21
Jul 2026
If you’re a Land Cruiser nerd, this BJ70 needs no introduction. If you’re not, let us introduce you because the guys at Fit Garage did an incredible job building this Cruiser.
This is a 1986 Toyota Land Cruiser BJ70. In the designation, the “B” identifies the engine family, while the “J” designates the Land Cruiser line. It’s a 70 Series, introduced in 1984 as the replacement for the 40 Series, a heavy-duty, off-road workhorse. That made it an excellent adventure rig, or just a great truck for farm work. The only problem? We never got them in the U.S., so seeing one on the road is pretty rare. Thankfully, Land Cruiser nerds are importing them from all over the world.
This BJ70 ended up at Fit Garage for a major overhaul to turn it into the perfect Land Cruiser shorty. Fit Garage swapped in a Toyota 1HD-FT, a diesel known for its reliability and massive low-end torque, paired with an H55F 5-speed and a transfer case retaining the factory PTO winch, which is still fully functional. And of course what is a Land Cruiser without factory cable differential lockers?
Inside, Scheel-Mann Vario F seats sit on the factory suspension seat bases. It has a set of beautiful SSR forged 16×9.5 wheels wrapped in Nitto 35×11.50R16s.
But what we are really here for is the Baja Designs lighting package. Call us biased, but we think it is the best part of this Land Cruiser.
 
The factory halogen headlights were completely replaced with Baja Designs DOT LP6 universal headlights, mounted with custom brackets to make them fit. On the bumper sits a set of Baja Designs LP4s, which, honestly, is more than enough light for this Land Cruiser. It isn’t a race truck, nor is it a UTV; it’s a solid-axle diesel Land Cruiser, so it isn’t racing in Baja anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean it can’t rip up and down the fire roads near Bend, Oregon, where Fit Garage has its shop.
On the underside is a set of Baja Designs red rock lights. Why red? They look cool and provide area lighting while doing it, no harm in that. Red rock lights and dome lights are typically used in low-light tactical or off-grid applications, where red preserves your night vision. In this case, it’s just awesome.
 
If you haven’t noticed by now, this Land Cruiser is left-hand drive, which makes it a bit rarer, since most BJ70s stateside were imported from Japan and sit right-hand drive. Japan’s 25-year import rule made it the easiest pipeline, so RHD shorties dominate the U.S. scene. This Cruiser, though, came from Saudi Arabia. So not only does this BJ70 drive from the “correct” side for American roads it started life in one of the best preservation climates a 40-year-old truck could ask for. Fitting, too, that a Cruiser built for desert duty ended up living its second life ripping around the high desert of Central Oregon.
This BJ70 is proof that the best builds don’t chase trends, bolting random objects all over it to make it “cool”; they honor what the truck was always meant to do. Fit Garage kept the soul intact: the diesel clatter, the cable lockers, the working winch. They just gave it better bones, better seats, and if we may say so, much better light.
 
If you find yourself on a fire road outside Bend and see a shorty Cruiser coming the other way, LP6s blazing, give them a wave. And if you want to light up your own rig, Land Cruiser or otherwise, you know where to find us.