Recent content by Kayaker

Just found this old pic taken the day my girlfriend and I brought the LC home from the dealership in June 1972. Still have the girl, still have the Cruiser! Holy cow! I just noticed the window sticker from the dealer is still there in the back window! Never noticed that before. I still have...

I recently had my hood blow open on my FJ40 at highway speed (forever memorialized in my thread "Have you ever wondered"). During the repair, the 51 year-old rubber hood latch bumpers finally gave up the ghost. I couldn't find anyone stocking OEM replacements so I came up with my own fix that...

One of the other problems I encountered with this project was that my 51 year-old rubber latch bumpers finally gave up the ghost. So, if you also wondered about the life expectancy of those, there's the answer. If you have had the same problem finding replacements that I had, you might...

First, thanks for all the commiseration. It was not a pleasant experience but I learned a couple of valuable lessons and took the opportunity to address some hidden rust during the repair. So now for the rest of the story. First lesson: always refasten the hood as soon as you close it...

Catching air at the dunes at Regency Square Jacksonville, Florida 1975.

Perhaps there are more variables. 😳

Have you ever wondered at what speed your unfastened FJ40 hood will gain sufficient lift to fly up and hit your roof? Well no need for you to run your own experiment. It’s 54 mph.

Then and now: 1972 and 2022 - 50th Anniversary reshoot. Only the locations have changed!

No, I painted it black. It was the typical pewter color from the factory. When I had the steel plate welded to the bumper to mount the winch I needed to paint the weld and scorched bumper. Its back to pewter now.

Nope. It came in the pewter as all FJ40s. I painted it black after I cut the hole for the winch cable feed. It stayed black for 25 years or so until I repainted it in the original color. When I purchased my winch in 1974, I had a steel plate cut and welded to the back side of the stock bumper...

How about this: my Dad bought a Märklin train set for my brother and me when he was stationed in Germany in 1954. Still have the locomotives and rolling stock and they still run well. The layout has changed over the years but locomotives are still original.

So, here’s my answer. I mounted my Warn winch on my 72 FJ40 in 1974. It looked good and worked well then and it still looks good and works well on the trails today. Mount the winch.

Over the 50 years that I have owned my 72 FJ40 I have tried dozens of cup holder solutions all of which have fallen by the wayside as their shortcomings became apparent. Then I happened upon the perfect solution when I needed a cup holder for my kayak. It didn't take long for me to recognize...

You came to the right place! I was in the same boat (or Land Cruiser) as you and found the perfect solution for my 72 TLC. I’ll post photos in the morning and the details. Stay tuned.

Welcome aboard! Doesn’t look like you’ll be asking a lot of the newbee questions that usually come from new owners and new membership. Great year by the way.