By the way here are some pics.
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- Thread starter bluehawk
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Hi folks,
I "think" I've joined but I don't think I have paid. I was hanging out with Rance at Overland Expo East and a few of us STLCA guys expressed interest in joining yalls club too. Everyone I have met from the group is good people for sure!
cheers,
Joel
I "think" I've joined but I don't think I have paid. I was hanging out with Rance at Overland Expo East and a few of us STLCA guys expressed interest in joining yalls club too. Everyone I have met from the group is good people for sure!
cheers,
Joel
Now who do I pay, lol
Send it to my pay pal and I'll get it turned in
Corey.m.phillips20@gmail.com
Send it as a gift
10.00
Corey.m.phillips20@gmail.com
Send it as a gift
10.00
thanks, man! Will do...
Howdy folks! I'm Kevin "Doc" Summitt, and I'm very glad to find this group. Or I should say a member of this group found me. Anyway, my love for FJ40s began in the late 90's when a friend of mine had one. A few years and a couple of FJs later, he and I started a business together, selling UT apparel called The Big Orange Army. We needed a promotions vehicle, so we sprayed his FJ40 with an orange camo paint scheme and off we went. I drove the FJ all the time and fell in love with it. Sadly one night it was stolen in west Knoxville, and recovered several months later stripped with a blown motor. We were devastated.
Since then, I've been looking for the right FJ40 at the right price. Last September I finally found it in Kingsport. It's a '77 model. The poor thing had been stripped of its Toyota emblems, was primer grey, and had a black soft top and doors. At a glance it looked like an old Jeep, which is probably why nobody was interested in it. It has five new tires and wheels, new exhaust system, new poly fuel tank, fuel pump, filter and lines. The asking price was less than the cost of the upgrades I just mentioned. Seller took a huge loss on the deal, which was my gain. I snatched it up, and drove it 100 miles back to Knoxville.
It starts and runs well, but could use some tweaking before becoming a reliable daily driver. I bought new front signals and rear taillights but haven't installed them yet. I'm having electrical issues at the moment so the heater, dash gauges, wipers, etc aren't functional. I also bought new Toyota emblems for the grill, front fenders and rear, because I got the feeling it was tired of being called a "Jeep".
Within 24 hours of getting it home I repainted it metallic smoky grey with orange and white highlights. The grey came out a little darker than I intended, but that's the kind of workmanship you get when you buy 15 cans of paint and 12 cans of beer and make an afternoon of it.
A couple months back, a friendly member of this group named Ryan pulled into my driveway when he saw my FJ in the carport. He gave me his card and invited me to check out the club. With warmer weather around the corner, I'm looking forward to putting some time and money into my FJ so it will be ready to go this spring. (Not that it doesn't go now, it's been enjoying the ice and snow this week, but as I said, it still needs some work).
I'm not a mechanic, but I wanted to learn more about working on vehicles. My dad is far more mechanically inclined than I, and he and I work on it together, finally letting him bestow some mechanical knowledge on his 40 something son who until now had no interest in learning anything about auto mechanics. He's not getting any younger, and working on the FJ with him has been a great pleasure, despite busted knuckles and broken bolts.
SO, that's me in a nutshell. I work evenings during the week, so I hope to find a time that I can make it to a meeting and meet some of you face to face. I have so many questions that I don't even know where to start.
Thank you all in advance for your help and camaraderie. Anyone who is a friend of old Land Cruisers is a friend of mine.
-Kevin "Doc" Summitt
South Knoxville, TN
Since then, I've been looking for the right FJ40 at the right price. Last September I finally found it in Kingsport. It's a '77 model. The poor thing had been stripped of its Toyota emblems, was primer grey, and had a black soft top and doors. At a glance it looked like an old Jeep, which is probably why nobody was interested in it. It has five new tires and wheels, new exhaust system, new poly fuel tank, fuel pump, filter and lines. The asking price was less than the cost of the upgrades I just mentioned. Seller took a huge loss on the deal, which was my gain. I snatched it up, and drove it 100 miles back to Knoxville.
It starts and runs well, but could use some tweaking before becoming a reliable daily driver. I bought new front signals and rear taillights but haven't installed them yet. I'm having electrical issues at the moment so the heater, dash gauges, wipers, etc aren't functional. I also bought new Toyota emblems for the grill, front fenders and rear, because I got the feeling it was tired of being called a "Jeep".
