1972 Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser
From the Atacama Desert to the Rocky Mountains, from the dunes of Dubai to the open plains of Australia, the Toyota FJ Land Cruiser stands alone as the most reliable, long-lasting, and nearly unbreakable vehicle that gets you anywhere you need to be. The BJ25 was Japan's answer to the American Jeep and the British Land Rover. There's really no sugar coating it: Toyota reverse-engineered the Jeep and perfected it within a decade. By the time the US started placing orders for the FJ to assist in the Korean War, the FJ had grown into the sturdy 4-4 we know and still love today. From 1955 through 1984, the FJ improved piece by piece, but still managed to maintain its now-iconic look and feel.
Pack your camping gear, grab some extra propane, maybe a better sleeping bag, your fishing gear and the raft and don't forget the groover, we are going to get a little mud on the tires. Purchased by our consignor in March of 1993, the truck was in rough condition with rust taking hold on nearly every body panel as well as the flooring and having logged about 380,000 miles as a daily driver. This consignment is a frame off complete restoration performed by our consignor and his wife, and now climbs, lunges, trudges, cranks and pulls itself nearly anywhere. All of the mechanicals have been rebuilt, the suspension has been lifted, some custom seating has been installed and a snapless white soft top has been added. You dream it and it will take you there. Simply wild with no stones, save for the ones you just climbed over, left unturned!
Exterior
With the entire body disassembled, sandblasted, primed and painted Bright Teal Metallic shiny 2 stage covering the replacement aluminum tub and drop down tailgate from Land Rover Solutions we are met with metal as straight as hunting arrows. A white snapless top courtesy of Kayline Fast Track covers the passenger compartment and shows with clear plastic windows throughout. A white front grille with the Toyota badging seen leading the way with single round outboard headlights and rectangular signal markers floating on the fenders that hover above the wheels. At the bottom is a nicely fabricated custom front bumper built with 3/16" steel, all in black leads the way down low. Small running boards attach to the squared off front fenders and die off at an angle as they run back into the rockers. Out back, hovering below the near perfect gate is a custom rectangle tube bumper specing out at 6"x3"x1/4" with custom lighting and a tow hitch. 4 factory 15-inch wheels, also painted white, are wrapped with BF Goodrich all terrain tires in 33x9.50R15 format.
Interior
Utilitarian yet a bit complex with its Cerullo seats on custom frames all covered in gray broadcloth over the body hugging bolsters and nicely padded inserts. 2 buckets in front and all cargo business in the back with the black painted bed on the inside and front floors. Between the buckets a Tuffy lockable color matched to the floors console is now installed. The shift levers are nicely mounted to the painted floor, and the original all restored dash is in front. Bright Teal Metallic painted metal is the dash format and a black instrument cluster resides behind the steering wheel. Factory heat is installed and this utilitarian dash is looking clean and simple with a black padded topper. A custom rollbar in black is highlighting the underside of the white canvas topper which securely hides the Blaupunkt stereo and security speakers.
Drivetrain
This truck underwent a complete mechanical restoration including the engine which is looking original and nicely preserved. It is a 3.9 liter inline 6-cylinder and it is fed by a Holley 2300 2-barrel carb. During the rebuild the block was bored .030 over then treated to new pistons, rings, bearings, and a new cam and lifters. The cylinder head was also redone with new exhaust valves. A rebuilt 3-speed manual transmission with a Chevrolet 11" clutch and rebuilt transfer case is on back with a 4.11 final drive for the air locker equipped rear axle. We note a custom driveshaft by Six States that incorporated a CV joint to correct the angles for the suspension lift. If things get a bit sticky, a pull of the transfer case level promptly engages the rebuilt with new seals, bearings, and Warn hubs 4.11 geared front axle with an Auburn limited slip unit. A Downey header was added on along with a Dynomax muffler and power steering using GM parts have been added. Climb like Sir Edmund Hillary... Sherpa!!
Undercarriage
Plenty of ground clearance, solid steel and plenty of patinaed and road dirt splattered rust-free surfaces. Leaf springs are seen both front and rear with the front being 2.5" SoftRide lift springs with an advanced handling correction kit and 4" SoftRide lift for the rear both courtesy of Skyjacker. We note Skyjacker shocks all around and Energy Suspension urethane bushings throughout. Power disc braking is on for the front and rear which is a 1980 FJ40 set up in the front and TSM conversion in the back. An adjustable proportioning valve is inline for the brakes and a hydraulic line-lock has been added for the front brakes. Tough as nails boys.
Drive-Ability
Anything needing a ladder, (at least for this writer), has some serious ground clearance. Once in I was up and in I fired up the mill and brought the 3.9 liters to life. We rolled along in our high and mighty way listening to the hum of the knobbies, and having our fillings shaken out. Seriously, it actually was a smooth ride, but you are in a heavy duty truck, so it's not a 58 Cadillac. Comfortable seats, power steering and the new suspension makes for a very nice experience and some interesting gear combinations can be obtained with those dual stick transfer shifters. Ok I'm ready to get down now Justin!! Can somebody get me...hellllloooo??! Bloody hell, maybe I'll just drive this rig to New Hampshire and have a long weekend.
Proof that when a builder sets their mind to make something great, they can meet and exceed expectations. A frame of massaging of the panels, high lift, big factory wheels and all terrain tires. I've practically filled the groover with my amazement gazing at this creation. Big time 4x4 fer shur. One of a kind..indubitably.
Classic Auto Mall is a 336,000-square foot classic and special interest automobile showroom, featuring over 850 vehicles for sale with showroom space for up to 1,000 vehicles. Also, a 400 vehicle barn find collection is on display. This vehicle is located in our showroom in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, conveniently located just 1-hour west of Philadelphia on the I-76 Pennsylvania Turnpike. The website is www.classicautomall.com and our phone number is (888) 227-0914. Please contact us anytime for more information or to come see the vehicle in person.
