LC owners will be looking to this thread for their upkeep. Keep it up!!

[rrahul_2778]

Great buy Harjeev paaji. Congrats and yes please keep this thread up to date, this is inspiring me to buy a LC myself

[53BHP]

Now I am trying to get it registered in Mumbai. One option that I have come across is that the vehicle can be registered on the basis of a LIC policy, but the policy has to be more than 6 months old. Will see what I can manage, but if I retain the Mumbai number I save atleast 50k’s which can help me change the tyres on the cruiser. I will be in Mumbai and will meet the RTO agent(s) in a couple of days, with my fingers crossed.


Hey HDJ Buddy,

I have a bit of help with the RTO in Mumbai. Let me know how i can help

Cheers

R

[harjeev]

Originally Posted by gotzuk

Ih8mud is by far the most authoritative forum for Land Cruisers. I have been crawling through that forum for quite some time now and the wealth of information available there is amazing.

I would say you start off by downloading and printing FSM's for your vehicle.
It will give you a insight on the mechanisms along with being a ready reckoner to get get correct part numbers.

Download the 1HD-T engine repair manual here Toyota Workshop & Repair Manuals - Page: 1
and the Body and Chassis manual here Toyota Workshop & Repair Manuals - Page: 3

Cheers

Thanks for the link Vaibhav. I have downloaded the Manuals and will start using them as an when required. I really love the power of the internet.

Also I would start frequenting the ih8mud forum more often. Maybe sooner or later I will be able to grasp and get better acquainted with my vehicle.

Originally Posted by V-16

Harjeev, congrats buddy. Great car and great in depth upkeep. Lot of LC owners will be looking to this thread for their upkeep. Keep it up!!

Thanks Gogi. I will try my best to keep updating it as and when I work on the cruiser.

Originally Posted by rrahul_2778

Great buy Harjeev paaji. Congrats and yes please keep this thread up to date, this is inspiring me to buy a LC myself

Thanks Rrahul

Originally Posted by 53BHP

Hey HDJ Buddy,

I have a bit of help with the RTO in Mumbai. Let me know how i can help

Cheers

R

Hey Rohit,
Thanks a lot buddy, I might just take you on that offer. I was in Mumbai yesterday and will be posting the registration update by today evening or tomorrow.
Cheers

[harjeev]

OWNERSHIP UPDATE

Also as it is obvious, I have not updated the thread in almost 3 weeks now but the primary reason fort that is that there's nothing to update.

I have officially owned the vehicle for 5000 kms now and the ODO now reads 1071xx (bought it at 1019xx). Completed 5k kms yesterday.
Of the total 5k kms 2.5k kms was the Bangalore to Delhi Trip, 1.2k kms was a round trip to Hoshiarpur, Punjab, 2-3 trips to Bhiwadi, Rajasthan (450 odd kms) and balance is in-city driving.

Some niggles that need attention in the vehicle are

• The driver's side power window has started acting up
• The floor area of the driver's side is always wet. At first I thought that this was because of the rains but its still there. I have shown it once to an AC guy but he says that he cant find the source of the leak. Still trying to figure this one out.
• There adhesive which holds the fabric upholstery on the door, again the drivers side, is peeling off and need to be fixed.
• The Horn sometimes goes dead and then a couple of kms later again comes back to life. I havent really bothered with this as the car has 2 horns and if I goes bad I use the other one. I need to get the wiring checked though.

Howsoever hard I try I cant thing of anything else

REGISTRATION UPDATE

With the help of the teambhp directory service I inquired about getting the vehicle transferred in Mumbai from Expert
The guy was really professional and clarified all of my doubts. I learnt from him that they (Mumbai RTO Authorities) have changed their rules and since the past year or so either one of the following is accepted as address proof for transfer of ownership

• Election ID card
• Passport

My intention for trying to get the vehicle transferred in Mumbai was that had it been possible, I would have saved a decent amount of money. But I can't fabricate either one of above two proof of address, so I have no other option other than to change the state of ownership. Delhi having already ruled out earlier (EURO norms) my next best bet is either Haryana or Punjab. So I have opted for Ludhiana, Punjab as it should be comparatively much cheaper than Haryana and I have relatives staying in that city so I could use thier address if required.

So guys I need help with sorting this one out and finally getting the vehicle transferred in my name.


In the meantime I leave you with a couple of pictures of the vehicle. These were taken by my brother in Hoshiarpur, Pb.

[bigman]

Harjeev,

Get all drainage holes checked and cleared if they are blocked. Not the LC but on Audi A4's I have seen footwells get wet after the plenum chamber drainage holes are blocked with leaves and other debris.