Great score Andrew and welcome to the club!!
These FJ45LV's are fairly rare creatures, I believe there were somewhere around 500-600 imported to the US from 1963-1967. Of that number we have accounted for roughly 66 of them here on the forum. Make sure to post up your details with the VIN in the LV list thread found here:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-club/548565-lv-list.html
It looks like you have lucked out and have a very solid body, these LV's are well known for having bad rust isssues in the rear quaters, rear sill, and especially the floor pans. Your LV has been repainted at some point as all US LV's came in a two tone paint job, hopefully that paint job isn't hiding any bondo/rust
But looking at the at the pictures you posted it appears the LV is coming from a dry climate so you might have lucked out and avoid the rust all together
It also appears the front bench seat have been replaced with buckets, post up more pictures when you get a chance and we can help point out what is and sin't stock if you'd like.
As far as to restore it or make a mild wheeler out of it, do as you please it is your vehicle. Anything you do will be better than letting it sit and rot like the PO has for the last 25 years
Here is a little LV trivia knowledge for you, taken from the LV guru RickD:
"Hello fellow wagon owners
My name is Rick Donnelly, and I guess I have the unlikely title as king o’ the 45 wagons. I am contacting you for two reasons, first to provide a minor newsletter (with hopeful additions at a later date) and to introduce you to the newest wagon parts source… me. Also, to let you all know Jim Today has sold out of the cruiser deal and is no longer commanding the 45 wagon registry. I have created this ‘newsletter’ as an update and continuation of the 45 registry for owners, potential buyers or interested parties. It is my hope that this newsletter can become a quarterly that provides updates on owner/location info, offers a tech help section, and includes a for sale/wanted section for vehicles and parts etc.
One of the first items I would like to finish is that data collection. I am trying to compile frame numbers and production years to get a solid grasp on the North American population of 45 wagons. I know from the dealer parts manual that production fro the fj43 frames (pre 1968) ran from 10,001 to 29,000+. These included all pickup, wagon etc. models worldwide. As for the US, the earliest is a 1963 at 14,088 sold recently by TLC in Oxnard and Don Roht owns the last at 29,964. As most of you know, the body was farmed out from Toyota to “Gifu Body” a now defunct Japanese company. Unlike Chevy’s which had the “Fisher” on the door threshold, 45 wagons had only the mud flaps embossed with the Toyota character and GIFU + BODY. This also gives us the great honor of not having a single wagon-exclusive product still stocked by Toyota. So we proceed on with limited resources.
To the second task at hand; I am immediately parting out eight wagons from 1064 to 1067 and possibly a few more if stocks run dry on many things. If any of you are still running the stock “pre F” (1958-1967 motor) I am offering screaming deals on all motor parts. Sorry, I have no seat ashtrays, early dome lights, fender mirrors, or rubber items (mats, weather-strip, packing, or mud flaps). Quantity discounts are available (if’n I can box many things at once). No complete vehicles are available at this time. Please see price list following.
Identification marks and model year changes:
1963’s
- The basics: “3” precedes FJ45 on the frame, FJ35 glass, heater, 3” brow
- 3” ‘brow’ over windshield (1963-1966)
- Pop up vent on cowl (1963-64)
- Passenger side squirrel cage heaters. 2 types, one recalculating and one drawing air from passengers kick panel. (Denso part #16500-027-1 for outside air unit)
- Option of rear seat heater
- “Too wide” rear seat with short stop arms. These when folding hit the rear door handles
- Dimpled taillight lens (1963 – early 1964)
- Bottom catch vent window clamp (to ` FJ4514,300)
- Mud flaps (1963-64, and non US versions)
- FJ35 glass markings (1963 only)
- ‘breakaway’ seat rails (1963-64)
- ‘breakaway’ paddle handles (1963-64) w/ spring loaded metal packing
- Unique dome light (1963-65?)
- VIN plate on firewall w/ engine number and year stamped in (1963-64). Rebadged 1965’s were made from 1964 overstock w/ brass “T-65” tag.
