1974 Toyota LandCruiser Factory PTO Winch F.5 4-Speed ALL ORIGINAL BARN FIND!!!!

Description

This story begins how most of my stories begin. A friend calls me says hey I know you love old Toyotas I found a guy talking about an old Toyota Jeep he knows about up around iron gate. Is it for sale I asked? Who knows was the reply, luckily we are blessed with freedom in our life to travel wherever we want in this great country whenever we want. So we hopped in our truck full of background music and drove north with a trailer labeled "just in case". 7,000 nats, a 3.0l V6 4wd ranger with a push bar, and an old tire later we somehow acquired this Landcruiser from the mountains of Virginia. When I first saw it I had second, third, and fourth thoughts about my ability to make it street worthy again due to the rust. With my new job I just don't realistically have the time this vehicle deserves so I would like it to go to an expert's hands where it will be properly restored. My love for these made leaving it there to rot further NOT an option. I have owned nearly 100 various vehicles by now (only the best ones; I have good taste after all) but the last time I owned a FJ-40 Land Cruiser I was 14 and it was my legitimate first vehicle. Previously I had a craftsman 19hp twin 6-speed lawnmower that was my method of transportation down the street to my friends. Oddly enough where we found this Land Cruiser the guy had an affinity for older riding lawn mowers and I sat on a 6-speed craftsman (not the same color or engine but close enough for a heck of a coincidence) while we talked about the history of this cruiser. I have these and MK4 supras on a pedestal, I have made it a point to not own them because I love them so much I don't want to meet my hero. I had to give up the 71' I had when I was 14 because the rust it had and the work it needed was beyond my budget and I cried..........a lot. The guy that bought it said he would send me pictures when he restored it, he never did. Not 2 months ago my aunt sent me a DVD of random old videos she took on an old tape based video recorder, wouldn't you know there is a video of me trying to drive a 71' 3 on the tree. I love a good story with a vehicle like this, it just looks like it has a story to tell.
I think it was the rotating lamp installed in the roof with an indoor lamp cord switch that really sold the story to me. The tag that is on it is so old it is missing a digit, carfax returns zero results based on the tag# and the vin is too old. So this story is all you get. Apparently it was never really registered for street use, the story goes that the tag and the sticker on the glass were used off another vehicle to allow them to plow snow without issue. This cruiser only has 18241 miles on it, since it was new it has been used as a snow plow vehicle only brought out in the winters hence the rust. The tires that are on it are from a farming CO-OP and have no real brand of any sort, they still hold air just fine. The rust finally got to a point to where they didn't feel safe so they parked it and hence it sat since 1990.
Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and yes some parts on the FJ-40 were designed copying other vehicles, but Toyota did it better. The internet is a riddled repository of stories about Land Cruisers at home and abroad, and they all tell the same story. On a world average the two most reliable vehicles ever made are the Toyota Corolla and Toyota Land Cruiser. There is a reason Toyota still sells the LandCruiser and asks way too much for it, it is a point of honor not something they make any money on selling in the states.
I gave it fuel, I gave it a battery, and it started right up. The steering, brakes, t-case, warn hubs, axles, clutch, PTO winch, transmission, engine etc.... all work just fine. Of course they're not perfect, but if it was a life or death situation this LandCruiser would still get you home if it had to.
That is because they are selfless, they don't want anything from you, only what is required to live they will do the rest. They are innocent like a good dog, they just want to be loved that is their only goal. These cruisers were built prior to the corporate corruption that stole the automotive soul from everything we drive, prior to anything being built to a cost. This is when Toyota had something to prove, this is when cars had a soul.
Exterior: Exterior wise it is all original, minus the hole they cut in the drivers fender for the side pipe exhaust......And the bends they put in the stock bumper & fenders to clear the snow plow. Check the coolcruisers buyers guide, the 1974 and down trucks had the best quality metal i.e. most corrosion resistant. No wrecks, no bondo, no sectioned panels, no hacked restorations, no half assed work. Just all original with a few black spray paint stripes to really add some personality. The old NRA stickers are free, I won't charge extra. There aren't even any dents in it, just has rust. Most of the lights are gone, a few pieces remain inside the vehicle but it's fair to say tree branches were not something the previous drivers avoided. Oddly enough all the glass is crack free minus the liftgate glass which is 100% cracked, hence the rust in the rear. The top is in pretty good shape as is the hood and doors. Firewall/cowl is good too. Paint used to be 621 Rustic Green, now it is 621 Rusted Green. I literally pressure washed moss off the exterior, I thought about leaving it but I just enjoy using my pressure washer too much.
