how much should I pay for this 74 bj40? (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Aug 19, 2014
Threads
5
Messages
29
Location
Panama, Rep. of Panama
Im looking for advice. I dunno how much to pay for this, they are asking like 3,500 to 4500 is the range I think. There is also an 82 model im looking at its in mint condition, only for 10,000 almost completely restored. But Im also considering this one, but would only buy at a fair price, they are very rare here in my country, not many available.

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I forgot to mention, all the switches are missing in the dash, the wiring probably has to be redone, and also the rear jumpseats are missing. My intention is to do a decent restoration but not like profesional.
 
Even the glow controller has been oversprayed with white paint on this 74 which makes me think that, far from being a daily-driver, it's probably just been "freshened up for a sale".

While a 74 has thicker sheetmetal (compared to an 82), the general state of this one suggests to me that there could be a lot of heartache (and $$$$) in attempting any sort of restoration to get it near original condition and running reliably.

An 82 on the other hand should be a BJ42 running the 3B diesel. (That's 3.4L instead of 3L , a more powerful starter motor, and better parts availability for the engine and all its ancillary components, etc)

But you never know. Have a look at both of them in person, see how easily they start (preferrably the first start of the day on a COLD morning) etc

Nothing beats seeing them in the flesh....

:beer:

PS. What is your country? Panama (same as the licence plates?)
 
I see you mentioned it in your second post.

How confident with wiring on a vehicle are you? That would be some project and in my head my be easier to create a complete new harness from scratch instead of trying to repair it. I have seen threads on here where people build the new harness on a piece of wood measuring and cutting the wires to length before putting it. Auto wiring is foreign to me so I cant help to much on that.

Thats defiantly one a magnet would come in handy to check the body for whats metal under that paint and whats body filler.

Its hard to tell from the pictures and I also have poor eyesight but it looks like I see rust already coming through the paint on the grill/bib area and the inside windshield frame. Judging from some of the pictures the paint job was done quickly (most likely cheaply) with little prep to cover up things that were not suppose to be painted or to keep over spray from getting on them. But those are not major problems or deal breakers for some and it does not mean its a pile of junk, its just got some ugly lipstick it put on in the dark before it washed off the food from last night haha


These always rust in the same areas. Check under the drivers floor matt and passenger floor matt. Examine the area under the head lights with a magnet and the area above the rear wheels to rear taillights (quarter panels always rust out)

You mentioned an 82 in better shape for more money. With these spending more up front can save in the long run IF the cruiser is in better shape. If you cannot weld make sure you look for as little rust as possible


edit: is that a 79+ grill cut and screwed on. That would scare me alittle bit as if they mixed parts and got close but not the right part to go on what else have they done like that
 
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I appreciate your comments, i dunno what to think, i have budget of 10,000 that i plan on spending in the car having a crew here in panama do, they work well and its cheap to do it here my mechanic has been working for me more than 8 years. Im already doubting this guy he said on the phone it was a 76 but the 76 doesnt doesnt have the rear doors like this one. Its tough buying a car, almost no one is truthful. The 82 model i saw is in good shape but the guy is playing hard to get and doesnt seem interested in selling it. So on monday im taking a 7 hour bus to see this rig... Since its one of the few in what looks to be restorable.
 
Something about the sides of that truck look "soft" to me, particularly around the rear corners. Be sure to bring a magnet with you, and ensure that there is not bondo or fiberglass. The whole truck looks like it has been hastily sprayed over with white paint. Generally, when I see something like that, it tells me that there was something to hide. Labor might be cheap in panama, but there is a lot of labor to be done on that one...If the body is truly solid, and it runs, I might consider paying what they're asking - but given the paint job, my guess is you'll be into it for more than $10,000 by the time you're done.
 
thNks everyone, i went to check the car and drove it around a lot, the car barely has rust, the only holes are under the passengers and drivers feet. the 4x 4 works and the engine is running good. paid. 3,900 on the condition he gave me the stock spare wheel and front and rear seats.
 
Something about the sides of that truck look "soft" to me, particularly around the rear corners. Be sure to bring a magnet with you, and ensure that there is not bondo or fiberglass. The whole truck looks like it has been hastily sprayed over with white paint. Generally, when I see something like that, it tells me that there was something to hide. Labor might be cheap in panama, but there is a lot of labor to be done on that one...If the body is truly solid, and it runs, I might consider paying what they're asking - but given the paint job, my guess is you'll be into it for more than $10,000 by the time you're done.

Well ive spent 22,000 so far and i still wanna install an ac/heater, refurbish the jump seats and do the electrical, plus all the taxes and shipping expenses of moving it with me to the united states
 
The floor wasnt that rusted but it did have some minor holes so we decided to make a brand new floor from scratch


I dont know what i got myself into... Hehehe im starting to think im not that smart after all

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It doesn't take long to get $10K into them and that is when YOU are doing most of the work. Lostmarbles made some really good points.......... Cool rig
 
I see you mentioned it in your second post.

How confident with wiring on a vehicle are you? That would be some project and in my head my be easier to create a complete new harness from scratch instead of trying to repair it. I have seen threads on here where people build the new harness on a piece of wood measuring and cutting the wires to length before putting it. Auto wiring is foreign to me so I cant help to much on that.

