Advice on purchasing SA FJ40

[QuintupleTurbo]

Hey everyone - first time poster, long time lurker.

I'm planning a move from nyc to the bay area later this year, and since my career is now fully remote, I'll finally be able to purchase a car as a semi-DD.

Before a moved to a carless city, I was a pretty active member of the VW/Audi car community, so the world of FJ40s is somewhat foreign to me. I've noticed that a lot of folks tend to turn their nose up at SA import FJs, due to the "polished turd" nature that seems to come with them.

I spotted this '71 on BAT the other day. I'm half considering bidding on it due to it's looks, and half not considering it for the exact same reason. It just seems too polished and too designed with the high-expendable income yuppie hipster implant in mind.

As I begin to enter the world of FJ40s, I wanted to pick your expert opinions here on this vehicle, and what to look out for in the future. Here's the link, as well as my initial thoughts:

LINK: 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1971-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40-50/

My thoughts:

• It's a '71, which means it doesn't have the 2F, has a 3-speed instead of a 4-speed, but being that it's pre-'75, I won't need to worry about smog in CA (although I truly have no idea how extensive smog kits are, and if I really need to make sure I get an older FJ40 when I begin searching around.) Again, I don't know how valuable all of these things are (F vs 2F, 3spd vs 4spd, brakes, suspension, overall improvements from 75 onward, etc) when looking at pre-75 FJs vs 75+ FJs.
• The rebuild seems well-documented, but just because someone shows pictures of the engine being built doesn't mean that they did a good job putting things back together.
• I don't see any documentation, and I don't understand why this is at a used car lot in Alabama with less than 5 miles on it.
• The soft-top that's included seems to have these fasteners mounted where a hard-top would sit on the body. It looks like those would need to be removed in order to have the ability to place a hard-top, which would render the soft-top useless as I believe it's fasteners are currently placed where the hard-top would sit.

Anyway, if you guys could lend your opinions on this vehicle, as well as helping me understand which model year I should aim for being a future Californian driver, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

You already have spotted a few red flags.
How many more are lurking?

 

[jmylie]

So many nice 40's in CA. For a daily driver in CA:

For Sale - Sacramento CA, White 1977 fj40 low original mileage

I have reluctantly decided to sell my 1977 FJ40. I am the second owner, purchased from the original owner in 2019 out of Palm Springs, CA. Between storing the cruiser in his airplane hanger on his ranch in Arizona, and the dealership he purchased from in Indio, this has always been a...

forum.ih8mud.com

Check the classifieds on Mud

 

[devo]

If you like that vintage that’s one thing. And the BaT gamble?

if you want to talk to a legitimate SA importer here on Mud contact @aljollano or @TWatson




devo

 

[3_puppies]

what latches the rear doors to each other?
single circuit brakes, US would be dual circuit with booster
lack of heater, no defrost

 

[brooklyn]

Spent 10+ years in San Francisco - North Beach area. I would suggest you wait until you are in “the Bay Area” before buying an FJ40. There are so many opportunities to find, view, and drive an FJ40 before buying.

Plus you need to factor in SMOG requirements - one does not buy an FJ40 without confirming it passes SMOG. It’s just part of the purchase process - everything is confirmed first.

Oh yeah, disc brakes at all four corners if you’re driving the hills of San Francisco.

 

[1969FJ]

You are correct about the softop fasteners having to be removed in order to install a hard top. The stock was no fasteners there and footman loops on the tub exterior to strap a softop on.
There are differences between imports and usa spec FJ40's. Some people could care less and others it means something. Usually the big differences are brakes, dash, heaters, and sometimes details like KM vs. miles. They are still selling so perhaps to the person who badly wants one it does not matter.

 

[pjohnson]

one does not buy an FJ40 without confirming it passes SMOG

For 1976 and above model years.

1975 and older are exempt from smog testing.

