1959 FJ25 - "Susu" - Brazil (1 Viewer)

[elmestizo]

1959 - FJ25 - from Brazil

 

[tahoe40/45]

Nice Cruiser! More pictures please.

 

[JohnnyC]

nice land cruiser... that would actually be a land cruiser and not a bandeirante too... they were CKD kits sent over and assembled there with mods made to suit .... would love to see more detailed pictures of the cruiser.... you have a very early one... kits sent over in october 58 and sold as 59 models

welcome to mud

good info here>>> https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj25-owners-group/190923-bandeirante-25s-2.html

 

[elmestizo]

More pics: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/md0crlh3mirtiug/RrdrW0wej_

 

[elmestizo]

History of the Land Cruiser Fj25 and Fj40 in Brazil

1959 -1960 - Fj25 - Engine GM 261 - Transmission 4 without sync - central axle
1962 -1973 - FJ40 - Engine Mercedes OM324 - Transmission 4 without sync - central axle
1974 -1980 - FJ40 - Engine Mercedes OM314 - Transmission 4 without sync - central axle

Central rear axle :

1981 - 1989 - FJ40 - Engine Mercedes OM314 - Transmission 4 with sync - right axle
1990 - 1992 - FJ40 - Engine Mercedes OM364 - Transmission 4 with sync - right axle
1993 - 1994 - FJ40 - Engine Mercedes OM364 - Transmission 5 with sync - right axle
1994 - 2001 - FJ40 - Engine Toyota/Dayhatsu 14b - Transmission 5 with sync - right axle

Right rear axle:

 

[Old Red]

Just checked all eight pages. Didn't see this one on "the list."

Looks like you have a 1958, there, elmestizo. Thanks for posting. "8 FJ25L 10020" according to the VIN plate photo.

 

[JohnnyC]

This is a very interesting land cruiser for sure... So this was one of the first sent over !

The parts were produced in October of 58 ... This gives us a date to the vin timeline... It is most interesting about the engine.... Your vin tag shows an F engine with the correct timeframe approximity for the engine number ... But you posted a GM and information about GM engines being used in the early cruisers prior to 62

VERY interesting ... To your knowledge did they even use the toyota engines? I know they sent over engines... But... Toyota Brazil had problems with them ... Were none used?

I look back at a picture I had posted that shows "engines being assembled" in 58 and now that I look at it they could very well be GM engines and not toyota as they were tagged on the toyota global website.

The hard top is also original to the bandi ? and you can clearly see the influence it had on toyota with the later fj40 hard tops with the corner windows .... Very cool!!!

Got some rear pictures .. Back corner ?

 

[Cruiser_Nerd]

I just checked out all the photos in your dropbox. That is so cool, there are so many little differences in detail from ours. I think that the story was that the originals were sent as knockdowns and assembled in Brazil with Toyota motors and drivetrain. Also interesting is that the light green color may be original.
I hope you don't mind but I blew up the tag here. The numbering convention is different than what we've seen to date with the L in the middle of the VIN. The original motor number of F89188 is consistent with other 1958 production. However the frame number 10020 falls right in to the unknown area between 58 and 59 where we believe the numbering system was reset to begin with #10000 which I assumed happened with the '59 model year.

Can you get us any other FJ25 numbers from Brazil?

Prepost edit because Johnny C is quicker than me:
Spent some time trying to ID your engine. It is most likely a 292 Chevy, possibly another from that family, but the earliest version of that block here was 1962 and there is no way it went to another market first.

 

[JohnnyC]

did some quick looking into the engine

yes the GM261 was produced locally in Brazil... at General Motors do Brazil... GM had been there since the 1920's

same city as Toyota

here is a picture of one of the 261 engines from the late 50's

 

[JohnnyC]

just so happens ... look at this engine assembly from Toyota Brasil

 

[JohnnyC]

however Toyota says this... from Toyota global:
"To further raise the domestic production rate, diesel engines (Model OM-324, 3.4 liter, swirl combustion chamber type) were purchased from Mercedes-Benz do Brasil, Ltda. Supply of engines began in December 1962 and was used on the Land Cruiser in place of the Model F gasoline engine manufactured by Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. At that time, the vehicle name was changed from the FJ25L Land Cruiser to the TB25L Bandeirante (meaning 'pioneers'). Efforts were made to enhance the lineup, and the TB41L hardtop long was introduced in July 1963, followed by the TB51L pickup in August."

 

[JohnnyC]

I wonder Jim.... If the 10000 start mark was used possibly by brazil and this was actually the 20th one produced?

Man.... We need more vin numbers

 

[JohnnyC]

Looking closer at the vin it does say under the top line for model... 1959

 

[elmestizo]

The "original" engine is a Chevrolet 261.

The installed engine is a GM 250S 4.1cc.

In Brazil, the motors 292, came out in Brazil only in GM trucks.

Engines in the 292 block is higher, compared to the 250S

 

[elmestizo]

I think that the engines were not Toyota to lower the cost of production.

The hardtop was made ​​in Brazil. The manufacturer (Carraro) Also manufactured for Jeeps.

 

[JohnnyC]

elmestizo to your knowledge was any fj25l's assembled with the Toyota F engines sent over? Or could they have been replaced 'early on' since parts availability was limited?

Also I believe you may have #20 as the Brazilian cruisers may have started the vin sequence at 10,000 just as was practice in Japan.

So #10,020 would have been the twentieth one assembled.

Any more pictures of the hard top ? Rear?
Any way to find more vin numbers? ... If all vins are over 10,000 .... You have a very significant truck

Edit: you answered what you think about the engines.... Thank you

Great info about the top!!! ... Thank you !

 

[elmestizo]

Updated the dropbox with more pictures.

The rear lights are not original
The rear window come down
I think the color is original

 

[elmestizo]

elmestizo to your knowledge was any fj25l's assembled with the Toyota F engines sent over? Or could they have been replaced 'early on' since parts availability was limited?

Good Question. I don't know, but never heard of F engines in Brazil.

In CKD model, what matters is the cost. The GM engines were well respected and used in trucks.

 

[JohnnyC]

Rear side windows roll down.... Now that's cool

 

[elmestizo]

JohnnyC,

The axle are still sold in the US?.? 30 splines?