1970 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ45 Pickup Resto-Rod LS power auto transmission

1970 Toyota Land Cruiser Custom

FJ45 Extended Cab Soft Top, 6-speed automatic transmission, two transfer cases, 6.0L fuel injected V8, heat, air conditioning, heated seats, FM/Bluetooth sound. I recently spent ~$5000 to replace the motor, convert to hydroboost, upgrade shocks and improve the electrical system. This thing is a blast to drive. The V8 and auto with the low first gear moves it along and turns very low highway RPM. It's smooth and the ride is great for leaf springs. Half the time I drive it someone is taking a picture of it or waiting to ask me about it when I get back. It needs lockers to be a proper off-road truck, but the drivetrain and body are ready for anything and the extra interior space is very useful.
Feel free to contact me through the seller information and I will happily answer questions on how I built it. I have several thousand pictures and videos documenting its construction, and a blog on ih8mud.com. I also have spreadsheets documenting the entire electrical system and parts used in the construction. If you are near the Bay Area we can arrange to meet for test drives. The California vanity plates will be included. The winch will NOT be included, I'm moving it to my 80 for an upcoming trip.
The body was constructed from a 1970 FJ40 that was cut in half. The original VIN was kept and the truck is titled in California as a 1970 FJ40 "Pickup”. The frame was stretched 28" between the wheels and 12" after the rear wheels. New steel frame sections were slotted inside the original frame and then capped over and strengthened with inside plating. The cab floor was flattened and the extended cab was built from scratch from the B-pillar back. The roll cage is integrated into the sides of the cab extension and forms the frame for the soft top, there is no secondary soft top frame. The front part of the cage is welded to the firewall and bolted to the windshield frame. The bed is an original FJ45 short bed with an Aqualu aluminum tailgate. The windshield hinges are solid, not folding but could be replaced with hinges. The soft top was custom made for this truck from OEM convertible top material. The top sides and rear are both removable and also able to be rolled up, while the "top bucket" can be left on like a bimini top, or removed all together. The truck will come with 2 sets of doors. The full doors with roll down windows and a set of custom made steel half doors with the same hinges and door latch mechanisms built from a second set of early FJ40 doors. The bed rack with ARB awning is also included and was designed with a removable rear hoop so that a Roof Top Tent (RTT) could be mounted to open backwards and cover the tailgate area. The inside of the bed and the interior are both coated with Monsta-Liner tinted to Jeep Spice. It was supposed to match the Corbeau seats, but ended up a little darker. The front seats have heaters built in and the switches are in the front of the center console. The front seats and the rear split flip and fold bench seats are all covered in matching neoprene fabric. I have a set of plastic Jeep fenders for the rear wheel wells that have been painted to match, but not installed.
The drivetrain consists of a 2009 Chevrolet LY6 motor from a Silverado 2500, iron block 6.0L LS motor with VVT ~370hp, a 2009 6L80E 6-speed transmission, an NP203 doubler and finally a Toyota split case. The PCM programming was initially done by LT1swap.com, but later modified once I learned how to use HPTuners. I built the wiring harness from the stock LY6 harness and removed all the unnecessary wiring and replaced the loom. The front axle is the 1970 FJ40 axle with IFS hubs (+3" WMS) and a RedLine Cruiser big brake kit and chromoly birfields. The rear axle is a stock FJ62 axle with stock drum brakes. Both axles have open differentials and 4.10 gear ratios. The front axle was completely rebuilt with all new seals and bearings and the IFS hubs for the big brake kit. The 4.10 ratio works well with 35-37" tires for both local and highway driving. The engine runs turns approximately 1600rpm at 65mph with the 37" tires. The 6L80E transmission came from a Cadillac Escalade and the stock gear ratios and tires work out to almost the same final ratio as 4.10 gears and 35" tires. The wheels are 17x9 steel wheels that I welded rock rings on to and panted to match the body. There are 5 matching wheels and 5 new 37" Geolander MT tires. I have a set of 4 315/70R17 BF Goodrich KO tires on 17" Toyota steel wheels that can be swapped for the 37" tires or included for a price differential either way (last picture of truck, grey wheels). The shifter for the automatic transmission is from an FJ62 with custom linkage to let it actuate the 6L80E shifter. There are 3 levers for the transfer cases, high low for the NP203, high low for the split case and 2WD-4WD for the split case. The drive shafts are FJ40 in the front and FJ60 in the back that have been rebuilt and extended.
