Good evening fellow mudites...uh...mudigans...mudders perhaps? My first experience with a FJ40 was as a teenager. A friends stepdad had one in Eastern Oregon and took us for a ride. Red, rusty, and gutless. It was a thing of beauty. I knew then I was hooked and one day I'd have one. 18 years later I began the search. Well, after almost a year of searching locally I finally found a decent body and runner at an acceptable mid level price. A 1973 FJ0 with a hard top. PO had removed the 1F and 3 spd tranny and replaced it with a 2F and 4 speed from a newer model FJ60 so he said. Overall, the body has surface rust but is in what I consider exceptional condition. I have now had it for a while and my tax return has come in! This is my story of not what I would consider a restoration, but more of a cleaning and polishing....prepare for cruiser porn!