Toyota : Land Cruiser FJ 40

The History of “The Sled”

A friend from Ohio bought one of the finest Land Cruisers in the country. His wife named the cruiser “The Sled”. Sled came with a large binder of photos that document the restoration. and excellent original condition of this vehicle. It is amazingly complete. The original 1979 factory sales brochure is framed. The factory jack. rods. and handle are pristine and where they belong. The factory tool bag looks like it was never used or even carried in the vehicle. Even though it looked like it just rolled off the show room floor. the owner knew that the drive ability would be greatly increased with more power. better brakes. and tighter steering. So last year he sent it to us to make it run as great as it looks. We upgraded the motor. steering. suspension. and addressed what ever else that was not just perfect. The result is an outstanding FJ40 that runs as good as it looks! It is dependable. fun to drive. and easily maintains modern highway speeds. She is a top quality show vehicle but absolutely capable of being a daily driver. We kept great records and receipts of parts purchased and maintenance performed. When he got the vehicle back he absolutely loved it. and was blown away by the difference in performance.   Since then. unforeseen circumstances have made it necessary for him to sell it. He asked me to help him… so here we go.     

1979 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

Under the hood- The 2F inline six cylinder engine was completely rebuilt by a highly respected builder using top quality components including factory intake and exhaust valves. dome pistons etc. The Block was bored . 30 over and the heads milled to perfection then balanced and blue printed. The valve cover. intake manifold. and thermostat housing were all media blasted then painted with hi- temp aluminum paint for great looks and a durable finish. A Man-A-Fre hi performance kit was added. including ceramic coated two piece headers. complete custom 2. 5 inch exhaust that looks factory  (routed correctly above the skid plate). a 38 mm Weber carburetor. D. U. I. HEI distributor/ coil. and top of the line spark plugs and wires. Finished with all new hoses. belts. water pump. alternator. voltage regulator. fuel pump. heavy duty 3 row radiator. powerful Hella horns. upgraded wiring. Optima battery. and much more.  The motor has about 800 miles on it since the rebuild. proper break in procedures have been followed.

Steering- Heavy duty and freshly rebuilt. factory Toyota power steering box with a Saginaw pump with the proper sized billet aluminum pulley. New top quality high pressure hose. and a new return line that flow through the factory power steering fluid cooler.  Plus a heavy duty. Old man Emu steering dampener was used in conjunction with new tie rod ends and a top of the line suspension. This provides a safer. more controlled. comfortable driving experience.

Axles/suspension/ brakes/tires - Factory axles with 3:73 gear ratio. and disc brake front end. New Warn hubs. new calipers. new master cylinder. braided stainless steel brake lines. with new brake pads (of course). Outer bearings checked and repacked with synthetic grease. Old Man Emu 2. 5 inch lift springs. with graphite impregnated polyurethane bushings. Old Man Emu long travel shocks and greaseable anti-inversion shackles.   (5)  New 33x10. 5x15 B. F. Goodrich KM2 (mud terrain) tires mounted on new factory steel wheels that have been professionally painted to match the other grey trim. 5 new factory hubs caps too. All of the gear oil was replaced with a synthetic blend and the fill plugs were replaced with recessed allen head plugs with magnetic inserts. The higher gear ratio (3:73 replaced 4:10) offered in 1979 greatly improved the highway driving ability and fuel economy of FJ40s by reducing the RPMs at highway speeds. This is one of the many reasons that this cruisers safely and comfortably drives at 65-75 MPH.    

Transmission/ transfer case/ clutch- The Factory 4speed transmission and transfer case are in excellent condition. it shifts with ease and with no slop. We replaced the input and output seals and then all of the fluids in the transmission and transfer case were replaced with synthetic blend fluids. The fill plugs were replaced with recessed allen head plugs with magnetic inserts. The clutch. pressure plate and throw out bearings were replaced at the same time.  

Body- Excellent rust free body that has been repainted in single stage acrylic (better than original) in the factory white color (code 031 ). The straightness of the body and the quality of paint on this Land Cruiser is truly excellent! Many Land Cruisers are being offered for sale as restored or with new paint… but VERY few could match the quality of this one. The interior of the tub and floorboards of this Land Cruiser have been professionally coated with a color matching texture that adds greatly to the usability of the vehicle. It looks great and is much tougher than paint. The front floors have the original Toyota floor mat in great shape (very rare in this condition) and the rear floor has a very nice heavy duty fitted rubber mat. The undercarriage was professionally undercoated with the same raptor material that reduces sound and heat plus seals many of the seams that paint alone could not. The frame of this Land cruiser looks new. It shows no pitting and has been coated with rust prohibiting satin black paint.     

New factory front and rear bumpers (other heavier duty options including winch are available). Stainless steel bolts. door hinge pins. and washers are used throughout the vehicle. They make it easier to make adjustments. and to take the top and doors off without chipping the paint off of the bolts and surrounding areas.  The hardtop was reassembled using new factory seals.

Interior- The front and rear jump seats are in perfect condition. they were professionally reupholstered using higher quality material than you can buy from the major Land Cruisers retailers.  Keep in mind that 1979 was the first year that the factory seats reclined in an FJ40. That adds valuable inches and improved comfort for taller/ bigger people. We used new seat belts and all new factory door seals. no rattles!  It has a new dash and a new factory style headliner. All of the gauges. lights and fans work perfectly. Even the original factory sales brochure. original jack. handles. and tool bag have been are included with this Land Cruiser. I added several other features like edge guard to reduce the chance of chipping the paint while getting in and out of the vehicle. a Tuffy center console with cup holders and an automatic LED light to illuminate the interior of the console.   

Countless hours of skilled work and attention to detail have been poured into this project. The parts chosen for this FJ40 represent the best available options. and the knowledge of what works from experience on and off the road. In many ways this vehicle exceeds in quality. safety. performance. and comfort than what Toyota originally built. This Land Cruiser was built to be driven. Quality is never an accident. Drive a legend. drive a Land Cruiser! The Sled in particular.

Also published at eBay.ca

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