I Bought The Cheapest (& Worst) Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 In The Country & It STILL Rocked Off-Road! 

Rebuild the original engine, don’t LS swap it, even though I’m a huge LS fan. Put new tires, suspension and odds and ends that it needs. Don’t reinvent the wheel on this one, just fix what’s wrong and keep it close to original as your able to. The value will grow as long as you keep it original and don’t screw with adding the latest junk on it.

Buying Tumbleweed has been the best decision Roman Micah has made of late. Every Tumbleweed video is fun.

$8k is a deal! I have a 74 fj40 so I’m excited to see what you guys do with this machine. You’ll find the community with these Land Cruisers is amazing. Excited for the content!

All you need to do is put EFI on it, repair the suspension, and add a rear locker. The patina is great and those rims are just perfect

Reminds me of years 4-wheeling with friend who had an FJ40. A couple of things--you can't drive them "easy" through mud, etc.--they are too heavy and, with open diffs, will get stuck every time. Unlike most any other current 4WD, one has to hit such stuff with some momentum, confident that there is just about nothing that will break on the FJ40. Another FJ40 oddity that most people don't know--its crawl ratio in first gear low range is only about 25:1. It can still perform well with that "meek" of a crawl ratio because the Toyota straight six (a Japanese metric knockoff of the old Chevrolet "stovebolt" straight six from the 1940s-1950s) has such massive low RPM torque. You also see the main running pitfall of the 1973+ FJ40--fuel system issues with emission strangled engine. The earlier FJ40s did not have those issues, but also only came with a 3-speed column shift manual transmission. There was also no way to ride comfortably in them. My friend finally sold his FJ40 when he started having lower back problems, partly from how awful the FJ rode.

FJ 40 vs FJ cruiser video comparison and off road challenge between the 2 vehicles please. The ultimate old vs new.

As someone said, dont swap the engine. fix everything, maybe lift it a little bit, put better tires and add lockers and it will be golden

My favorite vehicle you’ve tested so far! Well maybe a tie with Tommys Jeep, but those two are so simple and classic.

I'm glad you flipped the bezel. We FJ40 guys are a bit obsessive about that! Seriously $8K for that rig is a good deal. Sure it needs a lot TLC but it's a worthwhile investment. I love my '69 and it was in worse shape when I bought it several years ago for $2K. It's value has increased more than tenfold now!

The classics channel to me is the most entertaining of all TLF channel. By far. Always enjoyed this episodes

You can't have thus much fun on a brand new vehicle.!

Doing a 2UZ-FE + H42 + FJ80 steering box + SOA conversion + lockers in my 65. I love 40 series Cruisers.

lots of very spontaneous fun and enjoyable content! looking forward to what you guys do with this old land cruiser! wondering what happened to the old Peugeot too, cant seem to find any more episodes

I’ll say rebuild the 2F and if posible get rid of the emissions stuff that are choking it. The straight 6 give you all its torque at 1200RPM it’s basically a diesel in that regard. Besides if you swap the engine that would tank it’s value when you decide to sell it. 2” lift from Old Emu suspension, locker in the rear and that car it’s as capable as most 4wd out there.

finding fuel in the oilpan is usually a sign of a bad fuel pump diaphragm.

You woulda made that hard left w/o reverse. Cool fj, doesn’t need wheels imo.

OK this is the best TFL episode ever!!! At 14 I had a summer job washing cars at a Toyota Datsun Volvo Fiat Dealership washing cars and we had these, all we had were tan with the white tops!

Great content as always.Thanks for sharing and taking us along

Super fun video. I hope you guys do a full restoration to the FJ. Such an icon 👍

I love the old Land Cruisers. When I was a teenager, I used to go visit my father on base, and one of the head mechanics had three personal vehicles. An old U.S. military Toyota Land Cruiser that he brought back from Japan, an old U.S. military Dodge Power Wagon, and an old U.S. military Jeep Gladiator. All three of his vehicles were do anything go anywhere.

