How Did I Do?

[FreebirdFirebird]

I have been looking at Land Cruisers for a while, but not seriously. A few months ago I saw a brown Land Cruiser sitting in the weeds on a farm. I ended up talking to the guy that owned it and he said he would sell it. It was a 1971 Cruiser with 80,000 miles on it. He told me it had been parked for about 20 years and he never got around to having it restored. He also told me that the engine was smoking when he parked it and would probably need a rebuild.

I ended up buying it from him and hauled it home. It's admittedly pretty rough, but I think it's worth restoring. The front end, running boards, and doors are all amazingly straight. The passenger side fender has bee dented, but it shouldn't be too hard to straighten it out, and the same goes for the passenger side quarter panel.

The biggest problem (besides the engine) is the rust on the rear sill, rear doors, and roof.

What do y'all think it's worth?
Any tips or advice for restoration?
What do y'all think it will cost for a DIY frame off restoration?
Should I try to keep it original, or does it really matter?

Thanks,
FreebirdFirebird

 

[JungleBiker]

Hahahaaha, this time I'll be the first to point out that the bezel is on upside down, guess I've been hanging out here long enough that it just leaps out at me.

 

[FreebirdFirebird]

Are you talking about what the headlights mount inside of?

 

[JungleBiker]

The white thing ont he front that surrounds the headlights. Yeah sorry, didn't mean to hijack your thread. Sooner or later somebody was going to point it out, though. There's even t-shirts printed that say "Thick side up" and a picture of a correctly installed bezel. Save yourself, it's obviously too late for me...

 

[FreebirdFirebird]

OK, thanks for letting me know, as I know almost nothing about Cruisers. The cruiser has been painted and tampered with, so it doesn't surprise me that it's upside down. It's going to be a long learning experience, but I am eager to learn all I can about them.

 

[fjgoober]

Freebird,

Your already pregnant! Meaning you've been bitten by the madness. Welcome to mud. Yes it's worth it. Anytime a 40 can be saved it's definitely worth it.

There are quite a bit of knowledgeable individuals on this website that will help you with all that you need. You might check out the FAQS at the top of the 40's section as a lot of your questions on the next steps you are going to take have already been answered, plus it's entertaining reading.

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR 40!

 

[Captn Conch]

Here's my thought, Shame on that Ba$t@rD for letting a genuine '71 FJ40 sit in the weeds for 20 years. The paint is not original but you may be the man to give this valuable vehicle a long deserved resurrection! 71's were near the last of the old school real Land Cruisers...No door upholstery, no carb fans and minimal emissions crap..ok maybe I'm just a bit prejudice. Replacement fenders are relatively cheap as are other sundry parts. Please don't go all Mud buggy on this, keep it reasonably original as there is a reason the stock Land Cruiser was, and is such a tremendous and revered TUV! (Tough Utility Vehicle.)

 

[upperblack]

I'll play. Yes they are always worth saving. Every year there are fewer and fewer and even less original cruisers left
Not a lot of pics to go off of to,answer your questions. Buy a silver star which supports the site and you can post as many pics as you want
Given the limited pics and info below here are my guesses:
What's it worth? Gotta look at it as a parts truck for values given the engine and rust concerns so I'd guess $1500
Tips on restoration? Read as many restoration threads as possible, save up a ton of money, plan well, and know going into its going to take a while. I'd recommend getting running and stopping well and just drive it for at least a year then decide what you want to do.
Cost for DIY restoration? Depends on your skill level, and how involved the restoration is. @antFJ on here just did an unbelievable restoration himself and had $33k in it not including his time. Read his last thread, he's really talented and inspiring.
original or resto-mod? Build the rig that's going to put a smile on your face when you drive it. Origianl rigs tend to hold their value better IMHO
Good luck and please consider getting it running and stopping well and just enjoying it. A ton of restoration threads on this site never have an ending.

 

[honk]

Congrats!
Don't write off the engine without doing some diagnostic tests. There are lots of reasons an engine might smoke - some are fairly easy fixes, others may require an overhaul. Go slow, don't get impatient, and don't buy stuff unless you KNOW it's needed.

 

[jim land]

it is almost unbelievable for me , 20 years in the grass and looking that good , you guys are lucky bastard , here in north east rust would have eaten it to the ground a long time ago

try to make it work and drive it for some time before starting a restoration , find a used engine , change fluid , brake and steering parts and go take a ride

 

[Northbound]

I bought a 70 40 about 4 months ago that had sat in a field for 28 years. Paid $150 for it - marvel for two weeks, filed the points hooked up a battery and it started up with good compression in all cylinders. That motor will be used as will other pieces - frame too far gone to fuss with unfortunately it just fell victim to living it's life in the northeast. But that's an example to do as mentioned above and don't write off the motor just yet.

Get it road worthy - steering, brakes, etc. and drive it and figure out how far you want to go with it. Figure out what your definition of restoration is - does that mean concours, parade vehicle, daily driver or trail rig.

Originality is personal preference - do what you like.

