Long Time FJ40 Fan, First Time Poster--Question about FJ40 Popularity (1 Viewer)

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Ocho77 said:
@Living in the Past, you have some sweet trucks. I need to come visit and drool.
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Only one mud member has been in this garage. He has a home near by but main home is in Iowa. He is amazed by the lack of rust on the 40s. It hasn't happened by accident. But the dry climate has made it a lot easier. The state salts the road in the area these are at. None are driven on the road in after being salted. Sadly our winters are becoming so dry not really been a non issue the last ten years or so. Bigger concern now is forest fires.
 
FJ40Lawyer said:
Guys, I learned to drive in a '69 FJ40 3 speed in the mid-90s and I've been interested in the 40 ever since. Dad bought a '69 FJ40 out of a guy's front yard for $800 in 1994 and sold it in 1998 for $2500. We've argued about that decision many times! I bought a '72 FJ40 last year with a Chevy 350 in it, 4-speed. It's my daily driver. I've got child seats in the back for the kids and they love it.

Almost every day someone gives me a thumbs up while I'm driving around town (Mountain Brook), or someone wants to talk to me about the 40 when I'm getting in or out of it. I've had a 60 year old lady stop me in the street and ask me about the "cool looking old Jeep" (I was slightly insulted but politely corrected her: It ain't no Jeep!!!). I had a hippy chick tell me it was her dream vehicle. An Alabama Power bucket truck followed me for a mile and finally caught up with me in the Home Depot parking lot and we talked for I don't know how long. A guy in a Bentley stopped to talk to me about the 40. I walked out of Publix one day and saw a guy doing a walk around on my 40. He was a retired engineer from Afghanistan. He told me the FJ40 saved his life in the desert back in the 70s. My 40 was parked in my driveway one Saturday morning, and a road cyclist (ie bicycle, spandex, weird looking helmet) stopped, pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the 40 and we talked for a while. Stuff like that happens all the time. My wife just rolls her eyes. But, I sincerely enjoy talking about the 40 and its been really cool that the 40 has jump-started conversations with so many complete strangers.

Just to be clear, I don't have a $100k ICON rig or an FJ Company rig. I bought my 40 for $12k and I've got another $6k in it. Its got an okay paint job and it currently has a really loud squeaky fan belt which I need to fix! So, its nothing special.

I didn't realize these things were so captivating to the general public. I thought the "popular" 4 wheel drives were the Bronco, Land Rover, Jeep and various Bro-Dozers(Ford F250 etc). But, I've never cared much for being popular, I've just always loved the FJ40. So, do you guys have the same experiences with the general public driving your 40s around town?
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Aww you just made this up.... I looked for visual evidence of your ride! 🤣
 
Tancruiser said:
I came out of the grocery store one day and there was a good looking middle aged woman with her hand on my 45 pickup, she says I have to have this truck. Usually my Landcruisers are more dude magnets than chick magnets.
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sounds like a story one might read in a different forum... :)
 
erics said:
sounds like a story one might read in a different forum... :)
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Best I've laughed in some time. I've had mine for three days and had five conversations on it from complete strangers.
 
My 40?

All this time, I thought the thumbs up were for my stunningly handsome looks!
 
I my case it’s definitely the truck but she was pretty good looking

B36E55FA-AADA-4DFF-94FD-C61CDEFDA8C4.jpeg
 
Seems like folks who literally have no idea what it is are just “amazed” by it. After I completed my frame on Resto in 2017 and the urging of my neighbor, I put it in the Stoneridge Golf Club car show. One of the cars there was a new Shelby GT350 that was just gorgeous. His wife kept coming over to check out the 40 telling her husband over and over “this looks like way more fun “and how cool she thought it was. Was kind of embarrassing. Almost always stopped to chat about it at gas stations. Funny that way more expensive cars don’t always get the most attention🙄
 
Tancruiser said:
I came out of the grocery store one day and there was a good looking middle aged woman with her hand on my 45 pickup, she says I have to have this truck. Usually my Landcruisers are more dude magnets than chick magnets.
Click to expand...

