New person saying hello.

Gunther28 · 07-08-08, 05:35 PM

Well here is the scoop, I own a 1958 FJ40 and this is the story behind it. Around the early 1970s my dad decided to buy a Land Cruiser (from the first owner) just before being discharged from the Navy. He drove it happily for about eight years. In 1980 as my parents were moving to Atlanta the transmission went out a block away from their new home. At the time my dad never had the money to fix it so it sat in the garage. Eight years later I came along, I remember always sitting in it wishing I could drive it. In 1996 we moved to Tennessee, we sent the Land Cruiser to a cousins house in Southern Georgia. In 1998 my dad decided it was finally time to fix the "Cruncher" as we called it. We did a small amount of work to it until my older sister found a 71 MG Midget she couldn't stand to live without. The Cruncher went on the back burner while me and my dad worked on the MG. We moved again and both the MG and the Land Cruiser went on the back burner so we could fix an old house we moved into. Two years later my dad want to get both cars done. He passed away in 2001 before we could start working on them again. My mom sold the MG shortly thereafter. I was thirteen at the time and my mom said she might want to sell the Cruncher and my answer was of course "NO!". We had family friends from all the way back in Atlanta that had a son who built hot rods and restored classic car. They to wanted to restore the Cruncher for my 16th birthday. Well seeing that they are about four years late its not going to happen. Their son got a job with Toyota building Nascar bodies. Im not going to complain its been sitting in South Carolina (their current home) in a garage since 2002. For the past couple of years I have been wanting to get the Cruncher to Missouri. I have been looking up shipping rates and of course I really cant afford them. An old friend of my that was my service writer at Honda told me about this site, (NoMoreFires! is his name on this site) I love it so far. The main reason he told me to join was about MUD ship. I will post an ad there tomorrow. I do happen to have some old photos of it that I scanned the other day. BTW, I might get flamed from you guys, I have another life in the relm of old BMWs. Oh yeah I forgot

.

CID 96 · 07-08-08, 06:05 PM

Good luck with it. Great story. One of the older 40's I have seen.

Sid

Thornton · 07-08-08, 06:09 PM

Welcome to MUD

Hope you get your 40 to MO. It looks like you got your work cut out for you. Have fun. It's a real addiction.

kyot4x4 · 07-08-08, 06:26 PM

Cool project good luck

Fast Eddy · 07-08-08, 07:00 PM

Welcome!

The first fj40s were from 1960 or so. If it's really a '58 it would be an fj25. What's the VIN?

Toyota Land Cruiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

diggity · 07-08-08, 07:13 PM

Gunther28 - welcome

Brad

highlandcruzer · 07-08-08, 07:25 PM

Welcome to 'Mud

Degnol · 07-08-08, 07:29 PM

Current President of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association, "Chef" on Mud(TLCA) lives in Columbia, MO. Along with "Sherpa"(here on Mud) and there are a couple of others from Columbia....can't recall their names right now.

Welcome...............and look into "Tonadoalleycruisers.com"

Ed

e rock · 07-08-08, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fast Eddy

The first fj40s were from 1960 or so. If it's really a '58 it would be an fj25. What's the VIN?

Looks to be about a '63 if I had to guess. The first digit of the VIN will tell you the year. e.g. 3FJ4010523 would be a 1963, 4FJ4024332 would be a 1964.

Regardless, welcome. Hopefully something works out with the transportation - that's just the beginning of your adventure. I'm always amazed at how much work some people will put into a vehicle they've never driven.

bsmith123 · 07-08-08, 08:19 PM

Wow

Nice one!

Good Luck with the MUDSHIP there have been successes int he past, Shipping is expensive I know!

welcome to Mud

Gunther28 · 07-08-08, 09:37 PM

Thanks for the welcome.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fast Eddy

Welcome!

The first fj40s were from 1960 or so. If it's really a '58 it would be an fj25. What's the VIN?