- White pyramid rubber floor mats and white vinyl firewall mat (1963-64)
- Front mount sun visors (1963-1966)
- TOYOTA LAND CRUISER banner on tailgate (1963-64)
- Vacuum switch outside of firewall frame (1963-64_
- Foam door weather stripping (1963-66)
- 4 screw vent window hinge (1963-1965/6)
- Screw in headliner bows (1963 -1965/6)
- FJ25 exhaust manifold (1963 and early 1964)
1964’s
- The basics” “4” precedes FJ45 on frame, usually no stock heater, 3” brow
- Recirculating heaters (`option for 1964’s, but rarely seen)
- Correct size rear seat (FJ4514500 up)
- Short arm stops with block mounting for rear seat (FJ4514500-FJ4515100)
- Long arms for seat (FJ4515100 up)
- Map light switch appears left of headlight knob (FJ4516000 and up)
- Dealer add ons (1964 and later)
o Heater box (square unit w/ seat facing fan
o Chrome defrost knob
o Lighter w/ 2 crimps on under dash mount
o Ramsey PTO w/ ‘clown’ knob above ignition switch
1965’s
- The basics: grill on cowl vent, 40 style heating assembly, NO gas tank door, 3” brow (Specter’s/Kopito’s truck is a 1965)
- New paddle door openers w/ rubber backing (1965-1967)
- Open grill cowl vent and wiper motor change (1965-67)
- Map light disappears, hole left of headlight knob has rubber plug (1965-1967)
- Introduction of standard 40 style heater (Denso 87150-60030) and cowl fan (1965-67)
- Rear seat heater (not identical, but very similar to FJ40’s)(1965-67)
- Aluminum “T” year tags (1965-1967) (brass tags are rebadged ‘64’s)
- Black pyramid rubber floor mats and grey vinyl firewall mat (1965-1967)
- Lighter appears on dash (1965-67)
1966’s
- The basics: Grill on cowl vent, 40 style heating assembly, a gas tank door, 3” brow
- Improved seat rails (1966-67)
- Struts and straps for rear seat stabilization (1966-67)
- Move VIN to drivers fender (late 1966)
- Vacuum switch inside firewall frame (1966-67)
- 2 screw cast vent window hinge (1966-67)
- Gas tank lid and rubber cap (1966-67)
- Vented gas tank (1966-1967)
- Side in headliner bows (1966-67)
1967’s
- The basics: 1 ½” brow
- 1 ½” brow above windshield (1967 FJ4526000 +/-)
- Corner mounted sun visors (1967)
- Improved drainage for cowl vent (late 1967)
- Move VIN to passenger fender (1967)
- New weather stripping w/ plastic (steel reinforced) bead (1967)
- Improved venting for gas tank (late 1967)
Non USA Equipment:
- Right hand drive
- Split rear seat and deep extra rear seat (seats 9 short people)
- Interior window guards
- Over windshield vent and wide bolt in headliner bows
- Door pillar lights
- Ambulance doors
- Screw in door panels (all US had grey / white snap in type)
- Rear bumper options
Rust concerns:
As most of you have learned, 45 wagons don’t have the best drainage. The body (excluding doors/tailgate/fenders) has a series of ‘typical’ rust areas. When considering painting, if you value your vehicle you must search out these areas. As a rule of thumb, rust repairs should involve a cut out of 1” beyond the edge of the visible cancer.
Glove box leak:
The usual cause is rot under the windshield gasket. I have not attempted this repair, but it should only involve some simple sheet metal fabrication. A replacement gasket that will fit is available from Metro Molded rubber (in Minneapolis) for $3+ dollars a foot. Look for the 1960’s Chevy truck style in their catalog. Also, avoid drilling antenna holes above the glove box. They will leak once the seal/mount deteriorates.
The rocker panels rot:
The rear wheels blow debris onto the end of the rocker ‘box’ and also allow accumulation under the rear floor. Another cause is from the hinge slots in the door pillar and front cowl. Although the rocker ‘box’ is sealed, 30 years of salt drainage drops in and rots out the top section – opening the box (untreated metal) to corrosion. The last search is just under the front step. The front tire throws mud etc. up and that aids tin the loss of metal from that end. The best advice may be to do a careful stripping and treat with rock guard. Without a doubt, try sandblasting the areas through the slot for the door hinges in the cowl and door pillar. Those poor hinge gaskets may need to be remade.
Front floor rot:
The floor repairs I have seen so far SUCK! I (or someone) will have to diagram the floor structure to show the assembly. The floors have poor drainage since the depressions in the pans do not have drainage holes. Quality fabrication of the passenger front side will be the most difficult. The one still needs a good solution.
Rear window frames:
Most of you have noticed the large “R” shaped factory gasket holding these guys in. If you ever had the joy of pulling one, you might have noticed corrosion. These gaskets thankfully are not available and a better option is a universal oval available from most glass shops. The only tough section to repair cancer is in the corners, the last area to corrode it usually occurs in the flat runs.
Roofs:
The gutters are the problem here. When sandblasting or grinding pay close attention to the top of the gutter and remove all corrosion. Good body seam filler should prevent roof displacement.
Rear ¼ panel corrugations:
This is just a weak point with a bad design. A tack welded plate (bolted to the rear floor) forms a crud collection point along the second from the bottom rib. Mud-flaps help, but they need to be fabricated since only early vehicles had them.
Rear tailgate hinge box and rear corners:
The rear tires just shoot the road crud right into the rear corners the other problem is the factory bumper often crimps the corner area. The rear box just corrodes after the ends of the box (at the rear corner) become open from cancer. If your box section is rotted, I think it is a tough salvage. I have seen a decent square tube repair, but that involves a bunch of work. The rear corners (below the taillights) are the first piece of sheet metal that need be remade."
Another aussie one found, and looks to be pretty solid (bonus)
