Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey guys im new and was wondering if toyota bundera's are good off roaders and are very reliable. also are they very limited to mods or is the list endless. How would they compare with a swb 40 series hardtop

Search is your friend there has been plenty of topics on it

Cakey wrote:Hey guys im new and was wondering if toyota bundera's are good off roaders and are very reliable. also are they very limited to mods or is the list endless. How would they compare with a swb 40 series hardtop

the problem with the 40's is the diff clearance with springs underneath the axle. Bundy's have a much better clearace due to the coils.

modd wise you can get 2nd hand 80 series suspension and through it under your bundy for a lift of aprox 4-5".

they go alright, underpowered and tippy is the main bad point

Dont listen to BB 40's are much better

BJ

Make sure when you say 'bundy' you know the difference between a real bundy (LJ) and a real swb landcruiser (FJ/HJ).
Bundy's run on coil springs, hilux diffs and smaller engines (at the body is slightly different). The SWB cruisers run leaf springs, bigger diffs and bigger engines.

Having said that you could go a hell of alot worse than a bundy. The main concern is the short wheelbase doesn't allow the suspension to articulate much - making the car fairly pitchy/tippy in the really rough stuff. You can have a hell of alot of fun though.

-Stu

the best thing you want off road i think is ground clearence as much as you can get, so i would say go the lbw bundy.. is has coil spring which are easier to upgrade and give you a better ride than springs. as for reliabilty its toyota so you shouldnt have that many problems

i know over here in nz we can get a 4 inch suspension lift on them, so i dunt see why you shouldnt be able to over there. they make a good adventure truck quite abit of space in them over the swb , but being lwb you dont have the departure angle of the swb, so its all swings and around abouts

go bundy my 2cent worth

Cakey wrote:Hey guys im new and was wondering if toyota bundera's are good off roaders and are very reliable. also are they very limited to mods or is the list endless. How would they compare with a swb 40 series hardtop

Bundera's are a top car, I don't know anyone who regrets getting one, it is easy to out grow one, but they are a good solid car,
as far as off road goes, a standard Bundera would perform similar to a standard 40,
as big bundy says, they have better clearance than a 40 because of the control arms vs the leaf spring packs, but it is also because the bundy diff is smaller.
I have found mine very reliable,
when thinking mods you have to thinks land cruiser and hilux, as they are a bit of a "bitsa",
hilux engine, gearbox and diffs,
and land cruiser body (from the fire wall back) and transfer case,
and a few Bundera only bits (just to confuse you )
they came in SWB, 4 Cyl only, petrol and deisel, my petrol 22R goes like a rocket and would thrash a 40 on the road no worrys and ride 10 times better, the suspension can be a limiting factor to some of the guys who push the boundrys a bit, but for the most part it is a tidy package.

Another advantage with a bundy over a 40 is the age, the first Bundera's came out years after the last 40, most Bundera's have power steer, most 40's don't, you also get a 5 speed box, disc brakes and suspension seats
I have had both and loved them both for diferent reasons, but the 40 was a money pit and I have had the bundy for 18 years and have not put a spanner on it
Peter.

Droopypete,

Does the Bundy have a HiLux or Landcruiser style Tcase? I mean is the rear drive shaft centered in the vehicle, or offset to the right side like a FJ40?

Those with R151F gearboxes, is the Tcase gear or chain driven?

JR9162
Both RJ and LJ 70 Bundera's have landcruiser style split transfer case.
Petrol Bundera transfer low ratio is 2.274:1 with G52 transmission
Diesel Bundera transfer low ratio is 2.295:1 with R150 transmission
If you swap a transfer from one to the other You will be required to change the spud shaft as they are for different gearboxes respectively.
Marks adapters now makes a replacement spud shaft for upgrading a "petrol" transfer to the "diesel" transmission

Bundera's are addictive, I have had 3 so far and a fourth will arrive next week.

My favourite is a petrol soft top, with manual transfer. Those damn air solenoids can be a pain in the **** at times, usually when you need them most.

cheers
harry

Hey Harry, mine is a petrol soft top with a manual transfer too
Peter.

