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New to the forum with questions on Toyota Arkana

Tech Talk for Cruiser owners.

Moderators: toaddog, Elmo, DUDELUX

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Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

New to the forum with questions on Toyota Arkana

Post by Arky »

Hi Guy's
New to the forum and have been reading some of the posts and now would like some questions answered.

Who manufactured the Arkana? and are they still around? Did a search and no luck

Low oil pressure at idle (no reading on Dash guage or other fitted) and 40 -60 psi at 2500rpm is normal for very high klm 2H engines?

Would you go on a trip(Brisbane to Tassie and back) in a vehicle you have owned for a month with 640,000Klm on the clock with the above symtoms?.

What would you repower a 86 75 series Arkana with. A Toyota or Chevy engine?

Any advice is much appreciated
Cheers
Arky
Resident Terrorist
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Location: Driving Barnsey's mum to bingo

Post by RAY185 »

This what you mean?

Image

Stretch troopy? Mostly used by tour companys. Some where 6WD?[/img]
Posts: 25
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Post by Arky »

ray185,
certainly is.
I bought one three weeks ago.needs a lot of work. 2H turbo.
next year I'l be starting a nearly complete rebuid of the whole vehicle and if I could talk to some one or get some detalis on how they joined the body to the cabin it will make the whole job easier.
Cheers
Arky
Posts: 567
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 7:37 am
Location: Panama

Post by Tapage »

The FSM advertise for 4PSI @ idle ( at least ) normal operative temp.

Also FSM advertise for 36- 85 PSI @ 2000 rpm .. woth those values you are " on the safe range " by FSM ..

Mine get 26 - 30 PSI @ idle
HJ-60 2H-T Intercoled [url=http://4x4panama.com/foros/viewtopic.php?t=2770]Tencha[/url]
HDJ-80 1HD-T Stock so far " Marilu "
Panama
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Post by RAY185 »

No idea on who does the Arkana conversion but I heard years ago that it was a mob in Perth. Do a search on google on "Landcruiser Arkana". You should get a couple of hits for tour companies that use these vehicles. If you call one of them they might be able to tell you who does the conversion.

With regards to the 2H any reputable diesel specialist will be able to help you. With that sort of mileage I would imagine the engine has been rebuilt/replaced at least once already. I'd get a safety check and a compression test done to know where you stand before planning your trip with this vehicle.

Good luck.
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Location: Your Mummas House!

Post by bj on roids »

its basically a modified tropp carrier landcruiser

just get the driveline checked and you are laughing :lol:
hands and mums dont count!!!
Posts: 72
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Location: darwin

arky

Post by claud »

sure its fine oil pressure.
60 psi at running.
kms dont matter its servicing.
find some history on engine , stickers etc and ring the co.s ask for mechanic if he remembers it at all being so big thats pretty likely.

i drive tours in the top end and these diesels kick on but they do get a workout usually full loads and air con .the main probs we have is exhausts falling apart , clutches and cracks in suspension mounts.check all round the shock towers and joins polish em up and get in there with a bright lite!
the only thing that ll fail you is a stuffed fuel pump. so maybe bring a spare and starter contacts,solenoids,battery charger etc.good tools that wont snap.and a manual.
happy travels
my other cars an xwgt silver fox custom xr interior go the windsors!
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Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

We have decided not to take the Arkana was costing to much to get it the way I want. So we are taking our X8 instead
We are doing the Camp Quality esCARpade from Canberra to Tasmania.
Once we get back i'll start a more thorough fix up it. Another cab including the doors and guards. There isn't much that hasn't rusted.
Once I figure out how to I'll put up some pictures.
Cheers
Arky[/img]
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Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Hopefully this should take you to some photos of the Arkana
http://thelotls1.spaces.live.com/photos ... 31E69!113/
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

We have started on the rebuild and have now got it down to the chassis. Over the next 10 months we will be in need of some help to get it back together for this years esCARpade.

First up with can anyone help with getting the chassis sand/bead blasted at a reasonable cost or donated time and labour for advertising when Arkana is finished.

