Long Haul Woes

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S

slowroller

Joined
Aug 17, 2021
Threads
4
Messages
23
Location
Florida
Looking for help with shipping., anyone know someone good that wouldn't mind a challenging job? I've got a donor body shell that I need shipped, just the shell, no frame, no axles, no wheels, no drivetrain. I have a loader to get on the trailer and a forklift to get it off, also dollies. The other problem is that it is in a somewhat remote location and needs to be transported 3,000 miles so I'm having trouble finding a carrier. I've been working with some brokers but I keep getting nowhere. I've started the whole process of posting to the load board again through a broker but its been difficult to get something solid, lots of promises but no results. All suggestion welcome.

Here is a pic of the shell:
68057069247__09B3E159-B01C-4FB5-B7C8-F39110E60731.webp
 
What he said^^
Where is it and where does it need to go?
 
clrussell said:
Where from- where to?

Honestly with shipping prices is it worth shipping it? It looks pretty rough.
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Idaho to Florida, a touch under 3,000 miles. This is going to be used for parts. I need this for the front and mid floors and their supports, especially where the midfloor pan meets the wheel well and rocker panel as it has disintegrated pretty badly. No one really fabricates these parts, some might but it would cost a lot. Here is some of what I'm dealing with on mine. This is in front of the driver side rear tire where the rockers, inner fender, and pans meet. Also a shot of the floor and numerous holes, plenty more of that.
IMG_1421.webp
IMG_1425.webp
 
Trip is from Idaho to Florida and is just about 3,000 miles. There is a front loader at the pickup location and a forklift at the drop-off (its an auto body shop).


I wish this thing was closer to me but finding intact floors for a FJ60 is not easy, I check the partouts here almost everyday, just very hard to find a car that is so far gone that it will be parted out and it also has good floors. User posted a partout of a FJ60 out of Richmond but the thread went cold. I also check the salvage auctions but price on those isn't going to be less if it has a mostly intact body. I don't really have any easy options right now.
 
Also, finding a shop in my area (Southwest Florida) to fabricate the parts and then fold and weld them back together is hard, no one wants to touch it. Its a hard job that takes skill and the ones that might do it are charging big time. Getting the donor vehicle is the easiest and cheapest route but getting it here is turning into a headache, the auto shipping brokers and carriers aren't the easiest to work with..
 
Yep, a donor is the way to go. Its what I did as well.
My truck had rot beyond repair. Donor patches were needed.
What were you quoted to get it from A to B?
Also, you could try the MudShip section on here. I just had a frame brought from Montana to Kentucky and then I drove from NY to KY to pick it up.
I'd say give mud ship a try.
 
mongoose2231 said:
Yep, a donor is the way to go. Its what I did as well.
My truck had rot beyond repair. Donor patches were needed.
What were you quoted to get it from A to B?
Also, you could try the MudShip section on here. I just had a frame brought from Montana to Kentucky and then I drove from NY to KY to pick it up.
I'd say give mud ship a try.
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Thanks, I didn't even know about MudShip, just posted something there, see what comes up. Still working with brokers but they keep overpromising and underdelivering.
 
I see what you’re working with. I would expect to spend 1-1.50 a mile on flat haul. That adds up fast. Although I’m out of the 60 loop so I’m not
Sure what you’re expecting to spend on fixing it.
 
clrussell said:
I see what you’re working with. I would expect to spend 1-1.50 a mile on flat haul. That adds up fast. Although I’m out of the 60 loop so I’m not
Sure what you’re expecting to spend on fixing it.
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You're about right, $1.00 to $1.50 a mile so $3,000 to $3,500, most quotes in that area, I have got quoted lower but the price usually creeps up the farther along in the process I get. I'm doing a frame off resto so I'm all the way in, I'm not letting this think rot away on me.
 
mongoose2231 said:
Yep, a donor is the way to go. Its what I did as well.
My truck had rot beyond repair. Donor patches were needed.
What were you quoted to get it from A to B?
Also, you could try the MudShip section on here. I just had a frame brought from Montana to Kentucky and then I drove from NY to KY to pick it up.
I'd say give mud ship a try.
Click to expand...
Oh, and the quotes usually end up at $3,000 - $3,500
 