This brought back fond memories for me. We bought a 1975 FJ demo in 1976. Great machine for off road. Very tough. We honeymooned in it. FYI, a thick foam mattress fits perfectly between the roll bar and the roof. The half moon back bumpers were torn off shortly after I bought it. It performed way better with no rear bumper. It was rough riding, rattled, you could throw a cat through the gaps in the doors, not safe over 60 mph, small gas tank under the passenger seat, so in the winter you had to carry a jug of alcohol to pour in with every fill, which was often because it got about 9mpg in the winter. The heater was a joke. We came home for Christmas in -40 temperature dressed in Skidoo suits, Pac boots, Mittens, both us armed with a scraper to keep the windshield clear. Traded it on a Chevy pickup. Thought we'd died and gone to Heaven. Warm and comfortable. Sure miss the FJ though.

Perfect vehicle to do a restomod series! Bumpers were the most limiting factor, other than having aprox 30hp in current form.

Please please restore it.. these toyotas run for ever

It’s hard to keep track which TFL channel the taming tumbleweed series lands on. I’d like to see them all in a playlist in a single channel. Good video!

I had a 1979 with the diesel, had 17 inch split rims and double crosslink tire chains, and a warn winch on the front the extra heater, just back of the front seats. Used it on many winter cougar hunts, and spring bear. Unbelievable where that thing would go. I sold it when a rock flew off the back tire and rattled around in the cab. I could not believe the rust once I started to look. Lol

I learnt to drive and off-road as a 15 year old in a 1970 three speed manual (floor shift here in Australia) FJ40 my Father had. We did a lot of miles and went many different places and it never let us down or broke anything. The whole top half rear section (including windows) and fibreglass roof can be easily unbolted and removed, which is what we used to do for summer open air driving. I suspect your engine has some broken piston rings or possibly even a cracked piston.

I had the diesel version of this years ago when they were new It was brilliant and would go anywhere Decent suspension and some attention to the engine and she will sing! Looking forward to seeing it again

Definitely needs a 2.8 or 4BT Cummins. Tractor motor for a LC that worshipped along side the tractors. Can’t wait to see what you do with it.

Hilarious fun, love the Tumbleweed Ranch videos! I think it would be cool to just go through and rebuild the engine. I would imagine that would be good for resale value to have the original engine.

Love the old Yoto, can't wait to see what you guy's do with it. Even if it's nothing but clean it up. Looks like y'all had alot of fun trying it out.

Best fun I ever had four wheeling was in a 74 CJ5 before I fixed it up. Did a body off restoration and it took me about 2 years before I felt comfortable thrashing it in the woods. Best to leave the body as is and just upgrade the guts. And have a blast.

With good tire's and lifted suspension and maybe a locker would make that truck brilliant and I would swap it out with the factory diesel engine would make it less complex and more reliable

Love you guys bringing David in on camera more!

I just drove a mint one of these today... So much fun! Was a tractor to drive around town but the looks and thumbs up's I got were amazing...

Love the FJ 40! My parents bought a brand new FJ55 LAND Cruiser wagon in 1970. It was awesome. It would go anywhere and routinely pulled out all of my friends Dad’s Chevy’s, Fords,Jeeps etc. I learned how to drive in it out in the desert when I was 7yo. My Dad duct taped wooden blocks to the pedals so I could reach them! Wish I had it now!

3.0 eco diesel,lockers front and rear and 33” ko’2’s and take those scabbed together make shift bumpers off.

Great find! Thanks for the content fellas! I had a 76. Keep it Toyota!

Hopefully the original engine is rebuildable 🤞🏻

I owned a 1972 FJ40 and remembered taking it up the emerald lakes trail back in the 1980s, then hiking over the summit and camped for a week at the bottom and fishing for trout every day. Who knew that those trips would end up being some of the best experiences of my life. I think this is why so many people love off-roading, especially in my home state of Colorado.

