TLC Automotive Builds Wicked Land Cruiser FJ62 Restomod
If you’re more into style than that new-car smell, a TLC Land Cruiser is just the ticket. It’s just a really big ticket.
The wizards at TLC Automotive are known for their exacting restorations of the Toyota Land Cruiser. So to celebrate the model’s 70th anniversary, they’re showcasing a no-expense-spared restomod recently completed for a client. Of course, none of the company’s handiwork comes in cheap, as the cost of entry to give the celebrated 4×4 a dose of professional-grade TLC starts at a whopping $125,000 — or almost three times the cost of a brand-new 300 Series model.
That said, if you’re more into style than that new-car smell, a TLC Land Cruiser is just the ticket. This blue beauty is equipped with a host of improvements to ensure that while it looks the business, it’s also ready to get down to it when the going gets tough. Under the hood, it’s packing an LS3 eight-pot pumping out 430-horsepower and 425 lb.-ft of twist, which is a substantial upgrade from the original 4.0-liter inline-six mill’s 155 horsepower and 220 lb-ft of torque.
That power is pumped to all four corners via the General’s venerable 4L65e four-speed automatic transmission, and the powertrain transplant is just the beginning of the carefully planned modifications. The suspension comes courtesy of the famed retooled Old Man Emu, the rear brakes are now modern disc units, the axels have been beefed up, and the Method Wheels are wrapped in BF Goodrich’s supremely capable All Terrain KO2 33-inch tires — which is Baja 1000-winning rubber.
There’s been loads of attention paid to the cabin as well. In place of Toyota’s functional — if slightly utilitarian — interior, there’s a new headliner, custom leather stitching, heated seats, an updated climate control system, and power locks and doors. A modern head unit has also been integrated, but while it offers 21st-century navigational capabilities, it’s obvious that loads of care was taken to keep it from looking simply tacked on to the old-school dashboard.
According to the press release, an astonishing 2,200 hours of restoration work went into getting this old Land Cruiser into the shape you see here, and all told, that brought the tab to $175,00. Given the affection people have for these old rigs, it’s tough to imagine TLC will run out of customers anytime soon, and we’re sure to see more incredible creations coming from its new 28,000 square-foot facility in Harrisburg, North Carolina.
Photos: TLC Automotive
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