Project Bighorn

I owned a 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ40 (FJ40 running a diesel) and fell in love with 40's. I was unable to pay for shipping to get the Bruiser Cruiser (nickname... gave your butt bruises from the ride) back to the states, so I left it there.

I picked up a 1968 FJ40 yesterday and this blog will chronicle my efforts to improve it as time moves on.



It came with a hard top and doors, has no structural issues and very minimal surface rust in the normal places.

Immediate plans are to go through it and correct basic maintenance and safety. Brakes, steering, tune-up, oil change, radiator/cooling system maintenance, new tires. Next will be drivability issues such as disc brake conversion, overhauling/upgrading the axles, power steering conversion and suspension maintenance and upgrade.





Larger plans are still up in the air, but a drivetrain swap will probably happen at some point, but I hate to lose what makes these Cruisers great in the process. It may be a 1HD-F diesel powertrain, or I may go to a Cummins Repower 2.8L diesel conversion. Either one will get me 20-30mpg!

I will be spraying the interior and exterior with Raptor liner in desert tan as the primary and black for hardware and trim, both satin or matte. This will look good and protect the vehicle while requiring minimum care and maintenance. Perfect for an offroad application.





More to come in future posts... provided I get around to it.

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