After the 2000GT, the second-most valuable vintage Toyota is not a car at all, but one of the original SUVs, the FJ40 Land Cruiser. Most wouldn’t buy a Land Cruiser unless the intent was to either go off into the great unpaved wilderness or preparation for a zombie pandemic, and workhorses are usually thrashed until the last limp. Then it’s off to the great glue factory/recycling yard in the sky, making any rust free and un-dinged examples rather difficult to come across.
The Toyota J40 is the model designation for a Toyota Land Cruiser 40 series made from 1960 until 1984 (in Brazil, where it was known as the Toyota Bandeirante, it was made from 1958 until 2001). Most 40 series Land Cruisers were built as two-door vehicles with slightly larger dimensions than a Jeep CJ.
The model was available as the FJ40 series (with F engines) and also BJ40/41/42 (short wheelbase), BJ43/44/46 (middle wheelbase) or HJ45/47 (long wheelbase) designation where it had a Diesel engine. The Land Cruisers built in Brazil from 1958 to 1962 received the series code FJ25 (topless) and FJ25L (soft top) but are often referred to as FJ-251, and in 1961 thanks to a new motor called 2F - not to be confounded with the later 2F engine from 1975 - there still came out some few units with the series code FJ-151L (soft top). With the model name changed to Bandeirante after 1961, those built from 1962 to 1993 - with Mercedes-Benz engines - received OJ50/55 series and those built from 1994 to 2001 - with Toyota engines - BJ50/55 series model codes.
References to the series in this article will be to the J40 series unless referring to one of the petrol (FJ40/42 – 2WD) or diesel (BJ40/HJ40) models specifically.
Models
- The J40/41/42 was a two-door short wheelbase four-wheel-drive vehicle, with either a soft or a hardtop (V). It was available with various petrol or diesel (from 1974) engines over its lifetime. It was replaced on most markets from 1984 by the J70 series (70/71).
- The FJ42 is 4X2 model, for only The Middle East.
- The J43/J44/46 was an extremely rare two-door medium wheelbase four-wheel-drive vehicle, with either a soft or a hard-top (V). It was replaced on most markets from 1984 by the J70 series (73/74).
- The J45/47 was a long-wheelbase four-wheel-drive vehicle, available in two-door hardtop, three-door hardtop, four-door station wagon and two-door pickup models. The four-door station wagon model (FJ45V-I) was the shortest-lived of the J40 series, as it was replaced by the FJ55G/V in 1967.
- The Bandeirante TB25/TB41/TB51 Series are J2 series built in Brazil by Toyota do Brasil Ltda from 1962 to 1966/68. In 1966 they were replaced by the OJ32 (soft top) and OJ31 (hard top) for the TB25, and the TB81 for the TB51; for an unknown reason the TB41 would keep its J2 code until 1968 when Toyota do Brasil switched from the J2 to the J3 series in 1966.
- The FJ42 is 4X2 model, for only The Middle East.
Engines
Over the years Toyota has changed the engines used in the J40 series. The B series motor is a 4-cylinder diesel, and the H series a 6-cylinder diesel. The diesel-engined trucks were never sold to the general public in the USA, though some found their way in as mine trucks. The engines are similar, within the series. For example, the F and 2F engines share many of the same parts. However the H and 2H engines have almost nothing in common. There are individual models within the engine series, for example, there is an F125 engine, and an F155 engine, all in the F series with different power ratings. Here is a list of some of them (the power and torque figures may vary depending on the market):
| Engine | Capacity (l) | Power (hp) | Torque | Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | 3.8 | 105/125 | 189 lb·ft (256 N·m)/209 lb·ft (283 N·m) | 1960–1975 |
| 2F | 4.2 | 135 | 210 lb·ft (285 N·m) | 1975–1984 |
| Engine | Capacity (l) | Power (hp) | Torque | Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | 3.0 | 85 | 141 lb·ft (191 N·m) | 1974–1979 |
| 2B | 3.2 | 93 | 159 lb·ft (216 N·m) | 1979–1981 |
| 3B | 3.4 | 98 | 167 lb·ft (226 N·m) | 1979–1984 |
| H | 3.6 | 90 | 151 lb·ft (205 N·m) | 1972–1980 |
| 2H | 4.0 | 105 | 177 lb·ft (240 N·m) | 1980–1984 |
| OM324 | 3.4 | 78 | 193 lb·ft (262 N·m) | 1961–1973 (Bandeirante) |
| OM314 | 3.8 | 85 | 235 lb·ft (319 N·m) | 1973–1989 (Bandeirante) |
| OM364 | 4.0 | 90 | 235 lb·ft (319 N·m) | 1989–1994 (Bandeirante) |
| 14B | 3.7 | 96 | 177 lb·ft (240 N·m) | 1994–2001 (Bandeirante) |
Features
- While not legal in some countries, most J40 series vehicles could have their roof and doors removed. With a folding windshield this allowed for complete open-air experience.
- The J40 Series also featured folding jump seats behind the passenger and drivers seats. These folding seats not only made carrying another 2 passengers possible, but also allowed for maximum cargo space, as opposed to the folding rear seat in the Jeep CJ series.
- Original factory winches were driven directly from the transfer case (known as P.T.O. or power take off) powered by the engine. Later models had an optional electric winch.
