Dual Swine Dilemma

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llandes

llandes

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Mar 24, 2009
Threads
8
Messages
69
Location
Southern California
Website
adventureriderdude.blogspot.com
You guys are the experts and I need some advice...

I have two FJ55's and love them both dearly. 1975 and 1979. If wrenching time, physical space and money were no issue, I'd keep them both. But 'reality' being what it is, we only need one. We need a daily driver that's presentable and reliable.
Both are currently "rough" in terms of looks, but very road worthy and usable. The original plan was to blend the two into one great 55, but I'm struggling with taking two drivable 55's and killing one of them.

The basics to give some color to the situation are:
1975 - original paint, some rust but not bad, incorrect but great running F motor (should be 2F and swap was done long ago and done well), 4 speed, drum brakes. Drives fantastic.
1979 - really rusty, very nice 2F, H55 5 speed, discs, power steering, tall gearing being a '79. Drives fantastic as well.

The original plan was to take the 2F, H55 trans, and discs (axle swap) from the '79 and put them in the '75. (We like the '75 body better, both for looks and condition)
That would kill the '79 unless we put the F motor, drum brakes and lower gearing axles in it to make it still drive. Seems like a lot of work for a non-desirable frankenstein.

Fixing up the '79 body is out. It's salvageable, but just not what we want to get into, and again, we prefer the '75 anyway.
Our challenge is that we don't really have the space or time to do the swap and then slowly sell off the parts left over, plus we kill the '79 as I said.

Option 1 is to just go for it and upset the neighbors for a few months with the mess.
Option 2 is to swap engines only and sell the '79 with an F motor and H55, discs, PS etc. Odd combo, but the F runs great. Downside is that our keeper wouldn't have the desired 5 speed and gearing. (we do a lot of freeway driving and the '79 tall gearing and 5 speed cruise along at 2k RPM and 80MPH... it's nice...fyi we run tall skinny 9.5X33 tires)
Option 3 is to hire someone to do the work for us, but money is really tight and I'm a gearhead, so that just feels weird. (but I'm open if anyone knows anyone in So Cal who has the desire and space)
Option 4 is to sell them both and buy another 55 that is closer to being "done", but the downside to that is we're emotionally attached to the ones we have. (and collectively have great components for an awesome 55)

Clearly, I'm rambling and there are many different ways to go with this situation.
My goal in the end is to have one nice 55 - the '75, which will be a great freeway flyer as well as a reliable Baja trip taker. I know I'm looking at paint, but I'll probably go cheap and not do it "right" as in concourse. Decent looks with great function and reliability are the goal. My wife will use it as a DD, and she loves the 1975. (Incidentally, not planning on keeping the PS. The '75 without it has a better feel and my wife is fine with that.)

This is too long already, so I'll post a few photos and you guys let me know what you would do.

Thanks in advance... we appreciate any input!
:wrench::bang::steer::cheers:
 
Here is the 1975...
IMG_8227.webp
IMG_8249.webp
 
don't think you'll be able to sell the 79 in register-able condition in Cali w/. the F motor. You could swap the front axles, and sell the 79 w/ the 4 speed trans and transfer in the cargo bay as a roller w/ all parts less engine. OR swap the F and driveline into the 79 and sell it as is(read: you who buys this will have to take it out of state or find the correct motor in order to register it here...)I would have no problems swapping anything and everything I wanted off the 79 into the 75, and selling the left overs as a roller with parts. HTH
(BTW, you may not want to listen to me, I have already chopped what some would call a perfectly useable pig in two for my service truck project. AND, it will take you longer than you will plan for it to, Just so you know...:cheers:) 5 speed disk brake no smog cali pig seems like a no brainer to me.
 
Buy a 4 spd, swap it into the '79, find a good 2F somewhere, swap it and the 5spd out for the F/4spd in the '75, sell the F, sell the '79. But you're right, tough choice. You're still missing discs, p/s, and 3.73 gears.
 
llandes said:
My wife will use it as a DD, and she loves the 1975. (Incidentally, not planning on keeping the PS. The '75 without it has a better feel and my wife is fine with that.)
Click to expand...

You already know the right answer, take the best and make them one ;) Swap the 2F/H55/axles onto the 75, looks like maybe the DS fender too ;) You'd could then either sell the '75 driveline and the '79 as a roller or some combination of that.

Good luck!

