Price for a restoration

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bofer84

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 27, 2007
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7
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Just curious, What is a good price to have a FJ40 restored. I know that its kinda of a subjective question, but i was wondering what it costs to have one shipped off and redone. I have been looking at going the proffits cruiser route, or a local shop, or possibly wadsterrs or ACC in Atlanta also. So, with that said, in general how much does it cost to have one redone.
stage 1...minimal rust on body, etc... how much does it cost to bring back??

stage 2...decent to fair amount of rust on body, needs new electrical, engine needs tune up, wont run but wants to start, new gas tanks, etc...basically the necessary stuff to get her down the road. how much does it cost to bring back

stage 3...most likely needing all new parts, engine is shot/diesel swap, upgraded tranny/transfercase after market gauges, nice seats, all the do dads : )..how much does this costs for someone to do??

Just trying to get an idea, and i would love some of you to share your experiences.
 
bofer84 said:
i was wondering what it costs to have one shipped off and redone. I have been looking at going the proffits cruiser route, or a local shop, or possibly wadsterrs or ACC in Atlanta also.
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You thought about contacting those shops to see what it would cost? :idea:




Having someone else "rebuild" your truck? The launch pad is 20K, easy.



:meh:
 
I wouldn't be suprised at mid 20's to start for labor for a complete rebuild, especially if you want drivetrain swaps and such. One of the shops I work with was getting 15k in labor for a basic refreshening. I usually make about $30 an hour when alls said and done on the stuff I do for other people (fabrication usually) and I'm fairly certain I'm on the low end for custom made to order and installed pieces. Figure 8-900 man hours easy to get everything perfect and you have 24-27k at my rates.
 
Pretty much, you're investing much more than the cruiser will probably ever be worth. But then again it just never matters; it's not about the money.

On a side note, however, ACC is very reasonable and they do a great job. I just had them rebuild my whole engine, desmog and powder coat some stuff.
 
cjgoode said:
A lot cheaper to buy one already done. So I would say unless you have one you are emotionally attached to like it was your fathers or had it since you were a teen I would look at ones already restored.
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x2

there are lots of places out there selling crap and there are some pretty good places find one with a f=price you like and start asking about them

id say 20k is a pretty good guess
in the economy maybe a little less if someone is really needing work....

you could always buy an icon for just a tad over 100k.... its probably totally worth it... its not like they build those out of left over jeep parts or anything :flipoff2::flipoff2:
 
X3 on one already done. Let someone else take the hit.
 
cjgoode said:
A lot cheaper to buy one already done. So I would say unless you have one you are emotionally attached to like it was your fathers or had it since you were a teen I would look at ones already restored.
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sounds like me. I've dropped at least $25k into mine.. my dad gave it to me 20 yrs ago. He's going to give me his fj55 when he's too old to drive it (1973...he's had since '80 or so).


But yeah.. first thought i had was... just buy one already done. Not only is it cheaper... but you don't have all the "lost time" having it redone..

and fwiw, i spent about $2500 on parts, dropped it off at a body shop, and paid about $12500 in labor to have the truck torn apart and refreshed.. NOT including all the $$ i've put into the motor... PS, AC, disk brakes, suspension, weber carb, snorkel, etc.

"3 months" turned into 1.5 yrs.
 
Having just resto/modded a '72 FJ40 and dumped over $40K in that, (not counting my own labor), I went out and found a mostly finished '75 for about a third of that cost. It still needs a little work and is not near as nice as the '72, but it was a helluva buy. I spent months on Mud and Craiglist looking at over 200 FJ40s until I finally found the right one.
 
It's funny how people gripe about someone asking 25k for thier restored rig, but when asked how much to do one it starts at 20 - 30k... hrmmm... Just a thought...

For a decent rig to begin with, 20k sounds about right for someone else to do. And thats baseline...
 
gotcha : ) about where i thought it would be. Soooo....looks like ill be doing most of the body work myself and buying parts from SOR : ) Can i get by with a blow torch, or should i invest in a plasma cutter?? Never done body work before...but i can learn i guess.
 
ok, ill stick with the angle grinder then. Any good places to get formed sheet metal for the FJ40. Ill need rear qtr panels and of course rocker panels. I know SOR has them, but anywhere else??
 
Why ship it off? The knowledge, friendships, business relationships, and of course the end result are by far worth more than 20-30k.

Don't know how to weld? Learn.
Don't know how to paint? Learn.
Don't know how to work on mechanical stuff? Learn!

You will enjoy the end result ten fold over having someone else do the work for you, and the benefits are an endless list.

All the best!
 
bofer84 said:
ok, ill stick with the angle grinder then. Any good places to get formed sheet metal for the FJ40. Ill need rear qtr panels and of course rocker panels. I know SOR has them, but anywhere else??
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BudBuilt - Land Cruiser Parts

it says not for restorations but iv seen lots of guys use them for restores that are going to see trail time, i dont know if thats your plan or not...

but when the time comes that my "lumpy" metal bugs me enough thats what ill be using
 
Poser said starting at 20 ,I think that would only get the basics.Some paint jobs around here, for the outside alone, would run over 8,000. Mike
 
bofer84 said:
ok, ill stick with the angle grinder then. Any good places to get formed sheet metal for the FJ40. Ill need rear qtr panels and of course rocker panels. I know SOR has them, but anywhere else??
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Sheet metal can be had from several places in the north east in the form of old parts you can use to patch things up. Do a bit of searching. There are steel, aluminum and glass tubs. Yada, yada, yada. It helps to have a decent sized check book and a realization of what you are getting into. PM me it you have questions in particular, no need to rehash it all here.:)
 
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