Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Return of the Land Cruiser

Mine was mustard yellow with a hard top. Thats way over priced, from what I've seen on the west coast!

US market get late the armada which is same as the patrol now.

I am keeping my ‘88 4Runner. It’s just as good off road as the expensive brands.

Had a friend who bought one way back in the early to mid 70's. Up at his place one day, he lifts the hood and shows that engine to us. Looked the exact same as the engine in his old Nova. He said he was told Chevy sold the blueprints to Toyota and they just made some minor changes, maybe metric nuts and bolts and such.


There's another vehicle I wish I had bought when they were well used and cheap.

I just resealed the front axle on my lx450. There's 4 more seals on each side of the axle than the entire axle under other rigs.

I'm installing a 2" lift right now and the build quality is certainly noteworthy.

LOL He's conscious!

Couldn’t help making the jab. AC, heated seats/steering ARE basic to most tuff guy off roaders or should say off drivewayers. Now auto locking hubs get my vote for anything but dedicated mud driving and rock crawling. But I did put many miles on a CJ7 with manuals. Just lock it in when you hit dirt.

You left out the ventilated seats

Wife’s car has those. Would have thought them to be a gimmic but not so. Wouldn’t want such in a real 4WD but in the hot southern summertime they are amazing.

About 5 years ago Kingston posted a couple of for sale ads [not his] but he said it was a great deal . Two old school LC's both priced in the mid teen$ 1980ish nice running rides.
I guess those are 50K now though.

I will keep the 1971 FJ-40 in the family,Thanks.

They really need to get back to their roots with the Land Cruiser.

Too bad Toyota couldn't make something for the states that's basic but very capable. I'm thinking something along the lines of a Roxor but Toyota quality. An AU Landcruiser 70 with a flatbed would sell like hotcakes over here one would think.

I owned a 1971 Land Cruiser, sold it in 1985 and have regretted it since. Mine was a 3-on-the-tree with a full bench seat in the front. Always wanted to convert to a floor shift but never seemed to find the funds when my family was young.

As much as I liked the FJ40 my 1998 4runner is a much more practical ride, it has over 260,000 miles on it and still going.

If I could find a mid 90's triple locked Landcruiser I would be tempted to buy it thinking it would have the attributes of both the FJ40 and the 4runner in a single package.

These may interest you.


Bj74

Model differences

These two are both at our local Toyota dealership. Both “not for sale.”

Would you cry if I post a picture next time I wander out and cut a load of wood, of a couple of them sitting in a paddock slowly rusting away.

Everything in them, just left.


Pretty sure they were left by Victorian shooters after they finished, probably had plans on reusing them...been sitting for over thirty years that I know of.

I have had several over the years and for the most part really liked them. They were well built, tough, "traditional", and reliable... read further. You knew you were only going to get 14 or 15mpg but the enjoyment factor was high AND it always gave me great satisfaction to pull Suburbans and other American made trucks out of ditches, streams, etc. out on sloppy roads in Kansas or up in the mountains in Wyoming!

I had 2 FJ60s and later a 1979 FJ 40 that was so rusty and rough that you had to wear hearing protection literally to go down a rough road!!! My FJ60s were both "daily drivers" for me and had enough creature comforts to even use them for cross country trips for my young family of 5.

I sadly gave them up as daily drivers after an incident that really scared the hell out of me. I had just returned from a 1200 mile round trip pulling a small trailer and backed the 'Cruiser into my driveway, parked it and went in to see the family. After going back out to put away the trailer, I jumped in, started the "Cruiser up and went to back the trailer up into its parking spot... NO steering!!! Couldn't figure it out! Finally jumped out and noticed BOTH steering tie rods on the ground... threads had rusted away!!! Getting it to my Toyota mechanic was a bitch to say the least. I had him replace the tie rods, etc. and promptly sold it after that ending my love affair with older "Cruisers.

To look at the body on mine it appeared to be about as rust free as an old 'Cruiser could be for a Midwest vehicle. The undercarriage had just basic corrosion... or so it appeared. It was about 15 or 16 years old when it occurred. I thought I had maintained it well.

The Japanese steel from that era was crap and corrosion protection was spotty if present at all. Probably would have never happened if it had been a vehicle from the dry Southwest US that NEVER used salt on the roads. Now over 40 years old, there are very few of these specimens left and most of the good ones have been completely rebuilt from the ground up... hence at least part of the cost in today's market!!! I still wish Toyota could build a retro FJ40 or 60 (I'd even like a 55!) but that is about as likely as me somehow getting back to relive my 20's and 30's again!!! Sad but true.

For those that have old "original" models in good condition being driven frequently, please take note of my story and replace "critical" parts like tie rods, etc.

Long live the "original" "Cruiser! For me, my diesel Roxor will have to do to relive some of those great memories!

Hah, I had a 79 BJ40, it was like travelling in a tractor and would crawl anywhere. But man I am dead certain I could have stepped out and walked faster when going up that hill just before Beaufort in Vic.

And loud doesn't even begin to describe it. With a top speed of 127 kph and enough shake to massage bones it was wanting in the extreme.

But I miss it.

I am pretty frugal.


But the price of this Toyota doesn't bother me.


Not when a new combine is crowding one million.

Even back in 2001......as in this reprinted '01 LC sticker that I bought used 2 yrs ago

LC's were expensive......$57K was and still is a chunk of change

This one has 345K miles & runs like a top being my daily beater truck

Body needs some attention here & there.....but mechanically sound