Second we need some advice from a vehicle body builder on how best to repair the body or do the repairs for us at a reasonable cost or donated time and labour for advertising when Arkana is finished.

Third a Cab chassis was used in the original build. We are thinking of using a cut down troopy cabin to graft onto the Arkana body and from what I have read the body mounts between cab chassis and front of the troopy are the same am I correct ?
If this is correct does anyone have a troopy body they want to get rid of. It will have to be rust free and straight in the front

More to follow

Cheers and Thanks
Gavin
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landcruiser arkana

Post by Dents LN65 »

I saw them being made about 5 years ago in a shop behind Johns paint shed at Lytton rd Hemmant, I think it was a part of Gateway Towing His name was Wally Not sure if they are still there and still doing them.
There are a couple of them being used on Morton Island as tourist buses.

As for the oil pressure, the relief valve in the timing case are prone to wear and get stuck in the housing, to rectify this there is an aftermarket oversize one available.
Posts: 25
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Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Thanks Dents
I found a link in another post for a company that does 6x6 conversions in northern NSW and their bodies look similiar.
I might go for a drive around lytton and see what I can find
Cheers
Gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Nothing has been done since the last post ,no spare money.
Have been talking to 6x6 Aust on the body repairs and may hear back in the next week or so. Hopefully they can come up with something
Stay tuned
Posts: 84
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2005 9:13 pm
Location: stockton beach is my back yard

arkana

Post by rod baker »

hi read your post looks like you have a lot of work ahead of you .
As an owner operator of a motor vehicle body building shop (dam thats a mouthfull)
"RODS TRUCKEN TRAILERS"
i wish i could be of some help but alas i am a bit far away but i can advise if necasary and offer advice.
becarefull of what you replace as the car is registered as a chassis and shell matching numbers and you can get have problems swaping bodies i did a mk patrol the local rego inspector was very impressed with the level of repair IE what they dont know is sometimes ok but you for own safety must do a good and quality repair.
you will find that as you dig at rust there is always more deeper in
it is some times easier to do a sectional repair/graft than heaps of small repairs .
i did an mq which was very rusty in the radiator support panel and i camr back about 300 mm up the innergaurds and replaced the whole lot the replacment piece was 50$ from the wrecker it took 2 hours work.
i also have been doing engine conversions v6 injected commodore motors and a xr 8 302 injected into my 60 series cruiser
if i can be of help please send me a message or you are welcome to call on 0425244735
or at work 0249845802
ROD BAKER
1982 fj 60 with all late model gxl stuff 3 inches of lift ,snorkel ,lokker,bullbar,winch,ford 5 liter and a meggasquirt ECU
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Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Thanks Rod,
you are right on the rust .I was only going to do the rust in the floor , replace the doors, and patch the roof. One thing led to another and now Im left with a bare chassis and a body with more rust than expected.
If worst come to worst I'll take all the panels off and replace what I need to. The sides may not be so bad but the roof frame is going to be a complete repalcement.
Hopefully In the next month I should be able to start cleaning up the chassis
Cheers
gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

There may be some movement on the Arkana repairs next week.
Bob from 6x6 aust came up for a look see on saturday and if he can get some things finished at work this week then next week with his help work should be able to start on getting the cab back on the body.
The good thing about all this is we are going to do it here at home
I have posted in the wanted section for 75 series front body parts.
Pm or phone if anyone wants to get rid of theirs 0411038112.

Stay tuned
gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

I now have a complete Cab thanks to Corey and Ross from Woodford.
Now the fun can begin.
First up will be to test fit the cab and modify the roof.
When it was made they cut out the rear of the tub,removed the rear screen and roof then fitted a one piece fibreglass roof over the whole vehicle. This left no stability across the front windscreen and the backof the tub which caused things to crack and rust
:idea: What we are going to do is leave the rear of the tub fit the original toyota roof,still not use the rear screen though and modify the one peice fibreglass roof to suit this should give more stability through the top and the front screen.
stay tuned
Gavin
Posts: 240
Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2003 10:22 pm
Location: perth west australia

Re: New to the forum with questions on Toyota Arkana

Post by roscoFJ73 »

Arky wrote:Hi Guy's
New to the forum and have been reading some of the posts and now would like some questions answered.

