1991 Toyota Hilux 4x4 Build

This is my 1991 Toyota Hilux imported from Japan. It was stock except for the rollbar and rims. The factory rims & tires couldn't come over with it.

For maintenance I have replaced all fluids upon arrival. I actually found all the fluids to be fresh but did so for preventative reasons. The truck required a new alternator and voltage regulator. I should have replaced it with an internally regulated one but that will be a mod in the future if the current alternator gives any problems. I rebuilt the front & rear axles with new bearings, and seals & replaced a couple light bulbs. I use fluid film inside the frame just in case, though I won't drive the vehicle in winter.

The upgrades I have so far are Front & Rear diff breathers, Drain plug mods on axles, transmission & transfer case, 31 inch tires on new rims, Old Man Emu suspension system, extended stainless brake lines, drop drag link, harrop elockers front & rear wired to a factory dial, DTS turbo system with autometer gauges to monitor EGT & Boost.

I have a new timing belt and water pump which isn't due for another 40,000km but I will probably install earlier. At that same time I want to move to Waterless Coolant. Currently I'm using Genuine Toyota Coolant with water wetter.

I run a bit of diesel kleen and lubricity formula with every fill up.

Future mods down the road might be:

Safari Snorkel
2.25 or 2.5 Stainless Mandrel Bent Exhaust
R151 Transmission & Heavy Duty Clutch. (I have a USA R151 tailhousing to mount to the gear driven transfer case so hopefully can find a low mileage JDM R151 with bellhousing to upgrade and still keep everything looking factory)
33x10.5 Tires & 4.88 gears

I haven't done enough documentation & pictures of the work I've done so far so hopefully I can document the new things here.

 

Got dang she's so clean!!! ​

 

That is sooooo cool! I’d love to see one like it in person someday!

 

That’s s pretty damn sweet truck you have there OP.

 

Thanks for the comments. It is clean but I try to use it as intended. It is rare but there are better examples in the USA https://goo.gl/photos/SY3WzW7adQeV2LzVA so I don't feel too bad about modifying and driving it. The only thing I want to completely avoid is salt.

These are the photos I had to go by when purchasing it. It was an auction grade 4 and interior B if anyone is familiar with that scale. It was in southern Japan which meant little to no snow but I think the corrosion on the roll bar and the dull body panels pictures scared some of the competition off. It turns out that is was just the light angles and no repainting or bodywork had been done.

 

Next is modding the Diff lock dial to add additional individual lighted rocker switches. They will go into the empty slots above the dial and should fit perfectly. This will mean that in order to lock both the dial and rocker switch must be turned on. Part of it is the extra safety precaution, getting a light to remind me they are engaged, but most importantly this will allow a locked front and open rear. For certain situations with uphill turns and obstacles I think having that option would be nice.

 

Goddamn is that thing sweet. I'd love to import one something like this... was it a pain? Even if it was, it appears like it was worth it hah

 

Sofa king awesome!

 

I really want to know how much boost?

 

It isn't a pain but it takes time to find one. You have to put money upfront for an agent to bid and inspect for you then be ready to wire the rest of the money overseas when auction closes. There are a fee pay and form to file with the shipping company before arrival then you can use a customs broker or go to the port yourself for pickup and import and customs processing.

Most of the time it should go smoothly but you could be unlucky and get an enhanced inspection by customs and be forced to pay for it. Also if the vehicle doesn't have the original engine it could get denied entry. There are many horror stories but for the majority of cases it is straight forward.

It is worth it if you are willing to take a risk to save money. Otherwise it would be easier to buy one that is already imported.

Usually maxes out around 8-9 pounds of boost. The fuel pump hasn't been adjusted and I'm still running the stock exhaust with no intercooler.

 

I was ordering some part numbers using https://www.megazip.net/ and found out that 1991 was the last year of production for the double cab solid axle in the JDM market. I had been following the JDM Auctions and all the newer double cab vehicles have been IFS. So if anyone else is looking the only years you will find them will be 1989-1991.

In Australia they were available until at least 1996 or 1997. When I was in South America I spotted a few in LHD Japanese built trucks with solid axles up until 1996 but I think most of the odometers had been rolled back a couple hundred thousand Km's.

 

Such a freaken awesome build Bro. Love the truck.

 

Those older trucks last forever.nice truck O.P

 

Damn nice truck!!!

 

Wow. The front and rear lockers and solid axles are pretty sweet. Shame Toyota didn't feel there was a market for that sort of thing in North America any longer.

 

holy shit thats a dream truck

 

This is exactly what i have been planning. I've been researching how to import a Hilux to Texas from Japan and I think I've settled on Pacific coast jdm at this point but still confused about the arrival process. Any advice or warning

 

I looked at them as well but they were too busy at the time to even take a deposit. I paid a higher fee but the dealer I went with did an inspection with many res photos. Imo it is worth the extra cost to have it inspected before bidding. The enhanced inspections helped me from over bidding on a few land cruisers I was also interested in. Find a customs broker at your local port and between them and your broker in Japan you’ll have all the information you need to import.

Best warning would be watch your budget closely because all the commissions and shipping fees will go into the import duty then you have to pay state sales tax on the whole thing depending on where you live.

The other warning would be that there really aren’t many of them left in Japan. So it might take a very long time to find one and there will be alot of competitors bidding against you. I would look at the whole lineup of land cruisers and nissan patrols/safari as well. You’ll see many more of them in better condition than all but a few of the 1980’s-1990’s hilux’s plus they will be much cheaper to import.

 

Yeah, Pacific Coast still haven't responded to my request to set up a purchasing account. Who did you go thru? The pre-bid inspection is definitely the right way to go.

Another concern I had was that another guy I talked to imported a Hilux thru Pacific Coast with no issues but had to pay a 25% duty tax at the port. Is that percent standard or did he get screwed?

I apologize for so many questions it' just a little scary trusting someone overseas and there's sporadic info all over the internet about the whole process.

 

Stuart from Auto access japan. I heard brave auto is good as well. I think they are all slow to respond until you paid the buyers fee. Yes 25% is standard for trucks because of the chicken tax. A Suv or car is only 2.5%.