Move a Stuck Project Car

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Move a Stuck Project Car

Written By: Gibson Hull
October 23, 2025

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Est. Completion Time: 2-6 Hours

- Stage 01 Tools:
- Combination wrench set
-Socket set
-Pliers
-Safety glasses
-Gloves
-Flash light
-Jack
-Jack stands
-Dead blow hammer

-Air pump
- Impact wrench
-Lug wrench
-Tow strap
-Wench
-High-Lift jack

Additional Resources:
- Toyota Land Cruiser Repair Manual - FJ45

My friend Christian has a sweet FJ45 in his backyard. Unfortunately it wouldn’t move. The previously running truck did not turn over, and the brakes had seized somewhere in the system. Not only did it not run under its own power, it truly was stuck in place. There was now a 911 stuck in the newly renovated garage, and the FJ45 was blocking garage spaces for other cars as well. It was time for a little bit of ranch ingenuity to move this old FJ45 across the yard and into a place where it can be rejuvenated while not blocking space for all the other members of the outfit.

Fig. 01: Christian winches the FJ45 into place.

Part 01 - The Setup

Step 01. Gather some tools. As with picking up a new project car for the first time, some tools for moving non-running and stuck vehicles always come in handy. Tools like a portable air pump, an impact gun, and a deadblow hammer really help. What also helps is that Christian’s Landrover Defender 110 has a handy winch on the front, and a high-lift jack, or as my grandpa called it: a “farm jack”, mounted to the roof rack. More about these in a bit.

Step 02. Assess the space. Getting a good lay of the land helps determine where you want the stuck car to go, then you can decide how you want to get it there. In this backyard, the ground slopes down from the house to the garage. That meant that rolling the FJ45 towards the garage was super easy, but getting it back up towards the house wasn't possible even with a few people pushing.

Step 02: Assess the space.

Part 02 - The Job

Step 03. Make sure there is air in the tires. I used my portable air pump to add air to all the tires so they had the best chance to roll freely.

Step 04. Get the wheels rolling. Most of the time on these old cars and trucks the reason they wont move is locked up drum brakes. The drum brakes have two big pads that rust to the outside drum and make it impossible to move the truck. In this case, it was actually locking up due to some issue with the braking system on the right rear.

Step 05. Remove wheel from the troublesome brake drum. We narrowed down the lack of roll to the passenger rear brake drum. An impact gun makes pulling the lug nuts off fast and easy. It's like Nascar! But a standard lug wrench works just fine.

Step 06. Free the drum. With the wheel off, some strategic hammer blows help to break up any rust or stuck spots between the shoe and the drum. This drum also has a place to adjust the shoes out so the drum can spin freely. With the drum free we reinstalled the wheel, and were ready to roll.

Step 07. Set up the winch. We are super lucky to have Christian’s 110 with a winch to pull the FJ45 up the hill. Just a matter of pulling the cable and hooking around the frame. You could also use a tow strap and another vehicle to carefully roll the stuck car.

Step 08. Pull the non-running car straight up hill. Because the plan is to move the car further up the yard, we solve that direction with the winch, pulling the car as far up the driveway as possible.

Step 03: Make sure there is air in the tires.

Step 05: Remove the wheel from the troublesome brake drum.

Step 06: Free the brake drum.

Step 06 (cont.): Free the brake drum.

Step 07: Set up the winch.

Step 08: Pull the non-running car straight up the hill.

Part 02 - The Job

Step 09. Turn the wheels and push back down the hill as far as possible.

Step 10. Repeat the winch back up the hill. After a few zig zags we had the car as far over to the side as we could get away with using the winch and push method.

Step 11. Lift the frame of the car with a jack and shift over. With the car back at the top of the hill, we needed to lift and shift the front and rear of the frame of the FJ45 to crab walk it across the yard. After a few lifts and shifts across we were as far over as possible.

Step 12. One final winch into position. With the FJ45 shifted over as far as possible, we used the winch to pull the FJ45 up the hill to its final temporary resting position.

Step 09: Turn the wheels and push back down the hill as far as possible.

Step 10: Repeat the winch back up the hill.

Step 11: Lift the frame of the car with a jack and shift over.

Step 11 (cont.): Lift the frame of the car with a jack and shift over.

Step 12: One final winch into position.

Part 03 - The Result

Step 13. In position. Finally, the FJ45 in is in its new place ready to be revitalized and running and driving under its own power, and the new garage can get full use!

Step 14. Subscribe Below! Be sure to subscribe below to get an email notice for each post or other updates and news so you don't miss out.

Step 15. Grab a friend, some tools, and go fix something! Cars are just adult Lego. Find something cheap you can take a part and learn to put it back together.

Catch y’all in the next one.

Step 13: In position.