1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Nut and Bolt Restoration Over 70K Invested!!

1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Description

Note: This will be at the upcoming Mecum Auction and WILL sell! You can take your chances bidding but don't let this slip away! Also mileage may very but only slightly as I do get is out weekly and put a couple miles on it. I believe the shown mileage is actual on the odometer. The restoration was completed at 88,000 miles.

Restoration photos can be seen at the following link if you have a Facebook account:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.505906939473149.1073741826.471643309566179&type=3&uploaded=101

Up for your consideration is my beloved 1976 FJ40 Toyota Landcruiser. I have owned this FJ for 10 years, 3 of which it underwent a $100k restoration with some minor and tasteful upgrades. These upgrades are pointed out in the description below. Most all of which are reversible and the FJ will come with several totes of the original parts removed. The FJ has been in completed condition for 6 years and about 2,000 miles. The closest it has come to off road is my gravel driveway. It has been used primarily for car shows, parades and a nice weekend cruiser. It has had our company logo on the back window for advertisement for those 6 years but will be removed when the truck sells.

Most of the parts used for restoration are documented with receipts and photos that documented the restoration process will be made available at time of sale. When completed the truck was appraised for insurance purpose and the original copy of this appraisal will also go with the truck. At the time of appraisal the truck was appraised at $55k. The value of a well built FJ40 has doubled in the last 5 years! This is a top notch truck and you will not be disappointed. Everything is in working order! Below I have listed sub sections of the truck and work that was performed starting from the ground up.

Frame

The frame was completely sand blasted by C&R Media here in Topeka Kansas. From there it was taken to RML Classics in Ottawa Kansas to be powder coated black. It was picked up an assembled at Automotion in Topeka Kansas.

Suspension/Brakes

The differentials are a stock gear ratio. The rear differential has been rebuilt with new gears and bearings. The front differential has new seals and outer bearings, cv joints and steering knuckles were rebuilt. Both differential housings have been sand blasted and powder coated. The rear differential sports a polished aluminum and clear coated cover. A large portion of the suspension parts and steering parts have also been powder coated. U-joints were all replaced and the drive shafts were re-balanced. The truck is equipped with the original 4 piston caliper front brakes (all new) and brake hoses have been replaced with braided stainless steel. All of the steel brake lines were replaced with new coated brake lines. The rear drum brakes were ditched for rear disk brakes. The FJ will stop on a dime and straight as an arrow! The original master cylinder and brake booster were rebuilt and retained. The factory driveline brake was originally a drum brake setup. It is still equipped with a drive line parking brake but it was upgraded to a caliper/disc setup.

Leaf springs, shocks and steering damper are all Old Man Emu. They did raise the Cruiser slightly but they do not advertise these springs as a lift kit but rather a spring that improves ride quality. I would estimate the lift to be 1.5 – 2 inches. The rear differential has caster shims installed to maintain the correct driveshaft angle. The front springs are installed with a Man-A-Fre shackle reversal kit which also improves on road handling and off road capability. The springs still have the factory stickers. All leaf spring shackles are anti-inversion and greaseable. All bushings are polyurethane.

Body

All bodywork and paint was performed by High Torque Racing and Auto body in Meriden Kansas. It is painted Toyota VooDoo Blue. The cost of paint and body EXCLUDING sheet metal panels and media blasting was nearly $30,000. Receipts will be provided. The body was completely disassembled and media blasted. All rust which was minimal to begin with was removed and replaced. The body panels that were replaced were the rear wheel housings, rear quarter panels and rear cross member below the back doors. Pictures that document all of these repairs go with the Landcruiser. We added a factory Toyota Gas door with matching keys in the event we wanted to add an auxiliary tank in the future which I have not done.

The body was painted inside and out, top to bottom. The hardtop was completely dis assembled and rebuilt. The interior floors were coated in a tasteful, semi-gloss black bed liner for future protection. The underbody and wheel wells were also coated in the same coating. This was not to cover imperfections but as a protection against rust. Photos of the restoration show this. You will notice in the photos that all of the factory rocker panel seams etc…. are not filled in with body putty as many “Restorations” are. Factory body lines were retained and minimal body filler was used.

All of the factory rubber seals, rubber bumpers, window slides, window felt, window mounting rubber, body bushings and body mounts were replaced. There was $3000 in rubber weather stripping alone! The top has not been removed since installed. 90% of all the bolts that hold this Cruiser together are stainless steel. This alone was a small fortune and no easy task!

Interior

The floors are covered with removable rubber mats. The Transmission tunnel, fuel tank cover and center console are powder coated. The factory heater has been completely disassembled and rebuilt with new seals, paint, linkage bushings and heater core. Both front and rear heaters work. The seat frames were stripped, media blasted and recovered. I know that the seat slides and frame are powder coated. I can not remember if I powder coated or painted the seat buckets but they have been stripped and re-built with new seat foam and covers. The rear Jump seats are powder coated and recovered/foam padded. The front seat belts have been replaced with 3 point belts and rear lap belts installed. The factory roll bar is present and covered in padding from Specter Off Road. My children do ride in this so safety was an important factor.

The stereo is a Kenwood with standard speaker boxes in the rear. The head unit is nicely fit and matches well with the new dash padding. The factory “Dirty White” headliner was removed and substituted by refinishing the underside of the fiberglass top with a white textured finish. About the only part on the inside that was untouched was the factory steering wheel. The steering wheel horn buttons and everything work but there is some minor scratches on the steering wheel itself. We had to leave something for some character.

Drivetrain

The factory 2F engine and 4 speed transmission are what moves this. The transmission was cleaned, painted, resealed and re installed and is one of the few items that a rebuild was not performed. It shifts nicely and operates as it should. It is coupled to the engine with a Centerforce Dual Friction clutch with new clutch release hydraulics of course.

The 2F engine was rebuilt using MAF Forged 9:1 compression pistons. The rotating assembly was balanced and a new Toyota harmonic balancer installed. It retains the factory camshaft and all other factory engine components. The intake manifold is stock with a MAF aluminum Weber carb adaptor. The carb is a Weber 36/36 with electronic choke. The header is a chrome Man-A-Fre unit continued on with 2 ½ in exhaust and muffled by a Flowmaster muffler. The engine mounts have all been replaced. The engine is cooled with a M-A-F aluminum radiator and overflow is contained in a polished aluminum catch can. The factory points distributer was swapped out for a nice aluminum HEI model. I used a later model FJ40 cooling fan (larger diameter) which enabled me to use a clutch on the fan. This makes driving on the highway much quieter than the factory direct drive fan. Alternator, water pump, hoses, clamps and just about everything else has all been rebuilt or replaced with quality parts under the hood. All of the factory splash shields and skid plates remain and have been powder coated.

The factory smog controls have been removed with the exception of the charcoal canister. The purge control valves for the canister have been removed for a clean engine compartment but the canister has been plumbed in a manor that still recycles fuel vapors and controls fuel vapor smell. I believe I have retained all of the factory smog parts that will come in one of the totes of parts.

Misc..

The tires are 17” Mickey Thompsons that are all five like new. The wheels are American Racing. I am sure I am missing many details, many of which are captured in pictures. This is a nearly perfect Landcruiser that would be impossible to duplicate for less money than purchased. You are encouraged to contact me anytime by email or phone (cell number available by email request). My daytime number is on the window of the Landcruiser, 785-232-9911 just ask for D.J. I can deliver the Landcruiser for free within 250 miles or for $1.25 per mile if you are within 500 miles from my location. The buyer is responsible for any other shipping arrangements but I will assist as much as possible.