TOYOTA TRAILS Let me introduce you to Sgt. Brett Schannep, 22-year veteran of the Sacramento County Sherriff Department’s K9 Unit. A few months ago his wife, Tina, contacted TLCA member Tai Conlin asking about this Land Cruiser hobby he was always talking about. With four years left before retirement, Tina wanted to find a new hobby for her husband. Tai put the word out and it wasn't long before Rob Nivison got involved and told them about a Land Cruiser he had recently purchased. A one owner 1975 FJ40 Factory Soft Top that had been in a storage unit for 27 years. Tina made the decision to purchase the FJ40 for Brett and it was aptly named “Project Back the Blue.” The day came to unveil the 40 to Brett and it was a family affair. Brett and his family arrived at Tai's house and soon Brett, Tina and the kids got to really explore what they were getting into. A basic 2F, 4-speed FST, all original FJ40. Working with TLCA members and local Toyota enthusiasts, a list was started on what would have to be rebuilt, replaced or purchased. One of the coolest finds in the 40 was a packet full of paperwork. Amongst the paperwork was the original vehicle purchase card from Johnson Toyota in Auburn, California and other receipts dating back to 1975. The motor would be pulled and sent in for a fresh rebuild. The transmission and transfer case were sent to Valley Hybrids where owner, Georg Esterer, would donate time and materials for a full rebuild. Richard Anderson stepped up to handle the OEM wiring harness rebuild and all the powder coating. The date was finally set to invite fellow TLCA members and families from the area for a BBQ build day. The FJ40 was moved to Ryan Apple's house in Auburn, CA. By 10:00 a.m. that morning, over 20 adults, 7 kids and 14 Toyotas showed up to meet Brett and his new FST FJ40. Local club members from Toyotatlly Awesome Cruisers arrived, as well as the Draper Family from Project Wrong Way, Georg and Garrett Esterer, Kevin Mathistad and many other fellow Cruiserheads. Georg delivered a freshly rebuilt transmission and t-case, OME springs and steering rebuild kits. The 40 was pushed into Ryan's shop and folks got busy right away. Starting in the front, folks began replacing the springs and bushings while others began pulling all the steering components off. The entire time, Sgt. Brett was totally involved and I don't think there was one second where he wasn't smiling ear to ear. We got some of the kids involved in the cleaning when they weren't out chasing each other around all the parked Toyotas. 10-year old Boston Draper, with the help of a cordless sawzal, removed some body parts off one of the parts rigs in Ryan's personal boneyard. By lunchtime, the springs and steering components were almost completed and the only thing left was the rear spring plates. Ryan and his wife, Danielle, soon had the BBQ grill fired up and everyone was enjoying hot dogs and burgers. During lunch, Brett was presented with a oneyear membership to TLCA and Toyota Trails. You could honestly see he was blown away by what he was experiencing from this community. Earlier in the day, all the kids were lined up according to height. They were given a can of spring green spray paint for the rear spring plates. It’s amazing how much paint a kid can spray on so little a surface area while smiling and laughing at the same time. These kids are the future of this hobby we all love so much and it’s always great to see them getting involved. After lunch was finished and the spring plates had dried, each kid signed and dated them. They were then presented to Brett to install. This was a day of sharing stories of wheeling trips, wrenching, great food and helping one of our newest TLCA members. I have been very fortunate over the years to have been involved in a few builds. This is just another perfect example of what this community is all about. A few days after the build I received this message from Brett’s wife, Tina, "I knew this would be the perfect gift for him as it will give him that closeness of community he has always had in his law enforcement profession, and the adventures will be endless." Welcome to the Toyota Land Cruiser Association, Brett, Tina, Isaiah, Chloe and Ledger! 16