Production numbers FJ45 LWB

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47coeman

47coeman

Love those 45's
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Ok guys I am interested in finding out some info on the fj 45 LWB.
Anyone out there point me in the direction to find these answers would be greatly appreciated. Best :beer:
 
I remember a number of 5k for the pickups (s&lwb)... But ... There is no definitive answer AFAIK

I will have to check some facts and report back :)

I know production for:
FJ28VA was 1250
FJ35V was 60
FJ45LV was 5080
FJ43V was 200
FJ55 was 113,000

These numbers were from root45.com I did not do any research into them... Maybe Bear here on Mud may have some numbers?
 
An interesting question, some of us have pondered.

Here's a rather long-winded interpretation:

To date no one has come up with a printed factory production output for the complete run of the FJ4X series, or one that is split-out into individual models. I would suspect that data is closed-information within the Toyota Corporation. That is why the question resurfaces periodically about the pickups, the Troopies, the 1983 US imports of the FJ40, the number of wagons built, etc.. From a collector's standpoint, I can see this as being of value, especially as existing examples dwindle and values continue to escalate. And most of us simply would "just like to know." Various numbers are thrown-around out there, but hard data is in short supply.

I have never seen any numbers that separated-out the LWB(pickups) from the Troopies, or from the earlier 45V and 45LV, and SWB models. The 1986 factory Production Frame Reference shows three different and concurrent FJ45 serial numbering lines.

As discussed some years ago, there apparently was a need for a separate numbering system in the EEC(European market), perhaps somewhat similar to the decision to run concurrent but different numbering systems once the international VIN 17-digit system kicked in. Not every country immediately subscribed to the VIN numbering system, and Toyota itself in many markets was slow in so doing.

Anyway, factory records from January 1980-June 1986 show one line(the line most of us have seen examples of) beginning FJ45-249198 - FJ45-421310, another line FJ45-800082 - FJ45-810199, and a third FJ45-850001 - FJ45-850558.

A Russian website many years ago published serial numbers for the 45s starting from August 1978 with FJ45-0199119 which meshes correctly with the Factory lists above. They did not list their source of information.

The above lists do not include the BJ45 series, or the earlier 45 series from the 1960s. The earlier series has been documented by SpecterOffRoad, and is likely reliable considering their special relationship with Toyota, but not sure their numbers split-out the LWB from the wagons or the SWB. That listing starts in January 1964 with FJ45-15938 through November 1968 with FJ45-36802..

I have not seen any documentation of the numbers from December 1968-July 1978. An educated guess would be that the most common line that started back in the early 1960s and continued until the end, June 1986, would account for the "lost" numbers, perhaps as many as 180,000 units. These year variants never appeared in the USA at the time, so likely they continued in heavy demand in the Rest of the World(ROW).

One of the questions would be: did the FJ45 frame number system start with serial number 000001, or like some manufacturers in Europe, start with a much higher number for the very first produced?

And, as there are 15,000 unaccounted-for serial numbers preceding the Specter list--were there 15,000 trucks built before 1964, when only 4,000 or so were being produced yearly through the early 1960s? At that extrapolated rate, series production would have had to start somewhere around 1960?

Because we in the USA didn't continue to see importation of the 45s beyond 1967, we never saw the increased demand worldwide for these trucks for the next twenty years. What may seem "rare" to us, may be very "common" in other far-reaching corners of the world.

So............my "guess" FWIW, and this is my own interpretation, subject to more knowledgeable correction, would be a total of all 45s manufactured to be somewhere in the 500,000 - 600,000 range. How that splits-out into LWBs versus any others is unknown. It seems logical that from a worldwide utilitarian perspective, pickup trucks would have more value/use in second- and third-world countries than wagons or Troopies. How many have been used, abused, and destroyed over the years is also unknown--but likely a very high number from the looks of the bashed ones still remaining.

So, another somewhat related question surfaces as to how many of those vehicles are still "on the road" today. Which is why we see efforts made to document existing serial numbers. But sadly, voluntary reporting has limited results, whether it's for frame numbers or engine serials, etc..

While FJ4X, or simply J4X, vehicles are certainly "no Ferrari," it is natural for collectors, as well as insurers, to wrap their heads around a number--the number actually produced, and the number still left. When you explore the world of exotic and rare collector automobiles, this question of numbers becomes a big part of the equation of ownership, demand, and value.

It would be nice if someday, a kindly Japanese gentleman, once a Toyota executive "in the know," would share some numbers with all of us. Until then, it's really anyone's guess as to the answer to your question.

Perhaps the more frequency this question comes up, we will get closer to a more-firm determination.

