Preparing to Sell My Buddy's '72 FJ40 (1 Viewer)

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My good friend has a '72 FJ40 on which he had a complete frame-off restoration done. It's stunning to hear what he spent but I'm having him put together a list of everything that was done.

This is all I know so far...

Year 1972
Mileage - 2K on rebuild
Color - British Green (new professionally done paint job)
Date restoration was completed - Spring 2022
New front axle, disc brakes, 2F engine, 4 speed transmission, power steering, Webber Carburetor, headliner

I have asked him for...

Records of everything done
Miles on body/frame
Any rust repairs - location
Name of shop where work was done
Tires
Suspension
Interior - He put seats from a Porsche in it and some cool little lamps from a helicopter...stuff that I told him was a mistake IMO. Sorta cool but why not go back to all original when spending over 6-figures like he did.
Rear heater?
Rear fold-in seats?
I've driven it and the switchgear, steering wheel, mirrors are all original
Of course...take a LOT of good photos

Does that sound like the right list of stuff to have him put together before I start trying to sell it for him? Any advice as to where to sell it aside from classifieds here and general online sales sites? It is beautiful and he spared NO expense on materials and workmanship. He knows he isn't going to get his money out but he views it as a Unicorn. I owned a '76 and a '78 in the '80s so have some familiarity.

He also has a 2017 Triumph Thruxton-R with 240 miles on it...yep. Who knows what else might be in his garages, for that matter. Ha.
 
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Put it on BringaTrailer.com, take a couple of hundred pictures. Look at the past sales there for a value. Put it on at no reserve, it's a small risk but it attracts more bidders.

It will bring a LOT more money original than with Porsche seats. If you want to post a few pictures here you will get more suggestions on minor improvements that will boost it's value.

It will bring top dollar there.
 
Put it on BringaTrailer.com, take a couple of hundred pictures. Look at the past sales there for a value. Put it on at no reserve, it's a small risk but it attracts more bidders.

It will bring top dollar there.
I asked him about BaT. He may want too much scratch. I already reviewed the pricing scatter plot up there. There were a couple up at or near the 6-figures at least.

Thanks!
 
Resto mods don't get the value as original. I hope his number isn't too high. These mods could be an issue with a purist, "New front axle, disc brakes, 2F engine, 4 speed transmission, power steering, Webber Carburetor, headliner". I personally think they make for a good driver except for the Weber. Do BaT with a reserve. Maybe there wont be a winner, but you might be able to make a deal after the auction is over with one of the bidders. He needs to know what has been done to it. You can try an ad here, but this will be a tough crowd if the dollars are out of line. Does he have b4 and after pics?
 
I asked him about BaT. He may want too much scratch. I already reviewed the pricing scatter plot up there. There were a couple up at or near the 6-figures at least.

Thanks!
If he doesn’t think he will get enough on BaT, he’s very likely not going to get it elsewhere.
Very few on BaT going near $100k plus and there’s usually a very good reason they get that much. A “restored” 40 that sounds more like a refreshed 40 with changes isn’t going to be it. Obviously need to see pics but from the description, I’d think he will be very lucky to get even $50k. The market is softening.
 
Why is he selling? Can he not post an ad himself? Can he not answer questions?

BaT will eat him alive and keep the bidding low if the seller is not answering questions during the 7 days.

Maybe Ebay? Lots of fools with money on ebay too.
He is selling because he has too many cars and wants to start thinning / paring-down things like art and vehicles. Of course he can answer questions but he travels extensively and would rather have me do it because I buy and sell so many vehicles and he doesn't have the patience, frankly.
 
If he doesn’t think he will get enough on BaT, he’s very likely not going to get it elsewhere.
Very few on BaT going near $100k plus and there’s usually a very good reason they get that much. A “restored” 40 that sounds more like a refreshed 40 with changes isn’t going to be it. Obviously need to see pics but from the description, I’d think he will be very lucky to get even $50k. The market is softening.
I have already shared with him my quick sense of what's out there. This thing was taken apart down to every nut and bolt. I don't know what is required to call it a restoration but there is nothing that wasn't either bought new or rebuilt. Yes, I fear that he's in for some rough news with regard to price but I am just gathering his facts at the moment. I suspect he called BaT, told them what he wanted to get, and they said "pass"...but I dunno. I'm just going to help him to the extent I can.
 
I consider this one restored; as close to when it left the factory as possible. Every single piece was reconditioned or replaced with factory correct or equivalent. I sold it on BaT and it didn’t reach $50k. Adding a Weber carb, aftermarket seats and other personal touches is not likely to help. Again, pending pics because maybe it is just an amazing cruiser.
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Unoriginal items like a weber carb, helicopter lights etc...who knows how far people are willing to dig into their wallet for that.
Haha...I have no doubt they are detractors...
 
I consider this one restored; as close to when it left the factory as possible. Every single piece was reconditioned or replaced with factory correct or equivalent. I sold it on BaT and it didn’t reach $50k. Adding a Weber carb, aftermarket seats and other personal touches is not likely to help. Again, pending pics because maybe it is just an amazing cruiser.
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Awesome. Yeah, I just sent him an email explaining this again. He has very good taste and a lot of money...and chose not to take it back to truly original like your here. Beautiful. It IS very very nice but I have no idea what the market will say about it. There is nothing shoddy or cheap on it...but you get the picture.
 
We need pics of this unicorn complete nut and bolt restoration

Sounds like someone who doesn't know what they have and spent way too much on it
He'll take pics this weekend. I'm not going to share what he spent but it is huge. I saw it at a few stages of disassembly and it really was taken all of the way down.
 
We need pics of this unicorn complete nut and bolt restoration

Sounds like someone who doesn't know what they have and spent way too much on it

Are you ready for all the Ace Hardware non-JIS bolts that are going to be on this thing?? ;)
 
I don't know what is required to call it a restoration but there is nothing that wasn't either bought new or rebuilt.

"Restoration" is the most abused word in this hobby. I guess it means whatever someone wants it to mean - but to me it means "restored to the way it was when it left the factory", without aftermarket parts or substitutions. Your Mileage May Vary.
 
"Restoration" is the most abused word in this hobby. I guess it means whatever someone wants it to mean - but to me it means "restored to the way it was when it left the factory", without aftermarket parts or substitutions. Your Mileage May Vary.
Even the one I posted I consider a refurbishment or reconditioning.
 
Then there was this one back in June...... > BAT FJ40 <
Interesting rig.

I'm looking forward to getting all of the pics of my buddy's refurborationmodfresehened FJ40. Whatever his is best characterized as, I've driven it and seen it in the shop over time, but wasn't really paying much attention. I consider it a nicely outfitted/refurbed to be a high-quality driver, vehicle.

Based on the sense I get so far, there seems to be no shortage of folks ready to help with identifying the good/bad/ugly. There ought to be some interesting feedback. This is a no drama situation and without all of the information, I can't say one way or the other what I think...or others think of course. I can say that I am a 100% transparent guy and the seller is as well. I am pressing him to send me at least a handful of shots this weekend so get your keyboards sighted-in. Ha. ;^)
 
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