enter the cruiser (new 45lv owner)

[porten1134]

as i was wandering around my fair city i found a curious looking fj. for some reason I really thought it was cool and i had never seen one before. it seems that i'm the new owner of a 66 fj45 lv.
the seller wants the chev 327 thats in it and as soon as he yanks it out i'll go tow it back to the house.i would upload some pictures but i seem to be missing some sort of security thing-thing and the website wont let me.

i've spent quite a bit of time reading the forums and geeking out on this apparently rare vehicle, but like most i've got questions. perhaps a little help or a nudge in the right direction?

the roof seems pretty well rusted right above the front windshield, the fender flares and rockers under the door are swiss cheese too.i havent gotten it back to really see what i've gotten myself into yet so who knows what i'll find. i plan on replacing the motor, maybe a newer 5.7 or 6.o chevy. the seller told me the drive train was a one ton setup.( did toyota even make a one ton or equivilent?) can i still use the factory pto winch if i had to change to a different drivetrain?....what kind or reproduction parts can i get that will fit this beast. i heard most fj 40 parts will fit without too much trouble up to the firewall, but from there back it seems its fabricate or nothing

i dont mind getting my hands dirty, simple fabrication or machining but, but using readily available parts to cut and paste a roof/fender etc seems much easier than then trying to fabricate complex angles or rounded edges. if it is easy enough to restore/maintain i'd like to keepit as stock as possible(save for a bit of a lift and some bigger tires .if not i have no problem with sticking some kind of one ton drivetrain under it. i dont plan on crawling it and would like a nice dependable daily driver kinda thing.......y'all have any advice? thanks!!

 

[DanS HJ-45]

if it is easy enough to restore/maintain i'd like to keepit as stock as possible(save for a bit of a lift and some bigger tires .if not i have no problem with sticking some kind of one ton drivetrain under it. i dont plan on crawling it and would like a nice dependable daily driver kinda thing.......y'all have any advice? thanks!!

I like the plans for it. If the frame is good, there's absolutely no reason to consider putting another drivetrain under it. The cruiser axles, suspension and everything is very heavy duty. Low horsepower, but very, very strong. The PTO winch pretty much requires you to keep the one piece transfer case to work, which means you've either got to get an driveline that keeps the transfer case, or find another left side PTO box and splice the driveshaft.

You could easily put a 2F and 4 speed into it (out of virtually any cruiser, 40, 55, 60...). If it has a 327, you could put a 350 into it. I don't like heathen motors though. If you want the coolest thing ever, get a Toyota diesel engine into it (since it's already been cut a bit to install the 327). 13BT, 1HZ... all good. I know I've seen a few 1HZs for sale in the SLC area lately too (all on MUD, so a quick search should find them). I'm a serious diesel nut though. I don't own anything that ISN'T a Toyota diesel. You get smooth power, and fuel efficiency! Bonus! Plus a wicked cool sound.

Mechanically: it's easy. It's the same as every other cruiser.

The bodywork is more complicated. That's an understatement, so I'll leave it at that.

I shouldn't even have to say it: pictures?

Dan

 

[DomSmith]

Cool! Browse the 45 forum for LV body stuff. The guys here are doing some pretty amazing stuff if you ask me.

 

[cruiser_guy]

If you need FJ45Lv body parts I suggest you bookmark this thread https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-club/249219-fj45lv-sheet-metal-reproductions.html
So far we have had rear quarters made up (currently awaiting delivery), the rear tailgate sill is in process as we speak. Mike D, "treeroot" on this site, has had floors, tailgates and rear bumpers made up. See what you need and then step up to the plate when parts are being made up. The guys making these are much happier making a run of parts than "one-off" parts.

 

[porten1134]

here's some pic's... dosent seem too bad but then again who knows! the fender flares and rockers under the doos shoud be easy enough to replace. and the rear quarters dont seem too beeaten up. they have some bondo on em but i think i can bang them back out and get them looking good. the roof is a bit scary.... the thing is almost rusted through if you look on top of the windshield. i'm hoping someone will tell me i can cut it out and replace/patch in with a diffrent models roof......god i hope.from what i could see the undercoating saved most of the floor(cross fingers) i havent the slightest idea of what the chrome cylinder on the drivers side is.one of the PO"s was some kind of mad scientist, there is some funky radiatior tubing/ bypass valve kinda thing going on.the dash has some extra stuff in it(who knows how bad its been hacked) a few extra fuel tanks. she'll nedd a few years worth of love, and i can allready tell she's hungry for expensive parts and labor. wish me luck

 

[rockcod]

That chrome thing on the driver side looks like an oil filter from a big rig.

