What would you do? (1 Viewer)

[SteveH]

I trolled some early FJ40s on Bring a Trailer yesterday. Prices seem to be dropping and several RNMs on that site for very nice trucks. That Hagerty price listing is quite optimistic. As others have said, this is maybe a 10K truck (sadly) with a lot of $$ to properly restore or rehab it.

 

[pb4ugo]

I agree with most folks, it appears to be priced at a premium. You should look for something that needs less body work and more mechanical work. Especially if your paying somebody to do the work. Body work can be very time consuming. Mechanicals are more straight forward. Do you have pics of the vehicle?

 

[EWheeler]

Here are better photos:

craigslist - 1974 Toyota landcruiser Standard

Not Mine $14,200 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/503441704579560/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A22204818-ef19-4910-a4dc-a3f3c2505c09 On to the next adventure for us. We are selling our beloved Land Cruiser. Mechanically...

forum.ih8mud.com

This truck doesn't appear to NEED body work to be a fun cruiser. It looks to be preservable in it's current state. Ditch the mirrors and get new toyota arms and your mirror head of choice - I prefer the CCOT square mirrors just based on a balance of function over form versus the small rectangular Toyota units. Youre into mirrors for $200. Replace those tear drop fender markers with new OEM fender marker lights for $100 (still available from Toyota).

I still don't think it's a $14k truck, but like the truck more with the photos from the mud posting. It has a nice patina look to it, and interior doesn't look to be wasted. Treat the rust in the floor, doors and sill with some rust converter or rust killer or choice, give the inside & outside a CLR scrub and wash and polish up that patina and youre cruising all summer with a big old smile.

 

[Skreddy]

I agree with EWheeler that it doesn’t NEED bodywork. It really depends what you want. If you want a patina driver that’s a great start that looks pretty complete. I wouldn’t pay $14k for that cruiser, I’d want it at $8-10k in the current market.
If you want a lift, those new bilstein shocks don’t add value but they do if you keep it that height. Same for the new tires.

 

[FoCoNoCo]

Should be a sub $10k truck from what is being presented which gives you some money to make it the $14k truck he thinks it is. You can find better for less than $14k IMO. You never really state your intended use of the truck. You state limited time which to me means you want a driver and not a project. You state something about restoration, but not clear if you want a base for a restoration, or if you are just thinking this truck needs restored because it has rust? That truck does not look wasted, very well could address mechanicals, and treat the the rust that is present and it would live on for many many more years to come.

Im a fan of the survivor look and would take a rusty 40 with character over a restored truck any day of the week. If youre looking for a gargae queen that looks pretty to impress people, i’d keep looking. If youre looking for a good base for restoration, i’d start looking in AZ, NV or CA for something with very minimal steel replacement required. If you want somethink to tinker on and take to the store or drive to work occasionally and explore some roads/trails on the weekend, i would offer him what youre comfortable with and start the journey.

You make a good point that I haven’t really stated my purpose, I guess I’m not really sure myself! For that reason alone, that’s probably why I can’t really settle on what this rig would be worth *to me*.

I like finding gems I guess, more than anything else. Sometimes a gem can be high dollar, sometimes they are gems that are simply affordable/cared for. It’s pretty clear to me that this is not a gem, not as I define them.

I’m kind of open to a full resto job, but I could gladly drive a survivor. I like them to be as original as possible. I could get into the challenge of either path.

In the end, I don’t think I’m going to pursue this one. I agree with the consensus that it is overpriced, and I’d rather be free to jump on something with less rust if it ever pops up. It’s cool to get a little more familiar with them though.

THANK YOU all for your comments, I’m grateful for the opinions and education.

 

[FoCoNoCo]

I saw this one on CL today as well. I like it but think it is closer to $10K than $14k. The rust will only cost you time and/or money. I'm just up the road in Wellington.
We just made the last payment on our house so I'm broke for a bit (paid off 10 years early). If I had an extra $9k, I'd offer it. Nothing on it looks terrible and in todays market it's not a horrible deal nor is it a steal.

Hey neighbor! (Kinda, I’m in Fort Collins.) Congrats on the house payoff! At some point you’ll have that fun money again, ha.

