When a truck still runs but has a wooden post as a front bumper, it generally tells you two things: one, it’s a fairly stout machine that has survived to this point on the most bare minimum of TLC from its owners; and two, its caretakers have treated it like an old farm implement, just doing the very basic that needs to be done to keep it roadworthy. In the case of this 1974 Toyota Land Cruiser, it reminds us that there was a time when these trucks were not all subject to the restomod treatment, and solely intended to be the one vehicle on the property that could be called upon to get from Point A to Point B. Find it here on eBay for $15,000.
The seller claims this Land Cruiser was recently removed from a Colorado barn where it had been slumbering for years. Apparently, it didn’t take much coaxing to fire back up and run smoothly, with the factory inline-six thrumming away under the hood. It’s been in Colorado since new, so it has fared better than most vintage FJs left to sit in a barn for years at a time. While it wears traditional off-road wheels, I’d love to see a matching set of steel wheels and hubcaps like the spare on all four corners to give it that authentic FJ40 appearance.
The 1974 FJ40 benefits from some key improvements, such as a 4-speed manual gearbox and enhanced roll-over protection with the integration of the roll bar as seen here. Otherwise, it’s a bare-bones machine inside, with not much to look out for in terms of condition – aside from the floors, of course, which look to be in pretty good shape. The painted dash suggests this has always been a green truck, and while the paint is in poor condition, at least you have a sense of how it looked when it was new. The seller reports that the windshield frame was previously replaced and that the original comes with the truck.
The inline-six powerplant produces 125 horsepower and 209 lb.-ft. of torque. These were workhorse engines, nothing particularly exotic about them other than its ability to run without much involvement from the driver. The seller contends the engine in this truck drives nicely and that the various systems – steering, clutch, brakes – all work as intended, which I find shocking for a truck that’s been sitting. Regardless, buying an old FJ that has even in the states since new with a story you can piece together versus a total unknown from South America or one that has been overly restored would be my preferred way to acquire a vintage 4×4.
If you get stuck up in the mountains, you can use the front bumper as firewood.
‘the smaller the better’ I say (for ‘back east’ anyway). That’s personal transportation on narrow paths on the gradient. Some sm jobs too (my
’66 bronk has 92 inch WB) as my vehicle hasa PTO. The i6 just adds
to the usefulness on this yota. Many round here cherish the FJ60 (?)
4 dor for grocery getter. Dont even use as intended (off rd wrk). To each
her/his own, no?
Looks like it’s been used as per design intent. Hard to fault that kind of character.
Geez, Toyota even made a better Jeep. I think if they’d kept on they’d dominate this market like they do mid size trucks.
This thing looks like it’s been a real workhorse. I had a ’69 FJ40 when I lived in CO and they’re virtually bulletproof and they climb like a mountain goat. Mine burned a little oil and had a couple of rust repairs on the rear side panels, but the interior was fine and it sported a brand new paint job so I was planning to drop a Chevy V8 in it until we decided to move back east and I sold it. It turned out the guy who bought it already had a Chevy V8 and was going to do a transplant, so it may still be roaming around the Rockies to this day.