Mine has always been a chick magnet, and it ain't me - I'm old and bald. Not long ago, I was parking at a restaurant and this young woman comes running out in the pouring rain to tell me how cool my truck is. You get used to it, though Mrs. 1911 can't always decide if she should be amused or jealous.
 
mtn biker said:
I was sending an exhaust manifold that I sold to someone in France and was in the post office for about 15-20 minutes. When I came out there was a guy circling my 69 Fj40 come to find out he had just bought one from Jersey and was asking me questions about it. Long story short he now wants me to help him restore his.

I will have my kids in the cruiser with me and every where we go people will do double takes to look at it. I just smile and keep going. I had a jeep guy offer to buy it while i was on a trail run.
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Thanks for the manifold, it should be here soon :)
 
VTGreg said:
I too have had similar conversations at gas pumps, hardware stores etc. I'm amazed how many people will walk over and tell me how they used to have one. Seems like these things should have been everywhere at some point. My 5 YO daughter loves riding in ours. She takes great delight in replying to the shouts of "Nice Jeep!" with "It's not a Jeep, it's a Land Cruiser!". Makes every broken bolt extraction and skinned knuckle worth it.View attachment 2389162
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My son was 2 1/2 when I bought my 40 so he grew up riding in the back seat.
He loves to camp but never got into 4 wheelin.
I asked him why when he was in his twenties an he said when he was little riding in the back everytime we would top a hill all he could see was sky out the windshield and he was sure this was this time we was going to go off a cliff.
 
FJ40Lawyer said:
Guys, I learned to drive in a '69 FJ40 3 speed in the mid-90s and I've been interested in the 40 ever since. Dad bought a '69 FJ40 out of a guy's front yard for $800 in 1994 and sold it in 1998 for $2500. We've argued about that decision many times! I bought a '72 FJ40 last year with a Chevy 350 in it, 4-speed. It's my daily driver. I've got child seats in the back for the kids and they love it.

Almost every day someone gives me a thumbs up while I'm driving around town (Mountain Brook), or someone wants to talk to me about the 40 when I'm getting in or out of it. I've had a 60 year old lady stop me in the street and ask me about the "cool looking old Jeep" (I was slightly insulted but politely corrected her: It ain't no Jeep!!!). I had a hippy chick tell me it was her dream vehicle. An Alabama Power bucket truck followed me for a mile and finally caught up with me in the Home Depot parking lot and we talked for I don't know how long. A guy in a Bentley stopped to talk to me about the 40. I walked out of Publix one day and saw a guy doing a walk around on my 40. He was a retired engineer from Afghanistan. He told me the FJ40 saved his life in the desert back in the 70s. My 40 was parked in my driveway one Saturday morning, and a road cyclist (ie bicycle, spandex, weird looking helmet) stopped, pulled out his cell phone and took a picture of the 40 and we talked for a while. Stuff like that happens all the time. My wife just rolls her eyes. But, I sincerely enjoy talking about the 40 and its been really cool that the 40 has jump-started conversations with so many complete strangers.

Just to be clear, I don't have a $100k ICON rig or an FJ Company rig. I bought my 40 for $12k and I've got another $6k in it. Its got an okay paint job and it currently has a really loud squeaky fan belt which I need to fix! So, its nothing special.

I didn't realize these things were so captivating to the general public. I thought the "popular" 4 wheel drives were the Bronco, Land Rover, Jeep and various Bro-Dozers(Ford F250 etc). But, I've never cared much for being popular, I've just always loved the FJ40. So, do you guys have the same experiences with the general public driving your 40s around town?
Click to expand...

Small world, I live in Mountain Brook about two minutes away from the Publix you mentioned. I'm wondering how I've never seen you, I thought I knew about all the Land Cruisers around town! To answer your question though, as you know, theres LOTS of Land Cruiser love around Birmingham.
 
f youll be moving toward stock look a new bumper would be good to replace that c channel number... i believe still available from toyota for not crazy $

the non-body color door hinges also jump out as not being stock

these are picking things... generally a very nice looking truck!!
 
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