a_traut_man
SILVER Star
So after lurking around and keeping an eye out for a 40 not ever sure that I would actually do it I finally found one and pulled the trigger on it. Thanks to the classified section on here (thanks @oakweb, I hold you responsible haha) I booked a flight out San Diego and after a long day of travel (out and back) I was the proud new owner of a red 1976 FJ40.
The woman selling it said it her dad bought it used in 1982 and took care of it while getting some good use out of it to which shows, fired right up, everything shifted real smooth, electrical all works, and all parts and pieces are there. Best part of all is the only real rust is on the corners and everything else looks great. The seller was a huge help and patient with getting shipping squared away and also left a bag full of the original service manuals her dad used to take care of the 40 for so long and you can tell they were definitely well used. Appears to be all original paint and I think actual mileage around 87k (odo doesn't look like it rolled over).
She definitely has some issues that need to be worked out and updated, etc but as far as a drivable project it is everything I hoped to find. Not 100% sure what my long term goal is but I do know I want to hold on to it for a long while and I hope it is something that I can do with my daughter, I grew up around my dad having cool cars and it really made a big impact on me so I hope I can do the same. I am wanting to take a patina approach to it a la @wngrog but we will see how long I can keep my wife onboard with that, after a couple weeks of it sitting in the driveway I can tell it has already grown on here, slipping in suggestions and ideas.
So this is how she sat after being unloaded out of the covered car hauler around 730 on a Sunday night. Was a little too tall so they had to let all of the air out of the tires to make her fit but made it work. With an 80 already in the driveway and a 100 parked on the street that is quite the DD anymore it is safe to say I am now "that neighbor".
I'm not great at keeping up with build threads but I'm going to try to keep record of the progress here. Near term I need to get some minor items addressed so I can pass inspection for registration, swapping out the wheels for a set of stock steelies and 31" Buckshots, and recovering the seats and getting the drivers side shifted back a bit.
The woman selling it said it her dad bought it used in 1982 and took care of it while getting some good use out of it to which shows, fired right up, everything shifted real smooth, electrical all works, and all parts and pieces are there. Best part of all is the only real rust is on the corners and everything else looks great. The seller was a huge help and patient with getting shipping squared away and also left a bag full of the original service manuals her dad used to take care of the 40 for so long and you can tell they were definitely well used. Appears to be all original paint and I think actual mileage around 87k (odo doesn't look like it rolled over).
She definitely has some issues that need to be worked out and updated, etc but as far as a drivable project it is everything I hoped to find. Not 100% sure what my long term goal is but I do know I want to hold on to it for a long while and I hope it is something that I can do with my daughter, I grew up around my dad having cool cars and it really made a big impact on me so I hope I can do the same. I am wanting to take a patina approach to it a la @wngrog but we will see how long I can keep my wife onboard with that, after a couple weeks of it sitting in the driveway I can tell it has already grown on here, slipping in suggestions and ideas.
So this is how she sat after being unloaded out of the covered car hauler around 730 on a Sunday night. Was a little too tall so they had to let all of the air out of the tires to make her fit but made it work. With an 80 already in the driveway and a 100 parked on the street that is quite the DD anymore it is safe to say I am now "that neighbor".
I'm not great at keeping up with build threads but I'm going to try to keep record of the progress here. Near term I need to get some minor items addressed so I can pass inspection for registration, swapping out the wheels for a set of stock steelies and 31" Buckshots, and recovering the seats and getting the drivers side shifted back a bit.