Hello/Merry Xmas from Noobie

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Aftermarket, notoriously flimsey and hard to fit. On the plus side, it offers great accessibility to engine. Patience will be your greatest ally in finding "the one" ***full disclosure*** I need to take this advise more than most.

Stick with it, your day will come. In the meanwhile, educate and ask! Good Luck!
 
Between the two the '70 may be good start but why did the engine blow? Did the po beat it to death? Where is the spare tire carrier and the rear seat heater? Interior metal looks ok but truely it's hard to tell with just photos... Maybe try him at $3500 and negotiate from there. But who knows,Personally I wouldn't consider the blue one at that price.
 
Last edited:
Captn Conch said:
Between the two the '70 may be good start but why did the engine blow? Did the po beat it to death? Where is the spare tire carrier and the rear seat heater? Interior metal looks ok but truely it's hard to tell with just photos... Maybe try him at $3500 and negotiate from there. But who knows,Personally I wouldn't consider the blue one at that price.
Click to expand...
Unfort, the current owner bought it with engine blown, and couldn't get a straight answer from the po. Interior metal not bad. He wants to get his $$ out of the rig, paid for parts for windshield, frame, new/used 350 engine. With all the other gear that's been upgraded, I'm wondering if it might be a good deal in the long run, but just hesitating.
 
FWaltersnewbie said:
Unfort, the current owner bought it with engine blown, and couldn't get a straight answer from the po. Interior metal not bad. He wants to get his $$ out of the rig, paid for parts for windshield, frame, new/used 350 engine. With all the other gear that's been upgraded, I'm wondering if it might be a good deal in the long run, but just hesitating.
Click to expand...

Not hesitating... being patient!!
 
Neither one of those deals are "good"
 
Mace said:
Neither one of those deals are "good"
Click to expand...
What would constitute a "good" deal? Having a general sense of price of parts on eBay, cruisersoftx, etc., what should I be looking for in range. The seller of the 1970 Red FJ40 stated he wanted to get his money back out of the rig, but would consider selling for -$900.00 for the engine (used 350).

(BTW, is your quote from Hunter S. Thompson?)
 
FWaltersnewbie said:
What would constitute a "good" deal? Having a general sense of price of parts on eBay, cruisersoftx, etc., what should I be looking for in range. The seller of the 1970 Red FJ40 stated he wanted to get his money back out of the rig, but would consider selling for -$900.00 for the engine (used 350).

(BTW, is your quote from Hunter S. Thompson?)
Click to expand...

Depends on what you feel comfortable doing..

5K should get you a reasonable rig that is solid. Not a rusted out hunk. Is a V8 one of your main objectives? How good are you at wrenching? A big number of conversions are not done well. And redoing the conversion is almost as expensive as doing it the first time.

For 10K, I'd expect a very solid good runner.. Not something hacked together.
 
Mace said:
Depends on what you feel comfortable doing..

5K should get you a reasonable rig that is solid. Not a rusted out hunk. Is a V8 one of your main objectives? How good are you at wrenching? A big number of conversions are not done well. And redoing the conversion is almost as expensive as doing it the first time.

For 10K, I'd expect a very solid good runner.. Not something hacked together.
Click to expand...
That was my suspicion about the 5k one--current owner wise enough not to try to redo the conversions
 
That 77 looks interesting. Although the 283 is interesting. having someone look it over with a fine toothed comb is a good idea.

Expect to add another 3K in repairs after getting it tho..
(not that that exact one is bad, but it's just a good assumption to add another 3K to any rig you buy)
 
Mace said:
That 77 looks interesting. Although the 283 is interesting. having someone look it over with a fine toothed comb is a good idea.

Expect to add another 3K in repairs after getting it tho..
(not that that exact one is bad, but it's just a good assumption to add another 3K to any rig you buy)
Click to expand...
Are there members who do inspections? This rig is in 93238 zip (about 1.5 hrs north of LA)
 
Lots of cruiser heads in the So cal area that might help you out. Could ask in the clubhouse section :)

Also, @RustyNailJustin is selling a cruiser. 5.3 conversion that needs the last bits finished up and some rust. But you will know exactly what you're getting with him.
 
