I missed your post.<br>
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I don't know much about the new ones. They're way out of my price range, so I haven't paid any attention to them. I do prefer a more utilitarian body style, though, like the originals.<br>
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As for the FJ Cruiser, it's not a Land Cruiser. It mainly has 4-Runner running gear. I don't know what to think of it. It's nice they tried to style it after the original FJ40, as least as far as the grill. But dispite its size, it doesn't have as much space inside as you'd think, and the visibility blows dead goats. It has more in common with the FJ55 "Iron Pig" than the FJ40 anyway. Hopefully the rumored ragtop versions will look better and have better visibility. And they need a solid front axle option.<br>
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My FJ40 is a 1971. It has a Mark's of Australia conversion kit to mate a Chevy smallblock (in this case a 350) to the original running gear. This kit has an auxilliary bellhousing that mates between the 350 and the original bellhousing. The new bellhousing has the 350 flywheel and clutch, and the original bellhousing has the hydraulic clutch setup, which has a long tube that extends to the Chevy clutch. And it indexes the motor away from the firewall, so no cutting. The only alterations are a couple of scab plates welded on to strengthen the frame for the motormounts. The tires are 12.50x33.<br>
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In the last photo you can see the Mark's of Australia bellhousing (aluminum) sandwiched between the 350 (blue) and the original Toyota bellhousing (black).<br>
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The engine compartment photo shows how nice the 350 fits. I have some wiring cleanup to do. The extra (empty) battery tray is made by 4+Plus (sold via Man-A-Fre) and is super heavy duty. It will eventually get a deep cycle battery when I install a winch.<br>
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Future upgrades will be a winch and at least a locker on the rear axle, possibly another on the front. Generally a locker on the front requires power steering, which would require a bit of work. I'm considering a spring over axle conversion, but that's real low priority.<br>
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It's a lot of fun, expecially with the top off. The fuel economy isn't real great, being around 10 mpg. But it's not a daily driver. It's for hunting and play. It really needs an overdrive, but that would require more work. There is a Toyota 5-speed tranny sold mainly in the Australian market that will bolt right in, but it ain't cheap.<br>
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These old Land Cruisers are tough, and most Jeepers respect them. They're a lot beefier than a Jeep, bigger, and weigh about 1000 lbs more. Mine can hold 3 people in the front, and four in the back, though it's a bit snug. Try that in a standard Jeep.
<br>
I don't know much about the new ones. They're way out of my price range, so I haven't paid any attention to them. I do prefer a more utilitarian body style, though, like the originals.<br>
<br>
As for the FJ Cruiser, it's not a Land Cruiser. It mainly has 4-Runner running gear. I don't know what to think of it. It's nice they tried to style it after the original FJ40, as least as far as the grill. But dispite its size, it doesn't have as much space inside as you'd think, and the visibility blows dead goats. It has more in common with the FJ55 "Iron Pig" than the FJ40 anyway. Hopefully the rumored ragtop versions will look better and have better visibility. And they need a solid front axle option.<br>
<br>
My FJ40 is a 1971. It has a Mark's of Australia conversion kit to mate a Chevy smallblock (in this case a 350) to the original running gear. This kit has an auxilliary bellhousing that mates between the 350 and the original bellhousing. The new bellhousing has the 350 flywheel and clutch, and the original bellhousing has the hydraulic clutch setup, which has a long tube that extends to the Chevy clutch. And it indexes the motor away from the firewall, so no cutting. The only alterations are a couple of scab plates welded on to strengthen the frame for the motormounts. The tires are 12.50x33.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
In the last photo you can see the Mark's of Australia bellhousing (aluminum) sandwiched between the 350 (blue) and the original Toyota bellhousing (black).<br>
<br>
The engine compartment photo shows how nice the 350 fits. I have some wiring cleanup to do. The extra (empty) battery tray is made by 4+Plus (sold via Man-A-Fre) and is super heavy duty. It will eventually get a deep cycle battery when I install a winch.<br>
<br>
Future upgrades will be a winch and at least a locker on the rear axle, possibly another on the front. Generally a locker on the front requires power steering, which would require a bit of work. I'm considering a spring over axle conversion, but that's real low priority.<br>
<br>
It's a lot of fun, expecially with the top off. The fuel economy isn't real great, being around 10 mpg. But it's not a daily driver. It's for hunting and play. It really needs an overdrive, but that would require more work. There is a Toyota 5-speed tranny sold mainly in the Australian market that will bolt right in, but it ain't cheap.<br>
<br>
These old Land Cruisers are tough, and most Jeepers respect them. They're a lot beefier than a Jeep, bigger, and weigh about 1000 lbs more. Mine can hold 3 people in the front, and four in the back, though it's a bit snug. Try that in a standard Jeep.