Two 40 Series - which one? (1 Viewer)

[Gimme a 60]

aqualu makes aluminum bodies and nice ones. if it’s fibreglass it’s not aqualu.

what’s the goal for your friend? if he wants a driver quickly to get out and play with the miss matched option is a no go for sure. if it’s a long term project that is unique and the money isn’t a deal breaker then the fibreglass and powder coated option may be intriguing. i started with a rough but complete fj40 with the intent of full customization. i’m 10 years in and 8 years behind where i want to be! it has cost me a lot and i’m no where near done! and i have all the parts i need at my disposal. when you start customizing something it will take deep pockets and more important if your doing the work yourself it’ll take a lot of your time.

Well he tells me, he wants a project he can slowly work on, I don’t think money is an issue for him - he told me he really doesn’t want to drive around in a rusty 40 series - but wants to have a decent one that he can do some off-roading in.


He has no experience with building cars, and is asking for my help on what he would buy. I just want to send him in the right direction - I told him he should buy the one with all new body parts because rust is a no go for him - but it’s COMPLETELY in pieces.

 

[franklin40]

bolting parts together is easier than fixing rust if you’re a beginner. it’s just knowing what to bolt where that will be very time consuming but if that’s what he wants then i think you steered him the right way if these are the only two options.

 

[70fj40]

In truth he might not be able to gather the parts that are there and have them in their current condition ready to assemble for 15K. Donor rigs are not bargains any more and labor isn’t cheap. Selling the Nissan diesel and getting a toyota would doable. If he wants to end up with a new FJ40 it might be the way to go. Guys with ground up pristine 40’s at some point find themselves staring at a powder coated bare frame and then add lots of parts, time and money. All of them already had some kind of investment before getting to the bare powder coated frame.

 

[70fj40]

I should add that I started with a $6000 FJ40 with very little rust. I have $20000 in it now and although mechanically it is rebuilt or new it still isn’t pristine.

 

[brooklyn]

You could add me too this as well, I do try and convince myself I almost done

 

[Gimme a 60]

Okay. So,


The tub is a Malotte -


The vehicle has a completely redone frame and axles - all body parts are Malotte fibreglass, every piece of the body is there and appears to be in good shape -

This includes

All windows:

Complete dashboard

Seats

Wiring harness & lights

Nissan patrol turbo diesel

H55 gearbox and t-case

Pretty much everything is there and accounted for and in good shape.


We are deciding now, if it’s worth the 15k

 

[Skreddy]

Frame, axles, etc redone but that grass is growing tall…

The pics don’t look bad but to me, this is a $7000 or less package. There’s good, original, complete candidates out there you could drive today for less than this asking price. Someone else’s abandoned project is rarely worth the cost. I also feel like prices are on the decline.

That said, whatever you decide, post up! Once it’s done, I’ll gladly offer advice and encouragement even if you bought just a bezel and one dented hubcap for $15k!

 

[pb4ugo]

We are deciding now, if it’s worth the 15k

It's not. It's someone's abandoned project from yrs ago. That thing will nickle and dime you to death. Find something more complete. It's all the little things that will kill the project. It's easy to see all the big stuff, it's all the little stuff that you don't realize is missing. Things like every electrical component needs a separate ground, and all the small fasteners, body mounts, paint, brackets, hinges, weatherstripping and hoses etc. And when its done, it's a fiberglass 40.

 

[bikersmurf]

Fiberglass is good in that it doesn't rust... and it doesn't rust. Glass is easy to repair, but it will crack if it wasn't built strong enough or is banged too hard. If it was a Gozzard tub I'd not be concerned about it being fiberglass, but Malote tubs are not built to the same standards.

Here's some light reading...

Pros and Cons of a fiberglass FJ40 body?

Im pretty new to the 4x4 scene but i was wondering what are the pros and cons of using a fiberglass fj40 body? Thanks Mike

forum.ih8mud.com

Count on every light, switch, module, and gauge needing a ground wire added because they're all normally grounded through the body.

$15k USD would be a no go for me, but money is a concern for me, and I got into this game in '91, and including purchase price I'm only into it for about $11k USD after all these years. It could be $12-13k, but after $9k I stopped spending a lot of money on it so I'm estimating what I've spent in the last 20 years and I've not stopped and added up exactly.

Based on the pictures of the tub, I'd plan on doing a lot of fiberglass work to build it strong enough to leave the pavement.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

Frame, axles, etc redone but that grass is growing tall…

The pics don’t look bad but to me, this is a $7000 or less package. There’s good, original, complete candidates out there you could drive today for less than this asking price. Someone else’s abandoned project is rarely worth the cost. I also feel like prices are on the decline.

