All,
Its been years since I've posted here but always found this place to be extremely helpful. Here's my story. Its a 1982 FJ40. Wife and I have decided that we need to part ways with our beloved land cruiser of over 20 years. There are many reasons that aren't really needed to voice here. Its not an easy decision but the right one for us. When we purchased her the previous owner had started to transform her into a Full Off Road vehicle. 4 inch lift, 33's, lockers in the front/back, etc... Over time we have slowly be getting her back to stock. At this point she is probably the best daily driver I have ridden in. She will go 75 mph and straight as an arrow. You can literally drive her that speed with a single finger on the wheel. Something I (and others) never thought was possible. This is due to the following changes:
1. 5 speed conversion. Best overall upgrade Ive had.
2. New Stock Height Suspension (no casters needed)
3. Stock Shocks
4. 31 inch road tires
5. Rebuilt Knuckles (huge improvement over road wandering!)
6. Tie rods and steering dampener. Large steering shock.
7. New Power Steering Box (Stock)
8. Good balance and good alignment
Other improvements worth noting
1. Desmog 2F (rebuilt motor with only 10K miles)
2. New Desmog carb
3. DUI Distributor/wires
4. New Starter/Battery
6. New Power Steering Pump
7. New Clutch
So mechanically speaking she is really close to top notch. From the air cleaner to the tail pipe its pretty solid. Unfortunately I cant say the same for the body.
The wheel wells and floor pans are pretty much bondo at this point. The left bottom rail and back rail is pretty well gone as well. The sides have diamond plate so that's pretty much shot. Top, Doors, hood, front fenders, windshield, fire wall are good and repairable. The frame rear leaf spring mounts might need to be cut off, cleaned up and remounted as it appears there rust between the mount and frame expanding a bit. Nothing too major though.
So here come my questions. She is happily sitting in friends garage and is awaiting restoration. At first I was just going to patch/bondo her up, replace the obvious body parts (rails), and give her some paint for a quick sale. Then, upon researching the resale values of these things I am considering a frame off restoration and higher resale value. Daily Driver Late Model FJ40's seem to go for a high resale. Due to the mechanical state it seems like its worth the time and money to go the extra mile and get her back to original condition. Doing so will probably run me about 7500$ if not 10K to do it right. New 3/4 Tub is probably warranted at this point if I go the high resale route.
So, my questions have to deal with restoration for a high resale value. What should I consider when trying to sell her for top dollar? Here are some questions.
1. General Question: Should I be going with 100% stock for the highest resale? meaning...
2. Should I go with a stock paint color? I wanted to do Desert Storm Flat with a possible clear truck liner on top. Seen pics of this and it looks really good. I don't want to go this route if I am going to lower the value in doing so.
3. Stock Seats? I have audi tt heated leather seats in there now. They are way more comfortable than stock but I did have to remove the front elevated mounts to get them in. If I get a new tub should I get stock seats? Don't want to install other seats if they are going to look down upon as not stock.
4. Rear Seats. Sorry for all the purists out there but jump seats (stock) are horrible to use. I have a mounted leather MDX third row seat on top of the wheel wells. You can fit two (non tall) adults back there fairly comfortable as a result. I am opting to NOT mount this but offer it in the sale. Considering not installing seats ... Looks like you can get jumpers for 500$ if I had too. Not sure if this is even a question... lol
5. Front Locker. Right now it has the front locker still on it. I am considering removing this and selling it. Seems like a no-brainer to get that out of there.
6. Trim Paint. I have started painting the black trim (hinges, bumper, bumpetts, hood latches) in black truck liner. Should I go with stock paint instead?
7. She came out of the show room white. Is that what I should consider or does that not matter?
I think everyone can get the gists of my questions. I would like to hear what others think about this approach and the pros-cons of attempting to get a high resale. One part of me wants to make the best ride possible for the person buying this (ie: heated seats)... the other is concerned that those buying a high price FJ40 want stock condition... which is not necessarily comfortable and practical.
Thanks again for all of your help over the years. I really couldn't have gotten her to ride like she does today with out all of the help here on the forum. Its been a great 20 years of Fj'in.