 

[Living in the Past]

First thing I look is the rear sill. While it looks nice I can tell it's been redone and not how it left the factory. This one the rear floor is folded over and part of the rear sill instead being sandwiched between the two pieces of the rear sill. Good chance it does not have the fixed nuts to attach a hard top. Something a OEM tub would have. A soft top is more forgiving for an aftermarket tub. Not knowing how all this was done would be a pass

 

[flx]

1974 F.5 valve cover but the engine under seems older.
Rear barn doors come from a 1977 and later model (look at the hinges, they have 2 M8 instead of 3 M6 to connect at the door).
No weather sealing on the barn doors.
Normal for a SA truck but no heater = no defrost depending of where you live.
Rear bench seats are the cool hybrids from 1977 (I think for the year), they have both the support bar and the silentblocs to rest on the rear fender. Before it was only the silentblocs and after only the support bar.
The 4 holes for the trailer hitch in the center of the rear frame cross bar are missing.
The white bezel should not be in contact with the body, there should have small rubber spacers behind. It's a good way to messed up a brand new paint

 

[flx]

Rear sil has already been pointed out but seems like there is a problem with alignment here... The hook for the tire carrier should be completely on the sil and held by 4 bolts.

 

[sirringo]

So many nice 40's in CA. For a daily driver in CA:

For Sale - Sacramento CA, White 1977 fj40 low original mileage

I have reluctantly decided to sell my 1977 FJ40. I am the second owner, purchased from the original owner in 2019 out of Palm Springs, CA. Between storing the cruiser in his airplane hanger on his ranch in Arizona, and the dealership he purchased from in Indio, this has always been a...

forum.ih8mud.com

Check the classifieds on Mud

Genuine q: assuming similar price points, could you help me understand what makes this a better 40 than the one the OP posted? I get there are some non-original components to the restoration - but this ‘77 would need meaningful cleanup to be put to the same condition, including rust repair in multiple places. Is the concern that the issues we can see in the photos mean there are probably deeper ones we can’t?

 

[jmylie]

Does the SA 40 have a heater? Does not look like it does from the pictures. While you may not need one most of the year, there are days you will. Going to the mountains in "winter", you will want heat. Oh, and the all important defrosters. I guess you could have a heater installed, so add that to the cost of the truck.

71 has drum brakes vs front disc for the 77. Driving in CA, front disc are better. Also having to adjust 4 drum brakes can be a real pain and 4 drums do require more adjusting than front disc/rear drum brakes

Although the 71 may not need smog testing, if the 77 is registered in CA you should be able to get a copy of the last smog test to insure it complies.

Also SA trucks have a poor reputation.

Just saying there are trucks in the US that may be a better deal.

Have you looked locally? Might be fun driving your 40 to CA from NY. (assuming you have the time and desire).

Good luck with your search.

 

[devo]

I don’t think SA trucks have a bad reputation, I think its the people who try to push them off on new, uniformed buyers Is where the bad reputation lays. There are plenty of NA 40’s on the market that need to be scrutinized just as much and are being dumped on the uniformed.
I drive a SA FJ43 and it’s a peach, and plenty of others drive them also and love them. There are also very reputable dealers of SA trucks on this site and elsewhere and I think the first time buyer/enthusiast just don’t know where to look and are drawn to the auctions, and if you go that way you better know your stuff. Maybe that’s why we are such an excellent resource here on MUD?





devo

 

[jmylie]

"I don’t think SA trucks have a bad reputation"

I glad you got a good one. I never said all SA trucks were bad.

If you have a good vendor that only imports good SA trucks, please recommend them.

He is looking for a semi daily driver for the San Fran area of CA. Heat and defrosters would be a good thing to have.

The truck he asked about does not have either. Kind of limits what days he can drive his semi daily driver.

 

[devo]

Well, you have have to careful making statements like “ SA trucks have a poor reputation” with out explaining why they do. It would also be of interest to new buyers to know about the NA trucks that are flat out awful that keep getting recycled to unexpected new buyers. So true that one in question here is best left at BaT and @QuintupleTurbo can move on to find a better FJ_, Thanks to this very informative platform and the knowledgable folks who participate in helping new to the Landcruiser world make informed decisions some of the bad apples may be left to rot? Folks shopping for SA trucks will find more similarities between them like 60/40 bench seats, cowl vents and so forth. Plus the lack of heaters which is easily remedied.

Recommendations have been made for finding a top notch SA truck from two reputable sellers.

Anyways, I won’t belabor this topic and I hope @QuintupleTurbo will keep us posted on his search for a 40 series.




devo

 

[QuintupleTurbo]

Thanks everyone for your input. @devo I certainly agree that blanket statements like "SA Trucks are no good" are never constructive, and could dismiss a lot of dedicated work that folks put into restoring these beauties.