Anyway, that's how I look at it.
 
Bear said:
...Anyway, that's how I look at it.
Click to expand...

Great info! :cool:

Fwiw, I have a Toyota document listing the number of Toyota imports to the US by vehicle model however it too doesn't break down actual models i.e. FJ40 vs FJ45, just Land Cruiser. It covers 1958 - 2002, all models. Total LC imports from 1958 (1 imported) to 2002 (6,752 imported) was 288,703.

I'm waiting on a frame # reference sheet from a Toyota Corona collector, he is an older gentleman that has been collecting early Toyota car stuff and somehow ended up with a 'multiple' page chart that documents Toyota frame production dates. I'll be sure to post more when I get it.
 
I add this information from Rick D.... it only deals with early 45's but he does state that VIN numbers started with 10,001 just like the 40 series

"I am trying to compile frame numbers and production years to get a solid grasp on the North American population of 45 wagons. I know from the dealer parts manual that production fro the fj43 frames (pre 1968) ran from 10,001 to 29,000+. These included all pickup, wagon etc. models worldwide. As for the US, the earliest is a 1963 at 14,088 sold recently by TLC in Oxnard and Don Roht owns the last at 29,964. As most of you know, the body was farmed out from Toyota to “Gifu Body” a now defunct Japanese company. Unlike Chevy’s which had the “Fisher” on the door threshold, 45 wagons had only the mud flaps embossed with the Toyota character and GIFU + BODY. This also gives us the great honor of not having a single wagon-exclusive product still stocked by Toyota. So we proceed on with limited resources."
 
Interesting.

I am confused. Was Rick saying that the FJ45V and FJ45LV wagons were built on FJ43 frames, or is that a typo?
It would be nice to see a copy of that "dealer parts manual," where the numbering system starts with 10,001 for both the FJ40s and the FJ45s. That numbering start could make some sense. And that "manual" may have other interesting information such as models and configurations. Could Rick share some of that info?

Even with this information from Rick however, since TLC4x4 (which was never in Oxnard, but was located initially at the time in Van Nuys, Calif, on Oxnard STREET) apparently had documented serial number FJ45-14088 dated 1963, that still leaves unaccounted 4,000 earlier 45s--which at a later date were being produced at around 4,000 per year. That would make a production start date for 45s sometime in 1962 or perhaps 1961.

It would be nice to know if at the original introduction date, Toyota produced the wagons, the short beds, and the longbeds concurrently at the same time. Also of interest would be the dates for the original introduction into the US of each of those models, with a starting serial number. I wonder, did the dealers in each destination country, or did the factory, attach the brass tags for year-of-sale, and with initially slow sales, did most of the earliest vehicles get sold a year or years past their creation, not just in the US, but elsewhere?

Never having seen photos from that time at Arakawa, I would be interested to learn if all of the 45s were being assembled on the same assembly line, and also if that line was also being used for the 40 series. Toyota produced/produces lots of different vehicles, and consolidating some similar assembly lines would seem to make some logistical sense. I still believe that there had to be some record keeping to indicate which 45 frames came away as completed wagons, or pickups, or if Gifu was periodically given a sequential run of frames to use for the wagons. Once the wagons stopped production and Gifu was dissolved or absorbed into the mother company, records would have been kept indicating finished production Troopies versus pickups, LHD versus RHD, and countries of destination.

As Kurt has mentioned, perhaps a collector of early things Japanese, might share some insights.

Or, is there any relevant information in any of the books that have been published about the Toyota company, from those who have a copy?
 
Thanks, Johnny--good to know.

So....if the FJ40 series started in 1961 with serial number 10,001, would it be fair to assume that the FJ45 series also started at the same time with its own serials starting also at 10,001?

Funny how these car companies start their serial numbers so high. I guess it gave some comfort to the first guys popping into the showrooms, to "know" that there were 10,000 earlier copies built before theirs, so all the bugs got worked out of the original designs by the time of their purchase !

It still seems, however, that there were a whale of a lot of 40s and 45s built over the years, and yet the numbers of existing good ones has been dropping rapidly as time progresses. Like the old Corvette story, I wonder if anyone ever bought one of these new, put it away in a locked garage or barn, in the hopes of raking in the money years later when sold. Also wonder if there are any of today's large-volume plastic vehicles worthy of being tucked away as a future heirloom or collector piece? Nothing really comes to mind.
 
The lists we have here suggest early Fj45s (63/4) were built sequentially at least per year. It would be interesting to combine the LV and 45 SWB lists and see if there are number overlaps. There might be some clues as to which frames got shipped to Gifu.
 
