Input needed (1 Viewer)

[mac]

I’m not really a 40 series guy (although I would like be), having only owned one, so I’m looking to the collective knowledge here in mud for some advice.

My cousin’s father in-law bought a ‘72 FJ40 in 2015 from California and brought it to Canada. Unfortunately, a few months later he died. He never got to start on his dream project. Now, the family is wanting to finally do something with the Cruiser. They know nothing of older vehicles, or any kind of vehicle actually.So they are looking to me for guidance.

I looked at the rig yesterday and found it to be quite solid. It has a mfg date of 09/71, has been resprayed yellow from original green, has a bed liner sprayed inside the tub and has paint cracking on the one side where the wheel well is welded to the tub. I’m sure there is filler there. It looks mostly complete and mostly original, with the exception of the wheels and colour. Frame, underbody, doors and hatches are all solid and free of rust. Seems to run and drive just fine.

So, the magic question- what’s it worth? And, how should I proceed? I can buy it if I want but I’m not sure I can pay them what their Dad paid as it’s been sitting for a few years and was mostly out in the weather until recently. But, I don’t want to take advantage of a family that has been through the loss of their patriarch.

Attached are some pics. What do you 40 series gurus say?

 

[mac]

More pics...

 

[mac]

Paint is rubbish, btw. Clear is peeling.

 

[mac]

Few more... Thanks in advance.

 

[Steady 360]

No idea what dad paid for it, but don't think it has depreciated in price during the past few years the way prices in the states are going.

 

[dlzadl]

So, the magic question- what’s it worth? And, how should I proceed? I can buy it if I want but I’m not sure I can pay them what their Dad paid as it’s been sitting for a few years and was mostly out in the weather until recently. But, I don’t want to take advantage of a family that has been through the loss of their patriarch.

That is a magic question....Looks like a sweet old truck. If it runs and drives, hopefully not for long without the breather assembly... stopping is also a good thing.
But being a Patriarch myself here are my thoughts. If that was a truck that I loved and paid a good price for I would want my family to sell it without any hassle on them. I would want my truck to go to someone who will drive and improve it. If it were someone I knew and liked even better. Not knowing the financial circumstances but if it were less than I paid and close to current market value and you are going to keep it I think I would be ok with that. I could look down from heaven, or up from hell, from time to time see you enjoying my truck. Or curse the truck if you offend the cruiser gods.
As for value, to be fair to all parties you may be able to have @overton give you a good idea and if you wanted to pay him a bit for an accurate appraisal fair for both parties that would be a good start. Keep the location and information quiet, as the vultures will soon be out and will muddy everything good about a fair deal

 

[65swb45]

You should make an arrangement with the family to have it towed to a mechanic for inspection. 50/50.

With the air cleaner off for any extended period of time, I’d have some real concern about how much moisture has gotten into the engine, especially the two cylinders that have open valves at any given point in rotation. They don’t want to sell you a lemon any more than you want to buy one.

 

[mac]

Thanks for the input folks.

I’m not worried about it mechanically. The air cleaner and choke cable are sitting in the back for some reason but it’s not a huge concern.

I have a friend that is a body man and has built several of these so I think I’ll have home take a look. I know myself and if I buy it I’ll end up stripping it and going back to the original colour so I need to have an accurate assessment of what’s under that paint.

Thanks again!

 

[1969FJ]

Then again you can put it on ebay with a high reserve and see what price it gets to.

 

[cbmontgo]

Thanks for the input folks.

I’m not worried about it mechanically. The air cleaner and choke cable are sitting in the back for some reason but it’s not a huge concern.

I have a friend that is a body man and has built several of these so I think I’ll have home take a look. I know myself and if I buy it I’ll end up stripping it and going back to the original colour so I need to have an accurate assessment of what’s under that paint.

Thanks again!

Taking it to a body man is a great idea. It looks to have bondo pretty far up the rear of the tub, meaning there could be a lot of rust covered up (or maybe you’ll get lucky and it’s mostly a skim coat). I’d say that’s a $6-9k high/low rig since no one has thrown a number out there yet.

It does appear to be fairly complete, which is a plus.

 

[mac]

Thanks a lot. That sounds to be in line with what I was thinking. Unfortunately it’s a fair bit less than was paid.

 

[Drake2]

Thanks a lot. That sounds to be in line with what I was thinking. Unfortunately it’s a fair bit less than was paid.

The rig looks nice and very complete. I hope you can work something out with the current owner and give this rig a good home. At the very least I would grab a small magnet, one that is not too powerful and check the body for the extent of bondo. If it was closer to WI I would be happy to look at it with you and help you with a fair estimate for all parties involved......for NO CHARGE. I can't imagine that one cruiser head would think of charging another cruiser head for an appraisal. Another option would be to get a hold of the nearest local Cruiser club and see if there is a well rounded 40 guru in the club that can go look at it with you. IMHO, our goal should be to make sure these iconic rigs end up in good hands and with people who will enjoy and use them.

 

[mac]

Some additional news- apparently Dad never finished the importation and so it’s in a bit of a “no man’s land”. The border paperwork was completed but the vehicle inspection and final registration in his name was never done. So we have a signed California title and a bill of sale made out to and signed by a deceased person. This could get very complicated...

Looking at it Thursday with my bodyman and will also talk to my local cruiser shop this week. I’d really like to help these folks out, and I’d really like to own this ‘72 but....

 

[Drake2]

Some additional news- apparently Dad never finished the importation and so it’s in a bit of a “no man’s land”. The border paperwork was completed but the vehicle inspection and final registration in his name was never done. So we have a signed California title and a bill of sale made out to and signed by a deceased person. This could get very complicated...

Looking at it Thursday with my bodyman and will also talk to my local cruiser shop this week. I’d really like to help these folks out, and I’d really like to own this ‘72 but....

I hope your visit goes well and you are able to bring that rig home!

 

[mac]

I took my Cruiser bodyman with me last night and we rolled around underneath the rig to have a good look. The frame and floors are really nice. It’s had a couple of very small pieces patched in on the passenger rocker area and one in the driver‘s rear corner. Other than that it looks to be all original steel.

We put a magnet all around the areas that are cracking and it doesn’t look like much filler is there and may have just been done to smooth out the spot weld dimples. Obviously there will be some work to do in behind those ares now. We did find a small bit of bubbling at the rear bottom of the driver’s door opening, just in front of the arch flair. But, all in all, he gave it a solid pass.

We also tossed some numbers around and they are not expecting to get all of the cash spent out of it. They would just be relieved to see it gone. I‘m going to sleep on it for a couple of days and then decide what to do- Buy it for myself or help them sell it.

Thanks again for all of the input thus far. This 40/55 section is great.

 

[Drake2]

Glad you had a chance to do a thorough inspection and I hope you can buy the rig for a fair price. It needs to be with someone that will keep it up and running. Let us know what happens.

 

[mac]

Well, I was able to strike a deal on this. I made the family a reasonable offer, with the inspection and importation business up to me. I also told them that if they couldn’t sell it for that offer, I’d arrange for the inspection and help them list it (here or ebay or BaT) and they could potentially get more. They happily chose to sell it to me.

So, here we go- first gas powered 40 series for me (I had a BJ42 for a few years). Now to figure out what to do with it... My inclination is to take it back to original, ditch the flairs, fat tires and yellow paint. Inspection first and we’ll go from there.