What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week?

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Added a new addition to the family this week. I have enough rigs already so would never have purchased another if it wasn't this specific one. I've wanted this rig for years and finally had the chance to buy it thanks to @fjdavid. I spend a lot of my life in California for work so the timing worked out great.
Why is this the holy grail for me: movie car, 2f, 75 fst which I believe is the last year for US, incredible mechanical history, and my favorite color on a 40... Mustard yellow!!! Hard to see in this pic but the original color was mustard before Disney painted it. I have soft doors waiting for it and an OD green soft top. Just missing bows and short jump seats.

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The history of this truck has been fairly well documented on this forum and was a former movie truck. Here is a shot of it in one of the herbie the love bug movies.

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Plan will be frame off restore back to mustard, and kept very original. I will create a build thread once that starts in a few months. This will force me to sell off one or two of my current rigs which will be very difficult to do but I'm out of space.

On its way back to Atlanta after living its entire life in the LA area. Don't worry California boys, it's in good hands and will be garaged and well taken care of.
More to come....

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Sorry for your loss of the 40 @lostmarbles. I always look forward to your replies/ postings of credible and accurate knowledge.

Give it some time and come back with another. This community of great people won't be the same without.

@upperblack. That's a sweet score! I seem to have the small block 40 curse, if I could afford a stocker. The 2F FST would be the ticket for me.
 
upperblack said:
Added a new addition to the family this week. I have enough rigs already so would never have purchased another if it wasn't this specific one. I've wanted this rig for years and finally had the chance to buy it thanks to @fjdavid. I spend a lot of my life in California for work so the timing worked out great.
Why is this the holy grail for me: movie car, 2f, 75 fst which I believe is the last year for US, incredible mechanical history, and my favorite color on a 40... Mustard yellow!!! Hard to see in this pic but the original color was mustard before Disney painted it. I have soft doors waiting for it and an OD green soft top. Just missing bows and short jump seats.

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The history of this truck has been fairly well documented on this forum and was a former movie truck. Here is a shot of it in one of the herbie the love bug movies.

View attachment 1325468

Plan will be frame off restore back to mustard, and kept very original. I will create a build thread once that starts in a few months. This will force me to sell off one or two of my current rigs which will be very difficult to do but I'm out of space.

On its way back to Atlanta after living its entire life in the LA area. Don't worry California boys, it's in good hands and will be garaged and well taken care of.
More to come....

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Save that blue Kali license plate. One of my regrets is trading that in for a new white plate.
And keep the smog equipment!
 
Racer65 said:
Save that blue Kali license plate. One of my regrets is trading that in for a new white plate.
And keep the smog equipment!
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Will definitely keep the license plate (very cool), the rig has been de-smogged, so no smog equipment
 
put hard top back on first time since i bought it about 5 years or more ago . Strange it seems to have more power when in 5 th gear after adding 4-500 lbs . i cant believe the wind turbulance with out top on would cause air drag that would be more than the extra weight , but it sure seems it or may be im just loosn it ..

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caper said:
put hard top back on first time since i bought it about 5 years or more ago . Strange it seems to have more power when in 5 th gear after adding 4-500 lbs . i cant believe the wind turbulance with out top on would cause air drag that would be more than the extra weight , but it sure seems it or may be im just loosn it ..

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It's the 'Freeborn red' that makes it faster.
 
Damm Lost Marbles sorry to see that happen , health is first and glad to see you are ok , im sure you will pick another up and start all over again and have fun with it as you should .
im having alot of near misses on the road lately , people are becomeing worse drivers as time goes on it seems , i feel like its only a matter of time before i get it . i have become the most defensive driver there is but that will only get ya so far .
 
caper said:
Damm Lost Marbles sorry to see that happen , health is first and glad to see you are ok , im sure you will pick another up and start all over again and have fun with it as you should .
im having alot of near misses on the road lately , people are becomeing worse drivers as time goes on it seems , i feel like its only a matter of time before i get it . i have become the most defensive driver there is but that will only get ya so far .
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X2

I almost got taken out twice last winter in my red '40. Literally drove up on the sidewalk to avoid a collision. Both times I was just driving down the road minding my own business when the idiot at a cross road stop sign decided to pull out and turn into me. I narrowly escaped with snow on the ground and icy roads. I have no idea how they could not see my big red Cruiser in broad daylight...? Seriously considering not driving it this winter.
 
lostmarbles said:
Thanks folks..