 

[3_puppies]

That chrome thing on the driver side looks like an oil filter from a big rig.

that was my thought also.

looks like the pass side rear has been "redone" already

 

[DanS HJ-45]

Very cool.

That roof rack..... pictures of it? It almost looks like a factory option from those pics!

Dan

 

[mudge]

Looks good!

If anyone asks what you paid keep it to yourself.

Don't ask..........

 

[rockcod]

What did you pay for it?

 

[porten1134]

ahh unfortunatly i have no idea what i have gotten myself into. i'm gonna be waiting for about a month untill the PO pulls the motor.i have more time than money at the present so i'm in no real rush. as soon as i get her home i'll post up some more pic's and try to include the roof rack.

thanks for the support!!! i'll keep you posted.....

 

[fj45lv]

Welcome to the Club! Nice find. PLEASE oh please, flip the bezel over, it is upside down! One thing to note is that the axles are the 1 ton variety and very strong, a factory original fj45lv front axle from 1966 will be the ball and claw type, not the birfield as most are in later production. You also have (unless modified) a single circuit, drum brake (and manually adjusted) system. Read up on the fate of Gene's "Project Phoenix" and what happened with his. I run a stock single circuit on mine, with the original ball and claw front axle, makes life very interesting. They are serviceable as is for a start, but you might consider an upgrade for the axles for better brakes and parts availability for birfields vs ball and claw. The PTO is an excellent winch, with the quirks and hazards associated with a PTO. If you need pointers on it's safe use, give me a shout.
Hope this helps, PM me if you have any q's I may answer.
Congrats!

Eric C.

 

[cruiser_guy]

You also have (unless modified) a single circuit, drum brake (and manually adjusted) system. Read up on the fate of Gene's "Project Phoenix" and what happened with his. I run a stock single circuit on mine, with the original ball and claw front axle, makes life very interesting. They are serviceable as is for a start, but you might consider an upgrade for the axles for better brakes and parts availability for birfields vs ball and claw.

Many jurisdictions, when issuing collector status plates, do not "take points off" for disc brakes. I've gone the disc brake route on my truck as I think the safety aspect of them far outweigh any "lack of originality" that they might cause.

You can see my solution to the disc brake question on my build thread https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owner...v-resto-thread-67-central-american-model.html from post #61 onwards. It will use the stock booster and brake master or disc brake equipped trucks.

 

[porten1134]

k so i finally got it home.....minus the eingine. i almost had the PO talked into letting me keep it ehh oh well.so i was wondering how much of this thing was factory.for instance:

is this an aftermarket heater setup?
is the pto from the factory? its a ramsey winch, does that make it better or worse than a toyota oem?
and is the roof rack oem? crap i didn't include a picture. next post. does anyone have a good picture if the oem roof rack?
and what about the dash.... that looks factory right?

and then another question about power steering...where can i mount a power steering box. with the winch up front the saginaw is just too big.would a 60 series fit? i forgot to measure but i think i have about 3 1/2" to play with if i mounted it in front of the bezel.is it possible to move the PS box inside the eingine compartment? and on that note can the steering linkage be moved completely behind the axle? i've seen some stuff to move the tie rod between the tires behind the axle but what about the rod from the pitman arm to the right tire? any suguestions?

thanks!!

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Wow, great find! First off, congrats on being a LV owner. Second, Take a good look at my LV below and definately upgrade the brakes. This LV had a very solid body and a completely rebuilt but original single circuit braking system. You'll also notice in the pic that the front of the roof is still in good shape. Take a close up pic of the rotted out area in the front of your roof and post it here. I'll cut that portion out of this roof and send it to you. Like many of us LV owners here, it looks like you've got hours of fun ahead of you. Take your time and enjoy it.

Gene

 

[porten1134]

more pictures..... thanks for the roof offer!!!! I'll take you up on it!

roof rack.... rear heater.... i even found the repair kit!!!

 

[porten1134]

more pictures......

the winch

are these oem ashtrays?

my 4 bannana repair team !

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

Ash trays are not stock. Neither are the heaters unless they were installed here in the states by a dealer when originally sold. My first LV was a non-heater model from Japan.

 

[porten1134]

ahhh cancer!! oh well i guess if it was easy everyone would be doing it!

 

[Land Cruiser Junky]

This should help you out a bit...

The roof has 2 slight dents in the area that you need, but they're nothing to take out. I am currently remaking the part under the doors that you also show rotted out. Mine currently look like yours. If you like them after they're done, I can send you diagrams of the different break shapes and patterns.