 

[FoCoNoCo]

Here are better photos:

craigslist - 1974 Toyota landcruiser Standard

Not Mine $14,200 https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/503441704579560/?ref=search&referral_code=marketplace_search&referral_story_type=post&tracking=browse_serp%3A22204818-ef19-4910-a4dc-a3f3c2505c09 On to the next adventure for us. We are selling our beloved Land Cruiser. Mechanically...

forum.ih8mud.com

This truck doesn't appear to NEED body work to be a fun cruiser. It looks to be preservable in it's current state. Ditch the mirrors and get new toyota arms and your mirror head of choice - I prefer the CCOT square mirrors just based on a balance of function over form versus the small rectangular Toyota units. Youre into mirrors for $200. Replace those tear drop fender markers with new OEM fender marker lights for $100 (still available from Toyota).

I still don't think it's a $14k truck, but like the truck more with the photos from the mud posting. It has a nice patina look to it, and interior doesn't look to be wasted. Treat the rust in the floor, doors and sill with some rust converter or rust killer or choice, give the inside & outside a CLR scrub and wash and polish up that patina and youre cruising all summer with a big old smile.

Yeah part of me thinks it would be fine to drive as is. It’s not actively rotting. Colorado life won’t make it worse, especially if someone can put it in a garage.

I know my wife won’t even sit in it without some work. As much as I could happily drive a rusty beater when I’m alone, I like going places with my wife sometimes too!

Like Dave Chappelle says, men would live in a cardboard box if not for women. (I cleaned up the joke a little.)

 

[EWheeler]

You make a good point that I haven’t really stated my purpose, I guess I’m not really sure myself! For that reason alone, that’s probably why I can’t really settle on what this rig would be worth *to me*.

I like finding gems I guess, more than anything else. Sometimes a gem can be high dollar, sometimes they are gems that are simply affordable/cared for. It’s pretty clear to me that this is not a gem, not as I define them.

I’m kind of open to a full resto job, but I could gladly drive a survivor. I like them to be as original as possible. I could get into the challenge of either path.

In the end, I don’t think I’m going to pursue this one. I agree with the consensus that it is overpriced, and I’d rather be free to jump on something with less rust if it ever pops up. It’s cool to get a little more familiar with them though.

THANK YOU all for your comments, I’m grateful for the opinions and education.

I think we all love finding gems. Probably what drives most of us here is the hunt for a good deal combined with the opportunity to care for a truck that was or would otherwise be neglected. Solving the mechanical issues and getting the machine up to safe & satisfactory operating condition is also very rewarding. In my opinion "full resto job" and "original as possible" are on opposite ends of the spectrum. A restoration replaces the soul of a truck. If you do the work yourself, that soul comes from you. But paying someone else to do it kind of leaves a soul-less vehicle. I'm making an assumption here as I've never paid someone to do any work on any of my vehicles, but I have done a body off restore before. Don't underestimate the time and money required for a proper full resto job.

 

[EWheeler]

Like Dave Chappelle says, men would live in a cardboard box if not for women. (I cleaned up the joke a little.)

Hey now, I resemble that remark!

 

[FoCoNoCo]

I think we all love finding gems. Probably what drives most of us here is the hunt for a good deal combined with the opportunity to care for a truck that was or would otherwise be neglected. Solving the mechanical issues and getting the machine up to safe & satisfactory operating condition is also very rewarding. In my opinion "full resto job" and "original as possible" are on opposite ends of the spectrum. A restoration replaces the soul of a truck. If you do the work yourself, that soul comes from you. But paying someone else to do it kind of leaves a soul-less vehicle. I'm making an assumption here as I've never paid someone to do any work on any of my vehicles, but I have done a body off restore before. Don't underestimate the time and money required for a proper full resto job.

Excellent comments. I'm certainly guilty of the occasional "eyes bigger than stomach" problem with projects, but I know I'll be a good steward for a vehicle. Even the latter can get you in trouble, you may be a good steward, but at what expense? I've never restored anything myself -but a couple of years ago, I owned an '87 4Runner that had a fresh coat of paint and a 10/10 interior... but I didn't feel anything for that car. It bugged me that it wasn't the original dash, and it was clean as could be, but I still wondered what was hiding in the hard-to-see places. I loved my beater '86 4Runner from a couple decades ago a lot more, it was unattractive from a collector standpoint, but its soul was in tact at 365k miles and all-original everything. Your comments help me to affirm that I am more of a "survivor" guy, thanks for the perspective.

 

[ryanwk628]

The other way to look at this is to decide the body is too far gone and put an Aqualu tub on it without feeling guilty that its not 100% as original. Thats probably what Im going to do eventually, especially after adding up the cost of replacement parts when there isn't much good left to weld to (New England truck)

 

[sterling]

I agree with EWheeler that it doesn’t NEED bodywork. It really depends what you want. If you want a patina driver that’s a great start that looks pretty complete. I wouldn’t pay $14k for that cruiser, I’d want it at $8-10k in the current market.
If you want a lift, those new bilstein shocks don’t add value but they do if you keep it that height. Same for the new tires.