Mace said:
Lots of cruiser heads in the So cal area that might help you out. Could ask in the clubhouse section :)

Also, @RustyNailJustin is selling a cruiser. 5.3 conversion that needs the last bits finished up and some rust. But you will know exactly what you're getting with him.
Click to expand...
His looks like a heck of a deal.

Sent from my SM-G920V
 
Hey there - I'm up in North East, MD with a very similar truck to that 77 out in California. I love my 283. just remember the engine is at least 10 years older than the truck. That said mine has proven pretty solid, and it produces plenty of power. It's really a gutsy little engine. My biggest complaint is the lack of accessory mounting holes in the heads.

If you find any up north of Baltimore you'd like to look at im happy to help! I'm also happy to take you for a spin in mine if you're passing through, although the clutch needs some work...
 
RWBeringer4x4 said:
Hey there - I'm up in North East, MD with a very similar truck to that 77 out in California. I love my 283. just remember the engine is at least 10 years older than the truck. That said mine has proven pretty solid, and it produces plenty of power. It's really a gutsy little engine. My biggest complaint is the lack of accessory mounting holes in the heads.

If you find any up north of Baltimore you'd like to look at im happy to help! I'm also happy to take you for a spin in mine if you're passing through, although the clutch needs some work...
Click to expand...
Thanks! Happy New Year to you, RW!
 
I just want to say thanks to all who have posted in the last few days--I was very intimidated coming on a forum like this with minimal experience, but I feel like y'all are a good bunch of folks and a certainly feel more trust than I would have thought possible.
:beer::beer::beer:Happy New Year to all!
 
FWaltersnewbie said:
Thanks! Happy New Year to you, RW!
Click to expand...

Same to you!

The crew on this site are awesome. I absolutely couldn't do what I've done without them.

Sorry my last post was about 1/2 thought out - I was holding my wife's horse while she patched up a cut...

1. The engine being 10 years older than the truck was more a word of warning for getting through inspection. If you plan to antique it in MD it only has to pass safety inspection. If you want it tagged as 100% road worthy, it needs to pass emissions too. In that truck's case, it would have to pass 1977 emissions, which it wouldn't do with a non-smogged, 60's engine. That said, I antiqued my 1975 with a 1967 engine. Technically that means "parades and car shows only" but I drive it around and nobody has ever given me any grief for it.

2. Pay VERY close attention to the details of any V8 conversion - ie: what bellhousing or conversion kit did they use? Did they put it in the correct location in the bay? Common wisdom says 19-20 inches from the front cross member to the motor mounts is about right. I didn't know these things when I bought mine. It turns out my engine is WAY too far forward, causing the modified shift throw to be ridiculously long, the fan is only about 1/4" from the radiator, and the front driveshaft had to be removed because it binds under flex (too steep an angle).

As a result, I get to pull the engine this summer and "re-convert" the V8 conversion. Live and learn!

FYI: I found this truck in Annapolis 3 years ago on Craigslist, but it spent most of its life out in Cali. I think it cost me about $7000 to buy it, ship it to my house in DE where I lived at the time, and get it running and inspected. It's (mostly) rust free due to the majority of its life spent in California, but as others have mentioned, it has needed a TON of work beyond the initial purchase price. I've probably put at least $7000 into it to get it where it is now. That number will be over $10,000 once I've finished getting it 100% mechanically sound and put the engine back where it belongs. Almost all of that work was from BAD previous owner modifications. I can't stress enough inspecting the truck in person, if at all possible, and buy the BEST base truck you can find. If I'd known then what I know now, I almost definitely would have picked a different FJ40. But the Clustertruck is mine now, and I love it anyway. Sounds like you're willing to be more patient than I was!

X2 on the clubhouses as well - You're closer to Capital Land Cruiser club. I'm in the "no man's land" between them and Keystone Cruisers. The 40 still isn't quite reliable enough to make it to either club's meetings.

Happy hunting!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom