You are bidding on a 1969 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 located in Dearborn, Michigan. This was my first vehicle and I have owned it since 1996. Shortly after purchasing the Cruiser, I began replacing and restoring parts of it here and there. As with many rebuild projects such as this, this rebuild was the victim of something I like to affectionately call “scope creep.” In the end, I ended up rebuilding the entire Cruiser with a few overriding principles in mind: durability, reliability, capability, and modular flexibility.
These are the details of the vehicle with over 60 pictures below. Feel free to contact me with any questions or picture requests.
Engine
- Small-block Chevrolet 350, bored .030 over with Clevite 77 bearings and Fel-Pro gaskets throughout
- Edelbrock Performer aluminum intake with 185-degree Stewart Components Thermostat
- Rebuilt Rochester QuadraJet Carburetor
- Lokar throttle cable with stainless steel braided housing
- World S/R Torquer cast steel heads
- .40” decks, ported, polished and gasket-matched
- 170cc intake runners, dual-pattern raised, leak free valve cover rails, screw-in rocker arm studs, 2.02 in. intake/1.60 in. exhaust valves, umbrella valve seals, 1.250 in. valve springs, and 7 degree retainers and locks
- New pushrods, hydraulic lifters, roller-tip rockers with adjusting nuts
- Competition Cams camshaft
- GM steel crankshaft with polished journals and chamfered oil holes
- GM HEI distributor with Taylor Spiro-Pro spark plugs
- Stewart Components High-Flow Stage 1 Water Pump
- Griffin aluminum dual-row crossflow radiator with Griffin 16psi radiator cap and stainless-steel braided upper radiator hose
- Polyethylene radiator overflow tank with drain petcock and custom steel mount
- Rams horn exhaust manifolds
- New 100-amp alternator
- Aluminum air cleaner housing custom powder-coated metallic black with matching valve covers
- Reusable air filter
- Hydraulic engine pre-luber with manual actuation
- It is estimated that over 80% of engine wear occurs during the first 10 seconds of startup due to engine components moving against each other before the engine oil has circulated. A pre-luber circulates engine oil throughout the engine before the engine starts to help prevent this wear.
- Custom-fabricated dual battery tray, holding a Die Hard Gold 795-CCA battery and a backup Optima Red Top deep-cycle battery
Exhaust
- Rams horn exhaust manifolds
- Dual Flowmaster mufflers
Electrical
- New top-of-the-line Centech K-40 Custom Wiring Harness Kit
- 28-circuit PDP-1B fuse panel with stainless steel cover mounted inside the glove box for protection from the elements
- Point-to-point lugless wiring using high temperature cross-link wire labeled every few inches
- Centech Headlamp Switch with Elite Headlamp Knob
- Centech Ignition Switch
- Centech floor headlight dimmer switch
- All wiring is contained in black wire looms for protection and organization
- New Stock-style rear combination brake/turn/reverse lights
Drivetrain
- Rebuilt SM465 4-speed transmission with 6.55:1 granny gear and lockable shifter for anti-theft
- Hydraulic clutch with new aftermarket Land Cruiser brake master cylinder and slave cylinder, GM cast-iron clutch fork and adjustable pushrod
- NP205 gear-driven, cast iron transfer case with custom-fabricated twin-stick shifters (control H-N-L for each axle separately)
- Corporate 10-bolt front axle
- Dana 44 knuckles, rotors and calipers (passenger-side knuckle drilled and tapped for hi-steer arm) with Biondo Racing line lock actuated from inside the cab
- New Warn locking hubs
- Spyder Customs Hi-Steer kit, with CNC-machined steel high steer arms, Heim-joint tie-rod ends and 1.5”/.25”-wall tubing drag link and tie rods, resulting in perfect steering geometry
- Eaton 1-ton full-floating rear axle
- GM 3/4-ton calipers and new rotors to match the front brakes with Biondo Racing line lock actuated from inside the cab
- High Angle Driveline (Paradise, CA) custom-fabricated 1-ton rear driveshaft
- Fabricated specifically for this vehicle
- 1350 1-ton sealed C/V joint
- Long-travel slip joint
- Flange adapter from transfer case
- New (less than 500 miles) 38”x15.5”-16.5” Interco TrXus STS tires mounted on new chromed 16.5” 8-lug steel wheels
- New Rancho RS5000 shocks
Brakes
- New 8” dual diaphragm brake booster
- New master cylinder
- New adjustable Wilwood proportioning valve (adjustable from inside the cab)
- New brake lines throughout vehicle
- New separate front and rear Biondo Racing line locks actuated from inside the cab
- Rebuilt 3/4-ton GM calipers and 8-lug rotors w/extra set of pads (factory paint job is not impressive, which is why you see the surface rust on the calipers)
