An FJ45 Mystery

[Vossie]

Hi all,

I live in Zimbabwe, and in my travels in and around this fair country i have come across quite a few 40's, mostly LWB 45's. i myself own one. and this is where the mystery starts...

when i first bought my 40, i didnt really know a lot about em, only that i've wanted one since i was a kid. ive grown up around cruisers, mostly 70 and 80 series stuff, but my pa had a 40 back in the day and i guess its always been my dream car. so when this one came up for sale at a real low price, i jumped at it.

according to the reg book and frame numbers, its an 1984 (im sure its supposed to be 83, but thats what the reg book says) FJ45 RP, supposedly with a 2F, but i bought her with a 2H in her. i figured the PO probably dropped it in as an aftermarket install.

but since then i have run into other supposed FJ45's with 2H's in them, and they all look like pro jobs, not some garage job. they all have data plates that specify them as FJ45's, they are all from around 1983 and they are all LWB pickups.

does ayone know if Toyota were dropping 2H's into select models (the FJ45) bound for the African market?

included are some pics. the khaki 45 is mine, unfortunately not much more than this pic at the moment. the white 45 is one that i checked out for sale yesterday.

i hope that maybe someone on this awesome forum will be able to shed a little light on this mystery, as the more i look into it and the more 2H equipped 45's i come across, the more curious i get

 

[ozcrusier]

The h or 2h diesel is more economical than the f and 2f petrol. Toyota would not fit a 2h in a FJ45 so it would have been done by a PO.

 

[Jamespaterson]

They made Crusiers till 84. Hj47s 1980-84 came with a 2h also had power steering and five speed boxes (h55f) and a few other things as options. If it has these things and cast engine mounts its original

 

[Vossie]

They made Crusiers till 84. Hj47s 1980-84 came with a 2h also had power steering and five speed boxes (h55f) and a few other things as options. If it has these things and cast engine mounts its original

they've both got 4 speed boxes and no power steering. i will have to double check but i think the mounts are cast.

 

[chappohj47]

Hj47s never had 5 speeds only 4 speeds gearboxes some came with power steering but a rare option

 

[Vossie]

Hj47s never had 5 speeds only 4 speeds gearboxes some came with power steering but a rare option

ok, good to know. s what woul your take on these 40's be?

 

[chappohj47]

They were definitely petrol ones when they came from Toyota and it is not hard to swap an engine and make it look good there are a lot of pros to Change an engine to a diesel especially in Africa and Australia where I am

 

[JohnnyC]

your vin comes up with 11/83 for build date and the 2F is also very late 83 AFAIK

anything is possible... 30yrs is a long time

could have been pulled by the PO and put in the H
could have been shipped to dealer with 2F and replaced there if customer couldnt find a diesel
could have been some import rule for trucks that year and they needed to be converted to diesel after imported

there is lots of possibilities... but we will only know it as being converted by 'somebody'

could you track down past owners? back to the original owner?

 

[Bear]

If your stamped frame number is unmodified and it matches a factory stamped and factory riveted ID plate on the firewall, then Toyota would only have shipped the truck new with the engine listed there.

International regulations would not permit them to misstate the engine or other identifying serial numbers.

Very likely a cottage-industry may have developed in southern Africa to convert gassers to diesels.

I am however curious as to the numbers following your model designation: FJ45RP/89048-620.

This is not a standard used in other countries; also the ID plate stampings themselves don't seem to be uniform, almost as if they were hand-stamped.

 

[JohnnyC]

I am however curious as to the numbers following your model designation: FJ45RP/89048-620..

that is interesting... i was looking for info on mud about it.... but i see no others like it

its hard to see ...but ... is it not stamped in the other areas?

 

[JohnnyC]

here is a tag from a 1983 from New Zealand it is a LWB

 

[Vossie]

If your stamped frame number is unmodified and it matches a factory stamped and factory riveted ID plate on the firewall, then Toyota would only have shipped the truck new with the engine listed there.

International regulations would not permit them to misstate the engine or other identifying serial numbers.

Very likely a cottage-industry may have developed in southern Africa to convert gassers to diesels.

I am however curious as to the numbers following your model designation: FJ45RP/89048-620.

This is not a standard used in other countries; also the ID plate stampings themselves don't seem to be uniform, almost as if they were hand-stamped.

ok, so heres my current thinking... these 40's were imported into Zim THROUGH South Africa in the height of Apartheid. what that means is that there was a major drive for diesel vehicles over petrol vehicles. maybe it was a case of the local dealers or a larger firm dropping in H engines before selling them?

also, here are all the numbers for my 45, taken from the reg book as unfortunately, the data plates were missing when i purchased the vehicle.

Make: Toyota
Model: Land Cruiser
Year first used as new: 1984
Type: Pick/Up
Color: Cream
Net mass 1860kg
Gross mass 3035kg
Chassis/frame no. FJ45-377177 (this i can verify as being correct, its stamped in my chassis)
Engine no. 2H-1039991
Fuel: Diesel

so where i get totally stumped is obviously the FJ stamp in the chassis but the 2H number in the reg book? what i would do for the original data plate

 

[Chamba]

Same motor mounts on the frame so not at all hard to put a diesel in place of a petrol lump and have it look like it was done at Toyota City. The only mounts which vary are the B engine mounts.

