Rookie...Sort Of....

[currier1]

I am happy to say that I am once again a proud member of TLCA. After several years being away I recently re-newed by membership and wanted to introduce myself.

My name is Ross Currier and I live in Belmont NH. I have been a fan of Land Cruisers since the early 80's when a buddy opened my eyes to the things these trucks could do. By 1989 I had finally saved up enough dough to get my own rig and bought a white '78 FJ40 for $4,000. Everyone said I was crazy for spending that much money on something that Blue Booked for around $1,500, but I didn't care. The truck was in mint condition (totally stock except for the winch) and I did not want to see it get away. Turns out, that purchase was one of the best things I ever did. That truck bought me way more than $4,000 worth of fun.

In the coming years, she took me to a lot of places and created a lot of fond memories for me. The old girl even played a part in the construction of the summit observation tower on top of Cannon Mountain (you know, the mountain that used to have the Old Man profile?). It is probably one of the few private vehicles to ever drive to the top of the mountain (even the crew at the mountain said they didn't think it would make it - and of course she did without even so much as a stumble.).

Well, the reason I let my membership lapse was due to the fact that my '78 eventually rusted to the point that it would no longer pass the state inspection. Looking back now to that day in 1998, little did I know it would be the last day I'd drive that truck on the highway. I could not bring myself to sell her, so like many LC owners, I decided I'd one day restore the old girl. So, for the next 8 years, she sat inside my shed, rusting and deteriorating even further. Meanwhile, I half-heartedly began my plan for performing the restoration. To make a long story short, I soon came to the realization that if I wanted her restored, I was going to have to pay someone to do it. The more I researched it, the more daunting even this idea became. No one locally wanted to take on such a project, other than the big-name/big-bucks cruiser specialists. It was getting frustrating. I wanted to know the feeling of driving a LC again, but I kept running into obstacles. That's when I started keeping my eyes peeled in the classifieds, but anything better than what I already had was as hard to find as hen's teeth.

Then, this thing called eBay Motors was invented. I was amazed and infatuated by all the cruisers I found for sale...NICE cruisers. But those same rigs had pretty steep pricetags as well. So, for the next 18 months, I carefully studied every new posting and observed the bidding until it sold (most did not - usually no one was willing to cough up what the seller was asking). Soon, I had an extensive catalog of data about the condition and selling price of each rig. My conclusion? They ain't making any more of these things and if you want a nice one, you're going to have to pay and pay BIG. So with a specific pricetag threshold in mind based on what I'd seen other trucks sell for, I started surfing postings with the intent of actually buying one.

Then, in February of last year, I saw it.
A right-hand drive '77 FJ40 from New Zealand with 75,000 miles (some of you may remember it from eBay and other vehicle classified websites). The seller had a Buy It Now! price on it of $16K. Call me crazy, but I clicked on it and the rest is history. I immediately contacting the guy selling it to get more information. We agreed to the sale price on the condition that I would have a local mechanic go over the truck from front to back (including a compression test). The mechanic found nothing wrong, other than a minor leak in the rear main seal, a leaky radiator and dryrotted rubber on the supposedly original biasply tires. Coincedentally, I was planning on going to the Daytona 500 race in a couple of weeks. The seller offered to drive the truck down from Georgia to Daytona so I could look at it. I figured, what better test drive than a trip like that to see how good the truck REALLY was. On the day I finally saw her first-hand, I was convinced. It was everything I'd hoped for and more. I even got to test drive it on Daytona Beach and afterward, parted with my money to become the new owner.

After having it trucked up to NH I got to enjoy last summer tooling around the countryside, doing a bit of light 4-wheelin' and basking in the glory of finally having a landcruiser to play with. RHD took a bit of getting used to (shifter on the left, directonals on the right, keeping the left front tire on the right side of the yellow line, getting in on the correct side of the rig, etc.) but I don't even think about it now. I did get into an afternoon of some pretty exciting wheeling and was quickly reminded of how much these rigs can do. Otherwise, for now at least, I'm babying this with the intent of owning it for a good long time to come. GOD I LOVE HAVING A LANDCRUISER AGAIN!

