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2nd Rejuvenation of our LandCruiser FJ60 - 1982
 
in Miri/Sarawak/East Malaysia from 7/30/2012 - 10/4/2012
 
1st Rejuvenation at the same place from 6/15/2006 - 8/26/2006
(more pages from Malaysia and Borneo see at the bottom)
 
3rd Rejuvenation at the same place from 2/6/2017 - 5/3/2017 + follow-up from 7/18/2018 - 9/22/2018
 
 
Sarawak Map
 
 
 Map of Southeast Asia
Malaysia
Sarawak
 
latest picture: October 25, 2012
  • click a picture to see details

 
Yes, we do it a second time: We allow our faithful travel companion that celebrated its 30th birthday on July 21st, 2012, a second “rejuvenation” – in a way as a gift for its milestone anniversary and entry into the old-timer age. Since its extensive last rejuvenation mid 2006 it is especially the rust that gives it a hard fight again. Since then, it remained 6 more years steadfastly at our side over rough and smooth ways and through thick and thin for a further 39’506 mile, 36 different islands in 19 new countries – all islands in Southeast Asia, the Pacific and the Indian Ocean. Now it is time to whip it into shape again in order that the three of us can continue our world trip for many more years to come together.
 
 
 
 
 
 
401  July 26th, 2012:
We are standing in front of our container
in the port of Bintulu in the East Malaysian
province of Sarawak on the island of Borneo waiting anxiously for the seal to be broken
on the 25th container coming from Réunion
402  After 56 days of imprisonment in
the container on high sea, we finally are
reunited with our trusty LandCruiser again.
The friendly customs lady at the harbor
customs is posing for a remembrance picture
in front of our car. There is no check at all
403  July 27th, 2012:
We hit the road and drive the
125 miles from Bintulu to Miri.
Halfway Emil connects our
second battery to be charged
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
404  We reached our destination: We
are back at the workshop of “Yung Lee
Auto & Painting Workshop” in Miri –
after 6 years, 36 different islands in
19 new countries and 39’506 miles
405  First Mr. Lance Lau and Emil
go on a test drive. Since Réunion,
we have one worry more:
a steering problem
406  For the derusting job it means
to unload the whole of the roof rack.
Mechanics help Emil with the heavy
aluminum cases. Luckily Mr. Lau
offers us a storage room
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
407  The roof rack is lifted by a
crane while Emil reverses
408  Also the interior of the car has
to be emptied. The only thing remaining
is the mattress suspension device.
Our “dormitory“ is 69 inches
long and 61 inches wide
409  As in 2006, Emil is searching for
spare parts at Tung Fang Motors in Miri
downtown. In order to save time and
money we take over the procurement of
spare parts from the many parts shops
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rust – encouraged by the salty air during our visits of 36 islands in the past six years – is spreading massively again
410  on the co-drivers side
at the front pillar
411  at the middle roof pillar
412  on the drivers side
at the front pillar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
413  The panel beater is hammering at
a metal sheet that he welded on the door
414  Welding on the fender
415  Emil is looking worriedly at the
dismantled steering that started to
make problems since Réunion.
The repair is a quite delicate job
 
More than two weeks have passed by since the steering box was disassembled. In the meantime we were hunting for spare parts and found the “Cross Shaft 44111-60020“ for US$ 232. What we did not find is the “Valve Assembly 44120-60041“. Our LandCruiser being a left-hand-driven vehicle (LHD) and most of Southeast Asia’s being right-hand driven makes things more complicated, particularly if looking on the second hand market. Via email we already investigated at Toyotas in Switzerland, Gibraltar, the Philippines and Japan (the latter via Toyota Malaysia) – without success. It is not anymore available as the production is discontinued. Now we are looking for it on the American market. In the meantime, the body work is proceeding slowly, but steadily. However, the job is bigger than expected, i.e. more rust is showing up. Therefore it will take at least another month to be completed.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
416  Emil is testing the steering wheel
with the newly built in “cross shaft“.
Unfortunately it shows the same resistance
as before what means that we have to
replace also the “valve assembly”
417  Page of the Toyota
Parts Catalogue with the
steering box parts
418  Emil is writing down the
numbers of the needed parts in
order to find them somewhere
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
419  Liliana is looking with dismay to
new rust holes, which were hidden
by either paint or other metal sheets
420  Another shocking awakening
with more bad rust
421  The welder is at hard work in
order that our LandCruiser is getting
a really good vehicle again
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
422  Time-consuming work: Where
the rust was just crumbling, the panel-
beater welded new metal plates
together - piece by piece …..
423  ….. Emil is starting to paint the
newly welded metal sheets with anti-
corrosion paint from Singapore …..
424  ..... the front part is finished.
Emil verifies his work
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
425  What we neglected in 2006, we
do now: Emil paints “Frameto”– the
expensive but very effective rust converter
from France on exposed spots
426  Liliana is looking worriedly to
the dismantled stuff below the
steering wheel, which is usually
hidden behind the dashboard
427  What’s inaccessible for the
paintbrush, is reached with the airbrush
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
428  Part of the roof looks really bad.
How could this happen after only six
years of the first “rejuvenation”? .....
429  ….. the welder is
intensely at work .....
430  ..... that looks much
better again!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
431  Tea-time: We sit with boss Lance Lau
at the snack bar next to his workshop,
drinking a “Kopi Susu” – a sweetened
coffee with sugared condensed milk
432  ”Survived” on our rear window:
Our first nostalgic sticker from
Mexico from 1986 …..
433  ….. and the road tax sticker from
2003 from the Government of
Grenada in the Caribbean
 