Here's my thought on your vin: ZA is/was funny about vehicles. This is why the backie has a bed/tray unique to ZA. The additional numbers are likely a ZA-specific numbering system to denote when locally-manufactured items (such as the bed/tray) were placed on it. Just my guess.

 

[lostmarbles]

Hi Ross

For your information, toyodiy recognises FJ45-0377177 as being a July 1983 build.

So it it road legal without a VIN plate over there? (Surely not!)

A missing VIN plate would a big deal here and would raise suspicions about the vehicle's past (whether it has been stolen).

This vehicle would have to be considered "modified" here due to the engine swap so it would need a second VIN plate that recognises the new engine.

Surely the Zimbabwe authorities can advise you about this.

 

[alberta mac]

Is there a separate glow switch on the dash ? including edic relay ?

 

[JohnnyC]

Tom .... How does his H engine serial number line up date wise?

Is it in and around the same time frame as his frame? July 83 or is it much later or much earlier ... That type of thing

 

[Chamba]

Hi Ross

For your information, toyodiy recognises FJ45-0377177 as being a July 1983 build.

So it it road legal without a VIN plate over there? (Surely not!)

A missing VIN plate would a big deal here and would raise suspicions about the vehicle's past (whether it has been stolen).

This vehicle would have to be considered "modified" here due to the engine swap so it would need a second VIN plate that recognises the new engine.

Surely the Zimbabwe authorities can advise you about this.

Yes, but Tom few places are as pedantic as Australia and New Zealand.

Wouldn't Toyota have installed a 2h in '83, assuming for argument that Toyota did make a diesel erroneously imported as a petrol.

 

[Vossie]

Is there a separate glow switch on the dash ? including edic relay ?

yes, but this definitely after market, not OEM. although, interestingly enough, both mine and the pictured white 45 have the exact same type of switch...

Hi Ross

For your information, toyodiy recognises FJ45-0377177 as being a July 1983 build.

So it it road legal without a VIN plate over there? (Surely not!)

A missing VIN plate would a big deal here and would raise suspicions about the vehicle's past (whether it has been stolen).

This vehicle would have to be considered "modified" here due to the engine swap so it would need a second VIN plate that recognises the new engine.

Surely the Zimbabwe authorities can advise you about this.

ja, its one my list of things to do when i get her back out of the shop. ive spent 3 yeas slowly rebuilding her to a point where i can at least drive her. i hope to have her on the road in the next week or two.

Same motor mounts on the frame so not at all hard to put a diesel in place of a petrol lump and have it look like it was done at Toyota City. The only mounts which vary are the B engine mounts.

Here's my thought on your vin: ZA is/was funny about vehicles. This is why the backie has a bed/tray unique to ZA. The additional numbers are likely a ZA-specific numbering system to denote when locally-manufactured items (such as the bed/tray) were placed on it. Just my guess.

this makes alot of sense. both mine and the white 45 have this unique bed. and if the guys in ZA were messing around with beds and such, was more than likely that they were the ones putting in the 2H's? although, why would they go to the trouble of stamping numbers specific to the body, but leave the 2F numbers on them?

 

[JohnnyC]

Pulled this bit of information from toyota...

1958 February Exports to Angola commenced with eight Land Cruisers

1959 June Exports to the Republic of South Africa commenced with one Land Cruiser

1961 January Business with Toyota commenced; 10 Stout units exported and sold

06/1962 South African comp. to start producing motor assemblies (Present day: Toyota South Africa Manufacturing Company http://www.toyota.co.za/ )

Land Cruiser assembly in Kenya began in 1977

1980 KD agreement entered into with WMI in Zimbabwe (production commenced in May 1981 and discontinued in November 1991)

1981 May Land Cruiser assembly commenced by Willowvale Motor Industries (WMI) in Zimbabwe

2001 February Toyota Tsusho distributors established in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Angola (wholly-owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation).

 

[Vossie]

Pulled this bit of information from toyota...

1958 February Exports to Angola commenced with eight Land Cruisers

1959 June Exports to the Republic of South Africa commenced with one Land Cruiser

1961 January Business with Toyota commenced; 10 Stout units exported and sold

06/1962 South African comp. to start producing motor assemblies (Present day: Toyota South Africa Manufacturing Company http://www.toyota.co.za/ )

Land Cruiser assembly in Kenya began in 1977

1980 KD agreement entered into with WMI in Zimbabwe (production commenced in May 1981 and discontinued in November 1991)

1981 May Land Cruiser assembly commenced by Willowvale Motor Industries (WMI) in Zimbabwe

2001 February Toyota Tsusho distributors established in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, and Angola (wholly-owned by Toyota Tsusho Corporation).

so they were making cruisers out of Willowvale??? that plant is just across town from me. i knew they made mazda's and fords out of there but cruisers??