Is my FJ-45 a 1986?

[stewt]

Hello all, I have a FJ45LP-K3 (CKD imported to venezuela) that I have been rebuilding its entire harness for a few months. Through my work I have been able to narrow down my trucks manufacture date to 1986. Yes, it might sound impossible but I’m throughly convinced it is.
Evidence (Will attach pictures)
Hazard light switch is a 7 pin (9/1977 and on)
Carburetor ( original ) date of manufacture is S 6
There is no day value on the carburetor, which is odd.
Turn signal is a 1975-84 assembly
Dashboard is 10/1982-1984 assembly
Since the carburetor says S 6, two possibilities emerge: 1976, 1986. Obviously its not 1976 because of the evidence above, which leaves 1986 as the year. Thus it is ?? September 1986.

Please let me know if I’m wrong.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

What's the frame number, out of curiosity?

 

[stewt]

What's the frame number, out of curiosity?

 

[Living in the Past]

Kit vehicles have a different sequence of serial numbers. 9XXXXX is higher than any completed built units. I've seen parts listing for brake parts up to 4/86. Also being a kit when it actually built in Venezuela the date is was finished. Only familiar with carburetors with a number which is the last number in the year built and letter A-L for the month. Followed by the number of the carburetor built that month. Have no clue what month S would be. The dash panel would be 10/82+ on a LHD. 10/81 for RHD 40 series.

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

Yes, it is.

Your truck is a Venezuela-assembled unit.

Do not let the Arakawa Auto Body label fool you. UNID-48148, Spanish for Unit 48148, and LOTE-VE-1559, Spanish for Lot 1559-Venezuela, give it away as a truck from Venezuela. The first digit of the frame number, which is a 9, confirms that it was assembled from a CKD kit.

Another detail that gives it away is that the heater is missing. Venezuelan trucks had either air conditioning or no heater.

The plant at Cumana assembled 40 Series Land Cruisers until around 1985/6. After that, it switched to 70 Series assembly.

Your truck is a late production 45 Series. One of the last that rolled off the production line after production ended in Japan.







Juan

 

[stewt]

Hello,

Yes, it is.

Your truck is a Venezuela-assembled unit.

Do not let the Arakawa Auto Body label fool you. UNID-48148, Spanish for Unit 48148, and LOTE-VE-1559, Spanish for Lot 1559-Venezuela, give it away as a truck from Venezuela. The first digit of the frame number, which is a 9, confirms that it was assembled from a CKD kit.

Another detail that gives it away is that the heater is missing. Venezuelan trucks had either air conditioning or no heater.

The plant at Cumana assembled 40 Series Land Cruisers until around 1985/6. After that, it switched to 70 Series assembly.

Your truck is a late production 45 Series. One of the last that rolled off the production line after production ended in Japan.







Juan

Thank you!!! We thought it was UN bought and owned during the time. The truck did not originally have a heater and the PO installed a heater in it.

 

[Bear]

Stew,

As LITP indicates, what "year" your truck is, can mean several things. If accuracy is your goal, you may want to delve into this a bit more. The actual frame was manufactured in Japan, then included with most of the critical parts for assembly in another country, and then exported for later assembly as a kit. Toyota Venezuela at some point assembled a complete truck, probably but not necessarily using the parts from the kit and any other home-grown items required by their government. The "VIN" plates were then stamped at the assembly plant. Because your frame stamping font is different from that coming from Japan, it likely was also stamped locally. The engine may not have been stamped in Japan as known replacement engines often came un-stamped. So the possibility exists that the frame that was used is not mated with the engine and/or body included in the original "kit".

Even if everything in the kit was assembled with the included pieces, the date that the assembly plant assigned to the completed vehicle may be years later than when the actual parts were manufactured. So far, Toyota has not released the records from the Venezuela assembly plant. So...............the "year" of the final product is not as clear as a vehicle manufactured and promptly assembled in Japan. This issue plagues some of the early 60s Land Cruisers that were fully completed in Japan, sent to the USA, sat a year or two on a car lot, then sold and a round date disc attached to the VIN plate indicating the date of sale. Some vehicles are dated by the first date they were registered in a state.

So we have date of manufacture, date of assembly, date of sale, date of registration, as well as in your case which part is to be used for the "year" of your truck? Some jurisdictions will assign a date to a vehicle for various reasons. Later worldwide vehicles typically had VIN numbers that were created using a combination of serial numbers and other indicators.

