toyota HIACE

DeBloot

DeBloot

Feeling old
I fitted a bull bar to mine when I was a courier
Naughty, naughty, I was glancing at my street directory (courier driver)
when an Asian gentleman ran a stop sign
Didn't even have time to brake by the time I saw him
Hit him side on and his car was shaped like a smile (frown?)

Thankfully I had a front bull bar fitted and I swear
I would most likely have no legs if it weren't for that bull bar
Get a bull bar for sure - MTB is a lot easier with legs

One other thing
Mine used to get really hot from the engine under the passenger seat
Anyone have a problem with this
 
J

JrDacks

Likes Bikes
ive got an 03 Hiace and it handles sweet.
I put 2.5" lowering blocks in the rear, removed the bump stops and just wound down the torsion bars in the back, also fitted 245/18s and it loves the corners.

Best thing to do is get the whole interior carpeted, it reduces the road noise by a fuck load, doesnt scratch your shit up in the back and just improves the whole van.
Then put a decent stereo in and your set.

Ive done 90,000kms in mine in the last 18months and only destroyed one gearbox which i fixed for $500 and thats the only gearbox i have heard of failing in a hiace, they are pretty much unbreakable.

The only reason i would sell mine is to upgrade to a brand new one.
 
J

JrDacks

Likes Bikes
Nah man, real men drive Bongo vans, ive had a few of these, mad fun. But you will struggle to fit a BMX in the back.



 
WiLD

WiLD

Squid
anyone have any idea when toyota started to put air bags in their van's is it only in the newer models?
 
jon55sey

jon55sey

Likes Dirt
I drive a '95 Hiace. I was lucky and got mine for $1000 with 240xxxKms on it, no RWC mind you. Spent about another $1000 to get a roadie and rego for it. Put some 2.5" blocks in the back, wind the torsion bars down and it already looks a bunch better. I sprayed my stock rims on it black to. Put a false floor in the back with some ply to add another bit of customness. Hoping to carpet the floor and a bit of the walls one day when I get some spare $$$. Cheap Pioneer head unit, some 4" speakers in/under the dash, some 6x9's just behind the seat, amp mounted to the side wall and sub in a box just chillin in the back. Very cheap sound set up, but sounds decent enough for what I need. Knocked up a bike rack a few months back for it too, that I can take in and out very quickly and easily.

As for driving, with nothing in the back it is rather bouncy and echoy as fuck. A few bikes and a bit of gear it sits really well. I drove all over the state last year in mine to races and back. Slept in it numerous times very comfortably. Has 260xxxKms on it still goes hard. Handling is average at best, corners need to be taken alot slower and because of where the cab is (directly above the front wheels) it is quite bouncy. Middle seat is hard as fuck too. Fuel economy is decent. I do over 600 highway kms on one tank (60L I beleive). Acceleration is quite slow, but with the amount of shit you can fit in the back it doesn't matter. I've had 6 bikes plus enough gear for 6 people for a weekend of racing including tents, swags, eskies etc and still with a bit of room to spare. I've thought about selling but glad I didn't. Really has been the best investment. I did bust a master and slave cylinder in the clutch about a year ago, was about $300 to fix but has been perfect since.

Basically what I'm saying is, deffers buy one.

WiLD said:
anyone have any idea when toyota started to put air bags in their van's is it only in the newer models?
Click to expand...
I think the shape changed in 2005, so chances are thats when they started putting them in.
 
Last edited:
murphy13

murphy13

Likes Dirt
One other thing
Mine used to get really hot from the engine under the passenger seat
Anyone have a problem with this
Click to expand...
same with ours
we had a hiace, it broke down alot but probably because it was 25years old and was running on only 2 cylinders, it would die when you stopped if you didn't keep the revs up and lights etc
but over all they are great you can fit so much stuff in its not funny and the last forever
R.I.P old hiace!
 
floody

floody

Wheel size expert
JrDacks said:
Nah man, real men drive Bongo vans, ive had a few of these, mad fun. But you will struggle to fit a BMX in the back.
Click to expand...

How I would love an F1000 for a project! My grandad drove them exclusively until a couple of years before he died. He had six at his house at one stage. I moved away, next time I visited him he'd been shuffled into a corolla and my uncle had disposed of his collection to Simsmetal.

I think I'd do period two tone (the lemon over white is a winner!) with RS-Watanabe 8 spokes and a 12A.
 
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