This '76 FJ40 worth it??

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-07-09, 08:15 AM

Hey All, first off let me say that I'm really stoked that I've found the forums here. I've alwasy wanted an FJ40 and now I'm finally ready to take the plunge! Im a total noob to this type of stuff though so I figured the best way to start is to get some good advice from the experts here at IH8MUD.

I've done the noob stuff and checked the "newbies look here first" post and the FAQ, but to be honest I'm such a rook, that I still can't make heads or tails of most of it. Hopefully thats where you kind folks can come in and point me in the right direction with what could be my first FJ40.

So here's the one I'm looking at:

Toyota FJ40 LANDCRUSIER 1976 for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand

There's heaps of photos (interior, exterior, undercarriage & engine bay) so hopefully this will be enough pics for you all to make a decent judgement. The FJ is here in NZ so the owner is asking a starting price of 10,000 NZD which is about $6282 USD.

With said, I've got 2 main questions: 1. Is this a fair price for what he's selling? 2. Any huge red flags jump out of any of those photos that I should be aware of?

Anyways, many thanks in advance for your opinions. They'll go along way toward some peace of my mind for my first FJ! Thanks again!

brewhaw · 06-07-09, 08:30 AM

colors great, and if it is what he says it is the starting price is much better than youll find around the states in that condition. ultimatly depends on what your willing to pay. try to get more engine pics.

Cruiserdrew · 06-07-09, 08:35 AM

Looks very nice. If that motor is freshly rebuilt, that's a major plus.

Concerns:
1-No registration (says so in the ad)

2-Engine fan removed and replaced with electric-see what else was messed with but generally the engine driven fan will move a lot more air and thus cool better

3-New Paint-It looks good but can hide bondo and rust. Go over it very carefully.

4-The steering wheel seems to be on the wrong side.

Mudbug81 · 06-07-09, 09:52 AM

I just recently learned to never trust photos. Go look at it being your in NZ.

Tap key spots (rear quarters, lower door panels, top of the fenders in front of the blinkers) with something metal to make sure their is no bondo being hidden by the fresh paint.

Check the frame rails. Mainly by the upward bend just in front of the rear tires. And around the rear bumper. Mud tends to build up in these spots and cause bad rusting.

Pull the carpet up and look underneath for rust.

These tips are just my opinion and things i learned when i bought an FJ40 from NZ and had it shipped to the USA. Here is a link to my thread.

Good luck.

Copenhagen1 · 06-07-09, 10:41 AM

Don't know if you need a heater in NZ but the heater is missing in those photos. Just an obsevation, maybe not a deal breaker.

Weedhopper · 06-07-09, 04:51 PM

The bezel is flipped cause you are on the bottom of the world, right???

crotalusatrox · 06-07-09, 05:20 PM

newb, FYI the bezel is that white metal thing in the front wrapped around the headlamps

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-07-09, 06:10 PM

@Crotalusatrox yep, got it. white metal thing around the lights. Thanks for this, kinda knew what a bezel IS but not what it is on an FJ40 so this is good knowledge for me!

@MudBug81 I think we're going to become really good buddys because you're reading my mind! Sure I'm in NZ but I'm a Yank through and though and I always intended to bring my FJ home with me when I go back to So Cal. It'll be good to bounce ideas about customs and import/cert stuff stuff with ya!

@Copenhagen1 No heater is a pain since we are just going into winter here but def not a deal breaker. Any ideas what its costs to install a heater?

Will def go and check her out and bring a magnet with me as well!

Thanks for all the info so far boys! You guys rock.

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-07-09, 06:17 PM

Oh hey boys, one more thing. Anyone have any idea what those 4 toggle switches might be for? They are located right on the front dash where it looks like the radio would have gone. There's a good shot of them in pic 7 of 13 of the advert I listed in my first post. Lemme know what you guys think.

Also just to let everyone know the AA (NZ version of AAA) does a mobile inspection service here in NZ so I think I'm going to have one of the inspectors have a look at the old girl before I go too much further. Don't wanna get all emotionally involved just yet, hehe!

If anyone's curious as to what they check out, the link is below. I'll keep you all posted and let you know how it goes!

Welcome to AA Pre-Purchase Inspections

Cheers!