Steering
- Spyder Customs Hi-Steer kit, with CNC-machined steel high steer arms, Heim-joint tie-rod ends and 1.5”-diameter, 1/4”-wall DOM tubing drag link and tie rods, resulting in perfect steering geometry
- International Scout II power steering box
- Cruiser frame was reinforced with welded 1/4” plate steel and the steering box bolt holes were reinforced with through-frame steel tubing for maximum strength
- Custom-fabricated stainless steel pressure line
- Borg-Warner steering universal joint
- Collapsible telescoping steering shaft for collision safety
- Grant steering wheel (bolts replaced with stainless Allen-head bolts) with Grant steering wheel hub adapter
Suspension
- Front shackle reversal for improved handling
- Custom-fabricated front axle shackle mount with adjustable dropping pivot arm (using the same suspension bushings as the rest of the vehicle) for increased articulation when on the trail, but lockable for a completely rigid setup when on the road
- Custom-fabricated rear pivoting shackles for increased rear articulation, lockable to become a one-piece shackle on the road
- Spring-over-axle setup on new 3” lift springs
- New Spectre-Off-Road rubber suspension bushings throughout
Body
- Recently painted (approximately one year ago) at Giles Auto Body in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Giles is the local Toyota dealership’s shop and paints several Toyota prototype vehicles for the North American International Auto Show in Detroit
- Also painted with the body: complete hard top with fiberglass cap (painted original Toyota white), complete with all original Toyota glass and rubber gaskets
- Color-matched SEM truck spray-in liner inside the cab for a durable and washable interior
- Custom-fabricated steel half-doors
- Access panels (great place for speakers)
- 1/8” steel top cap
- I maintained the stock interior handles only for a clean look. To retain the flexibility of using exterior handles in the future, the factory holes are simply covered using black hole covers.
- Stripped and repainted door latch mechanisms
- New molded sponge rubber weatherstripping
- Rus-Fre rubberized undercoating on complete underside of body tub
- All fasteners replaced with either zinc-coated or stainless steel
- Aluminum diamond plate rear corners and rocker panel protection (I did not mount these because the body shop did such magnificent work on the rear corners and rocker panels that I did not want to cover it up)
- Bushwacker fender flares
- Hinge-attached side mirrors that can be used when doors are off and/or windshield is folded down
- Bestop bikini top with new aluminum windshield channel
- New OEM Toyota hood windshield bumpers
- New hood pull hooks
- New windshield hold-down pull hooks
- New Energy Suspension polyurethane body mounts
- Original Toyota Land Cruiser fender apron badges
Bumpers
- Front bumper
- Custom fabricated from 4” square 1/4”-wall steel
- Angled ends with angled lower corners for increased tire and trail clearance
- Captive grade-8 nuts built into the corners for a future tubular body armor setup
- Two 9,500-lb D-ring recovery shackles
- Rear bumper
- Custom fabricated from 4” square 1/4”-wall steel with 4 attachment points to Cruiser frame
- Built-in 2” receiver with safety chain connection points
- Custom-fabricated swing-away tire/jerry can carrier built on a greasable 1,500-lb trailer hub body/bearings
- Innovative lockable tire mount allows easy mounting for larger tires using a removable hub while the entire hub locks via a 5/8” stainless steel locking cylinder
- Modular attachment points for jerry can carrier which can be used for future cooler rack or ladder, all simultaneously
- Factory license plate bracket incorporated into design
- Entire arm can be locked open in two positions
- Arm is locked closed via a De-Sta-Co clamp
- Recessed brake/turn/reverse lights
- Angled lower corners for increased tire and trail clearance
- Captive grade-8 nuts built into the corners for a future tubular body armor setup
- Two 9,500-lb D-ring recovery shackles
- Removable aluminum diamound plate on top surface for traction
Safety
- 6-point roll cage with removable shoulder bar
- New RCI 5-point racing harnesses (submarine belt included but not mounted) with uncut webbing
- Shoulder harnesses are mounted to a removable (via two quick-release 5/8” lynch pins) shoulder bar. Shoulder harnesses should always be mounted to a mounting point positioned just below shoulder level. Mounting to a high point (such as a roll cage hoop) will allow the passenger to slip out of the harness in an accident and mounting to a low point (such as the floor) will break the passenger’s collar bones in an accident.
