I bought my first Land Cruiser, a 1975 FJ40 in excellent stock condition, in 1978 for $3800. During the following years, I have owned several other FJ40s and one rustless FJ55, which I had purchased for a mere $900. That’s the Cruiser I wish I still had, but for some unknown reason, I sold it a year later.
My current Land Cruiser is a 1977 FJ40, which I acquired in 1997 for $4500. The body was 99.9% rust-free, dentless, and generally in excellent condition. The only thing about it that I didn’t like was the early 70s hardtop it wore. I was lucky to find someone with the correct hardtop, who needed the early top sitting on my Cruiser. About the same time, I located front and rear doors for it, although they were Mustard, instead of the correct Olive Green. I honestly don’t remember the color of the new top, but all the off-color parts were soon matching the rest of the body. I found out that my local AirGas welding supply would mix up spray cans in any color desired. Needless-to-say, the color match was perfect.
In retrospect, I wish I had taken the full restoration route with this FJ40. It was the perfect candidate for such an undertaking, but that was not to happen. In the years since acquiring this Cruiser, I have performed numerous changes to it. Although I’m pleased with most of the modifications, there are some I’m not entirely happy with.
Except for the too-heavy NV4500 transmission, all the work, including the Vortec conversion, has been done by my son, Tom, & me.
The current configuration of the truck is as follows:
- 1977 FJ40 legally re-registered as a 1962 FJ40
- Bib replaced with 1960s model bib
- 1997 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 5.7L Vortec with external oil cooler
- NV4500 transmission with 12” clutch
- Xfer case is from 1985 FJ60 (split)
- Custom driveshafts with double-Carden joints at xfer case
- Differential gears are 4.88 with fine-splined pinions
- Hood is custom fiberglass with mini-fenders
- Spark plug wires are from 1997 454 Vortec engine
- Braided steel fuel & oil lines
- Fuel Pump is 1985 Ford F150 302ci FI, Master part #E2000
- Aircraft hand throttle
- Grant steering wheel security system
- Exhaust manifolds are Chevy 2” ram horn cast iron
- Radiator is 26” wide Griffin aluminum
- Electric cooling fan/shroud is from Lincoln Mark VIII
part # F8LH 8C607 AA
- Air filter system is K&N FIPK
- Two Odyssey 1200M batteries mounted under driver’s seat w/Cole Hersee selector
- ARB Lockers front & rear w/ ARB compressor
- SOA front axle cut & rotated 19 degrees
- Rear axle rotated
- 4-wheel disk brakes
- F&R Biondo line locks, controlled individually
Summit Racing part #SBR-LL
- Front axle has Warn Birfield Eliminator kit
- Rear axle has Warn Full Floater kit
- Rear axle custom traction bar
- Rancho 9000 shocks
- Front SOA springs are Rancho 2½” lift
painted with Slip Plate #1
- Rear SOA springs are Ironman 2½”
painted with Slip Plate #1, UMHW strips
- F&R spring shackles are 2 ½ “ Daystar
- F&R bump stops are Daystar polyurethane
- Custom ¼” belly armor plates
- Custom side bars
- Fuel filter is from 1997 454 Vortec engine, Purolator F33144
(adapter fitting is Boss o-ring to AN -6, same as fuel rail to AN -6 fuel line)
- Transfer case shifter linkage is custom twin-stick setup
- Knuckle studs are heavy-duty units from Mudrak
- Steering arms & tie rods (FJ80 TREs) are All Pro
- Radiator overflow tank is a 2-gallon steel air tank
- Front shock towers are Ford truck units
- Pollak fuel tank selector valve #ZX812705U – J.C. Whitney
- 7-point roll cage
- Radio Shack 40-channel CB with Firestick NGP antenna
- Autometer gauges
- Stock heater has been replaced with a compact unit
from J.C. Whitney
- Rear body corners are covered with steel diamond plate
from CCOT
- Rear seating area has a custom cooler rack
with spare tire stored underneath
- Custom front bumper & reinforced frame
with Warn 8274 winch
- Saginaw power steering conversion with fluid cooler
- Tuffy storage boxes over rear fender wells
- Tuffy center console
- Locking Dash Box has replaced dash pad
- Steel Horse super seats with 5-point seat belts
- Bikini top with hard half doors
- Ehsan softtop with OEM soft doors
- Custom rear bumper with LED lights,
swing out tire/cooler carrier,
and removable dirt bike carrier
- High Impact beadlock wheels, Daytona model, with lug locks
- Tires are TSL Radials, 36x14.5-15
- 1½” aluminum spacers behind wheels
More anti-theft devices than you could bypass in one evening
My current Land Cruiser is a 1977 FJ40, which I acquired in 1997 for $4500. The body was 99.9% rust-free, dentless, and generally in excellent condition. The only thing about it that I didn’t like was the early 70s hardtop it wore. I was lucky to find someone with the correct hardtop, who needed the early top sitting on my Cruiser. About the same time, I located front and rear doors for it, although they were Mustard, instead of the correct Olive Green. I honestly don’t remember the color of the new top, but all the off-color parts were soon matching the rest of the body. I found out that my local AirGas welding supply would mix up spray cans in any color desired. Needless-to-say, the color match was perfect.
