Odienhanks
Mitch
Hello Fellow Mudders, 
First off great forum you have here, full of useful tips, friendly banter and some quality Cruiser Porn.
I hesitate to start this thread without actually being in possession of my 40, although she is on her way, all be it from 1500 kms away (Close enough to 1000 miles)
The story starts in typical fashion, Landcruisers are a familiar site here in Australia although not a typical choice for a 17 year old's first car.
My 1st was a '75 FJ40 was purchased site unseen, in parts, on my 17th birthday by my father. A former Aircraft maintainance engineer, with a loose understanding on what constituted as purchasing my first car for me on the condition of moving 500 kms away from life long friends several years prior.
The following few months were spent in a tiny garage desperately trying to learn what went where (thankfully it was mostly..all there) getting the 2F running, and getting it to pass inspection. Of course my father was a big help in all this,part of his plan I suspect, and we grew closer because of it.
That was my daily for almost 3 years until a work issued hilux intervened, and the 40 was sold for to fund a overseas trip.
Several years later I happened upon a rather nice 65' that briefly entered my possesion, but was sold rather quickly for the usual suspect....
Enter 2015....quite a big year for our family, I will be 30 in September, our first baby arrives in October, and my father turns 60 in November.
After almost 12 years now working in the family business we have been able to grow enough to have a little time to find a distraction and my father and I decided it was time to work on another 40 together.
Circumstances have certainly changed in the past 12 years, we now have a rather large facility with a
workshop to wrench on the 40, and loose plans were made on buying a lift, a few more Airtools and shipping out some parts from our family's spiritual home of the US of A.
First off great forum you have here, full of useful tips, friendly banter and some quality Cruiser Porn.
I hesitate to start this thread without actually being in possession of my 40, although she is on her way, all be it from 1500 kms away (Close enough to 1000 miles)
The story starts in typical fashion, Landcruisers are a familiar site here in Australia although not a typical choice for a 17 year old's first car.
My 1st was a '75 FJ40 was purchased site unseen, in parts, on my 17th birthday by my father. A former Aircraft maintainance engineer, with a loose understanding on what constituted as purchasing my first car for me on the condition of moving 500 kms away from life long friends several years prior.
The following few months were spent in a tiny garage desperately trying to learn what went where (thankfully it was mostly..all there) getting the 2F running, and getting it to pass inspection. Of course my father was a big help in all this,part of his plan I suspect, and we grew closer because of it.
That was my daily for almost 3 years until a work issued hilux intervened, and the 40 was sold for to fund a overseas trip.
Several years later I happened upon a rather nice 65' that briefly entered my possesion, but was sold rather quickly for the usual suspect....
Enter 2015....quite a big year for our family, I will be 30 in September, our first baby arrives in October, and my father turns 60 in November.
After almost 12 years now working in the family business we have been able to grow enough to have a little time to find a distraction and my father and I decided it was time to work on another 40 together.
Circumstances have certainly changed in the past 12 years, we now have a rather large facility with a
workshop to wrench on the 40, and loose plans were made on buying a lift, a few more Airtools and shipping out some parts from our family's spiritual home of the US of A.
