I've caught the Land Cruiser bug: need an opinion on this POS 40-Series

[Tummler]

1978 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 Project Landcruiser

A semi-retired body man is a good acquaintance of mine, and he is a wizard when it comes to metal work. If I would buy something like this, I would drop it off at his place, and tell him he will have for it a year, work your magic.

With the rusted body panels out of the way, is the rest of the vehicle salvageable?

 

[brian]

from an east coast, rust belt point of view...looks good have at it.

 

[JAFO2014]

I am amazed at how little $6000 will buy, but then you are in the supply, demand world of FJ40.
Seller sounds honest. Actually, I think I would buy it if in the market for a fixer upper.
Offer lower. You can always go up on your offer, not down.

 

[Jdc1]

Its on ebay now.

 

[airon23]

I'm pretty sure the seller of that is a murder on here if I'm not mistaken. Thought I saw him list it on the for sale forum.

 

[joyRidaz]

It's a tough market... But if u like the challenge of resurrection and have patience then I'd say Do it, it's almost all there, beside tub issue.. which is a nice way to start, cruiser parts add up fast.

My goal was to get a good entry price on a mostly complete project vehicle that I could learn on, and do diy stuff to get it road worthy and respectable enough to drive around to local car events

That said my heart dropped when my "almost running" project showed up in the daylight on a flatbed. I had a bigger challenge than I expected... But I've had fun, and my moto ha always been, well I cant mess it up worse than it was...

I attempted to provide gut feel pricing on aftermarket panels/parts for the diy daily driver resto-mudder

Some of the tough bits that u have are:
- stock wheels
- hardtop
- ambi doors ?
- doors seem solid from pictures
- tube tire carrier with urban myth latch and bump stop
- air intake horn?
- smog equipment
- stock carb

Missing
- air intake filter holder contraption... $150ish
- rusted panels
--- 2 quarters about 300 for aftermarket or a few buck for patching diy
--- wheel well tops and sides, maybe 400 total, but I think I spy the extra too panels in the tub???
-mirror heads(20 bux each)
- rear sill (300-400)
- rear floor (400 for ribbed, or <50? for flat thick steel panel)
- paint job, cool that it looks to have orig mustard paint
- calipers and pads(250)


Things to check, other typical problem areas or missing items:
- check the main beam, probably rusted (300?)
- under wheel well brace supports
For the roll bar(100 each?)
- rusty fuel tank(250)
-door limits
-some light
-rear license plate beaker and dome lights

Hope this perspective helps.. The journey is fun for some and aggregating for others... Do some soul searching. It looks like at that entry price and some upgrades, say ten grand all in, you'll probably have a great end product!

 

[joyRidaz]

see classifieds for new price and @Kansas Cruiser 's ad on Mudd. The top and doors alone are prolly worth 1500!

For Sale is my 1978 Land Cruiser FJ40 Project. It is located in Kansas City Mo. That being said it has rust and will need a new rear Half Tub. It's shot. The frame and front floors are in good condition with no rust holes on them. The outer rockers will need a couple small patches but not bad. The FJ runs and drives but is not road worthy. The front brake calipers will need to be rebuilt, the tires should be replaced and the truck will need a good once over before I would drive it on the highway. Includes the hard top, front and rear doors. Please see the pictures if you have any questions you can PM me or email me @ tmoore 757 @ gmail.com I'm asking 4000.00 OBO and have the clean clear title ready to go.

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[Fast Eddy]

You should plan for another year or more at your place replacing all the rubber (tires, hoses, belts, brake lines, clutch cylinders), all the brakes, all the TREs, the rag joint, rebuild the center arm, maybe the steering box, spring bushings, radiator. Plan for $10k in resto parts and keep a spreadsheet.

 

[78fj40mg]

What if the frame is Swiss cheese?

Have someone look at it before you buy. My 2 cents ~ Free!

 

[cjgoode]

WOW, is that what they go for now, my 1980 I bought is in much better shape then that and I paid $1k for it, but that was probably 7 years ago. I am curious is this $4k a valid price these days for that shape? Wonder how rough the hard top and doors are. And I serious doubt it has 68K original miles on it. Not that the millage actually matters.

 

[JohnnyC]

That's not worth more than 1500 imho

There is a lot of rust... And probably 2x more ... hiding .... waiting for the unsuspected buyer to stumble across

 

[FJ404345]

Better to buy a 40 with a solid frame and very little rust, then to let the wizard of Oz perform a miracle

 

[snaggletto]

My '76 from the midwest wasn't that bad, but still pretty bad. I've been working on it myself for a few years now on the cheap. I would look for something in the 8-10k range and be money ahead. Pay now or pay later, but if you are hiring the work to be done, you will definitely be money ahead starting with a more solid truck. It would be cheaper to spring for a new tub on that rig. Every nook and cranny will be full of rot, trust me, I know first hand.

 

[joyRidaz]

I know I'm going to regret this, but everyone talks about these great rigs on the cheap, and I think these memories aren't accurate with today's pricing. I agree it's a total rust bucket, but I haven't seen a late 70s model that runs and is that complete(hardtop, doors wheels etc) for that price in the last 3-4 years

I do agree it's probably wiser to spend a bigger nut upfront for less rust if u can.

I also agree that a close look at the frame and all the beams is needed.

Good luck with your quest!

 

[Jdc1]

I know I'm going to regret this, but everyone talks about these great rigs on the cheap, and I think these memories aren't accurate with today's pricing. I agree it's a total rust bucket, but I haven't seen a late 70s model that runs and is that complete(hardtop, doors wheels etc) for that price in the last 3-4 years

I do agree it's probably wiser to spend a bigger nut upfront for less rust if u can.

I also agree that a close look at the frame and all the beams is needed.

Good luck with your quest!

There have been 2 awesome rust free rigs, that I believe were both 78s that sold in the last 3-6 months for $7800 and @jetranger s with the blown engine. Ok jetrangers had a blown engine but that's a lot easier than bodywork. Patience is key in the bloated market.

 

[Jdc1]

Price also makes no difference as there have been a lot of pieces of sh it that have $20k to $30k asking prices.

 

[Feistl]

Wow, can't believe the asking price over there. I paid $900 here for a complete fj40 (no engine/gearbox) with only very minor surface rust in a few areas...

Had new 35", rear locker, power steering..


anyway, point was that is going to be a huge amount of work. What is your/your friends time worth per hour? Unless there is a sentimental attachment I would buy the best condition fj40 you can find. Even if it's $5k more, it'll save you literally thousands of hours.

 

[Yellowknifer]

I paid $3000 for a 42 that needed a driver side floor pan and some work on the quarters. I don't think I would pay that for that particular 40, but I don't really know what market value is either. In all honesty, I would do a nation wide search for a more solid rig as a start point or beat that one down on price and be committed to the rust repair. I bought mine and was driving it within 3 weeks. Don't think I'd have the patience for such an extensive restoration.

 

[bikersmurf]

Here a rig in that shape wouldn't get $500. I'd keep looking myself and buy something in better shape. I'd broaden my search... To do it over, I'd buy a 42 with a 3b diesel. Your dolar is strong, so for not much more you could buy one from here and drive it home.

I see it's down to $4k... You're in a different market there.

 

[awynne56]

I think the market sucks for 40's. 5000 dollar 40 is worth 1500 and the 40k 40 is worth 15-20 grand... that being said it's very rare to see a 40 at true value. Best bet is do what you are doing, find one and ask for opinions until you feel comfortable enough to pull the trigger.. best of luck