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2000 LWB Colorado VX Auto 1KZ-TE Project -- Good Engine & Tranny -- Chassis Needs Welding -- No MOT

stuzbot

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2021
Messages
469
Well, the on/off, will he/won't he saga with my Colorado continues:

I'd taken the batteries out and left it parked up at the end of our lane since about the end of December, when the MOT ran out --planning to get tore into it when the warmer weather came along. So, yesterday i thought it was high time to bring it up to the house, give it the once over and remind myself what needed dong for the MOT. I fitted the batteries and she fired up first turn of the key. Yay!

Unfortunately, that's where the good news ended. Those Toyota lads may build indestructible engines and trannies.But, as all of us Land Cruiser owners know to our cost, they don't seem to have heard of rust prevention. I already knew that my truck needed welding on the chassis rails either side of the fuel tank...

PASSENGER SIDE
20220626_162746.jpg

DRIVER SIDE
20220626_162827.jpg



But [at least previously] the rear axle mounting towers were sound. However, when I had a crawl underneath today, I noticed the following...

20220626_162651.jpg

I think the expression rhymes with "Rollocks"!

Anyway, given the fact I've got no garage or workshop facilities and have to work on the motor in the lane opposite my house, I'm going to have to throw in the towel on this one. If it had just been the two chassis side rails by the tank, I'd have trusted it to my crappy welding skills, But something structural like an axle mount tower is beyond the level of my confidence in my abilities. So the old gal's gotta go.

If you want to know the ins and outs of this vehicle, you can do a search for my various posts on the forum. But a quick the Good, the Bad and the Ugly:

GOOD
* Engine is good. Around 220,000 miles. Starts first turn of the key and runs with no blowback, no overheating, no smoke.
* Auto tranny is sound. Fluid flushed last year using top spec ASIN fluid.
* VX model. So has all the posh gubbins, like electric sunroof, leather heated seats, heated mirrors, etc. etc. Pretty much all of which is working.
* Did the LBJs last year, after I bought it. Genuine Toyota replacements
* New LSV last year.
* Coolant flushed last year
* 2000 reg. So tax based on engine size, not emissions.

BAD
* Chassis rust [see above] and general surface rust underneath. Sills also need patching. If you've got one you'll know the score.
* Tyres are crap. A mis-matched set from the PE box. One of them is balder than Telly Savalas and the spare has a slow puncture
* Front end has had a ding at some point so the cross member that the air con rad sits on is bent back a bit:

20220626_163117.jpg

...as a result, the bonnet catch mounting [which attaches to that cross-member] is cracked and really temperamental. Locks when it wants to. Most of the time doesn't. Similar state with the front plastic grille /headlamp surround. Some plastic tabs broken off, so held together with that perforated metal strip stuff.

* Rear diff --was working when I bought it. And last time I used it [before Chrimbo]. But I tried it today and it seems to have seized in the intervening ,months. I'll have a look at it and see if I can free it up again. Coz it was working up until quite recently, so hopefully just needs a bit of persuasion.

UGLY
* Driver's seat a bit tatty.
* Paintwork is dull
* Lacquer peel on bonnet
* Usual minor dents and dings all round you'd expect on a 23 year old vehicle

Couple of external pics:

20220626_162908.jpg

20220626_162919.jpg

20220626_163052.jpg

Let me know if you want pics or vid of anything else and I'll stick them up.

It starts first time and drives spot on. But given the lack of MOT and the crappy tyres I'd strongly advise trailering it away. I'm based in Northumberland. About 10 miles outside Hexham.

Difficult to price something like this up. Especially with the mad state of the world at the moment. But I'm looking around £1750 ONO for it, which I think is pretty reasonable as, even though it's too much for me to take on between now and winter [when I'll need a 4x4 out here in the boondocks], it's mechanically sound and would be a pretty good starting point for a resto project, for anyone with a garage or workshop to tinker in.
 
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Nice to hear from you again mate. Sorry to hear/see that, after all the initial trials and work put in under less than favourable conditions. Unfortunately if it's not an enthusiast that drives them, as long as they are shiney on top that's all they are concerned with, hence the result.
You're not going back to VW's are you ? Stay with us,
 
Nice to hear from you again mate

Oh. I've still been here. Mostly just lurking though, as my Cruiser was laid up for the winter.

