Build Project Patina-November 1968 FJ-40

[wngrog]

Project Patina

This tired old Cruiser was built the month and the year I was born. November 1968.

It is tired. Old. Worn out and needs to get in the gym.

I think I'm gonna get it home, get it a trainer.

 

[wct49]

HELL 2 THE YEAH!!!!!

 

[AndyO78FJ40]

Merry Flipmas!

 

[wngrog]

This post is proof none of you assholes read my Day Trip posts since I mentioned seeing this Cruiser last week in the way to the Ozarks.

Sitting there on the side of the road as I made my way from
Tupelo to Hurricane Mississippi to do the east/west Holly Springs National Forest traverse

 

[wngrog]

HELL 2 THE YEAH!!!!!

You see 5 tires and a s*** load of Rob billing.

 

[pmccraney]

Its awesome, but unless it spent a significant part of its past at a lesbian ranch, it will never be as cool as @Bossman 's.

 

[wngrog]

I stopped in on that Thursday and asked the redhead lady that was wandering in the yard about the Cruiser.
She told me that her "old man" was out but gave me his cell and told me lots of people were stopping and asking about the Jeep.

I called. Left a message and then sent a text. Green text of course. Fuggin green texts spell trouble.

To his credit he called back left a 30 minute message.

I was in overland mode and I detest talking on he phone without Bluetooth so I put a reminder in my phone to call Wednesday when I went to Vardaman and promptly forgot about it.

Today I called. We talked. Lots.

19 minutes on the phone is water torture to me. I can't hear. I'm trying to check mud. I'm bored.

I found out a lot about the guy. He's cool. Does civilian EOD work. Diffuses bombs. Cool.

He's also beat up, has Histoplasmosis (my diagnosis) and is not getting as much ass from the redhead as he once was.

He does have an ass tho

And a bunch of s*** in his yard.

Random piles of s***.

On blankets.

 

[wngrog]

So we make a deal on the Cruiser. It's good, totally not anywhere in the vicinity of great and I tell him I'm heading to Tupelo for cash and a UHaul trailer.

After I leave I get a text

Wow. Cool. I didn't see a trailer amongst the boats, mowers, welders, donkeys, roosters, cars, RVs and other s*** in the yard.

Cruiser deal was easy. Offer made. Offer accepted. I'm happy. He's happy even though his trade if the 2011 Can Am and camper top for the Cruiser was worth more than the cash I offered.

Seems the Histo and consussions from 10 yrs of EOD work has him realizing that life on disability sucks ass so he takes the Cruiser offer and tentatively takes the trailer offer.

So I went to Auto Bone and got straps (I have 75 of these at the farm) and a 3" hitch (10 if these) to prepare for the haul home.

How much for the damn trailer?

No answer. Screw it. I'm going in

Still wishy washy on the trailer

 

[Jordan7118]

I like where this is headed :thumbs-up:

 

[Nottajeep]

We have heard more about a trailer and some stranger's sex life than about the 40...

 

[MScruiser]

Awesome! Patina looks great too; I'd be tempted to keep it if it were me.

 

[wct49]

We have heard more about a trailer and some stranger's sex life than about the 40...

more evidence why Mud is so much #awesomeness

 

[wngrog]

We have heard more about a trailer and some stranger's sex life than about the 40...

f'ing Braswell......

 

[ntsaint]

Awesome stuff

 

[Bodean]

You gonna keep it? I'm sure we have tons of parts you can use to rehab it. Talk to Jrob Sat about it. Wait, what am I thinking? Of course you're not gonna keep it. Nevermind...

 

[wngrog]

Well, the last Cruiser I've sold was 4 years ago, so who knows.....

Back to the story.

I grab the Cruiser Cash and the trailer cash and combine it and peel out to his house.

I arrive as they do. The trailer had 235/15's on them. One was bad. One was missing.

They had some to replace the missing in the trunk.

