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1972 Toyota FJ40: Low-Buck Conversion

1972 Toyota FJ40

Over the weekend, I visited my in-laws in northwest Florida. One of my favorite stops is at a small used car dealer in the one-horse town where my wife grew up. The dealer is a friend of my father-in-law and he currently has a white 1972 Landcruiser FJ40 for sale. I checked it out and he wants $5K for a non-runner with some rust, so by comparison, this ’72 listed for $4,500 here on craigslist in Seattle looks like an absolute bargain. The V8 conversion has already been done and most rust looks purely superficial at this point; plus, it comes with a host of new parts and just some cosmetic sorting left to do in order it make it perfect. Although I much prefer the idea of a classic Landcruiser with its original engine, the engine swap gives this FJ some added versatility and reliability, not to mention a healthy power boost over stock. Would you want yours in OEM condition, or is this swapped FJ the perfect compromise?

Comments

  1. Avatar RayT

    The big question (at least for me) is: can you trust the previous owner’s work on the conversion(s)? I’m guessing some fabrication and cutting are part of the I6-V8 and transmission swaps (even though the original engine was a virtual Japanese copy of the Chevy “Stovebolt”), and I get the jitters when I think about depending on the work of someone I don’t know.

    If I were in the market for an FJ, I’d pay the extra $500 for the original. They’re good all-around runners, and reliable. Don’t know what the spares situation is, but I’d guess almost everything necessary can be found. Old Land Bruisers are popular enough that you won’t take a bath at resale time, too.

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  2. Avatar Dan Farrell

    From what I understand the stock engine was an almost exact copy of the Chevy stovebolt six cylinder engine, which makes the conversion to Chevy V-8 much easier.

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  3. Avatar Duncan

    The V-8 is a well known ,easy mod and a big improvement. This looks like it’s been to the beach/salt water playing. Weird widespread rust. That scares me.

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  4. Avatar DT

    These early ones are 3 speeds for the most part,another gear is more important than some more horses, Looks workable though

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  5. Avatar J.W.

    I would definitely take the V8 one and just use it the way it is for a driver knock around vehicle. Even if it needs a little going over to inspect the guys mechanical ability it looks to be worth it to me.

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