- Location
- United States
Well, I finally finished it and up for sell is my 1963 FJ45 Short Bed full frame-off, nut and bolt restoration. Spring “Mint” Green paint (only 4 colors were offered this year for the FJ45) with the factory “Coral” seats which have been fully rebuild from the inside, out and have all of the correct factory seams and lines. These are not seats covers that you can just buy from website, but a hand crafted set that was created used an original set as reference. This is the only year FJ45 which had a rear spare tire carrier and is considered to be the rarest land cruiser ever imported to the US.
Mostly original with very small, needed upgrades, which include; a re-arch and full length add-a-leaf, 2 inch lift, power steering (was even able to covert it and keep the original steering wheel and column), Boosted disc brake conversion, F155 motor and 3-speed on the floor (required when adding the power steering). All upgrades remained Toyota with the exception of the power steering pump only. All nuts and bolts are factory, being tanked and zinc plated with a few exceptions to some exterior bolts which were replace with stainless steel and new grade 8.8 bolts where additional strength was needed.
Original bug-catcher vent windows with new seals, which are extremely hard to find. Stamped Bezel “Land Cruiser” and accurate stamped wheel hubcaps, gas cap, headliner, black rear-cab paneling, steering wheel (in amazing shapes), license plate mounts, rear tail lights and mounts (which are extremely hard to find). All of the hard ware is either new or restored and factory accurate including the door handles, latches, window regulators, hood latches, shifter knobs, hinges, vents, etc. All new mechanical parts with new; starter, alternator, carburetor, power steering, fuel pump, filter, ignition coil, points, condenser, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, water pump, brake, master, slave, clutch master, slave, speedo and ebrake cables, sensors, senders, and seals all around. I can’t list all of the new parts, but you get the point. Complete front end servicing as well (see all of the pictures for this in-depth project. The only thing that I was not able to get to work was the horn because of the power steering conversion.
As far as the restoration, body and paint, mechanical, etc, this FJ45 is better than when it rolled off of the showroom floor. All of the colors are accurate including the pewter, gray and white interior and exterior colors (for whatever reason, Toyota decided to paint the top (cap) on these FJ45s the same color as the vehicle, but I chose to go ahead and make the change and upgrade it to the same white color as the bezel, which is the same color on all caps for FJ40s and newer FJ45s.
I had Bob with Metric Offroad do all of the body and paint and Mike of Metric Offroad help me with parts resourcing and mechanical. Bob has got to be the best land cruiser body and paint guy around, due to his extensive knowledge and experience in working with vintage land cruisers. He knows body lines and placement better than anyone. It’s from Arizona and spent its last five years in Montana and Colorado, waiting to be restored. If you guys get a chance you should stop by Metric Offroad and check out Mike's shop and all of his Toyotas. If you are not close enough, then check out Mike's website: http://metricoffroad.com/
I have a photobucket link that has a lot of pictures from the build, so check it out:
http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/jschmi07/library/?sort=3&postlogin=true&page=1&src=wap
Mostly original with very small, needed upgrades, which include; a re-arch and full length add-a-leaf, 2 inch lift, power steering (was even able to covert it and keep the original steering wheel and column), Boosted disc brake conversion, F155 motor and 3-speed on the floor (required when adding the power steering). All upgrades remained Toyota with the exception of the power steering pump only. All nuts and bolts are factory, being tanked and zinc plated with a few exceptions to some exterior bolts which were replace with stainless steel and new grade 8.8 bolts where additional strength was needed.
Original bug-catcher vent windows with new seals, which are extremely hard to find. Stamped Bezel “Land Cruiser” and accurate stamped wheel hubcaps, gas cap, headliner, black rear-cab paneling, steering wheel (in amazing shapes), license plate mounts, rear tail lights and mounts (which are extremely hard to find). All of the hard ware is either new or restored and factory accurate including the door handles, latches, window regulators, hood latches, shifter knobs, hinges, vents, etc. All new mechanical parts with new; starter, alternator, carburetor, power steering, fuel pump, filter, ignition coil, points, condenser, cap, rotor, plugs, wires, water pump, brake, master, slave, clutch master, slave, speedo and ebrake cables, sensors, senders, and seals all around. I can’t list all of the new parts, but you get the point. Complete front end servicing as well (see all of the pictures for this in-depth project. The only thing that I was not able to get to work was the horn because of the power steering conversion.
As far as the restoration, body and paint, mechanical, etc, this FJ45 is better than when it rolled off of the showroom floor. All of the colors are accurate including the pewter, gray and white interior and exterior colors (for whatever reason, Toyota decided to paint the top (cap) on these FJ45s the same color as the vehicle, but I chose to go ahead and make the change and upgrade it to the same white color as the bezel, which is the same color on all caps for FJ40s and newer FJ45s.
I had Bob with Metric Offroad do all of the body and paint and Mike of Metric Offroad help me with parts resourcing and mechanical. Bob has got to be the best land cruiser body and paint guy around, due to his extensive knowledge and experience in working with vintage land cruisers. He knows body lines and placement better than anyone. It’s from Arizona and spent its last five years in Montana and Colorado, waiting to be restored. If you guys get a chance you should stop by Metric Offroad and check out Mike's shop and all of his Toyotas. If you are not close enough, then check out Mike's website: http://metricoffroad.com/
I have a photobucket link that has a lot of pictures from the build, so check it out:
http://s1216.photobucket.com/user/jschmi07/library/?sort=3&postlogin=true&page=1&src=wap