If you're not attaching extra provenance to your truck due to a "one-of-the-last-built" then you could comfortably call it a "1986" FJ45 and not sweat over when any component or assembly plant or stamping or anything else indicates. If this were a limited edition specially-built Ferrari, etc, then perhaps a buyer a collector a snob would want a specific date. It's yours now and unless registering it is an issue or insurance questions the date, you're good to go. If they are concerned, give them the date written on the most official import documents you were given. My opinion and two cents. Hope you're enjoying your find !

 

[stewt]

Stew,

As LITP indicates, what "year" your truck is, can mean several things. If accuracy is your goal, you may want to delve into this a bit more. The actual frame was manufactured in Japan, then included with most of the critical parts for assembly in another country, and then exported for later assembly as a kit. Toyota Venezuela at some point assembled a complete truck, probably but not necessarily using the parts from the kit and any other home-grown items required by their government. The "VIN" plates were then stamped at the assembly plant. Because your frame stamping font is different from that coming from Japan, it likely was also stamped locally. The engine may not have been stamped in Japan as known replacement engines often came un-stamped. So the possibility exists that the frame that was used is not mated with the engine and/or body included in the original "kit".

Even if everything in the kit was assembled with the included pieces, the date that the assembly plant assigned to the completed vehicle may be years later than when the actual parts were manufactured. So far, Toyota has not released the records from the Venezuela assembly plant. So...............the "year" of the final product is not as clear as a vehicle manufactured and promptly assembled in Japan. This issue plagues some of the early 60s Land Cruisers that were fully completed in Japan, sent to the USA, sat a year or two on a car lot, then sold and a round date disc attached to the VIN plate indicating the date of sale. Some vehicles are dated by the first date they were registered in a state.

So we have date of manufacture, date of assembly, date of sale, date of registration, as well as in your case which part is to be used for the "year" of your truck? Some jurisdictions will assign a date to a vehicle for various reasons. Later worldwide vehicles typically had VIN numbers that were created using a combination of serial numbers and other indicators.

If you're not attaching extra provenance to your truck due to a "one-of-the-last-built" then you could comfortably call it a "1986" FJ45 and not sweat over when any component or assembly plant or stamping or anything else indicates. If this were a limited edition specially-built Ferrari, etc, then perhaps a buyer a collector a snob would want a specific date. It's yours now and unless registering it is an issue or insurance questions the date, you're good to go. If they are concerned, give them the date written on the most official import documents you were given. My opinion and two cents. Hope you're enjoying your find !

Thank you for the information! I was only curious to the backstory of the truck! This truck is very interesting

 

[JuanJ]

Stew,

As LITP indicates, what "year" your truck is, can mean several things. If accuracy is your goal, you may want to delve into this a bit more. The actual frame was manufactured in Japan, then included with most of the critical parts for assembly in another country, and then exported for later assembly as a kit. Toyota Venezuela at some point assembled a complete truck, probably but not necessarily using the parts from the kit and any other home-grown items required by their government. The "VIN" plates were then stamped at the assembly plant. Because your frame stamping font is different from that coming from Japan, it likely was also stamped locally. The engine may not have been stamped in Japan as known replacement engines often came un-stamped. So the possibility exists that the frame that was used is not mated with the engine and/or body included in the original "kit".

Even if everything in the kit was assembled with the included pieces, the date that the assembly plant assigned to the completed vehicle may be years later than when the actual parts were manufactured. So far, Toyota has not released the records from the Venezuela assembly plant. So...............the "year" of the final product is not as clear as a vehicle manufactured and promptly assembled in Japan. This issue plagues some of the early 60s Land Cruisers that were fully completed in Japan, sent to the USA, sat a year or two on a car lot, then sold and a round date disc attached to the VIN plate indicating the date of sale. Some vehicles are dated by the first date they were registered in a state.

So we have date of manufacture, date of assembly, date of sale, date of registration, as well as in your case which part is to be used for the "year" of your truck? Some jurisdictions will assign a date to a vehicle for various reasons. Later worldwide vehicles typically had VIN numbers that were created using a combination of serial numbers and other indicators.

If you're not attaching extra provenance to your truck due to a "one-of-the-last-built" then you could comfortably call it a "1986" FJ45 and not sweat over when any component or assembly plant or stamping or anything else indicates. If this were a limited edition specially-built Ferrari, etc, then perhaps a buyer a collector a snob would want a specific date. It's yours now and unless registering it is an issue or insurance questions the date, you're good to go. If they are concerned, give them the date written on the most official import documents you were given. My opinion and two cents. Hope you're enjoying your find !

Hello,

Local components in Venezuela-assembled trucks included the rear axle (manufactured by DANA Venezuela,) shafts, suspension, windshield glass, windows glass, seats, air conditioner, the bed and a few other items. All in order to comply with local content regulations.

