Stealth restoration

1982 FJ40 gets re-muscled

Who loves Toyota’s 40-series cruiser? Lots of people. A restored 40? Mint. But wait, there’s more: a Chevy heart of steel lurks under the bonnet.

That old saying ’less is more’ does not apply.

Often, updating the power plant of an older 4WD also brings tweaks, tell-tale signs that all is not as it was. Until it fires up, Legacy Overland’s Toyota Land Cruiser appears to be simply a nicely restored classic ‘Cruiser. Decent tyres, stock-looking rims (with hubcaps), aftermarket shock absorbers.

But this classic Japanese 4x4 has had a heart transplant

Lurking beneath this ’82 FJ40’s period-correct bodywork is a brand-new General Motors 5.7L V8 ‘crate’ engine and 700R4 four-speed automatic gearbox.

Other mechanical upgrades include disc brakes all-round, power steering, Old Man Emu leaf springs and suspension components, Terrain Tamer gas shocks, custom-built fuel tank and those beefier BF Goodrich Mud Terrain tyres wrapped around 16-inch OEM rims.

The truck still looks almost exactly like it did when it was new, almost 40 years ago. Land Cruiser experts will of course spot the differences from a mile away, but would assume it was a simple resto job.

Inside it’s a bit more obvious that this is no standard FJ40, but not by much. The front seats are original but retrimmed in vegan-friendly leather, there’s a modern stereo camouflaged as an old one (it’s the speakers that give the game away), and a slim auxiliary air-conditioning unit under the dash. It’s even got the original steering wheel, which is a nice touch.

The exterior has been repainted in Toyota’s Desert Storm Sand colour and tastefully enhanced with LED headlamps, rear utility lamp, and jerry can painted in the colour of the car.