ROTM- September

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G

Grease Cruiser

Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Threads
151
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1,037
I really hate to do this but I was wondering if I can trade out the September ROTM for a later one......maybe sometime next spring.

I have sold one of my 45's and the new owner has asked me not to post it until later. He is out of the country until April of 2009, and we are to add a lot of things to the truck before he posts it. It is really cool what he is doing and it will be a VERY COOL truck.

My other 45 is still in a couple of hundred pieces. No use in posting that one.

Sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully someone can fill my spot or does anyone want to trade for say late spring/early summer of 2009?

Thanks.
John
 
OK. So it's still September and I'm still up for the ROTM with only a few days to spare. Look at what I just picked up today.


Introducing: Drum Roll Please.....................................................................


PABST. My new 1965 FJ45 removable top SWB pickup.


The story:


I have been eyeing this 45 for about 5 years now. A friend of mine told me about it and it has been sitting for quite some time. It was located just outside of Aspen, CO in a sub division. I had driven by the house a few times in the past few years, stalking if you will, just to see its progress. A few years ago, I saw the owner out in his yard when I drove by and I decided to stop. He met me with a large crescent wrench in his hand and asked me to leave his property AND the Cruiser was NOT for sale. OK then.


A week ago today, I was up in Aspen looking at another Cruiser, a beat up old 1967 FJ40. It was a huge POS and I decide to pass on it. On my way home, I was thinking I should drive by the old 45 just to see if it was still there. As I approached the subdivision, I saw the 45 in another guy's driveway and 2 guys were working on it. I pulled in, ignoring the NO TRESPASSING signs and once again was met with hostility.


This time, the guy opened up a little as I told him that I was serious in buying the 45 if he ever wanted to sell it. He said that they were fixing it up for a plow vehicle and were going to use it to plow the subdivision this winter. They had just mounted the plow right before I got there. I told him that I am serious in buying it BUT I will NOT buy it once it has plowed a driveway.


I left him my # and asked him to call me if he wanted to sell it. He called 4 days later and said that he is ready to pass it on. He was thinking his 16 year old son was going to drive it but the son was not interested in a 43 year old Toyota with a 3 speed column shifter.


I picked it up today and the seller was really nice. I guess he is a little stand offish when people approach him on his property. We negotiated a little and I ended up buying it after a little test drive. I drove it about 30 miles to my in-laws house, where I am now. I have another 70 miles to get it home. This is the longest it has driven in a very long time, about 15 years.


It actually drives pretty well. The previous owner changed all the fluids and bled all the brakes. It fires right up, steers and stops well. There is a little noise in 1st gear but 2nd and 3rd are fine. 4WD works great.


Body is in great shape. There are a few small patches of rust, not too bad though. A couple of dents but I got a new fender, 2 used aprons, and a used hood in the deal. The bed is actually in great shape as well. One small rust spot in one of the vertical supports but no major rust or dents.


Why is it called PABST? Well the original owner was Harold (Shorty) Pabst who bought the truck brand new in 1965. He was the owner of the Pabst Brewery and Mr Pabst had a very large horse ranch near Aspen and used the truck as his ranch truck and Aspen driver. It was used on the ranch until the early 90's when Shorty passed away. It was sold to the owner that I bought it from.


Odometer shows 18K miles and it works. This could very well be a true 18K miles or it could be 118K miles. Not really sure. I assume that it did not see too many miles performing ranch work and the occasional trip to town.


Anyways, no plans as of yet. I just want to get it home and clean it up. I'll probably just drive it until I decide what to do with it.


Anyone have a PABST Beer sticker I can put on?
 
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Having a hard time uploading pictures. It keeps coming up "Invalid Files". I have posted a few pictures before on the forum and am having a hard time this time around.

Any ideas?
 
Finally figured it out.
GetAttachment.webp
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GetAttachment-3.webp
 
Grease Cruiser said:
OK. So it's still September and I'm still up for the ROTM with only a few days to spare. Look at what I just picked up today.


Introducing: Drum Roll Please.....................................................................


PABST. My new 1965 FJ45 removable top SWB pickup.....