The suspension consists of a shackle reversal kit and OME 2.5" heavy lift springs and extended shackles up front. The rear springs are 63" Chevy springs mounted over the axle with a RuffStuff track bar. Front shocks are Bilstein and rears are F-O-A 2" body with resrvoirs. It's roughly a 6" lift over a stock FJ40.
The steering system consists of a 1976 FJ40 steering column connected to a Borgeson U-joint, Borgeson collapsible column, double U-joint and a FZJ80 steering box. The steering column is supported with a 1" rod end to eliminate wobble. The axle has Trail Gear high steer arms and 1.25" DOM tie rods and drag links with Heim joints. The steering wheel is from a 1994 Land Cruiser.The fuel system consists of a 2006 Jeep Wrangler 19-gallon poly gas tank mounted at the back of the frame. A new stock Jeep fuel pump and sender was used with a fuel return line added. A corvette fuel pressure regulator with return line is mounted near the tank and one fuel line is run to the engine fuel rail with PushLoc AN-6 fittings. There is an EVAP canister mounted under the body and plumbed to the stock LY6 EVAP purge solenoid which is still functional. There is also an air manifold that collects breather tubes from both axles, both transfer cases and the transmission and connects to the snorkel.
The brake system starts with a reman 2009 Tahoe hydroboost booster and new Dodge master cylinder. The brake lines are new from the master cylinder to the calipers in the front and from the master cylinder to the axle in the rear. The front calipers, rotors and pads are all from the RedLine big brake kit and the rear is stock Toyota FJ62 drum. It stops very well for a 5800lb FJ40! The big brakes require at least 17" wheels to clear the rotors.
The electrical system consists of a completely new wiring harness and a custom fuse block that incorporates both the body fuses and the motor/transmission fuses in one block. All lights are LED, interior and exterior. The gauges are by Speedhut and have the "FRANKN 45" text on the gauge face. The light and wiper switches are FJ40 switches. The heater blend air, fan and AC switches are part of the Old-Air heat and AC kit. There is space under the passenger side rear seat for two Optima batteries, but only one is installed. There is a Blue Sea dual battery controller and breakers already installed for a dual battery system. The truck is pre-wired for an auxiliary bus to be mounted under the rear seats for things like lights, but there is no secondary bus now. There is wire run to the center console for switches as well.
I'd like to say this truck is perfect, but it's not. I'm not a professional shop and this thing is half Roadkill and half real engineering, think of it as a big rat rod. The front end metal isn't completely square and the hood doesn't sit completely square. There are some rust spots starting to show where my painting wasn't the greatest, I'm working on fixing them. If I were keeping it I would replace the steering arms with Front Range keyed arms and knuckles and replace the Heim joints with 80-series tie rod ends. The seals between the doors and body aren't water tight. There are some rattles but as I get time I'm chasing them down and working on making the interior quieter. There are some leaks from the NP203 to Split Case adapter, maybe a drip a week. It has a HUGE turning radius! The hoses for the AC need to be crimped by a shop and the system filled, I'll probably do this as the weather here turns hotter.
2/2/18- Added pictures from construction.

• Condition: Used
• Make: Toyota
• Model: Land Cruiser
• Type: Extended Cab Pickup
• Trim: Custom
• Year: 1970
• Mileage: 1,000
• VIN: FJ4081250
• Color: Green
• Engine size: V8 6.0L LY6
• Number of cylinders: 8
• Fuel: Gasoline
• Transmission: Automatic
• Drive type: 4WD
• Interior color: Tan
• Drive side: Left-hand drive
• Options: 4-Wheel Drive
• Vehicle Title: Clear
Want to buy? Contact seller!