Here's my disclaimer. I never planned to start a rust repair thread, because I don't have much to offer that you haven't seen before. Rust isn't new, and I didn't think there would be any interest. However, a couple of my Cruiserhead friends thought the story of my "ultimate truck" purchase and subsequent repair woes was entertaining, and might even be helpful to any newbie flirting with the idea of joining the 40 cult. So here we go, the long version, a tale of several 40's ending with my 1982 Rustbucket, with lots of pics. Buckle up.
Background. I owned an FJ40 during my last two years of college. I drove that little truck all over West Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado in every conceivable weather condition, everything from blistering Summer heat to Winter blizzards, and never made any attempt to keep up with maintenance. There must have been occasional oil changes, but nothing more. What can I say, I was a dumb college student with limited funds and other things on my mind. Despite the abuse and neglect at my hands, the 40 never failed. I believe it was a '66 or '67, a real plain Jane, and I didn't think of it as anything special. It was just a utilitarian vehicle that always fired right up and took me where I need to go regardless of road conditions. I foolishly sold that 40 when I joined the Navy. Thirty years later, after working my way through a succession of Porshes, Audis, and BMW's, I finally got smart and in 2000, bought an FJ62, which I still own. And then, 5 years later...
I'd never even thought about buying another FJ40. Until 2005. That's when the 40 sickness hit, and it's all Yooper's fault. Yooper, and his brother Uncle Meldon. Early in '05, Yooper started searching for a rust free 40 for Uncle Meldon. He found a nicely built '76 for sale on MUD, located in Austin, and asked if I had time to check it out. I looked it over, thought it was a solid truck and a good buy, and gave it a green light. Uncle Meldon bought the truck sight unseen, based on Yooper's and my recommendations, and in March, 2005, I took temporary custody of his new 40.
Background. I owned an FJ40 during my last two years of college. I drove that little truck all over West Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado in every conceivable weather condition, everything from blistering Summer heat to Winter blizzards, and never made any attempt to keep up with maintenance. There must have been occasional oil changes, but nothing more. What can I say, I was a dumb college student with limited funds and other things on my mind. Despite the abuse and neglect at my hands, the 40 never failed. I believe it was a '66 or '67, a real plain Jane, and I didn't think of it as anything special. It was just a utilitarian vehicle that always fired right up and took me where I need to go regardless of road conditions. I foolishly sold that 40 when I joined the Navy. Thirty years later, after working my way through a succession of Porshes, Audis, and BMW's, I finally got smart and in 2000, bought an FJ62, which I still own. And then, 5 years later...
I'd never even thought about buying another FJ40. Until 2005. That's when the 40 sickness hit, and it's all Yooper's fault. Yooper, and his brother Uncle Meldon. Early in '05, Yooper started searching for a rust free 40 for Uncle Meldon. He found a nicely built '76 for sale on MUD, located in Austin, and asked if I had time to check it out. I looked it over, thought it was a solid truck and a good buy, and gave it a green light. Uncle Meldon bought the truck sight unseen, based on Yooper's and my recommendations, and in March, 2005, I took temporary custody of his new 40.
Pics of that truck--taken at Billy's, the official WALCS watering hole, circa 2005.
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