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What's your model ? (longish)

G

Guest

Guest
Indeed!
http://picasaweb.google.com/rthijssen/BJ40Restoration#5300390130343283986
/rob
2009/2/26 toyj80 <[Email address removed]>
>
>
> It is nice to that we still attract new members to the forum and still some
> of us old hands pitch-in with help. So perhaps it is time that we have a
> reminder about identifying your TLC. This is not just this fat grey balding
> old fart being a pedant, but as we all get to know our Toys we come to value
> intimate knowledge of its technical ID, not the fact that it is a Prado,
> Amazon, Colorado, LandCruiser, GX, VX, SX, F1, V1 or F16.
>
> We learn in time that we have to forget whatever is stuck to the bonnet,
> tailgate, dash panel, or even writ large on a decal down the side of the
> thing. Toyota are very clever people and know how to market their excellent
> product, and a name or model variant ID on the panelwork is just that -
> marketing. It does not identify your Toy when you need parts or technical
> help.
>
> I have seen 'Colorado' written on late model 90 series and then again
> written on a lightweight (4 cylinder) SWB 70 series of late 1980 vintage.
> Yet both 70 and 90 series remain in production in various world locations,
> so which Colorado is it?
>
> Amazon appeared on late 80 series and then became the name of the 100
> series. (I have also seen a 105 with 'Amazon' on it. That could be
> interesting if ordering steering parts - the 105 is a 100 with a solid beam
> axle from the 80 on it and not the more usual IFS). The Colorado/Prado
> became the 'LandCruiser' in some UK and European markets. Yet the 80 was
> first known as a 'Landcruiser'. (Go to markets outside Europe and those
> model/series combinations can alter again). I am sure that other old hands
> here will trip me up with other combinations but it's the principle that is
> important - you need to know the series number of your Toy.
>
> This gets even more confusing when it comes to buying parts. The average
> Toy dealer is probably the most unhelpful in this topic. This is due to the
> fact that certainly in UK and also in some European markets, most of the
> Toys we see are grey imports. So the dealer knows what few 4WD models he has
> sold, and to some degree what grey imports there are around. But Toy make
> such a superior robust product that most dealers only sell pads filters and
> lamps. They rarely service cars they have sold beyond routine changes of
> these parts. They will never have overhauled front swivel bearings or dealt
> with sticky difflocks. This is mostly due to Toy products being priced near
> the top of the market and owners of such vehicles trade them in before they
> start to wear and need overhaul or major repair. (A good example of this is
> the problems some of our friends in Ireland, Denmark and Norway have with
> their dealers.)
>
> So members of excellent forums such as this are second or third owners of
> vehicles often 10+ years old, a time when the need for serious overhaul
> becomes apparent. When we do this we tend to go to third party spares
> suppliers - Milner, Jap4X4 etc. - who are general dealers and whom we cannot
> expect to know about our own Toys. Though these people are generally more
> knowledgeable than a lot of dealers, and often have a better idea of the Toy
> parts catalogue than regular Toy partsmen.
>
> It is not unknown to have to convince a Toy partsman that his computer
> system has all the details of most models made around the world, if only he
> will depart from the default menu and look at the boot-up menu. It was an
> almost biblical revelation to the man in the Aylesbury Toy dealer when I
> showed him my LHD NATO spec 80 on his system with rear doors he never dreamt
> existed !
>
> So, how do you know what your Toy is ? (now that you have been persuaded
> never to call it by its tailgate badge name again). Look for an aluminium
> plate on the bulkhead or firewall under the windscreen when the bonnet is
> lifted. (Or look in the handbook for directions to its location if
> different). Then you will see its true technical DNA, e.g.
>
> MODEL NUMBER - HZJ80L-GCMRS
>
> The first group tells you the type of engine (HZ) then location of
> manufacture (J for Japan), '80' is the design series, 'L' is for LHD.
>
> The second group shows trim and door style, etc. (There are some
> publications on the net that give a full breakdown of all specs).
>
> So although this is a 'LandCruiser GX/SX etc' - to us all it is an '80'
>
> Next is -
>
> FRAME NUMBER - HZJ80-0012761 or prefixed by the more familiar
> 'VIN' instead of Frame number.
>
> The VINs usually have the normal 11-13 digits/numerals. Many imports don't
> have a VIN but the frame number. Again you will recognise the engine type
> and series designation. This number is repeated on the bodywork in the usual
> manner and for those 6 cylinder models with a frame chassis it is stamped on
> the chassis member visible behind the wheel in the front right wheel arch.
>
> Some Toy partsmen will swear blind that it must have a VIN when you tell
> them the shorter frame number, and he will try and make a fool of you by
> insisting on looking at the spec plate, you will have the last laugh, but
> then you will be able to walk him through his parts software and show him
> how it ID your Toy.
>
> On the spec plate are a list of other self explanatory numbers etc which
> are easy to understand.
>
> All this becomes of greater importance when travelling overseas; when very
> clear ID of the vehicle for parts is critical, especially if you are talking
> to someone in a parts depot somewhere across the continent on a bad phone
> line and the parts will take 3 days to get to you. The good news is that in
> these out-of-the-way places there are far more Toys than in Europe and more
> mechanics per square mile who know how to fix them. Just find the local aid
> agency and you will be halfway to fixing your Toy or at least finding a man
> who can.
>
> Sorry to be a bit tedious but its an important aspect of maintaining your
> beloved Toy ;o)
>
> Cheers
> Jon
> Linslade, Beds
> 70/80/90/105 driver
>
>
>
> --
> European Land Cruiser Owners Mailing List
> Further Info: http://www.landcruisers.info/lists/
>
--
Rob Thijssen
www.pragmantra.com, www.linkedin.com/in/thijssen
Skype: rob.thijssen
MSN, GoogleTalk: [Email address removed]
Telephone: +44 1752 774086, +44 7856 535344
 
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