Toyota Land Cruiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I know for a fact that it is a 58 but I will get the vin number from our friends. But looking up 25 and 40s the look so similar to me, Its hard to tell. I know when the first owner bought it, it was special order but I dont know if that any thing to do with it. Also every other one has a larger side window than mine and none of those dimples. Another thing will the Vin also tell if its a fj25 or fj40 like the number you posted (ie #FJ40##### or #FJ25####)? I've been kinda wanting to get into off roading and I think this a good gateway.

Gunther28 · 07-08-08, 09:57 PM

I talked to my mom about it and she told me my dad bought it from another guy who was also in the Navy and that he bought it in Japan. Did they start making the FJ40 in Japan and didn't bring them over to the States later?

Thanks for all and any help.

lostmarbles · 07-08-08, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gunther28

I talked to my mom about it and she told me my dad bought it from another guy who was also in the Navy and that he bought it in Japan. Did they start making the FJ40 in Japan and didn't bring them over to the States later?

Thanks for all and any help.

Welcome from "downunder".

I think you'll find lots of the statistics quoted on this site apply to "USA market only". Even cruisers that left Japan (for other markets like Australia and New Zealand) often got different specifications.

In other words - I think it IS indeed possible that you have a forty that pre-dates their introduction to the USA. (But I wouldn't know for sure.)

Nice to see another forty (or 25 for that matter) saved from the rust-demon.

jimhendrixx · 07-08-08, 10:14 PM

Yeah dude,
nice truck!

Best of luck to you man.

My wife said no FJ! · 07-09-08, 06:58 AM

Nice rig!

Those smaller windows on your corrugated sides (not dimpled) are way cool

(love the old cruisers with the older tops and stuff...which is why I am restoring a '64).

I don't want to speak out of line here, but the turn signals, bezel, possibly 15"rims all point to it being a 40, but the year '58, and the air intake on the apron point towards it being a 25.

Was the shifter on the column or the floor?

It wouldn't be the first 25 to have had the axels swapped for 15" wheels, and adding a bezel, and fender turn signals could have also been added at any time to make an old 25 look like a newer 40.

What ever it is will be figured out with time. It is a nice rig to restore, and it has great value to you because it was your dads...which is a great story...so I would restore it as you see it, and enjoy it!!!

Welcome to the sickness

ClemsonCruiser · 07-09-08, 07:13 AM

If it a 1958 then it is a FJ25....... the tub apears to be that of an FJ25 with the rounded rear wheel wells, but at the same time it has quite a few early FJ40 parts; looks like it has the early stamped bezel and the uber rare dual sided turn signals. My guess would be it is an FJ25 and someone added the FJ40 parts on to it some where down the line

you should post up in the 25 section here on mud those guys can help you out as they really know their early cruisers

either way cool find good luck with the project!!

Texx · 07-09-08, 01:57 PM

25's dont have the square front doors though, they're curved like an old CJ to fit around the rear wheelwell, right?

apeterson · 07-09-08, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texx

25's dont have the square front doors though, they're curved like an old CJ to fit around the rear wheelwell, right?

that is what I thought also

dwh84 · 07-09-08, 02:28 PM

Get the

for this one! Its getting suspenseful! What will it be? 25 or 40?

apeterson · 07-09-08, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dwh84

Get the

for this one! Its getting suspenseful! What will it be? 25 or 40?

a 40 and he is wrong about the year of the truck... end of game

( I hope...

)

My wife said no FJ! · 07-09-08, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texx

25's dont have the square front doors though, they're curved like an old CJ to fit around the rear wheelwell, right?

FJ25 hard tops had the 'squared' doors.

Any news on the vin number?

Gunther28 · 07-09-08, 06:12 PM

Confirmed FJ25!

My wife said no FJ! · 07-09-08, 06:30 PM

So...how was it confirmed?

Gunther28 · 07-09-08, 07:30 PM

The original owners manual, It was storming really bad so my friend didn't get the chance to goto his garage. VIN tomorrow.

