At what point is it shear stupidity?

[Ambrew]

So,

I finished the 42 last sept, and I got it bad. Was cruisin' the for sale section and saw a 66' 45 in Iowa for 8k. By the time everyone was on board, it was sold. Since the agreed to another cruiser, I started searching and found another 45 closer to home.

Pros: It's a 76' 45, in Canada and it's more or less complete. Missing a tailgate and hardware but pretty much everything else is there.

Cons: it's got some rust, has been repainted (possible bondo), a cracked frame between the box and cab, needs new fenders and probably a lot more. it's a 6 hour drive to go see it.

I know price is everything, and he's asking 7500$. I will not get to restoring it for at least a few years but would like to keep it driving. I will most likely have to store one of the cruisers in winter just for lack of room. Not afraid to do the work, but If I pull the cab and box to fix the frame, well, we all know how that goes...

Boils down to this: do I try and get a deal on something close by that I do not have to import but requires a lot of work. I want a LHD since I feel it will be an easier sell should that need to happen. Not planning to resell, but if I'm gonna have some money tied up, may as well be able to recoup some should I have to.

OR

wait for another , better condition truck from Canada or the us, pay to ship it (1500 to 2k or more all said and done).

Not tied to a year in particular but will most probably seek to keep it original as possible.

stumped. oh, and time sensitive.....

 

[Gumby]

$9k for a cracked frame Canadian truck?

That might qualify as stupidity.

 

[RustyNailJustin]

$9k for a cracked frame Canadian truck?

That might qualify as stupidity.

Agreed.

"ambrew" Where are you located?

 

[Ambrew]

well, he's close to 6k right now. probably 350$ to get it to my door. I'm in Ottawa, Canada. Travelling for the right truck would not be a problem for me, but , obviously, closer is better.

1500 -2k is for shipping from the west, which is my best bet at finding a "cleaner" project.

 

[whitey45]

I bought one canadian truck and will never buy another, rust in every nook and cranny , its too bad because they are the last of the north american late model 45's .

 

[Douglas S]

I bought one canadian truck and will never buy another, rust in every nook and cranny , its too bad because they are the last of the north american late model 45's .

Canada's a big place. Some parts of the country are much better than others.

 

[Ambrew]

It's a truck that the PO bought from alberta, but could have been from anywhere... and it's got rust for sure. Driver's side rear corner will have to go, new fenders, bib needs repair.....

 

[Bear]

Ambrew,

There's something to be said for physically going to see what you are buying.

If you are not sure of your qualifications to judge, take a knowledgeable friend and make it a fun trip.
Dependent on your skills, experience, and ability, decide if it's the project you want to take on.

Without casting any aspersions on my northern brothers, Canada can be very rough on any vehicle, especially a work truck. Same goes for the so-called Rust Belt here in the US. Best bet for any vehicle in Canada/US to restore is probably the desert Southwestern US--Arizona, New Mexico, So Calif, Eastern Oregon. Problem is--those areas have been pretty much picked over for years now, so you'll have to be patient, and pounce like a cat on a moth when one surfaces, 'cause the other cats are up in the trees also watching.

Good luck to you.

 

[Ambrew]

Exactly. Thing is, as you say, 45's are not plentiful since they were only imported until 67' in the US.

I'm confident in my skill set, rebuilding the 42 brought a lot to the table. I've already had a rusted out cruiser before that, learning me some lessons the hard way as well.

hmmm. I'm supposed to get more pics tonight, so we'll see.

 

[Ambrew]

Looks like the frame is rusted from the inside out. Gonna need a new frame. The box is good, and the cab will need a lot of work....

The pics are from behind where it cracked, between the rear spring perch going up over the axle.

 

[Kief]

I would say your time is better spent waiting for the right deal or working to get more money and buying a truck in better condition. Often vehicles get sold for less than people have into them and a partially finished rig will be cheaper than a complete truck and may be in better shape if you have time to inspect and make sure all the parts are there.
If having an FJ45 for the sake of having one is your goal then buy a rusty piece of junk, if you are buying one so you can work on it all the time and maybe even finish it some day then buy a rusty piece of junk but if you are buying an FJ45 so you can have one of the coolest 'cruisers to drive around and impress people, enjoy going places and having fun in style then either wait for the right deal or save up your money.

