| Toyota is celebrating 60 years of the Land Cruiser this year, and it’s no secret that this will be commemorated by a trip from the top to the tip of New Zealand by celebrity Marc Ellis, driving a new Toyota FJ Cruiser – in fact we revealed it in our February issue. The FJ Cruiser is a modern interpretation of the iconic Land Cruiser FJ40, using the third generation Prado 120 series as its basis (the latest Prado is the J150). And this has led to another “behind the scenes” story, with the refurbishment of an FJ40 to pristine “better than new” condition, and its ultimate award as a prize to celebrate the trip. Toyota’s description of “60 years of Land Cruiser” is, however, not technically correct, for the Land Cruiser name was only officially adopted in 1954 after being created by the technical director Hanji Umehara in an attempt to give the vehicle, previously known only as the Toyota BJ, the same perception of ruggedness as Britain’s Land Rover. Which would mean it only hits 60 in 2014. However, the Jeep-like Toyota BJ prototype was developed in January 1951, and this had a part-time 4WD system but no low-range transfer case – although it had an extra-low first gear. Even so it still managed to climb higher up Mt Fuji in July of that year than any vehicle had before it. Regular production began two years later, and the inclusion of the name “Land Cruiser” a year later still. But who’s splitting hairs? After all, Jeep traces its antecedents back to 1941, but in fact the name as a product marque only started after WW2 in 1947 with the CJ models. In Australasia the Land Cruiser name became famous as a result of the Snowy River hydro-electric project in New South Wales. Land Cruisers were first imported into Australia in 1957 by B&D Motors as FJ25/28 cab chassis with Australian made bodies and a few were initially used in the hydro-electric scheme by sub-contractor Theiss Construction. So impressed with the performance of the vehicles was Sir Leslie Theiss that, using his own cash, he acquired the rights to import the Land Cruiser into Australia, and by the end of 1959 had 22 dealers. The rest is history. The 20-series was upgraded to the 40 series in 1960, and the FJ40 was born, complete with a low range transfer case, and it continued in production until 1984. Most 40 series Land Cruisers were built as two-door vehicles with slightly larger dimensions than a Jeep CJ. The subject of the restoration is a 1979 FJ40 bought by Toyota New Zealand. First up the vehicle was taken to Toyota’s workshops in Thames, on the Coromandel, where used vehicles which are to be refurbished to be sold under Toyota’s premium used Signature Class are processed. The facility also undertakes fitment of special equipment for Toyota Hilux utes and other models which are imported without it – such as air conditioning units, rollover bars, bullbars and so on. There’s something of a misconception about the Thames facility. Once Toyota’s assembly plant, it was almost gutted and refitted to turn it into the Signature facility, and in March 2009 was fitted out with an all-new paint facility which allows up to 20 vehicles a day to be processed. But it is not just a glorified panel shop, but goes way beyond that, since there is a comprehensive workshop where mechanical and suspension components are also repaired or replaced when necessary. Most of the vehicles processed are vehicles which have come from local car hire companies or fleets, with only a minority used imports. So it was a fitting place to send the FJ40 for expert refurbishment. First up the vehicle was stripped down in its entirety until it comprised a rolling chassis with engine and transmission, the basic body, and a big box of parts! All parts of the bodywork, including the central shell, the hardtop, windows and windscreen, mudguards, and the doors, were then stripped of all the old paint and rubbed down to the bare metal. Next up everything that needed to be painted was sent to the paint shop, with its full enclosed booths, where it was first primed, then received the requisite number of colour coats until it looked bright and shiny as a brand-new, out of the box vehicle. The paint was made up by PPG industries to Signature Class and industry standards, created to precisely match the original FJ40 mustard yellow. The team also took great care to ensure the film-build of the paint was correct to ensure good coverage and long-lasting durability. |
The entire chassis was stripped back to bare metal, painted, then rust proofed to make sure it met Signature Class specifications. A number of worn parts had to be removed and replaced, with about 40 man-hours to restore the chassis and suspension alone. From the ground up, everything was thoroughly checked, rust-proofed and repainted. What next?
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A good as new Land Cruiser FJ40
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
