Gearhead

The GOAT

A decade-long frame-off restomod of a 1968 FJ40 Land Cruiser — every bolt earned, every weld deliberate, every compromise refused.

1968 FJ40  ·  Frame-Off Restomod  ·  Est. 2017
The Story

How this started — and why it never stopped

My love for the FJ40 started in the fall of 1988 at age twelve — rattling through the Mojave Desert in the back of one, hitting my head on everything, and absolutely loving every second of it. A few years later it became the first off-road vehicle, the first vehicle I ever drove. Something about them stuck.

Years of naval service and international adventures followed, including an overland run from Darwin to Melbourne exclusively on dirt roads in the Northern Territory — behind the wheel of various Land Cruisers across thousands of miles. I finally got my own in 2017: a battered but running 1968 FJ40 that I planned to give a modest mechanical refresh. The truck had other plans.

Early teardown — engine compartment opened, taking stock of the project
2018 · Acquisition — A running but battered FJ40 starting to give up its secrets.

What started as a Stage II restoration quickly revealed itself as a full frame-off restomod. Beneath the green paint: excessive bondo masking untreated rust, shoddy wiring, a failed engine, damaged steering, and compromised axle assemblies. The deeper I dug, the more I found. So I committed. Every component stripped, inspected, rebuilt, or replaced. No shortcuts. No bondo.

All body panels removed and laid out across the garage
2018 · Disassembly — Every panel and component catalogued. No going back from here.

The build philosophy: keep the heart of the Land Cruiser Toyota. Upgrade where it makes sense — but without sacrificing what makes these trucks legends. The GOAT, Greatest Off-road All-terrain, is nearly ready to prove that out on the trail.

1968 FJ40 Frame-Off Restomod 2F Engine Holley Sniper EFI H41 4-Speed Orion Transfer Case ARB Lockers RCV Axles Hi-Steer 80:1 Crawl Ratio BFG M/T KM2 Sundune White
Keep the heart of the Land Cruiser Toyota. Upgrade where it makes sense — but without sacrificing what makes these trucks legends. The goal was never a show truck. The GOAT is a trail rig, built to earn every mile.
— Build Philosophy
Bare original frame stripped at a fabrication shop
2019 · Frame Work — Bare original frame at the fabrication shop.
Clean powder-coated frame on jack stands with rebuilt axles staged
2019 · Foundation — Restored, powder-coated frame back in the garage.
Under the Skin

What went into it

Every major system was stripped, inspected, and rebuilt or replaced. Nothing was bolted back on without earning its place.

ENGINE
Powertrain

Remanufactured 1978 2F

Block hot tanked, magnafluxed, decked, and line honed. Head remanufactured with upgraded valve springs. A custom camshaft was built for improved low-end torque, and a custom crankshaft profile increases stroke. The assembly was balanced to extend the power band, then finished with a Holley Sniper 2bbl EFI system, performance distributor, and custom exhaust.

Decommissioning the original drivetrain
Out With the Old — The original powertrain coming out for the last time.
Remanufactured 2F engine on an engine stand
In With the New — Reman 2F finished on the stand.
TRANS
Transmission & Transfer

H41 4-Speed + Orion 4:1 Twin Stick

A 1978 H41 transmission with a super-low 4.843:1 first gear was fully rebuilt. Paired with a custom-built 4:1 twin-stick transfer case. Together with the 4.10 ring and pinion and ARB lockers, the targeted crawl ratio is 80:1 — enough low-speed mechanical advantage for technical terrain without an aftermarket axle swap.

H41 transmission and Orion transfer case rebuild
Drivetrain — H41 4-speed and Orion 4:1 twin-stick on the bench.
AXLES
Axles, Differentials & Brakes

1978 Fine-Spline Assemblies — Rebuilt

Both 1978 axle assemblies fully rebuilt, providing stronger fine-spline shafts over the original coarse-spline units. The front received RCV premium axle shafts for added strength, mini-truck outers for improved brakes and larger steering knuckles. The rear received a disc brake conversion. Both assemblies carry 4.10 gears and ARB air lockers. Wheels blasted, powder coated, and wrapped in 35×12.5 BFG M/T KM2s.

