Vehicle Description
If America's favorite off-roader is the Jeep, then Japan's is the
Toyota FJ. But this Japanese-American hybrid 1966 Land Cruiser
successfully crosses the Pacific with its box-shaped bodywork
that's instantly identifiable on six of the seven continents, plus
an equally bulletproof driveline that will take it just about
anywhere.
It's hard to call the FJ "styled" because it's simply the bare
minimum required to carry people and gear to inhospitable places.
However, that's the appeal, a go-anywhere, do-anything kind of
vehicle that has become iconic with its abilities. The light blue
paint is older, but combined with the white top and fender flares,
it actually looks awesome. Fit and finish are what you get when you
go off-roading, with decent but not perfect paint and Toyota build
quality that you can still feel when you slam the door. It's got
the right look for a vehicle that's used as intended, not relegated
to the show field, and we like it a lot better that way. The body
is quite solid with no issues in the usual places, and the truck
obviously hasn't been beaten to death off-road. There's a
heavy-duty bumper up front ostensibly designed to push large
objects out of its way, and a winch means you're always able to get
out of a jam. Out back, there's a full-sized spare and a hitch,
making this a truck that really can do it all.
The interior is nowhere near as bare-bones as you'd expect, with
comfortable bucket seats and a pair of folding jump seats in back.
Sure, all the hard panels like the doors and dash are painted to
match the body, but it's easy to get comfortable in there for long
hauls along the trail. All the controls are original Toyota,
including the big steering wheel that makes it easy to put the
front wheels exactly where you want them and a column-mounted
shifter for the manual gearbox. The factory gauges are still in
place, too, and they all seem to work properly to keep an eye on
the engine's vitals. The white canvas top and doors open up for
alfresco motoring, or you can remove them in a matter of minutes to
go completely open. You'll probably find there's no better vehicle
for tailgating than this!
At some point, the original inline-six was yanked and replaced, but
the original character and durability is completely unchanged.
"Matching numbers" isn't really a thing with these trucks and the
quality of the work means that this off-roader is still just as
reliable as it was originally. Clearly a lot of work went into the
freshening, as it has a recent tune up, new fuel pump and
carburetor, and all new fluids throughout. The industrial-strength
air cleaner remains in place and the radiator is big enough for a
semi-tractor. Underneath, it's 100% Toyota reliability, with
original axles fore and aft suspended on a 2-inch lift that looks
awesome and adds ground clearance, and with 4.11 gears inside, it's
zippy around town and capable in the dirt. Cool Blacked-out Ultra
Motorsports wheels have an industrial look and carry giant
33x10.5-15 BFGoodrich radials that look like they could climb
Everest.
Go ahead, take this one out and tear up some dirt, it won't mind.
Icons are like that, and with unbeatable reliability, you'll always
be the first to the top of the hill. Call today!