Toyota FJ40 1978

Vehicle description

1978 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 – True Mileage Unknown – odometer reads 13,8XX. Guessing that it has 113,8XX total miles based on condition but have no real way of knowing. Engine - Chevy 350 with Throttle Body Fuel Injection. Transmission – New 4 speed SM420 ConDeisel (Used in the military Gama Goat) which means it has a 8:1 1st gear which is great for the trail. Street driving you use 2nd, 3rd, 4th like old farm trucks. Centerforce dual disk clutch installed at the same time – Clutch Master Cylinder was replaced by me during my ownership but I cannot recall exactly when. Does 65 + mph without a problem. Installed 2021 – has maybe 3,000 miles on it since then. Its not a buttery smooth manual transmission from the 2000’s! It is however one of the strongest transmissions set ups that are compatible with V8 converted Toyota Land Cruisers of this era. The SM420 output shaft mates perfectly with the input gear of the Toyota transfer case input gear – it just requires a small adaptor plate between the two. Transfer Case – New Orion Cast Iron FJ40 Transfer Case, Built by Valley Hybrids in CA. They are the best source for these – look them up. Massive upgrade from stock aluminum case, has wider gears (Stronger) and a 4:1 low range vs 2.8 or 2.9:1 low range adding to its amazing trail capability. High range gear is the same 1:1 as stock. Installed 2021 at the same time as the transmission. I replaced both the transmission and transfer case as I was hearing a bad sound from what I thought was the transmission. Found and purchased a unused military surplus SM420 and then once I got the transmission and transfer case out it was not a transmission that was the problem – so that is where the Orion T-case came in and since I had already bought a new transmission I put that in at the same time….. Suspension – SOA – Spring Over Axle conversion (Stock is springs under axle) and shackle reversal in place which prevents shackle inversion issues when off-roading. Not sure exactly but this effectively gives it about 4” of lift. Frame is in excellent condition – minor surface rust at most. Body – Overall minimal body rust with the exception of items noted next. Pinhole rust on the lower portion of the doors. Small rust bubble on the passenger fender/cab front. Small rust bubble on rear sill as well. All SUPER common issues for these rigs but WAY less than you see on most FJ40’s. Beyond that there are minimal rust issues. Very straight sheet metal overall, no major dents. Was resprayed by prior ownership. I Raptor coated the floor plan with OEM color code tint after surface rust removal and POR anti rust paint application Factory Dual Tank configuration (pretty sure if factory or extremely excellent body work was done). Front 16 gallon – with new Steel Fuel Tank from CCOT installed 2020, rear 23 gallon tank (no level gauge). Front and rear Fuel lines replaced sometime in the last 5 years. Wheels and tires – 35 X 12.5 R18 with decent tread, full size spare 35X12.5 R15 with excellent tread but is different than the other four. Brakes – replaced the master cylinder at some point (but not the brake booster), rear drum pads and brake cylinders, front pads and the passenger caliper. It could likely use a brake system bleed. It brakes pretty good given it’s a lifted 46 year old rig with 35” tires…. New radiator installed 2022 Both front seats have been reupholstered, rear jump seats appear to be OEM covers. I have preplaced the cotton cloth retention straps at some point during my ownership. Hood had gas strut kit for easy opening and access. It comes with a full kit of “summer configuration” parts: Side mirrors that bolt onto the windshield hinges since OEM mirrors are mounted on the doors, bikini top with all mounting hardware and diamond plate panel you bolt in to close out the rear tub (does not hinge down like a tailgate -its fixed in place). Known issues – reverse lights do not work. Transmission reverse sensor is installed, wiring just needs to be figured out/connected. Old school cassette radio is installed and works but I pulled out the speakers. Oil Pressure Guage does not work. Small crack in the dash pad. Lower right dash/shin pad was trimmed by prior ownership to fit the cassette radio. A few dings in the windshield. Just trying to transparently provide detail about the vehicle condition. Note: If you are looking for a OEM stock restoration or a perfect “no need to touch anything” rig keep shopping. I refer to this FJ40 as perfectly imperfect - this is a VERY CLEAN 46 year old FJ40 with tasteful mods/updates that drives like a vehicle of that time frame and has its quirks like all vehicles of this age that are less than $75K. This is not like buying a 2024 Jeep Gladiator….It would be best served by an owner with basic automotive maintenance skills to diagnosis and fix/adjust small issues when they come up. With that said this vehicle is FUN, gets tons of looks and thumbs up on the road and will start a ton of conversations in the parking lot nearly every time you drive it. Its fun to drive around at anytime of the year and even better with the top off in the summer! Only selling to enable another Landcruiser project. No tire kickers. Please do not waste your time or mine with absurd offers or attempted scams. Cash or at bank money transfer only, as-is where-is sale. Only possible trade/partial trades would be for the following: Running driving FJ45, HJ45, or HJ47 LWB truck 2004-2006 Toyota Tundra 4X4 Double cab with low miles, clean title and some cash on top 2015 or newer Toyota Tundra TRD 4X4 Double cab (NOT a Crew Max) with low miles and clean title. 100 Series Landcruiser or Lexus 570, good condition with clean title. 2020 or newer Subaru Outback with low miles and clean title.