1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 Station Wagon

[Racingdad]

Found on one of my favorite sites to dream about my next Porsche. Anyway this is not mine and I know nothing about the vehicle other than that the seller, Paul Kramer at the Auto Kennel (takes cars on consignment) knows cars and has a stellar reputation. Enjoy the visit !

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​ ​ ​ ​ 1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 Station Wagon – Autokennel 1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ55 Station Wagon Recent Refurbishment Including A/C Rare Power Take Off (PTO) Front Winch Original Rubber Mats and Mud Flaps Rebuilt Engine and Transmission Stock #1135 VIN: FJ553xxxx 900 Miles on Odometer (TMU) Restored within last 1,000 Miles Blue (854) with White (012) on Black Interior 3-Speed Manual Transmission with 2-Speed Transfer Case Clean and Clear Montana Title (Car Located in California) $33,990 Here is the for sale ad on the web site. I'll include one picture here for eye candy. There are a ton of pictures on the web site. Enjoy! ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ After 7-successful years of the Toyota FJ40 series, there was enough demand for a larger 4-door version that was more comfortable and could easily haul the whole family on off-road adventures. The FJ55 was very popular and paved the way for 4-door Land Cruisers that have been built for over 50-years. Early on they acquired the nickname “Iron Pig” or “Moose.” Some say it was for the friendly look of the front end and how the headlights were positioned. Others say it was due to how robust they were built and could go almost anywhere. Regardless, today, there just aren’t many of these pigs left roaming the countryside. Most have rusted away into the landscape. The restoration costs are just too high and finding a good dry original truck is very difficult. This FJ55 was built at the Toyota factory in Japan in December of 1973 for the U.S. market. It lived most of its life in Southeast Oklahoma. As a result, it stayed very dry without the normal rust so common in these trucks. The second owner had the car for many years. Shortly before selling it, he did a full engine rebuild including rings, pistons/cylinders, etc. He sold the truck to a broker/collector in Dallas who then resold it in 2014 to an enthusiast/restorer in North Texas. This next owner has restored many Land Cruiser models over the years, but the FJ55 is one of his favorites. He felt that they drove better and were more comfortable. This example was one of the more original ones he had found. He spent 3 years refurbishing most every part of the truck. His goal was not to create a concours example, but rather something that was sorted and ready to be used. It took longer than expected to restore as he was trying to do everything using as many original factory parts as possible. He waited over 18-months just to acquire all the rare weather-stripping for the doors and windows. The original color was two-tone Freeborn Red with white. This owner restored the body to just white. The build was completed between 2015 and 2016. When he finally finished, he used it as his daily transportation for over a year. Highlights of the work he performed include the following: 1.5 inch suspension lift HFS shackles Monroe HD shocks New steering components Heavy duty tie rod ends Old Man Emu steering stabilizer on the front end 33x10.50 R15 BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tires Restored factory wheels and hubcaps Restored braking system Correct factory windshield with green tint from ProSource Glass Clean out fuel tank New pedal pads New wheel cylinders Rebuilt original dual master cylinder Refreshed steering rack New weather-stripping for all windows, doors, and glass Fully rebuilt original 3.9L straight-6 F155 engine (by previous owner) Serviced transmission and transfer case New clutch and rear main seal Restored original PTO winch Restored interior Factory spec headliner Vinyl seats Original/rare heavy-duty rubber floor mats (3) New door and side panels Sound and heat shielding New carpet He sold the truck in the Spring of 2017 to a longtime FJ enthusiast and aficionado in Santa Cruz, California. This next owner wasn’t looking for a show car, but did want a very dry and well sorted example. He spent over a year looking at countless trucks just to be let down by shiny paint jobs covering up poor restorations. This one was by far the cleanest one he had seen. He flew out to inspect it, bought it, and then had it shipped back to California. The only addition he made to it was installing new seat belts. Unfortunately, this owner had it for only less than a year before he injured his shoulder, which prevented him from using a stick-shift. He sold it on January 29th, 2018 to the current owner. The current owner has a ranch in Sonoma, California and has a growing collection of unique vintage off-road vehicles. We sold a Land Rover Defender NAS 110 to him a few years ago that he still has in addition to a very original early 70’s Ford Bronco. Shortly after picking up this FJ55, he wanted to take it to the next level. There were a few spots on the paint that showed some bubbling and he also found some filler in one of the fenders. Plus, it was painted in ivory. All 55’s were delivered in two-tone paint schemes (red, green, or blue) with white. He decided to strip down the paint, repair filler in right front fender, and repaint in a correct factory finish. Furthermore, he spent over $4,000 having Burlingame Motors install a complete Vintage Air A/C system using a period correct dealer installed control system. This FJ is in very good condition and better than most that have survived. There are estimates of only a few hundred of these left on U.S. roads today. They were heavily prone to rust and generally rotted away. The exterior looks great and since there is less than 500 miles on the recent paint job, there are minimal signs of use. The roof has some shallow dents in various locations throughout. The glass is in great condition with all being original except the recently replaced windshield. The mud flaps are original and rare. The front bumper mounted PTO winch has been refurbished and is in proper working order. All the exterior lights work. The electric tail gate window also works properly with both a key and the dash switch. The original wheels have been restored and are wearing near full tread tires that are about 5-years old. The underside is very dry, clean, and original. Unlike most restored examples where they coat the underside and hide rot or rust, this underside is as it left the factory. The frame rails are very dry with no signs of damage or major corrosion. The interior is equally as nice and most of it has been refreshed. The seats were reupholstered in similar factory material. They have no rips or other major blemishes. The headliner is also new with no stains or tears. The carpet is new with heat/sound deadening underneath. The rare factory rubber mats are sitting on top and in good condition. The door panels have minimal signs of wear. The dash is also in good condition with no cracks. All the original knobs and buttons are in good condition. The glove box plastic handle is broken. The windows winders work properly. The gauges all work. The original AM radio does not power up. It has been registered in California in the past and is exempt from CA’s emissions/smog testing. This FJ55 comes with many extra keys, some recent receipts, and a workshop manual.

 

[nukeandjuke]

Wow. That was a nice website. Thank u

Sent from my LM-G850 using Tapatalk

 

[sourdoughben]

Beware! I had a Tan, low mile ’72 with the same winch and a/c options for several years during my North Shore Lake Tahoe days as a young man. Bought it used in ’73 from Toyota dealer and it was like new. Back in the day these were not well thought of but I loved it. It was excellent for hauling sporting gear, skiing, hunting, fishing, camping, canoe on roof, whatever SUV. It was very reliable and a lot of fun. Looked good when I sold it in ’75 for a FJ40. Anyway my point is, I saw it in 1980 and it had turned into a rust bucket with holes in the body. Rust(major) was a typical issue because the back side of body metal was bare metal without any coating. Ask if this restoration included the body being stripped and dipped in rust coating. If not don’t ever take it off the museum floor.