trucks on the road. All of them. The FJ40 series,
the Iron Pigs, the 45 pick-ups, the wagons,
even the FJ Cruisers. I love them all.
no top, broken everything, it didn't run and it was super ugly, having
sat outside for years. I loved it. With patience and creativity, I got
her back on the road and had lots of fun doing it. I bought used tires
from various shops and had a friend do the upholstery. I painted it
primer gray in my driveway. Later it became desert sand in the same
driveway. I never did put a top on it.
caught my trained eye. The distinct white fiberglass top always drew
my attention. I would see them in parking lots, on the road or in drive-
ways, covered in dirt and cobwebs. They became my passion--hunt-
ing out the Land Cruisers of Bakersfield, California. Soon my wife and
kids were helping me and telling me of other Cruisers they had seen.
them. They all loved Land Cruisers like I did, some of them even
more disturbed in their passion than me. One guy climbed telephone
poles for a living and was constantly finding Cruisers in people's
backyards. If he wasn't interested in them, I would knock on their
doors and see what parts they had available.
would shout, "It's not for sale! I'm going to fix it up one day!" and
slam the door in my face. Other times, we would strike up a con-
versation and I would make a new contact. I would remember all of
these locations and documented them on a list. Phone numbers and
year of vehicle were added to my scratch paper for future use. I had
no idea what that use that would be but I located and logged as
many old Toyota Land Cruisers as I could find.
a bunch of us could come together and share ideas and look over each
other's rigs. The concept intrigued me. I had certainly benefitted from the
wisdom and experience of some of the other Cruiser owners. Perhaps
other Cruiser guys would similarly benefit from such a gathering.