For Sale Wanted "US SPEC" FJ43

Looking for a FJ43 thats been recently restored and brought to US level specs...larger water pump with heater and AC installed, Front disc Brakes, power steering, Seat belts ect ect... Has to be already Titled and in the US. Budget $25k-35k

Thank you!

 

[overton]

There is no such thing as a US Spec FJ43, There are approximations where many items have been added to emulate a US Spec truck however I doubt meeting US EPA specs would be cost justified.

Examples, should they be 1976 or newer, are not legal for registration in California and a few other States. This issue is not easily surmounted either, as you cannot simply add the missing emissions components. The engine is not even built to receive them! This can be a painful lesson for the uninitiated…

Another issue with non-US Land Cruisers is parts availability. Parts issues are further complicated by the fact that in some instances, Toyota built dozens of different configuration versions of each model, specific to each domestic market factors. So even identifying which one you have and what you need can be difficult.

Last but not least, consider safety. The US was a pioneer in establishing safety standards. The US specification Land Cruisers evolved, sometimes monthly, to meet these standards. So while most Non-US market Cruisers of a given year still had drum brakes, the US version had evolved to disc brakes. When a US model had a four speed with an updated transfer case, the others still ran the older three speed system…. And on and on. Many non-US Land Cruisers lack a number items you might find handy, like a heater for instance, or disc brakes, or dash pads, or a roll bar, or bucket seats, etc.

 

[Tony919]

@overton ...I really appreciate the response and you highlight a lot of valid points. The "us spec" was merely to highlight my requirements, not as a formal identifier.
That being said I have seen 43's with updated components that fulfill my requirements. I would not doubt you've forgotten more about cruisers then I know but I do want to see if want I want is out there....If not Ill be moving on to a defender.

There is no such thing as a US Spec FJ43, There are approximations where many items have been added to emulate a US Spec truck, however, I doubt meeting US EPA specs would be cost justified.

Examples, should they be 1976 or newer, are not legal for registration in California and a few other States. This issue is not easily surmounted either, as you cannot simply add the missing emissions components. The engine is not even built to receive them! This can be a painful lesson for the uninitiated…

Another issue with non-US Land Cruisers is parts availability. Parts issues are further complicated by the fact that in some instances, Toyota built dozens of different configuration versions of each model, specific to each domestic market factors. So even identifying which one you have and what you need can be difficult.

Last but not least, consider safety. The US was a pioneer in establishing safety standards. The US specification Land Cruisers evolved, sometimes monthly, to meet these standards. So while most Non-US market Cruisers of a given year still had drum brakes, the US version had evolved to disc brakes. When a US model had a four speed with an updated transfer case, the others still ran the older three speed system…. And on and on. Many non-US Land Cruisers lack a number items you might find handy, like a heater for instance, or disc brakes, or dash pads, or a roll bar, or bucket seats, etc.

 

[edmond4822]

Tony, You could import early 1990s Defender 90 or 110 from Europe and just built the vehicle to your desired requirements and you should be okay at around 35K. I have done it myself. It not hard, I have owned 6 defenders..

I am afraid you will not find a US specs Defender with the 35K budget.. All US EPA and DOT regulated defenders from 1993 to 1997 are all over 50k to 135k

Also finding a restored FJ43 with the requirements you wish is going to be double your budget..

Good Luck.

 

[Tony919]

@edmond4822 I appreciate the input...do you have a defender sourcer that you would recommend?

Tony, You could import early 1990s Defender 90 or 110 from Europe and just built the vehicle to your desired requirements and you should be okay at around 35K. I have done it myself. It not hard, I have owned 6 defenders..

I am afraid you will not find a US specs Defender with the 35K budget.. All US EPA and DOT regulated defenders from 1993 to 1997 are all over 50k to 135k

Also finding a restored FJ43 with the requirements you wish is going to be double your budget..

Good Luck.

 

[edmond4822]

@edmond4822 I appreciate the input...do you have a defender sourcer that you would recommend?

