Supercharged V8-powered FJ40 is the perfect beach cruiser

Queensland’s Billy McKinnon probably wasn’t the first person to slot an 80 Series chassis underneath a classic 40 Series LandCruiser but we reckon he was the first in Australia to make a business out of doing it.

It was eight years ago when we featured Billy’s turbocharged V8-powered FJ45 Troopy in 4X4 Australia, a vehicle that was built on an 80 Series platform. In the years since he has established McKinnon’s Cruisers, specialising in such creations for customers all around Australia. And there have been a few more of them featured in our pages since, as no two of the amazing builds are the same.

The latest Cruiser to come out of the workshop caught our eye as once again, it was something a bit different.

23

While most of the Cruiser conversions from McKinnon’s are long wheelbase 45 Series utes or Troopies that better accept the 80 Series chassis, this short wheelbase FJ40 retains its stubby stance because the 80 chassis was cut down to 2360mm to sit under the 40 body.

Oh yeah, there have been one or two mid-wheelbase 40/80 conversions to come out of the shop as well, but this is the first SWB one… and it wasn’t straightforward.

“Being the first FJ40 SWB on an 80 chassis, there was a lot that went into the design and engineering processes,” Billy says.

Fitting an 80 Series chassis under a 40 makes it much nicer to drive thanks to the comparatively modern coil spring suspension replacing the original leaf spring setup. But the donor 80 Series for this build had a 2850mm wheelbase while a standard FJ40 has a 2285mm wheelbase.

23

In a minor compromise, this 40 is now a bit longer in the wheelbase at 2360mm, but that meant almost half a metre still had to be cut out of the 80 Series chassis.

The chassis has been beefed up with Superior Engineering front arms and links, Dobinson’s Monotube Remote Reservoir (MRR) suspension and hydro bump stops designed for taking those hard hits when off road, plus LCS4x4 trailing arms. The FZ80 diffs were likewise toughened with Longfield chrome-moly axles, CVs and ARB Air Lockers, providing the drive to the 35-inch Toyos.

The big slotted brake rotors are from Bendix and they sit behind a set of Method beadlock wheels.

23

The topside of the chassis benefits from a heap of custom-made protection equipment all courtesy of the House of McKinnon.

The front bar is a McKinnon’s Cruisers stubby bar and it houses that impressive looking Red Winches Cobra XL winch. The twin swing-out rear bar is also made in-house with a spare tyre on one side and a fridge mount on the other.

Why would you want to mount your fridge up there outside the 4x4? Billy says this Cruiser was made to enjoy with mates on board, so he built it as a four-seater and the rear seats take up the space in back. The roll cage was also made to accommodate rear-seat passengers and includes a bikini top to keep the sun off occupants’ heads when cruising up the beach.

23

More custom bar work comes in the form of the rock sliders to protect the sills.

The other donor to this project was an old FJ40… or what was left of it. It was just a bare cab that was on the scrapheap in pretty bad shape. A lot of work went into fabricating the replacement panels and patching up what was left of the original Toyota metal and now it looks better than new back in ’77.

An FJ40 is obviously a lot smaller than an FZ80, in both width as well as length. While it was one thing to cut down the 80 Series chassis to make it fit under the 40, getting the wheel track within the guards required more custom work. Wide guards were made up using more tube steel and some sheet metal and these have become standard equipment for these 40/80 hybrid Cruisers.

23

We’ve seen a variety of different engines powering these hybrids from McKinnon’s over the years, from the turbo LS in Billy’s Troopy, to a Ford Coyote V8, LSA V8, and even a Cummins diesel. This shorty sticks to the Toyota brand but not with the turbo-diesel inline six you might expect.

The V8 rumble comes from a 1UZ engine as found in V8 100 Series and Lexus LX470s back in the day. They were some of the most refined and best performing engines around in the 1990s and this one gets some extra mumbo with the intake charge forced into the 4-valves per cylinder DOHC heads courtesy of an Eaton M90 supercharger.

The 1UZ engine is known to be over-engineered and very tough, so this retains its standard internals.

23

Engine management comes via a Link G4 ECU controlled via a Haltech IC-7 digital dash.

Behind the Lexus engine is a Ford C4 three-speed automatic which Billy says was also on the scrapheap prior to finding a new life here. It uses a Marks 4WD adaptor to mate to a 60 Series split-case transfer case and custom drive shafts.

With its mixture of parts from many automotive brands, and a hell of a lot of custom fabrication, this FJ40/80 has come together particularly well, maintaining the look of the classic Toyota ‘shorty’ with improved ride, handling and performance courtesy of a master craftsman.

Now it’s time for Billy to fill up that fridge, load up his mates and hit the Queensland beaches.

23