If I remember correctly, the frame number and VIN plate were stamped locally. Lettering and relief are different from those used in Japan, in order to indicate assembly from CKD.

The plant at Cumana kept assembling 40 Series trucks after production ended in Japan. Around 1987, 70 Series (and 62 Series, but that is another story) production began and continued until 2008. By the way, 80 Series were assembled there until around 2003, but, again, that is another story.

I remember reading that Cumana could produce some 8000 Land Cruisers per year. I am not sure about the start year: it is likely it was in the late 1970s, perhaps 1979 or 1980.

There was another plant in South Africa that produced 45 Series trucks from CKD kits and local components. A couple from the US bought perhaps the last 45 Series they produced there in late 1985, after cashing a check sent via certified air mail. The full story is here on 'Mud. Needless to say, South African trucks were RHD.





Juan

 

[Bear]

Juan,

Thank-you for sharing your production info. I understand that neither the Venezuelan plant nor the South African plant have shared production numbers, frame numbers, and model specs publicly. Several current FJ45 owners have sought that info but no luck. It usually occurs when they try to replace parts and realize the Japanese fully-completed versions most of us have are different in some respects--the beds being the most notable. Yes, the couple claiming to have the "last built" got some press coverage for their "rarity" and somehow felt they had a real collector's prize worth far more than any others due to the date it was finally put-together. I suppose one could argue that the "last" produced and assembled vehicle from the Japanese plant is "purer" to the marque than a locally-assembled version.

This has come up frequently when owners with 1983 FJ40s claim extra-value due to being the "last" vehicles and low import numbers here in the States. They however forget that America was not the first, nor the last, to receive various Land Cruiser models. While eminently collectable, these are not the hyper stratospheric craved Ferrari GTO and other rarities so coveted by folks far wealthier than most of us. And yes, some of us nerds lust after the Land Cruiser rarities and oddities like stamped bezels, Vader lamps, and the little tunnel flaps that keep the PTO shifter locked in place !! But don't look at me !

 

[Skreddy]

Do you mean imported TO Venezuela (as typed) or imported FROM Venezuela; big difference.

As for this statement:
“Since the carburetor says S 6, two possibilities emerge: 1976, 1986. Obviously its not 1976 because of the evidence above, which leaves 1986 as the year.”

It’s almost 40 years old and people change parts so there’s every likelihood it could be a 1976 carb.

All that aside, people with SA knowledge have chimed in with useful info. Just wanted to point this out because plenty of new members have come on believing they have a rare, one of a kind cruiser because of a bill of goods they were told.

 

[stewt]

Do you mean imported TO Venezuela (as typed) or imported FROM Venezuela; big difference.

As for this statement:
“Since the carburetor says S 6, two possibilities emerge: 1976, 1986. Obviously its not 1976 because of the evidence above, which leaves 1986 as the year.”

It’s almost 40 years old and people change parts so there’s every likelihood it could be a 1976 carb.

All that aside, people with SA knowledge have chimed in with useful info. Just wanted to point this out because plenty of new members have come on believing they have a rare, one of a kind cruiser because of a bill of goods they were told.

Imported to Venezula. The carburetor is most likely original. The bolts on it look like they havent been tampered with in the last 40 years. Also, PO did not change the carburetor.

 

[Living in the Past]

Looking at the pictures 6S is on the intake manifold not the carburetor. If S means September then what month would A be April or August? J would be January or June or July? M March or May? Toyota used A-L for dating. A being January and L being December.

 

[JuanJ]

Juan,

Thank-you for sharing your production info. I understand that neither the Venezuelan plant nor the South African plant have shared production numbers, frame numbers, and model specs publicly. Several current FJ45 owners have sought that info but no luck. It usually occurs when they try to replace parts and realize the Japanese fully-completed versions most of us have are different in some respects--the beds being the most notable. Yes, the couple claiming to have the "last built" got some press coverage for their "rarity" and somehow felt they had a real collector's prize worth far more than any others due to the date it was finally put-together. I suppose one could argue that the "last" produced and assembled vehicle from the Japanese plant is "purer" to the marque than a locally-assembled version.

This has come up frequently when owners with 1983 FJ40s claim extra-value due to being the "last" vehicles and low import numbers here in the States. They however forget that America was not the first, nor the last, to receive various Land Cruiser models. While eminently collectable, these are not the hyper stratospheric craved Ferrari GTO and other rarities so coveted by folks far wealthier than most of us. And yes, some of us nerds lust after the Land Cruiser rarities and oddities like stamped bezels, Vader lamps, and the little tunnel flaps that keep the PTO shifter locked in place !! But don't look at me !

