TLC on Craigslist thread.... (2 Viewers)

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Almost bought a 45 today. Went out and had a good, close look at it. She is very nice. All original, not a show room beauty but pretty close. There are a lot of little areas that should be attended to right now. The frame is starting to flake on the inside c channel going up to above the rear diff. One side is worse than the other. There are areas where the metal is doubled that started to bubble, couple places like the mounts that are starting to flake a little. This would be a perfect candidate to strip and restore right now. Any patches would be tiny, the rest can just be sanded/filled/seam sealed. Hasn't been modified or patched. This truck deserves to be restored. Looks like if it was driven right away, especially over the winter, it would get worse quickly. There is a bunch of receipts for mechanical work done and a spare 4 speed transmission that is freshly rebuilt. Truck looks as if has not been driven much. The odometer reads 37,000 miles (maybe turned over once but doubt it). Someone really needs to buy this and restore it! It would still be a lot of little finishing work but it is one of the nicest originals out there.
 
Well, you could always use another non-project truck. When I spoke with the owner, he was considering keeping it. Thanks for taking a look! My :princess: suggested I put the money into restoring mine rather than pick up another at this point.
 
Trust me, the thought crossed my mind... but then the world be short one old school land cruiser and that wouldn't be cool.
 
so what is the big deal about 45's and why are they so popular? a friend came by yesterday for visit and mentioned he wants to get one too!!!!!

btw this is actualy a real serious question.
 
For me at least they have a huge appeal because of the fact that it's a pickup. Which for me is pretty much the best solution to a vehicle for overlanding. Realistically any setup with just a cab and a bed/flat deck is ideal for my needs. The smaller Unimogs have always appealed to me as well. As for the 45, they have the classic and very nice lines of a 40 series truck, simple, clean and easy to repair if there is body damage as most panels are flat steel. They are rare out here, which also adds to the appeal. They came with 1 ton full floating axles and in Australia they came with diesel engines as an option. They are iconic symbols of the Australian outback. Realistically any old school pickup has that appeal, the Willys were beautiful little pickups as well, same with the rare Land Rover pickups. The difference is that the Land Cruiser 45 was built better and tougher than those other trucks and for a fan of the Land Cruiser it's kind of become the holy grail of trucks to have. For me, it's one of the best looking pickups out there and it fits my needs.
Other guys go crazy over the 45LV wagons or the 55s. For me neither of those options are as appealing as the pickup. For that matter even the 75 would be a nice rig to drive but the cabs in those are tiny, and I'm not a tall/large guy but it's just too small for me. So if the 75 had a 6" longer cab I'd be all over that setup.
 
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Been thinking seriously that I need a pickup while doing firewood this year. Downside is cab space. Well that and talking the misses into the idea of yet another cruiser...
IMG-20140827-00004b.jpg
 
having a pickup for the past little while I've learned that cab space is nice (mine doesn't have any) and an extra cab is pretty much perfect for most applications. That's why a 75 is too small but the 45 has a bit more room in it. change out the steering column for a tilt one out of a 60 and different seats and you're done.
Nice stack of firewood ;)
 
Read the fine print : inspection required. For $10K? Hard to digest.
 

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