G'day Newbie Here

Hi Folks,

Newbie here. I have a background in military vehicles and currently run a highly modified HJ47 Duel Cab Landcruiser and may be about to join the Oka fraternity.

Over the weekend I am having a look at a very low milage 1995 Oka Camper with a view to potentially purchasing it and doing it up. Thing is, whilst I am competent mechanically I know nothing about Oka's other than what I have read and I just want one. I had a quick sniff around here on the FAQ's and mechanical section but couldnt find anything much in the way of 'stuff to look for' when buying an Oka. Rust in doors seemed to be the only thing which jumped out??

Just wondering if there are specific Oka'isms I need to eyeball other than the usual motor/drivetrain and things that go bump issues? Are they prone to rust in certain areas? How should the gearbox and t/case shift feel? Other than the obvious, what on an Oka purchase would make you turn and run for the hills?

Any information would be very much appreciated.

cheers
Jeff

Hi Jeff,

I have sent you a private message.


Rust is mainly in the doors, two upright nose panels and the roof can be a problem.

OKA have a split roof and end above the windscreen. They are prone to leaking, then rusting things out.

Floors also can be an issue for rust, especially if the roof or windscreen leaks.

Each OKA has its own quirks and are of an age they are probably the same as they left the factory.

The front lower body rail tube is also a rust candidate.
Personally, I would be more cautious of anything that spent time in a mine, but many of those live on.

If you quote the last 3 figures of the VIN number, its history can probably be found.

Thanks guys, appreciate the info. Last three digits of the vin are 298

That makes it an LT then.


It will have a rockwell transfer case among other things.


Yes front lower rail will rust out, that's what causes the nose cones to rust.

JR wrote: Thanks guys, appreciate the info. Last three digits of the vin are 298

There was a thread here on Oka 298 when it was for sale last year.

Is this the same vehicle? It appeared to have deteriorated somewhat from our photos.

Hi JR,


Check your private messages.

That OKA has had a interesting history.

I would check with AL, if all the numbers match up etc. The cab has number welded onto it, same for body etc. They should match the vin

From what I can see David via your link that one is now for sale on ebay for 30K

Struggling to remember what it was listed at when I first saw it. Anyone remember? Think it was more than 30K

Yes that's the one. Wow, very different pics to its current state. A lot of rust in doors but fixable. Didn't appear to be elsewhere. Mechanically looked good. Bit of a sad tale attached to it which I won't go into here.
Reckon it's worth 30k?
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Jeff

It looks like it had a cheap paint job and every hidden problem is coming to surface,big question mark for $30,000
Cheers,Joe

Jeff, you only need one biggish battery (760cca) to start it for testing purposes. Put it in the drivers side (starter battery) and parallel the batteries with the dual battery switch (behind the drivers seat) so one battery does everything. Needs a dash of fuel of course but only 1/8th on the gauge in one tank should be enough.

(LT owners please confirm these details).

You won't have to move it far (20-30m) to confirm the engine/transmission, steering and brakes work OK, and leave it running to confirm no major oil/water/fuel/brake fluid leaks, before parting with any money.

Body rust is not unexpected and a pain to fix but the chassis should be OK, it's a thick 5mm steel box.

Its stance looks OK so the suspension should also be OK (no spring sag).

The inside looks a bit rough but you'd probably want to strip it all out and start again anyway.

Tyres look OK on 16 inch split rims.

Looks like it's suffered neglect rather than abuse and $30k might be at the top end of its price range, but for something near you'd have a good basis for a campervan conversion. We paid about the same for our 1/2 million km bus model in 2003 and it's still doing its job well (after another $30k+ over the years in refit and upgrades).

Budget for another $10k+ for fixing it up anyway. Plenty of advice in these forums on that subject.

Rust and a good 2 pack paint job is going to be around 10K on that I would have thought. Depending on how bad the rust is it may push towards 20K.