1963 FJ40....restoration but maybe modification build.... (10 Viewers)

[middlecalf]

Are those what would be called FJ25 seats? I think those are what I need for my 63FJ45. Is there a thread dedicated to seats, with details of seat construction?

 

[ClemsonCruiser]

When did pleats start?

I'm fairly certain the pleated seats started in the 1963 model year when Toyota updated the seat type from the "FJ25" style tube frame of the early 40's to the more common later style 40 bench seat that ran until buckets seats took over here in the States. It would make sense to me to me that the seat style changed concurrently with the body style changes in 1963 when they went from the two independent bodies for the hard top or the FST to a singular body type for both.

So if you have the later style 40 bench seats they would have been pleated, and if you had the "25 style" no pleating.

I hope made sense there

 

[oregon fj]

So if you have the later style 40 bench seats they would have been pleated, and if you had the "25 style" no pleating.

Makes sense, thanks!

 

[wscbill]

No. I thought you had participated in some of the other threads where this has been discussed lately, but I’ll try to outline it again for you.

The leading number on the early VIN as stamped on the frame and the data plate under the hood indicated the calendar year of build. In my truck’s case that was a 3 for 1963. (Later date code tracking on mine has indicated a true build date in September or early October of 1963.)

The model year is separate, and does not always match exactly to calendar years, at least not for trucks sold in the US. Again in my truck’s case, the physical evidence (offset rear diff, square FST door openings, etc.) indicate a model year of 1964.

Indeed, this is also indicated on my truck by the fact that Toyota stamped the model year on the data plate as 1964, despite the same plate showing the VIN with a leading 3. (See picture below.)

I hope this clears things up for you somewhat, @Old Red .

View attachment 1640669

For early cruisers, Model Year on the data plate is the year the distributor sold the vehicle to the dealer. The plate was stamped by the distributor in the US port prior to the dealer taking delivery. Model Year does not necessarily correlate to physical features on the vehicle.

For your rig, it was built in 63 (3-FJ40...) and sold to the dealer in 64 (Model Year 1964). If your rig sat in the port for 2 years before being sold, the Model Year on the data plate would have been 1965. Since it was built in late 63 it has the physical features in common with 1964 model vehicles.

 

[oregon fj]

For early cruisers, Model Year on the data plate is the year the distributor sold the vehicle to the dealer. The plate was stamped by the distributor in the US port prior to the dealer taking delivery. Model Year does not necessarily correlate to physical features on the vehicle.

For your rig, it was built in 63 (3-FJ40...) and sold to the dealer in 64 (Model Year 1964). If your rig sat in the port for 2 years before being sold, the Model Year on the data plate would have been 1965. Since it was built in late 63 it has the physical features in common with 1964 model vehicles.

Except...

I know for a fact that my rig was sold to the original owner in Nov. ‘63. So the model year - if stamped by the distributor - was not the year it was sold to the dealer, but must have been whatever the current model year that was then in distribution. The new models in the US back then typically arrived in September. So maybe the distributors started stamping them as the next year after that? Or perhaps even different distributors had different processes?

That actually makes some sense to me. If I’m a Toyota dealer in the fall of ‘63 and I receive a new Land Cruiser to sell, I don’t want that rig to be marked as a ‘63 if the competition is all selling ‘64s.

 

[wscbill]

Except...

I know for a fact that my rig was sold to the original owner in Nov. ‘63. So the model year - if stamped by the distributor - was not the year it was sold to the dealer, but must have been whatever the current model year that was then in distribution. The new models in the US back then typically arrived in September. So maybe the distributors started stamping them as the next year after that? Or perhaps even different distributors had different processes?

That actually makes some sense to me. If I’m a Toyota dealer in the fall of ‘63 and I receive a new Land Cruiser to sell, I don’t want that rig to be marked as a ‘63 if the competition is all selling ‘64s.

Yes, that was the reason for this date business. Revised prior post to clarify. Whatever the case, Model Year may or may not reflect the vehicle's physical features.