73 Land Cruiser

[varmint]

am gonna look at one this weekend. $1500. no real details yet. something i don't need but could be fun.

anyone have advice on what i should look for/ask?

[6e0ff]

I'm assuming that it is an FJ-40 (SWB), not an FJ-55 (LWB). I've owned an FJ-40 and an FJ-60, they are great old trucks. Like any Japanese truck from the 70's, they rust to an incredible degree. For that price (assuming you are in North America), expect to have some serious holes to deal with. The original drivetrains are bulletproof, if slow. A lot of people swap in small block Chevys and similar things, though I wouldn;t expect that at this price.. Look for the usual leaks on the underside. Everything on these trucks is super basic, and relatively easily fixed if something goes wrong. Solid axles front and rear with leaf springs. Some amount of suspension sagging, on one side or the other, is normal. A 73 should be a 1F I-6 with a 3 on-the-tree and have no power steering or A/C, drum brakes. If the drivetrain is stock, expect a top speed of around 50 mph, maybe 55 or 60 if you are going down-hill or have a good tail wind. They are really great trucks though, I miss still mine 10 years later.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by varmint

am gonna look at one this weekend. $1500. no real details yet. something i don't need but could be fun.

anyone have advice on what i should look for/ask?

With 3000 bucks you can get a entry level 80 series. Much stronger, better built truck. But, that's twice as much. I think it more then twice as much truck compare to the older ones. I have one that I beat on a regular basis. It has over 250 k miles, and still running without any issues. Just gas. Lots of it.

[Scott R]

You have a few "issues" with a 73 that may or may not be a concern to you... The 73 has four wheel drum brakes, and no power steering. If it's not already been converted to front disc, you will need to budget that in. All said and done depending on which method you use to get there it's about $500-$700 for a conversion, or as much as 1k for a later axle and a rebuild.

Next on the plate is the 73 has the three speed transmission, this was probably fine back in the day but not great given our current speed limits. A popular conversion is to the 78> 4 speed with a modified t-case or a 4 speed t-case bolted to it.

Last up is the 1F, replaced shortly after with the 2F. The engine has some oiling issues sometimes and it runs hot. This is where the v8 conversions come in, or a 2F swap. However the rebuild parts for the 2F and 1F are very expensive, think 911 engine expensive.

If these issues have been addressed then it's probably a good buy, unless it has too much rust to be saved.

[craigster59]

$1,500 for an FJ40 is a steal for a basket case much less a running vehicle. Resto candidates here start at 3-5k. They are popular and getting harder to find. You can compare at:
www.cruizers.com

[LWJ]

It sounds way too cheap. In Oregon that would buy a rust bucket without a drive train. FJ40's are expensive.

[Shifter]

Some assembly required, but this one is only a grand....

1979 Toyota Landcruiser FJ40

[Paul K]

That sounds way cheap, but it all depends on condition & location. Where are you? 'secure undisclosed locationville' isn't very helpful!

[varmint]

looked at it over lunch. just too many problems to invite into my life.

and i'm in alaska. 4000+ miles to get parts, or to find some sucker to resell it to.


thanks for the advice. will find some other project for this winter.

[look 171]

How did you end up in Alaska from LA? If I lived in Alaska, I would thing it would be a little bit easier getting a 4X from one of the big three or a Jeep where parts are plenty. Unless you really like to wait by the mail box. It there a big demand for LCs up there? Its so wet up there, I think owning an early one would be a huge headache.