Does anyone know anything about this dealer? World Wide Vintage Autos (1 Viewer)

[Alyssa]

Is this 40 worth the money? After looking at a few, I realize it's going to take about $10,000+ to get one in good condition (at least the one's I looked at) I'd rather buy one fully restored since I am not mechanically inclined. It's listed on eBay for $17,500- "fully restored"...but...with a Chevy 350. It only has a 2 inch lift. Will that suffice for off-roading?

Thanks!

http://www.worldwidevintageautos.com/1971-Toyota-Land-Cruiser-FJ40-Denver-Colorado-80205/5038852

 

[RAYJON]

looking at the pix someone cleaned up/flat blacked the under carriage a stock cruiser with a small block swap, there are several things that are questionable,

steering? gm collum with a mini power steering swap.. ok if done right,
Wiring??? cut up 40 year old stock harness is a problem waiting to happen
older small block chevy, early brackets and v belts, older swap, placement is too far back motor is in the firewall.. floor will be hot.. especially how they routed that exhaust..
poorly done fan shroud with stock radiator, modern electric fans move alot more air..
crimp connectors and small wire away from alternator say low amp setup..
3 speed??
roll cage looks home done, welds arn't professional..
lots of other poorly done stuff,
brake lines, battery holddown, ramhorn exhaust with the wrong type of spark plug wire looms, 18 year old kid sterio

I could go on..

looks like a clean up and flip...


overall its clean but even if you pay 17k for it plan on putting some $$ into it, even if you wrench and have skills I see couple more grand to get it right.. at best its a 12k truck

you would be better off starting with a clean original cruiser, 78-82 if you can find one, stock cruisers will go places most people wouldn't beleive..

2 inch lifts are reasonable and easy to do and about the limit without more mods to correct the antidive/steering. anything more gets into time and $ IE: shackle reversal/ spring over..

also shinny paint hides stuff, even if you buy one and pay someone 3k to paint it you will know what you have.. remember these are cruisers and have been used and abused. Most of the ones in the south have hidden rust or rust repairs, it is cheep to ship a western/ low rust one, 800-1000$, (all cruisers have rust no matter how nice or well hidden)

the best advice I can give you is make sure you have a cruiser shop look at it before you buy it, they may charge you 100-200$ but it will be well worth it, even the best of us miss stuff having someone that works on them all the time is worth it for their knowledge.. it will save you alot of $$$ down the road..

I hate to say it but if you arn't mechanically inclined a fj40 in need of repair can get expensive real fast.. buy the best one you can... not trying to discourage you but just be honest..

 

[Alyssa]

Rayjon,
Thank you SO much for the time you invested to provide me this feedback. I greatly appreciate your insight and what you shared for me to consider.
Blessings to you

 

[cjgoode]

I had to look real close at that cage, kind of a joke. Looks like it has a join in the main hoop above between the seats, and the spreaders that come back to it do not look notched, and the welds actually look worse then what I can do, much worse. If the cage is this bad, how bad was the other work?

 

[RAYJON]

Alyssa, take your time, there are a lot of cruisers out there, and I have seen several that were clean original and well maintained for between 15-20k. I have also seen a lot of flips that need 10k of work to be worth 15k.. Due to the damage done by the previous owner. Make friends, join a club, read a lot here on mud, we have several guys in our club who had no prior mechanical experience and now are doing a lot of their own stuff.. You are starting off right asking questions, go thru the FAQ section.. Learn because even of you pay someone else for the labor you know what they are doing and roughly what it should cost-- good luck

God bless..

 

[nuclearlemon]

well, i live here and i've never heard of that dealer. doesn't mean a whole lot, but if they were great, i'd probably have heard something. i do like their address of "rino" district, again, never heard of it, but know the area well...used to be edge of hobo town. the places on the map...never heard of em, i'm sure they're "trendy" now, but i don't see them on their map??? for someone with so many land cruisers and other classic cars who is "denvers best car dealership", people should be talking about it and i have heard nothing. might have to investigate...

 

[nuclearlemon]

I had to look real close at that cage, kind of a joke. Looks like it has a join in the main hoop above between the seats, and the spreaders that come back to it do not look notched, and the welds actually look worse then what I can do, much worse. If the cage is this bad, how bad was the other work?

View attachment 896998

well, you can see the headliner all bunched up in the corners of the hardtop in your pic

and apparently wiper blades are expensive since it's missing the drivers side one, it has checker auto electrical connectors, and is that a chunk of seatbelt holding the battery in?...gonna stop looking now because it could be lighting but the door looks like it's been creased at the bottom too.

 

[nuclearlemon]

dangit, i said i'd stop...one of the marker lights doesn't work and they still posted a pic?

 

[JAFO2014]

I just bought a FJ40 via the internet and can give you some advice. I think I lucked out, but also I paid top dollar. The one I bought was listed as restored. That word is thrown around an awful lot and with the FJ40 that word is abused. Anyway, I think I lucked out, but the truck I bought is not really fully restored. I am satisfied with what I ended up with, but I was taking a real gamble buying a truck on the opposite side of the country from me with just looking at pictures and talking to the owner over the phone. But I am mechanical, have a nice workshop full of tools. And I have been repairing my own vehicles since I was in my early teens (I am 55 now). You really never know what the truth is. In the end, I am pretty sure this owner nearly doubled his money on the sale. I suspect he was a flipper. But I am not totally sure. I never met him in person and he really seemed sincere over the phone.