In retrospect, I wish I had taken the full restoration route with this FJ40. It was the perfect candidate for such an undertaking, but that was not to happen. In the years since acquiring this Cruiser, I have performed numerous changes to it. Although I’m pleased with most of the modifications, there are some I’m not entirely happy with.
Except for the too-heavy NV4500 transmission, all the work, including the Vortec conversion, has been done by my son, Tom, & me.
The current configuration of the truck is as follows:
- 1977 FJ40 legally re-registered as a 1962 FJ40
- Bib replaced with 1960s model bib
- 1997 Chevy Tahoe 4x4 5.7L Vortec with external oil cooler
- NV4500 transmission with 12” clutch
- Xfer case is from 1985 FJ60 (split)
- Custom driveshafts with double-Carden joints at xfer case
- Differential gears are 4.88 with fine-splined pinions
- Hood is custom fiberglass with mini-fenders
- Spark plug wires are from 1997 454 Vortec engine
- Braided steel fuel & oil lines
- Fuel Pump is 1985 Ford F150 302ci FI, Master part #E2000
- Aircraft hand throttle
- Grant steering wheel security system
- Exhaust manifolds are Chevy 2” ram horn cast iron
- Radiator is 26” wide Griffin aluminum
- Electric cooling fan/shroud is from Lincoln Mark VIII
part # F8LH 8C607 AA
- Air filter system is K&N FIPK
- Two Odyssey 1200M batteries mounted under driver’s seat w/Cole Hersee selector
- ARB Lockers front & rear w/ ARB compressor
- SOA front axle cut & rotated 19 degrees
- Rear axle rotated
- 4-wheel disk brakes
- F&R Biondo line locks, controlled individually
Summit Racing part #SBR-LL
- Front axle has Warn Birfield Eliminator kit
- Rear axle has Warn Full Floater kit
- Rear axle custom traction bar
- Rancho 9000 shocks
- Front SOA springs are Rancho 2½” lift
painted with Slip Plate #1
- Rear SOA springs are Ironman 2½”
painted with Slip Plate #1, UMHW strips
- F&R spring shackles are 2 ½ “ Daystar
- F&R bump stops are Daystar polyurethane
- Custom ¼” belly armor plates
- Custom side bars
- Fuel filter is from 1997 454 Vortec engine, Purolator F33144
(adapter fitting is Boss o-ring to AN -6, same as fuel rail to AN -6 fuel line)
- Transfer case shifter linkage is custom twin-stick setup
- Knuckle studs are heavy-duty units from Mudrak
- Steering arms & tie rods (FJ80 TREs) are All Pro
- Radiator overflow tank is a 2-gallon steel air tank
- Front shock towers are Ford truck units
- Pollak fuel tank selector valve #ZX812705U – J.C. Whitney
- 7-point roll cage
- Radio Shack 40-channel CB with Firestick NGP antenna
- Autometer gauges
- Stock heater has been replaced with a compact unit
from J.C. Whitney
- Rear body corners are covered with steel diamond plate
from CCOT
- Rear seating area has a custom cooler rack
with spare tire stored underneath
- Custom front bumper & reinforced frame
with Warn 8274 winch
- Saginaw power steering conversion with fluid cooler
- Tuffy storage boxes over rear fender wells
- Tuffy center console
- Locking Dash Box has replaced dash pad
- Steel Horse super seats with 5-point seat belts
- Bikini top with hard half doors
- Ehsan softtop with OEM soft doors
- Custom rear bumper with LED lights,
swing out tire/cooler carrier,
and removable dirt bike carrier
- High Impact beadlock wheels, Daytona model, with lug locks
- Tires are TSL Radials, 36x14.5-15
- 1½” aluminum spacers behind wheels
More anti-theft devices than you could bypass in one evening