Thats defiantly one a magnet would come in handy to check the body for whats metal under that paint and whats body filler.

Its hard to tell from the pictures and I also have poor eyesight but it looks like I see rust already coming through the paint on the grill/bib area and the inside windshield frame. Judging from some of the pictures the paint job was done quickly (most likely cheaply) with little prep to cover up things that were not suppose to be painted or to keep over spray from getting on them. But those are not major problems or deal breakers for some and it does not mean its a pile of junk, its just got some ugly lipstick it put on in the dark before it washed off the food from last night haha


These always rust in the same areas. Check under the drivers floor matt and passenger floor matt. Examine the area under the head lights with a magnet and the area above the rear wheels to rear taillights (quarter panels always rust out)

You mentioned an 82 in better shape for more money. With these spending more up front can save in the long run IF the cruiser is in better shape. If you cannot weld make sure you look for as little rust as possible


edit: is that a 79+ grill cut and screwed on. That would scare me alittle bit as if they mixed parts and got close but not the right part to go on what else have they done like that

Yes besides the +79 grill there many dirty ghetto works done like that it was a miracle from God i didnt die driving this thing 12 hours back to where i live, when i arrived back some hoses were barely together, plus the clip that attaches the fork that pushes a washer for the clutch was attached with a thin cable instead of a real clip.... Etc etc...
 
I actualy restored the diesel badge myself, you can look how it looked like from the pics posted at the beginning of the thread, they used to make some really good plastic painting back in the days because i removed everything with a brush and the silver color was intact underneath all the ghetto paint

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a refurb is slow going even if you're sitting on piles of money, because its a forever thing ... get it where you can enjoy it, while you're working on it ... good news is, its a diesel and that will likely last forever too ... great update ...
 
I drove mine about 100 miles to get to its home without really doing a "good" safety check on it right after I bought it. I just didn't know better. A week later the rear brakes puked out one of the wheel cylinders while it was parked. I dodged a bullet there. But I don't drive this thing like a modern car anyway and I always focus on my driving and following distance so I don't have to use brakes unless I have to completely stop no matter which vehicle I'm in.

Yours looks like it's coming along nicely. Congrats on the purchase, I wish I could find time to see mine. Sometimes messing with these makes you hate the previous owner for what they did years ago. Mine had holes cut in random places and hopes cut on the dash for a drink holder.
Good luck and post up more updates as you go it's cool to see what others are fixing and how they do it.
 
Thanks for the update Edison. I'm glad you got one and it looks like your refurbishment/restoration is coming along nicely..

Nothing matches owning a 40-series...

They used to be so plentiful here but now I can drive the length of New Zealand and never encounter another (being driven, parked alongside the road, sitting in a farm paddock, or whatever)..

Most kiwis still don't recognise my BJ40 as anything special though. But that's is starting to change. Just yesterday when refueling in Waiotapu (south of Rotorua) we got the comment "nice old land cruiser" from the friendly lady behind the counter and we got a couple of shouts from road workers who obviously appreciated the vehicle on our trip up a week or so earlier.

You've put in a lot of money I see.. But it's so difficult to comment on that because money falls into the hands of some people with little effort on their part while others have to slave hard and long for it.

I splash out more than I should on some purchases (and I'm not willing to try to add up exactly what I've spent over the years) but then I also try to save by doing all the labour myself...

My land cruiser interest goes along way to keeping me sane... So I'm prepared to spend a little more than I really should because of that.. However I've still got to prioritise and serving my family does come ahead of my BJ40 interest of course..


:beer:
 
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Thanks for the update Edison. I'm glad you got one and it looks like your refurbishment/restoration is coming along nicely..

Nothing matches owning a 40-series...

They used to be so plentiful here but now I can drive the length of New Zealand and never encounter another (being driven, parked alongside the road, sitting in a farm paddock, or whatever)..

Most kiwis still don't recognise my BJ40 as anything special though. But that's is starting to change. Just yesterday when refueling in Waiotapu (south of Rotorua) we got the comment "nice old land cruiser" from the friendly lady behind the counter and we got a couple of shouts from road workers who obviously appreciated the vehicle on our trip up a week or so earlier.

You've put in a lot of money I see.. But it's so difficult to comment on that because money falls into the hands of some people with little effort on their part while others have to slave hard and long for it.

I splash out more than I should on some purchases (and I'm not willing to try to add up exactly what I've spent over the years) but then I also try to save by doing all the labour myself...

My land cruiser interest goes along way to keeping me sane... So I'm prepared to spend a little more than I really should because of that.. However I've still got to prioritise and serving my family does come ahead of my BJ40 interest of course..


:beer:
Tom, you are such a supportive guy on this forum, I can´t thank you enough. Such a blessing. Thank you for all the encouragement and always being willing to listen or help out!

Anyway the chassis should get sanded and painted by friday, hopefully next week I´d be uploading the painted chassis with the wheels on it, I managed to get some awesome looking 750x16 tires on the 16inch wheels, they were such a pain to find here in Panama... I dont miss the 15inch wheels.
 

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