Schrödinger's Truck -- hypothetically, a Middle East HZJ105

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Joined
Dec 4, 2015
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2,326
Location
Dubai, UAE
So I was minding my own business and I happened to talk to a friend who knew about how much I like 105s and he sent me some photos:
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Not sure about the mileage but I have to say the the photos of the underside are consistent with a low mileage truck, given that there is no evidence of overspray of frame paint
 
Long story short I decided to take a chance and buy it, primarily because it has a FEB 1999 manufacturing date. My first 105, Missus White is a 2007 so it has to live in Canada until 2032, my second, Mister Blue, is a 2003 so it is going to serve as my daily for as long as I am resident in Dubai. I retire at the end of the month so I will finally have the time and opportunity to really explore the region.

This new one will get my standard treatment of new anything that ages, like the alloy outlet for the engine's cooling system, probably a new custom radiator, birf seals, all the hoses and bushings, etc. and then it will go immediately to my home in Florida where @cruisermatt will have a chance to render judgment.

The car has a few curiosities, like the fridge, which is not too uncomon.
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A very unusual roof rack, which I have never seen before, but it does not look objectionable.
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It looks a like it might be professionally made. Not sure, but it looks ok. Sand blast and powder coat and it will be fine. Thinking to do black rather than white, just for the contrast. I like that it is at the back so wind noise should be better than the rack on my Omani diesel 80.

The seats seem to have been covered since new or are at least in much better shape than one would expect.
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Oh, and it has steel mesh installed under the hood. I am -told- that this is because the Bedouins like to throw rocks on outsiders. No idea if this is true or not.
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And it also has funky spoiler at the back. I really don't care for these and it will go away.
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The seller very kindly decided to clean it and put go-faster strips on it before shipping:
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I like the strips and I think they waill stay.

We are expecting delivery in Dubai this week. And at that point I will know what I've really bought.
 
Nice find!
 
Way to go - You keep finding these dreamy things!
 
After years of looking without success, I found first one and then the second on an auction. Both were rough. This one came through a friend. The thing is by the time you add in 4-5k in shpping the price is getting up there. Then the question becomes whether you have the necessary remediation work done here or in the US. I've gotten to the point where I have shops that know me and I know them. But it still costs a bomb. Missus White... I don't even like to think about what she has cost me, but it is in the ballpark of 50K USD before shipping. (Jump to page 5 to see the end-state.) But I am very happy with the end state. And that was with me taking a VERY active role in the whole remediation process.

I am seeing more of these recently. I don't know if it because people in the region have figured out that the rest of us are catching on about 105s, or if I'm just a little more plugged in. The other element is that you have to be prepared to jump in on faith. You don't know what you will really get. I bought this last one on just those low-res photos and the assurance of a friend who vouched for the source. I really don't know the condition until I see it in person. And no refunds in this part of the world.

This one seemed like a really nice one in comparison to the others and I am relying on what my friend said, that is why I went ahead. But make no mistake, the risk is all mine.
 
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Very cool find. It'll be fun to watch your progress with it.

I am seeing more of these recently. I don't know if it because locals have figured out that the rest of us are catching on about 105s, or if I'm just a little more plugged in.

In my family we called it the 'Honda Accord Theory'. Parents shopped for an Accord in the early 90s and after test driving one, all they saw around town were Honda Accords.

But also as you mentioned, you're very plugged in for this thing. It's amazing how our niche communities form, and I really enjoy that about enthusiast circles (of all types).
 
So it has been about a month and I had started to get a little, well, anxious is not the word, troubled is not the word, but perhaps unsettled about the thing. I did not doubt the honesty of anyone but I well know from personal experience that government paperwork in the region can be a real challenge and sometimes things simply don't happen and can't happen for some reason nobody thought of in advance. This was exacerbated by the periodic unclear messages about where the truck was and what was happening with it. I started to see the humor in it. I had paid with no paperwork because I know the guy and needed to move very fast to snag the thing, but where was the truck and what was it's status?

