the neglected 45

[fj-rankenstein]

so i have this fj45 that i have now owned for close to 10 years now and have not done a thing to it other than remove the hardtop and tailgate for storage.. i had big plans to get it up and running and use it for a daily driver in the summers but that whole idea didnt seem to work out..

a little history..
i bought it from the original owner of a buffalo ranch.. he bought it used for about 7000 bucks.. i have the original receipt around here somewhere.. it used to be the run around truck that ens industrial had for 1977-78 i guess and was sold with very low milage to the first owner.. he then drove it till about 40000kms and blew the clutch out of it..

this is where i came in.. i saw the ad in the paper and cut it out for future reference.. i then forgot about it till i was cleaning up about a month or so later and decided to call on it for the heck of it.. turns out only one person had ever called on it other than me in a month so i decided to go and check it out.. i ended up buying it for a fair price and it ended up coming with 4 doors, 3 tailgates, 2 hardtops, 5 skidplates, 2 boxes and a box of other bits..
i ended up using the worst of everything which was still all in great shape and ended up building my 40/45 conversion..
still after all of this the truck still sat.. and sat... and sat.. till where it is today.. sitting..

i guess i am just trying to figure out what to do with it.. i know that i realistically wont ever have time to do a full resto on it and it would make me sad to see someone buy it and end up swapping some sort of chevy drivetrain into this thing or bastardizing it in some other way.. maybe i should just find the time and clean it up a bit good enough for the road and try to enjoy it for the summers../???

it has a lot of the typical rust in the cab corners, on the floor and some surface rust on the frame and such.. what it does have going for it is an extremely clean box, hartop, tailgate, doors and has never been in an accident so its completely straight..i also have 5 brand new splitrims and tires for it from ens industrial.. what it does need is a carb rebuild in the biggest way, a clutch and some tie rod ends with alignment..

this is sounding more like a feeler thread more than anything now but i guess i am wondering what it is worth.. i know what i would like to get out of it but i am not one of those guys looking to ask an unreasonable amount..

here are some pics of it.. that blue hardtop is from my other truck..

 

[D'Animal]

As long as the cab corners are safe, I would clean it up a bit and drive it.

 

[Apache Pilot]

Nice pickup you have! Lots of very positive features on it. Based on what I have seen on the market (we know how rare the 45's are)....and 'as is' probably between 10-14k. Painting & body work are expensive when done properly, but greatly enhance the value. I'm now at the final stages of that on a '65 lwb pickup. LOTS of hours, but it will be worth it. There is truly a market and you are certain to make a nice profit if you sell it. Hooah, Major Don

'65 FJ45 pickup (final restoration) up for 'adoption' soon
'66 FJ45 pickup
'80 FJ40
'05 Hummer H2 SUT

 

[nuclearlemon]

Based on what I have seen on the market (we know how rare the 45's are)....and 'as is' probably between 10-14k. Painting & body work are expensive when done properly, but greatly enhance the value.

wow...you must be from the east or something. 10-14k is high for this area. 4-7k, i could see, but missing (at least) the taillights, needing work to be a driver and the rust put it on the lower end

i'm with dan...fix the steering/carb/etc and drive it.

 

[Pighead]

you are certain to make a nice profit if you sell it.

Never happen.

 

[fj-rankenstein]

wow...you must be from the east or something. 10-14k is high for this area. 4-7k, i could see, but missing (at least) the taillights, needing work to be a driver and the rust put it on the lower end

i'm with dan...fix the steering/carb/etc and drive it.

i guess i should have said.. i have all removed parts in storage including any lights.. i also have one brand new front fender for it, a clean hood, all brand new tail lights, front signal lights, marker lights are kicking around in the basement and i have a brand new exhaust for it.. i think for the 1000 bucks a person would put into it for a new clutch, front end stuff, carb you could have a pretty tight 45..

depending on where you live has a big effect on the value.. i have seen pieces of crap get sold through alberta and BC for 8-12g's.. one that just sold up north here in Saskatchewan that i was following went for 5800 bucks and the box was non existant and there was a hole in the cab floor that you could honestly stand in.. i would think, at least around here that for a good driving 45 with some minor issues you should be able to get 9-12g's for it..

i always wonder about buying another aqualu cab as well.. having aluminum body parts from Aqualu obviously doesnt hurt the Icon's value.. it would sure cure 90 percent of the rust on this truck.. i always wonder if it really would hurt the value of an original 45.. if it bothered a person enough, you could always sell the aluminum cab and buy a complete metal 45 tub through cool cruisers or something.. was it pacol or pilgrim?? they are twice the price as aluminum..

what i will probably do is if i have some time this summer (which i probably wont between getting my 45 ready for the Rubithon, driving to the Rubithon and black hills cruiser classic and doing a summer of house reno's) i might try to get it in the garage in the fall and see if i cant clean it up a bit.. then maybe in 2014 have it for a summer driver.. that would be fun..

 

[fj-rankenstein]

Never happen.

that all depends on how much a person would have bought it for originally and what kind of market there is for it now.. and all the other variables like how much you have to put into it, etc etc, etc..


i would agree that you would never get your money out of something like a full ground up resto.. once you figure in the parts, labour, your time, consumables, etc, you are usually on the losing end of coming out even with any vehicle..

 

[Apache Pilot]

In Texas and the south, 10-14k is a reasonable price. True it needs some cosmetic work, but the new owner will want to do that part. I would list it on eBay, locally and on this site and see what it brings if your plans are to part with it. Sounds like it has been a liability to you just sitting around there. Money could be re-invested in your other Land Cruisers. If you plan to keep it, then get that rascal fixed and start driving it ....worry about the cosmetic stuff as-you-go. Just my thoughts, Hooah!

 

[rockcod]

10-14K is reaally high for a vehicle in that condition here in So Cal. Depending on how the frame looks (rust wise), as long as it is in good shape, I would be comfortable at 6K. But for all the rust you can see, there is a s*** ton more you cant. Give it a good looking over and drive it like Dan said.

 

[fj-rankenstein]

i loved seeing all the older toyotas still in really nice rust free condidtion last time i was in California.. its like a time capsule for vehicles there!! i had my eye on a 1982 toyota hilux that looed to be pretty minty.. too bad the car hauler was full though. it might have come home with me..