Cruiser_Nerd · 07-09-08, 07:44 PM

Don't let that owners manual get wet. Right now I'm praying that there is a service manual hidden in there also.

I'll second the confirmation without the VIN. It is a 25. (rear quarter height, spring mounts, and three bolt front fender mount are a dead giveaway. Very often the noses get changed over the years. It most likely has a later model front axle. The models were similar enough that alot of stuff from the 40 just bolts on.

If the original tranny is shot you may have a problem on your hands if you want to keep it original. Come visit us in the 25 Section we can help you out (or just listen and nod) with the more oddball stuff.

Very nice and unusual to have the story from the original owner to now. Many of the 25's that still survive now arrived in the US via returning servicemen.

ClemsonCruiser · 07-09-08, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Texx

25's dont have the square front doors though, they're curved like an old CJ to fit around the rear wheelwell, right?

like Dean said the FJ25 hard tops have the same squared off door openings as FJ40's....... you are thinking of the FJ25 softop versions which have the curved door openings. And just to throw a cruve ball; in the very early FJ40's (61-63ish) soft-top versions had the curved door (FJ25 style) opening that you speak of.......

the dead give away to me was the curved rear wheel well openings this was only a FJ25 feature and the easiest to spot

here is a pic of a hard top FJ25
and a soft top FJ40

07-08-08, 05:35 PM	#1
Gunther28 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: COLUMBIA MO Posts: 11	New person saying hello. Well here is the scoop, I own a 1958 FJ40 and this is the story behind it. Around the early 1970s my dad decided to buy a Land Cruiser (from the first owner) just before being discharged from the Navy. He drove it happily for about eight years. In 1980 as my parents were moving to Atlanta the transmission went out a block away from their new home. At the time my dad never had the money to fix it so it sat in the garage. Eight years later I came along, I remember always sitting in it wishing I could drive it. In 1996 we moved to Tennessee, we sent the Land Cruiser to a cousins house in Southern Georgia. In 1998 my dad decided it was finally time to fix the "Cruncher" as we called it. We did a small amount of work to it until my older sister found a 71 MG Midget she couldn't stand to live without. The Cruncher went on the back burner while me and my dad worked on the MG. We moved again and both the MG and the Land Cruiser went on the back burner so we could fix an old house we moved into. Two years later my dad want to get both cars done. He passed away in 2001 before we could start working on them again. My mom sold the MG shortly thereafter. I was thirteen at the time and my mom said she might want to sell the Cruncher and my answer was of course "NO!". We had family friends from all the way back in Atlanta that had a son who built hot rods and restored classic car. They to wanted to restore the Cruncher for my 16th birthday. Well seeing that they are about four years late its not going to happen. Their son got a job with Toyota building Nascar bodies. Im not going to complain its been sitting in South Carolina (their current home) in a garage since 2002. For the past couple of years I have been wanting to get the Cruncher to Missouri. I have been looking up shipping rates and of course I really cant afford them. An old friend of my that was my service writer at Honda told me about this site, (NoMoreFires! is his name on this site) I love it so far. The main reason he told me to join was about MUD ship. I will post an ad there tomorrow. I do happen to have some old photos of it that I scanned the other day. BTW, I might get flamed from you guys, I have another life in the relm of old BMWs. Oh yeah I forgot . Last edited by Gunther28; 07-08-08 at 09:41 PM.