This reminded me of Schrödinger's Cat, the classic thought experiment where according to quantum mechanics the cat in a sealed box is neither dead nor alive until an observer observes it.
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Nobody I knew has actually seen this truck in person. Does it exist? How do I know it exists? Is it from Yemen? Is it from Saudi Arabia? We are basically operating on the word of the seller on this. But the guy has performed in the past, I am told, so I really had no reason to fear. Besides, I actually paid for it using a virtual asset--that does not technically exist. So it is quite appropriate that the truck was existing in an indeterminate state, like the cat.

I personally liked thinking about the truck using the Copenhagen interpretation (I have Scandanavian roots) wherein the truck simultaneously exists and does not exist at the same time. And I've been waiting for the wave function to collapse and reality to resolve and answer the question of the existence or non-existence of the truck.

I started thinking about what a phantom 105 might look like. Turned out that the AI art generators I tried were not very good at interpreting the phrase " Schrödinger's Land Cruiser" or ghost Land Cruiser, but the images were fun:
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I also liked "toyota land cruiser in a box with a bomb and a random number generator"
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Today it looks like the wave function is collapsing towards the possibility that the truck exists. I am seeing paperwork with my name on it and at least a version of the VIN:
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So I am taking out vehicle insurance on the basis that the truck actually exists. The truck may show tomorrow. Really looking forward to seeing if it exists!

I was trying to figure out if the note on the VIN plate A04B means it has a Limited Slip Differential (which I think Mr. Blue had--but the Ancient Swede is not sure wether the diff on the bench we looked at was from Mr. Blue the 105 or one of the 80s.) I was looking through the various thread on here when @cruisermatt suggested I just jack it up and turn one wheel. Apparently if it has LSD both will turn the same way, and if not, then they will turn the opposite way, which makes sense if you think about it. In a curious way, Matt's suggestion has the effect of collapsing the waive function of uncertainty about the existing of LSD in the truck by direct observation.

Well, I suppose this should not really be a surprise. Everything is quantum mechanics when you look at it closely enough.
 
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THe Microsoft image generator did a better job.
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Here are a couple probably more realistic
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And one more:
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"A toyota land cruiser, a flask of flammable liquid, and a radioactive source are placed in a sealed box. If an internal radiation monitor (e.g. a Geiger counter) detects radioactivity (i.e. a single atom decaying), the flammable liquid ignites, destroying the toyota land cruiser."
 
Nice find!
I don't have much to add except that I enjoy your documented journeys of revival that you do and that your 105 shares the exact same frame number as my 79.
Keep the pictures coming!
 
Nice find!
I don't have much to add except that I enjoy your documented journeys of revival that you do and that your 105 shares the exact same frame number as my 79.
Keep the pictures coming!
I see you are in Edmonton. To me that is Canada. Not sure why; maybe the Olympics when I was young. Missus White the 2007 105 is in Vancouver right now in storage. Nice to know that a fellow 1HZ guy is relatively near by. If I make it up to you city I would love to see your firetruck in person. I've been sorely tempted to get one of those but the RHD stops me.

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I see you are in Edmonton. To me that is Canada. Not sure why; maybe the Olympics when I was young. Missus White the 2007 105 is in Vancouver right now in storage. Nice to know that a fellow 1HZ guy is relatively near by. If I make it up to you city I would love to see your firetruck in person. I've been sorely tempted to get one of those but the RHD stops me.
Lol, nice!
If you happen to take Missus White out for a drive in Canada, make a detour to the area.
You betcha, I'll also be in the Lower 48 this fall if you happen to be on this side of the pond.
They are a great example of a low mileage LC, but they do require a fair bit of tweaking to fit your needs.
The RHD is minor, you get used to it quickly.
 
Schrodinger's Truck may be coalescing into existence!
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This photo was taken at the Abu Dhabi customs at the border between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
 
That song is eerily good for 30 seconds.
 
That song is eerily good for 30 seconds.
Yeah, I know. I would be very worried if I were a songwriter. This generation is still not good enough but a couple more generations...

I have been thinking about this. I think AI in my life might get very interesting. Imagine taking a 100 pictures of an engine bay and then asking it to design brackets for x wherever it will fit, and then it gives you 5 solutions and you pick the best one, and it hands back a file for the plasma cutter.

Yesterday I gave this songwriter thing a simple prompt about teaching my son stick in Mr. Blue, and it came up with this, again surprisingly listenable.
 
Yeah, we're doomed. :lol:
 

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