1979 Toyota Land Cruiser

History

Considered to be one of the most unforgettable off-road SUV's of all time, the Toyota Land Cruiser FJ 40 was part of the Toyota Landcruiser 40 series. Introduced in 1960, the FJ 40 was available in a variety of versions through 1984. From 1958 until 2001 the FJ 40 was produced in Brazil as the Toyota Bandeirante. Larger than the Jeep CJ, the majority of 40 series Land Cruisers were built as two-door models. Today the FJ 40 is incredibly popular as a restore model thanks to its basic design. New steel presses helped Toyota make many production changes upgrading the 20 series to the now classic 40. The Land Cruiser received much-needed low-range gearing, while the FJ40 was given a new 125 hp 3.9-liter engine.

The F in the name stood for the F engines, while the 'J' stood for Jeep. The short wheelbase was dubbed BJ40/41/42, the middle wheelbase BJ43/44/46, and the long wheelbase with a Diesel engine was dubbed HJ45/47. The Brazilian-built Land Cruisers were dubbed FJ25 if they were topless, and FJ25L with a soft top roof. In 1961 the name was changed to Bandeirante, and ones built from 1962 through 1993, with the Mercedes-Benz engines received OJ50/55 series, and ones built from 1994 through 2001 with Toyota engines, were given BJ50/55 series model codes. The Bandeirante's Mercedes-Benz built Diesel engine pumped out 78 HP.

The J40 series was introduced with 90-inch, 96-inch and 104 inch wheelbases. The FJ40 was available with two different 6-cylinder gasoline engines. From 1960 through 1975 the SUV with 3.8-liter displacement and 125 hp was produced. In 1975 the replacement second generation 2F engine was more robust with 135 horses. In 1963 the longer 116-inch wheelbase FJ45-B pickup and cab-chassis were added to the lineup.

Global production exceeded 50,000 vehicles in 1965 with the Land Cruiser becoming the best selling Toyota in the U.S. In 1967 the FH55 replaced the four-door FH45V production while the 20door FJ45-B was renamed the FJ45 (II). Replacing the 4-door FJ45V was the 4-door station wagon FJ55, based on the FJ40's Drive-train. Fondly called the 'Moose', the FJ55 featured a longer wheelbase and was sold in Australia and North America. The 100,000th Land Cruiser was sold worldwide in 1968.

The 200,000th Land Cruiser was sold worldwide in 1972. The following year the 300,000th model was sold. The HJ45 was introduced in 1973 with the new H engine; 3.6-liter inline 6-cylinder diesel engine, and was the first diesel Land Cruiser introduced for export on long wheelbase models. The following year a factory fitted roll bar became a standard feature in the U.S. The Toyota BJ40 Diesel, very similar to the petrol Toyota FJ40 was introduced in 1974 with the B, 3.0-liter inline 4-cylinder diesel engine. This engine helped sales in Japan since it put the Land Cruiser into a lower tax compact Freight-car category over its 3.9-liter gasoline version. United States FJ40's received rear ambulance doors in 1975, while the lift gate option remained available in other countries. A more powerful 4.2-liter 2F unit replaced the 3.9-liter gasoline engine. The FJ55 received front disc brakes this year and the following year the U.S. version FJ40 Land Cruisers received front disc brakes like the FJ55. In California the Toyota Land Cruiser Association was founded in 1976.

In 1977 front door vent windows were removed on the U.S. hard top models. Germany received their first BJ/FJ40 and FJ55 models with both diesel and gasoline engines in 1978. The following year the U.S. models were revamped with a new wider, square bezel encasing the headlights. For the first time the FJ40 came with power steering and cooler. To make the SUV more 'freeway friendly' the gear ratios were updated from 4:10 to 3:70 in the U.S. In Japan the diesel engine was updated and evolved into the 3.2-liter 2B.

In an attempt to compete with the growing sport utility vehicle market the 4th generation 60 series was launched in 1980. Various creature comforts were added to the standard features list like an upgraded interior, a rear heater and air conditioning. The FJ40 retained its rugged off-road qualities, but adapted well to the changing economy. The engine lineup added six-cylinder 4.0-liter 2H and four cylinder 3.4-liter 3B diesel engines. 1980 was the end of HJ45 production. The BJ42/46 and BJ45 were introduced with a 3.4-liter four-cylinder diesel engine.

