[Dynosoar]

It all started back when I was 18 years old (21 years ago!). I was looking to buy a truck and really wanted a Toyota 4X4. My parents who were going to help me financially with the purchase said, “No pickup trucks”. So a friend of the family sold them a 1984 VW Rabbit GTI and they gave it to me. Within a week I was in a bad accident (not my fault) and the Rabbit was totaled. The car was in my name so when the insurance company cut me a check to replace it, I went looking for a truck. All of the pickups that I was looking at were beat up and they were cramped inside (I am 6’2”). I remembered a couple of friends of mine from high school had Land Cruisers in their family and I always thought they were cool, so I started looking for one.

I found a 1974 FJ40 and from then on I was hooked. I drove that thing everywhere. I purchased a set of craftsman tools and learned how to wrench on that truck. I did everything from a farm rebuild to R&R the transfer case. I learned a lot and started to wrench on all my friends cars and trucks too.

I took it on many surfing trips to Baja, it worked as my prerunner for desert racing, and snow wheeling in the Sierras, etc. Gas seemed cheap so I did not mind driving it everywhere. I remember filling the tank on the corner of Venice Blvd. and Sawtelle Blvd. in west L.A. (Mar Vista) for 75cents a gallon. On a trip down in Baja I got a blow out in the front right tire on Hwy. 1 just north of Ensenada (where the huge cliffs are), the truck went into the drainage ditch and rolled over many times. The truck was totaled. It was heartbreaking but at least my passenger and I were uninjured.

While I was in college I was working and saving money to get another FJ40. When I was ready to buy I opened up my search to include FJ60’s. In 1989 I found a 1982 FJ60 with 60,000 miles and decided to buy it. I paid $7,500. The truck was super clean and very well maintained. I am the third (and final) owner of this truck. It was originally sold in Santa Monica at the old Len Sheridan dealership on Santa Monica Blvd. And came with a folder full of dealer service receipts for the maintenance. This is the same FJ60 that I drive today.

My FJ60 (The Dynosoar) has been everywhere with me. I drove it until the 2F would hardly move the truck anymore. At the time I was very involved with off-road racing (Baja) and I had been towing my race car with the 60. I decided to do a V8 swap to add power for towing. I found a TPI 350 from a 1991 Camaro and matched it with a turbo 400 trans. That was in 1995 (I wish there was a resource like IH8MUD back then!!!) I did all the fabrication myself.

The truck got its name from my first race car (Class 11: full bodied VW) It was green with a big dinosaur painted on the hood. This car was later painted light blue with black and white checker graphics. This has been the color scheme on all my race cars since 1994. Since 1993 my race team name was Dynosoar Racing. The name has stuck and the 60 will always be my Dynosoar.

Mods:

Chevy 350 TPI (Tuned Port Injection)
Summit aluminum radiator with Volvo electric fan
TH400 trans to stock split case (Advanced Adapter)
B&M Sport Shifter
Mechanical water temp/oil pressure gauges & voltmeter
Full floater rear end with Cable Locker (Stock Toyota) (3.70 F&R)
33x12.50x15 BFG all-Terrains on American Racing 15x8’s
4+” SUA lift – springs custom made by National Spring (Santee, CA)
Louvered hood vents (Race Ace)
4 Runner caliper brake mod with 15/16” Toyota Master
Yaesu FT-2600 2M radio
Garmin GPS3
Kenwood Stereo / Sirius Satellite
Spare mounted in cargo area (temporary as bumper is being built)
Bilstein shocks and Ford towers for front end (not on truck yet)
Trail Gear sliders
Blacked out grill, and all chrome
Gas hood struts

Hella E-code H4 lamps with ARB/IPF harness
Hella three tone air horn
Stock sway bars for on-road/ with quick disconnects for off-road
Task LED interior lighting (thanks George)
Dynosoar hood sticker
I am sure there is more, I just can’t think of anymore right now!







Picture #1 : This is a pic of my first land cruiser. It was a 1974 FJ40 with a F ½ engine. (Stuck Again)



Picture #2 This is a picture of "The Dynosoar" Stuck again (Pre Sliders)




Picture #3 Surf and Turf 2007 : The Dynosoar on the right, Philos1 on the left and Andrew.fletcher in the rear

[Dynosoar]

Picture #1 the twins, Dynosoar on the right and my old gray 60 on the left

Picture #2 some mild rock action

Picture #3 Air in the dunes

[Dynosoar]

A few more pics

#1 hood orniment

#2 V8 Shots (It looks like hell in that pic)

#3 Just off a fresh knuckle job

[Goode]

Great air-mail pic Dynosaur!

Congrats on a NICE cruiser with good roots. Sounds like a keeper!

[PAFJ]

Awesome cruiser... sweet air pics!

[landcruiserjunky]

very cool!

