What are your thoughts. Found a FJ28? (1 Viewer)

[Indygbd]

I recently purchased this 1959 Toyota Land Cruiser. It looked like a fj25 that has been butchered. Once it arrived I noticed it’s a fj28! I have not seen a fj28 with fj25 fst style doors before. Can anyone help me figure this out? The guy I purchased it from bought it in the U.S. in 1984 according to the title and documents in Nevada.

 

[whitey45]

Wow Gabe! Where the heck did u find this! Butchered isn’t the word!! The vin tag looks like it might be South American? Never seen a 28 with that tub? Maybe a transission as it is a very low vin, very weird and very cool! Is that a Dana 60 front axle?

 

[whitey45]

Just noticed it’s a longer wheelbase? I did see a pic of one of these many years ago. It’s like a 43 series. Pretty rare bird!

 

[Indygbd]

Wow Gabe! Where the heck did u find this! Butchered isn’t the word!! The vin tag looks like it might be South American? Never seen a 28 with that tub? Maybe a transission as it is a very low vin, very weird and very cool! Is that a Dana 60 front axle?

I cant pass up buying a early truck. I found this one in Utah. I have the title for it too. No drivetrain in it. Its the earliest 1959 on the list. Very odd. I am not sure what to make of it. Originally I was thinking of pulling off some parts that I need and parting out whats left. Now that I have seen its an odd FJ28 I am not sure I want to destroy it. Who knows. Maybe I will have to put this in my restore when I retire pile.

 

[scoobiedubes]

I remember seeing some photos of a medium wheelbase FJ28 too when I was researching, i'll see if I can dig them up. Very interesting! You've got a tough decision on your hands, parting out an FJ25 is hard enough but an FJ28??? That would be a shame! I am jealous of the space you have Gabe...

FJCo has one of these but doesn't have the hip buster doors, but that's maybe just a product of the year?

1960 FJ28 - Green - FJ28-20880

View details of this 1960 Green FJ28. Highlights include Matching Numbers, Single family ownership and F Engine. Want an FJ Land Cruiser? Call The FJ Company today!

www.fj.co

 

[daniel.watters]

Nice find!

 

[Indygbd]

I remember seeing some photos of a medium wheelbase FJ28 too when I was researching, i'll see if I can dig them up. Very interesting! You've got a tough decision on your hands, parting out an FJ25 is hard enough but an FJ28??? That would be a shame! I am jealous of the space you have Gabe...

FJCo has one of these but doesn't have the hip buster doors, but that's maybe just a product of the year?

1960 FJ28 - Green - FJ28-20880

View details of this 1960 Green FJ28. Highlights include Matching Numbers, Single family ownership and F Engine. Want an FJ Land Cruiser? Call The FJ Company today!

www.fj.co

I agree with you. Very difficult to part out since I now know its a fj28. As you know your FJ28 needed a ton of work. This one is probably just as bad. Brackets cut off of the frame, power steering conversion, crap welded on the frame, ect... Not sure I want to destroy it since I have the title too. I also do not think I am up to building this one right now. Maybe I should just park it and wait. Or you can buy it when your ready for your next project. lol The good news is I purchased a fj25 parts car with all the frame brackets I would need, original steering gearbox, extra fenders, hood, ect... So, if I decide to restore it, I would at least I have the parts do do it already. Spare axles, ect....

 

[scoobiedubes]

I agree with you. Very difficult to part out since I now know its a fj28. As you know your FJ28 needed a ton of work. This one is probably just as bad. Brackets cut off of the frame, power steering conversion, crap welded on the frame, ect... Not sure I want to destroy it since I have the title too. I also do not think I am up to building this one right now. Maybe I should just park it and wait. Or you can buy it when your ready for your next project. lol The good news is I purchased a fj25 parts car with all the frame brackets I would need, original steering gearbox, extra fenders, hood, ect... So, if I decide to restore it, I would at least I have the parts do do it already. Spare axles, ect....

My FJ28 NEEDS a lot of work, present tense Hoping we can get back to work on it here in a month or so.

Can't go wrong by parking it for the moment, I can only imagine what you must have felt when you looked at that VIN tag! Is the cluster in km's? So strange that it came from Utah, and in 1984 I guess it would have been 25 years old and eligible for import right? How long has that rule been around? Now, if the cluster is in miles... that would be even more interesting!

