Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “If I knew then what I know now…”? That one hits me pretty often after 28 years in this business.
I started Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers as a side hobby back in about 1999 while I was still teaching elementary school. Ran the shop part-time with a buddy at first, then a couple employees. None of us were experts, we were just deeply passionate about Land Cruisers and willing to bust our asses to do right by them. The work was decent, and we earned a solid reputation early on.
The business grew fast. Eventually I had to choose between teaching and the shop full-time. I went all in sometime in the early 2000s, moved to a bigger facility, hired more people, and kept pushing. We brought on smart, motivated guys who loved these trucks as much as I did, but none of us had formal training in running a high-end restoration shop or managing a growing business. We just wanted to be the best, so we figured it out the hard way, project after project.
Here’s the important part: back then the entire Land Cruiser restoration world was still in its infancy. There were only a handful of shops doing this work. The money customers were putting into these trucks was a fraction of what we see today, and nobody was building them to the level we do now. It wasn’t hard to stand out because the bar was a lot lower industry-wide. We earned our reputation fair and square, but looking back, our quality then, while good for the time, was nowhere near where we are today.
We’ve refined our systems, our processes, our team, and our standards through decades of trial, error, and honest reflection (Hansei). Today we’re operating at an extremely high level, and I believe we’ve earned our spot as one of the top Land Cruiser shops in the country—maybe the top. That didn’t happen by accident. We are still learning and improving, but the quality improvements that we are making now are very small. Our technicians and the systems they operate under are very refined. There is always room to go up (Toyota calls it “True North”), but we are close enough to the top now that the steps are getting pretty small.
Which brings me to the reason for this post.
Recently a customer bought one of our older builds, about 15 years old, from a previous owner. He reached out, frustrated with the quality of the wiring. I get it. When these trucks come back on the market, people often assume (or are led to believe) they represent our current standard of workmanship. That’s not always the case. And, of course a lot of things could have happened to the vehicle in that 15 years.
That particular truck was built during a transitional period when we were part of a larger operation with two locations. We were still doing strong work, but the reality is that every build depends heavily on the specific technicians involved, fabrication, mechanical, bodywork, paint, assembly. Even with good people, personal styles, experience levels, and methods vary. Small differences add up.
The truth is, the level of refinement, fit and finish, durability, and attention to detail we deliver now is significantly higher than it was 15–20 years ago. We’ve closed a lot of gaps that we didn’t even know existed back then. Every business that is succeeding has gone through the same evolution.
If you’re looking at one of our older projects for sale, know this: It was built with the knowledge and capabilities we had at the time. Many of them are still solid, dependable trucks that have served their owners well for years. But they aren’t finished to our current standards. The numbers reflect this too. Back then our time investment into each project was 400-500 hours and the client’s investment was reflective of that. Our full restorations today take 1200 to 3000 hours (sometime even more) and of course the financial investment follows suit.
We stand behind our work—always have. If you have questions about a past build or you’re considering a new project with us, reach out directly. We’ll be transparent about what you’re getting.
These days, when we turn out a Stage 2 or Stage 3 restoration, it’s a different league. That’s what our reputation is built on now, and it’s what we deliver on every new truck that leaves the shop.
Thanks for riding along with us on this long road. We’re proud of where we’ve gotten, and we’re even more excited about what’s ahead.
— Jeremiah Proffitt