1996 3RZ 3rd Gen winter trip across Russia / Siberia
- Thread starter eurasiaoverland
- Start date
eurasiaoverland
Member
Hello!
Thanks for posting. I'm afraid there's not really any more than is on my website. There was a thread of the rebuild I did on my Hilux on the HPOC website, but I haven't used that for years.
My philosophy for prepping the truck is to take as little as possible, and to try to keep everything standard. The heater was the most important piece of kit; sleeping comfortably in a 20º C car when it's -30º C outside meant I could stay out for days away from civilisation quite happily. Emergency gear was just warm weather clothes; to wait out / walk out from getting stuck etc. Most of the trip was along ice roads which are used by truckers.
Thanks for looking
eurasiaoverland
Member
I travel alone mostly, so the Hilux Surf (4Runner) is big enough for me.
Also, I needed a petrol engine. Here all Landcruisers with petrol engines are automatics, which I don't like. I don't like V engines either. These engines are also very thirsty.
Then there's weight; weight is always your enemy off road. More weight with more power is still more weight. And when you're driving on ice which could be thin, weight is definitely your enemy!
In future I'd like maybe to get a Landcruiser but it would have to be an inline 6 with a manual transmission and a solid front axle. That leaves only one; the FZJ105 which is very rare indeed.
For now though, I'm very happy with the Hilux Surf and will be sticking with it. Hoping to drive across the Middle East next year.
Mark_BC
Senior Member
Good points. For inline 6 solid front axle manual tranny LC's there is also the HZJ 75 and 78 Troopies, they have the 1HZ non-ECU engines. I'm trying to get one in. But they are diesel. The gasoline version is a pig.
eurasiaoverland
Member
Ah yes, I overlooked the 77 and 78 Troopies (75 and 79 are pickups and not for me; one is enough
)That 1HZ engine seems robust but also very underpowered in a heavy vehicle. It has less power than a 3RZ and only slightly more torque.
What's wrong with the 1FZ-FE engine? The figures look great.
thezentree
Senior Member
Dude you're nuts! Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Could you do the same route in the summer or are some of those areas inaccessible when the ice melts?
^this
^this
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
Absolutely amazing- thanks for sharing. You did this solo?
eurasiaoverland
Member
cnpellegrino
New member
Man, that snow looks so crisp and clean. I wish the US would use less salt on the roads.
eurasiaoverland
Member
Up in the north there's no salt, really wonderful. For weeks the car stayed pristine. But on the main highways there is salt, awful stuff indeed
eurasiaoverland
Member
Sorry, I missed your question here.
In short, no, this trip would be impossible in summer. There are ferries up the Lena River, but you'd have to stay on them all the way to the main road network, so it wouldn't be much of a driving adventure. There are no car ferries across Lake Baikal. I think it would be impossible to get from Tomsk up to Nizhnevartovsk (without a detour of thousands of kms), and the road along the abandoned railway would be totally impassable too.
You can of course drive across Russia (on a different route) in summer; it's a great trip, but doing it in winter is way more fun
Whoa! What an incredible trip, you've got some brass huevos, my son..
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
My dream trip is to drive my 4Runner from home near Atlanta all the way up to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In summer, though.
eurasiaoverland
Member
Fuel access was not really an issue, only on one of the winter-only ice roads was there around 800 km or so without fuel stations. Almost all the locals drive petrol (gasoline) cars so it's as easy to get as diesel
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