OK, like everyone that criticized me on my first truck purchase...go ahead...hit me with the "Man, you paid way too much for that thing!" comments. I don't care!! In my mind's eye, it's worth every penny and I'd do it all over again if I had to. Besides, she's a thing of beauty and pretty unique too. I'd be curious to see how many of you cruiserheads can point out all the non-'78 FJ40 features on this rig (and there are quite a few) compared to it's familiar US cousin.

Below are a couple of pics of the the truck. She's in cold storage right now, waiting for the salt to wash off our roads, but soon, she'll be plying the backroads and skidder trails of NH once again. Can't wait!

Thanks to those of you who took the time to read this far...it's good to be back within the ranks of the privelegded cruiser owners once again!!

[kchargis]

very nice

[woody]

a> nice story
b> nice ride
c> welcome

[Hulk]

Cool Cruiser. Love to see more pictures. Welcome back to the family!

[Otis]

Originally Posted by woody

a> nice story
b> nice ride
c> welcome

Agreed! Welcome back to Cruisers!

noticed the split tailgate, bench front seat, longer jump seats, front wing windows, split rims, no roll bar, mudflaps...

[Romer]

Liked the story and welcome back

[currier1]

Thanks for the comments/compliments...
Once I get her out in a few weeks, I'll post more pics...
Otis, good eye on picking out the details.

[Chef]

Neat rig, and welcome back

[LandCruiserSteve]

Great story, cool rig, and welcome home!!

[wesintl]

Nice Rig, glad to see you back in the fold.

Lets see, little doors, bench seat, split wheels, non usa driver and passenger door with wing vent.. I'm sure there is more

[currier1]

OK...here's the list - and as far as I know, these appear to have all been with the rig since it was built.

Now, by no means am I an expert on the various configurations Toyota manufactured, but these features certainly caught me off guard.

And, of course, without more pictures, there is no way any of you would have known some of these details were part of the rig...

- obviously RHD (directionals on right side of steering column)
- windshield clips face forward
- handcrank for motor with clips for storing behind the jump seat (OEM). I've actually started it with this thing...scarey at first, but no problem once you know what to expect)
- larger/deeper air cleaner (hangs off the side of the carb...supposedly needed in NZ due to dusty roads???)
- all "chrome" LC side badges (aren't most badges black on the inside of the letters?)
- chrome bumper and bumperettes (probably not that unsual)
- clear lenses on front directionals (no amber on bottom half)
- wierd shaped door mirrors and arms (never seen these on another rig)
- gas cap like none other I've seen (appears to be same vintage as truck)
- no dash pads (top or bottom)...doesn't appear there ever was...just the plastic deflector for defroster
- hand trottle (OEM) - makes a great cruise control!
- no emergency flashers
- warning light for e=break is a round red lens with chrome bezel
- no roll cage...seatbelts attach to top
- no seatbelts on (wider) jump seats
- wing vents on doors
- hatch with short ambulance doors
- 70/30 bench seat
- split rims (are they THAT unusual?)
- an outlet in the glove box
- stock oh-shit handle above glove box

And these are just the things I remember or am aware of.
Those of you familiar with Aussie/NZ rigs may not find these unusual, but they are kinda cool for US trucks.

That concludes my show and tell.. thanks all for reading...
Ross

[wesintl]

Originally Posted by currier1

That concludes my show and tell.. thanks all for reading...
Ross

More show now that we got the tell

[currier1]

Here's a few of her out on the skidoo trails of northern NH
Attachment 66344

Attachment 66345

[currier1]

Here's a couple of the hand crank...

[currier1]

And finally, one of my rig with my buddy's full resto of his 71 CJ heep...these were taken on the day he got it back to roadworthy condition...

[yotawheeler]

man...i love it, the rig looks wicked