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Please email me with any questions or requests for additional pics or something specific at: janellajhhodkinson@barstewards.com .
1966 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40. This vehicle graced the cover of 4WD Toyota Owner Magazine in May/June 2014.
Inside that issue there is a 9-page feature with detailed photos, descriptions, and praise of the design and
quality of the build. Two mint condition copies of the magazine are included in the sale
The frame was fully boxed and common weak points were reinforced to withstand extreme off-road use. It was
sandblasted to bare metal, then coated with POR15, an extremely tough and rust resistant coating. Coats of
Rustoleum semi-gloss black were applied over the POR15 because POR15 will degrade when subjected to UV rays.
During the body restoration I was particularly careful to maintain the classic cruiser look, while making necessary
repairs and improvements. I replaced the rear sill using Cool Cruisers of Texas steel reproduction pieces. The
rockers were repaired and the cowl vent (another common rust area) was eliminated completely. The rear wheel well
size was increased to fit the larger tires, however the stock radius' were retained to keep that classic FJ40 look.
I replaced the front fenders with Metal Tech tube fenders which are many times stronger than the original sheet
metal fenders. The rusted rear tailgate was replaced with an Aqualu aluminum tailgate with built-in locking storage
compartment. Unused factory body holes were eliminated and the firewall was smoothed. After metal work the body
was sandblasted and powder-primered. This is a powder-coat primer designed to be applied to bare metal. It is
MUCH tougher than even an epoxy primer and will ensure the body stays rust free. The body was professionally
painted. I used Herculiner to coat the interior floor and sides of the tub. The underside the truck is just as
pretty as the top. The bottom of the tub was painted in Night Tide, just like the top-side.
For the interior I built a family roll cage using a front kit from Metal Tech. The cage is tied into the body at 6
points and tied into the frame at 4 points, making it very strong. I built sheet metal enclosures into the cage to
house 6" x 9" speakers and LED dome lights. Since they're built into the cage it's got dome lights no matter which
top is on... or no top at all. The Kenwood stereo and CB radio are also built into the cage and all wiring is run
through the tubes so its hidden. The stereo has AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth (phone calls and music streaming). There are
also two removable racks built into the roll cage. One is on top of the cage above where the rear passengers sit.
The other can be used only when the rear seat is removed for additional packing options. Both racks have
attachment points for cargo nets or ratchet straps and are powder coated to match the cage.
I filled unused holes in the dash and created a custom aluminum dash panel to house Autometer gauges and Contura
rocker switches. A Flex-a-lite Mojave heater was installed under the dash. I installed seat heaters into ProComp
sport seats for the front. In the rear I used a bench seat from Tom's Broncos. I used a Bestop center console and
wired a 3-port 12-volt outlet inside of it. The front seats are mounted directly into the roll cage. I replaced
the small factory gas tank which was below the passenger seat with a 28-gallon cell imported from Australia. The
doors were fully restored like the body and reassembled with new interior handles, gaskets, window channels, and
replica wing window seals.
The engine I chose was a new factory GM crate motor with zero hours. 4.8L Chevrolet Vortec V8 with about 300 HP
and 300 FT-LB. Exhaust flows through Hooker block-hugger, ceramic coated headers. into a mandrel bent exhaust, and
out through a MagnaFlow muffler. Behind the crate engine I put a Chevy SM420 4-speed transmission. The original
transmission I used developed problems, so last winter I rebuilt a replacement and installed it. You will not find
a smoother shifting SM420. Behind that I'm using dual Marlin Crawler transfer cases which allows it to move very
slowly when needed. The crawl ratio is 290:1.
The front axle is a custom axle made by Marlin Crawler. It uses a Toyot
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