07-08-08, 06:05 PM	#2
CID 96 IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Covington, GA TLCA# 16123 Posts: 180	Good luck with it. Great story. One of the older 40's I have seen. Sid __________________ 1994 FZJ-80 arb & aussie lockers, metaltech sliders, part-time 4wd 1978 FJ-40 (sold) 1971 FJ-40 (sold) 2007 Tacoma TRD S/C 4x4

07-08-08, 06:09 PM	#3
Thornton IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Manassas Va TLCA# 11609 Posts: 127	Welcome to MUD Hope you get your 40 to MO. It looks like you got your work cut out for you. Have fun. It's a real addiction. __________________ 71 fj40 "Nellie"- 4" lift, 4 wheel disk, Aussie locker 07 Tacoma TRD Offroad 03 Tahoe "rolling down the road at 8 Miles a Gallon" Scott Miller & the Commonwealth

07-08-08, 06:26 PM	#4
kyot4x4 IH8MUD regular Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Fillmore, CA TLCA# 16221 Posts: 102	Cool project good luck __________________ 1972 fj40 sm420,AA twin sticks, locked front,welded rear, saginaw p/s, soa,4 wheel disk brakes, GM master & booster, reversed rear springs,Hyd winch, stock f engine, header, Weber and 40000. miles 2004 HD FXSTSi 2004 Chevy 2500hd 1996 Honda XR250r 2007 Weekend Warrior

07-08-08, 07:00 PM	#5
Fast Eddy IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Morgan Hill, CA TLCA# 18155 Posts: 2,836	Welcome! The first fj40s were from 1960 or so. If it's really a '58 it would be an fj25. What's the VIN? Toyota Land Cruiser - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia __________________ トヨタさん、ありがとうございました。 My '78 FJ40 - '73 and '78 FJ40 parts FS - WTB:Olive (653) Bib and Windshield frame -- Originally Posted by OZCAL Woke up the next day with a partially detached retina, wrapped in a sheet on a wooden floor, in a storeroom upstairs from a barbershop.

07-08-08, 07:13 PM	#6
diggity IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Holly Springs NC Posts: 120	Gunther28 - welcome Brad

07-08-08, 07:29 PM	#8
Degnol Noaccount Webwheeler Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansastitty TLCA# 14529 Posts: 6,478	Current President of the Toyota Land Cruiser Association, "Chef" on Mud(TLCA) lives in Columbia, MO. Along with "Sherpa"(here on Mud) and there are a couple of others from Columbia....can't recall their names right now. Welcome...............and look into "Tonadoalleycruisers.com" Ed __________________ There is nothing so depraved as a man in the depths of an ether binge '66FJ40, Fresh 2F, H42/Orion(By Poser...LCR4WD), ARB Front/rear(By Poser...LCR4WD), MetalTech Cage installed by Poser, Screw-ups fixed(by Poser) 4WDB Corvette Master, Mini Truck PS, 3.5" Lift, Warn 8274, 33s on stockers

07-08-08, 08:19 PM	#10
bsmith123 IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: panhandle florida Posts: 1,047	cool cruiser Wow Nice one! Good Luck with the MUDSHIP there have been successes int he past, Shipping is expensive I know! welcome to Mud __________________ B Smith123 Chaos, panic, & disorder - my work here is done. The easy way ain't cheap and the cheap way ain't easy!!! 71 FJ frame off build "UGLY BETTY" 33 in BFGs, 4 inch HFS lift, Durabak lined tub, and a soft top in a box! Now sportin a 2F and 4 speed

07-08-08, 09:57 PM	#12
Gunther28 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: COLUMBIA MO Posts: 11	I talked to my mom about it and she told me my dad bought it from another guy who was also in the Navy and that he bought it in Japan. Did they start making the FJ40 in Japan and didn't bring them over to the States later? Thanks for all and any help. __________________ 1958 Land Cruiser. 1987 BMW 325is for sale 1500 obo.

