Now I've done it, bought a FJ40 Land Cruiser

[drooartz]

Well, I've decided to throw practicality truly to the wind and sell my trusty Honda Fit -- to be replaced with this 1976 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. I owned one about 15 years ago as my daily driver and loved it, but sold it as I had no tools, time, garage, skills, etc. and it was mostly made of rust. Now my wife and I commute together (and can use her truck for that) and the trip into town is short. I've got a garage, tools, and at least the delusion of some skills. And life is short and sometimes you just have to dive into an adventure.

So I found this one in California and made a deal this past weekend. A friend and I will fly out first weekend in December to drive it back to Utah.

All three of my vehicles (wife's truck not withstanding) are all now from the 1970s. Not sure what that means, but then I'm from the 1970s as well.

 

[Mickey Richaud]

Good on ya, Drew! Those things are not only tough as a cheap round steak, they're quite collectible.

 

[AngliaGT]

Drew,

I understand,as I've looked at them for years,
but most of them are too rusty,or too expensive.
There's a '74+ Red one here in town that always
catches my eye when I drive by.

- Doug

 

[JPSmit]

looks great, congrats! (I'm also envious)

 

[Banjo]

Love it! I'd also gladly take the mid 60s F100 in the background.
FJ40s are totally cool. I'm diggin 70s classics right now. old enough to be very different, but not collectible enough yet to be out of my price range. Scary to realize that my 1970 VW is 41 years old!!!!

 

[drooartz]

I understand,as I've looked at them for years, but most of them are too rusty,or too expensive.

This one, I'll admit, wasn't particularly cheap but was reasonable, and the body is very sound. I had one 15 years ago and it was mostly rust, other than the places that were just holes. They have been going up in price, so I figured now was a decent time to jump back in. Pretty much a straight trade for my Honda. Seems fair to me.

 

[aeronca65t]

Excellent!

They kept building them up to about 10 years ago in Brazil, so parts shouldn't be too bad.

BTY, some of the Brazilian FJs used a Mercedes diesel engine.

 

[CZ_Dave]

Do I detect a chevy in engine
in the future?
They make a nice conversion kit

I always liked those FJ40's

especially with a Chevy small block!

 

[drooartz]

No desire at all for a small block -- the original 2F straight six is plenty powerful for what I need the truck to do, and I'll admit to being a bit of a purist when it comes to vehicle spec. I like them original. I'll eventually go back to stock steel wheels as well. No lift either, just keep it as Toyota intended.

There's a nice community of suppliers and owners around these old Land Cruisers, very similar to the LBC world.

 

[mtlman8]

Jealous Face... Congrats, I always loved that truck, but the money they bring is INSANE!