Not sure if you know of defendersource.com, its a good forum and sometimes you can find a good deal in it.

If you need a European site, check out Autoscout24.com. you just have to be careful of European International seller.
Luckily all the European purchases that i did. I was there personally looking at the vehicle with local personal friends of mine, without them it could of been hard.. The downside is all these transactions take over 3 to 4 month till you get the car.. by the time you send the funds, clears funds, doing export paperwork, pick up of car, hold in export customs, vessel time to USA, import customs in USA, hold at customs min. 5 to 7 days, all this about 3 to 4 months.. so patience is a must..

I currently have 2 Defenders 130s and 1 will be for sale in about a month. I import them from Europe because they come with diesel engines. Which model of defender would you want to own?

 

[Tony919]

i’d be looking for a 90..you can email me direct. tony919 at G mail. thanks.

 

[devo]

I wanted to reply to this thread. I don’t have my 43 for the price you indicated but I have this to say about them.

I’ve had two NA spec 40’s in my time and two years ago I wanted something different, exotic, so I searched out a Colombian FJ43.
I found one, a 1981 in excellent shape. Good body, no rust, and over all good condition with minor Colombian hijinks and lots of factory parts intact.

I did the work: heater, modernized the cooling system, disc brakes, pulled the bench seats and replaced them with FJ40 buckets. Basic PM like rebuilt the carb, adjust valves, added Protonix ignition, replace fluids, etc.

It is true about my 43. Although it’s an ‘81 it had drums all around, a cowl vent , direct drive radiator fan, my distributor was points and condenser like NA ‘74 or ‘75. I did not get PS. It does not have dash pads, light up pull knobs or a light that comes on when I open the door. It has seat belts. The spring packs are the updated springs and shackles you would see on a NA 40. The rears are what you would find on a 45. The H41 4 speed is awesome with low 1st gear.


When I changed to disc brakes the axle splines and berfs were the same as an FJ60. It has a split transfer case also.
One cool thing, zero NA air pollution mess. When I look under the hood I see a 2F with an alternator.

I live on the front range of Colorado and vehicles are required to meet emissions standards for that year. Our standards are the same as California standards.

When these vehicles are imported they have to have stamps of approval from the EPA, DOT, and Homeland Security.
Because the vehicle was imported in original condition I am not required to have a cat, air pump or any pollution controls the NA ‘81s have. Boy, am I okay with that!

Parts are parts for this LandCruiser and I have no trouble sourcing mechanical parts to keep me on the road.
The only parts issue is see for the future is for my Colombian hard top. The manufacturer is still in Colombia but they don’t have replacement parts for this top anymore.

I love the ride and larger size of this truck. The 6 inch longer wheel base softens the ride and the 15 inches in length gives me much more room for packing. The increased load capacity from the FJ45 rear springs is a real plus. I use this 43 often for back road camping trips. It’s not a garage king (or queen). Although I don’t see myself taking it up Rocker Knocker or like trails.

So, here is my 2 cents on Colombian FJ43s. Just like any old LandCruiser they need a little work but in the end you have a perfectly capable rig.



devo

 

[aljollano]

I wanted to reply to this thread. I don’t have my 43 for the price you indicated but I have this to say about them.

I’ve had two NA spec 40’s in my time and two years ago I wanted something different, exotic, so I searched out a Colombian FJ43.
I found one, a 1981 in excellent shape. Good body, no rust, and over all good condition with minor Colombian hijinks and lots of factory parts intact.

I did the work: heater, modernized the cooling system, disc brakes, pulled the bench seats and replaced them with FJ40 buckets. Basic PM like rebuilt the carb, adjust valves, added Protonix ignition, replace fluids, etc.

It is true about my 43. Although it’s an ‘81 it had drums all around, a cowl vent , direct drive radiator fan, my distributor was points and condenser like NA ‘74 or ‘75. I did not get PS. It does not have dash pads, light up pull knobs or a light that comes on when I open the door. It has seat belts. The spring packs are the updated springs and shackles you would see on a NA 40. The rears are what you would find on a 45. The H41 4 speed is awesome with low 1st gear.


