77 FJ40 vs 78 350 sbc (1 Viewer)

[tls3601]

Totally agree with the above but once I got mined dialed in/running well (couple of years but fun) it has turned out to a very reliable min maintenance vehicle.

Actually mine has as well. Mine is very reliable and dependable now. i just think the buyer was trying to figure out what it could cost to get mechanicals sorted and driving well mechanically. Took me a few years to sort as mechanicals as well but I did most of it myself and only took her in when it was something beyond my ability/equipment on hand.

 

[FJBen]

I would get the nicest bodied (not-bondo'd, hacked etc) one of the 2. WAY too much hackery going on as of lately. Are these private party or dealer/cruiser shops? If they both speak to you, get the one with the most provenance on work performed.

I've owned 2F's and V8 powered cruisers and driven lots of others. They both have their pro's and cons for sure. Do they both have the stock 4 speed transmission?

My feeling is that an FJ40 has an F/2F. That is THE Land Cruiser experience.



My FJ40 with a fuel injected V8 and GM transmission felt like driving a chevy truck. Lots of power and torque, but didn't have that full Land Cruiser experience. I have nothing against swaps, we all have our reasons for wanting them and using them.

The engine bay on the 2F as others have said is really nicely done. Someone has great attention to detail, at least in those pictures....(bezel aside)

The yellow one while clean, I don't like the wires, and faded parts. Looks more like a hot rod shop swap/conversion which looking at the store/collection it's in, doesn't surprise me. Fenderwall headers I don't like either. I ran ramhorns on mine and they worked great.
The lights on the fenders are gone/welded/filled and moved to the conversion headlight.
Hate the rims (thats just a personal nit-pick)
Flares on the rear...I don't like on 40's, don't need anymore holes drilled in the body (personal nit-pick)


We would need more pictures to get expert eyes on all the things good and bad that can be seen or hidden as it were.

 

[Afterglow]

I would get the nicest bodied (not-bondo'd, hacked etc) one of the 2. WAY too much hackery going on as of lately. Are these private party or dealer/cruiser shops? If they both speak to you, get the one with the most provenance on work performed.

I've owned 2F's and V8 powered cruisers and driven lots of others. They both have their pro's and cons for sure. Do they both have the stock 4 speed transmission?

My feeling is that an FJ40 has an F/2F. That is THE Land Cruiser experience.



My FJ40 with a fuel injected V8 and GM transmission felt like driving a chevy truck. Lots of power and torque, but didn't have that full Land Cruiser experience. I have nothing against swaps, we all have our reasons for wanting them and using them.

The engine bay on the 2F as others have said is really nicely done. Someone has great attention to detail, at least in those pictures....(bezel aside)

The yellow one while clean, I don't like the wires, and faded parts. Looks more like a hot rod shop swap/conversion which looking at the store/collection it's in, doesn't surprise me. Fenderwall headers I don't like either. I ran ramhorns on mine and they worked great.
The lights on the fenders are gone/welded/filled and moved to the conversion headlight.
Hate the rims (thats just a personal nit-pick)
Flares on the rear...I don't like on 40's, don't need anymore holes drilled in the body (personal nit-pick)


We would need more pictures to get expert eyes on all the things good and bad that can be seen or hidden as it were.

The yellow its in a car dealership with lots of great reviews, the red one is a guy that rebuilt it himself and has been very open to all that it was done to the car. Unfortunately he has no photos of the resto. He does tell me that the car has lived in Mississippi its whole life which I appreciate. On the yellow one, he doesn't have much information other than the last person that owned it, and did not worked on the resto. I am going to attach more photos and see if anything catches your eyes. I appreciate all the feedback.

 

[Afterglow]

Here are more photos of the 78 F2 engine

 

[Afterglow]

And here is the 77 yellow with a 350 sbc

The yellow its in a car dealership with lots of great reviews, the red one is a guy that rebuilt it himself and has been very open to all that it was done to the car. Unfortunately he has no photos of the resto. He does tell me that the car has lived in Mississippi its whole life which I appreciate. On the yellow one, he doesn't have much information other than the last person that owned it, and did not worked on the resto. I am going to attach more photos and see if anything catches your eyes. I appreciate all the feedback.