Interior: My favorite part is the old school oil pressure gauge that works, and the old school tach, AND most importantly the factory Toyota rubber floor mat which is very rare since it has the PTO winch lever hole cut out so you know it was a Toyota factory installed option. Something about having 3 levers is just cool. Legit Fred Flinstone vehicle, the drivers floor is gone. The rear end of the rear floor is gone, the rest is there. It is ALL ORIGINAL, most of what was there when it was new is still there, the factory tool box is full of fun parts, the jump seats are in good shape, the original rear seat belts with the Toyota logos and the Toyota logo steering wheel, the rear heater is there as well as ALL of the labels on the dash/glove box. The dash is all there as is the center console and roll bar which is in good shape. The floor was cut open around the trans to access the top plate as one of the shifter detents likes to stick which relegates you to 3rd 4th and reverse. Quick fix quick access, I guess the T-case shifter rod got extended by throwing a pipe over it for the fun of it. I love these trucks I don't care what shape they are in. The factory headliner is folded up in the back along with the parts from the engine bay.
Mechanical: What do you want me to tell you, it is the most reliable vehicle ever that sat for 27 years............and it all still works, none of the brakes stick or drag, no play in the steering, no fluid leaks (radiator cap is OLD), no grinds, and the engine sounds like a great running F.5 should. Yes this is a 1974 so it is the ONLY YEAR that they made the F.5 engine, and the only year the F engine came with a 4-Speed on the floor (most people will tell you the F 3.9l only came with a 3-Speed but some of them in 1974 made it out of the factory with the new 4-Speed this truck is rare!). It is a F engine with more HP/TQ, and the oil system + accessories from a 2F engine. Only made for one year affectionately called the F and a half. It doesn't knock, miss, tick, overheat, or smoke bad. It has no muffler and is coming right off the header so it's not like it is as clean as a prius lol. The carb probably needs to actually be cleaned, choke hooked back up, air cleaner installed, but the oil is still good as is the coolant. Same with the brake/clutch fluids. It has a new distributor and cap on it, it also has 2x totally different kinds of spark plugs in it 3 of one kind 3 of another kind (please for the love of god put 1x full set in it I don't understand who can be that cheap and lazy). The PTO winch works like a boss, and yes you can run it as fast or slow as you want. Put in reverse and it reels out! Just put the T-case in neutral and pick a gear. 1st gear will do about 1 foot per minute, 4th gear revved up will snatch something faster than my doberman in a steakhouse. The very back of the frame where the back of the rear leaf spring mounts is gone, it's just gone. The back of the shackle mount ties into the bumper, which is basically held on by the bottom of the rear tailgate doors, which are held in place by the roof, which is bolted to the quarters, you know like the knee is connected to the leg bone kind of. Instantly reminded me of the Top Gear episode where they tried to kill the Toyota truck and the frame snapped in half but the body and the bed held the truck together. Same principle, and yes it will still drive down the road and out wheel most mall crawling #1 stunners in jeeps based on the fact that they bought a wrangler ONLY to look cool and won't actually ever take it to a legit off-road trail. Respect to anybody that really wheels no matter what it is, but if I see one more wrangler with every accessory out of the JC Whitney catalog, 20" wheels, doors off, and 3x child seats in the back cruising around an urban area where the only dirt is from another condo complex and Starbucks being built I might just give up.
You are basically required to grow a beard if you buy this FJ-40, yes that goes for the women too. This is one of the vehicles that actually does make you a better person, and I will be mad jelly of you once it is restored i'll probably point and call you a hipster trust fund jackass but only out of the purest love and jealousy. I am not man enough to accept this challenge right now but I know there is a brawny SOB out there somewhere that can do what needs to be done here. Make your father and I proud........do something great in your life, put one less Fiat/Daimler/Mexican/Chrysler and one more Toyota on the road! This FJ40 has never been offered for sale before, it has never been listed in the paper, or on the internet, this is one of the VIN#'s never before offered to the USA for consumption. I have a clear title in my name that lines up to both original VIN plates on this honest expression of pure beauty in function. These trucks regularly sell north of $30,000 when done right, tell your spouse it is an investment, lie through your teeth and it might actually be true. It is worth it. THIS IS A NO RESERVE AUCTION WHATEVER IT GOES FOR YOU THANK ME HAND ME CASH AND I SLEEP BETTER KNOWING I JUST SAVED A LIFE :) Not yours, the LandCruiser........any maybe yours in some butterfly effect way :)