[beaufort-fj60]

dookie brown cruisers are the best.

[sk8salomon]

I like the twins pic! Which one is you in the top pic? Old gray 60 looks good too. What's up with the blacked out chrome bumper? Just painted?
I had a TPI and 400 trans in my 87 TransAm. Wish the cruiser had it too. Good combination! Nice truck bro!

[Dynosoar]

Thanks for the props!

I am the one closer to the 40 in the pic. (20 years ago, Now a few more lbs. and a little less hair)

Dynosoar

[Rob Faucett]

60 in the air (and wheels down) is an awesome pic. Rig looks great

[Ducks]

Nice air, great story. I'm sure you had fun in the 40. I also remember cheap gas. Ah well. I also like the shot on the beach.

How long have you had your springs on? Do you also have long shackles or is the 4" lift just from the springs? What's your shackle angle like? How's the ride? TIA.

Chad

[iaintscared1969]

Good looking rigs! I like seeing daylight under the tires. So where is the 40?

[DirtyLittleSecret]

Good story! Glad to hear that somebody's got a well loved Cruiser (and that at least one dino survived). Gee, I cant even remember when dino fuel was cheap...and it aint alzheimers.

[AKcruiserfreak]

Very nice! Cool to see a long time 60 owner still loving his ride. Hard to believe a 60 can get that type of air time.

TK

[philos1]

What Dynosoar didn't add was that he's a really good guy and that he's willing to turn a wrench or help out just because he likes cruisers. there's also the "parts horde" that I still have yet to see...

cheers buddy!

[Dirty Toad]

Originally Posted by philos1

What Dynosoar didn't add was that he's a really good guy and that he's willing to turn a wrench or help out just because he likes cruisers...

X2!

[Dynosoar]

Originally Posted by Ducks

Nice air, great story. I'm sure you had fun in the 40. I also remember cheap gas. Ah well. I also like the shot on the beach.

How long have you had your springs on? Do you also have long shackles or is the 4" lift just from the springs? What's your shackle angle like? How's the ride? TIA.

Chad

Ducks, I have had the springs 10 + years. Lift is all spring, and it rides real smooth. I run the stock length OME anti inversion shackles. No problem at all with shackle angle.

Originally Posted by iaintscared1969

Good looking rigs! I like seeing daylight under the tires. So where is the 40?

The 40 was scraped in Mexico. It was a sad, sad day!

Originally Posted by philos1

What Dynosoar didn't add was that he's a really good guy and that he's willing to turn a wrench or help out just because he likes cruisers. there's also the "parts horde" that I still have yet to see...

cheers buddy!

Originally Posted by Dirty Toad

X2!

Thanks for the nice words Philos & DT

[Dirtgypsy]

cool rig. dig the dino!

the airtime shot is priceless!

so is that an alarm or your horn in the upper left engine compartment?

cliNt

[brokenparts]

yep, I like the airtime photo too! Sweet rig!

[made4surf]

Super cool rig. What happened to your aloha racks, those things are hard to find nowadays?

[philos1]

as to the Aloha racks, when I worked for Val Surf, we stocked them (2 years ago), they probably still do- IIRC $60-70, but they never sold that many so it was typically 1-2 at a time (Yakima always sold better).

give 'em a call 818)769-6977, ask for Gary, he'll know what you're talking about.

[Dynosoar]

Philos that was your 1,00oth post! You are now a Lifer.

[philos1]

Originally Posted by Dynosoar

Philos that was your 1,00oth post! You are now a Lifer.

uh-oh, now I've done it

[precious cargo]

Originally Posted by Dynosoar

Picture #1 the twins, Dynosoar on the right and my old gray 60 on the left

Picture #2 some mild rock action

Picture #3 Air in the dunes

Air Dyno! That is a sweet pic. Beautiful rigs, sir!

[Clack]

Air shot is Awesome! Probably stretched your neck a bit on impact eh?

Do you run spacers with the 15x8 american racing wheels? I'm about to order a set and AR says they'll fit w/o.

[Spike Strip]

Nice story, Peter, on how you were seduced by the Cruiser fetish... Alas, mine does not go so far back- I had flirted with cruisers over the last 20 years, the way a man might covet a woman he thinks is too good for him, but at last I finally reached out and grabbed her, and now I'll never let go.

Can't tell you how many times I filled up at that gas station (thrifty gas) on Sawtelle and Venice (lived on Pico and 3rd for 13 yrs), now closed to make way for a mini mall.

btw, Nice rig too. Love that air shot !

And what's that big horn on the passenger fender for? An alarm that yells: "YOU ARE TOO CLOSE - STEP AWAY FROM THE DYNOSOAR!"


Alf

[TURBOYOTA!!!]

Originally Posted by beaufort-fj60

dookie brown cruisers are the best.

i second the motion