Guidance sought: in the market for an fj40

[Weedhopper]

OK. You are officially hooked. Many of the above posts point to an 80 series which may be a more practical idea, but you aint gonna do that, I can tell.

I used the Specter Off Road classifieds to find my first 40. Keep up with those ads, something may pop up. Then there is MUD classifieds.

Have a blast!

 

[alkarich]

Have you considered a troopy?

The SWB vehicles such as the 40 and the others you mentioned can be pretty tricky for winter driving. The pro of the SWB is getting out in the woods.

Reliability is there either way. I had a 40 as a DD for 3 years. Including moving to Idaho with it (driven not towed). Never let me down.

Back to the troopy. Great styling like the 40 with the benefits of the LWB. Loads of room for camping, etc. Plus just way cool and super rare here in the states.

 

[alkarich]

Here is a fine example, plus close to Wisconsin. I wish I had the extra cash on hand.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-classifieds-corner/265693-closing-house;-troopy-might-get-sold.html

 

[ocdbeetle]

I am not sure if you were trying to discourage me but a lot of your words only enhanced the romance and mystique this vehicle speaks of to me. The core of me wants a true machine, not something overengineered and dilute as most modern vehicles seem to be.

No...I certainly wasnt trying to discourage you...Toyota engineers used the same deliberate thinking that German engineers used with BMW and early VW's...

I say buy a 40, drive it, keep it as clean as you can with the snow/salt, and enjoy it......I'm no expert on rust, snow, or salt but as far as room, no a/c, or whatever else, its a fine tradeoff for what I get from driving my 40....

 

[John Smith]

If you really want to drive a 40 daily in road salt I would remove the body from the frame and have the entire underside of the tub, fenders, and firewall sprayed with a bedliner such as Rhino or LineX and have the entire frame treated with something that will seal it from rust such as POR15. I would also install a Vintage Air system or some other aftermarket AC system so you can defog the windows.

Personally I think you would be much more comfortable daily driving an AWD 80 series but I totally understand the pull of the 40. I had to daily drive mine for a year and damned if I didn't miss cooking my right foot in the winter and cooking the rest of me in the summer. Let us know what you end up getting.

 

[Rat70Fj]

Here is a fine example, plus close to Wisconsin. I wish I had the extra cash on hand.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-classifieds-corner/265693-closing-house;-troopy-might-get-sold.html

I can attest to this being a great rig. Bull used to drive it from Washington to Central CA pretty regularly and it's a beauty.

 

[Mace]

I would not drive a 40 in snow/cold weather:

1) the morons out there do not realize what distance this truck needs to stop even with disk brakes

NO different than any other truck

2) the heating is fine, but the defog is not

When maintained, they work just fine.

3) heating is mostly found towards the middle, some people claim their outside freezes off in the wintertime

the cabin can stay very toasty during some pretty cold times. Again, it is just making sure that your heating system is up to par and the truck is sealed well. If the heater core is plugged or there are a large number of air gaps in the truck, you will never be able to stay warm..

4) 40s need a loooong time to warm the engine up to optimal temperatures even in warm climates - if you live that far from work, you sure want a more comfortable vehicle

Mine warms up pretty fast the engine commonly warms up faster than the carb does due to an aftermarket header. A block heater can help when it is really cold, but the stock exhaust amnifold does a pretty good job of keeping things runnign well. Or, if you have a header, the coolant cycling plate works as well.

5) many 40s have been modified to have automatic lockers in the rear; not recommended to snow or ice

Bull, all it takes is a bit of thought and lockers are a non issue. I'll take the added traction any day..

6) rust, rust, rust

Everyone keeps complaining about rust. The 80 series will rust as well. A bit of preventative work would make a huge difference. Salting roads is hard on cars. The 40 is not inherently worse than anything else out there. It is just something that you have to deal with..

while it doesn't apply to me right now, if I were in the market for a larger, reliable, most capable vehicle in cold climates, I would sure look for an 80

I love my 40 in the snow.
I would not hesitate to daily drive one in Wisconsin....

 

[JohnnyC]

I am pretty comfortable in my Fj40 that I have been driving as my DD for the past 18 years.

If you build it as a dd ....it is a great truck to drive as a dd.

 

[singletrackjunkie]

I have an 81 BJ42 that I use as my daily driver and I too have to take trauma call in the winter. I do live close but it is my daily driver. I see the appeal of an 80 series and if I had the cash I would buy an 80 series as for my daily driver and use my current rig as a toy. While there are many more practical choices than a 40 series landcruiser out there none are as cool. If you take your time and look you should be able to find what you want and be well within your budget. My biggest concern would be rust, I pesonally have a fiberglass tub and if I were you I would look for something with either a glass or aluminum tub and make sure the frame is solid as well. Good luck and welcome to the sickness.

 

[MStars]

Any of the creature comforts that my 40 lacks is more than made up for with all the good. I bought my first 40 this past summer after 1.5 years of looking for the perfect rig and now that I have 1..... my gf wants one and I'm already browsing ads for more. Good luck in your search and welcome to the addiction.