Stock wheels stripped, blasted, and powder coated
2020 · Wheel Facelift — Stock wheels blasted and powder coated for KM2 rubber.
Hardware and fasteners catalogued during reassembly
2020 · Hardware — Every fastener earns its place. The thousand small details.
SUSP
Suspension & Steering

Spring-Under · Extended Wheelbase

Spring-under leaf configuration to honor the original design intent. Custom springs with the axles pushed two inches front and rear — extending the wheelbase for improved stability and approach/departure angles. Rear shackle mounts rotated 180 degrees, adding four inches of articulation travel with FJ55 rear springs. Extended shock towers welded in. A Saginaw-style power steering box with remote reservoir and a custom hi-steer system completes the package.

Custom suspension work — extended shock towers and shackle relocation
Suspension — Custom springs, extended wheelbase, FJ55 rear springs.
Saginaw power steering and custom hi-steer linkage
Steering — Saginaw-style power box and custom hi-steer system.
BODY
Body & Paint

T1276 Sundune White · DTM Mastic

Rust addressed at the rockers, door frames, lower sill, and firewall. Over a hundred holes patched. Rear wheel openings moved back 2.5 inches to center the tires after the axle push. New dash sheet metal with a custom center panel. Paint is single-stage PPG DTM Mastic — strong, abrasion-resistant, and repairable on the trail. Undercarriage coated in LizardSkin Sound Control and Thermal Barrier, then topcoated with body-color Raptor Liner.

Body panels under repair — patched and prepped, no filler
2020 · Body Work — Rust addressed, panels patched. No filler, no shortcuts.
Custom fabrication — sheet metal work and panel relocations
2022 · Fabrication — Custom dash sheet metal and rear-wheel-opening relocations.
Mock body assembly to verify clearances before paint
2021 · Test Fit — Mock assembly to validate every clearance before paint.
T1276 Sundune White single-stage paint applied
2022 · Paint — T1276 Sundune White, single-stage PPG DTM Mastic.
Painted body panels — strong, repairable, period-correct color
2022 · Paint — Strong, abrasion-resistant, repairable on the trail.
CABIN
Interior & Accessories

Functional Retro — No Compromises

Front buckets sourced from an FJ62 and restored in period-correct brown and tan upholstery with dense memory foam and seat heaters. A RetroSound digital media receiver with dash-mounted 3.5" speakers and custom roll cage corner boxes for 6×9s. Vintage Air Builder Series A/C, heat, and defrost. Aviation sun visors. Tuffy center console. RAM mount for GPS or tablet. Floors coated in LizardSkin and covered in durable outdoor carpet.

Cabin progress — early interior fit
Interior — Early-stage cabin fit.
Cabin nearing completion — period-correct trim
Interior — Period-correct fitments coming together.
Interior in progress — FJ62 buckets and period-correct trim
2021 · Interior — FJ62 buckets restored in period-correct brown and tan.
Cabin nearing completion with retro-functional fitments
2022 · Interior — Functional retro. Every detail considered.

What's Left

The finish line is close. Remaining items are final assembly — not rebuild work.

The GOAT — current state
Current — Wheels turning. Miles ahead.

"Keep the heart of the Land Cruiser Toyota."

That single sentence governed every decision in this build — engine selection, suspension geometry, cosmetic choices. When in doubt: what would the engineers who designed this truck recognize as honoring their intent?

The GOAT isn't a resto-pure build and it isn't an all-out race rig. It's a restomod in the truest sense: modern reliability and purpose-built capability wearing period-correct clothes. It will look like a 1968 FJ40. It will drive like something built to last another fifty years.