The FJ40 that time forgot.....

[c2dfj45]

I went back and forth on doing a thread on this recently acquired FJ40......I'm more familiar with never ending build threads so this one will be a little different(for me at least) but I find this truck so interesting, I wanted to share. And for sure more pics and less words than I am used to

This 40 popped up on my radar and I couldn't shake it. A big thanks to Barnfinds.com's daily feeds that encourage me to do these things. Also, I credit the seller who wrote a really creative listing....it worked, he sold me on it. I tried to talk myself out of it(not really) but I threw logic out and replaced it with a "what's one more truck going to hurt"

It's a Rustic Green 1974....01/74 production. 1 Southern California owner for 47 years.....I'm not going to count the guy who flipped it....he should have never titled it but that's water under the bridge now.

I'll start with the first few pics from the listing........when it was in the owners garage. A little dusty but pretty much the way it had been for a long time.

A video of it in the garage....for better selling

YouTube

 

[c2dfj45]

So the story goes.....

In 2018, the flipper saw the truck in a garage in LA near his home, stopped by to ask if it was for sale.....the owner said it wasn't. He went on to tell him some stories of the truck and things he did with it(he was pretty proud of running it with a Jeep club in Indio, CA in the late 70s. The Sareea Al Jamel 4wd Club(really old 4x4 club....neat history....more on that later).

The owner "Freddy" took the guy's card and put it in the glove box. Well Freddy passed in 2021 and the flipper got a call from the family. They had found his card and Freddy had given them instructions to sell the truck the guy who's card was in the glove box. So out it came from it's long slumber.

 

[c2dfj45]

Freddy purchased the truck from Elmore Motors on 4/27/1974.......how do we know this? Because we have the purchase order

For sure this increased my want for this truck.......total nerd when it comes to paperwork on cars and trucks I buy. The hook had been set pretty hard by now. Ha.

 

[Varty Yo]

and then......

 

[jkl72-40]

Paperwork!! Friggin cool that adds value!!! Traded in a Corolla too lol

 

[c2dfj45]

Couple of interesting things on that purchase order.

Freddy was about 23 or 24 when he bought the 40(passed away at 71). What a cool truck to be buying brand new in 1974. And he traded in a a Corolla.

Interest rate was 13% and went up from there. Ouch.

$116.89/month car payment. I think I pay more than that for a cell phone. Would rather have a 40

Top right corner of the sales invoice it says 'PURCH: Nick Pastor'.....front license plate has a Nick Pastor South Gate plate frame. Nick Pastor was a Toyota dealer I would assume. Not sure why that was there.

This is what Elmore Motors looks like today.....

 

[JackA]

Great 40 and back story.

 

[brian]

Freddy purchased the truck from Elmore Motors on 4/27/1974.......how do we know this? Because we have the purchase order

For sure this increased my want for this truck.......total nerd when it comes to paperwork on cars and trucks I buy. The hook had been set pretty hard by now. Ha.

View attachment 2818474

I was a few days old

 

[Living in the Past]

Did it come with the hard top and doors? How about the original roll bar? Bought one of these time pieces back in 2011. Original owner who was an WWII vet who flew in bombers. Was luck enough to buy it from him while he was still alive. Tried helping him try and sell it here on Mud. 2011 was a different time and the only possible buyer backed out when the market dropped. Wife said why didn't I just buy it. Undid a few things using the parts the owner still had. Plan was to sell it at some point which I guess makes me the flipper.

 

[3_puppies]

are those Armstrong tires?

 

[Honger]

Keep going!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Freddy purchased the truck from Elmore Motors on 4/27/1974.......how do we know this? Because we have the purchase order

For sure this increased my want for this truck.......total nerd when it comes to paperwork on cars and trucks I buy. The hook had been set pretty hard by now. Ha.

View attachment 2818474

Interest rates were high back then!!! But borrowing amount was low.

 

[firemanj92]

Couple of interesting things on that purchase order.

