Does This Land Cruiser Make Me Look Old?

Over the 20 years we’ve been building and restoring Toyota Land Cruisers, I’ve noticed a shift in demand for the types of Cruisers we restore. Early on, and really even for the entire first decade, our primary client base consisted of people who wanted FJ40s, often highly modified ones. The capability and styling of the all of the 40 series models are timeless and appealing to almost everyone. All of my first Land Cruisers were FJ40s too, I had several, all purpose built for some kind of adventure or another, and I thought I was really cool when I was driving one of them. Oh sure, there was that grandpa style wagon Land Cruiser out there, the FJ60, but we didn’t pay much attention to those. They came through the shop for this and that occasionally, but just for small things, we didn’t take them too seriously. But then something happened, I experienced a shift. Maybe because my personal life started changing, family, longer distance travel, and more made that old grandpa wagon start to look more appealing. I could drive something with AC? and good heat? The windshield would actually defrost in the winter? Passengers could get in and out without me opening the back doors and hatch for them? What a difference! All of these things seemed very sophisticated compared to the 40s I had been driving. I started to think of the FJ60 and the FJ62 as something I’d like to get in to!

And it wasn’t just me. We started getting more and more inquires into FJ60 and FJ62 restorations and resto-mods. Then we started booking more of them. Slowly, the 60 series started to occupy about a quarter of our build schedule, and then half of it, and now, sometimes, more than half. We, The Land Cruiser enthusiast market, and myself, had all matured into the grandpa wagon. Unthinkable 20 years ago, but now very very cool. I have several 60 series Land Cruisers in my personal stable now, and I think I’m very cool when I’m driving one of them 🙂

Lately, our 60 series restorations are some of my favorites. I love doing full Stage 3 Body-Off restorations on them. It’s so satisfying to see them in perfect condition inside, outside, and underneath. They have so much to offer, and we have a full menu of options and upgrades to make them even better.

Please take time to enjoy our 2 latest 60 series Land Cruiser Stage 3 resto-mods attached to this email. They are the best builds you will find anywhere. The first is an FJ60 built for a client in California and featured at SEMA 2022. It’s got a GM LS3 E-Rod V8, coupled to a Toyota 5 speed transmission. Other features are our custom 16” 60 series wheels, PRLC sliders, Emu Wing rear windows, and more. The second is another FJ60 that borrowed its colors from an FJ62. It is also an all out stage 3 restoration, where virtually every part of the vehicle is rebuilt or restored. It has my favorite drivetrain, a Cummins R2.8 Turbo diesel and an 8 speed automatic transmission. It also features retrofitted 100 series Land Cruiser power / heated seats, and a new interior covered in OEM replica material. Other additions include enhanced interior and exterior lighting and a forward facing and backup camera system integrated into the rearview mirror.

Full photo shoots of both vehicles are on the website now, and each vehicle is being featured in its own episode of Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers TV coming soon.

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