And yes they both have the 4 stock transmission

 

[matzell]

Both look very nice. I have both a v8 350 and a couple of stock 2f 40's. All are a lot of fun. The stock 4 spd is fun and shifts good with a good ratio of gears. It would be hard but I think the red one would be "worth" more in the long run, but the yellow one would be more fun to drive on the open road!

I also agree with the above post that the 2F 4spd combo is the true "40" experience. My driver is a 2F 4spd with 3:70 gears and 31's.

 

[edwjmcgrath]

No brainer. Both look very nice, but one is an FJ40 and the other is very nice.

 

[iptman]

That red roll bar is a turn off but is easily fixed. No one has asked about the asking price of each, might help us spend your money better. Also, what are those switches for in the dash? Are either close to you? Mustard has pretty long shackles to lift it whereas the Freeborn has an OME setup.

I think your first 40 needs to be an F/2F (BTW, it's 2F not F2). Just like your first Ferrari needs to be red.

I wouldn't even consider the Mustard. Too much potential to be a basket case. And if you're lucky enough to find a local Cruiser mechanic (highly recommend this be part of your decision) they'll probably much rather work on a mechanically OEM truck.

 

[Afterglow]

Thank you all for all the great feedback! It has definetly helped, and also learned a ton from you guys. I think that my gut feeling was right, and going with the red stick is the right option
Thanks again and wish me luck!

 

[69LC]

Any F engine is a turd if you’re someone who actually enjoys driving. And they’re only more Toyota than the sbc/ls because ‘Yota put a different stamp on stovebolt-6 GM engine.

I just drove a 78 and although it seemed fun for a day, I doubt I could put up with that little power and rpm range-v8 are more driveable and it’s still a Toyota truck.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

My mighty 2F runs like a champ, 70+ mph, somewhere around 15 mpg, if I wanted to drive a sports car I wouldn’t drive a 40.

I drive my 40 to enjoy the trip, 55mph is fine with me.

 

[edwjmcgrath]

I own a newer Porsche, an older BMW, and a very old FJ40. I love driving each of them for what they are, and don’t pretend that they are anything else.

 

[Gusb]

I've always wanted a red truck, go with the red . At first I thought they both looked like the same shop had done the "restorations", all that new paint, upside down stuff, missing turn signals. I would always go with the F engine (the turd" mentioned above) and would not touch the yellow. But I love driving a tractor around. Would also be worried about what's been done under all that red paint on the 78. That red roll bar is like a big warning sign to me. Get down under with good light and look around, check out the floors, try to get solid info on who/what rebuilt the F, etc. etc. I'd rather be driving something around with some honest corrosion and original features. And it's been said many times before but if you want a sensible vehicle get a used Honda.

 

[terrx]

This is like wanting to get a mail-order bride, posting photos and asking everyone which one to get. Then sending someone else to inspect a couple. With this selection process your satisfaction will be about the same one way or the other. So flip a coin.

 

[tls3601]

The headlight switch on the ‘78 is not where it should be, some details are off(colors), etc, BUT I would choose the ‘78 in a heartbeat. And I actually like the Mustard Yellow 532 FWIW.

 

[Erik Swenson]

2F for sure! I would make the decision based on the rest of the truck though. The yellow one could replace the 350 with a 2F and be made sano like the red engine compartment. Whoever paid that much attention to the engine compartment probably did just as good a job on the rest of the red truck.

Agreed

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Are there cupholders?

Do they have 33"s?

 

[Marn0]

Red one does it for me

 

[cruiserkev]

Go for the red one. 2F, 8274 winch, original steering wheel and it has a rear heater. I may be the only one, but I even like the red roll bar.

 

[SW20]

Does the Red FJ40 exterior colors look off? The top and ambulance doors look like a different shade than the body.