Yep... Heaps of things.. For instance I've got a couple of classic motorcycles (a 1977 Triumph Bonneville 750 Silver Jubilee and 1951 Matchless 500 single) that have been sitting neglected in my garage.

I also have parts for model steam engines that need machining and assembly etc etc. (and that requires LOADS of time.)

But getting rid of the cruiser is a life-changing decision and now I must get rid of all the associated stuff - and that's what's occupying my time at present.

Without my cruiser I can't tow my trailer. Without my trailer I can't carry our Honda dirt bikes. etc etc. And since all that stuff must go, why not reassess absolutely everything here? Hence I'm having a massive clearout...

But I can't even do that all at once ... Because if I did, my befuddled old brain would probably make me ship my leather motorcycle gloves to the buyer of my BRNO .22 rifle or something equally silly. (So I'm selling only about 3 or 4 things per week on average and it's going to be a long process to get this totally behind me....)



I've considered all that..

Actually the accident happened back on 28 July so I've already had a lot of time for thought.

Naturally I've been feeling guilty about keeping this event out of public knowledge (while I even help others with their own Land Cruiser problems)... But it's only at this stage (after 2 months have elapsed and after having settled on a payout from the truck's insurer and after having finally seen it go) that I think I can handle this part...

Up until now I've been wanting/needing regular "timeout" from thinking about the loss. 35 years of ownership tends to make one fairly attached to a vehicle!

But I've always known that any major damage would see it go. There's never been any question about that in my mind.



Thanks.

It's a good strong vehicle alright. I spent quite some time (or so it seemed at least - because it is hard to tell the truth in an event like this) being dragged along the motorway between 2 trucks with each trying to stay in their lane by steering in towards me and consequently willing to concede only the lane-dividing road markings for my vehicle to fit into. I think the sound of those tyres grinding into my side panels (and hubs and rims) will stay with me foreever..

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I had a bit of a sore neck that developed a few hours after the accident ... but fingers crossed ... I seem to have got off scot free on the injury front....

The chassis is still damned near perfect .... and I drove away from the accident scene to stay the night in Rotorua.... and then completed the journey next day all the way to Wellington (through heavy rain, hail, sleet and snow BTW). Just had to tie the bonnet down (because the impacts smashed off my bonnet-hooks and security padlock) and swapped the left hand mirror to the right-hand position (because the right-hand one was ground off).

I think I'm going to find it hard to make a complete exit from ih8mud... I have such good friends here..

I think the level of my participation must diminish though ..But whatever happens is bound to be "very gradual".

:beer:
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Wow. Only a week after my warehouse fire. And while it hasn't caused me to consider bowing out of cruisers, my two month reassessment has very strong parallels to yours Tom. It's some sort of reality check on achievable
Goals without the precursor heart attack. My wife just calls it simplifying.

Bottom line: I can REALLY relate to where you're at right now. It's like trying to play six different games of chess at the same time.
 
caper said:
put hard top back on first time since i bought it about 5 years or more ago . Strange it seems to have more power when in 5 th gear after adding 4-500 lbs . i cant believe the wind turbulance with out top on would cause air drag that would be more than the extra weight , but it sure seems it or may be im just loosn it ..

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caper, I love your 40! Can't get enough of those rear fender flares... What is that on your front fender?
 
cruiserkreutz said:
X2

I almost got taken out twice last winter in my red '40. Literally drove up on the sidewalk to avoid a collision. Both times I was just driving down the road minding my own business when the idiot at a cross road stop sign decided to pull out and turn into me. I narrowly escaped with snow on the ground and icy roads. I have no idea how they could not see my big red Cruiser in broad daylight...? Seriously considering not driving it this winter.
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Probably Anthony Weiner sexting while driving!:hillbilly:
 
Bought some leftover canvas last year from SouthBostonFJ40, asked my wife to use the existing camo bikini top (ugh) for a pattern, and VOILA.

