SEMA 2021: The LandCruiser Shop Restored FJ40 Back Country Build

Toyota’s legendary Land Cruiser has struck a chord with fans all over the world. Its rugged off-roading icon platform has safely carried adventurers, troops, and missionaries to the far reaches of the earth for decades. All though we are bummed the new 300 Series will not be made available in the states we can relish the fact that the older models will live on and continue to appreciate in value. This is made even more true since Toyota has geared up to continue the reproduction of specific Land Cruiser FJ40 parts. During SEMA 2021, The LandCruiser Shop FJ40 stole our attention with a super impressive detailed restoration.

Joe Muldoon and his team from The Land Cruiser Shop were beaming with pride and shared all of the craftsmanship that went into building this awesome vintage 4×4.

We started with a clean bone stock 1978 FJ40. It was a local truck owned by the same Lady, for over thirty years. She drove it back and forth to college in the 80’s. The truck was garage kept, and only used in the summer to pick Huckleberries after she graduated college and began her career.

Main Features of The LandCruiser Shop FJ40 Back Country Build

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This beautiful off-roader is powered by an 80-series Toyota 1FZ motor. The 4.5-liter dual overhead cam inline six-cylinder powerplant comes mated to a split case and an H55 five-speed transmission and sends torque through the Tom Woods Drive Shaft to the Terrain Tamer rebuilt factory axels. To clean it up, the engine bay of this ‘78 Toyota FJ40 houses an engineering masterpiece with a customized CXRacing Stainless racing header that The LandCruiser Shop cut up and tig welded to fit the truck. Based in Sandpoint, Idaho,  the team from  The LandCruiser Shop ditched the original intake management system and installed a manifold, which was sourced from international-spec carbureted 1FZ that was imported all the way from Dubai.

The LandCruiser Shop Is All About The Details

To retain the retro look of the ‘78 Toyota FJ40 at The LandCruiser Shop decided to use a factory air cleaner. The off-roader also gets a custom-built top which the shop builds in-house and is one of the most well-known products. Almost every panel has been restored to showroom condition, and this FJ40 also gets 4X4 Labs’ front and rear bumpers.

The truck was completely rewired using an American Autowire extreme duty harness, installed by our shop. The truck was completely disassembled, everything was media blasted, primed with epoxy, repaired where needed, and painted with Lusid Technologies Northstar urethane paint.

Riding on a set of 16-inch rims, the truck gets some meaty 285/75 Cooper STT Pro Tires. The cabin of this FJ40 rig features vintage air, plush Scheel-Mann seats whom also provided additional material to detail the cabin, and an ingenious speaker pod system, which is hooked up to a custom radio deck. It took The LandCruiser Shop over 1500 man-hours to put this breathtaking ensemble together.

We’re really proud of this build and we all put our heads together to really think about what made the most sense to keep it original while bringing in a modern feel to the rig.

The LandCruiser Shop FJ40 Vendor List:

If you are interested in a very high-end restoration or need help with your FJ40 build, we suggest 208-610-4086 to get in touch with the folks from The LandCruiser Shop in Sandpoint, Idaho. The humble shop specializes in restorations, powertrain upgrades, overland builds, and anything Land Cruiser!

About the author

Manish Kharinta

Manish Kharinta is a SoCal-based automotive & lifestyle journalist who currently writes for FutureCar, HotCars, TheRichest, TheTalko, CorvetteForum, Rennlist, TeamSpeed, and Speednik amongst several other websites.
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