Frame Off Restored FJ40 Land Cruiser 4WD 4 Speed

In America's vast and ever-expanding car culture you can find many definitions of cool. There are rarities with long stories and big exclusivity, hich are bought to be shown, alked about and referenced. There are purpose-built performance machines that are tailored to specific activities or events. There are chrome-laden cruisers, hich honor former eras and bygone lifestyles. And then there are pieces, ike this utilitarian Land Cruiser, hat are easy to own and just a blast to drive! Fully-sorted and professionally polished, his trail blazing Toyota is one of the toughest and most capable SUVs ever built. And, hanks to a recent frame-off restoration, t's just as versatile on the show field as it is in the mud. If you're looking for a cool classic that's fun, nique and ready to hit the road, his rugged FJ is just your style!

Born from practicality and wartime necessity, he Land Cruiser began life as a reverse engineered Bantam GP that Toyota assembled for the Imperial Japanese Army. The truck's rugged construction and tidy proportions proved extremely useful when it came to transporting soldiers, owing equipment and all-terrain motoring. And eventually, irca 1953, oyota decided to market its proven creation directly to civilians. This 1979 FJ40 is the beneficiary of a frame-off, otisserie restoration that involved heavy stripping, hrough sealing and lots of buffing. With the truck's body worked all the way to bare metal, very panel was POR-15 treated, ith special attention paid to any paint-to-paint connection that might encourage future rust. When that preventative cured, ts surfaces were layered in a heavy coat of DuPont Nason FulThane, hich manifests a correct Appenino Brown and Olympus White color combination. And presently, his Toyota's Rhino-inspired body wears a wet-looking finish that shoots glares and casts reflections better than ANY old school factory pigment.

Aesthetically, his Cruiser is pretty predictable. But I mean that in a good way. It's an excellent incarnation of the tough, oxy persona that populated the sports utility segment until the early part of this century. The only difference being: this truck's 'open' bodywork trades pure form for productive function. Up front, bright white grille centers a simple "TOYOTA" badge between Hella H4 headlights, ender-mounted parking lamps and an NOS bumper that's fitted with a rare, TO-driven winch. At the sides of that grille, ough vertical panels hang removable doors behind silver mirrors, lush fitting handles and gnarly Land Cruiser scripts. At the top of those panels, bright white roof seals like-new glass behind a hinged windshield, atin-finished wipers and a sculpted hood which features stainless latches. And at the back of that roof, amiliar ambulance doors swing a full-size spare and NOS tag lamps around fresh "TOYOTA 4 WHEEL DRIVE" badging and a two-tone bumper that's capped with clear tail lights.

Mechanically, his FJ separates itself from other restorations by having every major service concern addressed, ncluding expensive transmission, ransfer case and axle rebuilds. Unfurl its lightweight hood and you'll find a 135 horsepower 2F 6-cylinder that looks good and runs great. Based on General Motor's stalwart Stovebolt Six, oyota's famous overhead valve mill isn't a grossly overpowered piece. But it's certainly proven its ability to get this compact 4x4 out of many tight situations, nd tow just about any moderately sized toy its owners can imagine. At the top of the black block, estored air induction pipes wind to a fresh Weber 38 carburetor. At the base of that carb, silver, 2F" branded valve cover caps factory intake and exhaust manifolds. At the base of that valve cover, DUI HEI distributor sequences spark through beefy LiveWires plug wires. And the truck's clean engine bay is dotted with many trail ready essentials, ncluding a new radiator and proven Duralast battery.

Originally built to mimic America's hella tough Jeep, his old school SUV features part-time four wheel drive and enough ground clearance to give new meaning to the phrase 'stump jumper'. The truck's rugged 4-speed utilizes a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch and tall, .70 gears to serve up an awesome combination of off-roading prowess and inclement weather capability. Modern power steering combines a familiar Saginaw pump with a smooth billet pulley and Bill Dorry brackets. New-for-1976 front disc and rear drum brakes have been swapped for all discs, ll the time. The truck's chassis, hich rides on a cool combination of solid axles and tough leaf springs, as been augmented by an Old Man Emu/Dakar suspension kit. Exhaust is handled by factory replacement pipes and a subdued sounding muffler. At the corners of the floor, owdercoated wheels spin 33x9.50 BF Goodrich All-Terrain T/As around new Warn hubs and simple, OS center caps. And, s far as appearance goes, he bottom of this clean Toyota is exactly what you'd expect from a lightly used restoration; proving that, hile this Land Cruiser IS exceptionally nice, t's certainly not something you should be afraid to get dirty.

Inside this classic, ou'll find a spacious and comfortable environment that has enough room to be your vehicle of choice for any weekend adventure. The professionally restored seats, ront bucket and folding, pposing rear jump, re wrapped in high quality vinyl. There's a rare, OS floor mat that proudly shouts "TOYOTA". In front of the driver, boxy dash hangs a warp-free pad over clear gauges, estored knobs and a Toyota-branded radio delete. Below that dash, trio of shifters, ne for the 4-speed, ne for the 4-wheel drive and one for the winch, ide between a small console and restored heaters. Opposite those heaters, OS door panels, hich display virtually no weathering, rame small plastic handles and traditional window cranks. At the top of those panels, new headliner is only broken by an OEM roll bar, hich is properly painted and fitted with a complete set of rare, OS pads. And the driver stays connected to the road via a factory-issue steering wheel.

The sale of this square-jawed rock crawler includes:

A reproduction owner's manual
Restoration receipts
Digital restoration photos
Component paperwork
An NOS inspection light
A restored OEM jack
OEM jack tools
A Land Cruiser winch cover
An assortment of bulbs and fuses

Ready for show and ready to go, his unique Toyota is one very cool SUV that, hanks to its frame-off, otisserie restoration, as received every mechanical rebuild imaginable. A coveted 1979 model, t would be right at home parked with other classics, ulling up to a hot dive, r perched on a mountain conquering your latest Saturday adventure. Super nice, rofessionally restored Land Cruisers are virtually impossible to find; don't miss your chance to own the nicest one we've ever seen!