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Yeah, that girl can SEW. Took her over a week, she was afraid she would either break her sewing machine or ruin the canvas. I think I've got enough material left over to recover the half doors - matching set! :cool:
 
cruiserkreutz said:
caper, I love your 40! Can't get enough of those rear fender flares... What is that on your front fender?
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LoL I can't wait to put new quarters on it so I can get rid of them lol, the rig is perfectly level ( 4 ft level along top of rear quarters) the flares give the illusion the rear is sagging cause they hang down about 2 inches , not a fan of that , they be goin bye bye .

The front fenders have holders for the mirrors , I took mirrors off too, just gota take the mounts off and weld up holes when I do the rest of body work to it .
 
65swb45 said:
Wow. Only a week after my warehouse fire. And while it hasn't caused me to consider bowing out of cruisers, my two month reassessment has very strong parallels to yours Tom. It's some sort of reality check on achievable
Goals without the precursor heart attack. My wife just calls it simplifying.

Bottom line: I can REALLY relate to where you're at right now. It's like trying to play six different games of chess at the same time.
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I guess better late than never. Just hopped over to the General Forum and got caught up on this horrifying event. What a disaster not only for you but for the Cruiser Community. One can buy insurance, or drive defensively, but some things are totally out of our control.
 
caper said:
LoL I can't wait to put new quarters on it so I can get rid of them lol, the rig is perfectly level ( 4 ft level along top of rear quarters) the flares give the illusion the rear is sagging cause they hang down about 2 inches , not a fan of that , they be goin bye bye .
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Dang. You might try to sell the quarters/flares if they aren't rusted out (look decent in pictures). I know I'm not the only one on here that likes them.
 
lostmarbles said:
Waved it goodbye about an hour ago...

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This is the result when you're rammed by a 2012 Freightliner FRL Century petrol tanker (24,460kg gross), squashed between a 2004 Hino FG (21,700kg) and another unknown truck and suffer multiple other hits in a motorway pileup!

And where else could this happen in New Zealand ... other than on the notorious Auckland Motorway at Newmarket (where truck drivers now behave just like the silly cars have done for years, that is - "lane changing at a whim and driving with zero regard for safe following distances").

So much for passing my cruiser down as a family heirloom ............. it's now gone, de-registered as an insurance write-off and destined for auction shortly as a parts vehicle.

I really pity anyone who lives in Auckland and is forced to use that motorway. There is no excuse for what happened to me. I could easily have been killed. I wasn't braking hard at all and traffic behind me had heaps of prior warning that they needed to slow.

The Hino driver caused it all and thank heavens for the NZ police! They charged him with dangerous driving and failing to stop. (That's right ... After causing all that destruction and mayhem he just carried on driving and had to tracked down later!)

Without the police crash report I would never have got a cent in compensation because my insurance was "3rd party only".

(BTW- My "heirloom idea" was flawed anyway so I'm not really upset about reneging on that.)

Thanks heaps to my close buddies on ih8mud and I'm simply gobsmacked by the overwhelming offers of assistance ......But all good things must come to an end .. as they say.. and I've decided this is the time for me to bow out of 40-series ownership.

I'll be flogging off all my spares at some stage ... Will probably catalog them all and list them on ih8mud .. but there's a hell of a lot of stuff and I won't be rushed into it..

:beer:
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Tom, find another one...

there are more bj40's out there, maybe not as nice as yours but they are out there.. don't give up because of one incident. Heck you may find one you like more......

I had the side of my black crew cab taken out after 2 years of work paint, cummins motor swap 100's of hours of custom work. My heart sank standing there looking at what was a perfect truck 10 min before.... Had to fight with the insurance company for months to get them to pay even though the other driver was at fault. Hardest part was getting another set of GM good doors and parts as they seem to come from the dealer bent/dented.

10 years later I still have the truck it has taken my family across the US more than once and does everything I wanted it to do. It is my daily driver to this day.....

Its only metal... the important part is you are ok and the truck did it's job protecting you...
 
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