Or they thought they did. One 195 was in there and the other had fallen out. It was the 215.

He quickly told his ole lady to backtrack and find the tire.

In the mean time I mount the 195 so I can get the Cruiser loaded.

Meanwhile Ole Lady shows up empty handed and the 195 I installed developed a bubble on the bead. She grabbed it and heads to the salvage yard for another tire and to look for the lost one.

We got the cruiser on the trailer. No brakes and I must have put the Tcase in Neutral because it almost rolled right into my 4Runner. God gave me temporary superhuman strength and I stopped it.

Loaded and on 3 tires we wait for the ole lady to show.

In the meantime he won't tell me if trailer is sell or rent.

His donkey wandered over and he cussed it and put it in the trailer. The rooster crowed.

He breaks out a huge sledge hammer and channel locks and starts modifying the trailer.

After about 19 swings he passes out.

Yep. Falls out. I stay seated because as I'm trying to process this latest event, his ole lady arrives. Turns out she's his fiancé and is a nurse. She points to a trailer that got mold in it and that he had blown it out without a respirator. Turns out it got stolen. The respirator. This seems like a recurring theme. Such as the lug nuts for the trailer tire that the ole lady found along with the new spare.

I broke out this beauty and installed 3 lug nuts I robbed from the other 3 tires

 

[Bodean]

Good Lord! Sounds like Mine and @euclid's trip to Pelahatchie to get an 80 wheel and tire! Awesome!

 

[offr0adlim0]

Good Lord! Sounds like Mine and @euclid's trip to Pelahatchie to get an 80 wheel and tire! Awesome!

Been to the same place. I had no idea people like that actually still existed. When I was there they were using a front end loader to push down trees. Then a tree fell backwards and landed on the front end loader trapping the guy inside as well as knocking him unconscious. At this point I'm saying to myself WTF have I gotten myself into. I continued to pull the parts from the locked 80 as they are dumping buckets of rainwater on the dude in the front end loader trying to wake him up. Seems that the buckets are showing up endlessly so later I asked why there were so many buckets of rainwater and got the response that "Rainwater is the best water to drink". At this point my wife has locked herself in my truck and is covering her face. Dude finally comes to and the first thing he says is "I need another beer". After he drank said beer he went back to knocking down trees with the loader. It was absolutely crazy. On a good note was beer was by far more valuable than cash. I ended up getting a passenger rear window, diff lock switch, Hazzard switch, door panel and a 3rd row seat all for a 12 pack of Bud Light and $40.

 

[wngrog]

While he was recovering, I finished off the strapping and got in my car to go. I still have the money.

He sees my empty holster and asks where my gun is. I tell him in my pocket and he laughs.

I pull it out. Clear chamber and set it on the seat. He does a 180 and disappears in the house with no door and reappears in moments with 5 gun boxes.

He tells me about each one (he had some good s***)

I again try to hand him the combined Cruiser and Trailer funds.

He says just load up that .40 and shoot him because my offer is killing him. I tell him sorry. I'll rent trailer for $100 and bring it back in 2 weeks.

He stares into the distance. Apoarently thinking.

I crank my 4Runner and close the door. I rack a round in. Holster .40 and hand him the envelope through my open window.

This time he turns about 200* and heads to the trailer where he acquired his lung disease.

He finally reappears with the 40 title. In my efforts to GTFO I forgot to even ask. I assumed there wasn't one.

Title says 1969 but production was the month of November 1968

Finally he takes the trailer and 40 cash without counting it or looking at it and I peel out to the extent an overloaded 4Runner with a trailer with mismatched tires can do and hit the Trace in 4th gear, cruise on 50 and a death grip on the wheel.

I pull off after 20 miles to feel the tires and hubs for heat and check the straps.

Actually I pulled over because the drivers side door flew open and smashed forward making a noise like a blown tire.

 

[DSRTRDR]

that patina is fantastic

love the story