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.
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.
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.
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.
