1965 Toyota Land Cruiser - FJ45LV

1965 Toyota Land Cruiser

For Sale - 1965 FJ45LV
Here is a video of the truck - https://youtu.be/RA73J0wiJ7c
This vehicle is sold as is
The good:Extremely rare350 crate motor (installed with 3,000 miles on it)FJ62 4 speed and split casePower SteeringCustom 24 gallon fuel cellVintage Air installedPainless Wiring harnessRear disc brakesFront disc brakesFJ62 rear axleReproduction floorsCover of Toyota Trails Jan/Feb 2010-http://www.tlca.org/web/toyota-trailsBob Firestine frontcross memberCustom rear bumper holds spare and Jerry cansCustom slidersViair onboard air compressor with tankAn FL45LV, the same make and model, sold at the 2015 Mecum auction for $198,000 - https://www.mecum.com/lots/CA0815-219884/1967-toyota-fj-45lv-land-cruiser/These are highly sought after and maintain exceptional resale due to their rarity.Only 1,500 were ever imported to North America
The bad:The frame has been straightened after being hit on the passenger front. The accident resulted in a broken motor mount and will need to be fixed before this truck can be driven on the roads safely. The exhaust has been pinched under the motor and needs repaired. The floor pan is rust free but will also need to be re-welded along the door sills to be structurallysound. I tried to document the damage in the pictures above. All doors open and close; however, the passengerside will need additional work to square up the door frames. Feel free to ask me for any additional pictures and you are welcome to come inspect the vehicle in person.
History:

The Toyota Land Cruiser started out in January 1951 as the Toyota Jeep BJ. In September of 1955, the 20-series was created. There were ten variations available between the FJ20 to the FJ29. The FJ25 was the primary model sold to North America. It was the FJ25 that evolved into the FJ40 model we see today. The FJ40 and other models were built by Arakawa Bankin Kogyo, now ARACO Co., Ltd.

In 1956 a van body known as the FJ28v was introduced and the wheelbase was extended from 2,285mm (90.0in) to 2,430mm (95.8in). Toyota started the wagon series with a 2-door and a 4-door configuration, both were known as the FJ28va/FJ28lva. Between 1956 and 1960, 1,250 FJ28va and lva were produced. They were never exported to the North American market.

It was in 1954 when Gifu Body Co., Ltd. started working with Toyota motor sales. In 1960, Gifu Body produced the bodies for the wagons instead of Arakawa Bankin Kogyo. Gifu was responsible for the FJ45lv and possibly the FJ45v and earlier models starting in 1960. Manufacture of the wagon bodies by Gifu ended in 1967 when the FJ55 was taken over by ARACO. Gifu is still producing truck bodies today including the Mega Cruiser.

In September of 1960 the FJ35v and FJ35lv were created. This model looked a lot like the FJ45 wagons we know today but with one major exception. The front bib was exactly like the FJ25. Production of the FJ35 stopped in November of 1960 with only 60 produced. On a side note, the grill on this truck was made to look like an FJ35lv. You can mount a standard Land Cruiser bezel and put this one back to stock if desired.

There was an FJ43v produced from 1961 to 1963 and I have only seen one picture of it. The FJ43v was never sold in North America. The FJ43v was a 2-door version of the FJ45 wagon. The FJ43v has the same wheelbase as the FJ28v at 2,430mm (95.8in). I don't have any production numbers for this model.

At some point, the FJ45 wagons shared parts with the Toyopet Crown Wagon. These were produced from 1958 to 1964. The tailgate latch has a small metal cover held on by two screws. Under the cover is the Toypet name. The only difference is the Toyopet latch does not have the holes drilled for the cover plate. Another similar part is the taillights. Although the taillights have the same shape as the dimpled (cat eye) lenses found on 1963-64 FJ45 wagons, the mounting is different. The lens is attached to the light housing from the rear and the whole assembly is bolted to the car from behind.

The FJ45v and FJ45lv was produced from 1960 to 1967. The front end looks like an FJ40 but from the firewall back, the body is completely different. This is the most common 4-door wagon aside from the FJ55 and later models. The FJ45lv was sold in North America from 1963 to 1967.

I have only found two sources for the actual production numbers. Rick Donnelly reported that the total number of pre 1968 [FJ45] frames came in at 20,000 plus These frames ran from 10,001 to 29,000 plus. This number includes all pickup and wagon models worldwide. According to Rick, the North American population of 45 wagons included the earliest, a 1963 at 14,088 sold by TLC, and the last, a 1967 owned by Don Roht at 29,964.

The second source was published on Koji Komoto's website, www3.telus.net/fj45lv. His site shows the FJ45v and FJ45lv was produced from December 1960 to January 1967. The total number of 45v and 45lv models was 5,080 with about 1,500 exported to North America.

In 1967, the 45lv was replaced by the FJ55. The FJ55 4-door wagons is the only Land Cruiser respectfully known as the "Iron Pig". Some documentation shows the 55 being manufactured in 1967 but most report the sales between 1968 and 1980. The total number of "pigs" produced was 113,000.

There are a lot of great sites on the internet for Land Cruiser history as well as a few great books. When it comes to the FJ45v and FJ45lv, most of the information is rather vague. The information has been pieced together and, for now, is as accurate as possible.

Model	FJ25 Hard-top	FJ40V Hard-top	FJ28VA 2/4-door	FJ43 Soft-top	FJ43V 2-door	FJ35V 4-door	FJ45LV 4-door	FJ45P swb	FJ55 4-door	FJ45LPB lwb
weight	1,500kg 3,306lb	1.550kg 3,410lb	1,812kg 3,995lb	1,590kg 3,510lb	1,795kg 3,960lb	1,850kg 4,070lb	1,850kg 4,070lb	1,670kg 3,670lb	1,925kg 4,245lb	1,724kg 3,800lb
legnth	3,878mm 152.8in	3,870mm 152.4in	4,325mm 170.3in	4,215mm 165.9in	4,370mm 172.0in	4,615mm 181.8in	4,660mm 183.4in	4,535mm 178.2in	4,675mm 184.1in	4,986mm 196.3in
width	1,665mm 65.6in	1,665mm 65.6in	1,690mm 66.5in	1,665mm 65.6in	1,690mm 66.5in	1,710mm 67.4in	1,720mm 67.7in	1,665mm 65.6mm	1,735mm 68.3in	1,690mm 66.5in
height	1,850mm 72.5in	1,930mm 76.8in	1,860mm 73.2in	1,960mm 77.2in	1,835mm 72.2in	1,750mm 68.9in	1,770mm 69.7in	1,835mm 72.2in	1,865mm 73.4in	1,933mm 76.1in
wheelbase	2,285mm 90.0in	2,285mm 90.0in	2,430mm 95.8in	2,430mm 95.8in	2,430mm 95.8in	2,650mm 104.3in	2,650mm 104.3in	2,650mm 104.3in	2,700mm 106.3in	2,949mm 116.1in
produced		1.1M	1,250		200	60	5,080		113,000