***Current progress Picture***
Hello all,
First off I will introduce myself.
My name is Bryan and I am not new to Mud but it has been a better part of 10 years since I’ve taken on a project vehicle. I reside on the western slope of Colorado and have finally come to a financial position to purchase a project vehicle. Toyotas are not new to me but the land cruisers are. (1988 pick up on 40’s with 4.3 swap, 2006 Tacoma, 2013 Tundra) all were built to various degrees and what the pocket book could afford at the time.
Since the first build I got married, had two boys, moved 3 times, built a house and I focused most of my time on the family.
My mechanical knowledge is pretty slim. I was a 91B (diesel mechanic) in the Army Reserves for 8 years however my practical knowledge is Mostly trial and error or YouTube/forum searching. I work long weeks and my garage time is pretty limited so keep that in mind while reading the build thread.
Now that my oldest(7) has expressed Interest in helping me in the garage I felt it was time to get back into it.
On to the FJ.
Once the decision was made to get a project vehicle the search was on, budget set and absolutely no idea what we wanted to build.
Parameters were pretty straight forward. Comfortable seating for 4+ two labs and some gear. Budget was flexible based on mods that came with the vehicle. Starting from scratch or a partially built rig we were indifferent.
After a lot of tire kicking and passing on subpar vehicles from cherokees to LJ’s to JKU’s we decided they weren’t unique enough for what we wanted. Scouts were at the top of the list but impossible to find.
I came across an obscure add for a 1992 Land Cruiser that had minimal information. Intrigued, I got ahold of the seller who had extremely minimal mechanical knowledge.
Passing through on a hunting trip they obliged to meet. (400 miles from home)
I present to you Jack (short for Jack-o-lantern)
1992
213,xxx miles
4bt swapped w/built 700r4 (best guess 127k on 4bt)
Part time Tcase swap
OME 4” lift
Arb Front bumper
Custom rear Swing out
35” KM2
Weld on sliders
Snorkel
Stock interior
Body in excellent shape
Surface rust underneath
I was skeptical on the engine swap and the PO gave me the number for their mechanic. He was not the person that did the swap but knew quite a bit about it and let me know the owners had all the receipts.
I struck a deal and purchased the Land Cruiser in October 2022. PO provided receipts for the last 15 years for absolutely everything down to a $6 Oring.
Next was getting it home 450 miles over three mountain passes.
It was rather uneventful other than blowing a heater hose under the passenger seat and draining all coolant at 10,500ft. With no knowledge or service it was easy to diagnose and bypass the rear heater on the side of the road. After that it was smooth sailing.
Here it sits as purchased.
Hello all,
First off I will introduce myself.
My name is Bryan and I am not new to Mud but it has been a better part of 10 years since I’ve taken on a project vehicle. I reside on the western slope of Colorado and have finally come to a financial position to purchase a project vehicle. Toyotas are not new to me but the land cruisers are. (1988 pick up on 40’s with 4.3 swap, 2006 Tacoma, 2013 Tundra) all were built to various degrees and what the pocket book could afford at the time.
Since the first build I got married, had two boys, moved 3 times, built a house and I focused most of my time on the family.
My mechanical knowledge is pretty slim. I was a 91B (diesel mechanic) in the Army Reserves for 8 years however my practical knowledge is Mostly trial and error or YouTube/forum searching. I work long weeks and my garage time is pretty limited so keep that in mind while reading the build thread.
Now that my oldest(7) has expressed Interest in helping me in the garage I felt it was time to get back into it.
On to the FJ.
Once the decision was made to get a project vehicle the search was on, budget set and absolutely no idea what we wanted to build.
Parameters were pretty straight forward. Comfortable seating for 4+ two labs and some gear. Budget was flexible based on mods that came with the vehicle. Starting from scratch or a partially built rig we were indifferent.
After a lot of tire kicking and passing on subpar vehicles from cherokees to LJ’s to JKU’s we decided they weren’t unique enough for what we wanted. Scouts were at the top of the list but impossible to find.
I came across an obscure add for a 1992 Land Cruiser that had minimal information. Intrigued, I got ahold of the seller who had extremely minimal mechanical knowledge.
Passing through on a hunting trip they obliged to meet. (400 miles from home)
I present to you Jack (short for Jack-o-lantern)
1992
213,xxx miles
4bt swapped w/built 700r4 (best guess 127k on 4bt)
Part time Tcase swap
OME 4” lift
Arb Front bumper
Custom rear Swing out
35” KM2
Weld on sliders
Snorkel
Stock interior
Body in excellent shape
Surface rust underneath
I was skeptical on the engine swap and the PO gave me the number for their mechanic. He was not the person that did the swap but knew quite a bit about it and let me know the owners had all the receipts.
I struck a deal and purchased the Land Cruiser in October 2022. PO provided receipts for the last 15 years for absolutely everything down to a $6 Oring.
Next was getting it home 450 miles over three mountain passes.
It was rather uneventful other than blowing a heater hose under the passenger seat and draining all coolant at 10,500ft. With no knowledge or service it was easy to diagnose and bypass the rear heater on the side of the road. After that it was smooth sailing.
Here it sits as purchased.
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