45fj Landcruiser.

[Hardtopxb]

G'day. I will be driving one of these for about 400km for a mate.
Can anyone tell me what they are like to drive etc. not sure what year it is just that it is a I6 petrol 4 sp. I will have to drive it over some fairly rough roads. any advice?. Thanks.

[f1tzy]

Strap a pillow to your ***

[XDV800]

Very agricultural vehicle, 95% off-road orientated. It will probably wander all over the road, then lurch left or right under brakes.
As stated above, the seating not always comfortable for a long trip so take a pillow if your somehow precious in that respect, otherwise just tough it out and enjoy the (possible) challenge.
Oh yeah, they have little vent flaps in front of the doors that can be opened somehow from inside the cab to allow in some extra ventilation if needed.
Have fun.

[Hardtopxb]

Originally Posted by yzfr101

Very agricultural vehicle, 95% off-road orientated. It will probably wander all over the road, then lurch left or right under brakes.
As stated above, the seating not always comfortable for a long trip so take a pillow if your somehow precious in that respect, otherwise just tough it out and enjoy the (possible) challenge.
Oh yeah, they have little vent flaps in front of the doors that can be opened somehow from inside the cab to allow in some extra ventilation if needed.
Have fun.

LOL. Thanks for the advice.

[GTP owner]

Its like driving a fitball! They buck and lurch over bumps, get real hairy under brakes, they wander like a lost beagle, and are very agricultural...and thirsty.

[f1tzy]

You've driven one with brakes? Made out of steel?

[MAV50L]

I didnt think they fitted brakes to the FJ45.......................
Take a kidney belt. Nothing like 4 wheel cart spring suspension.
Dont expect to get there in a rush and expect to spend lots on fuel.
Enjoy the experience. They are certainly an experience.

[388cube_edxr8]

Imagine being dragged behind a train over the wooden slats between the rails in a bobsled.

[Auslandau]

Drove one from Melbourne to Cape York and back .... and another trip to Darwin and back via Birdsville. This was when the Sturt Hwy was corrugated for what felt like billions of km;s so I am sure 400km;s will be a piece of cake!


Muffler fell off ... fixed with some wire .... and that was the only problem .... apart from the dust, the no air conditioner and the very sore ****!!!!!!



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[bigdude1011]

Originally Posted by GTP owner

Its like driving a fitball! They buck and lurch over bumps, get real hairy under brakes, they wander like a lost beagle, and are very agricultural...and thirsty.

Don't forget fun!!

[xdc351]

Originally Posted by bigdude1011

Don't forget fun!!

Exactly! My old FJ45 could lift the inside rear tyre off the ground around fast sharp corners... was a lot of fun and virtually indestructable.

Be warned the brakes are dynamite! DO NOT hit the brakes hard and turn the wheel hard, especially on a dirt road, because it'll roll over. I was so close once I was sure it was going over but the back just didn't come around enough.... another few degrees squarer or a narrower road and I was gone. Better to hold on and hit whatever is in your way than hit the same thing at the same speed, but on your roof.

[Kryton]

Unless its a 1984 or unless it has had some upgrades or factory options (not likely), then it wont have power steering and it wont have disc brakes.

400km isnt much, but it is enough to either make you want to hate the FJ forever or it will make you want to go out and buy one - theres no in between.

Ive always wanted one and even went to Bendigo 2 years ago, cash in hand to buy a really good one with genuine low Km's (93000km documented) but i became crook as a dog whist there and i had that little energy that I could hardly lift my feet off the ground.
Took this bad boy for a drive and in the condition i was in, i couldnt do it.
I could hardly stop it (from 20km/h), i couldnt steer it without crossing onto the other side of the road each time i turned, so i had to give it a miss.

I actually had a bad feeling about the whole thing the night before - thats when i got seriously sick too.
For something Ive always wanted, for some reason i just didnt want to even go and look at it and i just wanted to leave.
However i stayed and met the guy and had a look anyway.
I checked it out, nice truck, it still didnt feel right and i was sick as i had ever been and then the owners mate asked (his mate that was selling it) if he was going to tell me the 'story' behind the FJ.

