Car 32 was the Land Cruiser my dad used for his first Mexican 1000. It was an FJ45v the gigantic station wagon version of the FJ40. The early Mexican 1000s were a very long race and it was reasonable to think you'd be on the road for 40 hours. So, Dad and his best friend and co-driver, Kenny Younghusband, decided to use the wagon and put a hammock in the back. Dad had been in the navy and Kenny in the merchant marines, so maybe they thought they could sleep through anything. Needless to say it didn't work. Now with five point harnesses, fire suits, safety nets and neck braces it is amazing to think someone could just climb in the back and sleep.
Well, Car 32 only did the one race and after that my family moved on to the smaller, faster, more nimble FJ40.
One thing the fj45 and fj40 had in common was breakable spindles. I managed to break the front drivers side spindle just a couple weeks ago and incredibly the wheel stayed on. I drove it around for about a week before I realized what had happened. Handling was terrible but the disc brake calipers and one ring clip held it together. So, I fixed it.
Then, I heard from my mom, that dad had broken a spindle during the fj45's first race. They'd actually brought a spare and Kenny replaced it by the side of the road. I don't know if I'm up for changing it in the dirt but we'll be packing a spare spindle for our race.
