"The very last one" - Last FJ45 Pickup out of South Africa! - in Oklahoma

[trlewis78]

Wanted to post this as I start on the restoration of this part of land cruiser history.
This RHD FJ45 - 2F was the last FJ45 pickup built as the Johannesburg assembly plant and shipped to the US in 1986 to the original owner in Oklahoma, from whom I bought it last fall.

It has been a lot of fun to learn the history of this truck and I look forward to sharing more here as the restoration progresses. The original story of the import on this truck was chronicled by Dick Stansfield in the April 1988 issue of 4wheeler magazine.

Here are a few teaser pics to start... more to come.

Pictured below next to my restored Mustard - 1978 FJ40

An early picture of the original owner with the truck in the late 80s on a trip from OK to South Dakota

 

[whitey45]

Thats crazy, i still have that issue and remember reading the article, how they had to scrape up one more batch of parts to build another truck as they had sold the"last one" to someone else. That is historically significant as it most likely is the very last 45 built! Was it in oklahoma this whole time? Congrats on a great find and cant wait to see it restored!

 

[chappohj47]

Very nice piece of history

 

[3_puppies]

Thats crazy, i still have that issue and remember reading the article, how they had to scrape up one more batch of parts to build another truck as they had sold the"last one" to someone else. That is historically significant as it most likely is the very last 45 built! Was it in oklahoma this whole time? Congrats on a great find and cant wait to see it restored!

X2 I still have that issue also. something about sending the money to slowly the first time and them finding enough parts to build 1 more with OEM parts.
Good luck and will watch the progress.

 

[trlewis78]

Has been in OK it's whole life and hope it never leaves !

 

[Landpimp]

very cool, love to see the story.....can you post it?

 

[whitey45]

Those wood sides on the bed probably caused the rust!

 

[love2fly]

I am looking into my three boxes of 4wheeler mags and seems I do not have that issue, can someone post that article. Very nice to see history as it was and is now.
Thanks for posting this.

 

[3_puppies]

I am looking into my three boxes of 4wheeler mags and seems I do not have that issue, can someone post that article. Very nice to see history as it was and is now.
Thanks for posting this.

IIRC that issue also has a LC on the cover of the mag, a smaller box pic of a 40 with tractor tires?

 

[whitey45]

Yes, the high plains drifter,had old military 2 ton axles,I will find my copy and post some pics!

 

[new2you]

Did I see this in the parking lot at Cruiser Corps, If so I looked it over and drooled on it a little (hope that's ok). Very nice rig with lots of potential!

 

[JohnnyC]

There was a conversation about the 86 fj45's on mud maybe 4-5 years ago... An owner was posting to swap to an h motor I believe

He had posted his vin as well ... What is the vin to this truck?

I remember Bear being in the conversation and maybe whitey as well?

I will need to dig to find it

 

[Bear]

Geez, I'm kinda foggy on that one.
Records show the last month of FJ45 (not HJ47) frame serial numbers to leave the Japanese plant in Honsya was in June 1985, starting with FJ45-421310.

FJ45 production had slowed to a trickle in 1985: monthly frame production in 1985 was 20 units, 30, 50, 80, 80 in the months preceding June 1985.

Back in those years South African (RSA) production was of Complete Knockdown (CKD) units that were crated to far-flung assembly plants; in their particular case, domestically-produced RSA beds were used in their creations. So, foreign assembly could have taken place anytime after the frame was completed and stamped in Japan. Likely the very last frame number would not exceed FJ45-421390 if the above pattern remained steady. Also, with 40 series construction ending late in 1984, the 40/45-specific assembly line workers would be reassigned to other duties, and possibly not be available to assemble an FJ45 much beyond 1985/1986. And, questions remain about whether CKD units were shipped out sequentially, and whether the very last serial numbered trucks were assembled in Japan itself.

Wouldn't it be interesting to find one of these complete new factory CKD units still boxed-up, sitting forgotten in the corner of an old assembly plant.
Thought there was something similarly unearthed recently in the Middle East--an FJ40 softtop?

There may be some archival photos somewhere commemorating the last FJ40 or FJ45 leaving an assembly plant. I believe the Brazilian Bandeirante plant did just that when they stopped production.

An absolute, factory-certified and authenticated "last-one" would certainly add to the provenance of most vehicles, especially something so iconic as a Land Cruiser. Perhaps the current owner writing a letter to the mother factory might elicit a response. I have had good luck doing so with a Land Rover (yes, I know, time to hurl.....).

 

[whitey45]

Some awesome info Bear, I have the magazine article and the way it played out was the couple wanted a new fj45 in 1985 shortly after production ceased. So they embarked on a quest to find a new fj45. they looked for months with no leads until a dealer in south africa called and said they could "build" one more out of said ckd left overs. they maid a huge mistake and sent the money by ship! it took a month and by then it had been sold to someone else. So the dealer was able to scrounge up one more truck and this is that truck,by now it was 1986,I believe it very well could be the last one,but who really knows what the rest of the dealers had in there warehouses at the time!

 

[JohnnyC]

here is the post i was thinking of.... from 2010 >>> https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/fj-45-info.365744/#post-5325909

VVV his trucks info VVV

11-85
fj4500850441
2f 799764
one of the last ones built

 

[trlewis78]

Well, we’re finally getting closer on this historic project! Frame is full restored, engine and drive train in and bed is perfect. Still some metal work to go on the cab before final reassembly begins. Stay tuned as we begin to roll out some photos of the process now that we see the light.