Bundera's are an awesome vehicle all around, my dad and I owned one for 21 years and the only probs we had with it was 2 head gaskets (been told they are prone to heating up) and swivel hub seals but in the grand scheme of things they are only minor things and can be prevented, don't be fooled about the suspension compared with other coil sprung vehicles they have a very primitive suspension setup and articualtion is not as good as it should be, although it can be fixed with some know how and $$$$, compared with the 40 or other real landcruisers it is not built as strong, but are alot more comfortable, rust can be a problem like all landcruisers (eg, roof gutter, under doors, around rear windows) so check the vehicle thoroghly before you buy it, and finally the biggest problem i he bundera has (which is why i don;t own one anymore) is the power, if you do do a search a large portion of the threads will be in engine conversions because the standard petrol/diesel are slugs but if you can live with that your sweet

Cheers

Dan

Rock Wallaby wrote: the biggest problem i he bundera has (which is why i don;t own one anymore) is the power, if you do do a search a large portion of the threads will be in engine conversions because the standard petrol/diesel are slugs but if you can live with that your sweet

Cheers

Dan

I find it strange that a few people say this, mine is a rocket ship,
with its stock standard, carbed 2.4 it goes like the clappers.
Peter.

Pete you must have got the special edition

droopypete wrote: I find it strange that a few people say this, mine is a rocket ship,
with its stock standard, carbed 2.4 it goes like the clappers.
Peter.

I'm with you Pete, I reckon the little 22R's go all right. However, my softy is getting at 22RE at the moment, this has more to do with my EFI fetish than a genuine need to upgrade. I feel that it is an option that Toyota left out/didn't pursue and I would like to see it done.
It will be a slight performance upgrade but I am not expecting a big change. By the time I am finished It will still be very close to factory, which is exactly the way that I like to see them done.

Harry

padero wrote:so i would say go the lbw bundy..

I've seen LWB coul sprung cruisers in pics but didn't realise they were available in NZ. Or are you referring to the square-light prado? (same difference i guess...)

-Stu

Rock Wallaby wrote:Pete you must have got the special edition

Mate, I AM the special edition

bunderas are weapons, i had 35's on my bundera, 2.4 petrol me mate had 32's on his mq patrol L28. Beat him. patrol GQ non turbo dielsel 35's on my and his, beat him was still in second when he was hitting 4th gear!
22r's rev forever, can hit 80kmh in 2nd gear and pulls hard all the way to 7000rpm.

Gibonator wrote: 22r's rev forever, can hit 80kmh in 2nd gear and pulls hard all the way to 7000rpm.

i heard ya take off past the shop the other day where i work, you were giving it to it alright

Bundy_Harry wrote:JR9162
Both RJ and LJ 70 Bundera's have landcruiser style split transfer case.
Petrol Bundera transfer low ratio is 2.274:1 with G52 transmission
Diesel Bundera transfer low ratio is 2.295:1 with R150 transmission
If you swap a transfer from one to the other You will be required to change the spud shaft as they are for different gearboxes respectively.
Marks adapters now makes a replacement spud shaft for upgrading a "petrol" transfer to the "diesel" transmission

cheers
harry

Harry,

Not sure what you mean by landcruiser style split transfer case. Does that desciption mean the output for both front and rear driveshafts are in the same plane? IE, the rear differential is not centered in the axle like the HiLux?

Upgrading the petrol transfer case to a diesel transmission? You mean fitting a R151F/R150F gearbox where a G52 originally resided? It'd seem to me one would just rob both the R150F and its transfer case from a donor Bundera.... Or is this because it allows you to source a R150F or R151F from a turbo diesel Surf (2L-T) or Lux/Surf fitted with the 1KZ? Sourcing a R151F/R150F out of Bundys only would limit the search area somewhat....

I ask about the transfer case, and rear diff issue cause Bunderas were never imported to the US.

John

Yes John, the Bundera uses solid axle, coil sprung diffs with both front and rear centres offset to the right (just like a 40/60/70/80 series landcruiser)
the twist is, it does this with hilux size diff centres and semi floating axles (also hilux).

The transfer case looks almost identicle to say a 60 series except for where it bolts up to a hilux style gearbox.

All hilux's had only one length axle, with stock parts from a bundera you can make a very narrow centred diff or a standard off set diff or even a hugely wide centred one

As far as your gearbox question goes,
I have no idea
Peter.