Stock Survivor 1981 USA FJ40 Soft Top Original Paint - 80500 Miles

1981 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Description

The Elusive Survivor!

We've all seen beautifully restored classic automobiles. The body comes off, the enginecomes out, the interior is redone and every part of the vehicle is evaluated, refurbished orreplaced before reassembly. These efforts come with descriptions like "no expense spared"and "better than new". The end results can be visually stunning and financially staggering!

Then there's that "other" genre of classic automobiles. They have the mystique and magicof objects that time has somehow forgotten. You won't hear about the extensive restoration,it hasn't occurred. Like an enigma that has somehow turned back the hands of time,lovingly cared for or, in some cases, sparingly reserved for special occasions.

"Survivors"appear to be experiencing a new found appreciationamong auto enthusiasts. Survivors may not be perfect, yetthat is, in many cases, what makes them perfect. They havetranscended the boundary of time and escaped an onslaughtof use and abuse. Where the others have failed, they havesomehow prevailed. Their owners may have taken them outof the game early or perhaps just had the wisdom to maintain, appreciate and protect whatthe manufacturer designed and built so many years ago. This is a rare occurrence,especially when it comes to rugged utilitarian vehicles that were meant for work!

1981 Cygnus White FJ40 Survivor.

Built in April of 1981, she is still wearing her original paint on the tub with dealerapplied pinstripe. When I found this FJ40 in 2013, it had been in storage for 5 years and owned by the same family since 2005. The truck originally came from AZ and it's 99.9% rust free. I say that only because 100% rust free survivors do not really exist. There are plenty of high-res photos if you click on the link below.

Somehow over the years, the hardtop and doors went missing. The truck had soft doors and a bikini top in 2013. Early this year, her owner added OEM hard doors and a factory style soft topgiving her the perfect combination for open aircruising without sacrificing protection against Mother Nature.

The hard doors have been repainted. Factory style soft top and hard doors come installed on the the Land Cruiser plus you get an extra set of half doors and a tailgate panel in either black or diamond plate, your choice!

This truck is just a pleasure to drive and recently made thejourney from Iowa to Idaho without issue so she's very reliable! The original 2F engine has very good power and the truck runs and handles among the best of them! She’s close tostock with a few exceptions like the wheels, signal lightguardsand newer upholstery in front. The jump seats retain their original upholstery, the original front mat, seat surrounds, rear mat, original radio, original toolkit and owners manual are all there. The cargo area floor in back was painted (not lined) in gloss black long ago. She has her original 2F inline 6 cylinder, tall3.70 gears and factory emissions. The fan clutch was replaced this year. If you want a fun truck with a high degree or originality, here’s avery nice one!

Click here to see several PHOTOS of this 1981 Land Cruiser

Click here to see VIDEO of this 1981 Land Cruiser

Contact me at (515) 864-1275 or e-mail overton@aol.com

This1981 FJ40 is being offered on consignment byLand Cruiser Nation

FJ40 Evolution Overview

Let me offer a brief overview of why 1981-1983 FJ40's outshine early trucks. Besides the fact that there are very few of these FJ40’s available, any truck produced at 8/80 has all the upgrades that make it the best all around Land Cruiser Toyota ever built, and the most coveted.

These enhancements were evolutionary. Early FJ40's had the 1F engine, 3-speed transmissions, bench seats, no roll bars, etc. By 1974/75 the trucks received a make over with 4-speed manual transmission, larger 2F engine, bucket seats, roll bar and ambulance doors in the rear. In 1976, USA trucks saw the upgrade to front disc brakes with four-piston calipers. 1977 added the fold out windows in the rear and the more modern tubular spare tire carrier.

By 1979, Toyota went to 3:70 gears, which gave the FJ40 better highway speed than earlier 4:11 gear ratio models. The fuel tank was relocated from under the passenger seat to a safer location underneath the vehicle that allowed for an increased from 16 to 21.6 gallons and the odometer was upgraded from five digits to six-digits.The seats became reclining, the jump seats were given metal U-shaped legs for added support. The cabin courtesy light came on when the doors are opened. The center console, which was a simple metal and then plastic box, was upgraded with an ashtray and integrated rear heater.

Then in August of 1980 we saw the change to the split transfer case and updated four-speed transmission, which was considerably smoother and quieter than it’s predecessor. The emergency brake design was updated using cables to actuate the rear drum brakes vs. the earlier models, which deployed a drum that sat behind the transfer case and was problematic and less efficient.The steering wheel was re-designed to a more modern look.