So you must surely be appreciating the vastly superior engineering in Land Cruisers? I know I certainly did as soon as I saw the first one and crawled underneath for a squizz.. (A real chassis instead of sheetmetal box-section!)
You know, oddly enough, the more I get to know the Land Cruiser, the more I appreciate the Land Rover! Hard to believe, I know. I will say that the Land Cruiser axles are much better, the trans is much better, and I might go so far as to say that the engine is better, too, but you are sort of comparing apples and oranges when you compare F/2F engines and LR 2.25 petrol engines. I have very little trouble with my LR engines, especially since converting them to electronic ignition. I firmly believe that one could get a lot more power out of a Land Rover 2.25 petrol engine, but the rest of the drivetrain (execpt for the transfer case) wouldn't handle it. I had a 109 with a Holden 186 red motor in it, that was quite good.
I actually like my LR frames, especially here in the PNG highlands where rust is not really an issue. The frame that is currently under my FJ45 has cracks and is bent and twisted. I've not found any cracks in my LR frames, though I did have one that was badly bent on the front left side, but even then, because it was just 14 gauge box, I was able to fabricate new side panels, straighten out the top and bottom and weld it all back together. Been using it that way for a few years now and so far no problems.
I don't think I've ever had good original springs on an LR, but I've fitted parabolics on the two that I have running right now, and they are quite good, though on the one configured as a pick-up ('62-'63 S2a) I went with Rocky Mountain springs that are a little too stiff. Still, for those odd times when I have to transport a full drum of petrol or diesel or a half dozen people, it's good. My other LR (also an 88" S2A, 1967), has lighter duty parabolics on it, I forget who made them, but it rides very nicely. I also find that so far, my LR's are easier and cheaper to repair/support than a Cruiser (my parabolic springs, for example cost about half as much as any springs I have seen for Cruisers so far). But we shall see how things go in the long term. Fuel economy is pretty abysmal in the LR, though much better since I fitted the high energy ignition systems. I think that the FJ45 will get as good or better mileage, especially if I go with the F-135 engine, which most people seem to agree is better than the 2F in terms of fuel economy.
One thing I will say--the LR's are not much good for road trips--for the sort of things I do with them, all dirt roads, short distances, they are great, but they have a pretty low top speed. I'm hoping that the reborn Cruiser will be good enough for road trips to Lae (230 km) or Madang (260 km), neither of which sounds very far away, but crossing the Ramu or Markham valleys at less than 100 kph feels like an eternity.
Ask me this question again after I've had my FJ45 going for a while and we'll see if my opinion has changed.