I'd like to see it made road capable again. Engine and suspension and tires. I thought about the old ford watching this. Whatever happened to it? Weren't you going to convert it to electric?

Not sure about these new Kinetic straps but we used to have to keep them clean and dry after use to prevent deterioration. Hose them clean and hang dry. The ones we didn't keep maintain snapped under load.

Love the format of this video

Wow you just bought a gem for that price, as rough as it is you could sell it as is now for double. The Chevy 350 is the cheapest and fastest engine swap to do, but I would send out the original motor and have it rebuilt so it could be reinstalled at a later time (having that motor in adds a lot of resell value). I would also recommend removing the top and doors for running this ranch, they are getting harder to find and replace, so you don't want to smash it into a tree.

I grew up with two fj40's in Idaho. still have them to this day. they still fire up and run like hell.

I love this video. Have a '74 myself. super fun basic 4x4

Vintage little beast. I can picture monks driving it wearing orange robes. Cool vehicle and great video.

I miss my 1983 BJ46 . We used to install a double parking brake because locker were to expensive , one parking brake per rear wheel so you had to pull slightly on the brake on the spinning wheel to give traction to stuck wheel , and it also help on making sharp turn .

Omg I love it. My Grandpa had one while I was a kid. Good old memories.

Bored and new pistons is all the engine needs, then a weber 38/38 on it, air pump delete and some selectable lockers, lower axle gears and slightly larger tires(with really low psi for ride comfort offroad). This thing is too perfect to seriously modify.

Great video and sweet rig!

I can’t wait to see what you guys do with this Land Cruiser.

keep it original...but make it as good as you can...it looks great!

This was just fun to watch.. I love land cruisers

lots of fj40 in Indonesia being cut and swab a 14bt diesel angine or a cherokee xj engine , and its called the tubular fj40

I hope we all will be able to do such hard exercises when become as elder as this car. The Legend.

I love how @14:18 he says he loves the suspension and immediately screams of back pain from a horrible suspension 😂😂👍

hope to see>full resto bar the patina and adding the right gear for offorad capability; tires, suspension, locker(s)at high altitude4x4

Love how this spine shattering machine sounds like it has a Briggs & Stratton Lawnmower engine in it

Best damn 4x4 ever. My folks bought a brand new 1970 Landcruiser and I drove the crap out of it in Montana............loved every minute with it.

Amazing how much better the dynamic rope worked.

I had a few sets of those BFG All Terrain tires, back in the day.

Very cool!!! Was hoping it was David's . Doesn't look like front lockers are working if it has it.

That is a gem of a find. Lets see what you do to it.

Best video ever! That was fun to watch, and I’m a Jeep guy!

Engine swap options 6.7 cummins 2jz from supra V12 from ferrari 3.0 diesel from hilux 5.0 from mustang Or wankel Or just Restore it with new tires, new seats

If this doesn’t scream build series I don’t know what does. Before and after off roaring on the ranch. Put 33s new suspension locker fix motor.

A bike shop owner had one of these when i was a kid in the 80s i bumped into him recently as he was loadin up his shopping in the same landcruiser it was scruffy and unrestored and had plywood for side windows and trailer tail lights but was still a daily driver .

Great video Tommy and David that was funny. I enjoyed watching your slap stick Comedy show. Can’t wait for the next show. Stay safe ✌️

small cummins in that would be the way to go.

The Cummins 2.8 diesel would be perfect for a little truck like this. The purity crowd is pretty strong when it comes to these old Toyotas so a rebuild would be nice but it would still be a tractor.

Growing up on a ranch in Arizona our Toyota Landcruisers a FJ 40&55 are the toughest trucks on the ranch. They go anywhere. You were really lucky to find on at the price you paid

I knew a monk from St Benedict's. I recall him talking about this Land Cruiser over lunch one day. Restore it. Not to pristine condition but more than usable. I think Fr William would like that.

