What is my 1978 FJ40 worth, after DIY rust rehab.

[corleykj]

I am not interested in selling today, but curious how my paint and body work would increase or decrease the value of my 40, and what today’s market would bring. I bought an almost all original 1978 FJ40 with a fair amount of rust. Most of this FJ40 is original; the main things that aren’t from the factory are the Weber carb, the winch, the extra rear roll bar hoop and the shakle lift.

This isn’t my first vehicle to paint, but it is a DIY single stage red (matched at the automotive paint store).
I fabricated some metal pieces to fix the rust, others I bought.

I hope it is worth more than $10,000 on the market. But I assume $20,000 is a stretch.

View attachment 1597031

 

[Nader]

Looks great! I'd value it at $15K easy, maybe $20K in a few years.

 

[Varty Yo]

You have done nothing but improve it in my books.

 

[cruiserkev]

Looks great! I'd value it at $15K easy, maybe $20K in a few years.

I agree! Nice cruiser corleykj!

 

[Pierps]

I agree- it's probably worth $15-$20k or so, assuming everything else not pictured is in good, clean, operable condition. Having done a lot of this work myself on a rig i paid $11k for (doh!), I know if i could do it over again, I'd just buy a rig in this price range from the get-go. Not sure what the local market is like in WY, but I'm assuming you'd list it on ebay or some other site that has country-wide reach.

I think where you land in that value range depends on how good of a job you did documenting your repairs. Many of us have endured the pains of PO hack jobs, so that's the fear in buyers' minds. If you can reduce that fear by showing pics of your process showing that you didn't cut corners or slather a half inch of filler anywhere, you'll be in good shape. Also good explanation of your painting process is helpful. Being able to say it was professionally painted (and not at Maaco) is a plus, but I think people will get over that if you can articulate why your paint job was adequate.

Beautiful rig, man. For our own entertainment, do you have more pics of your process? I'm neck deep in rust repair right now and could use some motivation.

 

[ginmtb]

One thing that seems important to prospective buyers who are in the know is keeping photos of the repair process (and actually any work done pre-paint). There have been some sketchy repairs of rust like that where they cut it out and simply fill with bondo. With pretty paint on top it all looks the same. So hopefully you kept a photo record of the repairs. Not saying you did suspect repairs that is just good practice and insurance...

Looks nice!

 

[ginmtb]

I agree- it's probably worth $15-$20k or so, assuming everything else not pictured is in good, clean, operable condition. Having done a lot of this work myself on a rig i paid $11k for (doh!), I know if i could do it over again, I'd just buy a rig in this price range from the get-go. Not sure what the local market is like in WY, but I'm assuming you'd list it on ebay or some other site that has country-wide reach.

I think where you land in that value range depends on how good of a job you did documenting your repairs. Many of us have endured the pains of PO hack jobs, so that's the fear in buyers' minds. If you can reduce that fear by showing pics of your process showing that you didn't cut corners or slather a half inch of filler anywhere, you'll be in good shape. Also good explanation of your painting process is helpful. Being able to say it was professionally painted (and not at Maaco) is a plus, but I think people will get over that if you can articulate why your paint job was adequate.

Beautiful rig, man. For our own entertainment, do you have more pics of your process? I'm neck deep in rust repair right now and could use some motivation.

Oops sorry @Pierps you nailed it already!

 

[corleykj]

I have way too many pictures to show complete steel underneath the paint. Well, complete as can be. I didn’t remove all the rust, such as on round the light hole on the front fender, and other places. But I replaced the rear sill with one I built (1/4” thick square tubing I think). My wings aren’t perfect so the lower spare tire carrier bolts were affected). I made a small driver floor patch and tranny tunnel edge. I bought quarter panels and welded those in. By no means is it perfect or restored, but I tried doing a decent job to hold up until I have time and money to do a frame off (10 years, 20 years, never?).