:pig:

Tucker
 
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I suppose this will leave you out of sorts with CA smog laws, but the absolute easiest thing to do would be a body swap, putting the earlier body on the later chassis/running gear. That could be done in a day, a weekend at the most, with a couple of helpers and a lift. See below.
If only you could register it using the body tags....
 
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the result...

This '73 body and the '74 chassis and the result of four days work...including extra time for cleaning and painting the frame and replacing engine accessories and external gaskets on the SBC. You ought to see it now that body and paint are done inside and out and the rest of the restomod is about 90% complete.
Landcruiser engine bay 002.webp
Landcruiser swap 002.webp
Landcruiser swap 038.webp
 
Then he'd have a 79 w/ a nice (er) body and have to be stuck smogging it into forever-never land.........out here, it's 76 and up, w/ NO grandfather
 
You guys are all spot on with the CA Smog challenge. Putting the F in the '79 doesn't work for that reason unless it goes out of state. We do some work with a children's orphanage in Baja and I did consider putting the F in the '79 and just giving it to the orphanage. No Smog issue down there.

Body swap was an interesting idea and actually the original plan when both were purchased. But I'd have to cut the VIN #'s out of the frames and switch/weld them in order to get the '79 frame/'75VIN registered and I'm certain there are big time laws against that. Cutting corners is OK, but don't want to blatantly change VIN numbers, so that idea is out, although a body swap was a good concept.

Consensus seems to be to not worry about taking a running/driving '79 and taking it off the road to get what I need. I'd be OK with that as long as I had someone with resources to get another 2F and get her back on the road. She's a good 'ol girl and deserves to live. There is a possible connection developing to do that... we'll see.

The PS and possibly 3:73 gearing might stay with the '79 and I'd use the H55 5 spd with the stock 4:11 gearing on the '75. With the 5 speed in the '79 now, the 3:73 gearing is almost too tall. Yes it cruises easily at 80mph, and from a gearing perspective would probably go 100mph, but the engine doesn't want to pull that hard. On freeways when it starts to go up hill, I need to grab 4th instead. I think the H55 would be a good mate to the lower gearing and the 4 speed a good (and stock) match to the tall '79 gearing.

All that said, it seems the 2F, 5speed (and discs?) should go into the '75. The '79 could be sold as a roller with all the PS stuff intact, a good 4 speed, and the F could be sold separately or along with the '79 if it went out of state or to the orphanage.

Keep the ideas coming... this is helping. Thanks!

Attached are a few more shots to keep it interesting...
IMG_8594.webp
IMG_9184.webp
photo.webp
 
tucker74 said:
You already know the right answer, take the best and make them one ;) Swap the 2F/H55/axles onto the 75, looks like maybe the DS fender too ;) You'd could then either sell the '75 driveline and the '79 as a roller or some combination of that.

Good luck!

:pig:

Tucker
Click to expand...

Yeah, both fenders could use some work. For the restoration purists out there, since I'm not intending on doing the paint "right", but just making it presentable, I'll probably just fix the fenders. When I bought the '75, it came with two brand new factory fenders, still with the Toyota tags. I'll hang on to those and perhaps in 10 years we can restore this thing right, I'll put the new fenders on then.

Photo shows new fenders in the back the day I got it.
DSC_0117.webp
 
Take the power steering.....trust me.
 
LAMBCRUSHER said:
Take the power steering.....trust me.
Click to expand...

This

I have the factory P/S in mine and it's like a completely new vehicle

OR, if you decide you want to sell the P/S set-up, put me first in line for spares
 
Update - My friend (who got me into Land Cruisers about 4 years ago) connected me with the son of the guy who got him into Land Cruisers about 15 years ago. Sadly, the father passed, but happily, his son is carrying on his Dad's passion. Pretty cool, and cool that my friends and my passion for Land Cruisers all started because of the Dad.

Anyway, the son knows Land Cruisers really well and works for a Toyota dealership. He's offered to help by assessing the pros and cons of each vehicle, putting together a do-able game plan to make the 1975 FJ55 what we want and need. From there, we'll do all we can to put the best running '79 together possible, or create a nice roller for someone else to bring back to life. He and I are in agreement that the '79 should live if at all possible.

I'm a competent mechanic, but relatively new to Land Cruisers. His expertise and advice will be invaluable and the guy is cool as ice.

Land Cruiser people are awesome!
IMG_8228.webp
 
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