Within 24 hours of getting it home I repainted it metallic smoky grey with orange and white highlights. The grey came out a little darker than I intended, but that's the kind of workmanship you get when you buy 15 cans of paint and 12 cans of beer and make an afternoon of it.
A couple months back, a friendly member of this group named Ryan pulled into my driveway when he saw my FJ in the carport. He gave me his card and invited me to check out the club. With warmer weather around the corner, I'm looking forward to putting some time and money into my FJ so it will be ready to go this spring. (Not that it doesn't go now, it's been enjoying the ice and snow this week, but as I said, it still needs some work).
I'm not a mechanic, but I wanted to learn more about working on vehicles. My dad is far more mechanically inclined than I, and he and I work on it together, finally letting him bestow some mechanical knowledge on his 40 something son who until now had no interest in learning anything about auto mechanics. He's not getting any younger, and working on the FJ with him has been a great pleasure, despite busted knuckles and broken bolts.
SO, that's me in a nutshell. I work evenings during the week, so I hope to find a time that I can make it to a meeting and meet some of you face to face. I have so many questions that I don't even know where to start.
Thank you all in advance for your help and camaraderie. Anyone who is a friend of old Land Cruisers is a friend of mine.
-Kevin "Doc" Summitt
South Knoxville, TN
Here's the FJ40 we had for The Big Orange Army:
Here's what my '77 FJ40 looked like the day I bought it:
Here's what my FJ40 looks like at the moment:
And finally, this FJ55 Iron Pig is currently on its way to Knoxville from Utah. My friend that owned the BOA FJ40 lives in Hawaii now, and found this bad boy on Ebay. He's having it shipped to Knoxville. I can't wait until it gets here!
Nice Pig, dude! I saw that one on eBay
Welcome!
Joel
Welcome!
Joel
The can of worms was an accident, lol
You're a good dude Joel!
RSHARPfzj80
Appalachia Cruisers
That is true!!
Now, the next question is, when is the next ride? I'm getting tired of this frozen-ass tundra here in middle TN.... can't wait until spring
Camping, wheeling, GSMTR, etc....
Camping, wheeling, GSMTR, etc....
Hello - I wanted to stop in and say hello. I was getting gas last night in Powell and one of your members came up and said hello. i am new in the Knoxville area and have been looking for a way to get in trail riding and camping. Just moved here a few months ago from Wisconsin where we had no available places to drive. Just looking for some fun people to hang with, have some great rides, and maybe let the family tag along with 
I couldn't tell when you next meeting was happening, but I thought I would check in and intro myself and say that I am interested in meeting you all. thanks for the invite whoever that was ...
I couldn't tell when you next meeting was happening, but I thought I would check in and intro myself and say that I am interested in meeting you all. thanks for the invite whoever that was ...Hi Guys! Purchased my first 80 Series (97) back in March after YEARS of searching for the right one. Found a unlocked 97 in Oak Ridge completely stock, looks like it has never been off road, with 125K miles on it. Was originally sold at Fox Toyota, spent all its time here in Knoxville. Probably paid way too much for it, but i dont regret it one bit! Sold a 2006 Tundra to fund my new addiction. Don't see many of these around town, so i feel like im in a pretty tight niche. Been using this site quite a bit since I brought her home, thanks for all the helpful posts and info. Look forward to seeing you guys around town!
Welcome!!! Thanks for saving another 80 from a dreary life of some average soccer mom who won't truly appreciate it!!
bluehawk
Appalachia Cruisers
- Thread starter
- #58
Kevin, I'm sorry I missed your post that you put up. Glad to see that you finally made it to the site. Hope to see you at one of the meetings or one of the trail rides. Can't wait to see the 40 again. I got moved from south Knoxville to the Fountain City area, so I can't stop by during work anymore. Hope to see you and the 40 soon.
Ryan
Hello fellas, my name is Tim Nash and I live in the Knoxville area. I've been to a few of the meetings with my brother-in-law >> Dirty Joe Brown. I will mainly be tagging along with him on rides considering my only cruiser is my daily driver. I have a 2000 LC without modifications - other than some BIOR step sliders I just put on. That's about it, see everyone at the next meeting.
Tim
Tim
Hey Tim! Nice to meet you at Sweet P's last week. My 80 is also a daily driver - I'm just a poser.