Who manufactured the Arkana? and are they still around? Did a search and no luck

Low oil pressure at idle (no reading on Dash guage or other fitted) and 40 -60 psi at 2500rpm is normal for very high klm 2H engines?

Would you go on a trip(Brisbane to Tassie and back) in a vehicle you have owned for a month with 640,000Klm on the clock with the above symtoms?.

What would you repower a 86 75 series Arkana with. A Toyota or Chevy engine?

Any advice is much appreciated
Cheers
Arky
Arkana Motor Body Builders were in Perth but closed down about 10 years ago after they went bankrupt
There are still members of the family doing conversions on a smaller scale in the Wangara area.
1988 FJ 73 LX Lim Ed powered by 1HZ
1995 HZJ75 cab chassis
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Thanks for the info rosco.
UPDATE:
I particially fitted the cab to the body and started on the changes to the rear of the cab frame to take the toyota roof top.Needed to cut a small section out so the roof could sit down where it would originally sit. Thats as far as I got when Bob from 6x6 Showed up to help

With Bob's help, the cab is welded in and the sides all done.
While he was doing that I started on the floor and the rear corners of the boby that has been eaten away by rust.I was originally going to patch it but decided to re do the whole lot including the floor rails,using gal steel on these.
This weekend we'll be able to have another go on the roof line.
Link to photos
http://thelotls1.spaces.live.com/photos/cns
Has anyone heard of "Rustroy" rust primer and where i can get some?


Stay tuned for more
Gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Started a new job in july and had to spend some time over seas for training so there wasnt much done since the last post.
Since I have been back I have managed to get the roof9 5% fininshed. I ended up fiberglassing the roof instead of filling the gaps above the doors with metal. Being the first attempt the finish is not that good so the panel beater / spray painter can fininsh it off.
The rollbars are back on
The new floor is tacked in and almost finished.
Found more rust in the passenger side lower door sill rusted from the inside out.Got a new sill from toyota for $154.00.

Stay tuned
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Jul 05, 2005 11:50 am

Post by TurboRA28 »

Hey all, i've got a Akarna looking at wrecking as cant seem to sell it. its fitted out amazing inside, fridge, bed, sink, 12h-t turbo diesel. sad to see it wrecked. but wondering where you purchased yours, trying to find best place to advertise i guess.
thanks
JOel
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Mine was advertised on ebay it did not sell there i got in touch with owner in Noosa after the sale ended. I wasnt sure whether I wanted to spend that much on one in that condition. Yours isnt the one in south brisbane advertised in the trading post?
Cheers
Gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

HI everyone ,
An up date on the Arkana
We are going to be using the Arkana for the Camp Quality esCARpade http://www.campquality.org.au/public/escarpade.aspx which is a charity that helps children living with cancer.
We're car 707

The floor is finished.
Rear boot area has been made smaller to allow for more passenger space.
Went to refit the 2nd passenger door but found the body lines dont line up any more we should have had it fitted when welding in the floor.The whole passenger side has been pulled up from the door opening back by 10 mm.
The chassis has been bead blasted and primed.Finished replacing the rear brakes and wheel bearings today, while the shafts are out an ARB diff locker is going in, thanks to Mitchell Bros 4x4, going to put a locker in the front when the brakes and hubs are done as well.
The next few days should see new brake lines in ,master cylinders, slave cylinder and calipers resealed.

Now heres were I need some help. I need some one who has the equipment to be able to re-align the body and paint it.
So if any one knows a panel beater/spray painter who can by either donating the time and effort to fix the body and paint it or give me a real good deal to do it ,I can put a couple thousand towards it,
please let me know by PM or mobile 0411038112.
And in return not only will they be helping a very worthwhile charity they can have their name/logo on any part of the Arkana they want, except the 2 front doors need them for the official stickers. Also with your name on the Arkana it will be good advertising in and around brisbane at fundraising events plus through other states while on the esCARpade.