Land Cruiser sales peaked at over 1 million in 1981. A high-roof version was introduced, and the 60 was launched in South Africa when a stock Land Cruiser competed in rugged Botswana during the Toyota 1000km Desert Race. Added to the options list for '81 was power steering on the BJ models, and disk brakes added in Australia. The final year for the FJ40 would be 1984 as they were replaced by the J70 series.

In 1993 the Toyota Bandeirante received five-speed transmission. The following year in Brazil the Mercedes-Benz OM-364 engine was replaced by the Toyota 14B engine. 2001 would be the final year for the Bandeirante.

Over the years there have been numerous models of the FJ40. They include the FJ42, a 4x2 model that was only designed for The Middle East. The rare J43/J44/46, a two-door medium wheelbase four-wheel-drive SUV with a hardtop or soft top, eventually replaced in 1984 by the J70 series. The J40/41/42 was a two-door short wheelbase four-wheel-drive vehicle with either a soft or hardtop available with petrol or diesel engines. The J45/47 was a long-wheelbase four-wheel-drive model that was offered in two-door hardtop, three-door hardtop, two-door pickup and four-door station wagon models. The FJ45V-I, four-door station wagon was quickly replaced by the FJ55G/V in 1967. During the Iran-Iraq model a ZPU-2 set on a Toyota 40 series was used by the Iranian Army.

Built in Brazil by Toyota do Brasil Ltda from 1962 through 1966/68 was the Bandeirante TB25/TB41/TB51. These models were replaced in 1966 by the soft top OJ32 and hardtop OJ31 for the TB25 and the TB81 for the TB51. Until 1968 the TB41 would retain its J2 code when Toyota do Brasil replaced the J2 series with the J3 in 1966. J4 Series built in Brazil, the Bandeirante OJ40/OJ45 Series from 1968 through 1973, OJ50/OJ55 Series from 1973 through 1994 and BJ50/BJ55 Series from 1994 through 2001 were built by Toyota do Brasil Ltda. These models were nearly identical to the BJ40 in all respects except for a few stylistic differences found in the grille area and the Mercedes-Benz OM-314/OM-324/OM-364 diesel engines for most of their production life. Another major difference was found in the entire hind doors that were similar to Land Rover models rather than the standard Toyota two-wing hind doors at the Bandeirante's hardtop models.

Toyota opted to update the engines often in the J40 series. The H series uses a 6-cylinder diesel while the B series motor is a 4-cylinder diesel. In the U.S. the typical driver wasn't able to purchase the diesel-engine trucks, though a small amount ended up as mine trucks. Within the series the engines are similar, like the F and 2F engines that share many of the same parts, though the H and 2H engines have nearly nothing in common. There are individual models within the engine series however. Most J40 series SUV's could have their roofs and doors removed though this wasn't a legal option in some countries. A folding windshield gave the FJ40 a thoroughly open-air feel. Folding jump seats were behind the passenger and driver seats in the J40 Series with made room for another 2 passengers. This option allowed for maximum cargo space unlike the folding rear seat in the Jeep CJ series. Though later models received an optional electric winch, original factory winches were driven directly from the transfer case powered by the engine. This was known as P.T.O. or power take off.

Today the FJ Cruiser remains a very popular option for off-roading collectors. Replacement parts seem to be readily available through Toyota and Toyota parts departments worldwide. The Land Cruisers also make very dependable work trucks. The J70 Series is basically a J40 with a revised front half and slightly modified engine options, like a turbo charged diesel. Though it has never been available in the U.S., the diesel was available in many countries. Thanks to its exceptional off-road handling the Toyota Bandeirante continues to be a popular (though expensive) used vehicle in Brazil, despite production ending many years ago. The modern FJ Cruiser was launched in 2006 by Toyota and carried many style elements from the original FJ40.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Land_Cruiser_(J40)
http://betterparts.org/toyota/toyota-weitere-modelle/toyota-land-cruiser-fj40.html#.Upy2rmTXSUE
http://petesmedia.com/fj40/timeline.html

By Jessica Donaldson

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