“ANV-FJ1” Toyota FJ45 Beach Cruiser is a brand-new Precision Build from Blacksmith Garage (BG).

Our vision was to create something that Toyota never made from the factory:

A ‘Beach-Cruiser’ vehicle with a soft top, 4 half-doors and 3 rows of seating.

A vehicle that could easily take all the kids to the beach, go highway cruising or rock crawling in Moab.

ANV-FJ1 is the culmination of 3 years of work to create a ‘multi-fun’ recreational vehicle.

As a result, ANV-FJ1 has the looks of a classic truck but it has the build quality, reliability, performance and comfort equipment of a modern vehicle.

ANV-FJ1 will run 80+ mph down the freeway with ease.

Approximately 700 test miles have been added since completion.


Donor

Very little remains of the original donor ... a 1984 Toyota FJ45 Pick Up Truck with US VIN number JT1V0FJ4500810183*.

As a matter of fact, about 80% of this truck is brand new including the Aqualu Body, the interior and the rock star of fuel efficient and torquey turbo diesels - the brand new Cummins R2.8 crate motor matched to a Level 2 new GM 4L65E automatic transmission.

The rest of the truck came from the original donor including the frame*, axles and transfer case. All of the original items were disassembled, cleaned, stripped, rebuilt, refurbished, updated (where possible) and refinished to be better than new.
Every nut, bolt, retainer, fastener, clip, screw, and wire has been replaced.

*Having the original frame keeps the original VIN and title and thus avoids the dreaded moniker of ‘kit car’ and should remove registration issues in your home state.

An original titled FJ is more desirable, valuable and holds its value better than a kit car.

Frame

The donor vehicle was completely disassembled and the frame was stripped, sandblasted, sealed, epoxy primered, refinished, and given 3 coats of BASF UNO semi-gloss black paint; code #202.

The radiator, motor and transmission mounts were custom fabricated to the frame so as to house/fit these elements in the engine bay/body of the vehicle.

Motor/Mechanicals

We chose the best diesel motor on the planet that would fit the engine compartment … a brand new Cummins R2.8 Turbo Diesel crate motor.

At a little over 500LBS the R2.8 is the lightest and smallest of the Cummins turbo diesels.

In classic Cummins fashion the motor produces 161 hp and an impressive 310 lb-ft of torque at only 1800 rpms all while getting excellent fuel economy at 22-23 MPG. It is a great marriage of compactness and power.

The R2.8 turbodiesel crate engine has powered the official ‘Ultimate Adventure (UA)’ builds 2017 - 2020 and usually if a product is used on UA and it does well eg. Powering through the desert in 130 degree heat … it will do well anywhere!

The R2.8 has been proven over the roughest terrains and, unlike many diesels, does all this while burning clean, with no smoke and virtually no exhaust smell.

Last, it uses a third less fuel than its gas-powered counterparts.

The Cummins is matched to a Level 2 new GM 4L65E automatic transmission built by Monster Performance transmissions (Brookville, Fl) and painted factory colors and mated to the engine using an adaptor kit provided by Advance Adaptors.

Full stainless steel exhaust utilizing a Magna Flow muffler.

New Aluminum 4 core radiator and a high performance electric fan for cooling.

The original bullet proof Toyota axles and the transfer case have been stripped, cleaned, sandblasted, sealed, rebuilt with all new components, then painted and installed.

A brand-new Blacksmith Garage custom built 26-gallon fuel tank is neatly nestled between the frame rails which should provide the new owner with a 500+ mile range.

Body

We purchased a brand new Aqualu all aluminum tub and fenders, matched with a new old stock FJ 40/45 steel hood.

1300 man hours were expended refinishing the body into perfect/better than the factory’ condition. The Paint is show quality.

The entire underside and inside of tub is coated in a textured semi-gloss black "Raptor" coating (similar to rhino lining) while the body was painted with coats of BASF Toyota White paint; code #045.

New side steps, shock towers, windshield, weather-stripping, door stoppers, door handles, door straps, wiper motor/arms, sun visors, rear view mirror, side mirrors,

A Blacksmith Garage custom built roll cage extending from just behind the front seat to the tail gate to protect passengers in all 3 rows of seats.

The custom roll cage is covered with a custom black canvas (marine grade) bikini top.

Suspension/Steering/brakes

All new Old man Emu suspension including springs, shocks, tie rods, knuckles, steering column, steering wheel, and a Saginaw power steering conversion kit.

New 4 wheel disc brakes at all 4 corners, with new master cylinder, brake booster, and of course all new lines and fittings.

Wheels and Tires

Wheels are 16" Stain Black Mickey Thompson's wrapped with BGF Mud Terrain 315/75R16 Tires.

Interior

Dakota Digital custom built instrument panel RTX-62T-FJ. Numerous color lighting options and configurations.

4 custom buckets seats/seat frames and 1 rear bench seat with custom chocolate brown vinyl and tan stitching, along with custom built and matching door panels.

We fitted the Fusion Apollo SRX400 audio system with wireless/bluetooth with Fusion Link controlled from your mobile device with a custom built and leather wrapped speaker enclosure.

Signature Toyota rubber flooring.

Electrical

New Painless Wiring harness and connectors: body/engine/trans every inch of wire is new.

LED headlights, new marker, turn signal, and brake lights.