Very well done body-off restoration. Original 3.9 liter inline-6 with 3-speed manual transmission. Beautiful dark green bodywork with gray cloth 3+4 interior. Includes winch, new convertible top, and more. An awesome Land Cruiser that’s ready for anything!

If there’s a remote, inhospitable corner of the world, you can bet the Toyota Land Cruiser has been there. A staple from the Serengeti plains to the jungles of Borneo, it’s practically a cliché to say the Land Cruiser is reliable and competent. This well-restored 1970 Toyota Land Cruiser is probably too pretty now to go crashing through the jungle, but it still has the hardware to do it if that’s your bent. The restoration is a few years old, but thanks to careful maintenance it still shows extremely well. It’s actually a very dark green, not black, and that seems like a good choice on the familiar Land Cruiser shape. The flat panels are very flat with clear reflections, suggesting that this truck was quality base stock even before the restoration started. We don’t know where it lived its life, but it was obviously not somewhere that salt and rust are a factor. You’ll note all the little details are nicely done, from the chrome latches that hold the hood and windshield in place to the diamond-plate running boards to the simple bumpers that shine up brilliantly. There’s a heavy-duty tire carrier out back for the right look and a serious winch up front to get you out of tight spots. It’s like there’s not a single component on this 4x4 that isn’t there to do a job. We like that a lot.

The interior offers enough room for seven passengers if they’re all good friends, and the gray cloth is both durable and comfortable. Full carpets add a dose of civility, but make no mistake, this is still a serious off-roader. The big steering wheel makes it easy to wheel it around, even with those giant tires, and the secondary controls are basic and straightforward. A full array of gauges lives in a chrome panel ahead of the driver, and this Land Cruiser is rather unusual with its three-on-the-tree transmission and dash-mounted controls for the 4-wheel-drive system (ostensibly to add front-seat space). The chrome glove box lid has a diagram for how it all works, and while we have not taken this Land Cruiser off-roading, the system seems complete. There’s also a heavy-duty heater under the dash that’s strong enough to roast a Thanksgiving turkey. In back there’s a ton of cargo space, including a pair of storage compartments under the seats. The convertible top is new, as are the doors, giving this Toyota reasonable weather protection—but you’re not driving this because you’re worried about getting dirty, right? You can see neat little bits of functional engineering throughout, which is probably why the Land Cruiser has remained a favorite for decades.

Power comes from Toyota’s familiar 3.9-liter inline-6, which is smooth, torquey, and utterly bulletproof. It isn’t complicated, using a single carburetor and heavy-duty air cleaner, which is probably why it has been the #1 choice of off-roaders around the world. There’s a big radiator up front to keep things cool during low-speed crawling, and the important hardware is wisely located up high and out of harm’s way. It’s quite clean and nicely detailed and obviously hasn’t spent any time in the dirt since it was finished, and it runs quite well. Starts are easy with a little choke and there’s a nice 6-cylinder grumble from the single exhaust pipe out back. The aforementioned 3-speed manual transmission has light clutch action and we believe there are 4.10/4.11 gears in the differentials, so it feels energetic around town and cruises at 60 MPH without much difficulty. You’ll note the underside of the truck is extremely clean with no signs of patchwork or rot, and all the factory hardware and skid plates are still in place. 15-inch steel wheels with simple hubcaps are the right choice and they are wrapped in recent 30x9.50R15 Dunlop off-road tires.

The FJ40 Land Cruiser is an icon. For a while, prices were out of sight, suggesting that these neat 4x4s entertain a very strong following. This one remains quite affordable and is priced at far less than the cost of the restoration. For outdoor fun, the key is being able to get where you want to go. What better way to do it than in this awesome Land Cruiser? Call today!

Harwood Motors always recommends and welcomes personal or professional inspections of any vehicle in our inventory prior to purchase.