 

[cjgoode]

If you have not tried to start it yet DO NOT TRY AND START IT OR TURN IT OVER. Poor marvel mistery oil down every cylinder and let it soak for a few days then repeat. Probably worth pulling the valve cover and pooring it over the rockers as well. Sitting that long can freeze the rings to the walls and forcing them can brake them, soaking them for a week can save the engine.

I would agree with others, man many reasons for a smoking engine that can be easily fixed, I would have the fun and try and get it running and diagnose why it is smoking, what is the compression etc.

restoration is one of those terms that means very little. A real restoration could cost you 10's of thousands of dollars. A do it yourself one could cost you very little. Fender is a good example. Fixing the dent yourself can cost literally a few dollars in body putty and some time to pound it out, buying a new fender can cost a lot more, and those choices can really add up. There are many posts on here about buying the replacement panels and rear sill and installing them, costly but worth it in the end value. There are also many posts on fabricating it yourself with very few tools and costs very little, but unless you are an expert would hurt the end value a little, but if done OK will last and look great.

I would use my son's early bronco as a good example, college kid, floors all rusted out. he bought a $50 sheet of 4x8 sheet metal, much thicket then the original. He learned to cut it, bend it, weld it, cut it out and try again. In the end it turned out looking real good. If you did not know the floor was suppose to have ridges in it you would think it was stock. Sadly the bronco group on the internet had people tear him apart for not spending about $1,500 for proper new floor pans. It was sad to see adults attacking him like that. Bottom line do what you want watch out for your budget unless you are rich, it can add up real quick if you go the replace route instead of fix it route, look for the people who will help you, and ignore those who put you down. But I rarely ever see that here on the fj40 site. People here will really help you and you will be shocked at their depth of knowledge. Post a lot more good pics and they will tell you everything that is or is not stock. It is good to know what is original and what is not, helps you decide what to keep and what to maybe not worry about. Looks like a nice rig to bring back to life.

 

[Coolerman]

I also rescued a 2/71 FJ40 (from my brother)
See my web site in my signature below for all kinds of 1971 FJ40 specific work I did on it.

 

[FreebirdFirebird]

Thanks for all the replies and insight! And thanks @Coolerman for telling me about your website, it looks like great source of helpful info.

My plan right now is to get the engine ready to crank, then see if it will run. The first thing I am going to do is check the radiator, it's empty so I am going to fill it up with water/antifreeze and see if it ends up in the engine before I do anything else .

I'd like to prime the oil pump with a drill before I crank it. Does it use a Chevy SB/BB style primer?

Thanks,
FreebirdFirebird

 

[Cleg]

I agree with cjgoode above, if it has been sitting for 20 years I WOULD NOT TRY TO START THE ENGINE before making sure everything moves and is lubricated.
Marvel or Seafoam in the spark plug holes over a period of days and take off the valve cover to inspect.
Ideally the oil pan should be removed and cleaned as it is likely to have 1/4" of tar/crud on the bottom that will start getting recycled through your engine.

 

[JungleBiker]

I too saved (am saving) an FJ45 that had sat for about 20 years before I got it (it even had a tree growing up between the rear frame rails). The engine was locked up, but broke free easily enough after I had let it sit with a mix of ATF and gasoline in the cylinders for a few days (no Marvel Mystery Oil here in PNG). I really think I could have gotten it running but for the fact that over the years people had stolen the oil filler cap, then cockroaches had moved in and formed a huge colony (seriously, there must have been a pound of cockroach turds in there when I pulled the valve cover), and as a result the valves that were open when it was parked ended up gummed open by cockroach crap and I could not get them to close until after I pulled the head off. Once the head was pulled off, I naturally decided to just go ahead and do whatever needed doing in the engine.

Weird tales from the tropics, dunno why people think oil filler caps make such good souvenirs, nor why cockroaches love living in old engines, but they do.

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

@FreebirdFirebird, does this look familiar?

 

[oldschool4wheeling]

@FreebirdFirebird, I noticed "my Next Project" was gone from its inconspicuous location. I figured it would be safe until I could gather some more resources before going to retrieve my bounty. Well, alas, you beat me to it!! Congratulations Brother!!!

I liked it because it was still "stock" even though it had a color change. Stock steelies, riveted I believe, all five hub caps. ( Those hub caps are important, I hear back in the day that would be the first thing stolen off any vehicle!!)

I had planned on bring it back the the original "sky blue" color and putting a tan color factory soft top on it. I believe those colors fit well together, 2.5 OEM lift, 8724 warn .....then the wheels off of it.

Just curious how much did it take to "leave the farm" with it?

 

[Mace]

Hubcaps are still available new for like $45 ea IIRC

 

[DTSkyCop]

It was a shame to let that vehicle sit there that long and decay like that. It is good to see someone is going to resurrect this vehicle and give it life again! I am following this thread for sure!!!

Was the original color Lt. Blue? Looking in the engine bay it appears to be a Lt. Blue in the pics. Nice find! Good luck with the build!