When I changed to disc brakes the axle splines and berfs were the same as an FJ60. It has a split transfer case also.
One cool thing, zero NA air pollution mess. When I look under the hood I see a 2F with an alternator.

I live on the front range of Colorado and vehicles are required to meet emissions standards for that year. Our standards are the same as California standards.

When these vehicles are imported they have to have stamps of approval from the EPA, DOT, and Homeland Security.
Because the vehicle was imported in original condition I am not required to have a cat, air pump or any pollution controls the NA ‘81s have. Boy, am I okay with that!

Parts are parts for this LandCruiser and I have no trouble sourcing mechanical parts to keep me on the road.
The only parts issue is see for the future is for my Colombian hard top. The manufacturer is still in Colombia but they don’t have replacement parts for this top anymore.

I love the ride and larger size of this truck. The 6 inch longer wheel base softens the ride and the 15 inches in length gives me much more room for packing. The increased load capacity from the FJ45 rear springs is a real plus. I use this 43 often for back road camping trips. It’s not a garage king (or queen). Although I don’t see myself taking it up Rocker Knocker or like trails.

So, here is my 2 cents on Colombian FJ43s. Just like any old LandCruiser they need a little work but in the end you have a perfectly capable rig.



devo

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You are missing some cool mudflaps.

A.J

 

[devo]

Funny A.J.

Summer has gotten in the way.





devo

 

[FJ404345]

Thanks so much @devo, now everybody knows it !

 

[devo]

I guess it’s cool that “everyone knows it”

 

[mdkaboom]

Tony, I think your missing the big picture here. BUY A LANDCRUSIER!

No offense to the enthusiasts or to @edmond, some good friends of mine left Europe with 110’s and I left with the BJ45, but most of those LR owners have had major engine issues or some nasty electrical gremlin to chase. I’m sure there are exceptions out there, but look past the pretty skin.

Honestly, I envy their aluminum, but that’s about it.

Your FJ4+ is out there, just need to track it down. Importing isn’t that much of a bear, so long as your source is legit.

The delta between buying a cruiser already imported and one you need the travel to see might turn out to be a very nice vacation for you and yours.

(Also check out mobile.de - NL and DE are easy to export from, but won’t have A/C).

 

[devo]

Looking for a FJ43 thats been recently restored and brought to US level specs...larger water pump with heater and AC installed, Front disc Brakes, power steering, Seat belts ect ect... Has to be already Titled and in the US. Budget $25k-35k

Thank you!

Just to get back to the title of this thread you started. Have you given A.J. a call yet?
Or the FJ Company
Or TerraCruisers
Or Tom Watson

You may have to expand your price range.........



devo

 

[Tony919]

At this time i’m not looking for a custom restored. My focus is something restorered in the last 5 years or so. I’m in no rush. I purchased a colombian 40 and had it restored to what i thought i wanted(my avatar) . It was a little small and I had no kids now I have 2 and a dog
That took 2 years. Yes AJ and I have been in touch. Thank you

 

[Mightymes]

Tony, have you seen this one for sale: fj40 type diesel 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ46 LX FJ40 STYLE)

I've seen some of Dave's rigs and this is one of the better ones....good luck with your search.

 

[devo]

Good luck Tony I know something will come your way.






devo

 

[Gun Runner 5]

I'm not very good at that whole "post a link" thing but this Cruiser is on Craigslist / Cape Cod / Nantucket.
NO AFFILIATION

 

[Tony919]

Tony, have you seen this one for sale: fj40 type diesel 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ46 LX FJ40 STYLE)

I've seen some of Dave's rigs and this is one of the better ones....good luck with your search.

yes..wrong color...

 

[Tony919]

View attachment 1770082 I'm not very good at that whole "post a link" thing but this Cruiser is on Craigslist / Cape Cod / Nantucket.
NO AFFILIATION

i appreciate the post but only looking for beige.