CruiserStuff · 06-07-09, 06:32 PM

I have a '76 (US model) and I don't know the differences that came from the factory between the rig you're looking at and mine, but my '76 has ambulance doors (not the lift hatch), mine has different doors (no wind wing, mirror mounted to the door hinge and not to the door itself, and my rig does not have the footman loops around the rear corners. That appears to be an aftermarket spare tire holder, too. Those are differences I see and makes me wonder if these parts were replaced at some point or if I just don't know enough about overseas stock rigs......

Mudbug81 · 06-07-09, 07:31 PM

As far as your switches. One is probably for the front spot lights. One might be for the electric cooling fan? One might be for any interior lights? One might be an anti theft switch? But those are really all just guesses. The front doors and mirrors are normal for NZ. Mine are the same. As far as the rear hatch, I think it was an option in NZ (someone correct me if i'm wrong). I wouldn't worry about the footman loops, not much issue with integrity and they'll be nice to have when you get it to Cali so you can put on a bikini top. The tire carrier is aftermarket but i see no reason for concern with it. If anything it might help to correct the dreaded lean.

CruiserStuff · 06-07-09, 07:41 PM

Thanks for the info Mudbug 81.....I'd sure prefer those front door to the ones I have!!!! Glad you're in the know on these NZ rigs. I just would hate for a newbie to have a truck that was a composite of a dozen trucks from mis-matched years.....ya know?

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-07-09, 07:50 PM

@Mudbug81, yeah bro, this is all good stuff. SO glad I found this community. I've been in touch with the owner and will hopefully go and see the cruiser this weekend.

Also thanks for the concern CruiserStuff! As a newb, I want to make sure that my first rig is a good one and not a frankenrig that's all patched together.

Will keep everyone posted!

Mudbug81 · 06-07-09, 07:52 PM

I know what you mean CruiserStuff. Their are a lot of pieced together trucks out there but sometimes those are the best. Take the best stuff from all the different years and put it all in one place.

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-07-09, 08:45 PM

Hmm check this out. Found this site from Mudbug's NZ FJ thread. Specific thign to look at is the odometer readings. They're all over the place! Is this a red flag??

TOYOTA LANDCRUISER 1976 (in Green*with*White) : Plate:*HU6759 | CarJam

Mudbug81 · 06-07-09, 09:40 PM

I would recommend contacting NZ Transport Agency at info@nzta.govt.nz They will be able to tell you who inspected the vehicle. Then I would ask them about the odometer. It is normal for it to be a little bit off but that that seems a bit extreme to me.

EDIT: also purchasing the full report would tell you if the NZTA is suspicious of the odometer readings.

Oh yeah, WELCOME TO MUD

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-08-09, 12:47 AM

Ok, just had a chat with the owner and he says when he got it from the South Island he had no idea how many kms it had done bc it didnt have a working odo. As such, the amount he put in the advert was an estimate (150k kms). He also says that when he got it the engine was totally worn out and thats why he rebuilt it. In the end it must have done a lot of kms otherwise the engine wouldn't have needed a rebuild.

I bought the full report and it says that the odo is reliable so no reason to suspect foul play. Either way I'd still like to know why the readings are all over the place. Will take your advice Mudbug81 and call NZTA and see what they have to say.

Also...

1. He's got the heater and will have it installed for the sale (phew! that'll be nice going into a cold NZ winter!)

2. Only 1 of the 4 toggle switches does something at the moment (turns on the electric fan). I'll probably yank those out though so that I can put in a radio.

I'll be taking a test drive on saturday and doing my own inspection then as well. Ill take some more photos if you guys want to see more. Just let me know your requests and I'l snap away!

Thanks for the warm welcome btw!

rockcrawler · 06-08-09, 06:06 AM

Welcome Dirtyredsoxhat. 10,000 NZD is a bit rich in my opinion. Not sure what the going price is for 40's is in NZ, but over here in Oz at that price it would probably never sell, especially on today's market.
At half that price it would probably still have a hard time on fleabay.
I payed $1300 for my BJ40 a few months ago. Granted it did not come with a reco motor and the paint is a bit ratty, but other than that no rust to speak of and complete.

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-08-09, 06:00 PM

Heya Rockcrawler, yeah I'd like to get it for less as well. But the way he's set up the auction, it has a minimum bid of 10k to start. I'm hoping no one bids so hopefully I can talk him down a bit once the auction ends. Coversely, if I don't bid and someone else bids a dollar over 10k then I lose out on the cruiser. I totally don't want to lose out so yeah its a bit of a pickle for sure.

rockcrawler · 06-08-09, 09:42 PM

Well good luck and let us know how you go.
And by the way I know how you feel, 40 series are just awesome and you definitely do need one

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-09-09, 03:58 AM

Thanks bro! Im itchin' to get one and cant wait to make this happen!

