Driveshafts
----------------
Check for play in the universal joints. Although a worn joint is cheap to fix, if the truck has been driven with the excessive vibration of a failed joint for any length of time, the transfer case and pinion bearings can suffer. Dents in the shafts can also cause vibrations and premature failure. Grab the shafts on either side of the slip joint and try to rotate each side in the opposite direction. If there's movement, or worse yet a "clicking" the slip joint splines are worn and will need to be replaced. Check that the universal joints and slip joints have been greased, but NOT just prior to your arrival. (There should be SOME dirt stuck to any traces of grease on the zerk-fittings or around the joints)
Grab the driveshaft on either side of the slip joint and try to rotate the two halves relative to each other. Any movement indicates that the splines in the slip joint are shot and either the driveshaft must be cut and the splines replaced, or the whole driveshaft must be replaced.
Rear Axle
--------------
Check the pinion flange for excessive play. Usually slop here will result in an a destroyed ring and pinion.
While inspecting the brakes, check for any signs of gear oil on the backing plates or brake shoes. Gear oil that has leaked past the seal at the outboard end of the axle tube will saturate the brake shoes and destroy them.
It is rare for a Cruiser to experience wheel bearing failure unless they've REALLY been abused.
Front axle
---------------
The above rules for checking the pinion bearings apply along with some potential problems for the steering knuckles. Check that there is a thin coating of grease covering the knuckle balls from top to bottom. Accumulations of crud on the knuckle balls can indicate one of two things. Grease indicates that the knuckle seals are shot. Gear oil indicates that the seal inside the axle tube. Either problem requires complete disassembly of the knuckles. If the balls are dry, they've been run improperly lubricated for quite a while and at least the upper knuckle bearings will be destroyed. If the tire can be grabbed by the top and rocked back and forth, either the wheel bearing is loose, or the knuckle bearings are shot. Get someone else to try and rock the wheel and watch if it's moving relative to the knuckle or if the knuckle is moving relative to the axle tube. Quite often if the wheel bearings are loose, they are simply in need of re-packing and adjustment.
Steering
-------------
In manual steering equipped Cruisers, check for gear oil in the steering box by removing the breather vent located on the top. If there is none, the pitman arm seal has failed and the bearings are probably almost gone. If there is grease in the steering box, the seal has failed, and the owner has at least tried to extend the life of the steering box. It may be salvageable, but pulling the pitman arm to replace the seal will require a very stout puller and possibly a little heat from an oxy-acetelyne torch.
Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth through a 90 degree arc while you inspect the steering box and center arm (on 40's-55's) The center arm should rotate with no sign of "wobbling" If the steering tends to "stay where it's left" while driving rather than returning to center, the seller has probably cranked up the center arm to try to hide slop.
Check the ball joints with a pair of water pump pliers. Squeeze the ball joint from the top and bottom (taking care not to put pressure on grease nipples, if present) if it "compresses," it is worn out. Replacing worn tie rod ends is relatively easy, but ensure that there's only play in the ball joint and not in the threads between the rod and the end. This will require replacing the rods themselves.
Brakes
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To check the brakes, push the pedal down and hold it. If the pedal travels slowly to the floor, there is a leak in the system. If it is apparent the system is leaking, start off by checking at each wheel. Remove each wheel in turn and check for leaks. Look for leaks from the calipers on disc brake equipped vehicles, and wheel cylinders on drum brake equipped vehicles. On drum brake vehicles, put each drum back on and feel how easily it pulls off. It is usually very difficult to coerce a drum to come off, but once you've broken the "seal of rust," they should only be slightly snug, if they come off too easily the wheel cylinders need adjustment. Out of adjustment wheel cylinders will also show up when you depress the brake pedal in the form of excessive pedal travel. Check the shoes for reasonably even wear and thickness and look for any signs of scoring in the drums. Try to turn the adjusters on the wheel cylinders. If they're seized, they will need replacement. You can get a rough idea if the drums are warped or not by putting them back on the truck and spinning them. There should be even resistance thought a complete rotation.
Check all the steel lines for excessive corrosion or kinks. Flexible lines can be checked by "kinking" them back on themselves. If the edge that is in tension shows signs of cracks, it needs replacement.
Suspension
----------------
Many people will replace the factory suspension anyway, so for them damage here is of little concern. If the stock suspension is to be retained, there are a number of items that should be checked. Check the spring packs for broken or bent leaves. If there are no shoulders on the bushings or the shackle pin doesn't appear to pass through the center of the spring eye/spring hanger the bushings will need to be replaced. Check at there is no movement of the shackle pin relative to the shackle plate. Pre-81 stock shackles are prone to the pins working loose.
Looking at the condition of the U-bolt ends below the spring plate will give clues to the use of the vehicle. If the U-bolt ends are bent/scraped, the truck has seen some off road beating. While looking under the U-bolt plate, ensure that you can see the nut and spring pin. The pin will sometimes break in the middle of the spring pack causing the bottom chunk to fall out. Replacing the pin requires removing/replacing the U-bolts as well.
Check that the shock mounts on the rear cross members and u-bolt plates aren't broken. Frame/axle mounted broken pins must be cut out and new ones welded in. On 40 series, the top front shackle mount pin will sometimes develop play relative to the shock mount tower. If that is the case, it can temporarily be fixed by adding another washer to the large nut end of the pin, but will eventually require proper replacement which involves welding/boring out the tower.
