1966 FJ45LV Resurrection (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 23, 2009
Threads
82
Messages
1,892
Location
Tega Cay, SC
When I bought my 1977 FJ40 about 5 years ago, I had never seen or heard of an FJ45 LV. When I did, I was mildly obsessed and looked for LVs off and on for months. At one point, I reached out to ClemsonCruiser who put me in touch with Hendog who knew a guy that was selling one. The timing wasn't right as I couldn't pull together the cash to do a deal before Michael at ACC scooped it up. Months later, I made a roadtrip and ClemsonCruiser's dad was kind enough to let me drive the LV they'd bought in Wyoming and made roadworthy. The obsession only grew worse.

Over a year passed, several LVs came out of the woodwork but none of them had asking prices or sold in my price-range (darn you eBay!) and just when I'd finally given up all hope of finding one I could afford that was worth the money, ClemsonCruiser pointed me to a 1966 FJ45 LV that was listed for sale on Craigslist in Chico, CA. Fortunately for me, I had a friend who'd grown up in the area and he put me in touch with one of his childhood friends who ultimately helped me buy it. I'd like to think it was meant to be.

Here are a couple photos from the Craigslist ad. Yes, that is a snow plow mounted to the bumper and yes, the tailgate was being held in place by a rusty chain. Oh, and it didn't run and hasn't in a long time, so I was told. You should have been there when I told that to my dad who knows just how little mechanical knowledge he passed on to me. Being part of the Olde North State Cruisers (ONSC) and with ClemsonCruiser within a reasonable drive, I didn't let any of that stop me.
Seller Photo - Profile.jpg
Seller Photo - Exterior Rear.jpg


Now that you've seen the photos above, some of you are likely scratching your heads and saying "I could swear I've seen this LV before." Well, ClemsonCruiser thought the same thing and after some searching, he came across THIS old thread from June '11. It seems the owner finally did part with it as the guy I bought it from had only owned it for a few months.

Well, the PTO winch had to be removed to get the snow plow off. As far as upgrades, it has a newer brake booster, front disc brakes and a Saganaw power steering conversion, which led to the PTO being shifted to the left as you might be able to make out in the pic below.

PTO.JPG

Aaron with Summit Auto Transport took care of getting the LV (and all the spiders I could ever want) delivered to Charlotte and a fellow ONSC member towed the rest of the way to my house (Thanks again Roxx!).
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Photo Aug 08, 5 40 57 PM.jpg


At this point, I'm just trying to make it roadworthy as my plans are to mainly drive it around town for the next several years. At some later date, I might decide it needs more power and a more comfortable ride, but for now I don't anticipate any major changes.

Over the last several weeks, I managed to clean out the interior where I found the original hood spear and apron emblems, several tail light lenses and another complete tailgate. I've also put Marvel Mystery Oil in each of the cylinders, have gotten the motor to turn over by hand, dropped the gas tank in preparation for having it boiled, sourced some small round FJ55 mirrors, and have ordered and received a lot of parts from Beno and a clutch master and slave conversion kit from JT Outfitters.

I hope that with the help of my friends in ONSC, it will be roadworthy before our Meet and Greet even in the spring.
 
I failed to mention that it currently has a Carter carb (with the world's smallest air filter), it is missing the rear seat and yes, there are holes in the floor. I am working on getting an Aisin carb and air filter setup to get back to stock as well as a rear seat (so as to be able to drive my two little girls).

Below are a few more photos showing how it looked when it first arrived. Yes, those are vines and spiderwebs and yes, I realize the wiring is a mess. It looks only somewhat better today but I finally plan to hit it with a pressure washer this weekend.
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Let me know if there is anything in particular you want to see.
 
The man finds his dream truck! Well done mate. Have fun :cool:
 
Dropped the fuel tank by and old school radiator shop, changed the oil and gave the LV a much needed wash this weekend. Still really wishing the hood and driver's side fender had their original paint and patina. Unfortunately, upon removing the covering in the front floorboard, the floors look worse than I'd hoped for. While crawling around underneath, I also noticed that the driveshaft is dented and likely bent. Ugh. Definitely looking forward to having ClemsonCruiser (JP) up for a visit to help me assess the LV and help me prioritize the growing list of to-do items.
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I am looking forward to seeing this run ....
 
Though the floor is really pitted, are there any actual holes? If not, I would consider it pretty good as compared with many LV's that I have seen.

The driveshaft, that is truly toast. Pinion seal is gone too. Getting it retubed should not be a big deal, and you can have it built with a thicker tube so that it is less likely to be tweaked in the future.
 
Though the floor is really pitted, are there any actual holes? If not, I would consider it pretty good as compared with many LV's that I have seen.

The driveshaft, that is truly toast. Pinion seal is gone too. Getting it retubed should not be a big deal, and you can have it built with a thicker tube so that it is less likely to be tweaked in the future.

There are some small holes in the area shown above. There is a huge hole under the passenger seat continuing into the floor for the rear passenger behind them. That's in addition to a fist sized hole in the center of the rear passenger floorboard. I'm sure it could be worse and am glad it isn't

After positng above, Sam did some legwork for me and pm'd me the names of two local small businesses that can re-tube the driveshaft. Thanks again Sam!
 
What's going on with that rear sway bar? Is it hooked up? It looks messed up.
 
What's going on with that rear sway bar? Is it hooked up? It looks messed up.
Well now that you mention it... A PO decided he wanted a lift, had a welder and didn't want to spend money on new springs. Therefore, they added huge shackles in the rear and then welded on some square tubing and relocated the mounting hardware for the springs as shown below. I don't have a clue how to address this. What makes this laughable is that, from looking at the CL pics, JP was convinced it had an aftermarket lift and told me I could go ahead and count those chickens. I hope this is a can of worms that can wait...
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That is potentially a ball 'o worms. You can see the rivet locations in the frame above and to the left of the hanger that has been welded to the tubing drop brackets. It would appear that the wheelbase is now a little longer than it was when it left Mr. T's workshop ... unless different springs have been used or the centerbolt location changed ... the joys of a 48 year young truck ...
 
Congratulations on the LV, and good-on-ya for taking on the project. I look forward to watching the discovery.
 
That's a bummer the PO did a hack job lift. It's nothing a little time with the grinder, welder, and some new parts won't fix though. It's all part of the adventure.
 
Jealous!

D
 
Rafael and I may have plugged a few holes and jury rigged the ignition, but you have done the hard work of believing in the old gal and having the patience to resurrect her. The heart definitely beats. Hopefully we can get a video linked here so all can see. The Toyota Gods were smiling on you yesterday!
 
Videos from Sunday's "first start" .... Posting for FJinTegaCay since his sharing account didn't like the posts

@Roxx video of first cranking after reconnecting the coil wire.


My video after the engine was idling for a couple of minutes.
 
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