I currently have the luxury of time to purchase the right vehicle. I don't move for another 4 months, and I won't need a vehicle as soon as I get to the bay area. However my impulsive nature can sometimes get the best of me, which is why I'm consulting with you folks in the first place There are too many "what-if"s and not enough boxes checked for me to pursue this FJ, and the current price on the auction is telling me I'm not alone in thinking that.

I'm going to keep an eye out for the restored combination that I'm after if I can at my price point (love me some brown/tan upholstery on nebula green and capri blue..having a hard top is a must for me as well, not really looking to undertake a sourcing+color matching as soon as I get the truck), and will continue to take advantage of you guys however I can.

@devo I'm going to get in touch with those SA importers that you mentioned above to check availability and answer some basic questions, but I'll keep an eye out in the states since any post-'75 FJs will have much better amenities, but run the risk of not passing SMOG.

@jmylie The lady and I are actually going to rent a extended wheelbase Sprinter van and make a cross-country trip out of our move. If I find one that I can't pass up on between now and then, I'll look into getting it inspected by a third-party and shipped to CA. Agree with you that the amenities of heaters and disc brakes (and a 4-speed) would be nice to have when scooting around northern CA.

@brooklyn Let's assume I know very little about smog checks in CA. How extensive and how much of a PITA can this be? Is it worth sacrificing 4-speed and the 2F engine to never have to worry about smog checks?

A question for all of you while I've got you here. Does parts availability shift for the FJs based on model year? For example, are 1F parts significantly more scarce than 2F, are pre-75 parts extremely costly, etc? I'm no stranger to wrenching on my own vehicle, but curious if there's any other intangibles that I'm leaving out.

 

[1969FJ]

I don’t think SA trucks have a bad reputation, I think its the people who try to push them off on new, uniformed buyers Is where the bad reputation lays. There are plenty of NA 40’s on the market that need to be scrutinized just as much and are being dumped on the uniformed.
I drive a SA FJ43 and it’s a peach, and plenty of others drive them also and love them. There are also very reputable dealers of SA trucks on this site and elsewhere and I think the first time buyer/enthusiast just don’t know where to look and are drawn to the auctions, and if you go that way you better know your stuff. Maybe that’s why we are such an excellent resource here on MUD?





devo

You are correct about using a blanket statement. I believe all Toyota FJxx's were made durable no matter what country got them. Of course they were outfitted differently based on country regulations. I also believe that when fj40 prices went way up, there began the drive to get to market. I believe FJ CO buys a lot of imports that they modify and completely restore , and get big money as well. I do not believe anyone took statistics on the imports vs. non imports. I will agree that whether you buy USA or import, there must be real scrutiny before one buys.

 

[jmylie]

My wife and I made the reverse trip from Southern CA back to CT. We stopped at as many of the National Parks and a few State Parks as we could fit in. We had such a good time, we did it again in 2018.

I do recommend Valley Hybrids in Stockton:

https://m.facebook.com/Valley-Hybrids-216957024981396/

They are not the only shop and others may have recommendations.

A friend had his rear axle break on the Rubicon Trail, George from Valley got right in there and did the trail repair. My friend had additional work done after the Rubicon at his shop.

 

[kerplunk]

@brooklyn Let's assume I know very little about smog checks in CA. How extensive and how much of a PITA can this be? Is it worth sacrificing 4-speed and the 2F engine to never have to worry about smog checks?

A question for all of you while I've got you here. Does parts availability shift for the FJs based on model year? For example, are 1F parts significantly more scarce than 2F, are pre-75 parts extremely costly, etc? I'm no stranger to wrenching on my own vehicle, but curious if there's any other intangibles that I'm leaving out.

A big problem would be finding part to make it compliant once they have been removed. People de-smogging these, especially 10 or 20 years ago, in places other than California, rarely saw the need to keep the parts. So, thinks like air pumps and injection rails got thrown away, can be challenging to find second hand, and may no longer be manufactured new. Some of these parts might have only ever been used on US imports, some have nearly no market value outside California.

Parts becoming scarce for certain years I think is pretty limited to really old, like pre 70's models, with single barrel carbs and such. But have also seen posts from people having problems finding later model parts for newer features like power steering boxes (the stock FJ40 ones), disk brake front ends (again, the later model stock FJ40) and air conditioning parts.