.....Anyone have a PABST Beer sticker I can put on?
Click to expand...

nice find, love those stories :) ,
try to find an old share too ;)

pabst1910vig.jpg

Cheers
Peter
 
John, Congrats on your new 45.

In 1990 I flew into Aspen from Los Angeles and was working on a project customizing an old ranch house. The job location was just outside of Aspen and every day after work we'd drive into town. One day while driving I looked down a side street and saw a red 1965 SWB pickup with removable top parked in front of an old shop. I pulled down the street and went inside and found the owner talking with the shop owner. I asked if he was interested in selling it and he gave me a very solid "no". I told him I owned a '75 FJ40 and asked if I could take some pictures of it and he said "yes" and we talked Cruisers for a bit. It was the only Cruiser I saw the whole time I was there, and I'll bet it's the same one you now own. If I ever come across the pictures, I'll scan them and post them up. I'll work on that vintage Pabst sticker for you too.
Congrats again, that's a great truck.
 
Update:

Well, I made it home this afternoon. I drove over 100 miles with no problems and no license plates. I even passed a Sheriff's car and he gave me a nice thumbs up as we passed. I actually got a lot of thumbs up and waves in my 100 mile journey from Aspen to Hotchkiss, CO.

The old 45 actually drove pretty well. I went over 1 mountain pass with no issues. It actually seemed to run better and better as I drove. It's like it was awakening from its 15 year slumber. I spent the later half of the afternoon cleaning up the old 45. I still have a frame full of 43 years of mud and grime. It got too cold and windy that I had to quit spraying underneath. I'll try and tackle it later this week.

I just got back from a neighbor's house and having a few beers, (forgive me if I slur). When I pulled up, one of the neighbors asked me when I bought the 45 and if it came from Aspen. He immediately recognized the truck from his old Aspen days. He knew Shorty and told me that he had ridden in that truck several times way back when. Such a small world.

LC Junky: Those are some pretty cool stickers. I may have to get one of those for my rear window in honor of Shorty.

Not sure what to do with the truck. On the way home, I had several thoughts:

1) Drive it until something breaks. I'm not sure how long the tranny will last as it makes a pretty good knocking sound as I accelerate in 1st gear.

2) Pull the good 2F/H42/t-case out of my 1978 FJ55 and go with that. I'm pulling it anyways as I will be dieselizing someday. I've got a 1HZ/H55F/split case out of a 1998 HZJ75 pickup to go in the 55.

3) A 3FE with a 4 or a 5 speed would make this truck a great daily driver.

4) Put my disc brake front end and drum brake rear end from my 55 under the 45. I have a set of 75 axles with front/rear disc brakes to go under my 55.


1st things first: I've already flipped the bezel over. I also need to look at the rear brakes, they seem to lock up on gravel roads when I push the brake pedal somewhat firmly. I need to continue washing the inside of the frame. This truck was used on a ranch and it has years of dirt and grime built up inside the frame rails.

Wish me luck.
 
Land Cruiser Junky said:
John, Congrats on your new 45.

In 1990 I flew into Aspen from Los Angeles and was working on a project customizing an old ranch house. The job location was just outside of Aspen and every day after work we'd drive into town. One day while driving I looked down a side street and saw a red 1965 SWB pickup with removable top parked in front of an old shop. I pulled down the street and went inside and found the owner talking with the shop owner. I asked if he was interested in selling it and he gave me a very solid "no". I told him I owned a '75 FJ40 and asked if I could take some pictures of it and he said "yes" and we talked Cruisers for a bit. It was the only Cruiser I saw the whole time I was there, and I'll bet it's the same one you now own. If I ever come across the pictures, I'll scan them and post them up. I'll work on that vintage Pabst sticker for you too.
Congrats again, that's a great truck.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the story. It may very well be the same truck. I would love to see the pics if you happen to dig them up. Thanks.
John
 
Well.... it's been awhile since I have been on here and I figured I would give a 10 year update on old Pabst. I still have it and I drive it regularly but things have changed a bit. It now sports the following:

3B/H42/split case out of a 1982 BJ60
1994 HZJ75 axles with OEM four wheel disc brakes using the same HZJ75 brake booster and master
Rear cable locking differential out of a HJ61
FJ60 power steering
Original style ARB 40 series bull bar
Custom made galvanized rear bumper
Reproduction FJ45 long bed headache rack
Non-USA 16" split rims with 7.50R16 bias ply tires
Reupholstered original seats
Unknown Aussie leaf springs (pulled off of a HJ45 Troopy = 2" +/- lift)

I drove Pabst with the original F engine and 3 speed trans for a few years but the trans had a pretty good knock in first gear and the F was a bit tired. One day back in 2011 or so when I was working at the original Proffitt's, our head fabricator Alex asked if he could cut the hideous pieces of angle iron off the frame for me. These were installed prior to my purchase and were the beginning of a snow plow being installed. I gave Alex the go-ahead and on a Saturday with nothing much to do, Alex pulled the 45 in to the shop and proceeded to cut them off. The DS went fine but the PS is a different story. Apparently, my gas tank had been leaking for a few years and when Alex hit the frame with the plasma cutter, 4' flames shot out of the frame rails from the front and the back. Luckily, no one was injured and Alex was able to put the fire out with a fire extinguisher before it burned the truck and the shop down. Unfortunately, a few things got melted in the process but it wasn't too bad; it could have been much worse.

At this point, I made the decision to pull the F and the 3 speed in favor of something different. I've always loved diesels and knew that I wanted a diesel in it. I found a 1PZ with a H151 and this was initially installed after the original drivetrain was pulled. However, the 1PZ/H151 didn't fit all that well without some major floor board surgery and most likely relocating the fuel tank. Instead, I pulled the 1PZ/H151 and sold it before I finalized the install. I ended up scrapping a great running but very rusty 1982 BJ60 and installing the 3B/H42 drivetrain in to the FJ45.

Life changed a bit for me (long story) and it took a few years to get Pabst back on the road. I've been driving Pabst for a couple of years now with the diesel drivetrain and it has been great. I've put 8K+ miles on it since I got it back on the road in Aug of 2016. I daily drive it when the weather is nice and I have taken it on several camping/exploring trips around Colorado and Utah. Whenever I drive it, I get a lot of thumbs up and waves and kids tend to smile and wave. It's an absolute blast to drive and I love it. It's not the fastest out there (about 65 mph) but I'm averaging 22 mpg which is decent.

Along the way, I installed different front fenders, an apron, and a hood that were in much better shape than the originals. It's funky with the different colors but I tend to like it. It's different and not all pretty.

I also have an OEM PTO winch to install. The PTO gear box is already installed on the split case but I need to modify the ARB bull bar for the winch head to fit. I will also need to modify the PTO shaft. I am hoping to do that this winter while also taking care of a couple of minor oil leaks. I also want to pul my injectors and have them rebuilt as I think they need it.

That's about it. I added some pics of how it looks now; hope you enjoy.
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IMG_20180730_184112807.webp


Happy 45'ing. Hope to see you out there.
 
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Wow, has been a while John, great to see the shorty in action. I have been driving my bj45 Troopy for a couple years and love the 3b( it’s turbo’d I recently put a 45 removable top on and thought , now I have a long wheelbase short bed removable top!
 
whitey45 said:
View attachment 1800333 Wow, has been a while John, great to see the shorty in action. I have been driving my bj45 Troopy for a couple years and love the 3b( it’s turbo’d I recently put a 45 removable top on and thought , now I have a long wheelbase short bed removable top!
Click to expand...

Hey Brian! Good to hear from you. Nice 45! I'm thinking I might turbo my 3B down the road at some point. Have any pointers?
 
For all your 3b turbo needs and advice @gerg . Greg builds turn key turbo kits at a great price! Been running his stock manifold setup with great results. Low boost 10 to 12 psi with the fuel turned up a bit with 3 inch exhaust. Really helps pulling hills, it’s not a hot rod but goes anywhere without much fuss!
 
I'm heading this way with my rig, bumper and all. More pics I like it.
 
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