Hilux in the US
- Thread starter jh504
- Start date
CanuckMariner/Nomad
Love having fun 😊 in the 🌞 by the ⛵ and the ⏳
From my research the Hilux was never made for Canada or the USA but is now available in MX. I saw a brand new one in Ajijic, MX last October, kool vehicle but gas engine.
Importing as some have mentioned is 15 years old for Kanukistan and 25 years old for Yanksville.
My son has '89 Hilux LN106 and loves it! They go for around 10K and up depending on condition, mileage and options. All are 4 cyl diesels.
Other than the engine and RHD stuff all parts are similar to a 4Runner.
Even if a Canadian were to sell you the Hilux you cannot legally bring it in to the USA until it is 25 years old.
Importing as some have mentioned is 15 years old for Kanukistan and 25 years old for Yanksville.
My son has '89 Hilux LN106 and loves it! They go for around 10K and up depending on condition, mileage and options. All are 4 cyl diesels.
Other than the engine and RHD stuff all parts are similar to a 4Runner.
Even if a Canadian were to sell you the Hilux you cannot legally bring it in to the USA until it is 25 years old.
4Rescue
Expedition Leader
I can think of all sorts of ways to juggle the government and such (don't think it's so wise to talk about it here in public though guy's) but there's something that we're all overlooking:
-This is all just an excuse to travel... See you now HAVE to leave the country for awhile and then come back in and do it all over again.
-If you don't drive like an ************ you're never going to get pulled over and this becomes a non-issue because who's gonna come looking for you? I can't belive that this is the kind of thing they're gonna sick Dog the bounty hunter on your for you know...
-If you realy want to do it, just drive your own truck down, get all the things you want sand bring them back on a trailer. all seperate and taken apart so there's no way they can call it a vehicle and then just build what you want.
We got the older trucks just like everyone else, just not with the diesel's we wanted and the SFA dissapeared after 85, BUT we did get the same massive frame and overbuilt trucks so... IMO you can start with a US reg'd and basicly pop the vin plate and swap cab's... Wiuth a canopy on it I doubt if the DEQ (if you even have to run through it where you are) will notice that it's a 4 door versus say a first gen 4Runner or even just a regular old X-Cab (wich they moght be dumb enought to think a Quad cab is...) is in fact what they're looking at. Unless you get a guy running the show who's a big Toyota fan I think you're pretty golden.
As far as emissions, here in Oregon, all I have to do is pass the emissions standards that were in place for the year of the VEHICLE, not the motor so any of these newer motors are usualy built to HIGHER emissions standards and will there-fore pass. I WAS told by one perwson that theymay look at it as a diesel of that year and hold you to the DIESEL standard of, for me, 1989... see where I'm going with this.
I looked into the 1KZ-Te half cuts from Japan and it IS possible to essentialy BUILD anything if your checkbook has the fortitude eh
Cheers
Dave
-This is all just an excuse to travel... See you now HAVE to leave the country for awhile and then come back in and do it all over again.
-If you don't drive like an ************ you're never going to get pulled over and this becomes a non-issue because who's gonna come looking for you? I can't belive that this is the kind of thing they're gonna sick Dog the bounty hunter on your for you know...
-If you realy want to do it, just drive your own truck down, get all the things you want sand bring them back on a trailer. all seperate and taken apart so there's no way they can call it a vehicle and then just build what you want.
We got the older trucks just like everyone else, just not with the diesel's we wanted and the SFA dissapeared after 85, BUT we did get the same massive frame and overbuilt trucks so... IMO you can start with a US reg'd and basicly pop the vin plate and swap cab's... Wiuth a canopy on it I doubt if the DEQ (if you even have to run through it where you are) will notice that it's a 4 door versus say a first gen 4Runner or even just a regular old X-Cab (wich they moght be dumb enought to think a Quad cab is...) is in fact what they're looking at. Unless you get a guy running the show who's a big Toyota fan I think you're pretty golden.
As far as emissions, here in Oregon, all I have to do is pass the emissions standards that were in place for the year of the VEHICLE, not the motor so any of these newer motors are usualy built to HIGHER emissions standards and will there-fore pass. I WAS told by one perwson that theymay look at it as a diesel of that year and hold you to the DIESEL standard of, for me, 1989... see where I'm going with this.
