FZJ75 evaluation from pictures only

[prwillard2]

Good afternoon.

Figured I would post in here as many have a better understanding of 75 troopys than I do. This vehicle is currently in the middle east and I'd be looking to import to the US. I want a troopy for the alucab conversion to make an overland vehicle.

 

[prwillard2]

More

 

[FJBen]

So 10/1995 troopy.

Iooks like it has been repainted
The underneath has been sprayed/painted/coated

Those are the 2 (or 1 really) big flag that jumps out at me. Without documentation you have no idea what kind of work was done. Could be completely filled with bondo and who knows what. Also not sure how much has been repainted.


From just those few pictures it appears solid but the repaint negates a lot of that for me personally.

@Honger @c2dfj45 have Middle East troopies and can tell you what to better look for. Beware the Fesh Fesh.

 

[Honger]

So I have these same photos, plus a few more, in my WhatsApp as well. =) I'm curious if we have the same contact... or did I share mine with you? I'm pretty sure we discussed Middle East cruisers a few times.

Anyway, this is pretty typical of what you're gonna see. It's been repainted, but so many of them get repainted, and not just for resell. The interior door sills on the front doors haven't been repainted, so it was likely just an exterior spray-over. Very likely hiding some body damage/dents all over. Highly unlikely there is much/any rust.

The rear floor has been drilled numerous times, likely to have the diamond plate floors installed/removed a few times.

One telltale for me on how it's been care for... on the back of the rear diff the drain plug has a nice little bar welded on to it for easier removal. Likely a work crew transport truck that was ridden rough out into the gas fields. Got sold and picked up by someone who used it for their family or smaller business and they repainted it, tinted it, etc.

 

[Honger]

Also, not sure what price he's given you, but it's entirely too high.

 

[prwillard2]

Also, not sure what price he's given you, but it's entirely too high.

We probably are in the same whatsapp chat with your contact! Wasn't sure on the price either, much more difficult for me to import to the states now that my tour is over in UAE as well. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[RHINO]

i'm looking at the little details,,,, all the rubber bits, grommets, bumpers, hood support ect are all acounted for. my Omani troopy was missing many of the rubber bits like that, it has bars welded on the oil plugs ect ect. mine like most, lived a hard life, but the minimal rust to deal with is worth it to me.

if you buy it i call dibs on the engine, if you want to swap in diesel

 

[c2dfj45]

Looks like a clean truck.....@honger summed it up pretty well I think. Repaint, bondo, lots of holes BUT probably no real rust.....and.......it has a great motor and a nice interior. About 100x better than what I started with.

As well used as my truck was, I swear it is every bit as smooth as my LX470. It's astonishing how good it drives.

 

[Honger]

i'm looking at the little details,,,, all the rubber bits, grommets, bumpers, hood support ect are all acounted for. my Omani troopy was missing many of the rubber bits like that, it has bars welded on the oil plugs ect ect. mine like most, lived a hard life, but the minimal rust to deal with is worth it to me.

if you buy it i call dibs on the engine, if you want to swap in diesel

Everyone wants to swap in a diesel. I'm so glad @c2dfj45 stuck with the 1FZ.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Everyone wants to swap in a diesel. I'm so glad @c2dfj45 stuck with the 1FZ.

No way I would swap a 1FZ for a diesel. Agree with your comments on the Troopy. For some reason I don't see many 70 series Troopys in KSA. Not sure where they are all hiding.

 

[John Young]

I'm reasonably happy with my troopy, also from Oman. I suspect it was used as a school bus. Similarly repainted. I spent an hour or so under it looking at it and, especially, driving it. It had a warning clacking coming from passenger front shaft at speeds above 55 kph. I bought it anyways. I found that the front halfshaft was really bad and could not, at least at that time, being new to 70s series, find a new one or a good used one. So the mechanics in Dubai sent it to a machine shop and built up weld and re-machined it. I eventually will replace the shaft, but now it is drivable. Not sure how strong it is.

It may be useful for you to have a look at the posts I did on my Omani troopy.

Here's my heartfelt advice: Spend the money and buy a ticket to Muscat and look at it and drive it before you buy, or negotiate to buy. Round trip airfare is around 1200 from Dulles in Virginia. You will spend some more on hotel and taxis, but I'd gently suggest it will be money well spent. I drove from Dubai to Muscat to have a look at mine before I bought it. Five hours each way. I enjoyed the ride.

 

[flx]

Seems this Troopy does not have a heater, so no defrost also.
In a country with temperate climate this can be an issue.

 

[JuanJ]

Hello,

It looks resprayed. Outside and under.

Judging from the chrome bits, it looks like an LX spec. Rare with Troopies.

It has A/C with a cooler. No heater. Good for a warm climate, maybe not that good in a temperate climate.

Lots of holes and fesh fesh to remove/repair.

Wiring does not look hacked.

I would book a trip to take a look. It is worth the expense.





Juan

 

[roscoFJ73]

It would be good if there were pics of the body plaque from the firewall. The rear leaves looked like they are the originals and fairly worn out. Its a base spec model judging by the dash. The seats have been recovered. Obviously there is no spare tyre. The rear seats appear not to have the lap belts, maybe they were not required in that country.
The body panels seem to fit ok. As long as there is nothing bad lurking under the paint, it doesn't look too bad.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Seems this Troopy does not have a heater, so no defrost also.
In a country with temperate climate this can be an issue.

That would be a deal breaker for me in any climate. Find one with A/C and heat. (Says the guy that bought an '83 Troopy with no heat. )

I made sure my '94 FZJ75 Pickup had both. That would be tough to add heat to that setup.

 

[John Young]

My Omani troopy came without a heater, but with an aircon. My diesel pickup came with heater and AC but the AC was missing, presumably removed when they did the cosmetic restoration. The pickup was the first one that I was shipping over to the US so we removed the AC from the troopy and put it in the pickup. The troopy then had neither AC nor heater. I then spent several months hunting up LHD heater and AC boxes, which I eventually found and refurbished. I'm now at the point of putting the dash back in the troopy and I will be cutting holes in the firewall for the heater lines. There were a lot of RHD heater/AC boxes in the salvage yards in Sharjah, but they are most definitely not interchangeable. I do think I have seen them on ebay from time to time. None on there now that I can see.

 

[Honger]

That would be a deal breaker for me in any climate. Find one with A/C and heat. (Says the guy that bought an '83 Troopy with no heat. )

I made sure my '94 FZJ75 Pickup had both. That would be tough to add heat to that setup.

Adding a heater is far easier to these trucks than adding an A/C.

 

[Honger]

It's definitely a project truck.

But as far as specimens go, it's a solid start.

As always with 70-series trucks, you gotta pay to play.

 

[OGBeno]

^^^^ they are ALL project trucks and require significant financial resources.

 

[c2dfj45]

Adding a heater is far easier to these trucks than adding an A/C.

I'd rather add heat any day than add AC to one. I will say that even in FL not having heat kind of sucks. I'm a HUGE wuss when it comes to cold weather but I definitely make sure I drive a heated truck when we have our "cold" days(anything below 70 for anyone wondering what that is....ha).

It's funny how similar all these Middle East trucks are. Similar damage/repaint/modifications that were made.....fesh fesh everywhere