So, what I bought was listed as fully restored and I really think the body and frame have been. Looks to be a frame off deal. The only rust I have found is a small spot under the dash near one of the vents. Interior all looks new. But mechanical is NOT restored. At least not all of it. The engine might have been rebuilt, but I have no paperwork to say it was. It holds great oil pressure and has good compression. And starts right up. No smoke out the exhaust. I would say most of the drive train is not new, but also a lot is not original from the day it was sold, so has been replaced at some point in time. I am thinking that the owner I bought the truck from bought it from someone else that had restored it and drove it a few years. To pass state inspection I had to replace all the front brakes (calipers, pads). Rotors were good. Rear brakes are good. Backup lights didn't work, but it was just wiring. Replaced the wiper blades and four bulbs.

The ring and pinion in the rear seem to have some slack. The front diff feels new. U-joints are all good. Tie rods are new. Power steering pump might not be Toyota.

Truck has two fuel tanks and a solenoid to switch between. I just checked that all out tonight and it all works.

I think I found a gem, so they are out there. This one is mostly all stock, uncut. But it all depends on what you are looking for. And in the end, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. So it is hard to ask others "Do you think this is worth X dollars". What someone thinks is too much, someone else is going to think is a great deal.

Look it over really good and get lots of pictures. I had forty pictures to look over.
Good luck.

 

[BreckenridgeCruiser]

Ige,

RiNo is the River North neighborhood and is exactly as you assumed... Trendy dickheads.

I am pretty close by if you want me to swing by and take a look, but from just some of the things we could see in the pictures I'd say it's not worth it at all.

Justin at Red Line Land Cruisers in Colorado Springs had a really nice one that a customer was selling a bit ago. Not sure if he sold it or not, but it might be worth a try.

 

[Alyssa]

Ige,

I am pretty close by if you want me to swing by and take a look, but from just some of the things we could see in the pictures I'd say it's not worth it at all.

Justin at Red Line Land Cruisers in Colorado Springs had a really nice one that a customer was selling a bit ago. Not sure if he sold it or not, but it might be worth a try.

I'm really thankful for all of your opinions on this since I have no idea what to look for.

Breckenridge Cruiser, If you have time and wouldn't mind, we would totally appreciate you taking a look at it. It's listed on eBay and will end tomorrow night. If you are by there today and have time to look it over that would be awesome! I won't get my hopes up but if you see something that looks promising or is simply a dud- then thanks, either way! If you don't have the time today, thanks a bunch for even offering. I checked out Red Line Cruisers and the only one I saw was for $45,000. I will give them a call and see if they have something else. Thanks for the lead.

• Alex Prinster is the owner of World Wide Vintage Autos. He is asking $17,500 on eBay.

• 720 394 3949

 

[Alyssa]

I think I found a gem, so they are out there. This one is mostly all stock, uncut. But it all depends on what you are looking for. And in the end, something is only worth what someone else is willing to pay. So it is hard to ask others "Do you think this is worth X dollars". What someone thinks is too much, someone else is going to think is a great deal.

Look it over really good and get lots of pictures. I had forty pictures to look over.
Good luck.

Thanks a bunch for taking the time to reply! I appreciate the advice and CONGRATULATIONS on finding a gem! That is Awesome!! I will keep the hope!

 

[Alyssa]

well, you can see the headliner all bunched up in the corners of the hardtop in your pic

and apparently wiper blades are expensive since it's missing the drivers side one, it has checker auto electrical connectors, and is that a chunk of seatbelt holding the battery in?...gonna stop looking now because it could be lighting but the door looks like it's been creased at the bottom too.

Ha! I had to go back and look for that seatbelt strap. Too funny... sorta. Wow! As far as the wiper blade on the passenger side... I actually can see it in several pictures. Nonetheless, a little uneasy about the other things. Perhaps we can talk him way down in price now that you guys have pointed these things out! We shall see. Thanks!!

 

[Alyssa]

Alyssa, take your time, there are a lot of cruisers out there, and I have seen several that were clean original and well maintained for between 15-20k. I have also seen a lot of flips that need 10k of work to be worth 15k.. Due to the damage done by the previous owner. Make friends, join a club, read a lot here on mud, we have several guys in our club who had no prior mechanical experience and now are doing a lot of their own stuff.. You are starting off right asking questions, go thru the FAQ section.. Learn because even of you pay someone else for the labor you know what they are doing and roughly what it should cost-- good luck

God bless..

Thanks so much Rayjon. I certainly don't want to make a foolish purchase. The weather is pristine here in Dallas and emotions are taking over! But I will do my best to make a patient, wise and educated decision. I really appreciate all the help I've received here. You guys are great! God bless!

 

[Pighead]

Can somebody find the street address? I could easily drive by there and take a look...

 

[Alyssa]

Can somebody find the street address? I could easily drive by there and take a look...

Thanks so much for offering! They have it listed on eBay and the bidding closes tomorrow morning 10 am Colorado time and they are closed today. If it doesn't sell, I might take you up on your offer. I'll let you know and try to get the address in the meantime. Thanks a ton!

 

[Glacierskier]

I did not look too hard but I found this on the google machine; RiNo District, Denver, Colorado 80205 720-457-9145

 

[SSCR]

Man I'm selling mine as soon as I finish the restoration. If they want 22K for this I need to rethink my asking price.

 

[Alyssa]

Man I'm selling mine as soon as I finish the restoration. If they want 22K for this I need to rethink my asking price.

They were actually asking $17, 500. eBay closed today
at $15, 600. Did not meet the reserve.

 

[fjfjfj]

$14k / I sent you a PM regarding this original painted, no cancer rust 1968 FJ40. I have been in contact with the guy who owns it. It actually used to be mine 4 years ago. I wanted to buy it back but can't afford to. You might want to jump on it. Originals are extremely rare to find in this condition. I am told it is in the same condition as when I sold it. I could check that for you though. I sold it with about 98k miles on it.