In the meantime we are into the second month. While the rust removing still is making good progress and an end is in sight, there is news also concerning the steering box. After the negative results at the different Toyota’s (Malaysia, Japan, Gibraltar, Switzerland, Philippines) we put our request in three forums: a Philippines 4x4, the American TLCA (Toyota LandCruiser Association) and the German ”Buschtaxi” – unfortunately all three remained negative. Our last attempt was then Specter-Offroad in Los Angeles from where we had already spare parts flown to American Samoa in 2009. It was SOR where an entire steering box was available, however not new but rebuilt. And this part is now since August 28th, on its way by Fedex to Borneo. For this, we had to dig deep into our pockets. The parcel weighs 29lbs., adding another US$250 freight to the part’s price of US$1’100. But we hardly can continue without any steering! Let's hope that the Malaysian Customs will be generous with its duties and taxes.
 
 
 
 
 
 
434  The „Yung Lee Auto & Painting
Workshop“ is also our „playing ground“
at our daily checks
435  It is progressing: Emil’s car
side looks quite interesting with
its patchy putty fillers
436  We do not hope that our Land
Cruiser will meet the same fate like
its neighbor on the workshop area!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
437  The last holes to be welded
and to be filled are around
the fuel inlet …..
438  ..... this means to remove the
60 gall. gasoline tank. Liliana
checks it at the spray booth .....
439  ..... also this last welding job
is completed professionally
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
440  An exotic sight: The LandCruiser is
wrapped up with Chinese newspapers, ready
to be painted with the grey primer …..
441  ….. Voon Teck Choi at work
with the airbrush. Slowly our best friend
is becoming a grey eminence! .....
442  ..... next step: Drying before
it gets its new blue coat
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
443  The time has come: Our
LandCruiser in the spray booth .....
444   ..... finishing touch:
Voon Teck Choi is spraying
the insides of the doors …..
445  ..... the bodywork is completed!
Our indispensable travel buddy
is shining in new splendor
 
September 13th, 2012: The number 13 does not necessarily mean “bad luck”! At least exactly on that day we finally hold the steering box flown in from the USA in our hands! It took 16 days from Los Angeles to Miri on Borneo by Fedex, whereby it got stuck 10 days at the airport of Kuala Lumpur due to customs procedures. Initially everything seemed to be processed rapidly. Customs taxed the spare part with Ringgit 600 (US$195), which amount we had to agree upon. There is no way around it, even if the part is leaving the country together with our LandCruiser in October again. Next day, there is another email from Fedex in our inbox. “Taxes have been revised by customs and amount now to Ringgit 1450 (US$470) we are informed. No, they cannot do that with us! Emil takes his time to write a lengthy email to the customs, explaining who we are, what we do, when it entered Malaysia with a “Carnet de Passages” and which agent did then the car’s import papers, where it is now repaired and from where the required spare part originates. He attaches all the necessary documents plus the online site of the catalogue of Specter Off-Road with the price of the steering box. Afterwards there is for two days silence. Slowly we are getting worried and ask per email how things are proceeding. Immediately there is an answer saying “customs cleared”. The amount has been lowered again to the originally quoted US$ 195 and two days later, Miri’s Fedex courier hands over the 29 pounds heavy parcel.
 
