Second Annual: Year in Review What was Your Best Land Cruiser-Related Accomplishment in 2024?

[Green Bean]

Happy Holidays everyone. I'm so very grateful for this forum and the collective friendship and wisdom from such an amazing collection of folks. As 2024 draws to a close, it is a good time to reflect. Share what your biggest accomplishment/improvement to your Land Cruiser over the past 12 months and/or what you have in store for it during 2025.

By the way, 2023's Year in Review can be found here.

 

[cbmontgo]

Finally removed the old interior bedliner in 2024. Had been dreading this little project for a while.

Prepping for the next backcountry trip in 2025. Likely gonna have Wyoming and Utah on that list.

 

[Dave54000]

Pulled it out of a garage dec 23 been there since 1996 no engine or drive train swapped to newer chassis all redone put in a 1987 2f and got her on the road sept hope to install parabolic lift electric power steering and efi and maybe remote vaccum brake booster. I am truly grateful for all the help and info I received on this group.

 

[orangeyz]

Best Land Cruiser Accomplishment in 2024: Probably putting all four chains on and getting out of the woods before Spring 2025

Everything seemed fine when I got there and set up camp

But then things got a tiny bit rowdy

Dad with his 3/4 ton pick up and hard side camper, plus trailer with quad, and me with the FJ40 plus trailer with tent gear and a dirt bike. Dirt bike never got used this trip
Used the Land Cruiser to shuttle both trailers out about 2 miles because even with all four chains on his truck he wouldn't have made it up the hill to get out.
No elk, but it was one of the more memorable hunting trips.

 

[Mike Shull]

I took it for the first drive since pulling it apart 3 years ago. The best accomplishment though is giving my dad a ride around the neighborhood. He is the original owner and he hasn’t ridden in the cruiser in 15 or more years.

 

[70fj40]

Installed 4 Plus Tire Carrier, OEM hub cap on spare and OEM tail lights. This has been my favorite project of 2024 and probably the one that has made the biggest difference in the look of my cruiser in many years. A big thank you to all the Mud Vendors for what you guys do for this community. Thanks for supporting us!!!

 

[sogncab]

2. Sell Another Kidney

I dropped mine off for paint. I think I'll need a kidney, 10 doves, a sacrificial lamb, and a male heir.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I have had a good year of accomplishments with the fj40 and a couple of setbacks. first my favorite mod I have done is the soft top! I can take it off whenever I want and dont need help to do it!

Repaired the passenger rocker! Driver side is coming this year! I got a plasma cutter for Christmas and will be testing it out!

My wife and I bought a house! and I have a "machine shed" that houses my compressor, welder, plasma cutter and other fun gizmos! future garage is in store but thats the 10 year plan unfortunutly. Below is one of the coolest photos I found of the 124 year old house! we bought the non painted house below in the picture. This picture was taken sometime in the late 1940s and the Willys in the picture was a surplus jeep from the Navy base here on Ocracoke island! what blows my mind when this photo wass taken our house was already nearly 50 years old!

witch actually I should say the Big Big thing this year (early this year I finished in march) is I swapped in a 1978 2f and made it a 3speed on the colomn again like factory! No more crappy SBC 307.

Here she is in all her 2f goodness glory!

The big set back is back in September my head gasket started to go! the Upside is I just replaced the whole top end of the engine! fresh valve job, seals, skimmed for flatness! its running great now! its running steady at 19 murcury at base timing! never run this good since the engine swap! Just finished this project yesterday! Moral of the story AlWAYS BUY OEM IF YOU CAN. I used a ITM gasket set that I should have never used. I did put a MR toyota OEM head gakset back in!

 

[El Jefe]

The biggest accomplishment for me is starting to bring my old 40 back to life - 1964 FJ40L. It's been napping for twenty years, safely in my garage. I still have a lot to do, but I was able to:

Build new battery cables and install a new battery:

Corrected the wiring so all the lights work properly. I installed new junction blocks (I did remove the wayward washer):

I bought a new fuel bowl, but kinda like the original, so I cleaned it up. 50+ years of crud (mostly) gone!

Not a great picture, but I replaced the tie rod ends and bought year-correct license plates just for fun.

Lastly, I bought OEM wheels and 32" Falken MT01's.

Next up, I need to rebuild the carb, and wake up the engine. I'm not sure yet if I'll tackle the engine myself, or take it to a shop to do the work. Then, I need to bend some brake lines and install a new master cylinder. I swapped '79 FJ55 axles under it years ago, so the brake lines are a little different than original. Thanks to everyone here for the help and answered questions!

 

[MatthewMcD]

2024 was my "everything but the engine" year restoring my '75. I could not have done it without the generous help of the members of Mud. My biggest accomplishment was solving the "I can't drive 55" issue. But that was only after rebuilding/restoring everything except the engine, including:

• New Suspension
• Knuckle rebuild
• New Front Brakes, master cylinder and booster
• Learned to adjust valves
• Cooling System rebuild
• Refinished the hard top
• Restored my seats

For 2025 I'll start off by replacing the franken-engine with a rebuilt '78 from Safari Classics. Once that is done it'll be a bunch of little things...probably for the rest of my life.

As others have said, were it not for the fine folks on Mud and the community y'all have welcomed me to, I'd not be driving a '40. That and the patience of my loving wife. It means the world to me.

 

[bernardbar3]

Just happy that I can still buy parts and pieces for my 1981 FJ43 and get (almost) expert advice on this forum to keep my rig out of the garage and on the trail.

Happy Holiday everyone!

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Amen, Happy Hoildays. Great looking FJ43, mi encanta! Cheers.

 

[rockcod]

Last February I was able to welcome “Sully” back into the family after regretfully selling it 17 years ago. The day we drug it home, the day I sold it and the day my son and I drove up to the Bay Area to bring it back home.

 

[Land Shark]

I bought my first 40

 

[brian]

Picked up this surprisingly clean early 1961.

 

[brian]

Not a great picture, but I replaced the tie rod ends and bought year-correct license plates just for fun.

In Pa, we can actually run correct for vintage plates.

 

[El Jefe]

I think we can use them here too, but need to confirm. I've still have the state issued antique plates.

 

[knuckle47]

I have read so many of your ( all of the posters on this thread )posts, notes and photos over the last several years and I feel like I know something about each truck. This re-cap is a condensed look back and is very refreshing especially reading about the work we all do and seeing the completed projects.

The collective knowledge and skill in the group exceeds the practicality of a factory service manual in that the folks here have actually done and provide additional hints and tricks that clarify the process. Reminds me a bit of those “barn raising” days where the people got together to ensure the success of the new farm.

Looking forward to this years progress for all of us…. I for one, have a s#!tload of stuff on the drawing board and time is ticking

Peace, love and groovy to all….

Knuckle47…a child of the 1960’s

 

[6f40j9]

Driving it whenever possible, for the first time since I’ve owned it (4.5 years). Took it to shows, family reunion, sunset at the coast, etc.
currently re doing the front seats in prep for hopefully another fun season (if I can get the carburetor replaced).