- Collapsible telescoping steering shaft
- Innovative reverse-lock anti-theft mechanism
- When in reverse, the gear shifter locks to a reinforced, solid steel loop mounted in the transmission hump. This locks the transmission in reverse when unoccupied. A potential thief would have to either cut the shifter below the locking tab (leaving no shifter to shift with) or unbolt the transmission hump (approximately 14 bolts requiring two people to remove).
Interior
- Late-model Celica sliding/reclining seats
- Color-matched SEM truck spray-in liner inside the cab for a durable and washable interior
- Two integrated recessed mounting loops in the bed
- Rear bed custom fabricated from 3/16” steel with 1/4” rear sill
- New clutch/brake/gas pedal pads
- New Grant Challenger steering wheel with Grant hub adapter
- New AutoMeter Sport-Comp tachometer, speedometer, fuel, oil pressure, voltage and water temperature gauges with new associated sending units
- Aluminum dash panel painted to match body color to maintain the vintage Cruiser look while offering flexibility in gauge/switch mounting
- Engine pre-luber switch
- Front brake pressure line-lock switch
- Rear brake pressure line-lock switch
Notes
- There are a number of unmentioned original parts that will come with the Cruiser if you want them.
- The rear lift hatch for the hard top was not painted with the remainder of the truck, although it is a close green. To put it simply, it was stored in an attic and forgotten. I can provide the BASF color code which would enable any bode shop to color match the piece to the rest of the vehicle.
- The front driveshaft is yet to be fabricated. Of course, this does not affect drivability. I did not order it with the rear driveshaft because the rear driveshaft is a custom, high-angle driveshaft that I did not want to entrust to just any driveline shop. The front shaft, however, can be fabricated anywhere rather inexpensively. If you would like me to have it fabricated locally, please let me know and I can have it done before you pick up the vehicle.
- I never found a twin-stick shifter boot I was impressed with. I recently found one online that should work, so I can relay that information to the buyer if interested.
- The fiberglass cap was painted the original Toyota white with the rest of the Cruiser. It is stored in the garage attic space to avoid scratches/accidents, so if you’d like to see a picture of it, let me know and I’ll bring it down.
- The hard top has never been assembled. To my knowledge, all parts are present. If the buyer wishes to drive the Cruiser home instead of trailer it or have it shipped, I am willing to help the buyer assemble and install the hard top before departure.
- This is a used vehicle and – although garaged most of its life – may still have a scratch here and there.
This Cruiser is listed locally as well, so I reserve the right to end the auction early if it sells outside of eBay.
As with any used vehicle, this Cruiser is being sold as-is with no expressed or implied warranty. An inspection in person is always a good idea before you bid. I've done my best to describe the vehicle as well as I can. If you do not see a component pictured or mentioned in the description, please ask if it is included. I have tried to be as descriptive as possible, but it is entirely likely that I have forgotten a few things. This was, after all, a very long project.
A refundable $1,000 deposit is due within 24 hours of auction end. The remainder is due within seven (7) days of auction end. If the buyer is outside of this area, I will help arrange transportation, but it is ultimately the buyer's responsibility to transport the truck and pay any fees involved.
