1965 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 Pickup / Short Bed / Removable Hard Top

1965 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 Description

1965 FJ45 Short Wheel Base Pick Up / Lift Off Hard TopAll running gear updated to mid 1980's FJ60 with the exception of the power steering, which is early generation 4Runner, and the rear disc brakes, which are GMC truck. But the engine, transmission, transfer case, and differentials are mid-80's FJ60. The axle housings are from later model FJ40's, and the front disc brakes are stock land cruiser components. The brake vacuum booster is toyota land cruiser. The air-conditioning components under the hood are FJ60 land cruiser stock, and in the cab it is Vintage Air.
We've owned the truck just over 20 years. Massive mechanical renovation was done about 8 or 9 years ago, by TLC Performance in Ohio, and we've put about 14,000 miles on it since then. The odometer shows 24,000 total, but that's going all the way back to when we bought the truck.
The air conditioning, the windshield wipers, and the gas gauge OR the fuel sending unit in the custom 30 gallon tank all need repair work. Those items don't work.We had it painted about 20 years ago and paid for a much better paint job than we got, and now 20 years later, let's just say the paint has NOT improved with age.
But, Power steering, power 4 wheel disc brakes, air conditioning (if you can get it to work) and all late enough mechanicals that you can service and use it as a driver. With the later model FJ60 land cruiser running gear, it has the 3:70 gearing in the differentials so you can cruise nicely at 65MPH all day long if you like. And a 29+ gallon (almost 30) fuel tank so you don't have to stop for gas too often. Old Man Emu suspension, custom bumpers, custom built 16X7 steel wheels made to accommodate earlier model land cruiser hubcaps (though not the 1965 style of land cruiser hub cap).
We were told that we were buying it from the son of the original owner, and that it had over 700,000 miles on it when we bought it. It was a Nevada ranching truck, and ran up most of those miles commuting back and forth across highway 50 in Nevada. We were told the truck was bought new as a left-over 1965 model, but sold new in 1966, in Alaska. Within a few months of purchase the owner was injured in pipeline work and he and the truck returned to the family ranching interests in Nevada. I have no paperwork or evidence to support any of that. I have contacted the Alaska DMV to see if they could help locate anything on it, and they were willing to try, but did not come up with anything for me.
The VIN number does indicate that the truck was built in late 1964 for delivery to the US for sale as a 1965 model pick up.