You are correct that is not an oil bath filter but it is a K&N filter which uses, guess what? Oil! Glad to see you put the headlight bezel on correctly.

guys, i had a shorty for 17yrs and would have one again any day. I rebuilt the F engine and added a small torque cam, bumped the compression to nearly 10-1 and ran a 350cfm holly with the spring loaded float for the hilly stuff. I had it as a forestry rig to get me and my gear to the logging sites in NW Aust and it never let me down. I used the std 750/16 rims and put some good lug tyres on and they worked great, she was a bit rough on the highway but honest as the day was long.

Mine 1979 bj40...a diesel version ...I swap the engine to a 4101cc 15b NA...it performed brilliantly

👏👏👏to you guys out having some fun on a budget

You need to find a Canadian Army Iltis. Our version of the jeep in the 80's. Small full time 4wd. Be fun to see

Growing up our family used to take these 40s wheeling all the time. We had some fj40s (gas) and bj40s (diesel), they are a ton of fun and super overbuilt. Ls would be the most practical and fun swap, lots of power all over the curve, no carb to burp or stall, much lighter than the stock LC engine and actually better mpg. 2.8 or 4bt would also be cool, but probably more difficult/expensive. Power would be okay(depends on tuning) but narrower curve relative to a gasser. 6bt would make it too nose heavy and too much torque for stock drivetrain. Look forward to more content on this rig, 40s are awesome!

4.3 chevy v6-triple the horsepower and take 200 pounds out of the front end. I'd leave the body as it is.The patina is perfect!

I would love that FJ. Got me thinking now about a hobby vehicle. Thanks.😮‍💨

Hands down coolest ride on the channel

I have a 350 in mine, and it’s a beautiful match, but there is a lot to be said for keeping it original. I say rebuild that old F engine, throw a locker in it, pull of that rear trailer hitch, and never look back.

Can wait to see you guys fix this up to be awesome 4x4

Best Buy in the show so far guys, congratulations!

That old paint can sometimes buff out really nice!

Drove an Fj40 for a couple of weeks in Mexico and have much respect for them , still like my CJ5 but I am a Jeep head .

I used to work at a 4wd shop in Boulder we did sbc conversions on fj40s they are tanks

i have an old fj40 land cruiser up at my colorado mountain cabin. shits rusted out asf, broken windows, hasnt been turned on in prolly a few years. things crazy

Considering the poor state of everything on the fj it performed well. I'm currently restoring a bj40 here in Australia

This was my family's car when I was a kid. But ours was mustard yellow with some much wider tires on it. I learnt to drive in it in the Australian outback and desert. Great truck, turning circle in the SWB is the best. Wish I still had it.

Not bad for open diffs. With some lockers these things are unstoppable.

I want to see if a good crankcase cleaner will improve the engine blow by. I recommend BG products. I have yet to buy my own pressurized intake cleaner system, but I want to.

Everything you think needs fixed is kinda how they weee new as well. Hard to realize that much of this was normal for 1970s and 80s land cruisers. When i bought my 60 new in 1987 it pretty much rode and drive like this. They were built to do hard work, not comfort.

Fix that thing and put km3's on it and drive it love it it's awesome Roman and Tommy

Would love to know what the date code is on those tires 😁 Pretty cool project guys!

Love how the old guy drives the old rig!

I asked myself the same thing about 5 trucks ago. Why did I sell that truck? I loved it. I always wanted an FJ40 too. Very cool.

David is a hoot!!

Had one here in brazil. But here whe have the truck engine Mercedes OM-314 as the OM-324, and OM-364 from 3.4 to 3.7 diesel, around 70/90hp and 25kgfm. They’re pretty strong, we call it Toyota Bandeirante. That was a hard vehicle to daily, so i change it in the Troller T4 3.0 Diesel made in Brazil

Let me say this succinctly; I’m jealous…Happy you get to have a tremendous amount of fun, but jealous I’m not in the middle of it! My dad had a BJ-40 when we lived in Panama and it was great, great fun! Here’s to more fun! 🍻