Freddy was about 23 or 24 when he bought the 40(passed away at 71). What a cool truck to be buying brand new in 1974. And he traded in a a Corolla.

Interest rate was 13% and went up from there. Ouch.

$116.89/month car payment. I think I pay more than that for a cell phone. Would rather have a 40

Top right corner of the sales invoice it says 'PURCH: Nick Pastor'.....front license plate has a Nick Pastor South Gate plate frame. Nick Pastor was a Toyota dealer I would assume. Not sure why that was there.

This is what Elmore Motors looks like today.....

View attachment 2818580
View attachment 2818571

Really cool history. I too have the original license plate frame from the originally dealer in NorCal and warranty card too!

 

[65swb45]

are those Armstrong tires?

You saw that too!

 

[c2dfj45]

Did it come with the hard top and doors? How about the original roll bar? Bought one of these time pieces back in 2011. Original owner who was an WWII vet who flew in bombers. Was luck enough to buy it from him while he was still alive. Tried helping him try and sell it here on Mud. 2011 was a different time and the only possible buyer backed out when the market dropped. Wife said why didn't I just buy it. Undid a few things using the parts the owner still had. Plan was to sell it at some point which I guess makes me the flipper.
View attachment 2818629View attachment 2818630

Nice truck @Living in the Past and cool story. I wish I could have met Freddy. He was probably a good guy.

So here's another weird part of this story.....I have stayed away from modded 40s most of my buying life. Always have preferred bone stock(or close to). Ironic because I have spent 25 years professionally modifying cars and trucks

Furthermore, when I see flares on a 40....it's a HUGE pass for me. BUT.....I didn't even think about them with this truck.

No top, no doors, aftermarket rollbar and cage.

 

[c2dfj45]

are those Armstrong tires?

Yup. Armstrongs and they are OLD. I was poking around the spare and see that the wheels were made in Brazil....Borlem NE I believe. 15x8. There's an 11/78 code stamped in the wheel. Pretty good chance these tires were put on in 78.

They're a mess but they hold air. Totally not safe so for sure they need to be replaced.

They were probably 30x 11.50 or something(kind of measuring around 29" now). Marked as 11-15LT. Never quite understood those old school numbers....I'm guessing 11 x 15?

I'm not sleeping over what wheels and tires to put on this thing......will need some help I think deciding which way to go.

Even has the sticker....

 

[c2dfj45]

Interest rates were high back then!!! But borrowing amount was low.

I think they went higher too, right? I was a kid playing in the dirt and beating up my little brother in the 70s......interest rates were not on my radar

 

[c2dfj45]

Really cool history. I too have the original license plate frame from the originally dealer in NorCal and warranty card too!

Check out the rear plate frame. Lol. I seem to remember a lot of stuff like this on plate frames as a kid growing up in CA. I think people had a much better sense of humor back then

I also remember blue plates. My parent's cars had them. I remember CA black plates being a big deal with my dad when he would take me along when he'd look at old cars for sale. Just seeing the blue plates on this truck brings me right back to being a kid in 80s Southern California. With my skateboard. And some OP shorts

 

[c2dfj45]

Paperwork!! Friggin cool that adds value!!! Traded in a Corolla too lol

I have always been obsessed with paperwork. How this purchase order(and some other cool stuff I'll post up later) didn't get tossed out is hard to believe.

I have a 91 Ferrari 348 that has 2 massive binders with paperwork pertaining to the servicing of the car and the ownership history. Every piece of paper right down to the window sticker. That car has had 5 different owners and the paperwork stuck with it the whole time. Insanity. 68k miles too.....so it's not like a 5k mile car that has 4 invoices With 68k miles its had a WHOLE lot of work. Lol.

 

[Downey]

1. I remember when new car contracts were that short and sweet.
2. When I was at Downey Toyota (where Downey Off Road Mfg. started) Nick Pastor Toyota was our closest competing dealership, we use to dealer trade with them for cars and parts as needed.