Thoughts on this pig?

[crispy21]

I have an eager 15 year old that loves to fix, make and do things to learn. For example: blacksmithing, built his own 3d printer kit and programmed it, Lego Mindstorm robots. He is the kid that you hand a broken snowblower to and say $100 when it runs and 3 days later it runs kind of kid. He is a sophomore in h.s. I have 2 1/2 years until he is in college and gone. I want to invest time in a project and experience with him that will provide something irreplaceable. I spent 3 years with his older sister traveling around the northeast as she played high-level field hockey. Now she is off to college, I need some good quality time with my boy Blue.

So it could be any direction literally. But you don't put ketchup on a Kobe Beef. So if this is worthy of something more than a V8 swap because how many sub-100K mile FJ55's are really out there anymore with all the parts sitting in one pile?

I don't know what the available outward "stock" of trucks is currently. Only X were made and sold in the U.S. and the supply was limited back then. So as things get tucked into the far crevasses of our garages/barns/shed to be forgotten and sent to the trash dump, the "survivors become" rare. At what standard or level does the Iron Pig Restoration Community wish its "virgin survivors" being reclaimed into the market? Are we destined to a world of the majority being all V8 swapped and a rare original?

Imagine there was some inspirational music somewhere playing in the background.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Seems you're leaning towards investment value. After checking out the one in Scottsdale that went for 42,000? if that were a good restore job, he lost money. If you're willing to put that kind of money in it then ok, but if you guys want to build something that maybe you can take him traveling around camping, four wheeling then forget the Kobe beef. look at all your options and what your son will have the most fun doing.

 

[bobm]

All 3 of mine are all Yota. If you're gonna spend it and keep it who cares. 20 years from now the price isn't going to drop so up to you. Enjoy the time with your son, and who could put a price on what it's worth in the end. People all too often forget about the most important things in life. Family, and the memories.

 

[abqcruiser]

x2.

First of all I'm envious of you and your son for wanting to take on a project like this. I was hoping my son would take interest when I dragged my pig home, but it wasn't meant to be. That said, these are great candidates for those that want to learn restoration, provided you have a strong enough stomach watching your bank account dwindle. It was a great learning experience for me, but it did take a lot of time and energy to get mine on the road. Have you read some of the build threads? I'd suggest reading Scrapdaddy, PabloCruise, and JMack's builds to start, then move on to others here in the sty. Take note of the time some of these builds took to get completed, (that being a relative term as we all are constantly working and improving our builds).

Others might chime in, but the pig you are considering buying will need a lot of metal work. That rot in the photos looks pretty extensive, so who knows how bad other areas are under that paint. The asking price for a non-running pig seems steep.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but get going. Your son will be out of high school before you know it.

 

[PabloCruise]

I have an eager 15 year old that loves to fix, make and do things to learn. For example: blacksmithing, built his own 3d printer kit and programmed it, Lego Mindstorm robots. He is the kid that you hand a broken snowblower to and say $100 when it runs and 3 days later it runs kind of kid. He is a sophomore in h.s. I have 2 1/2 years until he is in college and gone. I want to invest time in a project and experience with him that will provide something irreplaceable. I spent 3 years with his older sister traveling around the northeast as she played high-level field hockey. Now she is off to college, I need some good quality time with my boy Blue.

So it could be any direction literally. But you don't put ketchup on a Kobe Beef. So if this is worthy of something more than a V8 swap because how many sub-100K mile FJ55's are really out there anymore with all the parts sitting in one pile?

I don't know what the available outward "stock" of trucks is currently. Only X were made and sold in the U.S. and the supply was limited back then. So as things get tucked into the far crevasses of our garages/barns/shed to be forgotten and sent to the trash dump, the "survivors become" rare. At what standard or level does the Iron Pig Restoration Community wish its "virgin survivors" being reclaimed into the market? Are we destined to a world of the majority being all V8 swapped and a rare original?

Imagine there was some inspirational music somewhere playing in the background.

My thoughts - the memories of time spent with your boy on this pig will be worth way more than whatever the value of the Pig shakes out to be...

Probably your quickest path to getting her on the road and going out on adventures with your son will be replacing the bearings on the 1F and get her running! A v8 swap will consume tons of time. Then the boy will be leaving for college. Get that F running and go out and do some cool trips together! You guys can tackle body work as desired, but it is highly over-rated...

 

[PabloCruise]

x2.

First of all I'm envious of you and your son for wanting to take on a project like this. I was hoping my son would take interest when I dragged my pig home, but it wasn't meant to be.

Envious x2!

And glad to hear I am not the only one who had high hopes for a project with their son. I thought we could rebuild the engine in my Civic - simple, fun learning experience! It did not take. I got the boy a RC car model kit - the same kit I built as a boy thinking we could build that and it did not take. So before Christmas, I just built the kit, refurbished my old RC car, and now we have been taking the 2 cars out on little adventures - pretty fun!