Mudbug81 · 06-09-09, 03:00 PM

You might want to read this. It says to be smog exempt in California it must be 1975 or Older.

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-09-09, 04:46 PM

Ok just got off the phone with the DMV and the guy was very cool and gave me some interesting tidbits of information!

So because it is '76 (the FIRST year Cali required smog checks. doh!) it will need to pass smog. I did find out though that that the requirements are the same as they were in '76 so it's not like they've been getting harder as the years have gone on. The guy said that I'd need the standard smog equipment on the rig i.e. a cat conv, O2 sensor etc and, with that, it should pass. If the rig didn't have those then I'd have to go to a dealer and get them installed. I wonder if NZ FJs came with those things from the factory? Does yours have them MudBug?

He also said that if the vehicle was from out of state (id say it was!) and had more than 7500 miles on it then it still had to pass smog, but only to the federal standard and not the more stringent Cali standard. So thats nice.

Now here's the kicker, and what's possibly the best option here! He said kit cars are exempt from a smog reqs. So if I import a vehicle in pieces and then Assemble it in Cali, its becomes a "kit car" and thus exempt. So what's to stop me from taking off all three doors, the hood, the spare tire holder and shipping those separately and reassembling them once the ship docks and I get the car back? I can also buy some jump seats here in US and install them to complete the "kit."

Hmmmm, I wonder if I've found a nifty little loophole here or If I'm being a smart-arse and will get dinged by some bureaucrat when I try to get my registration. Whadya think? Worth a try to be cheeky and attempt to get away with it or just go the official, and potentially more expensive, route??

CruiserStuff · 06-09-09, 06:24 PM

Amen to that. Everytime I get a new 40, I find things I like better and things I don't like as much as other trucks I've owned. There are definitely some pros to "frankenrigs."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mudbug81

I know what you mean CruiserStuff. Their are a lot of pieced together trucks out there but sometimes those are the best. Take the best stuff from all the different years and put it all in one place.

CruiserStuff · 06-09-09, 06:27 PM

no cat required on a '76 FJ40. i'm in the people's republic of kalifornia and just smogged my '76 not long ago. it will depend on the county you register it in, too. in one county, it will need to pass a dyno test, in another only the visual and sniff. i've got a complete california smog system, so if you want pics, let me know.....

CruiserStuff · 06-09-09, 06:27 PM

I kinda thing the "kit car" idea would have been tried by others if you could get away with it.....but i could be wrong.....

Mudbug81 · 06-09-09, 08:36 PM

I don't think your kit car plan will work because it would just be considered a restoration instead of a kit car.

California's definition of a Kit Car.
California DMV Registration for Custom Built, Kit Cars, & More - DMV.ORG

As far as the cat and O2. I crawled under mine tonight. Everything looks original and their is not an o2 or cat.

Also I would think that the NZ carburetor and exhaust header will need to be replaced with a US version.

Here is a picture of the carb and exhaust header on my 1978 you can compare it with what you see when you go look at the 76. At the bottom of the picture kind of on the left side is a piece the 76 from NZ will be missing. It attaches to the exhaust header and recirculates some exhaust back into the carburetor.

Dirtyredsoxhat · 06-10-09, 04:33 AM

Yeah, I thought I might have been pushing my luck a bit with the whole "kit car" thing.

CruiserStuff, I'd love whatever info you could give me on your smog set up. Will save me a bunch of headaches one day.

I'll also take some closer pics of the engine bay when I see the rig on saturday MudBug, then we can compare.

chur!

Mudbug81 · 06-10-09, 04:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CruiserStuff

no cat required on a '76 FJ40. i'm in the people's republic of kalifornia and just smogged my '76 not long ago. it will depend on the county you register it in, too. in one county, it will need to pass a dyno test, in another only the visual and sniff. i've got a complete california smog system, so if you want pics, let me know.....

I would like to see pictures of the smog set up as well. I think the piece i talked about in my last post is replaced by the air/smog pump. I'm just curious about the differences. Thanks

Beau Nydle · 06-10-09, 06:11 AM

Yeah trademe is a brilliant site. I just bought a beauty 84 FJ40 off there the other day I will get the link for it later but in the mean time this is the quality of items available on this reputable site. Scary washing machine. No really, its terrifying! for sale - TradeMe.co.nz - New Zealand