For you FJ40 owners....

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BigSur

BigSur

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Big D
My dailey driver is my 83' FJ60 and i want to know how many of you 40 owners use your 40 as your dailey driver? I have been thinking of making my Fj60 into a trail rig but if i do that i won't have a DD. So i was thinking of getting a 40 for that. Your thoughts?

Thanks ya'll.

Jason
 
I drive my 82 fj40 daily and if thats all I had to drive I would have no issue with it, but remember a 81+ fj40 is a fj60 drivetrain in a 40 body.........so it does make a nice DD :)

can't say my 65 fj45LV would be the best daily driver ;)

but yep it prolly makes more sense to buy a 40 for a trail rig and keep th3 60 for a DD, unless you need the room of the 60 for a trail rig.
 
Build your 60 as a dual-purpose. I mean, the rig aint exactly getting 40 mpg stock, so build it up for trail use while still keeping the dd-ability.

I get a "company" car, but if I did not, my '77 40 on 35 mts would suffice as a dd...largely due to an H55F and 4.56s.

Of course, I can't argue against having 2 Cruisers instead of 1!!
 
hmm...I drive my 40, sans top and doors right now, daily and my 60 is reserved for wheeling purposes. Sure, it's not the most luxurious, but it's comfy and gets me around. If your in or around DC and see a guy in a suit driving a lifted mustard yellow 40 with no top or doors, that'd be me.

I do need to rid myself of the kidney busting Pinnacle springs on it now, though. I think a 4 link is definitely in my future. Bottom line is, if you love it, drive it. To hell with practicality.

blumel
 
I tried this, this last year and it was not fun at all. Granted, mine is a 69 and is real rough around the edges. It basically took all the fun out of having it because I was dependent on it getting me to work and back. I agree with Garth1 on making it dual-purpose.
 
i agree with beanz - Keep the 60 as DD, get the 40 for the trail. I don't know about your neighborhood but where I wheel the 40 would kick butt all over the 60. A 60 won't go 200 yards up the Manera Wash, you'd be hung up on a ledge. I don't even think one would do the bypass. On the other hand an almost stock 40 with a decent driver could wiggle through (using some bypasses).

Ben - that was an invitation for you to come prove me wrong. ;)
 
I just got back from a weeklong trip and my DD (an Audi) has a dead battery, which can't be recharged. Haven't had time to get a new one yet, so I've been driving my trusty '76 40 instead. It gets me around, but it's pretty slow on the freeway. It has A/C but it strains to keep me comfortable in a Texas summer. I never can turn off the heater completely. Radio doesn't work, but it probably wouldn't matter as the truck's so loud. I think 40s are a lot of fun for occasional and trail use, but pretty primitive for daily use. I guess your personal situation has to be considered. Do you have a long or a short commute? Do you dress up in a suit? Do you need to drive customers and/or clients around? Is it boiling hot or freezing cold were you live? As for trail use, I'd have to agree with one of the posts above. The short wheelbase can get you through places larger rigs can't go. My $.02
 
paulj said:
I just got back from a weeklong trip and my DD (an Audi) has a dead battery, which can't be recharged. Haven't had time to get a new one yet, so I've been driving my trusty '76 40 instead. It gets me around, but it's pretty slow on the freeway. It has A/C but it strains to keep me comfortable in a Texas summer. I never can turn off the heater completely. Radio doesn't work, but it probably wouldn't matter as the truck's so loud. I think 40s are a lot of fun for occasional and trail use, but pretty primitive for daily use. I guess your personal situation has to be considered. Do you have a long or a short commute? Do you dress up in a suit? Do you need to drive customers and/or clients around? Is it boiling hot or freezing cold were you live? As for trail use, I'd have to agree with one of the posts above. The short wheelbase can get you through places larger rigs can't go. My $.02
Click to expand...

No suite what-so-ever. Like you i am also dealing with the Texas heat but living here my whole life i pretty much got use to it. On 90-94 degree days i like to run with the window's down so A/C isn't an issue. I drive only 34 miles a day to and from work so i don't put alot of miles on the truck.
 
dd the junk out of a 40 man

it's the only ride i got. sucks occassionally, but it's worth it.
mine's a 72 but it's p/s and discs up front with a 2F so it's still a lot of fun to drive. granted my job is only 1 mile from my apt and i don't drive all that much, but i love it regardless.

if you want to make a dedicated 40 DD, i would seriously look into one with a nice hardtop. i know it sounds like a sacrilege, but even in the summer heat a hardtop is a welcome refuge. and if you must take the doors off, it's no big deal... (ps -- i haven't had my hardtop on in over a year now)
the fact that you could drive to work without havin to worry about stuff inside gettin wet if it rains once you park it or your hair gettin all windblown...


you'll also get used to the gasoline smell a lot quicker than your coworkers and family, consider yourself forewarned...


malphrus
 
I had to drive my '76 for a week or so when my DD was down (pre-80series)...let's just say it was less than ideal. Unless you get an '81+ or don't have to drive much - a 40 pretty much sucks a$$ as a DD...especially where you live w/ all the freeways!

Of course I took my top off the first weekend I bought mine - nothing quite like driving a 60mph blow-dryer in the Texas sun! A 40 is great for what it is - but can really suck if you try and make it something it's not....

:cheers:

Tucker
 
I agree with Bernefj60 !!!!

I drive my 74fj40 sans top&doors a lot right now.

I drive the 62 if it is pouring rain or I need to take all three kids somewhere.

It also would depend on how far you drive. I only have to go 6 miles to get to work. :-)
 
I drove my 1970 FJ40 as a DD for a few months last year. I usually walked to work though, or could have. Less than 1/4 mile. Now I work 15 miles away. I sold the 40.

Depends on your tolerances. I'm not gonna drive a 40 everyday in Florida 30+ miles sweating my ass off trying to turn w/o p/s.

And it wouldn't matter now anyway.
 
I used my Fj40 as a DD for couple months sometime ago, it's like screwing an old girl friend, you got to love it to do it.

/td
 
I guess I'll throw in my .02 also, I used my 75 for a DD for over a year. I am in Texas also and I know how hot it can get. I wouldn't recommend a 40 for a DD unless it's newer than an 80 or so and even then it would be tough. Keep your 60 for your DD and get a 40 for trail and part time road rides.
 
I've used my '40 as a DD now for 2 years, and I plan to continue to do so indefinitely.
 
Dd

Seems like everyone has a different opinion here. I am waiting for my FJ60 to get here and am anxious. That being said, I haven't had a car with power anything for ten years. I drove a M37, Unimog 404 and now a Pinzgauer. I love them, but now we are having a baby. My pinz has seat belts in it but wife says NO. I am now getting the FJ60...And perhaps selling the Pinz. I was considering a big LC wagon thing or even a Land Rover 109 five door. Any thoughts on that one?
 
lol
I got my 79 in 1988. Drove it until 1997 when I replaced it with a baja bug DD.
I drove that truck almost every day. Vegas heat, Lake Tahoe cold.

Drove it back and forth from Vegas to Reno at least 30 times.

If I only had one vehicle to drive it would be the 40.
 
I drive my 40 as my dd. but , in all fairness ,i also have a f550 sd psd that i use for a work truck i put 75 - 90 miles a day avg . i drive my 40 everywhere else , about 4 times a week 10 - 15 miles ea time mostly to town pick up a pizza , crap like that .
 
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