[land crusher]

Esteemed pig enthusiasts,

I have a line on a 55 that I'm thinking of buying and potentially doing a frame-off (not show quality, but preserve the frame and body and get everything working). Rust may yet be a deal-breaker, I've yet to see it up close. Anyhow, I understand parts are getting scarce so I'm wondering what are some of the main availability issues I'd be up against. Plus, anything FJ55 SPECIFIC I should look for? I'm well familiar with cruiser mechanicals, but I've never owned a pig.

Much obliged.

[romegadave]

Rubber. You'll see others chime in shortly to testify. Vendors are few for these scarce rigs. The rear cargo rubber is still available from Cabe Toyota but the tailgate is the issue. Efforts are ongoing to fab up this much needed elastic problem. And its just so pricy to get it all (windows/doors etc) when you look at near 2K. I can't afford it all myself but have gotten the windshield and cargo rubber.

Looking forward to some pics on this potential pig!

EDIT: As for specifics.......just bear in mind the rust issue which these rigs are sooooo prone to.

[Lil'John]

As stated, rubber parts either don't exist or are available by one or two vendors. Cabe I believe did the cargo windows and upper tailgate rubber. Slo cruiser does the rest. Some complain about the cost but when you go price out similar rubber pieces, you will be surprised to see how close in cost the FJ55 repro stuff is.

The turn signals on them are unique to pigs:

• -68(69??) - mounted to grill. No rubber or lens available.
• 69-74 - similar to FJ40 BUT the base is unique to the FJ55
• 75-80 - similar to FJ40 also but the base is also unique

Rear turn/stop are unique to FJ55s... with two being available(up to 78 and 78 to model end) Lens and outer rubber are available for the "early" but the inner rubber is not available... which to me is a shame given the inner one keeps junk out of the body.

The side marker lights are similar to FJ40s BUT the angle of the base gasket are reversed from an FJ40. IE you can buy a full set of FJ40 marker lights and mount them to an FJ55 with reversing the gaskets(I did this on mine)

Some replacement body parts are available through Specter. But main body is carve another pig up

Another BIG difference between FJ55 and FJ40 is the engine bay height. The FJ40 is MUCH taller than an FJ55. Found that out the hard way

Also related to this is the front axle location in relation to the engine. The FJ55 is further back than an FJ40. This leads to some minor "issues" when doing large lifts such as an SOA if the pig is left stock.

Last two important differences are the gas tank and the radiator. The radiator is unique to the pig. Unlike the FJ40, the pig radiator mounts to the core support. The gas tank is a little bit of a challenge if you get a bad one.

[bkfj40]

^^^John's spot on....a really good summary.

[nuclearlemon]

make sure all electrical stuff works, including rear tailgate. watch the doors when you open them...if they drop, could be the hinges need rebuild, but could also mean the door is cracking away at the lower hinge and will need to be welded up.

[jsaltlick]

All good stuff to know as I am looking for one as well

[Lil'John]

The other unique thing about a 55 is the amount of attention it draws. I've gotten more "wow that's a cool cruiser" type comments over the fence than I ever did with my FJ40

[Ming89FJ62]

You'll need to be very, very patient. Parts, especially body parts, can be very hard to find. It may literally take years for a part you need/want to show up. There is no catalog you can just order from. Only about 5,000 pigs a year made it to the us and those that started life in the north have now been converted into lids on tuna fish cans.

They are very unique and draw a lot of attention - but hey I've been addicted for years

[Gumby]

They will ruin you for other cruisers.

I have no interest in owning a 40 again. It makes it tough to build a wheeling rig.

They have very short front doors. It puts the B pillar in your shoulder if you are a normal sized American. Some people really don't like that.

Windshields have gotten very expensive recently.

[bogus one]

Get a better paying job

Just sayin'

[cruiser_guy]

Yep, lots of turning heads when driving it and comments when parking.

I expect that when I drive ours up from Guatemala next summer I'll have folks talking to me everywhere especially if it's sporting Guatemalan plates.

[k9crazy]

Yeah, some parts are hard to find. Depending on the year, stock brake parts are tough. Body parts are tough, but can be fabbed up by a good body guy. The rubber is expensive, but can be had. The turn signals can be rebuilt with some hollow, threaded lamp rod and locking nuts. And, restoration (even if it's not to show quality) can be expensive. But, as was said here, there is nothing like owning a pig. I'd do it again in a heartbeat (and probably will).

[Kyle Leckey]

People also get out of the way when drivin a pig!!
doors, floor board and tail gait plus rubber are things to watch for......

[89GASHOG]

Originally Posted by Gumby

..They have very short front doors. It puts the B pillar in your shoulder if you are a normal sized American. Some people really don't like that...

Is the legroom comparable to that of a 60 (kinda tight)?

[cruiser_guy]

Originally Posted by 89GASHOG

Is the legroom comparable to that of a 60 (kinda tight)?

More leg room in a '60 (at least that's my opinion but it may be tainted by the tilt steering in the '60).

[PabloCruise]

Originally Posted by k9crazy

Yeah, some parts are hard to find. Depending on the year, stock brake parts are tough. Body parts are tough, but can be fabbed up by a good body guy. The rubber is expensive, but can be had. The turn signals can be rebuilt with some hollow, threaded lamp rod and locking nuts. And, restoration (even if it's not to show quality) can be expensive. But, as was said here, there is nothing like owning a pig. I'd do it again in a heartbeat (and probably will).

Aren't the brake parts same as 40?

[k9crazy]

For my truck (9/73) the answer is no. I don't know about others. I know that my cylinders are specific to the 55 and are pretty hard to come by these days.

[OinkOinker]

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj55-iron-pi...ake-parts.html

[numby]

Originally Posted by Lil'John

The other unique thing about a 55 is the amount of attention it draws. I've gotten more "wow that's a cool cruiser" type comments over the fence than I ever did with my FJ40

Drove one for years and all I ever heard was "What the hell is that?"". I had people driving 40s amazed to find out it was a Toyota. How times change.

[jimhendrixx]

Dude my advice is to run as fast as you can. No seriously i love my FJ55 and would not have it any other way.

Plus i have made some really good friends on mud and in my local club. Best of luck to you brother!

mahalo,