ginmtb
'74 FJ40 - my first!
Okay, so a lot of you have seen my 74 restoration thread - Won a '74 40 on a coin toss.... I'm not a huge car guy so there was quite the learning curve on that Cruiser. Have done some good things for the restoration and feel pretty good about how it runs and looks. I still have some things I want to do on it but pretty much all the major stuff is done. It definitely took me out of my comfort zone which is a good thing. I totally enjoy driving it and I still smile every time I drive it.
I figured I was a one and done Cruiser guy because it was a lot of work. Plus the wife was supportive of one but beyond that she said, "no way!" Also the company she worked for for 20+ years was a finally closing so there really wasn't room in the budget for another Cruiser.
Having been inflicted with the disease, I keep looking at Cruisers but more for inspiration (and just in case the true barn find for $100 showed up). I saw lots of cool ones but nothing that said, "you must buy me!" I found a disassembled one on Craigslist and thought I'd do my part for the community and post it on the classifieds - For Sale: - 75 FJ40 disassembled
Well, that one kept bugging me... I just thought that it was way too big of a project for me. As days passed and it didn't sell, I kept thinking about it. Talked to some people and they thought I could easily sell it for more than I bought it for. So now I'm fully convinced I need to buy this - I had nothing to lose. Just needed to talk the wife into it...
Well somehow I did talk her into it - I'm sure I'll be paying for that for quite some time (or get a divorce as a result). It took awhile and thankfully it did not sell during that negotiation period. My friend is storing it at his shop and I won't be working on this one for awhile. It is 3.5 hours away so I can't just roll out into my garage and tinker. I'm still deciding on what to do, but I'm thinking a full stock restoration is the plan. Then the question will be which one to keep? I know some have said I can't sell the first one because of the story behind it. But the thought of fully restored and freshly painted one is very appealing. I'm leaning towards painting it light blue vs. the red. It is in pieces so painting should be reasonable. We shall see...
So this thread won't have much action for awhile. But wanted to get it out there and start documenting the process.
2F engine in all its glory.
Frame and body on jacks in its new home.
View from buddy's deck adjacent to the shop. Reminded me of Tuscany...
Boxes of Cruiser goodies on the mezzanine.
Stored the chairs at my house - was afraid of mice tearing them up at the shop. I may end up putting these in the 74 since the 74 doesn't have vinyl covered door panels so will work better. Don't think I could create the same look as OEM of the door panels in matching fabric.
I figured I was a one and done Cruiser guy because it was a lot of work. Plus the wife was supportive of one but beyond that she said, "no way!" Also the company she worked for for 20+ years was a finally closing so there really wasn't room in the budget for another Cruiser.
Having been inflicted with the disease, I keep looking at Cruisers but more for inspiration (and just in case the true barn find for $100 showed up). I saw lots of cool ones but nothing that said, "you must buy me!" I found a disassembled one on Craigslist and thought I'd do my part for the community and post it on the classifieds - For Sale: - 75 FJ40 disassembled
Well, that one kept bugging me... I just thought that it was way too big of a project for me. As days passed and it didn't sell, I kept thinking about it. Talked to some people and they thought I could easily sell it for more than I bought it for. So now I'm fully convinced I need to buy this - I had nothing to lose. Just needed to talk the wife into it...
Well somehow I did talk her into it - I'm sure I'll be paying for that for quite some time (or get a divorce as a result). It took awhile and thankfully it did not sell during that negotiation period. My friend is storing it at his shop and I won't be working on this one for awhile. It is 3.5 hours away so I can't just roll out into my garage and tinker. I'm still deciding on what to do, but I'm thinking a full stock restoration is the plan. Then the question will be which one to keep? I know some have said I can't sell the first one because of the story behind it. But the thought of fully restored and freshly painted one is very appealing. I'm leaning towards painting it light blue vs. the red. It is in pieces so painting should be reasonable. We shall see...
So this thread won't have much action for awhile. But wanted to get it out there and start documenting the process.
2F engine in all its glory.
Frame and body on jacks in its new home.
View from buddy's deck adjacent to the shop. Reminded me of Tuscany...
Boxes of Cruiser goodies on the mezzanine.
Stored the chairs at my house - was afraid of mice tearing them up at the shop. I may end up putting these in the 74 since the 74 doesn't have vinyl covered door panels so will work better. Don't think I could create the same look as OEM of the door panels in matching fabric.
, omg you need seriously help 
