HAI VAN TRAN
Behind the steel body parts we sell is a story that I would like to share with all those that have ever picked up a cutting torch and a scrap of metal to patch an old rusty cruiser. For many years after all the factory parts for our old FJ40’s were depleted, all we could do was cut out the rust and weld in ugly patches. Then back in the early 1990’s suddenly factory looking body parts began to appear on the market. You could now restore that old rust bucket to an almost factory original Landcruiser. There is a passage of scripture that says " Give honor to whom honor is due" This is my attempt to honor a man that in many ways has saved thousands of FJ40’s from the scrap yard and given back to an adoring bunch of muddy fanatics the legendary Toyota Landcruiser FJ40.
As the Vietnam war drew to a close, life was tough for those that survived there. Hai Van Tran worried about feeding his wife and five kids. He worried about the soldiers that routinely came to his house. He worried about his families future and feared for their survival. Hai Van Tran knew what he wanted. He wanted a better life for his kids. He wanted opportunity. He wanted to live in a country where there was peace. He wanted a safe home for his wife. Finally one dark night after the soldiers had gone, he loaded up his family into a small boat. They quietly made their way miles down the river and finally out into the open sea. For several days in a tiny boat Hai and his family moved ever closer to freedom and a new life. Late one afternoon their little engine began to cough and sputter. It took all his skill as a diesel and automotive mechanic, welder, builder and tinkerer to keep it going. Suddenly the coughing and sputtering stopped. The motor had gone as far as it would go. There were no parts to fix it. There was no one they could call. There was nothing he could do. He was adrift with his entire family in the middle of the open sea. One day passed. Two days passed, Three days passed. Their water was gone. Their food was low. Four days passed. Nothing in site but water, waves and a wide open sky. Hope was giving way to an ugly reality. They might all die! The fifth day came and so did a fishing boat. The captain of the boat took them to a refuge camp where they spent the next few months. After loads of paper work, weeks of waiting and miles of determination someone in Austin Texas agreed to sponsor Hai and his family to come to the United States. He and his wife didn’t speak English. They didn’t know our customs. They didn’t know anyone yet that same determination that helped him survive a terrible war, that same courage that caused him to seek a better life for his family, that same strength that helped him face an ocean would ultimately help him overcome the difficulties that he would face in his new country.
Back in the early nineties Hai went to work along with two of his son at a small Landcruiser restoration company. He watched them patch up those old rusty vehicles with bondo and scrap metal. He put his skills to use and began to develop a small die to produce one of the floor pans. Over a period of time he developed the quarter panels then the lower door patches and finally he had produced presses and dies for almost all the major metal parts on the FJ40. Hai’s abilities gave this company the advantage of having the only source of new steel FJ40 body parts in the United States.
I had the opportunity several years ago to watch Mr. Hai build a more complete second generation of these presses and dies. He built the rocker panel with a full door lip. He built the gas tank floor pan. He built the passenger floor pan with the transmission hump. He built the floor pan behind the transmission. He built a patch for the windshield frame and the front bib patch. We now have the quarter panel top rail. Because of Mr. Hai a factory steel tail gate, factory swing out rear doors and new steel half doors will soon be available. Our old machines can now be saved instead of being sent to the junk yards. Those old Frankencruisers can now be restored to factory like original.
After more than 30 years here Mr. Hai and his wife are within a few days of returning to Vietnam. So, before he left, I wanted to thank him for his contribution to the LandCruiser community. I wanted to thank him for all he has done to keep the FJ40 alive and well. I wanted to thank him for all that he has taught me personally. God Bless you Mr. Hai!
Sincerely Tony Roseberry  | 
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