07-08-08, 10:14 PM	#14
jimhendrixx IH8MUD Regular Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kenmore, WA TLCA# 3137 Posts: 362	Yeah dude, nice truck! Best of luck to you man. __________________ These "roll" with me: 1973 FJ55 Toyota Landcruiser Restoration Project 2001 Toyota Tundra 2007 FJ Cruiser Seattle Cruiser Heads

07-09-08, 06:58 AM	#15
My wife said no FJ! IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 690	Nice rig! Those smaller windows on your corrugated sides (not dimpled) are way cool (love the old cruisers with the older tops and stuff...which is why I am restoring a '64). I don't want to speak out of line here, but the turn signals, bezel, possibly 15"rims all point to it being a 40, but the year '58, and the air intake on the apron point towards it being a 25. Was the shifter on the column or the floor? It wouldn't be the first 25 to have had the axels swapped for 15" wheels, and adding a bezel, and fender turn signals could have also been added at any time to make an old 25 look like a newer 40. What ever it is will be figured out with time. It is a nice rig to restore, and it has great value to you because it was your dads...which is a great story...so I would restore it as you see it, and enjoy it!!! Welcome to the sickness __________________ Dean 1964 FJ40 Hard Top...resto, going back to original stock!

07-09-08, 07:13 AM	#16
ClemsonCruiser Slave to the Cruiser Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Clemson, South Carolina TLCA# 14683 Posts: 4,598	If it a 1958 then it is a FJ25....... the tub apears to be that of an FJ25 with the rounded rear wheel wells, but at the same time it has quite a few early FJ40 parts; looks like it has the early stamped bezel and the uber rare dual sided turn signals. My guess would be it is an FJ25 and someone added the FJ40 parts on to it some where down the line you should post up in the 25 section here on mud those guys can help you out as they really know their early cruisers either way cool find good luck with the project!! __________________ JP Virgo 88 FJ62- gone but not forgotten 62 FJ40 stocker Clemson MAFIA a division of Upstate Cruisers Last edited by ClemsonCruiser; 07-09-08 at 07:19 AM.

07-09-08, 01:57 PM	#17
Texx IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 1,962	25's dont have the square front doors though, they're curved like an old CJ to fit around the rear wheelwell, right? __________________ world's cleanest 89 FJ-62, and a few parts... 85 xcab hilux 4x4 resto'ed, 67 XKE, 1500 Vulcan, 80 Fj40 restored 03 Tacoma TRD SR5, Suzuki DR350 ANYBODY BUT OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

07-09-08, 02:28 PM	#19
dwh84 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Huntsville, AL Posts: 33	Get the for this one! Its getting suspenseful! What will it be? 25 or 40? __________________ 77 FJ40 in a thousand pieces Daniel

07-09-08, 06:12 PM	#22
Gunther28 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: COLUMBIA MO Posts: 11	Confirmed FJ25! __________________ 1958 Land Cruiser. 1987 BMW 325is for sale 1500 obo.

07-09-08, 06:30 PM	#23
My wife said no FJ! IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 690	So...how was it confirmed? __________________ Dean 1964 FJ40 Hard Top...resto, going back to original stock!

07-09-08, 07:30 PM	#24
Gunther28 IH8MUD Rookie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: COLUMBIA MO Posts: 11	The original owners manual, It was storming really bad so my friend didn't get the chance to goto his garage. VIN tomorrow. __________________ 1958 Land Cruiser. 1987 BMW 325is for sale 1500 obo.

07-09-08, 07:44 PM	#25
Cruiser_Nerd That 25 Guy. Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Higganum. TLCA# 12092 Posts: 2,492	Don't let that owners manual get wet. Right now I'm praying that there is a service manual hidden in there also. I'll second the confirmation without the VIN. It is a 25. (rear quarter height, spring mounts, and three bolt front fender mount are a dead giveaway. Very often the noses get changed over the years. It most likely has a later model front axle. The models were similar enough that alot of stuff from the 40 just bolts on. If the original tranny is shot you may have a problem on your hands if you want to keep it original. Come visit us in the 25 Section we can help you out (or just listen and nod) with the more oddball stuff. Very nice and unusual to have the story from the original owner to now. Many of the 25's that still survive now arrived in the US via returning servicemen. __________________ Jim FJ25.com "The FJ25 is almost humorous in its simplicity, but therein lies its beauty." Nina Padgett - Autoweek