Agree on the sentiment above.
I lived in CO briefly, and as a cruiserhead the state seems to offer more opportunities than most to get a 40 or 60 series at a reasonable price.
Maybe Johnny Richnuts has a 40 at a cabin that comes up?
Who knows in this buyers climate
Don't beat yourself up if someone with more money than sense snatches this one up at full asking price.
The different color ds floor pan makes me curious, cut out of a less rusty donor truck and welded in by a po?
Good luck on your hunt sir!

 

[FoCoNoCo]

Agree on the sentiment above.
I lived in CO briefly, and as a cruiserhead the state seems to offer more opportunities than most to get a 40 or 60 series at a reasonable price.
Maybe Johnny Richnuts has a 40 at a cabin that comes up?
Who knows in this buyers climate
Don't beat yourself up if someone with more money than sense snatches this one up at full asking price.
The different color ds floor pan makes me curious, cut out of a less rusty donor truck and welded in by a po?
Good luck on your hunt sir!

Yeah I think I've settled on "pass". It's not a bad rig, but not a gem. Don't want to insult the owner with a lowball offer, that's not my style.

I'm glad you called out the different floor color. It's so weird! It does not look like a welded-in piece in person. In fact, the way it rusted below, it's almost as if maybe someone repainted it a long time ago, and maybe had a floor mat glued in place that concealed the original color? Anyhow, I don't care enough to dig into it, ha.

 

[sogncab]

I feel like I over paid for my 76 by about $4k. I paid $12k. It's in way better condition rust wise.

Mechanically mine was dicked. I had the t case, tranny, both axles rebuilt right after I got it. That's probably the case with most of them out there. I am in a similar boat, I'm better off doing my job, and paying others to do some things. I think I had $6k into having that done. I pulled the tranny and t case myself and took them to a guy.

Bodywork, the sky is the limit. Full blown nut/bolt restoration is $90k.
I'm budgeting $30k for paint and metal work, doing all of the disassembly and assembly myself.

My engine was tired as well. I'm not rebuilding, but swapping for a diesel. I don't know what just a rebuild would cost. Like anything, depends how crazy you go. I'm not selling my engine. I might rebuild it myself just for entertainment.

 

[FoCoNoCo]

I feel like I over paid for my 76 by about $4k. I paid $12k. It's in way better condition rust wise.

Mechanically mine was dicked. I had the t case, tranny, both axles rebuilt right after I got it. That's probably the case with most of them out there. I am in a similar boat, I'm better off doing my job, and paying others to do some things. I think I had $6k into having that done. I pulled the tranny and t case myself and took them to a guy.

Bodywork, the sky is the limit. Full blown nut/bolt restoration is $90k.
I'm budgeting $30k for paint and metal work, doing all of the disassembly and assembly myself.

My engine was tired as well. I'm not rebuilding, but swapping for a diesel. I don't know what just a rebuild would cost. Like anything, depends how crazy you go. I'm not selling my engine. I might rebuild it myself just for entertainment.

Thanks for sharing. I feel like you might be me from the future maybe, ha. Fixing up Land Cruisers sounds like an excellent hobby, and some hobbies are expensive! Perhaps someday...

 

[Skreddy]

I feel like I over paid for my 76 by about $4k. I paid $12k. It's in way better condition rust wise.

Mechanically mine was dicked. I had the t case, tranny, both axles rebuilt right after I got it. That's probably the case with most of them out there. I am in a similar boat, I'm better off doing my job, and paying others to do some things. I think I had $6k into having that done. I pulled the tranny and t case myself and took them to a guy.

Bodywork, the sky is the limit. Full blown nut/bolt restoration is $90k.
I'm budgeting $30k for paint and metal work, doing all of the disassembly and assembly myself.

My engine was tired as well. I'm not rebuilding, but swapping for a diesel. I don't know what just a rebuild would cost. Like anything, depends how crazy you go. I'm not selling my engine. I might rebuild it myself just for entertainment.

I feel I overpaid for my current 1970 and knew that going in, but also wasn’t buying it with intentions to resell. I’m able to do all the work on it myself which eased some of my overpayment pain. But again, with no intention of resale, I don’t care if I’m losing money because I love driving it and my wife and kids love riding in it. Plus if @sterling ‘s Johnny Richnuts does sell his cabin cruiser, maybe he will miss it and offer me way too much for mine and I can build another!