 
 
 
 
 
446  Mr. Lau and Emil are examining
the steering box that just arrived
by courier from the US
447 The “corpus delicti” - the faulty steering
gear showing the same resistance despite the
newly replaced „cross shaft 44111-60020“
ends up now in our “spare part box”
448  Gasoline tank: The leakage we
treated on 5/19/2007 with gasoline
resistant epoxy in Timor Leste and some
other rusty parts have been welded
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
449  The rear axle shafts have
been checked and the bearings
and seals have been replaced
450  The front axle shaft is dismantled
and half of the parts are replaced
preventative. It is just frightening how
many parts have to interact here
451  We re-install a heater (US$100),
having left behind the original one in 2006.
Thus we will be equipped again for colder
temperatures and higher elevations
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
452   In order to replace the clutch, the
heavy gearbox has to be removed
453  Left is the new and right is the old
clutch set. For the clutch disk we paid
Ringgit 160 (= US$54) and for the
clutch cover Ringgit 310 (US$105)
454  Simply a great sight again:
Our “new” LandCruiser from above
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
September 25th, 2012: Today our LandCruiser is waiting in vain in the workshop for our visit. Reason:
Liliana is celebrating her birthday at the Park City Everly Hotel in Miri in the province of Sarawak in Malaysia on the island of Borneo
455   Liliana and Emil at the festive
decorated table. The five-course
menu offered by the management
tastes excellent with the main
course being “Grilled Rib-eye Steak”
456   Liliana enjoys the
congratulations and the chocolate
cake with the little candle
457   The staff surprises us with
a “Happy Birthday” song and
poses for a souvenir photo
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
458  The strong roof rack is painted.
Since 28 years it carried unharmed
nearly 17 times more than a ton of
weight around the world
459  Mr. Lance Lau and Emil fix the
new country sticker, made in Réunion.
It shows 172 countries since our departure
on October 18th, 1984. Unfortunately it
seems that the quality is inferior –
despite of its hefty price of US$310
460  Emil is reloading the roof rack
with our somewhat heavely battered
“Zarges” aluminum boxes
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
461  Our LandCruiser – being our
home since 28 years – is filled with
a lot of “treasures”. Liliana is
sorting them out …..
462  ….. among the treasures are two
precious T-Shirts, signed by management
and staff of the Toyota distributor on
Sint Maarten in the Caribbean …..
463  ..... as well as hundreds of newspaper
clips and a collection of maps around the
world probably a bookshop would be
proud of (only a fraction is pictured)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
464  Due to two small oil leaks in front
and in the rear of the oilpan, the Land
Cruiser needs to be jacked up again …..
465  ..... Mr. Lance Lau, a mechanic
and Emil are looking for the cause.
Conclusion: The oil pan gasket has to
be replaced. It is not available in Miri, but
finally and luckily in neighboring Brunei …..
466  ..... Emil closes our spare part case
on the roof rack after he had to realize that
we do not have this part anymore on stock
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
467  The work is done. Mr. Lance Lau
(right from Liliana) and his crew pose for a
picture at the workshop in front of our car
468  The boss invites us and his mechanics
to a Malayan lunch in the “Riverbend
Garden”. Accidentally, it is October 16th,
2012 – the day of our 28th anniversary of
our epic journey. Our LandCruiser left on
this date Switzerland in its 1st container
bound for Montreal in Canada
469  On the road again with our beautifully
restored LandCruiser in its new look:
Babyblue with a sun like yellow tarp
from Réunion (unfortunately no
orange colored one was available)
 
 
The “rejuvenation“ is accomplished: Our baby-blue LandCruiser is standing in front of us in its old brightness. Its rejuvenation has taken 67 days – days which we witnessed in all its details. Today we are sure that the workshop of Mr. Lance Lau in Miri on Borneo was the right choice back in Réunion (Namibia, Jordan and Kuwait were also under consideration). Because of the results of the 1st rejuvenation we trusted him and under his supervision, the mechanics have done a good job. We also could bring forward any idea and they were always implemented according to our wish. For example: A third gasoline pump was installed, which – if necessary – can be engaged to suppress air bubbles in the carburetor if overheating starts to build up. Then the idle lying compressor of our disassembled air conditioner was transformed into a tire inflating device. The team-work was relaxed until the very last moment. What we also appreciated was the free replacement car during the many weeks. How much did the “lifting” of our LandCruiser cost? For the derusting, new paint and the mechanical jobs (some were preventive maintenance) we paid US$ 2’940 and for the spare parts of which we took care, we paid US$ 3’145. Result: We are happy with the outcome of the 2nd rejuvenation. It was worth to ship our companion from the Indian Ocean to Sarawak knowing that it would be in good hands.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
470  Bintulu/Sarawak October 25, 2012:
Emil is driving our LandCruiser into its
26th container. It will leave Borneo
on October 29, 2012, to Dubai/U.A.E.
 
 
More websites from Malaysia and Borneo: