Okinawa Landcruiser

[THE PILGRIM]

Way back when, I was stationed in Okinawa.
My good friend Joe and decided that we would buy Toyota Landcruisers.
At that time, Okinawa was the only place in the Pacific that sold US EPA vehicles, the exact same ones which were shipped stateside.
You could also buy non US cars, these were called 'island cars.'
Joe lived off base and went right by the Toyota dealer in Koza on his way home.
He would stop and try to do a deal.
So one morning he told me that he had indeed bought the mighty Tojo Landcruiser.
He told me exactly what he paid, what extras he had ordered. Back then, the Landcruiser didn't have many add ons.
He ordered a Am-FM radio, PTO winch, and back seat heater.
That afternoon I went to the dealer and asked for the same salesman.
I told him I wanted a Landcruiser exactly like the one JOE ordered.
And for exactly the same price.
Write it up!
In about a month, our Tojos arrived!
Man were they alike!
They were consecutive serial numbered.
They came rolling down that assembly line holding hands.

 

[M E Morrison]

So did you bring them back to the States, or sell them there?

 

[jlrhiner]

No pics, no likee for you!

 

[Mydogmax]

I was stationed in Okinawa for about 6 months (1965) before being shipped out to Viet Nam. Was only 17 at the time. Spent my money on...well...other things.

 

[Big Cholla]

My first 4x4 offroad vehicle was the first Toyota Landcruiser FJ-40 that I ever saw. It was 1964 and the Toyota dealership had just opened in LV. My wife and I were huge collectors of sun purpled glass objects and we knew we had to get 'out in the bush' if we were going to find the good ones. We bought the FJ-40 and went all over Nevada and No. Arizona exploring and looking for the best sun colored glass we could find. When I moved to Alaska I sold it to my Dad who used it to build the first radio transmission station tower and ops building on Henderson's Black Mountain. The station engineers had a Jeep. They convinced the Station owner to trade it in on a Toyota Landcruiser FJ-40 after seeing the performance differences. I went on to own three more FJ-40s in my offroad exploration exploits. ...........

 

[SPEEDGUNNER]

This thread, like the Toyotas, goes nowhere.

"It's a Jeep thing, you wouldn't understand"

 

[Old TexMex]

While working the goldfields in Northwest Queensland, the fj40 was a pretty common unit. I used the one I was assigned to escort the product out of the bush, either to Cairns or the airstrip 20 miles away from the base camp. It's rough country, rocky and a lot of knee deep dust (super fine red powder) that his boulders and giant potholes. A couple of the guys had Land Rovers, and on more than one occasion had to go rescue them, stranded in the bush, with one sort of breakdown or another. Those old tojos were pretty reliable.
Mine was a tray bed, pretty common in Australia. The sides dropped down, made it easier load/ unload gear.
This isn't the one I had, just a pic of one like it. Mine was tan, had a winch on the front.

 

[peyton]

They are very popular in the middle east. I saw a zillion on the roads, funniest thing I saw was the pickup version with tall bed walls carrying camels around Kuwait.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

I brought it back.
Also brought back a Datsun 240z.
When I picked them up down at Navy Long Beach, the clerk lady told me that the Port Commander wanted to talk.
I ask, what Rank is the Port Commander?
She replies, he's a Commander.
That works for me!
The Port Commander should be a Commander.
He wanted to know how I managed to bring back two vehicles.
I was authorized to ship one at taxpayer expense, I paid the freight for the other one.

 

[PatriotX]

A friend just restored a Nissan Patrol, as the fj40s were getting too scarce.

Those old TLCs are amazing, simple trucks.

 

[Eltioloco]

My father bought a Land Cruiser in 1963. We pulled balers with jeeps at that time but they kept breaking axles (it's a jeep thing) and needed something heavier duty. It pulled a baler during season and took us out camping and hunting during breaks. Hell for strong.
Here is a picture of the Toyota on one of our camp outs.

Here is what it looked like last year. Since then I finished painting and I am working on a top for it.
Ken

 

[M E Morrison]

IIRC, didn't the ones with overhead cams have a problem with the cam supports breaking off?

 

[steelslaver]

The memories. Koza, BC street, floor shows. We bought and cruised around in a little car that had a small horizontally opposed air cooled motor under the front seat called a Coney I believe. Was stationed on a small base called camp Mctureous, but had an apartment in town on the side. Weeeeeeeeeee

 

[Beruisis]

I had an 1989 FJ62 for 15 years. Great vehicle but with those leaf springs it got to be a bit of a rough ride for the wife after her back surgery.
Beruisis

 

[THE PILGRIM]

IIRC, didn't the ones with overhead cams have a problem with the cam supports breaking off?

