humm, what do you think?

crushers · 11-23-06, 08:46 AM

so on a whim i bought a truck last night. different to say the least.

1991 FJ75 fire truck with an original 8,500 km and 5 speed. i have no idea what to do with it!!
it might make a great advertising rig with Luxury stickers on the doors.
OR
i could take the fire box off and install a tray back... nah, BTDT, didn't like the frustration.
OR
i could find a factory box and install that and have a brand new FJ75 to drive around in.
<yes, i realise the paint needs redoing, very faded>

so just for fun what do you think of this rig?

Jan-78FJ40 · 11-23-06, 08:50 AM

It's very cool, Wayne!
So it got a 2F?
I like the idea of putting a tray on it, and having a 8.500 km truck. However, it is a gasser...

you could sell it to Marv Specter with profit

jna

light_duty · 11-23-06, 08:55 AM

Haha, nice work Wayne, that's frickin' sweet! I don't have any bright ideas, but it will be one of a kind, that's for sure!

Maybe you could start some kind of vigilante fire fighting service...

Urbancarrot · 11-23-06, 09:41 AM

Wayne.....

You have got yourself one powerful backcountry shower there....

Congrats looks really nice....

See you Saturday....

Todd

crushers · 11-23-06, 12:56 PM

there is another option, i have a 1HZ sitting here and a 1PZ in great shape... so...

but then i am not a diesel bigot. i like diesels but i also like gasser (except for the gas milage). i have already talked to the turbo shop and they can set me up with a turbo for the 3F which will produce 255 hp at 8 psi or i can intercool it for even more... but i didn't buy this one to race, i bought it cause it was interesting.

FJ40Jim · 11-23-06, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jan-78FJ40

It's very cool, Wayne!
So it got a 2F?

No, 70 series has a 3F or 1FZ.

2F ended in 1984, except for a few tiny, backwards markets.

Natty · 11-23-06, 03:17 PM

I'd do a custom flatbed with a tarped roll cage - tool chest, etc. If it were a wheeling rig...

crushers · 11-23-06, 03:34 PM

i headed down that road with my last PZJ75, a custom aluminum flat deck with pull out drawers, drop down sides, it was sweet... 9 months waiting i fianlly sold the truck out of frustration.
this one won't be getting the alum tray. factory steel or staying the way it is...

chet · 11-23-06, 03:35 PM

lOOKS COOL! I would solicit the local fire depts! alot of them may want a good dependable 4wd!!!

Natty · 11-23-06, 03:55 PM

Yeah, I guess it would be quite the project. What I had in mind was a simple tube frame with roll bars ( like your other 75 ) but chop it in the rear end. You could probably finish the bed with some strong wood slats of some sort ( something you could beat the s*it out of ). Knowing the kind of wheeling you're into it would be great to bolt down a couple tool chests and goodies, a couple of vises and a small on board welder of some sort. Leave the paint, lock the rear and throw a lift in, and you could be the on-trail recue guy instead of the fire putter-outter... What a unique truck, either way...

Natty · 11-23-06, 04:43 PM

Looks like the accessories on that truck would be worth quite the penny to the right person. Probably got some crazy huge pump on it...

Technikev · 11-23-06, 05:30 PM

Wayne, if the paint is only faded, and not all scratched up, the paint could just need a good power polish. As you prolly know, red is notorious for oxidizing badly. Hell, if you just rub it with your finger, the chalky stuff will come off leaving the red visible. It makes an old truck look new.

I wouldn't paint it unless you absolutely had to. If you paint a truck, you can always tell - it looks like a repainted truck. Unless, of course, you strip everything off. I mean the stuff that's bolted on - glass, door handles, grill, ribbing between the fender and body, and all the other plastic stuff - not the paint). Plus, it takes a bunch of time and cash to do a good job.

Just my input. Looks, good, though. That'll be a fun truck. And you thought RHD got looks! Try a RHD fire truck! I bet you bought it just cause it had a siren!! Keep us in the loop with what you are doin.

kevin

crushers · 11-23-06, 06:18 PM

LOL!!
Kevin, i will be the first to admit i am an ASS (Attention Slut Syndrome)(originally coined by Daryl) and this will really turn heads...

Natty, yah, i loved the look of the tray back but not this one. i already have the 75 series box coming over so if anything that will go on.

Once again it will be a wait and decide once the unit arrives sometime in January... i will probably park it till spring, no use running it in the crap they put down on the streets here in Calgary...

Kevin, i will send it to the detail shop before i make a final decision to repaint, i hate repaints. you are right they never look the same afterwards...

cheers and thanks for the comments guys...

roscoFJ73 · 11-23-06, 09:33 PM

Wayne I didnt know you could import the gassers . I thought they would have had to comply with emissions ect.
I dont suppose you have an engine bay pic,I wanted to compare it with mine.