Seems to me for the cold weather part, if your heater is in good shape and you let your truck warm up for a few minutes you should have no problem. And from all my looking for over a year, you can surely find a sweet rig for $15k or less easily. Craigslist, ih8mud classifieds, SOR listings, ebay, etc all good places to look or at least research. IMO Craigslist in western states is a good place to start browsing. Check Seattle, California, Colorado, Utah, Portland, Arizona I found more listings in those places. Good luck

Welcome and look forward to seeing pics when you get one

 

[CruiserStuff]

I can tell that you're a 40 man at heart and you will enjoy the truck. I drive ALOT in the snow and in terrible road conditions and the 40 is a champ. I run a completely stock rig and can go places that many trucks cannot. The heater blows VERY hot and keeps the windshield defrosted easily. I have no A/C, or P/S, but will be adding a mini-truck power steering kit soon (it makes it so nice to drive). A/C isn't an issue - roll down the windows, open the kick vents and enjoy the ride (better yet, take the top off in good weather). With the budget you're looking at, you should be able to find a very clean, capable rig that will give you years of enjoyment. Buy a rust-free rig that hasn't been sitting for a long time and has a good trail of service receipts and repair bills. You'll find that there are some really good deals out there right now with the economy the way it is.....

 

[Lightfall]

This is just the sort of balanced, thoughtful advice I was hoping for. My last car being the m coupe it was like driving a gokart in most respects, noisy, really connected to the road, primal. I have always been mindful of driving schools and detailed maintenance and do not plan to approach this lazily and mindlessly. To know that the tool is capable in careful hands is what I was hoping to devise.

That and the thought of driving up to canada with my buddies and dog in the back ready to daypack is extremely alluring, after all you only live once.

A sprayed or aluminum tub sounds like a good idea to me. what about carb vs fuel injected? original vs converted in terms of cold?

 

[Lightfall]

helpful

Is there some sort of concensus regarding which year is overall best or worst in terms beyond the rust properties?

 

[CruiserStuff]

This is one of the most capable 4 wheel machines ever produced and is very simple to work on. If the systems are in good mechanical condition, the truck will give you years of memory-making adventures. IMHO, the stock carb is the way to go. Value-wise, I think it's better to put a good spray liner on a steel tub instead of going aluminum. I like to stay stock, in most respects, but after having owned and driven several different FJ40's of different years of build, I'd suggest a '76 to '78 (front disk brakes, 2F engine, 4 spd tranny, etc). If you're more concerned about fuel economy, go for a '79 to '83 (these have 3.73's instead of 4.11's). '79 to '83's are more rare and are, usually more expensive, but have factory PS and AC as available factory options that the earlier ones did not. If you get a clean truck without PS, it can be added in pretty easily. That my 2 cents....

 

[MStars]

My 76 is all stock and original. So I'm partial to my bicentennial 76 It has front disk brakes but no power steering. From what it sounds like I do similar activities to what you want to do. I don't hardcore wheel it but I do enjoy taking it on hiking trips and back into the woods etc. I rarely wish I had PS, although maybe a fun mod I would do in the future just to work on it. A lot of these guys love their power steering I think because it is much more appreciated the more slow speed wheeling type stuff they do. I however don't do much of that yet. I drive it daily during the summer, even the gf loves it. Good luck and sounds like you're gonna be an addict

cheers

 

[singletrackjunkie]

Is there some sort of concensus regarding which year is overall best or worst in terms beyond the rust properties?

From what I hear from this forum 76 and earlier are less prone to rust than the later years.

 

[Lightfall]

wishes

I wish I could just find a mostly stock rust free 40 in a forest green or other green color with a rip-free clean interior, a recent rebuilt motor in a clean engine frame, and a lined tub with coated frame at <15k right now!

I also wish I could take it with me on my 8 day backpack through the tetons in May...

I am definitely hooked, car lust has taken hold.

 

[CruiserStuff]

You can find that truck, Lightfall. The green ones are nice (I've had two). As far as rust goes, all years are susceptible, but the older the truck, the better the steel. Of course, you have to factor in the environment it has lived in and the general maintenance. A stout tub can be reduced to swiss cheese under bad conditions. I'd say the year isn't as important as the condition when you buy it - beware of bondo and repaints....monsters often lurk under that shiny exterior! If you own your truck long enough though, be resigned to addressing rust at some point....that's part of the deal with 40's.

 

[Texx]

Buy my 1980, with power steering. You're good to go!

 

[1911]

I wish I could just find a mostly stock rust free 40 in a forest green or other green color with a rip-free clean interior, a recent rebuilt motor in a clean engine frame, and a lined tub with coated frame at <15k right now!

That is do-able if you can drop the "right now" requirement. I bought mine last year (after two years of looking) and got a very clean, 95% stock, essentially rust-free Rustic Green 1980 with only 50,000 original miles and the original upholstery and floor mat in excellent shape, all straight, with an original hard top for less than $12K. Be patient, and have your friends and family be on the lookout for you. A former employeee found mine for me on Craigslist.