So then there's some consensus that the FJ45 line probably started sometime in 1961 as did the FJ40 line with serials beginning 10001 for both? Still would like to see some printouts from Rick's source for that.

Gumby,
Has anyone ever found any overlaps in any of the FJ45 serial numbers? That would probably be very confusing not only to the manufacturer but also to any registering authorities--unless the possibility exists that there might have been for example 1-FJ4510123 along with FJ4510123, each being a different variant of the FJ45 series.

BTW, what was the final year in which the serials started out with a year number and a hyphen--was it 1964? And in that vein, what is the proper way of referring to a vehicle with the number: 1-FJ4510123 that was first sold in 1962--is it a "1961" or a "1962"? This especially, when back then, there were no regular yearly model changes just to suit a fickle public.
 
1964 was the last year on the 40's that they used 4-fj40xxxxx ... 65 did away with the year #

the early cruisers were being sold way out of build dates... some 62's were sold in 64
 
Bear said:
Gumby,
Has anyone ever found any overlaps in any of the FJ45 serial numbers? That would probably be very confusing not only to the manufacturer but also to any registering authorities--unless the possibility exists that there might have been for example 1-FJ4510123 along with FJ4510123, each being a different variant of the FJ45 series.

.
Click to expand...

I suppose the easy answer to that would be to compare the lists.

Many manufacturers use the same sequential numbers at different plants. I don't know this was done for Land Cruisers since the frames were all made at one plant. Honda is famous for using the same sequential numbers for different trim levels (EX vs.DX. F6B vs F6BD) They are differentiated by numbers earlier in the sequence. Thats why most parts places need more than just the sequential build number to find your parts
 
The VINs from the sticky lists:

61 10217 bdlatin LV

All SWB Fixed hard tops pick ups.

62 11892 lupdog cab only - OZ

63 13007 RustyNailJustin - RHT conversion - US
63 13018 D'Animal -US
63 13057 leadvegas - US
63 13059 3_puppies - US
63 13170 guy in Montana - US
63 13171 Taylor -US
63 13202 some dude in MT - US
63 13333 Billybongo - US
63 13358 63FJ45swb - US
64 13364 goingnowherefast - US
63 13375 a guy named doug
63 13383 cppilot - US
63 13521 KC_Chevota - US
63 13673 John Pardi RHT conversion
63 13804 - toyotaguy34 -US
63 13811 Dmaddox - US


Then the LVs start showing up.

63 14218 ClemsonCruiser - LV
63 14433 parted out- LV
63 14452 For sale 1964 fj45lv fj45-14452- LV
63 14502 Whitey45- LV
63 14462 eBay auction- LV

64 15022 MMcInnes - LV
64 15067 Abecker - US SWB
64 15107 Landpimp - LV
64 15163 D'Animal - SWB
64 15366 Treeroot - - LV
64 15480 pjmhd02 - LV
64 15488 1tontoy - LV
64 15489 Wilma - treeroot - LV
64 15742 Treeroot - LV
64 15759 Treeroot - LV
64 15767 Greasecruiser - LV
64 15797 Tornadoalleycruiser - SWB
65 15862 Crosscreekjoe - LV
64 15964 Gumby - LV
64 16276 Zimcesar -LV
64 16290 ClemsonCruiser - LV
65 16448 donar - treeroot - LV
64 16634 Gumby - US SWB
64 16641 64fjcruiser - US SWB

all SWBs from here out are removable hard tops
64 17100 Taylor - US - SWB
65 17022 Porten1134 - pieces LV
65 17075 taylor LV
65 17076 CJLTLC LV
65 20150 hawaiioutdoors US-SWB
65 20152 nocents US-SWB
65 20162 DomSmith US-SWB
65 20163 LV66 US-SWB
66 20164 RustyNailJustin US-SWB
65 20167 tjhaga US-SWB
65 20173 Whitey US-SWB
65 20177 *Deceased* US-SWB
65 20234 Kevin Findlay Netherlands -LV
65 20425 Puddle US -SWB
66 20428 todt US-SWB
65 20429 nuclearlemon US-SWB
65 20460 SHREG US-SWB
NY 20736 Lito -LV
65 21101 Tennessee80 US -SWB
66 21143 Otterpup US -SWB
65 21246 "private" US -SWB
65 21249 bigmtnclimber US-SWB
65 21250 dr.pow US-SWB
65 21251 Grease Cruiser-SWB
66 21253 *Deceased* US-SWB
65 21321 3puppies US-SWB
66 21634 "unknown" US-SWB
65 21821 TMACK US-SWB
64 21824 rambomanor CA-SWB
65 21902 Land Cruiser Junky LV
65 21932 IDAHO02 US - SWB
65 22137 Crawlin Cruiser - LV
65 22227 Rix 45 -LV
65 22250 Treeroot - LV
65 22643 Mattcamp -LV
65 22645 Wout - LV
65 22773 rockcod Now Hendogs US -SWB
66 22831 Pics45 US-SWB
65 22833 landcrusher910 US-SWB
65 22867 owensexport US-SWB
65 22873 Landcrusierjunky LV
65 22880 ctcv1984 US - SWB
65 22889 Jack A - LV
65 22923 Pygpen US SWB
65 22964 eBay in Oz - LV
65 22977 ratacruel US - SWB

