Who Prefers the Early 40's?

[Mopdog]

I definitely like the aesthetic of the early 40s best. 3 speed, ball and claw axles, bench seat no power steering, no roll bar, lap belts and 4 wheel drums can all be fixed pretty easily. The dash, windshield clamps/vents, and corrugated hardtop are all very cool features.

 

[Mark Jennings]

Go Old, Go Bold….learn to ‘row’ that 3 on the tree, learn to double clutch, down shift into a strait toothed first, still rollin’, learn what it truly means for one car length for every 10 mph so you don’t rear end the guy ahead of you. Learn the ‘Slide Over Baby’ right turn on that old bench seat…..the sounds and smells of pre 1970….it brings back memories of pre cable TV, pre internet, pre Zuckerberg, Musk.

If you are a child of the 60’s, you will appreciate the simplicity.

My 1968….still a daily driver……still rollin after 56 years. Early Land Cruisers give you ‘braggin rights’ dude.

P.S. my favorite years…..1967 through 1970.

 

[brian]

What's a seat belt?

Something that showed up about the same time as reverse lights...way later in the 60s

 

[MDH33]

Are you guys all rolling around with lap belts and bench seats? Keep the comments coming!

F`k yeah man.

Shoulder belts and roll bars... bah!

 

[fireflyr]

Back up lights?

 

[70fj40]

I’m a fan of older but I dont love the vacuum shift and the 3/tree linkage shift. A floor shift swap is a good mod and not too invasive. Simple is cool.

 

[70fj40]

I’m a fan of older but I dont love the vacuum shift and the 3/tree linkage shift. A floor shift swap is a good mod and not too aesthetically invasive. Simple is cool

 

[sleepycruiser]

I’m not sure which I prefer bc I’ve only had one and it is a 1964. It has discs up front and is a 4 speed, which seems to be some of the creature comforts others want on the earlier models.

I will also say…and not sure if this is relevant to a ‘67, sometimes it is a PITA finding either parts or info bc the earlier ones either have NLA parts or the part numbers don’t coincide but might be the same or people just don’t know/can’t confirm. I’m running into that with my water pump that I want to replace.

 

[kbahus]

Well nuts, the 67 sold. Thanks for all the info guys!

 

[Grayscale]

Ideally, a '69 to '74 for an FJ40. 1972 is like the quintessential FJ40-year, in my mind. It doesn't have the gas cap with a someone's-gonna-siphon-or-whatever-from-my-fuel-tank-door yet. '76 if you want to stop with disk brakes, shift easy, and have the spare tire in the driver's natural blind spot instead of obscuring the right lane. Overall, there is no wrong year for an FJ40 - it was still a pretty simple platform that doesn't inhibit your freedom too much in how you build it.

 

[DGMech]

'76 - '78's are my favorites; 2F's, 4spds, disk brakes, roll bars, bucket seats....... but I prefer some things about the pre-'75's; the inside door panels, signal lights, tailgates, etc. I kinda like '74's as an "in between" as far as new and old go - you get the 4spd and roll bars and the rectangular rear tail lights but the old style doors, signals, etc. The more you mod the less it matters.

2 cents,
Dave

 

[igotta40]

Bench seat, no roll bar, column shifter, those are the best. I miss my 71.

 

[Grayscale]

'Windwing' windows or 'Bug Catchers' are a riot compared to the glass on modern vehicles.

 

[Mrtube00]

I prefer my 64 to the 74 I had many years ago in some ways, but then again I like old stuff and like to keep it simple. Still have a lot of work to do, but coming along....

 

[JohnnyC]

What's a seat belt?

Another way the government tried to control the population ... like rollbars... padded dashes... emmision controls... head restraints... reinforced side panels... crash test requirements... roof crush resistance... bumper regulations... side marker light regulations... fuel system integrity standards

all the %$%^ that we didn't care for back then .... all we wanted to do is get from point a to point b... and if something was in the way we wanted a truck to be able to do it

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I am a big fan of the early fj40s although I am biased. They seem more ruggid to me because of less smog stuff and thicker sheet metal. I own a 1964 that I would call a patina resto mod. Trying to keep the patina while fixing/upgrading without going too crazy.

Mine has a 2f and 2f clutch and flywheel parts with a 3 speed case and transmission. its a fun combo to drive.

The bonus with early fj40s is the bench seats in my opinion. with the 3 on the tree you can fit like 3 people up front and 4 in the back if you squeeze them in. I am a big fan of the vaccum shift 4x4 as you just pull a switch on the dash and it shifts in. Can be done on the go too if your hubs are locked. The pre 1966 stuff has a few quirks like the steering gearbox is unique to 66 and back, the steps on the rockers are different, The windhsield wiper arms are harder to find, The steering wheel has diffrerent spline count, the vent under the window (witch is my favorite part of my fj40). I have read they have more parts in common with the fj25 series.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

What's a seat belt?

going to say mine didnt come with seat belts

 

[1969FJ]

After the gas crisis ~1973 it was obvious changes were needed. Manufacturers were bringing us the Pinto and Vega. Toyota was looking to lighten up for gas efficiency along with emission's laws. By 1976 there were many driveline improvements as well.

 

[B y r o n]

A vote for the older 40's also, although you have to get used to the phrase '1973 and later', '1968 and later' when ordering parts. Some hardware is harder to find and dealing with the 9mm brakeline fittings wasn't much fun.

Not having smog requirements made the decision to LS swap it easier too.View attachment 3819560

It's hard to tell from the photo if your fuel pump is lower than the bottom of the tank or not. If not you might want to consider moving it lower because electric pumps are not the greatest in bringing fuel to them. Hence lower that the bottom of the tank and let gravity do its' thing.

 

[charliemeyer007]

Well lets look at the new rigs these days - they cost more than a house did, blow up or burn down if they aren't in the shop for their 6th recall and the 3rd attempt to fix issue #2. Work on it yourself? Not any more because the software is proprietary and you can't have access to it. Hell there isn't even a dip stick so you can check the oil!

You don't need no stinkin tools.