That said, whatever you decide, post up! Once it’s done, I’ll gladly offer advice and encouragement even if you bought just a bezel and one dented hubcap for $15k!

It might be worth 5k but it ain't worth 15k

 

[bikersmurf]

It might be worth 5k but it ain't worth 15k

Even 5k seems like a lot to me... but I'm coming from a time when my Fj45 parts truck cost $100 and it cost me $50 to have it towed home. Now $50 would barely pay for the tow truck's fuel and the bill would be $300 for the tow... and someone would want $3000 for the 45 even though the frame was gone, the tub was rotted, Trans & T-Case were gone, and the engine was almost seized. Because, "restored it would be worth $100k"... even though it would cost more than 100k to bring it to that level.

 

[AussieHJCruza]

I guess context is everything, I sold a complete HJ47 ute including not terribly rusty cab, decent chassis, rebuilt front axle, full floater rear axle, new suspension kit etc, basically a complete truck less engine, gearbox and transfer case to clear some room in the shed, for 7k AUD.

I personally wouldn't touch someone else's not running and not driving project.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Yeah I would not spend that much on that project. Looks like the owner wants to get top dollar for all the parts they put into it. I think I was going to spend that kind of money I would go for originality. I have seen better fj40s with original bodys that were less work for less money in the last 6 months for sale at least in NC.

 

[Shark56]

Two of my three 40's are fiberglass. One is a Malotte and one is a Gozzard. The Gozzard is much better built. That said, I drive the Malotte one more than any of them. Mostly because I have a half cab on it.
Frame has had a shackle reversal done, which is not necessarily bad if done well.
Something else to consider is it is really hard to get a hard top to work on Malotte Tub. Something to consider where you live.
As for price reference. I got the Malotte on what though was going to be a parts vehicle for $2000.00 USD about 15 years ago. Once I got it home and cleaned up I put another $2000 in it and put it back on the road.
The Gozzard Tub was new and came with a whole parts truck including a rebuilt front axle with ARB locker, pristine front doors from Arizona, and a Warn 9000 winch. $2500 for all. About 12 years ago. Point being, there are some deals out there.
If I just wanted to build a wheeler and I was as young as you I would maybe pay half the asking price. There is a lot of work there to be done. Just cutting the dash to get everything to fit properly is going to be a lot of work.

 

[Gimme a 60]

Okay - first of all, I live in Canada - we don’t have any good 40 series here - all are completely rusted and gone.

So I don’t see why fibreglass is so bad - it’s the only option.

And also - every single part for this thing is accounted for - it’s all organized with the receipts - comes with a complete assembled dashboard and - apparently every single bit and peice to it is there, there is even a binder full of receipts and photons of all the small pieces.


I don’t know.

 

[Gimme a 60]

But what I want to know - what is the Malotte tub even worth?

 

[pb4ugo]

Here you go from May 2017. It didn't get to the reserve.
And it was assembled with a top.

1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40

Bid for the chance to own a 1974 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 at auction with Bring a Trailer, the home of the best vintage and classic cars online. Lot #4,048.

bringatrailer.com

 

[Shark56]

But what I want to know - what is the Malotte tub even worth?

They stopped selling years ago as far as I recall. A few years back someone had one in classifieds for $1500 if I recall.
It stayed in there for awhile and someone eventually bought it

Honestly, onwing one of each. I would not give more than $2000 for a Malotte. On the other hand, $5-6,000 for a Gozzard with no concern at all. They sell for much more.

Land Cruiser 40 Series – Gozzard Composites

gozzardcomposites.com

 

[gladly]

Okay - first of all, I live in Canada - we don’t have any good 40 series here - all are completely rusted and gone.

So I don’t see why fibreglass is so bad - it’s the only option.

And also - every single part for this thing is accounted for - it’s all organized with the receipts - comes with a complete assembled dashboard and - apparently every single bit and peice to it is there, there is even a binder full of receipts and photons of all the small pieces.


I don’t know.

There are still lots of mostly solid-bodied cruisers up here, you just have to be patient. And maybe undo a v8 swap.

But what I want to know - what is the Malotte tub even worth?

Digging through old ads on here it seems like the tub would fetch a thousand bucks or so.

 

[thatcabledude]

But what I want to know - what is the Malotte tub even worth?

To me, basically worthless with Topnault being in the game now.