A person spent years working on a Land Cruiser, turning a pile of parts into a custom-built FJ45, and the finished product is a great sight. The project combines a classic look with a modern engine and several upgrades designed to make it a great drive.
The work was shared on the r/projectcar subreddit and shows how much went into this kind of build. The poster also shared images and explained that this is probably the 15th Land Cruiser they’ve worked on.
They add that this build has been more of a passion project than the other builds they have done. The build is still going through its final shakedown, and the owner says there’s some tuning left to do.
It wasn’t a cheap or short project either. In the comments, the owner said it was a roughly $50,000 project and took about five years to make but didn’t really kick off until last January because of client builds.
A Modern Upgrade
One of my detailed builds to date. FJ45SWB
by
u/FUCKINGUPAGAIN in
projectcar
According to the post, the build is based on an FJ45 short bed and features a GM 5.3-liter V8 paired with a 4L60E automatic transmission. They also converted an FJ62 split case to manual shifting.
The truck has undergone multiple changes over the course of the build. The poster said they modified the firewall to accommodate their preferred brake and steering column setup, then shaved and smoothed it out. They also filled in the passenger-side blower motor opening.
They also said the truck has a Vintage Air system tucked behind the dashboard, with the air routed through the factory heater box. Other upgrades they included were Saginaw power steering, a shackle reversal, and 1980 FJ40 axles for front disc brakes and rear parking brake provisions.
The post explains that their intention with this project was not just to drop a modern engine into an old truck. They wanted to build something you could comfortably jump in and drive anywhere without losing what makes the truck special in the first place.
Users React to the Project
After seeing the post, many users went to the comments to congratulate the original poster on such an impressive build.
One commenter brought up a similar idea they once had for a 1960 Cadillac, which was originally supposed to be a father-and-son project. They explained that their father wanted to keep the original Cadillac, while they were more interested in giving it a modern drivetrain or putting the body on a newer chassis.
Another commenter simply asked about the overall cost of the project. The owner responded and said it was about $50,000 but clarified that the total didn’t include labor and that having plenty of spare parts available helped keep the cost down.
The poster says there is still work to do on the vehicle before they consider it finished, but they are still happy with how this one has come together.