PS - got any photos of the dash? And what about your parts truck?

 

[onemanarmy]

The previous owner appears to have been a wack job.

 

[Indygbd]

My FJ28 NEEDS a lot of work, present tense Hoping we can get back to work on it here in a month or so.

Can't go wrong by parking it for the moment, I can only imagine what you must have felt when you looked at that VIN tag! Is the cluster in km's? So strange that it came from Utah, and in 1984 I guess it would have been 25 years old and eligible for import right? How long has that rule been around? Now, if the cluster is in miles... that would be even more interesting!

PS - got any photos of the dash? And what about your parts truck?

Dash is all town up. Modified to add air, no cluster, ect... The body and frame are very solid so I am not sure why someone hacked it all up. Very strange.

 

[whitey45]

I have some 1960 25 axles here if anyone needs them. Gabe, I would yank the tub, strip the frame of all the ugliness, store in the corner of the shop and sit on it for a rainy day!

 

[scoobiedubes]

Dash is all town up. Modified to add air, no cluster, ect... The body and frame are very solid so I am not sure why someone hacked it all up. Very strange.

Bummer! Well the good news is, although difficult all the rest of the parts you can probably find. So why use a 28 to build a 25 when you can use a 25 to build a 28 right? By the time you're ready to start on it (or sell it) hopefully I'll be finished and maybe have some spares I can help with. I'm in the stockpiling phase at the moment, but for a lot of things I've got plan A and plan B so will certainly have extras of stuff. Put it this way, this is the only hip-buster FJ28 I've ever seen so you definitely can't part it out... stinks its missing the drivetrain but one of a kind is one of a kind.

I have some 1960 25 axles here if anyone needs them. Gabe, I would yank the tub, strip the frame of all the ugliness, store in the corner of the shop and sit on it for a rainy day!

agree! Although I might not even make that much effort, just the store in the corner part no rush, just make yourself a parts list and spend the next few years filling the tub with the parts you need before none of us can afford 20-series parts anymore.

 

[roscoFJ73]

Nice find. What happened to the fuel filler?

 

[nuclearlemon]

in the picture that shows closeup how they torched the tub side for the soft top frame, there are some poor looking welds. did someone weld new side panels over the old ones? i don't think you should part it. if anything maybe a resto mod since it's not original. fj28 factory softop is wayyy too cool and rare to part out.

 

[Indygbd]

in the picture that shows closeup how they torched the tub side for the soft top frame, there are some poor looking welds. did someone weld new side panels over the old ones? i don't think you should part it. if anything maybe a resto mod since it's not original. fj28 factory softop is wayyy too cool and rare to part out.

Bad news. The frame has been all hacked up. The front half is an original fj28 with stamped serial number. Shock towers have been cut off. The rear half has been cut, other steel added, different frame welded on, ect. I think I might tear it down and cut front part of the frame off. Too much to cut off of original. Then I can make it correct with my fj25 parts car frame.

 

[scoobiedubes]

Bad news. The frame has been all hacked up. The front half is an original fj28 with stamped serial number. Shock towers have been cut off. The rear half has been cut, other steel added, different frame welded on, ect. I think I might tear it down and cut front part of the frame off. Too much to cut off of original. Then I can make it correct with my fj25 parts car frame.

no bueno. Would be interesting to know the whole history on that truck. But that’s what makes complete early survivors like your other trucks so cool, people never felt the need to preserve their work trucks. Tough call on this one though knowing what you know now. Still pretty darn cool

 

[mmcinnis]

Keep it and make it right. Cool truck.
Mike

 

[67azcruizr]

frame repair is not that difficult if material is solid. mid section would be the only area different from an FJ25. find a clean area without the "rivot access holes" and make a splice. you could always get meticulous and hide a layered patch behind the inside of the outer rail.

a "Z" splice on the outside of the frame a long oval patch on the inside. avoid vertical cuts and find a certified welder if you don't have those credentials

I have left "the game", but restoring an FJ28 vs FJ25 would have been an easy decision for me, just stinks the drivetrain is gone. sadly, It probably got discarded in very usable shape. I know where one could locate a 14B/H55 Split case with near zero miles on it