Its been years since I've posted here but always found this place to be extremely helpful. Here's my story. Its a 1982 FJ40. Wife and I have decided that we need to part ways with our beloved land cruiser of over 20 years. There are many reasons that aren't really needed to voice here. Its not an easy decision but the right one for us. When we purchased her the previous owner had started to transform her into a Full Off Road vehicle. 4 inch lift, 33's, lockers in the front/back, etc... Over time we have slowly be getting her back to stock. At this point she is probably the best daily driver I have ridden in. She will go 75 mph and straight as an arrow. You can literally drive her that speed with a single finger on the wheel. Something I (and others) never thought was possible. This is due to the following changes:
1. 5 speed conversion. Best overall upgrade Ive had.
2. New Stock Height Suspension (no casters needed)
3. Stock Shocks
4. 31 inch road tires
5. Rebuilt Knuckles (huge improvement over road wandering!)
6. Tie rods and steering dampener. Large steering shock.
7. New Power Steering Box (Stock)
8. Good balance and good alignment
Other improvements worth noting
1. Desmog 2F (rebuilt motor with only 10K miles)
2. New Desmog carb
3. DUI Distributor/wires
4. New Starter/Battery
6. New Power Steering Pump
7. New Clutch
So mechanically speaking she is really close to top notch. From the air cleaner to the tail pipe its pretty solid. Unfortunately I cant say the same for the body.
The wheel wells and floor pans are pretty much bondo at this point. The left bottom rail and back rail is pretty well gone as well. The sides have diamond plate so that's pretty much shot. Top, Doors, hood, front fenders, windshield, fire wall are good and repairable. The frame rear leaf spring mounts might need to be cut off, cleaned up and remounted as it appears there rust between the mount and frame expanding a bit. Nothing too major though.
So here come my questions. She is happily sitting in friends garage and is awaiting restoration. At first I was just going to patch/bondo her up, replace the obvious body parts (rails), and give her some paint for a quick sale. Then, upon researching the resale values of these things I am considering a frame off restoration and higher resale value. Daily Driver Late Model FJ40's seem to go for a high resale. Due to the mechanical state it seems like its worth the time and money to go the extra mile and get her back to original condition. Doing so will probably run me about 7500$ if not 10K to do it right. New 3/4 Tub is probably warranted at this point if I go the high resale route.
So, my questions have to deal with restoration for a high resale value. What should I consider when trying to sell her for top dollar? Here are some questions.
1. General Question: Should I be going with 100% stock for the highest resale? meaning...
2. Should I go with a stock paint color? I wanted to do Desert Storm Flat with a possible clear truck liner on top. Seen pics of this and it looks really good. I don't want to go this route if I am going to lower the value in doing so.
3. Stock Seats? I have audi tt heated leather seats in there now. They are way more comfortable than stock but I did have to remove the front elevated mounts to get them in. If I get a new tub should I get stock seats? Don't want to install other seats if they are going to look down upon as not stock.
4. Rear Seats. Sorry for all the purists out there but jump seats (stock) are horrible to use. I have a mounted leather MDX third row seat on top of the wheel wells. You can fit two (non tall) adults back there fairly comfortable as a result. I am opting to NOT mount this but offer it in the sale. Considering not installing seats ... Looks like you can get jumpers for 500$ if I had too. Not sure if this is even a question... lol
5. Front Locker. Right now it has the front locker still on it. I am considering removing this and selling it. Seems like a no-brainer to get that out of there.
6. Trim Paint. I have started painting the black trim (hinges, bumper, bumpetts, hood latches) in black truck liner. Should I go with stock paint instead?
7. She came out of the show room white. Is that what I should consider or does that not matter?
I think everyone can get the gists of my questions. I would like to hear what others think about this approach and the pros-cons of attempting to get a high resale. One part of me wants to make the best ride possible for the person buying this (ie: heated seats)... the other is concerned that those buying a high price FJ40 want stock condition... which is not necessarily comfortable and practical.
Thanks again for all of your help over the years. I really couldn't have gotten her to ride like she does today with out all of the help here on the forum. Its been a great 20 years of Fj'in.