FJ40 & FJ45 - Repairs Options & Questions - Help Needed (1 Viewer)

[kash]

Picked up a 40 and 45 - They have serious RUST issues, have checked around my area but the restoration costs are way beyond an arm and leg, thinking of shipping them to Costa Rica / Mexico for repairs - Please advise

 

[Tank5]

If you are looking to send them out of country for cheap restoration, you will most likely get the quality of a cheap restoration. Sell one to help pay for the cost to restore one correctly in the states.

 

[zerotreedelta]

That 40 looks mint compared to where I started. How are the rockers, doors, and tub?

And the bib is upside down.

 

[1969FJ]

What model years are they?

 

[pjohnson]

And the bib is upside down.

And somebody put nipples on it

 

[kash]

bib is upside down. LOL ---- Years are late 70's

 

[kash]

The 45 you can see earth from the cab so pretty rusted ........... 40 is better but body is bad

 

[kash]

More

 

[Pura Vida]

Uh, if I were you I would sell them and get one with a better tub. It looks like you are gonna be doing a frame off if the rust is as bad as you describe.....

 

[Pura Vida]

Edit: don’t send it to Central America for a resto. Those are cheap and crappy. Bondo, cheap paint, horrible quality. Either do it yourself or get an American to do it.

 

[Pura Vida]

Sorry, I don’t mean to spam. I just forgot to write this part out

I own a Costa Rican BJ40 and HJ45, and let’s just say, you can tell they aren’t American models. Crappy options, crappy modifications, crappy restorations, you get what you pay for, and I accepted that. If you can live with a sub par restoration, do it I guess but I don’t think anyone here advises it. I’m trying to fix the crap and bondo and cheap paint put all over my car to make it look nice. I wouldn’t let a Central American restoration place work on mine. Down there, they make things work, they don’t make thing look pretty. I’m assuming you got a 40 and 45 to make them look pretty

 

[LandCrusher'70]

The bib looks fine to me.

But the bezel is certainly upside down...

 

[Pierps]

I definitely don't want to discourage you, but if the rust is as bad as it looks, you'll need to replace most of the body panels. Looks like you're in canada- good news is that the two best outfits for replacement panels are in your motherland (Aqualu and Gozzard).

If you are not wanting to do the restorations yourself, but you don't want to spend a lot of money, I'm afraid you're basically in an irreconcilable situation. Even if you send them down to south america, you're probably going to spend $30k-$40k each or something in that range, if I were to guess. And as others have said, you are likely not to be thrilled with the result.

If it were me, I'd sell the 40, keep the 45, do the resto myself. I'd replace all rusted steel with aqualu parts... I did a bunch of rust repair on my 40 and if I were to do it over again, I'd have saved myself tons of effort and just gotten an aqualu tub. I'd get the 6" stretched cab version of their 45 series cab. Not sure if yours is a long bed truck.

No matter how you slice it, you're looking at a $30k ordeal all in to get one rig right.

 

[kash]

I had the 40 in storage and did not want to look @ it because as per my wife 'if I saw it I would never be able to sell it' and that has happened, I am looking for a body to replace, the interior is pretty mint all the things are in place.

 

[Pura Vida]

I had the 40 in storage and did not want to look @ it because as per my wife 'if I saw it I would never be able to sell it' and that has happened, I am looking for a body to replace, the interior is pretty mint all the things are in place.

View attachment 2675113

Prepare yourself. It’s gonna be a long wait, and a lot of $$$ before you drive it. Don’t enter a project you can’t finish. 40 parts are expensive and somewhat hard to come by

 

[kash]

Fingers Crossed

 

[kash]

I have access to a lot of JDM parts for the 40........That might help