Hello

[JJBSerenity]

Hi all,

I'm looking to buy a Hilux Surf in the near future so thought I'd join up to see what I was getting myself into.

Currently drive a Defender 90 (200Tdi) Hardtop but have another kid on the way soon so need a similar vehicle (ie one I can get the dog and camping gear in/on) but fancied a bit more refinement than a 110 and more reliability than a Range Rover Classic (I'm not really keen on Discos).

Having grown up in the southern hemisphere I'm no stranger to Toyotas but never owned one personally.

I'm a bargain hunter though, looking for something priced between £800 - £1,500 so will no doubt pick up a Hilux with a long list of problems.

I'm looking at the 3L at the moment so trips to the Lake District/Cornwall from Essex take less than they currently do in the Defender

I'll have a browse on here and read up but if in the meantime, anyone has a shortlist of things to look out for, any info would be appreciated.

Cheers

JJB

[JJBSerenity]

Well, picked up a Gen 2 3.0L Surf this weekend. Got the bargain I was looking for but do need to do a fair bit of work to it. It drives well although feels a little down on power under acceleration. No white smoke though so hopefully the engine is sound and just in need of a good service. The exhaust needs replacing so this will make it a bit sluggish too. It's had a bit of a bang on the front nearside wing and the wing has been replaced. There is a small bit of damage to the corner but no evidence of damage to the chassis or suspension.

I'll be replacing the rear bumper corners first thing as the chrome is rusting and there are one or two small holes. The fuel line is corroding too so that will be the next job. CV joints will need replacing too as I'm getting a knocking when on full lock.

Quick question for you all, will I be able to fit 265/75/R16 tyres on the truck without modification or will they be to large?

Pics:






Cheers,

JJB

[shokenore]

Hi !

shiny truck


The tyres won't fit unless they are 16" rims, typo?

[JJBSerenity]

Hi !

shiny truck


The tyres won't fit unless they are 16" rims, typo?

Cheers, gave her a clean before taking pics

They are already on 16" rims, currently on my Defender and as I'm going to be rebuilding it they may as well go on the Surf (provided they fit)

[shokenore]

I thought all the gland rovers were on five stud?

[JJBSerenity]

hadn't considered that

cheers

[Bonk]

Land Rovers are definitely 5 stud, Toyota six. You can swap the tyres to new rims though.

Not sure about sizes though because they're metric and I'm a 33 x 10 x 15 kinda guy.

[shokenore]

hadn't considered that

cheers

No stupid questions, plenty of stupid answers mind.

Assuming the tyres on the Toyo are slightly worse for wear ( lol ) you could get a set of 16" rims from eBay or perhaps even a set of new steel rims.
I have Mitsi wheels on my truck.

[JJBSerenity]

cheers shokenore, yes a couple need replacing very soon so I'll get on ebay and see what I can find. I have a breakers not far from here as well and need to visit them for a few parts so I'll see what they have in stock.

[JJBSerenity]

Just replaced the stereo. That's the first time I've ever had to dismantle a car to fit a stereo! They must have a high car stereo theft rate in Japan

[charvell]

i thought that the 2nd gens ran on 15 inch rims

[J i m s t e r]

Yes, 2nd Gens are on 15" rims as standard.

16" rims will fit, of course, as long as you are not on big tyres. Pretty certain 265/70-16s (std 3rd gen tyre size) will fit. 15" wheels won't go on a 3rd gen as they won't clear the larger discs.

If you search ebay for 6x139 wheels, that seems to be the standard 6-bolt PCD across Japanese trucks and some American ones too. You can search the site for the recommended offset if the wheels look like they have a deep dish.