Body
---------
This is probably where you'll find the greatest variance in Land Cruisers. Some trucks are pristine and have been hermetically sealed in their garages all winter, whereas some have been used to launch boats in the ocean. The former will have a body. The latter won't. It's rare that you will find a Land Cruiser with a rust free body in the Eastern or Midwestern USA unless it's been brought in from out west. Most of the well preserved trucks spend most of their lives in the Southwest or Western states.
The problem areas primarily for 40 series but also 55 series are: (probable order of occurrence)
-along the seam between the sides of the body and the tops of the fenders in
the rear
-under the back doors LIKE THIS
-behind rear taillights where mud can get trapped LIKE THIS
-the "box section" that runs under the door sills
-the lower edges of all doors LIKE THIS
-on the fenders around the turn signals
-on the fenders where the support brackets from the frame attach
-along the sill that runs down in front of the doors
-the windshield frame under the rubber gasket
-the lower edge of the hard top and the steel drain sill under the fiberglass
-don't forget to pull back all the floor coverings and look for holes in the front floor boards and rear bed
-along the seam on the front of the hood. The above is for an FJ40/ FJ55.
The problem areas for the 60's and 70's are
-the lip around the fender wells
-the lower edges of all the doors
-the rear quarter panels
-under the rubber gasket around the windshield
-under the mud flaps
-basically any seam around the rear wheel wells.
-the seams in the front foot wells
Finding a 60 that has the dealer installed aluminum running boards is a good sign. Intact running boards indicates that the vehicle had never really been used offroad and they also prevent the rocker panels/lower door edges from being hit by spray from the tires, decreasing the likelihood of rust.
Frame
-----------
The most common areas for frame rust on a 40 series are the gusset plates above the rear-most spring hangers, the rear crossmember, and the diagonals that run from the frame rails to the crossmember. As long as the frame rails themselves are okay, most of the gussets/brackets can be replaced. If the steel looks like its "delaminating," it is shot.
On pre 1981 trucks, the frames also tend to crack where the boxing ends above the front most rear spring perches. The crack tends to run longitudinally from the rear-most rivet on the perch towards the back of the truck. The spring perches can also be tweaked, especially if the truck has been running extended shackles. As you sight along the frame rails the shackles should be perpendicular to the bottom flange. Tweaked fixed pin spring perches are rarer, but if a rear one is out of alignment, chances are the frame has cracked. Because of the stronger design, perch/hanger problems aren't as common on post- '81 40s and 42s. Feel through the holes on the inboard sides of the frame rails. Large flakes of rust are a sign of problems to come.
60s and 70s only real problems stem from rust. Their frame designs don't have the same large holes as on 40s so they're harder to clean and more prone to trapping crud and rusting. Feel through the small access holes for signs of rust flakes. The worst spots for frame rust on 60s and 70s are where the muffler is next to the frame. It is possible for the steel to be weakened to the point that a screwdriver can easily be poked through it with no outwardly visible warning signs. The other big problem area is the rearmost section of the frame where it is just a channel (as opposed to fully boxed)
Edited by Rob Mullen -
ramullen@home.com
Information shamelessly pilfered from:
Against All Odds: The Story of the Toyota Motor Corporation and the Family that created it
by Yukiyasu Togo & William Wartman; New York, USA : St. Martin's Press,
1999 ISBN 0-312-09733-6
Das Grosse Toyota Land Cruiser Buch
by Martin Braun, Thomas Ronnberg; Munich, Germany : AC Verlag, 1993.
ISBN 3-86087-140-4
Downey Off Road Manufacturing Catalog
Specter Off Road Catalog
TLC Engine Conversion Kit Instruction Manual (Advance Adapters)
Toyota Land Cruiser: 1956-1984
Compiled by R.M. Clark; Surrey, England : Brooklands Books Distribution Ltd.
ISBN 1-85520-0473
Toyota Parts Microfiche
Toyota Trails (TLCA Newsletter)
Toyota Truck & LC Owner's Bible
by Moses Ludel; Cambridge : Robert Bently, Inc., 1995
ISBN 0-8376-0159-2
Toyota USA and Japan Service Bulletins
Toyota: A History of the First 50 Years
by Toyota Jid&oring, sha Kabushiki Kaisha; Toyota City, Japan : Toyota
Motor Corporation, 1988.
Toyota, Fifty Years in Motion: An Autobiography
by Eiji Toyoda, Tokyo; New York : Kodansha International, 1987.
Toyota Repair manuals
Various 4x4 Magazines
Contributors (Although they may not have realized at the time
Rory Arms, Paul Bech, Gary Bjork, Drew Eckhardt, Lars Gottberg, Neil Kapperman, Steve Kopito,
Kerry Manning, Willem-Jan Markerink, Andrew Murphy, Greg Overton, Park Owens, Marv Spector, Ian Staines, Roy Stockman, Jeff Zepp, Toyota Canada Inc.
Happy cruisin'!
Trollhole
but 
(see UC hoarders post) 
Wife 
on the cut and paste saves me searching
), 4" Safari lift, Ehsan Olive Canvas Top 
Linear Mode
