Okay...2 questions I have to ask.

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M

mudge

10 Year 15 Year
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Apr 15, 2009
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Location
Foresthill, Calif.
I know every newbie here has asked the same damned questions so why should I be any different?

For those of you who have seen my '67LV what would be the going price as it sits? I get the feeling that these are rare and I have no intention of selling it ; for now anyway. I realize that this is a subjective question.

Question 2 is about motors and drive trains. I don't want to dimish the value of the truck by hacking it up to make a Killer Krawler out of it. I want something a bit more than stock for suspension, say, 2", and I wonder about the motor/tranny/x-fer case set up.

Do I screw up the truck if I drop a 350 and 4 speed in it? Isn't the x-fer case vacuum operated? Can I cut shifter holes in the floor and not be poo-poo'd?

It's a runner as is as soon as the diff gets replaced so there's no hurry. My FJ60 has the 350 and 4 speed and people are lusting over it frequently. I will eventually have to make the decision of which one do I keep?

Right now the FJ45LV is deffinately from the School of Cool but the FJ60 is done. I'll have to figure this one out on my own. But if the 45 can be made to replicate the 60 without ruining the value or collectbility, then I have some thinking to do.

Thanks for reading my PITA questions.:ban:
 
do what you want

I have a 67 lv ,almost stock , but I"m going to drive mine so ? chevy 350 ,fj40 (4 speed )going to keep the vacuum shifter, gotta upgrade the brakes ,front seat sucks , so maybe buckets , stock steering ,someday toy pick up power steering , even vintage air someday ! 66lv just sold at auction for $85,000 ( with chevy power train ) the way I see it , you cannot take it with ya , so let the next owner build it stock ! my 2 cents

I would like to see your lv someday , I"m in sac.
 
It is what it is (an old FJ45). I would start with the brakes and steering (in stock form) if it does not work for you, then mod it to suit your needs. At least get it running and give it a chance. It is your vehicle, so do as you wish. As far as resale, the amount you stole this thing for you will be money ahead even if you total it!! Just my .02.

P.S. I am wrestling with some of the same issues for my 45swb.
 
I'm with David.

The mods kill the resale, the bigger the mod, the less original it is.

If you want it fairly driveable, I'd go with a 2F/4 or 5 speed. If you want it really driveable, yet all Toyota and awesome: 12HT/H55f. (Or 1HZ, or 1HD-T...)

From where I sit, a non-Toyota motor is just wrong, ESPECIALLY in an LV. And your LV looks so clean and good that I'd definitely keep it Toyota (but then, I'd keep a rusted our hulk all Toyota).

You scored big time on that truck, so you're money ahead pretty much no matter what you do.

Dan
 
After nearly a week with my 1HZ(-T'd!)/H55, I'm gonna have to vote for that. Much quieter, less tractor-like than a 12H-T, but you don't get to adjust your valves (OHC, so shims) and it has a timing belt, and a glow system is necessary. But, damn! even without the fuel turned up it goes like a bat out of hell!

It is like a freight train, 5th gear @45mph and up to infinity kind of bat of hell, instead of a 454 smoke 'em in all 4 gears off the line bat out of hell. :D

You would, however, be looking at some serious dollars doing a Toyota diesel over a Chevy v8 (5.3 vortecs are dirt cheap with no miles on them).

I think anything other than pure stock is going to put the hurt on the collector's value of an LV. But that 1F/3 is going to frustrate you after being used to the FJ60. Why not drive the 60 when you want the skinny pedal and revert to concourse mode while driving the LV? Maybe take what you may have spent on a conversion and do a sweet engine rehab and restoration.
 
Do what you want, and whats in your budget.
Factory is cool especially for an LV
A modded LV is cool, Hell an LV on the road is just plain, cool.
But,driving your LV to a location, long or short, frequently is a deciding factor. Parts for a small block, power of a small block and other " non Factory parts for that year" can make those long and comfortable trips well worth it!
Besides it's your rig, do whats best for you!

Resale on an LV in the future will rise, if its modded or not!

My 2c's

Justin
 
I'll chime in, since I had similar issues with my lv. I put a ram jet 350 in mine with a NV4500 transmision, because I want to use it, I want my kids to use it, and I want to be able to get parts in the future. I drive it several times a week, take it camping, etc. For me the decision was simple, I want to USE it for a LONG time.
I could get in it right now and drive across country with no worries.
You think parts are hard to get now, how will it be in 20 years? I hope mine will still be on the road then. People will criticze no matter what you do, so do what is important to you and your needs. That's all that matters, right?
As far as that auction price goes, be careful what you wish for. I just got divorced and all that stuff comes into play when the court decides what your 'old piece of cr@p' is really worth.
 
Thanks Lito

....and to the rest of you too.

I got to thinking about what I'd want to do to the rig so I can use it the way I'd want. I have a 21 ft travel trailer that I just bought used, and I'll need to tow it with the LV. Now, I know the truck would pull the trailer but it won't do what my FJ60 w/350 will do, and that's important.

My 60 is stock other than the motor. Being 63, tomorrow, I'm past that curve that makes me want to build a "GROUND POUNDING, GEAR GRINDING, FIRE BREATHING, CAR CRUSHING" 4x4. No extreme rock crawling with high steering and splendid articulation. I love that stuff and it's very cool to watch. It's also very expensive.

