4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY TOYOTA · LAND CRUISER 40 SERIES · CHASSIS NUMBERS

Marque · Land Cruiser 40 Series · chassis numbers

Toyota Land Cruiser 40 Series chassis numbers

A 40 Series carries a frame number, not a VIN: the model code and a serial, FJ40-123456, stamped on the frame and repeated on the identification plate. Until 1981 there was no year in the number; the frame-number charts the parts trade compiled fix the build year and, for North American cars, the month. [1][2][3][4][5]

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Where to find it

Stamped on the outer side of the right-hand frame rail just behind the front bumper; repeated on the identification plate on the firewall (engine side of the bulkhead). Cars built before 1965 for some markets carry the year digit before the model code (4FJ40 for 1964). From 1976 a second plate lists colour, trim, transmission and axle codes.

How to read it

1960–1984Model code + serial
The model code names the engine and body: the first letter or letters are the engine family (F = F and 2F petrol six, B = B and 3B diesel four, H = H and 2H diesel six), J = Land Cruiser, 4 = 40 Series, the last digit the wheelbase (0 = 2,285 mm short, 3 = 2,430 mm medium, 5 and 7 = 2,950 mm long). Suffix letters follow in some markets and on the plate (V = hard top/wagon, L = left-hand drive, P = pick-up, K = cab-chassis). The serial after the hyphen runs on through the model’s life and never resets.
1981–today17-character VIN
1–3 world manufacturer identifier: JT3 = Toyota, Japan, multipurpose vehicle (FJ60, FJ62, FJ80, FZJ80, UZJ100); JTE and JTM = Toyota multipurpose vehicles of the 2000s onward (Prado, FJ Cruiser, 200 Series; J8 in Australia-market cars is not used); JTJ = Lexus. 4–8 vehicle descriptor in Toyota’s own coding: body, engine, series and restraint system (FJ60G for the FJ60 wagon, DJ81W for the North American FZJ80, HT05J for the UZJ100, CY7AJ on the 2020 200 Series in the museum’s example) with J = Land Cruiser or Prado as the model line. 9 check digit. 10 model year: B = 1981 or 2011, C = 1982/2012, D = 1983/2013, E = 1984/2014, F = 1985/2015, G = 1986/2016, H = 1987/2017, J = 1988/2018, K = 1989/2019, L = 1990/2020, M = 1991/2021, N = 1992/2022, P = 1993/2023, R = 1994/2024, S = 1995/2025, T = 1996/2026, V = 1997, W = 1998, X = 1999, Y = 2000, 1–9 = 2001–2009, A = 2010 (I, O, Q, U, Z are never used). 11 assembly plant. 12–17 serial.

Prefixes

Prefix or codeMeans
FJ402F petrol, 2,285 mm short wheelbase
BJ40 / BJ42B (3.0) / 3B (3.4) diesel, short wheelbase
FJ43 / BJ43Medium wheelbase, 2,430 mm
FJ45 / HJ45Long wheelbase, 2,950 mm: pick-up, cab-chassis, wagon
HJ472H diesel, long wheelbase (1980–84)
4FJ40…Pre-1965 North American frames: the year digit ahead of the model code

Examples

FJ40-215490
The first FJ40 frame of 1976 in Specter Off-Road’s chart: 2F petrol, short wheelbase, serial 215490.
FJ45-343568
The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum’s example of a pre-1981 frame number: long-wheelbase FJ45, serial 343568, no year in the number.

FJ40 first frame number of each year

Specter Off-Road’s chart of the first serial of each calendar year; the month tables on the same page narrow a number to the month.

Model and yearFirst frame number
196422692
196532695
196642101
196747196
196854280
196964779
197077994
197195342
1972119431
1973141656
1974167404
1975191102
1976215490
1977239858
1978266136
1979298314
1980316664
1981333822
1982352467
1983361221
1984367412

FJ45 first frame number of each year

The FJ45 serials run separately from the FJ40’s.

Model and yearFirst frame number
196415938
196521860
196625752
196729612
196833339

Sources

  1. 1Land Cruiser Frame Number Charts — 1964–1984 FJ40, FJ45 and FJ55Specter Off-Road · accessed 2026-09-22
  2. 2Land Cruiser Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) LocationsSpecter Off-Road · accessed 2026-09-22
  3. 3Toyota Land Cruiser VIN Decoder (pre-1981 frame numbers; 1981–current 17-character VIN)Land Cruiser Heritage Museum, Salt Lake City · accessed 2026-09-22
  4. 4TLC FAQ 14.0 — Decoding your ID platesToyota Land Cruiser FAQ · accessed 2026-09-22
  5. 5FJ40 VIN numbers — month and year of buildLand Cruiser Nation · accessed 2026-09-22

The numbers are as the sources cited above record them — the parts trade's frame-number charts, the clubs' transcriptions of the makers' bulletins and the enthusiast decoders; a blank cell means no number is recorded. Registry research, not a factory record — check the vehicle's plate and the maker's build record before relying on a range. Corrections through the suggestion form.