Tell me if I am nuts or not - closing this thread but leaving for others to view comments (1 Viewer)

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Ken Friedman

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Maybe I am nuts but.... I do want a pre-emissions vehicle. I want something that my son and I can wrench. I am not interested in a concours FJ. I want fun. I found this out of SF near where I live.

sfbay.craigslist.org

1975 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 $14500 obo - cars & trucks - by owner...

Hi craigslist shoppers We’re selling our little red FJ40 It’s in good running condition Everything...
sfbay.craigslist.org

It does not have the 2F engine but instead has a small block 350. I can work with this idea because this is one of the simplest engines to work with, parts are plentiful and cheap. What would scare you about this? I have not seen the car and intend to go see it tomorrow. I spoke with the guy for a while and he seems genuine (famous last words I know). He says it runs well but none of the gauges work, cosmetic issues, etc. Without seeing the vehicle and just looking at the pictures I understand I am buying a potential huge problem here. The diamond plate on the rear quarters scares me, I think I see some corrosion in the engine bay to the right of the air filter behind the battery. What would you look for structurally? I know it is rough but I have no idea of how rough and what you should pay for a "rough one". Thanks in advance. Any advice, wisdom or counsel would be appreciated.

Ken Friedman
408-858-1144
 
Price isn’t horrible. But there was clearly a sale on red paint. Looks like he taped off the seats when it was sprayed!
Personally I run from conversions. For the very reason the gauges and various other systems that are not working at present. There is something nice about cracking a Toyota manual open with your son and following along, instead of Driving yourself nuts over whatever....

I think for 15k you can find a nice stock cruiser to start with.

just my opinion!
 
Last edited:
dmaddox, your opinion is what I am soliciting and it is very much appreciated. After decades of repressing my desire to buy one I have decided to move forward opinions like yours help keep me grounded and avoid impulsive decisions to satisfy an urge. Thank you
 
Yeah they just slathered everything red. I would be nervous little prep was done and the paint will soon peel off. Most likely rotted steel behind the diamond plate. The pictures are fuzzy, but the shape rear wheel openings look funky. Do you see the smooth sheet metal patch just aft of the rear heater? If you can acquire and post higher res pictures we may find more reasons to offer them $4500:cheers:
 
I am not a purist. Obviously. I think the Toyota straight 6 is the simplest engine to work on, but I have never owned a SBC. And parts for the 2F are neither cheap nor plentiful. Perhaps you are not looking at one huge problem but many, many tiny little niggling problems.
It would certainly be fun, but so is a stocker. I might be afraid that it is too fast for the brakes, steering, frame, stance, whatnot and all. But i'm getting old.
I might be hesitant to let a driving-age child of mine loose behind the wheel of that. But I did build a stock '74 FJ40 for my Daughter's first drive...
just as easy to teach a youngster to wrench on a straight 6 as a V8. Perhaps less frustration restorating a stockish 40 as finishing someone elses swap. less worry them driving a stocker you've both built.
 
I agree with the others you can do better with 15k. The rear wheel wells have been cut. Who knows what else was is covered under that paint. Petsonally I prefer rigs with original paint, so you know exactly what you are getting or a well documented restoration.

Good luck and be patient. I would not pay anywhere close to 15k for that rig.
 
Pighead said:
I am not a purist. Obviously. I think the Toyota straight 6 is the simplest engine to work on, but I have never owned a SBC. And parts for the 2F are neither cheap nor plentiful. Perhaps you are not looking at one huge problem but many, many tiny little niggling problems.
It would certainly be fun, but so is a stocker. I might be afraid that it is too fast for the brakes, steering, frame, stance, whatnot and all. But i'm getting old.
I might be hesitant to let a driving-age child of mine loose behind the wheel of that. But I did build a stock '74 FJ40 for my Daughter's first drive...
just as easy to teach a youngster to wrench on a straight 6 as a V8. Perhaps less frustration restorating a stockish 40 as finishing someone elses swap. less worry them driving a stocker you've both built.
Click to expand...
Thanks pighead. Love the name by the way.
 
Unless you are independently uber-wealthy and can weather financial mistakes, always go look at what you're considering buying.

Even if you decide against this one based on photos alone, you're new to this so go look at it, actually see where some of the problem areas are, crawl under it with a flashlight, lift up any mats, and learn about the model. Go look at cheaper ones and ones that are beyond your budget. The more you learn, the better your decision making.

Folks on Mud have a huge collective experience and most are happy to share advice and biases. In the end, however, it's your decision to make and to live with.

Best of luck to you.
 
I just came here to see how OP closed the thread but then, thankfully, left it open for posterity. @woody has yet to give me those capabilities on this site. :flipoff2:
 
For that price range decent ones pop up in CA you just have to be ready to buy. Look in neighboring states also, shipping is cheap.
 
Bear said:
Unless you are independently uber-wealthy and can weather financial mistakes, always go look at what you're considering buying.

Even if you decide against this one based on photos alone, you're new to this so go look at it, actually see where some of the problem areas are, crawl under it with a flashlight, lift up any mats, and learn about the model. Go look at cheaper ones and ones that are beyond your budget. The more you learn, the better your decision making.

Folks on Mud have a huge collective experience and most are happy to share advice and biases. In the end, however, it's your decision to make and to live with.

Best of luck to you.
Click to expand...
Bear, I took your advice and went to see the car today. It was a mess. The entire tub was rusted through, doors were bent, someone had put foam everywhere - who knows why - but by the end of my inspection I think it is what held the car together, the frame was shot, etc., etc., etc., The seller was a nice kid who claims to have impulsively purchased it for $20k. I told him I might be interested at $7k. He came back at $8.5k and the more I think about it even if he goes to $7k I think it is probably too much. As you suggested I gained some wisdom and experience today. As I read more I increasingly see the merit of buying something that, while flawed, doesn’t try to hide it. Another community member said something to this effect and they are 100% correct. And so I will move onto the next one with just a little more experience.
 
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