LS-Swapped 1973 FJ40 Built to Dominate the Trails

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FJ40 Dynasty Killer

When you think of the classic FJ40, there are typically two scenarios that will most likely run through your mind. There’s option one, which shows it sitting nicely restored, parked outside of a coffee shop or bar in some rich beach city in the evening. The second scenario pictures two of these classics touring the safaris and driving tourists around to see exotic animals. If you thought of either of those two situations, here’s something else to consider.

Stephen Staggs owns this badass 1973 Toyota Land Cruiser, also known as the infamous FJ40. The F in FJ40 stands for the inline F-Series motor inside, the J is for the Jeep body style used in the WWII era, and the 40 stands for 40-Series. But enough history talk—let’s dive into Stephen’s beauty of an FJ and its history and parts that make it stand out on the trails.

Building this rig wasn’t just a random thought that came to Stephen in his older age. This project is his childhood dream build that he has brought to life! Looking at the menacing front end, you can find yourself a modified original FJ40 grille that suits those wider axles and large tires. Keeping the front end structural and allowing for higher clearance, you can find a Backyard Customz bumper that also provides an aggressive style and all the protection that Stephen is looking for. The wheelbase was boosted to a whopping 120 inches with the help of a Backyard Customz stretch for a total of 16 inches added in total. That is a lot of wheelbase, but for a rig as short as the FJ40, it’s much needed, especially when tackling steeper inclines like Sand Hollow and other wheeling trails this rig has conquered around the west coast.

Coating the outside of this Toyota is a very spicy Viper Red paint job by Trent Gasser at Gasser’s Garage in Rigby, Idaho. Those boys over there did an amazing job from blasting this rig clean to performing all of the bodywork, as well as applying the Raptor bed lining to finish it off. Pumping the guts of this bad boy is an aluminum LS with motor mounts from Midnight 4×4 to fit inside the FJ40’s narrow engine bay. Keeping a good drumline during idle is a Stage 1 Brian Tooley truck cam and dual valve springs, some light porting, a full valve job with new valves by Troy’s Engines. Pumping that sweet liquid down the throat of this LS is a Holley Terminator fuel injection system. Breathing out the fire is a custom hand-built exhaust with Race-Series Bullet and Flowmaster mufflers out to a 3-inch tip, giving this mean machine a crisp sound we can really feel and appreciate.

This rig is equipped with a GM NV4500 transmission, which includes an Advanced Adapters bellhousing, tailhousing, shifter, and external hydraulic pump. Also paired with this GM trans is a McLeod clutch and flywheel. The desired transfer case in mind? Well, nothing other than a custom Atlas transfer case with a gear ratio of 5:1 would do, along with custom Adams driveshafts with 14.10 U-joints in both the front and rear for maximum strength when out on the trails. These upgrades ensure the extra peace of mind when you need to use a little extra horsepower to conquer the adventure ahead. Hooked to those driveshafts in the front is a 1993 Dodge kingpin Dana 60, and the rear sports a trusty Chevy 14-bolt running a matching set of 5.38 gears to really slow this ride down when rock crawling and trying to find traction in slippery climates. We can’t forget about the spool locker in the front and rear, which may be a pain on pavement, but this rig was built to be used and abused in every aspect! Now THAT is a rig that I like to see—no pavement princesses here!

Fox 2.0 coilovers were installed in the front and rear, along with Eibach springs, to give the Toyota crazy flex and agility. Assisting in all that agility, you can find a custom 3-link in the front and a custom 4-link in the rear. You can bet that Stephen uses every inch of travel on his rig and then some! Stephen’s FJ40 also features a PSC full hydraulic steering system in the front to move the massive 40×13.50R17 Pro Comp MT2s wrapped around Vision Manx 17×9 beadlock wheels.

Up front is a 12,000-pound Superwinch to hook up to and pull down the front end on steep inclines, notoriously called a “suck down” because of the motion when you winch in. Standing up and opening the door reveals the interior of this FJ40 that is set up with PRP suspension seats and 4- and 5-point harnesses to really keep Stephen and his passenger attached to his machine.

We thank Stephen for allowing us to feature his Toyota. Our readers will certainly enjoy seeing his rad rig. We hope to see more completed projects from Stephen in the future and look forward to capturing his next creation. Until then, tread on!