Hello,

What I know about the plant at Cumana comes from several sources. I have put the pieces together over time. I understand they used a rather elaborate sequencing system.

Venezuela spec model details were available from catalogs and other sources. The plant produced

1. Short wheelbase 40 Series, STD grade, referred to as Basico. No heater.
2. Short wheelbase 40 Series, LX grade, referred to as Techo Duro de Lujo. Air Conditioner.
3. 45 Series Troopy, referred sometimes to as Long Van. Single tank, sliding windows, no heater.
4. 45 Series pick-up. No heater.

Engine and transmission specifications are similar to those of General Markets trucks. Aside from the rear axle and shafts, they use mostly the same parts. I think there is some confusion here with Bandeirantes, which were almost entirely assembled from local components whose specifications are very different from other 40 Series' parts. And I am not talking about the engine.

The plant had a similar lineup of 70 Series models, but that is another story.

There were some colors that only this plant used, such as the one the 45 Series in this thread has. Local preferences, I presume.

The local components I mentioned above should be enough to ascertain provenance to anyone who cares about it.

Most 45 Series Troopies from Cumana ended up as mini-buses for the outskirts of big cities like Caracas. 45 Series pick-ups were used extensively in mining operations in Eastern Venezuela. Hard lives complemented with creative mechanics that cost less than parts.

I mentioned that this truck was a late production model. Chances are production ended sometime (weeks or months) after it left the assembly line.







Juan

 

[Bear]

Well said, Juan. Especially acknowledging the heavy-use and abuse the pickups sustained. This is evidenced by what some of us have seen with many of the heavily bondo-ed, poorly-repaired trucks that make it here from Central/South American areas. Not criticism, just a fact that their hard life is understood along with the economics of the times and places where they originate. The fact that any pickup trucks are put to their intended use shouldn't be a surprise to any of us.

Many thanks for sharing your knowledge. Much appreciated !

 

[stewt]

Hello,

What I know about the plant at Cumana comes from several sources. I have put the pieces together over time. I understand they used a rather elaborate sequencing system.

Venezuela spec model details were available from catalogs and other sources. The plant produced

1. Short wheelbase 40 Series, STD grade, referred to as Basico. No heater.
2. Short wheelbase 40 Series, LX grade, referred to as Techo Duro de Lujo. Air Conditioner.
3. 45 Series Troopy, referred sometimes to as Long Van. Single tank, sliding windows, no heater.
4. 45 Series pick-up. No heater.

Engine and transmission specifications are similar to those of General Markets trucks. Aside from the rear axle and shafts, they use mostly the same parts. I think there is some confusion here with Bandeirantes, which were almost entirely assembled from local components whose specifications are very different from other 40 Series' parts. And I am not talking about the engine.

The plant had a similar lineup of 70 Series models, but that is another story.

There were some colors that only this plant used, such as the one the 45 Series in this thread has. Local preferences, I presume.

The local components I mentioned above should be enough to ascertain provenance to anyone who cares about it.

Most 45 Series Troopies from Cumana ended up as mini-buses for the outskirts of big cities like Caracas. 45 Series pick-ups were used extensively in mining operations in Eastern Venezuela. Hard lives complemented with creative mechanics that cost less than parts.

I mentioned that this truck was a late production model. Chances are production ended sometime (weeks or months) after it left the assembly line.







Juan

The truck was repainted by PO, I do recall the original color being a strange red. Did the long wheelbase pickups have a spanish name too?

 

[Bear]

Yep, el Diablo !

 

[stewt]

Yep, el Diablo !

Thats a sick name! Might as well name my truck that!

 

[JuanJ]

The truck was repainted by PO, I do recall the original color being a strange red. Did the long wheelbase pickups have a Spanish name too?

Hello,

A strange red was a plant-specific color. I guess Venezuelans liked strange hues.

45 Series pick-ups did not have a Spanish name that I know of.

Only the 79 Series had a Spanish name, Hembrita, a diminutive form of Spanish for Female. The full moniker was "Hembrita que no jode," which can be translated as "trouble-free lady" or "a woman for all seasons," a nod to its reliability.





Juan

 

[stewt]

Hello,

A strange red was a plant-specific color. I guess Venezuelans liked strange hues.

45 Series pick-ups did not have a Spanish name that I know of.

Only the 79 Series had a Spanish name, Hembrita, a diminutive form of Spanish for Female. The full moniker was "Hembrita que no jode," which can be translated as "trouble-free lady" or "a woman for all seasons," a nod to its reliability.





Juan

Thanks for the clarification. Where did you learn about all of this?