Its been a long time coming. But since moving into a bigger place means more space for projects. Ashley doesn't see it the same way on some days, but with time I can always find a use for the crap I bring home. This Mustard Yellow 1977 Toyota FJ40 was no exception. I have had my eye out for one, but living on such a small island doesn't usually come up with results. My friend Mel told me she had known a guys who left one here, sitting in a field, left to be slowly eaten by the elements. We managed to track the owner down and he was willing to let it go for ten crisp one hundred dollar bills! I ran home and grabbed the cash with one rule put down by my wife, if it don't run then don't bring it home. With her words of warning, I set off down the road to find it. I thought it was too good to be true until I set my eyes on her. As you will see below, the years have been harsh on her, plenty of rust and rot due to our tiny island being wrapped in salt air and rain. The property owner told me that once it crossed the bridge off his property that it would not be allowed to re enter. We turned the engine over a few times and it didn't look good, but they reassured me that it had just been sitting and ran perfectly. A couple minutes later and bang! We had a perfectly running 1977 FJ40 running smooth. There is something special about finding a diamond in the rough like this, maybe its the allure of what life might of been like driving it off the lot back in the seventies, or maybe its just the pure simplicity of how simple these old cars were built. Its been about ten months since I purchased this Landcruiser, I've learned how to change wheel bearings, radiators, ignition systems and so much more. The images below are from our first ride in the sand, Ashley can even drive stick now! Enjoy what it looked like in the start, and say hello if you see her driving down the road tomorrow! Aloha. Thanks to your friends at Slowtide for perfectly matching towel as well.
