Builds Farm Fresh LV (2 Viewers)

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Joined
Oct 1, 2014
Threads
21
Messages
682
Location
Virginia
I think I can finally get this thread started! I first have to thank JackA for selling me the Farm Fresh LV! I had never seen an LV until poking around on mud while restoring my '72 55. It was a light bulb moment at the right time because the 55 was getting done and the nephew was taking her to school. Which left me with a little time and space and that Landcruiser itch that you just have to scratch! I also must thank Frank who has done a lot of work and helped keep this build on track when I was over my head,
This was the beginning:
after KOH LV build

And so it arrived a few weeks later...
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I will start with this: Caution, This is a Resto-mod! Purists be warned!

That being said, I think this was a perfect candidate for this build. All I had to work with was the frame and body. The axles were from a rolled 40 and were never intended to be used for anything but easy transport. The PO had done some serious damage to the firewall and frame to fit something in there but I am not sure what? Huge sections cut out on both sides and a few other random holes here and there.

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Awesome to see you started a build thread. I will post some of the pix as I found it and some of the excavation when I get home tonite. Plus send you a CD of all my pix of Farm Fresh.
Great work so far. Keep at it.
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So what I wanted to build was a driver. Something with decent power and great reliability and ease of use. I am thinking camping, hunting and general off roading but I also need to do a fair amount of highway to get to those places so highway speeds for a few hours will be a regular. And then there's the budget. I decided to go with a 1999 5.3 with a 4L60E behind it. I really wanted to go with the toyota 5speed manual but the price of that alone would have been equal to my whole drivetrain! I thought about the set up in my 2005 Tumdra as well but that was even more expensive. So I got a good low mileage engine and a rebuilt tranny. Got the AA adapter and put it all together. Man that is a long drivetrain. I cannot imagine how that fits in a 40! I got the tf case from an '82 40 doner vehicle i bought for that and the axles with discs and 3.73 gears.

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So glad that Farm Fresh went to somebody who was ready to get this baby going. It took me about 5 to 6 years to buy this wagon and save it from being eaten by the earth.

A friend told me about this LV when he did some high tension line work in the area. I took a ride one day to see for myself. It was about 90 miles one way from my house. Sure enough there was an LV just sitting there in a farm maintenance yard. It was buried in the sand and full of random Cruiser parts. I talked to the farm hands and got the farmers name and number. Talked to him and he said it was his brothers. Called and never got ahold of the owner. These pix are from that trip. Circa 2010
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Fast forward to the fall of 2016. I had a random day off and decided to cruise back out to see Farm Fresh. This time I drove my LV. It was still there and alittle worse for wear. There was also another FJ40 that was not there last time. I thought that was a definitely a good sign.
I went through the communication chain just like last time, except I called the owner right then. We chatted alittle and he said he would go have a look and call me back sometime. I figured it was over at this point and headed home.
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3 hours later he called and we made a deal. Part of that deal was him helping load it with his backhoe. I was happy to pay alittle more just for that. A day later, my Dad, another friend and I were headed down to extract LV from the ground. It was a good time for sure.
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So the donor was good for axles and the tf case. The frame was rusted in half at the back spring mounts and the rear half of the body wasn't any better. I kept the firewall to maybe patch mine and sold what was any good. After getting into it, the rear axle turned out to be full of water! Thankfully, not too much damage. Replaced one long shaft and bearings which I would have done anyway. Cleaned her up and painted with Pettit Rustlok primer. It is a urethane same as POR15 silver with the high aluminum content to keep out the oxygen and stop the rust. Then top coated with black rustoleum for color. Oh yes, added the OME 2.5" springs and shocks to the mix! Nothing too tall but enough to get some 33's under with out issues. I imagine I will be taking out a leaf or two in the rear to get a smoother ride. Those back springs look similar to my old 3/4 ton suburban springs! Anyone got any real world experience with this?

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Very cool story! I'm very much looking forward to following your build as I am considering a similar route with my second LV since the original drive-train is long gone. As for the OME leaf springs I have read in the past of people removing springs in the rear to soften the ride. If I remember correctly they recommended a certain leaf be removed for best results. If no one else posts up with better info. maybe reach out to Kurt at Cruiser Outfitters I imagine he would know.

Keep the pictures coming :beer:
 
Thanks for starting this thread. I was following Jack's thread when he found it and brought it home. I'm looking forward to the end results.

I'm running the OME heavy springs under my HJ45. I did not remove any leaves and I'm very happy with the ride quality. Even empty. I think under that heavy wagon the springs will be fine.

Cheers!
 
Plus, if you use the wagon like I do, the rear gets saggy with all my camping gear. Also since the rear overhang is so long, having it up a bit would be good.
 
Getting the engine set in the frame was easy..... until it wasn't. First the easy part. I followed GMayer build and took some measurements and set things in place. Here is his thread: Buffalo Ny fj45lv. I pushed her back until I had about 1.5" to the firewall and tried to give some clearance to the a/c compressor. I knew I had to cut the floor out so that was cut to allow the tf case to come up as far as I could. The split case hangs low! I got the cross member and brackets off the 40 and they worked out quite well. Cut some 3/16" scab plates for the frame and welded the brackets onto those. I think the tf case is only a couple inches below the frame. Should be able to make a nice skid plate to protect that. bought a new mount as the old one was toast. The old trans mount now bolts right to the AA adapter with some slight modification of the bolt holes on the mount. The after market one was a little off. FYI, motor mounts were from AA as well. They are good but a little short.

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