The rest are all LVs.The LWB list hasn't been organized the same way as the others so it is much harder to plug in.


66 23300
65 23336 in the woods in MN
65 23422 Burbankianfj45wagon
65 23702 Taylor
65 23823 Treeroot
66 24066 Taylor
67 24459 traveling62
66 24497 eBay in Tx
67 24515 cruiserland
67 24517 Alan Jackson's sold at Barrett Jackson
65 24591 Cruiserbrett - frame only
66 24679 71-cruiser
66 24698 OZFJ45V
65 24822 Cruiserbrett
65 24933 C2dfj45
65 NoVIN Markieboy
66 25163 Treeroot - frame only
66 25181 Carfarmer
67 25202 Tahoe 40/45 - parts
66 25236 Treeroot
66 25386 Woytovich
66 25385 Rockcod - parts
66 25453 66FJ45LV
67 25469 - jake aka jc71fj40
66 25595 Landcrusher909
66 25602 peterman
66 25603 Rix 45
66 25986 Merbesfield
66 26319 htnfool
NY 26320 Spineybrett
67 26663 Jeremy
67 26899 Tahoe 40/45
66 27338 Uted
66 27969 Chaveznic
67 28890 ACC Toyota
67 28909 Scott Parsley
67 29354 Lupdog
68 29965 (parted out) Crawlin Cruiser

66 32811 TMACK US SWB
 
So from this very limited number of VINs it looks like the SWBs were produced in pretty close to sequential order until the LV was introduced. Then there are a few runs, but they could be coincidental as much as anything. Mostly they seem to be pretty well mixed.
 
Very interesting, thank-you Gumby for compiling and printing that.

As detailed as the registries on Mud are, I suspect that my own interest in the serial numbering is more international in scope. The various registries are most valuable--and kudos to those who created and maintain them-- but the value is primarily to those of us here in America. In trying to ascertain the total production of 45s, and the breakdowns of who-got-what, it still seems that a tally published by Toyota would be best--if it in fact is available somewhere.

I wonder how much of each registry list reflects importation/exportation legislation, and various quotas of Japan and the US, in this case? This, versus actual production of each model on a worldwide scale? With one LV wagon imported early on, and then a huge numbers gap until they reappear in the US again, it seems to indicate there were no wagons built during that gap. However, that doesn't say anything about continued Japanese exports of all 45s to other non-US markets. Perhaps the US was being selective in its choices or this was the result of an imposed quota; perhaps the decision was made at home in Japan, either governmental or corporate? For example the Lupdog truck seems to be an outlier, and found in Australia.

IH8Mud may be international in scope, but the responses to the registries are mostly American--obviously language differences understandably skew this bias. But as has been noted before with the longbed 45 pickup trucks, despite the end of importation into America in 1968, the trucks continued to be manufactured and sold everywhere else for an additional 18 years, up until 1986. And likely a similar lack of Troopies imported to the States, doesn't indicate they weren't being made for other parts of the world.

A tremendous amount of information has been distributed as a result of the Internet, and I continue to learn a lot just on this website alone--maybe someone out there has the figures and will share them with the rest of us. Or maybe it's already out there, but just in a language I cannot understand, on a website I don't frequent.

Anyway, fingers crossed.
 
The Toyota corporate frame reference manual made it my way. Unfortunately it starts at Jan 1964 (and ends @ April 1975) but this may be of help as to numbering:

frame_numbers.webp
 
Bear said:
Thanks, Kurt.

Your numbers jive with those on the Specter charts.

Specter has the FJ40 numbers through 1984, but stops the FJ45 listings as of December 1968.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming they sourced their information from this same document as it was released through the Toyota museum to some collector groups some years ago. I just now received a copy. Now, there must be a newer file as well but that I don't have. This one also cuts off 45's at 12/68.
 
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