Mine had the good old Chevy clone 6 cylinder,
Not overhead cams.
I once had a Alfa Romeo with double overhead cams,
Inspired me to Invent new curse words.

 

[walkin jack]

Well I never had a land cruiser but Okinawa was my stompin' grounds a couple of time. First time was from May '63 - June '64, Camp Schwab and Camp Hansen with the 3rd Mar Div. And I bought a 1962 Honda 125 Dream from a young airman that was rotating back to the states. The second time I was there from late '65 - early '66 before going on to Vietnam with the 5th Mar Div.

Even thought I was a FMF corpsman stationed on the northern end of the island with the Marines I did sometimes make it down to the Airnmens club at Kadena Air Base. It was a nice club and frequently had famous entertainers. Saw Johnny Mathis and Jimmy Rogers to name a couple.

1. Proud of my new scooter
2. Me in the foreground My buddy in back on his 250
3. Inside the Airmens Club at Kadena

 

[Watchdog]

Way back when, I was stationed in Okinawa.
My good friend Joe and decided that we would buy Toyota Landcruisers.

Was at Kadena for a while in '67. My buddy and I bought a '56 Chevy for fifty bucks at a pawn shop cause we were tired of paying money to travel around in the suicide taxis. Lots of rusted out spots, but it ran. We bought a bunch of duct tape (known as typhoon tape over there back then) and some spray primer and paint in rattle cans. Taped up the holes, painted over 'em, and we were good to go. Drove all over that island, and thought we were just the cat's behind. I have a photo of it somewhere...have to see if I can find it. We later hocked the car at another pawn shop for $55 and spent it all on...well, let's just say wine, women, and song and leave it at that.

Okinawa in 1967 was nothing like it is now. If you were ever there back then, you know what I'm talkin' about. If you were there on R&R from Vietnam, with all that pay burnin' a hole in your pocket, there were no limits on what you could do or buy. Seriously, no limits.

Jeez, was that really almost half a century ago?

 

[Watchdog]

Well I never had a land cruiser but Okinawa was my stompin' grounds a couple of time. First time was from May '63 - June '64, Camp Schwab and Camp Hansen with the 3rd Mar Div. And I bought a 1962 Honda 125 Dream from a young airman that was rotating back to the states. The second time I was there from late '65 - early '66 before going on to Vietnam with the 5th Mar Div.

When you were there, did they have those little chain drive Honda cars...little two-seater convertibles? If I remember right, they had something like a 250cc motor in them? There wasn't much to the cars...they reminded me of a bunch of bees buzzing up and down the roads. Yellow seemed to be the color of choice for most people.

Even thought I was a FMF corpsman stationed on the northern end of the island with the Marines I did sometimes make it down to the Airmens Club at Kadena Air Base.

Oh, gosh. How much did you lose in the slot machines? I got my comeuppance at the quarter slots many a time before I wised up and stopped playing the things.

 

[Watchdog]

The memories. Koza, BC street, floor shows.

Aw, man...what you talkin' about?!? So ironic...the Japanese despised us, but they loved our greenbacks, didn't they? Served us watered down whiskey at fifty cents a drink, and called us #10 G.I. when we wouldn't buy the girls a drink. I can see it all as if it was yesterday.

...had an apartment in town on the side. Weeeeeeeeeee

I rented a small house just off Gate 2 Street in Kadena. Had my very own private benjo ditch, too! Had a more or less permanent houseguest, a young lady named Kozuko, who was forever threatening me with a pair of scissors if I didn't bring her another carton of Kools from the BX and a fifth of Smirnoff's from the package store.

What a life for a nineteen-year-old kid.

An interesting side note: Almost fifty years later, I still sleep most nights on a futon ten inches off the floor instead of a regular American style bed. Go figure.

 

[Eltioloco]

My Dad was in Okinawa during WW2. While they were advancing he came a across a Toyota Japanese military truck. He wanted to see if it would run, but being the farm kid that he was, he checked under the hood to make sure the engine was all there. He found that there was a land mine placed under the starter lever so that if you pushed down on the starter foot button it would detonate.
Surprised he still bought a Toyota after the war.
Ken