1987 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60 Restomod

The difference between a $150,000 build and a $250,000 build: this FJ60 restomod is going to check all the right boxes for someone.

Sometimes helping people sell their Land Cruiser is easy; sometimes it’s not. Our mission is to become the premier marketplace for Toyota Land Cruisers. We are going to accomplish this by offering all of our vehicles honestly and, unlike most other marketplaces, with a fully candid assessment by an expert—me. We already have the reputation. We aren’t going to misrepresent what we have, so buying it is less of a risk. You know what you’re getting into. The challenge is that I have to advocate for both the buyer and the seller. It’s hard to do, but it guarantees honesty, and that’s why people feel comfortable buying from us.

This 1987 FJ60 restomod comes to us recently built by another shop. It’s tough for me to look at another shop’s work because I always hold what they did against our extremely high standards. They rarely measure up. To be fair, it’s difficult to compare the vehicles to what we build because I’m not sure if I’m actually comparing apples to apples. The scope of the project might have been completely different. A project like this with us would always be a Stage Three, full body-off restomod where we have paid meticulous attention to every detail. But just because we do it that way doesn’t mean that every shop does, and that’s okay—as long as the shop didn’t overcharge and the client’s expectations were met.

This is a very popular type of Land Cruiser build right now: an LS-powered 60 Series on 80 Series axles. There are a number of shops doing them, with a couple of different build configurations. This one retained its original 60 Series frame, and the 80 Series axles were installed underneath it using an aftermarket kit. The front suspension is the 80 Series three-link, and the rear is on leaf springs. We don’t do the conversion this way, but I understand the reasons why some do. Among other things, keeping the 60 Series frame allows you to keep the 60 Series body mounts, bumpers, and sliders without modifying them for an 80 Series frame swap.

So, how did they do? Okay in some places and not so much in others. This Land Cruiser features just about everything on the menu—more about this in the specs. It’s totally set up with an LS3, automatic transmission, differential locks, bumpers, sliders, and a roof rack. It’s got a great stance and is an eye-catching rig.

The issues come with weak fabrication and welding skills, a refurbishment paint job with some shortcuts taken, and an arguably incomplete interior refresh.

First, welding and fabrication are some of the hardest things to do right. The installation of the drivetrain and suspension on this vehicle was done using professionally made kits, but the welding upon installation is fair at best. I have some recommendations in this area to go over with the buyer.

Second, the actual paintwork on this Land Cruiser is very nice, but they took some shortcuts in the preparation. The rear glass was not removed, so there is overspray on the weatherstripping. (This one drives me absolutely crazy because it’s actually easier and faster to remove the glass and do it the right way!) There is a small amount of rust surfacing on the passenger-side rear door and a moderate amount on the driver-side A-pillar, and for some reason they wrapped the roof in black vinyl. I can tell that this was a very nice 60, not a rust bucket, to begin with. I am confident that the roof does not have rust issues. I also can’t find any evidence where bad rust was repaired incorrectly. They just didn’t do the small areas that needed to be repaired right the first time.

Third, the interior sports new carpet and a brand-new set of really nice Scheel-Mann Vario seats, but they did not recover the rear seat or door panels to match. They also installed one of those cheap plastic dash covers over the dash, which is already cracking and peeling up. They did not replace the headliner, which has a couple of small tears and burn holes.

Now, let’s get to the specs and all of the features—which are impressive—and after that, I will give you my closing thoughts on this vehicle.