First of all, I want to congratulate you on this purchase and labor of love. As a lifelong Cruiserhead and native of Venezuela, I can't tell you how amazing it is to me that this vehicle survived six decades of abuse, even in this state. I NEVER saw a 45 series wagon or 25/28 series *anything* while living there and even 55s were rare by the mid-90s when I emigrated. Land Cruisers are fundamentally work trucks in Central/South America and almost all of them were HAMMERED beyond anything that American Cruiserheads can conceive, which makes the survival of this incredible wagon so unique.
I spent many years dabbling in the history of the Toyota Land Cruiser and even failed at a book attempt to document it. 20+ years later, I've forgotten 1/2 of what I once knew, but it is incredibly cool to see so many of you pitching in to help with this project, whether it's with information or old manuals and brochures or parts numbers or sourcing bits or even just encouragement. Seeing the names of legendary Cruiserheads on this thread reminds me that this is one of the coolest communities out there.
A couple of years ago I visited the Land Cruiser Heritage Museum in SLC and for the first time in a long time, I felt overwhelmed. I didn't know where to start, I couldn't believe the extent of the Miller collection and I couldn't believe that FJ28 wagon from Venezuela or that slant-sided SWB pickup (also from Venezuela), neither one of which I ever saw in the country of my birth. Stumbling across this thread reminded me of that experience, it's the thrill of discovery, of admiration for Toyota's early (and often bumbling) attempts at the Land Cruiser line. Wow! Just WOW!
I just finished reading this entire thread (how the heck did I miss this??) and will search through my old archives to see if I have any additional pictures that haven't surfaced yet. I will also check my old brochure collection to see if there's anything that hasn't been shared here already. Probably not, given the caliber of contributors you have, but there might be an obscure image or two in the chaos that is my 25 year compulsion of saving Land Cruiser pictures.
Again, I'm thrilled to see you saving this vehicle, and thank you for making your journey of restoration public and sharing it will all of us. Land Cruisers are an inherent part of who many of us are at our core, and seeing a unique vehicle like this is like a dream come true.
Finally, we need some stickers of that badass "Gifu Body" badge, you could sell those to raise additional funds for this project and create additional awareness!
Cheers!!!!
