When you bought your FJ40

[igotta40]

What condition was your truck in when you acquired it?

Rotten & forgotten? Protected but neglected? Unrestored original? Brand new? Unfinished restoration? Hillbilly mud buggy? Completed restoration garage queen? “Runs & drives, needs work”?

What’s your story? Include a first day photo if you have one!

 

[pb4ugo]

What's it look like now?

Show us your FJ40 then and now

Show us what your 40 looked like when you bought it and what it looks like now. Here is my '70 FST in July 2021 and now.

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[FJ404345]

What condition was your truck in when you acquired it?

Rotten & forgotten? Protected but neglected? Unrestored original? Brand new? Unfinished restoration? Hillbilly mud buggy? Completed restoration garage queen? “Runs & drives, needs work”?

What’s your story? Include a first day photo if you have one!

View attachment 3653180

Was this one ?

FJ40 1974, Early Chistmas gift, 4X4, F1,5 Engine, 1st owner, 5,5 years old, original paint, roof painted black, 11.433 miles, save on new one !

 

[charliemeyer007]

It was 10 years old when I got in 1982. I am the 6th owner. #5 was a friend. He did some things like a 2bbl Rochester and a Delco dizzy. I had to grease the leather accelerator cup back in about 1997 and a dizzy shaft bushing 2001, other than that I did some seals, brakes and a couple of used engine swaps, a clutch. It sat for like 10 years when I got sick. It still starts right up. Lots of body cancer to fix, but this summer I'll be back on the road with it.

 

[70fj40]

The day I picked it up

 

[70fj40]

It didn’t run, tires were flat and I had no idea about its history but it had very little rust and looked to be mostly intact and original for the most part. My dad, myself and my son got it rolling, the running and cleaned up. I believe my last words before leaving my dads house was “let’s not drive it very far until we check it out a bit more”
Of course my dad and my son had other ideas and by the time my son got it to my house it was pouring oil and sounding like a jackhammer! It was 2014 and that was my baptism into Landcruiser ownership and the rebuild began.

 

[igotta40]

What's it look like now?

Show us your FJ40 then and now

Show us what your 40 looked like when you bought it and what it looks like now. Here is my '70 FST in July 2021 and now.

forum.ih8mud.com

It looks a little different now.

 

[DIRDY]

Ran but nothing worked oil leaks everywhere spring over lift electrical was a nightmare

 

[devo]

I bought my first 40 off of the dealer lot brand new back in 1982. Took a west bound dog from St. Louis to Hays Kansas to save $2500 dollars. Big deal at the time. Paid $10,280.00 for it and I have the window sticker. Don’t think I have photos of it being brand spanking new because who took film photos of everything back then!
Here it is in ‘85-‘89. Colorado and Pritchard Canyon (Moab)

 

[Sky King]

Last summer, I towed it home rotten and forgotten. I'll be putting a licenses plate on it soon.

 

[Green Bean]

Ours came partially disassembled. It was like putting Legos together.

 

[brian]

a couple weeks ago

 

[Mark W]

1. My first FJ40. A 1978, an actual stock and unmodified ( and rusty) barn find. Replaced the tub and started building it. A lot. Eventually after several evolutions, it was was sitting on coils, Rockwells and 52s. Pretty backwoods redneck build if I am honest, but every evolution and every prototype experiment was a fun learning experience even when they did not work as well as hoped. I can't say that I regret any of them. It is now a yard ornament waiting for a complete "re-do" once I decide what (non-backwoods redneck) way I want to go with it.

2. A 1978, taken in trade from a customer in exchange for an SOA '60. AL tub and fresh paint at the time. Applied a lot of what I learned on '40 # 1 and it too grew up a bit. It now has SBC, 465, dual transfercases (4:1 Orion and 203), full floater, 5.29s FJ560 PS, 4 wheel Toyota discs, 106 inch wheelbase... and , and , and... Sitting on 45 inch ag tires now, down for one more season before rolling back out with some custom axles and an OEM style soft top

3. Another 1978 (seeing a trend?) stored for a customer years ago while he fought with the insurance company after his brand new to him baby was hit. It was a 99% perfect 99% stock $20K rig back BEFORE the '40 prices started climbing. When it was all over he sold it to me for a fraction of it's pre-impact value All the damage was front end sheetmetal and frame. I have since acquired a perfect (1978 of course) frame for it and all the sheetmetal replacements. Hopefully will finally be moving to #1 in the project queue. This one will be taken back to factory perfect and just barely upgraded status, improved from the beautiful rig it was even.

Other '40s have come and gone, but these are the ones I think of as "mine".

Sadly, as you might have noticed, I am not actually driving any of these rigs at the moment. The '80s road trip and get me down the trails so well that the pressure to get a '40 under me is not as strong as it should be I guess. The GF has me trained to put the backpack on and start hoofing it once we get to the end of the "80 suitable" trail. Of course I am bearing the '80 down trails a bit harder than some might.

Really looking forward to getting rig #2 back on the trails though. I have not pushed trail or chased dragons in too long now.

Mark...

 

[Mark W]

Here it is in ‘85-‘89. Colorado and Pritchard Canyon (Moab)


View attachment 3653902

I could not tell you the name of that exact spot, but I am kinda proud to say... one look and I knew that was Prichett. And it has been a bit over 25 years since stood in that spot! Damn I am getting old. And it has been far to long since I was at Moab.

Mark...

 

[76FJ40]

My younger son had a '78 40 and was in search of a replacement frame. He found a local guy parting out a 40 and went to look at it with my wife. When they got to the seller's place, my wife called to tell me the parts 40 was rusty, didn't really run, but it was too good to part out. After lots of work and help from my sons I had a beater to wheel and it continued to evolve.

 

[GRM]

It was 2010. Mine had been sitting behind a plumbing shop since 1978. According to the owner, it ran when parked but had not been started since the mid-80’s because of a dead battery.

I found bad rod bearings, a melted wiring harness, and anything made of rubber was shot.

It took 7 years to get it together, but it has been much enjoyed since.

 

[77mustard40]

Went in for half with my Dad in 1985 a year out of college. We bought the '77 in El Paso to bird hunt out of in NM and AZ, 3rd owners. Second owner had slapped a Holley on it along with a crappy lift and American Racing rims, holes were drilled in the A-pillars and fenders for KC lights and it had a chrome speed hole front bumper. We paid $2,500 for it at the time. I don't have any old photos handy but you get the idea. I've never restored it all the way, more like undone the crappy mods and driven the crap out of it but never put it up wet. Hell, drove it to work today.

 

[Its me shaneus]

Rotten and forgotten. And a frankenwagon. 1970 convertible body in powder blue with a red hardtop added and tan doors. Had been done into a spring over that had been reversed with bad welds holding really hacked up spring perches on (barely). Water pump gave out on the drive home.

My first joy ride in the desert went through some big ruts that made the steering wheel spin wildly back and forth knocking off both thumbnails in the process. Lesson learned.

Everything was worn out and I had zero fear taking it anywhere, it never failed to get me there and back.

Wish I had pictures of it. Plenty of pictures of it after paint and a lot of work, but dont think I have a one of it like I got it.

 

[UZJ40]

This is what I picked up -

5 years later -

 

[dazerb]

2009.
Selling my 1971 Corvette with plans to buy a beater 4x4 jeep when i got to Colorado...
Guy calls me and offers a trade - 1974 fj40 with receipts on cosmetic resto over $16k.

Ran it hard on stock original EVERYTHING mechanical for a few seasons. Now, rolling resto - seals, bearings, knuckles, brakes, OME lift, 33" tires...