Do the 1HZ conversion, the power will feel the same but your pocket will be happier

It will be lucky to get 15 mpg

crushers · 11-24-06, 04:23 AM

Rosco,
gassers are no problem, we live in a free contry (for now).

I was chatting this over just this evening and in the end it came down to the amount of km i put on a year. seriously, other than one or two extended putzs i only put on about 3000 km a year and most of that will be in other diesels i own, this truck will be happy to see 500-1000km in a year.

now if i should turn this into a regular truck and start driving it more and more a diesel swap will make much sense. i was chatting with another buddy driving the 3F and he says the 3F has much more power than the 2F but is really thirsty (sound familar?).

if i did the diesel conversion then the truck will loose one of it's cool factor, the ultra low km...no?

cheers M8

denis · 11-24-06, 04:25 AM

Wayne, it looks like you have too much time and/ or money on your hands. Stick with one project at a time, take the time to finish it and enjoy it before you jump on something else. If it's just a buy/sell thing just buy/sell as-is. HZJ LJ PZJ PZJ BJ FJ by now you should have figured what you really want. I'm not buying the custom flatbed/delay/ frustration story. If you have a grinder and a welder you can hack one up in a couple of hours and add boxes and bling later down the road. I'll take something half-assed that gets the job done any day over the ultimate setup that takes forever. Well maybe I should follow the advice above myself as well

lshobie · 11-24-06, 05:07 AM

Always leave original if you will be selling it - a 9000kms truck is rare - take the engine out and you have a basterdized truck in my opinion - loses the low kms appeal. Now if you are planning on keeping it then have at it.

1990 LJ78 · 11-24-06, 05:17 AM

Cool rig for sure..

crushers · 11-24-06, 05:36 AM

Denis,
I agree completely.
I think i have ADS when it comes to cruisers, i get bored quickly. i loose interest and want something new. (good thing i am not this way with women)

some people think i like to brag. i don't think so. i love to share what i buy or do with people that can actually appreciate it the same as me. when someone builds a really cool bumper or sidebars or finds a really rare rig they want to share it with their friends. i know that over the last few decades i have seen pics of rigs that i NEVER thought i would drive, let alone own. now i can.

what i should have done when it comes to the aluminum trayback was take a course on welding aluminum and bought the required tools to do the job myself. i really did get frustrated with the tray back and that is the real reason the blue 75 is gone. i absolutely HATED driving the truck with an unfinished tray on the back, it looked cheap, it looked... unfinished.
i really liked that truck otherwise and i regret moving on to a new project.

if i was going to do a tray again i would take my own advice and buy the tools to do the job myself. if the tray was going to be out of steel then i could have had it done in a weekend or two but it would have been REAL heavy and i wanted the Oz / NZ look.

every few month (weeks?) i see a new project i want to play with. (try being married to me?!?!) i do have quite a bit of time on my hands, i work from home, i work at a job i really enjoy and i have great customers (and, NO, i don't have a lot of money. other than crusiers i don't spend money much at all... except the local pizza joint get it's fair share).

Denis, i love taking an idea that slaps me up side the head at 3AM and seeing if i can make it work. once the idea is completed (if it can be worked out) then i get bored again.
take this truck for example, i look at it and think "great advertising" and it will be. it will turn heads both on the road and at car shows. but i know i will get bored with it.
SO
i bought a rare factory box in excellent original condition... why?
so once i am bored with the fire truck look i can remove the fire box and the roof and install the factory box and unmodified roof. this will open up a whole new range of ideas.
i can leave it stock and sell the unit to a much larger customer base and recoupe my investment.
OR
add a cage to the back and seating in there and take people out for tours in the mountains and add custom bumper, side bars, lift, diesel, turbo etc etc.
this could turn into a fun project truck
OR
i sell it and move on to a new unit to occupy my time and energy with.

usually my projects only end up costing me time, the exceptions to this are my wheeling rigs, they end up too beat to be able to fetch their value back.

this is one hobby where i can have fun, make a living (kind of), meet some really great people, share ideas and information and just enjoy the experience.

do i know what i want? come on Denis, do i come across as a person that knows what he wants? if i did, i would have stopped years ago. it seems everyday i wake up with new ideas, new plans, things and ideas i want to explore. the one thing that worries me is if i ever do find that perfect truck i will get bored and quit all together. i can't see that happening, there is just too many possibilities, configurations, applications to keep me going for a long time yet.

seriously, i apologise if i frustrate or bore you. i don't mean to. i just love to try something new. it keeps me young at heart. i hope you understand...
cheers M8

denis · 11-24-06, 05:45 AM

OK now tell us how you really feel

I'm trying to learn myself staying focused as we speak