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Almost Original: 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser

While this 1967 Toyota Land Cruiser is advertised as having one owner, that’s not quite true as the seller purchased the vehicle from the original owner. And while it looks very original (and is wearing its original paint), there’s a significant deviation from the original mechanical specification as well. Nevertheless, it is an intriguing find and is listed for sale here on eBay, where bidding is now over $8,000 and has met any reserve. The vintage vehicle is located in Benton City, Washington.

Land Cruisers have long been admired for their ruggedness and functional utility. This one looks like it’s been used as it should have been, with some minor dents and plenty of scratches and scrapes. However, it does seem to have been cared for like a well-worn tool.

No one would ever call the interior luxurious! But for what you would have been using this vehicle for when it was new, a hose-out style interior was the way to go! The seller relates that it hasn’t been road registered since 1995 and that the original owner purchased it in California, then moved to Idaho and used it around his ranch. The worst rust on the vehicle appears to be on this rear loading floor lip, which the seller describes as common and shouldn’t be too difficult to repair.

New looking tires and no serious corrosion underneath give me some confidence in the vehicle despite the fact that the seller has only driven it 20 miles since purchase.

Nice to see some solid floors. We are told that there is a small rust hole on the driver’s side step that should be addressed. Am I the only one that finds the blue & white upholstery at odds with the pale yellow exterior?

That’s no inline six under there! The original engine evidently blew in the 1990’s and was replaced with a generic low-mileage Chevrolet 350. This is a common swap for Land Cruisers, but I was still disappointed when I read about the exchange. It’s notable that the brake hydraulics were replaced at the same time, and the shifter converted from column to floor operation. Even with the swap, I still like the general “original” feel of this vehicle. What do you think?

Comments

  1. Avatar whmracer99

    Nice solid truck. Would bet that most will see the Chevy motor as an improvement. Great for running around in the woods but the price would indicate folks looking at this for some type of restoration. These are rough and crude but bulletproof vehicles. He wants $11,500 for it and he’s already at $8K+ with 6 days left so he’ll probably get it.

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    • Avatar Frank James

      Hey wait! Isn’t that F1 a Chevy motor??

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  2. Avatar Wagon master

    1 owner. He Is merely a caretaker rescuing an heirloom for the next owner, I prefer to say.

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    • Avatar Dan

      I prefer to say he is not telling the truth in an effort to extract more money for the vehicle.

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  3. Avatar JamestownMike

    I personally think the low mile Chevy 350 V8 swap to be an upgrade……..but probably not so good for the purists/collectors!

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  4. Avatar knelipot

    What’s the lever on the dash beside the gunrack(?) left of the glovebox? Parking brake? FWIW, looks like a great work truck. Would love to have this.

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    • Avatar leiniedude Member

      Hi knelipot, Wondered about that myself. I believe the parking brake is the cane type handle located below the dash to the right of the steering column. I do not see any levers for the four wheel drive engage and HI and Low range selectors. Maybe something with that? Take care, Mike.

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    • Avatar Karl Kretschmar

      Transfer case shift lever.

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  5. Avatar geomechs Member

    Coming from a purist restorer, I have to say that the SBC improves this machine. No doubt in my mind that it would be a lot cheaper to go through than the original six banger this machine came with. Saying that, this model is my favorite of the Land Cruisers. I might add that I would certainly take a second look at a diesel-powered one. Regardless, this is a good candidate for either a driver-quality restoration (minus the original motor), or to load up and use as you see fit. I don’t think anyone is going to cry foul….

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  6. Avatar Steve

    A cummins 4bt would be nice there, but I am sure there is no kit for it like there was for the sbc. My cousins had one with the sbc swap back in the 80’s. It shredded a couple of stock 3 speed trannys before one of my cousins rolled it on a gravel road. (I now realize that a swap to an SM465 or TH400 and related transfer case would have been worth the effort.) I remember the funny thing about the swap kit was that it came with headers, but were only available chrome plated(!)

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    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Hi Steve. Yes, a 4BT3.9 would be a nice engine to run in one of these. I don’t think one would be all that much trouble to install. It would have an SAE bellhousing so finding a suitable clutch and transmission shouldn’t be a problem. You could even adapt an automatic. As far as the engine is concerned I’d try to find one with the inline injection pump. The distributor pump is too limited in what you can get out of the engine whereas the inline pump can deliver enough fuel to melt the back cylinder right out….

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  7. Avatar sluggo

    had several friends with these back in the 1970s and 1980s… I spent a lot of time as a passenger. These things were like a tank and sounded and RODE a lot like one. As a novelty-fun truck these are beyond awesome. As your ONLY source of transportation?? Not so much. One time we needed to go in to town to get our paychecks,,, we were so sick of that 4×4 we elected to hitchhike instead and see where the day took us. Partway thru I thought not driving was a stupid idea but at the time it seemed viable as opposed to the whining, grinding tank.
    Would I love to have one today??? Totally.

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  8. Avatar Kevin Lee

    I thought Jamie’s description of this as cared for like a well worn tool was spot on. If I were to be the next caretaker of this ‘cruiser, I would fix any consumables needing repair, and leave AS IS!

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    • Avatar Jeffro

      I agree. That one phrase about the well worn tool caught my attention. That’s writing that I can relate too. Good write up Jamie!

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  9. Avatar Traner

    Does this truck have two gas tanks? The one I had in high school only had one that was under the passenger seat inside the cab. It looks like this one has a 2nd filler cap and what could be a tank between the rear frame rails.

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  10. Avatar Traner

    That being said, chuck the small block and put a straight six back in. If you are going to drive a cruiser, better do it right. Other wise, buy a Jeep.

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  11. Avatar Andy

    I don’t really follow these machines much–I don’t have much call for off-roading–though I recognize these “real” Land Cruisers as classics. Just a thought: why not split the difference? Improve the power and parts availability, but keep it a straight-six Toyota with a Supra or Cressida motor?

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  12. Avatar Mike

    Intriguing that they had a column shift. In Australia i had one with 350 Chevy and a turbo400 trans Hurst shifter. Went well. Most here were 4 speed.good wagons. Pretty much unbreakable

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  13. Avatar Anthony

    Already too much money at $8000
    And he wants…how much ??

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  14. Avatar leiniedude Member

    Winning bid:US $9,601.00
    [ 35 bids ]

    Like 0

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