He did, he claims it was B.S anyway, (may very well have been, maybe it wasnt?) but he bought this truck about 2 years before from a guy around the Echuca area.
He had had it parked in the shed for the last 15 years - hence the low genuine Km's and the lack of rust and general wear and tear.
15 years ago, his wife and kids had taken the truck in to do the shopping (or whatever) and on the return home, after dark, they missed one of the bridges and the whole family drowned in that car in the river.
The trucked was pulled from the river and the only surviving member of the family parked it up in the shed as he couldnt bear to look at it.

After that i left, there was something about that truck that didnt feel right - even if it was B.S, i still didnt want it.
I later thought about it and came to the conclusion that if i had have driven it home, being as physically sick that i was, i probably wouldnt have made it home, either driving into an oncoming vehicle or off the side of the road.

[svo supporter]

You might need a neck brace. No, not for the neck snapping speed or the dynamite braking capabilities....more for the rough ride

They are a solid old rig, made for bush bashing. That's the summary for them

[DJR-351]

Love em!! these things started my love affair with Landcruiser 4X4s, had six so far, 3 45 series (2 utes 1 troopy) 3 75 series (all utes) all diesel....

But yeah watch the brakes, first time i seriously jumped on them (FJ45 ute) i was traveling east on a dirt road, before i knew what was going on i was facing west with the passenger side wheels in the drainage ditch sitting there at a 45 deg angle waiting for the dust to settle, i was sooooo close to tipping her over, they are as slow as hell but fast enough to get yourself into trouble if you need the brakes in a hurry, they are as tough as nails tho.....

And the seating??? on the corrugations it's like riding bare back on a scrawny arsed horse.....

On a side note, if you have a lazy US$100k you can buy a brand new FJ45 (ICON) from the states, beautiful bit of engineering, but a bit steep in price for me...... http://www.streetfire.net/video/1000...ash_738449.htm

[Kryton]

Originally Posted by DJR-351

On a side note, if you have a lazy US$100k you can buy a brand new FJ45 (ICON) from the states, beautiful bit of engineering, but a bit steep in price for me...... http://www.streetfire.net/video/1000...ash_738449.htm

I did read recently that we will be getting them here in the coming years - from the factory too.

[Hardtopxb]

Well thanks a lot for all your advice, I'm actually looking forward to the adventure. Just found out it's more like 700km, I will definitely be taking it easy..

[MOND30]

Advice? Get some new mates ;)

[downthetrack]

It'll get you there and back, and even if it doesn't they don't take much to get them going again.
If its got the original seats and suspension, take along 4-5 of the thickest/softest seat covers you can find.
Hows your grip and arms and shoulder muscles, from memory the old petrol motors were never economy champions. YOu will get plenty of practice gripping the fuel pump nozzle, and lifting jerry tins to fill it.

*I would really love a 40 series myself but the prices of anything decent that hasn't been %$#@$%$ or butchered are going silly.

[dave351cid]

" I could hardly stop it (from 20km/h), i couldnt steer it without crossing onto the other side of the road each time i turned, "

that was a standard factory option . every one i`ve driven has been like that. usually massive under steer until you are about to leave the road and then it will dive back and feel like its going to fall over.
we used to get new ones for work in their day and they would be fine for about the first 20 000km then everything would loosen up and just become a big wobble on wheels.

they are better in the dirt then on tar. see if you can find bush tracks to get to your destination. will still be slow and rough but will be more fun.

[Interceptor]

i cant believe how many of you sooks cant handle an older 'cruiser without the aid of pillows, kidney belts, earplugs, etc


man up a bit!

[f1tzy]

I think the name cruiser is misleading on the old ones. The toyota spinal problems seems more appropriate. They are fun off road tho, a bit like driving a boat, on land