HJ47 Hunting

[dragoncruiser]

Took the last few days to travel up North in the country (Nicaragua) trying to find me a nice truck.
I have a little carpentry shop and decided to not do any more damage to my 98' LC and don't always want to have to mount the trailer when moving stuff.
So the car should be a work truck, but I want it to look nice as well (think Poor-Man's Icon...)
In Esteli (famous for it's cigars) I finally found this one:

HJ47 (VIN # HJ47-034736) which as per my research makes it a 06/1984:

Car was originally light blue, but I would go tan or grey with black accents anyway (Apachepilot's truck comes to mind - if he doesn't mind )
The 2H diesel engine has been rebuilt, looks quite clean (sorry didn't take a pic due to jumping around like a kid in front of the x-mas tree) and runs very well).
The steering has huge play (about 30% either way before the car starts changing direction), clutch travel is immense (left knee comes up so high that the whole left leg has to leave the seat cushion to release the clutch). Brake pedal is quite spongy ( it has drum brakes, is this normal for this year?) and has a lot of lateral movement (I guess something is loose where it is mounted).
The bed is pretty much shot and you can see that a lot of bondo has been used but now the rust below is lifting it off, but the frame looks solid with only minor surface rust.
Right now negotiations are at around $3,800
As you can tell I don't know a lot about these trucks so what do the people that know a lot more than me think of this?
Your help would really be appreciated.

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Off the top of my head, look under the floor mats to check the condition of the floor pan. Look on the passenger side of the engine to see if the aluminum cooler jacket is cracked or not. Do a start from cold to see the condition of the glow system, and how much smoke it produces until warm.

The steering system in a 40 tends to have a lot of slop almost by design - probably a new round of TRE's and drag link/relay rod ends will solve it. also the center arm may be loose. The steering box pedestal should be checked to see if there is any movement.

Drums all around are normal - these are large drums and not the same as on the shorter 40 series.

Check the spring hangers to see if they are loose. Look at the front frame horns and cross member to see if there have been any significant front end impacts.

 

[dragoncruiser]

Thanks for the advice.
We did start the engine from cold (well 70 degrees outside temperature) and there was basically no smoke at all.
What do you think about the price? I think the motor alone should be worth that ...?

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Thanks for the advice.
We did start the engine from cold (well 70 degrees outside temperature) and there was basically no smoke at all.
What do you think about the price? I think the motor alone should be worth that ...?

If the frame is sound and the motor rebuilt, then the price is cheap. You will need to spend more money on it of course...

 

[dragoncruiser]

That's what I thought
Frame looks solid to my untrained eye.
I have a strong feeling that I will borrow a friends trailer next weekend and go to pick it up

 

[Bear]

There is a lot to checking out a truck. Here are a few basics to start with, not at all comprehensive by any means.

Bring a strong magnet, an ice pick, a bright flashlight, a blanket to lay on.

You have already stated you know there is bondo in it--take a magnet with you and test the pull/attraction at various locations on the sheet metal--especially the lower rocker panels.
Look for welded in patch panels on the floors. Look for "frenched" panels that seem to smoothly flow into one another around the running boards and the rockers, and the running boards and the lower fenders--- as opposed to the factory separate panels. Look at the very bottom underneath each door, especially at the drain holes.

Take an ice pick to poke into the sides and walls of the frame at lots of different places, especially on the lower frame surface just before where the rear wheel arch starts heading up. Look for any welded patches to the frame.

Do your best to check the areas joining the hardtop back wall to the lower cab wall for rust,; same for the lower windshield frame to the cowl; same for where the roof panel joins the hardtop sides. Carefully look at the floors, especially where they meet the side rocker panels.

If the body and frame look good, as to the price you wind up paying: do YOU believe the engine was rebuilt, by someone knowledgeable, using the correct parts? Are you happy with the brakes, the transmission, and the transfer case when you drive it?

Bring a knowledgeable friend with you. Good luck.

 

[dragoncruiser]

Thanks for the great advice. I already have the magnet, now just need to find an ice pick. Can't wait to see the guy's face when I start stabbing at the frame
I do expect to have some work to do (kind of the attraction to this project really) and I want to make it into something different anyway. Just hope this is a mechanically fairly sound base. Thanks again

 

[love2fly]

Whats was the end result?

What was the result on the truck.

 

[dragoncruiser]

Got sidetracked by finding a great new location for my leather business: a 100 year old house for very cheap rent but with a lot of work needed.
Have to put the cruiser on hold until mid May. Sucks but I couldn't pass up on the house. Remodeling work is in full swing