I looked into the 1KZ-Te half cuts from Japan and it IS possible to essentialy BUILD anything if your checkbook has the fortitude eh
Cheers
Dave
jh504
Explorer
You could definitely buy one in Canada but the Hilux I want goes for a good amount of money up there. Haven't ever seen one for under $10,000.
Chet, thanks for the info I will check into that.
Could it be listed as a farm truck or utility vehicle or something along those lines?
4Rescue's idea has been the best thing I have come up with, just would be a lot of work. Drive a trailer down there, buy the body, parts, ect. and trailer them back up here. Then build your own truck.
I am looking into registering a home built vehicle with DMV.
Chet, thanks for the info I will check into that.
Could it be listed as a farm truck or utility vehicle or something along those lines?
4Rescue's idea has been the best thing I have come up with, just would be a lot of work. Drive a trailer down there, buy the body, parts, ect. and trailer them back up here. Then build your own truck.
I am looking into registering a home built vehicle with DMV.
You are right on the money $$$. That's the whole point of owning a vehicle... let along this forum!
Besides, for my rare case and reasoning, as a bum with no fixed address who lives out of my truck +/- 4 months a year, being on road full-time yearly (not to mention my dependence on fluctuating oil price) is gradually justifying my desire and necessity to perform it sustainably and efficiently with non-N. American spec. vehicles available worldwide.
It isn't just a matter of possession & desire. It's a matter of moving forward and reducing our dependence on fossil fuel in a practical way. (& rebellion against our NA's backward protectionism ideology...)
Gas Mileage Comparison:
-My Extra-Cab 5500lbs 2.4L 22re (Petrol) with camper: 14-16L/100km
-Hilux Extra-Cab 2.5 2KD-FTV (D-4D): 7-10L/100km
http://www.toyota-europe.com/cars/new_cars/hilux/specs.aspx
(+ the possibility of running WVO!)
Btw, I thought about swaping the vin plate too! Popping and swapping both dashs... does that ever sounds too easy!
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I was chatting with a Canadian over-landing in Guatemala about this actually. He mentioned that the trailering aspect might causes issues across multiple countries. Apparently, he told me that only vehicle titled as a truck/camper are allowed to tow a trailer into/through Mexico. (I think our yotas are titled as "passenger vehicle" instead.) Also, buying parts in Guatemala for example, might involve an export in Guatemala, temporary import & export in Mexico, then import in U.S.
(For me, maybe I have one more step. Export from U.S. and import in Canada)...Ya...very confusing...
I am not too sure of all the details behind all this, but I hope these kind of informations are easy to look into with the Mexican & U.S. governments.
Here's one for sale in Vancouver right now, but heads p the company used to be top notch to deal with when Marco owned it but the new guy is not a stand up guy by any means, heard allot of complaints about him including some from the mechanics that do his prep work....
I would buy this one and do the prep work myself if I was in the market for one...http://www.outbackimports.ca/sale/LN-1224.html
I would buy this one and do the prep work myself if I was in the market for one...http://www.outbackimports.ca/sale/LN-1224.html
alextreme76
Observer
its legal to have a rhd in most parts of the US...the stupid honda guys do it all the time (JDM yo). buy a half cut and pickup with a blown motor. you can yank the dash and steering and swap it all over.
http://www.sor.com/sor/cat035d.tam idk if specter does any hilux
logistically it would be easier because you would have a US VIN, you could do a chopped 4runner so you have 4doors.
http://www.sor.com/sor/cat035d.tam idk if specter does any hilux
logistically it would be easier because you would have a US VIN, you could do a chopped 4runner so you have 4doors.
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alextreme76
Observer
jh504
Explorer
That truck is what I am looking for but that price tag is more than I can justify. I have checked outback imports out from time to time. Always more than I can pay.
The chopped 4runner above looks pretty good as well. I have seen some bad chop jobs but that one looks well thought out. I could do this to my 91 4runner if all else fails.
This is awesome...lol:sombrero:
DanS HJ-45
New member
Yes, it is possible. No, it is not easy.
The *easiest* way to do it would be to take a valid US market vehicle and swap in a solid axle, a engine of your choice (I'd go 1KZ-TE), and then go about looking for the 4-door body. I have seen no less than 5 auctioned off in government surplus auctions (all that were won by scrap dealers and crushed before I had a chance to get to them). I would plan on going elsewhere and finding a 4-door body either LHD from south america or something, or RHD and cut/reweld the firewall.