 

[Ambrew]

Yup. thanks all. I'm gonna wait it out. just needed to bounce the ideas around with people who get it.

 

[73fj]

I bought one canadian truck and will never buy another, rust in every nook and cranny , its too bad because they are the last of the north american late model 45's .

Why do you hate Canada?

That kind of rust is bad, no doubt about it, and not an easy repair, my frame is also very bad

 

[65swb45]

As kulangut put it 'The deal of a lifetime comes along every six months.'

 

[Ambrew]

Wise words. All of this got started because of a "sweet deal". I suppose chance favors the prepared!

 

[Henry James the 47th]

I'd pass on that on Ambrew. I suggest that you keep looking and saving your money.

 

[Ambrew]

Yeah, I passed on it. I would need the help of a few spotters thought to help me find a decent one. They all get snapped up so fast!

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Have you considered widening your net and looking for 45's in countries, or regions of countries, where rust is less of an issue? Thinking of some parts of the middle east, southern Australia.... Considering how expensive it can be to properly repair a rusty body, the cost of a ticket to fly somewhere and look at a few trucks is really a cheaper option. I know it sounds a little crazy, but it isn't!

Or, from those same regions, obtaining a good frame and then putting an Aqualu tub on?

You can spend enormous amounts of money and time chasing down and repairing rust, and in most cases, if you life in a climate which tends to intensify the rusting process, it will come back. These trucks are spot welded together and short of cutting all the seams apart, you really can't get all the rust totally out, and it will creep back from the seams. Getting something as rust free as possible is well worth any extra expense.

Also, 45 specific parts are getting pretty scarce, I mean the world over, so you want something as complete as possible.

 

[Ambrew]

Exactly. I just completed my 42 build, and I know what you mean about rust. it's already poking it's head.

I am not against buying from another country, I travel the globe for work quite often. I have been looking in costa rica and france for a bj45. defenetly have to go to coats rica to make sure I know what i'm getting, and for france, the euro is prohibitive.
I also have connections with brokers through work. The fact is, for a one off importation, I'd probably pay the 500-1000$ more just to use them. Yes, it's more money, but the effort (and risk, from not doing everything just right)is significant when exiting a foreign country.

Other thing is, I prefer a LHD. nothing wrong with RHD, but since I will most probably be dumping a large sum of money into this, I'm making sure that should I have to sell it, I will have an easier time. As much as I love cruisers, financial security comes first.

And I'm a bit of a purist. original drivetrain is nice, but if I find a shell, I wouldnt be averse to putting a 3b in it.

To find an importer from UAE would probably be my best shot at a clean complete one. Any thoughts?

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Most of the un-restored French trucks I've seen look like rust buckets, so I presume they salt the roads there. Portugal might be a better bet, but the prices are high in Europe as you've noted.

I got my truck from Australia, but it turned out to be way rustier than expected, and I had to do an extensive amount of welding. in the process I converted it to LHD using a Canadian BJ42 front cab section someone gave to me (it had a decent firewall, and that was about it). It was a huge amount of work and a lot of details to get right, and it is not a simple job if you want the result to be close to what the factory would have produced, and it would be best to have an entire LHD donor vehicle on hand if you chose to go that route.

To find an importer from UAE would probably be my best shot at a clean complete one. Any thoughts?

I would agree this is a direction to seriously investigate. Or Oman, or Saudi which I believe are also LHD. Actually, all the middle eastern countries use LHD I think. All north African countries are LHD I believe, so that's another possibility.

Trucks from desert and warm-climate countries generally do not have a heater and heater fan fitted , so you will have to cut the firewall and do some welding to fit a factory heater set up in place. Some of the vehicles may come with AC however.

A lot of the central American trucks I've seen have led a hard life and have been fixed by a series of backyard mechanics with whatever parts they could scrounge up, so the condition tends to be marginal. Engines are tired and have been on a diet of poor quality fuel for the most part, so you can anticipate engine rebuild work.