side view land cruiser

The 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Was a Wise Investment

A year and a half ago, a 1971 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 was sitting in a driveway somewhere as an uncompleted project. An interested party picked up the project and finished it off, then sold it through Bring a Trailer for USD$40,000.

front toyota land cruiser

That sale didn’t happen until after a bit of work was done. The soft top model featured a rebuilt 3.9-litre 1F inline-six engine that mated with a column-shifted 3-speed manual transmission with a 2-speed transfer case. The FJ40 operates in either rear-wheel or all-wheel drive. The buyer—and seller—added in a Weber carburettor, Old Man Emu shocks and springs, aftermarket wheels, and Recaro-style sport seats.

The seller also performed a body-off, bare metal repaint as well as installing a marine carpeting kit over a spray-in liner.

toyota land cruiser with cover

Along with the soft top and doors, the FJ40 sold with Specter fender flares and bumpers, with front tow hooks, that matched the body. The grille surround was white and Hella driving lights illuminated the road ahead. The rig stood tall with an Old Man Emu lift kit as well as 15-inch steel wheels shod in BFGoodrich All-Terrain T/A tires.

side view 1971 land cruiser

Considering that the FJ40 was picked up as a project, the seller ended up doing well—and not just in terms of the money made. The restoration of such an awesome vehicle was worth the blood and sweat that was poured into it.

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STAFF WRITER

Mr Mark Jessen

Mark Jessen studied English at Brigham Young University, completing a double emphasis in creative writing and professional writing/editing. After graduating, Mark went to work for a small publisher as their book editor. After a brief time as a freelance writer, Mark entered the corporate world as a copywriter. These days, his hours are spent mostly in proofing and editing, though he continues to create content for a wide variety of projects. In 2017, Mark completed UCLA's Creative Writing Certification. A prolific writer, Mark has over 20 years of experience in journalism.