Here for a good time, not a long time build (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Mar 31, 2005
Threads
121
Messages
621
Location
Vidor, TX DIXIE
I picked up this 1976 40 from a cruiser buddy of mine who's plans for it changed. I have had it about a week and have been going through it when I've had time.

The Good:
Frame seems to be in good shape with only surface rust
Engine idles great
A lot of good body parts: Front clip & hood, Hard Top/Ambulance doors and hard doors, passenger side
It's a 1976 with all of the good that comes with that
Factory roll bar and roll bar pads
Jump Seats
Seller gave me half a dozen fenders, OEM drop-down tailgate, almost new soft top and soft doors.

The Bad (as to my knowledge at time of purchase):
Rear half of the body is rough and needs a lot of replacement panels $$$
Engine idles great but has some fuel issue while driving.

The plan:
Take it from its current condition to a "refurbished" condition. While restorations are great, that's not my intention. I am building it to sell one day but enjoy it after it's been completed. I have an HZJ73 that's possibly going on the chopping block if I decide to keep this. Additionally, I'll look into adding PS and AC depending on the value added.

First, I'm going through the mechanical side of the drivetrain to make sure it's running great and road-worthy. I may de-smog during this phase as well. Next, replace rotted body panels. Then send off to body shop for completely new paint in OEM beige color. I'll be replacing a lot of little pieces with OEM or Aftermarket pieces if OEM is NLA.

What I've done so far:
-Looked into the fuel issue and found that there was a Facet poli-flo 12v fuel pump installed. I replaced that with a mechanical pump like Toyota intended. This seems to help the fuel issue.
-The carb is not stock, it looks to be a Weber 32/36 with electronic choke. I checked the choke and it's working like it should but the 40 didnt like going up a small hill, which isn't good. I ordered a City Racer carb to shortcut fuel issues (hopefully).
-Tune up with new plugs & wires but the "kit" I ordered didnt have the right size distributor cap. I'm wondering if the 40 had the larger distributor cap installed at some point? If anyone can shoot me the diameter of the stock cap I'd appreciate it. I'll measure the cap when I get home and post that.
-Started ordering body parts: fuel tank panel is rotted so ordered one from SOR and rear sill & channel. I'm waiting on CCOT to build a lot of replacement body panels I ordered last week. This should take 4-5 weeks.
 
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Backstory: This is my 8th or 9th LC, my 3rd 40. I always regretted not completing fixing up my earlier ones and this is a chance to do what I wanted to do the first time. I joined Mud back in 2005, so I've been around a while. I'm an avid offroad and outdoors enthusiast. I just did a 2300 mile, 8 day camping trip in my HZJ73 across NM and CO at the end of July.

Per my plan, I'd take any thoughts or opinions on a few things. Do mild lifts affect resell value positively or negatively? Does de-smogging affect resale in no-smog areas (such as TX)? Does adding power steering through a reputable source affect resale?
 
Cool '76! I installed one of City Racers carburetors a few weeks ago and it's well worth the money. Good luck!
 
The 40 had all the emissions party’s disconnected but it wasn’t properly deleted. I spent last week and weekend properly deleting everything. Used TLC Performance for plugging the holes.

I also Ordered and installed the City Racer carburetor. The only hiccup here is when I realized these 40s came with a mechanical throttle linkage and the PO was using a throttle cable and electric choke on the precious Weber carb. I made Some temp brackets for the throttle cable and a throttle return spring so everything will work properly. I’ll tidy this up later.

the choke cable is seized. I’m gonna try to soak it in something to dissolve whatever corrosion and rust there is and see if that helps before buying a new one.

otherwise, the 40 is running great. Minus a rough start because of the choke not being set up. I’ll post pics below.
 
Hopefully I can find a factory air filter assembly to run. For now, I’m just running one from the auto parts store.
 
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I think that One of my favorite bang for the buck mods Is the dash cap cover.
 
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Do mild lifts affect resell value positively or negatively? Does de-smogging affect resale in no-smog areas (such as TX)? Does adding power steering through a reputable source affect resale?

Much of this depends on where you try to sell your truck. The Bring-a-trailer crowd can be different than the Mud crowd.

Tasteful, small mods can sometimes help value - like properly done power steering, perhaps with Toyota parts, not a big hacked-in GM box. Desmogging isn't generally smiled upon and you can leave many smog parts in place and not lose much performance, so I tend to leave them. A small lift and slightly larger tires won't likely detract from resale. Many people want reversible mods - not permanent ones. Keep all the old parts you take off. You might want to study the resale market and see which trucks get the most interest.
 
if you want to flip it, just do, spare us the rest - why talk about "resale value" about otherwise :rolleyes:

build the truck for what you want to use it for - these are not parcour vehicles :doh:
 
if you want to flip it, just do, spare us the rest - why talk about "resale value" about otherwise :rolleyes:

build the truck for what you want to use it for - these are not parcour vehicles :doh:

“Spare you the rest”... why even reply with such a condescending and uninformed comment? What’s the rest.. documenting my build? Why talk about resale value? Because I dont Want to put $75k into something that’s only worth $50k. Economics 101.

I don’t intend to use the 40 for much more than a learning experience and maybe driving it a few months while I’m selling it.

I have an HZJ73 that I’ve built for what I wanted To use it for. I also Have a rock crawler I’ve built for what I wanted To use it for. Etc etc with my other toys. I have a ‘17 F250 for a daily driver. So please tell me again how I’m not doing something right 🧐

and it’s spelled parkour. Though I’m not sure how you got anything about my post and some intention to “parcour” with it.
 
I’ve been slowly working on the 40. I haven’t been too motivated since I’m waiting on CCOT to finish some panels for me.

The PO had removed the factory choke and was using the electric choke on the Weber. for me to use the city racer carb, I needed To go back to the Manual choke which required a little work since it was Lockes up. I soaked It in a parts cleaner solution for a few hours then used quite a bit of chain/cable lube to get it loosened up and it seems to be working fine again. I’m glad I didnt have to pony up for another cable.

I got the old rear bumper removed and new sill mocked up (attached pic does not show it bolted in). I also used cruiser corp’s pewter paint to paint the dash parts and glovebox and really like the way it turned out. I still Need to finish them off with wet sand.

One of the dirtier projects was degreasing the drivetrain.

while I’m waiting on CCOT, I’ll finish cleaning up the frame for POR15 treatment and the drivetrain for paint.
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