Central/South American Imported 40's

[sitesbyjoe]

After a long, long time I finally have the financial means to add a 40 to my landcruiser family! (I have an 84 60 right now)

I've been shopping around for a long time and I see all these 40/43s coming in from South America etc and I've read on here a number of times where people have said "don't get one of those" but I haven't seen the real reasons behind that line of thinking.

Would anyone care to elaborate? Many of them look pretty nice.

 

[Mr Cimarron]

It's mainly rust issues and how they hide it. They all look good from far but are far from good when you get up close.
I don't regret importing mine from Costa Rica. I suggest putting your own two eyes in person if you plan on buying one. It was a nice weekend for me cruising around the central valley looking for 40s. One thing I wish I had done was to load it up with parts from down there.

 

[brian]

they are tools down there.
these trucks have had hard lives.
they also do not have the same time line of features as that of the north american market..ie dour wheel drum brakes were used much later then up here. dash pads, bench seats, heaters all items that will be different from that market to this one.

 

[Racer65]

If you like hardtop, you will want a U.S. spec truck.

 

[Landpimp]

Also, many still run drum brakes in the front....right into the 1980's

Some you may see are not even owned by the person selling them.

Workmanship is not the same as you will find in a 1st world country.....that said I have seen lots of bad body work in the US.

Most all if them are flips, so profit comes before anything else.

Most have interesting story's attached, like only driving to the coca processing plant on Sundays by a little old man.

Some are ex government trucks

Some are out right scams

Most don't have a heater.

Most run points still.

Some late models may have 3 speeds.

And on and on

That said, I have seen a few ones that seem nice but they are few and far between...and the ones I recall were being sold by mud memebers

I would consider a middle eastern 40 or 45.....but they are not as as plentiful and most were used as works trucks . ...but at least the rust issues are a bit less

 

[FJ404345]

Big advantages on imported trucks !


No rust belt trucks in these countries

No salty roads trucks

Diesel trucks available

Larger selection on trucks with original 2F engines

No completely V8 changed trucks

Larger availability of trucks with the original powersteering and airconditioning

No Saginaw adapted trucks

Tough used trucks but no abused rock crawlers

Less completely rusted away in the field redo or bad barn find restorations.

Much larger selection of the newest models Fj40 the years 1979 till 1984, with more modern technology.

How many Fj40 from 1983 do you want, or just 1 ridiculous overpriced model out of the 300?

Possibility of buying the different models such a BJ42, Fj43 and FJ45,

No chance of buying a FJ43 that is basically a lengthened FJ40 with FJ40 in papers and chassis

Lots of trucks are being fixed up to sell, but that's is in every continent the same practice


But when it comes down to is ;

"Believe only half of what you see and nothing that you hear"

Have patience, know your things before you go buy or otherwise first gather the knowledge and/or

Ask a / some mudder(s) for advice and buy a good honest truck local or imported.

 

[Living in the Past]

It's mainly rust issues and how they hide it. They all look good from far but are far from good when you get up close.
I don't regret importing mine from Costa Rica. I suggest putting your own two eyes in person if you plan on buying one. It was a nice weekend for me cruising around the central valley looking for 40s. One thing I wish I had done was to load it up with parts from down there.

I remember people use to load up cruisers coming from Australia with parts for other people as a way to help pay for shipping. They cracked down on that. If it was Australia or the US or both not sure. Australia got many parts never offered here. Other then diesel engines not sure what Costa Rica got. They got the H41 but those mated to a B engine not worth the hassle to change the input shaft.

 

[MOTOV8R]

Having owned a FJ45 from Chile I can say the things listed above are true.
The plusses: many are FST. You can find diesels and the longer body styles not available in the US. If those things are on your priority list I would include SA in your search but realize there are already many available in the US and as was mentioned the middle East is an option.

 

[White Stripe]

For 20k you can find a very nice 40 in the USA, you just have to be patient and look in the right places. Do not buy something without seeing it in person. If you get something in south America, make sure you see it in person and that the price is worth doing some upgrades to it after it gets home. Likely it will have a fair amount of bondo, but if its a 43, they are pretty cool, you can always run the crappy south America paint job until you tire of it and redo it later.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Hi, I agree these are tools from Costa Rica; loaded beyond what we would consider normal. However you could buy a nice ,little used Land Rover . We saw a lot parked behind people's homes , they would not run. At least that what my friend who lives there says. Mike

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

South and Central American Cruisers available for sale have usually have had a very hard life and marginal maintenance. Repairs are usually made using either low quality non-OEM parts or adapted ones from other models/brands, sometimes very crudely.

Many are former government vehicles. Their drivers stole everything that was not welded to the frame: expect many missing components.

Others have gone from one owner to another, with ever increasing jury rigging in the meantime. And most have been beaten to near death in competitions, which are closer to demolition derby than to wheeling as we know it.

Odometers are usually broken or disconnected. Chances are sellers will not remember when that happened.

On the other hand, rust is not much of an issue, especially in mountain areas. Shoddy frame and body repair work is the issue, along with a rather long replacement parts list.

Having said this, there are still a few that are in good shape. Some are firmly attached to their owners, whereas others can be bought.

As noted above, it is better to make a trip down there and take a look examples first hand. In some countries it is possible to get records from either the police or the DMV, which allows you to know exactly how many owners a truck has had, whether registration/taxes are up to date or if it was a former government vehicle. If a local friend can provide insight, use it.

If possible, go countryside and ask for the local Catholic Church; the Land Cruiser is the vehicle of choice for priests and nuns. These trucks are usually well maintained and sometimes available for sale.

In some countries in that part of the woods, the local Toyota dealership runs a used car division that might or might not have an old Cruiser, probably in decent shape, for sale. They can also help you with a mechanical/background check, as well as price estimates. Ask the local dealer about this. It may be pricier but it is worth trying.

Central America got diesel trucks, South America got mostly gassers; both received short, mid and long wheelbase models, which allows for variety from where to choose.

As for the price, US$ 20K will buy a truck in good shape, provided you search thoroughly.

Hope this helps.





Juan

 

[sitesbyjoe]

Thanks for all the insight!

Good arguments for both sides. I do love the look of the longer 43, but it sounds like I should just wait for something to come up on here and deal with members first.

 

[Honger]

If you like hardtop, you will want a U.S. spec truck.

Nah! There are hardtop 43's coming out of South America, though most 43's in general are FST. Also, Middle Eastern FJ40's and FJ45's are predominantly hardtop.

 

[Honger]

An increase in demand for these trucks has, I think, produced a situation where people have started hunting outside of North America. It is true that in South America and the Middle East/Africa markets they were used more as tools, there are still numerous diamonds in the rough. I think Africa is very unlikely a place to search, but there are lots of folks in the Middle East who've kept their J4's maintained with factory parts... after all most parts are readily available and at bargain prices.

The J4's in this region have generally been battered, but if you're patient you can find solid ones.

I think US cruiser heads viewing non-US spec trucks with scorn is silly. I'm thrilled to have a non-US spec when it comes to the carb, dizzy, and no dash pad. And finding a 40 as rust-free as the one I found is much harder in the USA. Not a single broken piece of hardware... every piece of hardware I removed still had the zinc plating completely intact!

I think the key is to search for original condition cruisers from these other markets... no resprays (they are hiding something), intact chassis without worn spring hangars, no rust-through in the body, matching motor, etc. These can be found, especially if you have solid local connections (ie. in-region nationals).

 

[FJ404345]

Colombian truck


Just got pictures


82 year old first owner, never restored and original paint FJ40 1983

 

[Honger]

Colombian truck


Just got pictures


82 year old first owner, never restored and original paint FJ40 1983





View attachment 1357230


View attachment 1357227View attachment 1357228 View attachment 1357229

And a hard top 43 at that!

Single owner trucks with an owner who took great care of their rig are not unique to NA.

Bravo!