You love to find vehicles with a story. Even more intriguing is when you find a now-desirable vintage vehicle that reveals how it was used when it was new, which is usually not nearly as glamorous as the current purpose usually is. Though values for the FJ40-series Toyota Land Cruiser have fallen a bit in recent years, there’s still a huge following for these trucks, and this incredibly honest example has a known history as a California miner’s rig with the factory hardtop that has supposedly never been removed. Find it here on craigslist for $14,000, and thanks to Barn Finds reader T.J. for the find.
I can remember a time not that long ago when FJ40s were commanding absolute ridiculous money. Survivor trucks were commanding $40K or more. It was definitely a bit of a flavor of the month, as you even began seeing restomods showing up at the big auction houses for crazy money, which in my mind always indicates that the 1 percent crowd wants to own a cool vintage rig but doesn’t want the inconveniences of living with vintage machinery. However, it could also indicate a flavor-of-the-month phenomenon that points to unsustainable sale prices versus a car or truck model that will reliably sell for strong money for some time to come. Whatever the reason is, it is now far easier to buy an FJ40 for reasonable money than in the not-too-distant past.
This FJ40 is said to have belonged to a California gold miner in Grass Valley for many years, and has been a West Coast truck since new. In that time, the original engine was swapped out for a GM-sourced 327, which looks like it belongs in the engine bay. V8 swaps are not uncommon in FJ40s, but it is a bit surprising to see in a truck that was used almost entirely as a workhorse. Did the original engine give up the ghost, and the 327 was an easy decision based on price and parts availability (not to mention the obvious boost in performance?) Only the gold miner knows the answer to that, but it’s certainly another chapter in an already interesting story about this hardtop-equipped FJ.
The seller notes the engine feels “..a bit tired” and that the carburetor could use some work. The tires are also nearing the end of their useful life. But all of that is secondary to how clean the body is, which retains its original paint. The interior is even better, with the full vibrancy of the factory color on display. At first, the FJ40 looks like a tin top, but the seller confirms it’s simply the factory hardtop that blends in incredibly well with its years’ worth of faded paint on the exterior. The seller may be right it’s never been removed, especially if the old miner wasn’t nearly as concerned with open air motoring as much as he just wanted to get back home each night. This is a special kind of survivor and worth every penny.
You know, growing up, we never heard of the “Toyota Jeep”. A Toyota Jeep? Go on, really, if it didn’t show up in Hot Rod magazine or on TV, how would we know? I read, by 1965 Toyota sold its 50,000th Land Cruiser worldwide. It was the best selling Toyota in the US, but that’s not saying much. I’m not sure where I saw my 1st one, a good friend had a ’74 , and I had my 1970 FJ55, equally as rare, but once word got out, by ’72, over 100,000, and by ’73, over 200,000 made, so clearly a hit.. The 327 is an okay swap, but like the CJ with a V8, a bit much for the truck. The in line 6, was upped to 3.9 and was Toyotas rock, dating back to 1949 ( until 1992), and, and did just fine. I think like 1st gen Broncos, the steam fizzled after the 1st test drive.
The 3.4 diesel was practically indestructible too Howard. These Landcruisers get you where you want to go.
Given the proper care the original 6 is indestructible. I still have the original 6 in my 1971 FJ40. (I’ve owned if for over 40 years.) It was originally owned by a carpenter who had a “canvass” half cab and a built in tool box behind the front seats. Then he rolled it. When I got it, it had a new windshield, windshield frame and a replacement roll bar. (aftermarket) Having worked at a Toyota store for several years I have driven many with the V8 conversion. Unless the conversion is a 350 or larger it seems to lack the torque of the original engine. Mine has an aftermarket header and modified distributor. (The original distributor has a vacuum retard for emissions purposes. I located a Toyota distributor of like size with an advance and now get 20 mpg at 60 MPH average. An increase of 4 MPG) It is a member of the family and my kids would never let me sell it. (My daughter learned to drive manual transmission on our FJ at 9 years of age.) I have also performed a front shackle flip, installed all urethane suspension bushings, install a 4 speed, (the original on mine was a 3 speed) and front disc brakes from a newer FJ and installed Bilstein shocks on all corners. (special order from Bilstein, not normally available from them) The drop in values “I believe” is the growth of the “side by side” Polaris type of vehicle. As there has also been a drop in Jeep values. And yes, they ride nicer, but a FJ40 does not break and leave stranded.