Also, I need to drive the LV and get a feel for what it sounds like, handles, rides, etc. Then I need to figure out if I can quiet the road noise a bit so my wife will ride in it. Actually, maybe it's better that I leave it loud so she'll stay home! :D

I love the look of my 60 and I love the retro look of the LV but I can't keep them both. The 60 is done....Specter carpets, one of there matching seat covers for the driver side bucket, 5.7 V8, a 1 month old Specter rebuilt 4 speed w/compound low and a new Spicer drive shaft. The body is great, no rust and new Bridgestone Revos on American Racing rims.

To do all this to the LV would require selling the 60 and using that money to replicate all this on the LV. I don't have a problem with doing all that again and Lito brings up a good point with parts availability. I felt that relief after I did the conversion on my 60. Suddenly all the parts I needed were hanging off racks like bags of candy at the checkout register in Safeway Market.

The other option is to do a mild resto on the LV then flip it and take that money to improve the suspension on the 60 and use what's left to get 1 or 2 of my Fiats rolling and sold.

Sorry, I've been thinking out loud.:o

Today the diff cover comes off for an inspection and we try to start it. Film at eleven!
 
If you're going to haul a 21ft trailer I'd be much more concerned about how to stop than how to go!!

The first mod you need is disc brakes!!
 
If I owned a lv like yours with all the stock stuff on it ? I would leave it stock ! just get it running ,trailer it , sometimes just old & original is way cool , I would never pull a 22ft trailer with it ! My lv already had a v8 in it !
 
Very nice rig. Restore it properly!!!

If you are seriously considering flipping it however...then do NOT touch a thing, and try and sell it as is, make your money that you think you might make quickly, and then play with your other toy. Let someone who really wants this rig give it a true restoration starting from a clean canvas...sort of speak...someone who is dedicated to doing it correctly.

Nice rigs have swapped hands just to sit or eventually be sold again, or get cut up and modded to the max, or what ever, but to be fair some of those had more issues than yours, so doing such work was less "offensive" to purists, and I feel that some of those extreme mods are actually pretty freaken cool if you ask me...btw, I am a purist :)

Food for thought...I recently learned of a true barn found Mustang GT, that was absolutely untouched, and sat for many many years. I've seen video of it, and if I remember correctly it had a coat hangar in the place of the antenna, but the rest of the car was absolutely untouched, and exactly the way it was when it rolled of the assembly line. Why do I say this, because that is the way the car can be seen today, as the owner was advised not to make any changes to it....it is worth a fortune because this is the ONE Mustang that all restored Mustangs are judged against for accuracy.

Probably not what you want to hear, but I`ll risk being the one to have said it. You have a nice clean rig...wish I had your good fortune of having found it :cheers:
 
I would vote to either sell it as is or restore it to original. I can almost promise you that as good as that rig looks, as soon as you start a resto, that is a proper one, you will find a lot more wrong than you thought and that will cost a lot of money. It sounds like you do not like doing a lot of work yourself and if you don't want to spend a lot of money, than a resto is probably not the way to go. I too love the resto ride look. From what I hear, if you think your 60 with the 350 is harsh, wait till you take the wife for a ride in the 45. I can barely get my wife to ride in my 71 Olds 442 convert. so I am figuring she will never ride in the LV, assuming I ever get it on the road, ha ha. I think you should just go thru the mechanics and get it running. Good luck with your new ride.
 
Sell it as is. Putting money into an LV adds up fast and big. You could dump $20K into it and maybe make $2K profit or you could likely make $2K profit as it sits.

I;d be interested in it if you are selling
 
I say keep it and enjoy it for a while. Drive it, get a feel for it and sale the fiats to make the improvements you think it needs. :) There are a lot of components that will bolt on from later fj40 models so if you change you mind you can always put it back to original.

I remember when I first installed a new h55 tranny and factory ps in an 82 fj40 8 years ago and thought maybe I screwed up but I really love driving it after doing the mod. I saved the original 4 speed and manual steering gear box in case I ever wanted to reinstall it. Well the time has come and I have decided I will part ways with it and install the 5 speed in the 45. Still not sure which steering mod I will do to it. Never really thought I would get rid of the 40 but you just never know. The funny thing is I pulled it out of storage washed and checked the fluids yesterday and renewed the registration and insurance this morning so I could drive it to work. Like I said I really like driving it. It had not moved it since November of last year.
 
Nice to get a neutral reply

This is what's been eating me up. I have a perfectly useable classic but so far the input has been "keep it stock". Honestly, to be able to use it as it sits would not work for what I need the truck for. I'm not talking major mod but at least something that will equal my FJ60 so I can pull a smallish travel trailer and drive it around town just to raise eyebrows. After all...isn't that what older FJ's are for?

I have to consult the wife but it's not so hard to see Elvis headed for the sunset.

Mike
 
mudge said:
... I have a perfectly useable classic but so far the input has been "keep it stock". Honestly, to be able to use it as it sits would not work for what I need the truck for.
...so I can pull a smallish travel trailer and drive it around town just to raise eyebrows.
After all...isn't that what older FJ's are for?
Mike
Click to expand...
Mike make a disk conversion (the only thing what I would do) and use it, they are made to pull a trailer ;)
Cheers
Peter
 
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mudge said:
This is what's been eating me up. I have a perfectly useable classic but so far the input has been "keep it stock". Honestly, to be able to use it as it sits would not work for what I need the truck for. I'm not talking major mod but at least something that will equal my FJ60 so I can pull a smallish travel trailer and drive it around town just to raise eyebrows. After all...isn't that what older FJ's are for?

I have to consult the wife but it's not so hard to see Elvis headed for the sunset.

Mike
Click to expand...

Mike, in the end it is your truck, and you can do exactly what you want to do to it...remember, you asked, so people offer their suggestions...and so far, most are on the same page...that in itself must mean something.
 
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