You're not going back to VW's are you ? Stay with us,

I think Ive priced myself out of that market now. I kind of regret selling my T3 Syncro for 'only' £7500, as they're going for stupid money now, in a much worse state than mine was.

I'm actually quite minded to go for a 4x4 pickup next...

[I hadn't realised before that pickups and vans are taxed lower than cars, as they're considered work vehicles. And with the way diesel prices are going 'every little helps' as Mr. Tesco says].

..first choice, in that case would be one of the older Hiluxes, with the solid front axle. So I'd still be in the Toyota club. But not the 'Cruiser Crew'. Mind you, they're going for stupid money now too and are supposedly prone to the same rear chassis rust issues as the Land Cruisers --although, in the case of a pick-up, there's always the possibility of getting the tub off and getting in at the chassis for any repair work.
 
* Tyres are crap. A mis-matched set from the PE box. One of them is balder than Telly Savalas and the spare has a slow puncture

Haha I've missed your posts !!!

Sorry to hear you're giving it up but totally understand - hope you get another Toyota and stick around
 
Sorry to hear you're giving it up but totally understand

Yeah. It is a bit of a bummer. In spite of everything, I really like the truck. It's like driving a big comfy sofa. I had a lift in my neighbour's newer Mitsubishi L200 and couldn't believe how crude it was, compared to my Collie.

None of the 'stuff' it needs doing is hugely major in itself --maybe with the exception of the welding. But even that someone with a garage and some ramps could likely do in an afternoon. It's just the fact of having about half a dozen minor things that need sorting, when I've got to work outside and can't just dismantle parts of the truck and leave the bits lying around, that has the potential to balls everything up. One week's worth of work can end up taking a couple of months for me, if the weather takes a turn for the worse.

I'm still not ruling out getting another Collie, if the right one comes around. But, as per previous reply above, I am leaning more towards a pickup at the mo'. Cheaper tax and the ability to blend in with my country bumpkin neighbours!
 
Sounds like a good compromise there and its not just pick ups that have gone crazy, as you know.
For what it's worth, I think your price is very reasonable for a fixer upper or a donor vehicle.
If youre gonna blend in with country bumpkin neighbours, make sure you get a banjo with the pick up.
 
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Personally i think i'd be looking for another of the same cheap as chips because the engine is buggered ,two wrongs can make a right .
 
The trouble is; the engines and trannies are bullet proof. But the chassis are tin worm magnets. So finding one with a mint chassis [regardless of the state of the mechanicals] is nigh on impossible.
 
Insurers will write these of for a broken window now so advertise looking for a damaged repairable .
 
The trouble is; the engines and trannies are bullet proof. But the chassis are tin worm magnets. So finding one with a mint chassis [regardless of the state of the mechanicals] is nigh on impossible.
*Quietly sobs with a blown engine*
 
Put it on eBay at your original price or a bit more you can always come down.
Yes, you will have to pay fees, but you will get a wider audience
Or Farcebook, don't do it myself, but apparently things sell well.
Good luck mate.
 
Yeah. I'm going to stick it on eBay, when I can motivate myself to take the pics and write the blurb. I just thought I'd try the forum first, seeing as every time I've listed a vehicle on eBay in the past, I've had to wade through about half a dozen messages of the "Would you take £100 for it if I collect it tonight?" and "Do you want to swap for a <insert most undesireable vehicle ever>?" for every genuine enquiry.
 
Sad part is if you'd be happy to have a go at patching up , the rails with a welder then the axle mount is childsplay , its snapped not rotted so it would clamp down exactly where it needs to be . Not penetrating with a stick welder is a bit like worrying your hammer might not be big enough to break an egg , trying not to burn clear through it is the challenge while amateur stick welding .

Get on gumtree and find an out of work welder happy to pop around with his kit for a few quid cash .
 
Yer, should have mentioned, - be prepared for the twats that seem to frequent eBay and others.
I get what you say about offering it to members first though, normally an easy life for both parties
 
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