Cheers
Gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Arkana Update
Didnt do the brake lines spent the time aligning the body. It took me most of the day but eventually got it to with in 5mm which i can take out by moving the door.
Still looking for some one to paint it for me.can anyone help? it is for a good cause!
Cheers
gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Arkana update,
I managed to re aligne the passenger side.Now all the lines along the body line up and now its at the painters and hopefully in 2 weeks now it will be back all nice and white.
Brake lines have been completed
Couldnt find a suitable duel fuel filler so I modified the original by adding an extra pipe just under the top hole.
Six extra light mounts where added to the roof to fit some led lights that we need for the esCARpade.Ill run them through flasher unit.
The diff locks showed this week so in the next few days I can do the rear diff and the front when the arkana is back.
I was hoping the gearbox and transfer was going to be in a reasonable condition but with 630000 k's on the clock I guess I was hoping for too much.All tha doesnt need replacing is 1st,2nd and 3rd gear the rest is all stuffed. New parts from Moto Spec should be here monday $2141 for every thing except bearings which I already have
We pulled the engine down today and cosidering the K's which we dont think is accurate as its showing signs of being opened up at some stage of its 630000k's its not in to bad a shape.A couple of big end bearings have started to pit on the top half of the bearing.The main bearings show no signs of excessive wear the crankshaft has some very minor scoring on the bearing surfaces so its going out for a linish and a set of new bearings.The oil pump drive gear needs replacing there's not that much left the teeth little bit of scoring on the pump housing but the gear is stuffed anyway new oil pump to add to the list.
Now its just a matter of cleaning things up replacing what needs to putin it all back together while the body is out being painted.
Link to photos
http://thelotls1.spaces.live.com/photos/cns
Stay tuned
Gavin
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Well its all finished and registered after 2 years
The engine rebuild eventually cost $6500 including a turbo rebuild
The rear diff lock had to be pulled back out the thing locked up on us we only drove the Arkana about 50 meters and that was without the airline hooked up. Luckily the front center is the same so it went in .
It took 2 of us 3 weeks to get the whole vehicle back together and registered from a bare shell .We managed it with 2 days to spare before we left for the Camp Quality esCARpade.
I still need to finish fitting the DVD radio, front diff lock(when I get it back ),Tidy up some of the wiring and what ever else I find.
Apart from that I got plenty of time now to do the wifes list of things and decide on my next project
link to photos
http://thelotls1.spaces.live.com/photos/cns
Posts: 260
Joined: Wed May 05, 2004 5:29 pm
Location: northern suburbs vic

Post by holeyhardtop »

That is a very impressive rebuild ;) should give some trouble free motoring now. Hope the camp escapade went well.

I missed out on one at the beginning of the year and was cursing as they're few and far between, wanted it for camping/touring, ended up getting a poptop troopy but still would have liked the extra room.
[quote="4runner2.8"]i have one.... and iv done a few long hard pulls with it too.[/quote]
Posts: 375
Joined: Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:29 pm
Location: Camden NSW

Post by Canyonero 4x4 »

I've never been a fgan of the arkana and when I saw the first pictures I thought you had picked up the biggest, rustiest heap of shit you could find and never expected it to be anything (no offence) but wow! I'm farkin impressed! You've done a very nice job mate. Looks very tidy. You must feel very proud! I do like it!
Dave
Posts: 25
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 3:52 pm
Location: Brisbane

Post by Arky »

Thanks Guys,
It was good to finally get it registered.
It turned out pretty good considering that we are mechanics not panel beaters.
When I finally go through my receipts I'll put up some of the suppliers names and numbers.
Keep an eye out for it we plan to have it at a few events to raise money for the 2010 esCARpade. for Camp Quality
Cheers
Gavin
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