Would the seller cut out the floor and just ship it to you? the labor and shipping the floor cut in pieces should be easier and cheaper. I once shipped a quarter panel from ID to VA via grey hound bus. I think it was less than $200. But the seller was a mud member and had no problem cutting the quarter out to my specs.
 
g-man said:
Would the seller cut out the floor and just ship it to you? the labor and shipping the floor cut in pieces should be easier and cheaper. I once shipped a quarter panel from ID to VA via grey hound bus. I think it was less than $200. But the seller was a mud member and had no problem cutting the quarter out to my specs.
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He would basically need to cut out the floors from the firewall to the rear wheel wells. I had my auto body guy look at it, he has a idea or where and how is gonna cut, I'm going to leave it to him, its that corner where the rocker, floor, and fend meets that will be tricky, might cut it as one piece to keep the folds intact.
 
FWIW, I had some trouble getting an FJ62 from Bozeman, MT to Dallas last July but eventually found a ride without spending a fortune. It took 2-3 weeks to work it out. A broker got me hooked up with these guys, Deli Transport LLC (Garciasville, TX) who had an open backhaul from PNW to Rio Grande Valley. They were able to swing through MT and load it. Doubt they would go to SW FL but maybe consider breaking the haul into two segments given the distance (ID-HOU; HOU-SW FL)? Given the distance and fuel prices, wondering if it may be hard to find a single hauler the whole way there any time soon? Probably no easy solutions on this one. Hopefully Mudship will expose a better option.

Deli Transport LLC USDOT 2419487

Deli Transport LLC is a licensed and DOT registred trucking company running freight hauling business from Garciasville, Texas
www.quicktransportsolutions.com www.quicktransportsolutions.com

Deli Transport.webp
 
Seriously - drive out, buy a trailer, move it back yourself and sell the trailer when you get home. 6000ml round trip, 20mpg = about $1800 in fuel - gives you $1000 in food and accommodation for the trip. For the same dollars you get a "free" trip across the US..... But then, I don't mind a drive......

Note - I am not in the US, so the costs are a bit fluffy, but you know what I mean.
 
g-man said:
Nobody is going to study your floor to see if the curves are OEM spec. Just cut out the rot and weld in sheet metal. It's all going to get covered up with carpet anyway.
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I don't have the tools/equipment or any experience when it comes to welding so I need to hire someone on that. Basically there are so many holes, some small, some large, throughout the undercarriage that you would end up replacing half of the steel, with several different cuts, especially in the folds/joins. Also the subfloor supports at rockers are corroded, as well as parts of the inner rocker panel which is delaminating, so I need those as well as the pans themselves. Called around and looks like fabbing and replacing with sheet metal would probably end up costing just as much, lowest quotes $10k to get started.
 
djonortex said:
FWIW, I had some trouble getting an FJ62 from Bozeman, MT to Dallas last July but eventually found a ride without spending a fortune. It took 2-3 weeks to work it out. A broker got me hooked up with these guys, Deli Transport LLC (Garciasville, TX) who had an open backhaul from PNW to Rio Grande Valley. They were able to swing through MT and load it. Doubt they would go to SW FL but maybe consider breaking the haul into two segments given the distance (ID-HOU; HOU-SW FL)? Given the distance and fuel prices, wondering if it may be hard to find a single hauler the whole way there any time soon? Probably no easy solutions on this one. Hopefully Mudship will expose a better option.

Deli Transport LLC USDOT 2419487

Deli Transport LLC is a licensed and DOT registred trucking company running freight hauling business from Garciasville, Texas
www.quicktransportsolutions.com www.quicktransportsolutions.com

View attachment 3070656
Click to expand...
You've got the right idea. If you have a car that is in an out of the way pickup location, find an agency in the nearest city with an interstate and have it towed to their yard. From there use a broker to post to the load board and see it you can get any offers on the full trip. If not then split it by having towed to the next closest major city with interstate access. From there you shouldn't have any trouble finding a carrier with a decent rate. This is basically what I did but it was all one carrier, they brought it to their yard in Spokane and it will get loaded up on the next route heading south. Price and availability comes down to how many carriers operate in the area and how quickly they can pickup and load it and get back on the road.
 
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