So I have 67 days to get this 1980 HJ45 ready. My son and fiancée decided they wanted to leave in this 45 from their wedding! I bought this rig out of Honduras in January of 2020. I learned all about the importations process and did most everything getting it here myself. It was kinda crazy how it worked out. The truck popped up here on mud and I inquired about it. But before that turns out I signed up to go to Honduras on a mission trip with our church with my oldest son. It just so happened that the truck was in the same town of the orphanage that we were working at and the sellers children actually went to the school there. So the seller ended up driving the truck to the orphanage so I could look it over. I originally was using it as an opportunity to learn about importing and the plan was to sell it eventually. Well unfortunately it cost a lot more to get it here than I thought. The 25% tax on trucks really killed me. Unfortunately I found out the hard way that they don’t use antifreeze in Honduras. Temperature’s dipped down here in TN and I honestly didn’t think it got that cold. However, I found a freeze plug pushed out and I found it on the ground. I pushed a new freeze plug in and began pouring new antifreeze in. Well when I got to about the 9th or 11th jug I realized something was wrong. I ended up pulling out the dipstick and all my new antifreeze shot out of the dipstick tube. So major cracked block on the H engine. I ended up sourcing a 2H from @crawlin cruiser Life got busy and I got discouraged because of the issues. So it sat in the barn. My son has met an amazing young woman and they love the 45 and she wants it as the getaway truck from the wedding. She is the daughter I would have dreamed of (we have 3 boys). She loves the 45 and wakeboarding and the lake, snowboarding, so a perfect fit! So now I’m back on the 45. I will say it does have all the issues from Central America we hear about. Would I import another one from there? Probably not but I’ve learned a lot from my mistakes and we are going to enjoy it and the process.
Here it is with my dad after we rolled in from picking it at the port in Ft Lauderdale and making it back to his house in Georgia. Thanks to my dad for riding with me and paying for the hotel. He also helped drive while I was dead tired and running on lack of sleep.
Here it is with my dad after we rolled in from picking it at the port in Ft Lauderdale and making it back to his house in Georgia. Thanks to my dad for riding with me and paying for the hotel. He also helped drive while I was dead tired and running on lack of sleep.
