I had a '74 FJ40 and started to disassemble it in 1997. My grandfather and I worked on it and started getting things in order but I went off to college and he passed so I never completed it. I decided I would start working on it but it was quite a mess and while perusing the Mud forum, I stumbled on Norville and the Patrol. I sent him a message saying to let me know if he ever stumbled on any more and he responded with, "Be careful what you wish for, I have two."
So I worked out a deal and my buddy and I drove about an hour to get it. On the way, I actually found another one 20 minutes from my house which I would purchase about a year later.
Norville did some work on his other and then sold it to a guy about 2 hours away. This guy didn't really like it as much as he thought and asked if anyone had guns or motorcycles to trade. I had a bike I didn't really care about so I traded for my third. The 2nd one I found was quite old and in very rough shape. It did have the factory tailgate which I thought was cool. After it sat for a while, I finally decided to pass it on to a guy in Ohio. Not sure how he made out as I haven't heard from him. It was a basket case.
So, I have one I plow with and one that is road legal. I have grand plans for my plow vehicle but who knows when they will start taking place. I try to stay involved but like most people, life gets in the way.
Tripper