Here's a tease...
I did the half-cut thing. You can read about it on ih8mud or TDM, I've got a good bit of info on it there. I wish I would have taken the 1ZK-TE that was offered instead of the 2LT-E. Don't get me wrong: I love my faux-lux, but it would have been MAYBE one more day of work to cut and weld motor mounts. The VAST majority of the work is the wiring for the EFI diesel into the US EFI harness. That said, the mileage is awesome (I can count on 28 MPG or so at highway speeds, and I can wheel all day long on very little fuel--maybe 1/4 tank), wheeling a diesel is MUCH better, and the power is MUCH better than the 22RE that was there originally.
It was absolutely worth it. In the 60,000+ miles since I completed the conversion, it has already paid for itself (and I spent roughly $9K total to do the swap). If it weren't for the fact that it's a short wheelbase truck, I'd already have a 4 door body on the way here (or at home already). If I were purpose building it, I'd get an extra cab and swap a 1KZ-TE in and start looking for the 4-door cab and short bed.
The hard part is getting the half-cut (you NEED a half-cut). Importing a body should be really painless, as long as it's just a body. If you cut out the firewall and convert your LHD truck onto the RHD cab, then you have the added bonus of no grey-market swapping of VIN tags. Just some welding and painting.
Finally, here's the goods.
I've got the solid axle waiting for me to finish one of my diesel cruiser projects (not the 45), and that will bring about other junk (like an ARB bumper...)
Or, you can move to Canada and buy one tomorrow.
EDIT--this Hilux resides in New Mexico. I pretty much stalked the owner when I saw it parked on the street. Was brought into the US by a Canadian citizen who was part owner in a mine down here, who then sold it to a US citizen. I realize it's not a 3rd generation truck, but wicked cool nonetheless.
Dan
The *easiest* way to do it would be to take a valid US market vehicle and swap in a solid axle, a engine of your choice (I'd go 1KZ-TE), and then go about looking for the 4-door body. I have seen no less than 5 auctioned off in government surplus auctions (all that were won by scrap dealers and crushed before I had a chance to get to them). I would plan on going elsewhere and finding a 4-door body either LHD from south america or something, or RHD and cut/reweld the firewall.
Here's a tease...
I did the half-cut thing. You can read about it on ih8mud or TDM, I've got a good bit of info on it there. I wish I would have taken the 1ZK-TE that was offered instead of the 2LT-E. Don't get me wrong: I love my faux-lux, but it would have been MAYBE one more day of work to cut and weld motor mounts. The VAST majority of the work is the wiring for the EFI diesel into the US EFI harness. That said, the mileage is awesome (I can count on 28 MPG or so at highway speeds, and I can wheel all day long on very little fuel--maybe 1/4 tank), wheeling a diesel is MUCH better, and the power is MUCH better than the 22RE that was there originally.
It was absolutely worth it. In the 60,000+ miles since I completed the conversion, it has already paid for itself (and I spent roughly $9K total to do the swap). If it weren't for the fact that it's a short wheelbase truck, I'd already have a 4 door body on the way here (or at home already). If I were purpose building it, I'd get an extra cab and swap a 1KZ-TE in and start looking for the 4-door cab and short bed.
The hard part is getting the half-cut (you NEED a half-cut). Importing a body should be really painless, as long as it's just a body. If you cut out the firewall and convert your LHD truck onto the RHD cab, then you have the added bonus of no grey-market swapping of VIN tags. Just some welding and painting.
Finally, here's the goods.
I've got the solid axle waiting for me to finish one of my diesel cruiser projects (not the 45), and that will bring about other junk (like an ARB bumper...)
Or, you can move to Canada and buy one tomorrow.
EDIT--this Hilux resides in New Mexico. I pretty much stalked the owner when I saw it parked on the street. Was brought into the US by a Canadian citizen who was part owner in a mine down here, who then sold it to a US citizen. I realize it's not a 3rd generation truck, but wicked cool nonetheless.
Dan
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jh504
Explorer
Thanks for all of that useful information. I know were I can get a 2nd gen pickup frame, suspension, axles and drivetrain intact for a good price. that might be good starting place. I guess finding a 4 door body would require takinga trip and seeing where the best suppliers would be. Where were these auctions that you found these bodies at?
That hilux pictured is a cool truck. That body style isnt bad either.