40, 42, 45 and 47 Series Cruiser questions.

[amriemann]

Hi All,

I'm after some info regarding 40 series Cruisers.

I want to start a project on a 40 series preferably a 45 or 47 tray or a SWB 40 or 42 with a V8 fitted. Information I’m after is what to look out for when buying besides rust.

Also I’m keen to know what the overall height of the truck is once lifted with 4” lift and 35” tyres are fitted. I have a garage door opening height of max 2050mm so it will need to be no taller to drive in.

If any one knows the roof height of their truck could you please list what size lift and tyre size fitted.

Thanks in advance.

Andrew .

[the_smoo]

Andrew..

I only measured my roof height last week for a caravan!

I can tell you that my roof is 1950mm high, and my 40 only just makes it in. It has standard 31x10.5's.

Also.. if you are putting in a v8, make sure you get a cruiser with disc fronts.... might be hard to get engineered without them...

[pcman]

well my 40 is 2100mm high plus 50mm for open sunroof my carport is 2200

mines got a 2" body lift no idea what suspension lift but im guessing that it has some o and thats mesured on 7.5/16 light truck tyres so im gonna be pushing once i get some real tyres

[Fieldsy]

1950mm high 2in suspension lift and 32 in rubber.

If I had to build another 40 I would start with as late a model as I could. mine is a 75 and it had drum brakes all round 4 spd and no power steering. but if I had brought say a 84 model I would have gotten disk brake f/end power steering 5 speed box the bigger suspension eyes the transfer case you CAN get crawler gears for the funkey dash pad the digi clock and air con if your into that sort of stuff.

The point is that while all the 4X serries cruisers might look the same Toyota refined and improved them throughout the model run. so for my mony newwer = better

[amriemann]

Thanks guys that's a good start I have re-measured the door opening and I've got 2070mm to play with.

I hope to buy a 40 with a V8 already fitted are there any major pitfalls to be aware of?

Cheers,

Andrew

[Fieldsy]

have a look at http://www.ih8mud.com their is lot's of info bout the older cruisers their I think their is even a link to a "buying a cruiser" site. as far as buying a cruiser that allready has a v8 just try and get one that has had the conversion done properly and make sure it has a mod plate if you live in queensland. where do you live anyway?

[amriemann]

I should change my profile shouldn't I. I live in Bundoora, Melbourne.

Cheers,

Andrew

[roscoFJ73]

Thanks guys that's a good start I have re-measured the door opening and I've got 2070mm to play with.

I hope to buy a 40 with a V8 already fitted are there any major pitfalls to be aware of?

Cheers,

Andrew

I reckon buying a preinstalled V8 40 will save you a lot of work and money.
The most common problem is the cooling system overheating.
Be careful not to buy one that has been overheating all its life.
The overheating thins the oil and it loses lubrication on the cylinder bore.
You might even consider a 75 series .They seem to be dropping in price and there are a few in the same price range as a 40.
Heaps more comfortable and the power steering,aircon ,disc brakes and parts availability are all there.

[Fieldsy]

yeah now that's a thought

[the_smoo]

I bought mine with the v8 installed, but it was a bit of a basketcase.. no clutch and the gearbox was in the back...

but got it cheap

You are probably better off getting one with the v8 already fitted. Be carfeul tho... there are a lot of backyard jobs, and some dodgy conversions. If it has the v8 in it, ring vicroads with the rego number. they will tell you if it has been previously engineered for a v8. You see them in the trading post a fair bit, and they are usually "unfinished projects".

Like fieldsy said, the newer the better.. A list of the changes for the 40 series can be found here.
http://www.off-road.com/tlc/faq/40.html

be careful with the list above tho. it only shows changes, and the dates for the changes are US ones, and there were different dates here. I have put it here just to give you an idea about what changes were made.

[Mechman]

just a thought...
here in QLD you only need disc brakes with a V8 mod if its bigger than a 253......

[Fieldsy]

5l auctley so in theroy you could put in a efi 304 and run drum brakes


I wouldn't recomend it

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

mate i think if you dont go to high you will be alright with your garage.

mine is sprung over, with 35s. and i measure mine using those maccas clearance signs.

i notice at 2.3m i just scrape under. but thats because of the frame for the soft top.

using the windscreen as a guide i recon 2.1 would be closer.

im actually thinking, if when my house is built it wont fit in the garage i will invest in some 31" rubber to put on it for garaging.
or use staun tyre deflators to just squeeze it inside.

but yeah mate garage clearance is something i didnt think of til recently.

mate get a V8 with a proper adaptor kit. my mate bought one a 308 3 speed and it was never comfortable. and it had drums and was bloody lethal.

go disk brakes!!!!!!!!
no Power steer saves you going to the gym, well for your arms anyway.

[Shorty40]

My V8 40 is sprung over and I am running 38s and I easily fit under 2.1m

And with the brakes, it is possible to run the drums with a V8, but why would you bother May aswell set it up right

[DIRTY ROCK STAR]

Dan how do you manage that to get under 2.1m???

is that topless???

hmm i might have to re evaluate and re measure.
im sure belmont maccas is 2.3 and there isnt too much space.

i know hexam maccas is a bit higher....

ok thats my new mission in life to measure my 40 and check the heights of all the drive thrus.

[Shorty40]

Dan how do you manage that to get under 2.1m???

is that topless???

My leaves sit almost dead flat on flat ground. No body lift (not required - just chop chop chop )

It is actually less than 2.1m, probably closer to 2.0m (as in my avatar )

[bad_religion_au]

I should change my profile shouldn't I. I live in Bundoora, Melbourne.

Cheers,

Andrew

now that's close to me.

watch out for rust in the floors of the newer 40's (the ones without the under seat fuel tank) cause it's been a biatch with my 45.

Pitty, there was a white v8 40 for sale down the road from me a month ago, and i can vouch it never saw offroad, had a fair whack of chrome on it.

[ORSM45]

theres a few bling 40s around eltham at the moment. they dont look like they seen any action.

if it doesnt fit take off the roof and fold the windscreen down.

mines around 2150mm. on 33s with SPOA and 2 inch bodylift.