Wild find in the Sahara (1 Viewer)

[Margahm]

This is a bit of a crazy story. I am working in central Africa and thought it would be cool if I could find a good desert rig. For the last several months I've been asking all the local fixers to find me something cool and classic, older than the 25 year limit to return to the US. I had sent them many pictures of LCs and LRs from the late 70s through early 90s. Yesterday one of them texted me and we picked up one of his friends then another, and after driving around the Sahel a while, lost, with the three of them yelling at each other in several languages, we ended up at the compound of a not-so-nice warlord type. He has this beautiful FJ45 sitting in the courtyard. I was shocked as it's by far the nicest thing I've seen up here and the only thing at all older than 15 years that has not been wrecked many times. After adding a bit of oil and fuel it started easily and purrs like a kitten.

So now I'm negotiating to buy it. Only I'm far from an expert, and he wants WAY too much for it of course as I'm the "rich" American in the neighborhood. From the frame decoders, I believe it's a Feb 1976 (very unsure on that), and from the codes I believe it's all original. It appears to have minimal rust. You can almost see yourself in the paint in the fenders, though there are some spots that look a bit sandblasted by nature, and the seats and door panels have no tears. 2F engine with no issues I can find and it drives as nice as I could expect for something from that era.

It's 115 degrees so I'd need to start by installing AC...will I be able to get that done with one of the kits with minimal tools under a tree in the middle of no where? All the lights are working, but broken and covered in tape. The weatherstripping is all dried out; will I be facing the same with engine seals? What else do I need to look out for? And does anyone know where the hell this thing might have been sold originally? I am hoping to bring it back to the States in a few years and it will remain quite the conversation starter I expect. I'd bet it made its way through Libya in the 80s but I suspect I'll never know for sure.

And thank you all for any information you might be able to give! Just reading the forum over the last 24 hours has been hugely helpful.

 

[Chris Wilcox]

I can't imagine you'll ever find one in that good shape in North America. If you can afford it come to an agreement and just buy it. From the initial post there are a few things that tend to imply that you want this to be a new vehicle, AC, weather seals. It is an old vehicle and will have the character of an old vehicle. AC would be nice I'm sure but I'm not sure what it takes to install it. Anyway nice find. You can get new turn signals out of UAE from Partsouq. Other than that it looks amazing.

 

[Margahm]

From the initial post there are a few things that tend to imply that you want this to be a new vehicle, AC, weather seals. It is an old vehicle and will have the character of an old vehicle. AC would be nice I'm sure but I'm not sure what it takes to install it. Anyway nice find. You can get new turn signals out of UAE from Partsouq. Other than that it looks amazing.

Thank you, I will take a look for the lights. I don't have any desire for it to be a modern vehicle, just need it to not leak a bunch when it rains as the rubber is super dried out from the 100 degree winters and 120 degree summers. I don't want to ruin a piece of history. But the AC....I would try to keep it as vintage as possible and would plan to do nothing that cannot be undone without any damage (i.e no cutting of anything, I'm looking at the Vintage Air system as a possibility) but I just don't think I can drive it here without it as it's so dang hot all the time. But we shall see!

 

[Chris Wilcox]

For turn signals I bought these part numbers: 81510-69027, 81520-69027. They are 3 wire but I think the only difference is you need to run a ground, possibly just to the fender.
For AC you might take a look at FJCompany to see if you can tell how they do it.

 

[YoYoHo]

being left hand drive and is pretty good nick I would think it is worth a few $$$, probably more than what you think. I have seen worse ones got for close to $20K USD

 

[Bear]

Interesting that it has/had a heater. The original color is listed as "blue" but you might want to check if it is a repaint, considering the wind in that area. The glass could also be sandblasted. Door seals, window seals available, front turn signals, dash pads if it had them, etc.. Since maintenance is usually overlooked you need an honest and knowledgeable mechanic to look it over and take it for a test drive. If you pay him something for his time, he may feel more allegiance to you and be truthful with you. Your mechanic should also look UNDER the truck for any signs of butchered repairs--often times these trucks are driven rapidly over the dunes and have frame and suspension cracks. Plan on replacing all rubber hoses on the engine before one blows up on you, check the rubber brake hoses and the brake and clutch reservoirs for clean, correct brake fluid; flush the sand out of the gas tank, check the tires for cracking from the heat. Yours will have the gas tank under the passenger seat. All your dash switches will have a very fine dust blown into them, as well as the instrument cluster. And as with all third-world vehicles, check for Bondo(body filler) used liberally to patch up body damage--a magnet comes in handy.

You may find a lot of things incorrect, but if you get a good price, can afford to fix them, and are patient, you may have a worthwhile vehicle. Pricing in your location should be much lower than if it was already sitting here in the States.

You need to carefully check with the authorities there on the difficulty of exporting the truck and what paperwork requirements are needed. Most US states will accept it, but California will reject it since it is a gasser. A few states also have stringent smog regulations and your truck doesn't have the needed pieces to satisfy them.

Good luck, and if you have questions, there are many fine folks on Mud who will be happy to offer suggestions.

 

[White Stripe]

That is not a 1976. Looks more like a 1982. Yes you could install a vintage air kit but the hoses the kit comes with need to be crimped. So you would have to figure out a place that could crimp them. Other than that the Vintage Air kit is time consuming but not hard. You would also need to install a different drive belt. I spent some time at the parts store going through their belts until one fit. You will also need to drill some holes here n their.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

Nice find. Does the local have a title or would this be a bill of sale only transaction? Just curious.

 

[Living in the Past]

Interesting that it has/had a heater. The original color is listed as "blue" but you might want to check if it is a repaint, considering the wind in that area. The glass could also be sandblasted. Door seals, window seals available, front turn signals, dash pads if it had them, etc.. Since maintenance is usually overlooked you need an honest and knowledgeable mechanic to look it over and take it for a test drive. If you pay him something for his time, he may feel more allegiance to you and be truthful with you. Your mechanic should also look UNDER the truck for any signs of butchered repairs--often times these trucks are driven rapidly over the dunes and have frame and suspension cracks. Plan on replacing all rubber hoses on the engine before one blows up on you, check the rubber brake hoses and the brake and clutch reservoirs for clean, correct brake fluid; flush the sand out of the gas tank, check the tires for cracking from the heat. Yours will have the gas tank under the passenger seat. All your dash switches will have a very fine dust blown into them, as well as the instrument cluster. And as with all third-world vehicles, check for Bondo(body filler) used liberally to patch up body damage--a magnet comes in handy.

You may find a lot of things incorrect, but if you get a good price, can afford to fix them, and are patient, you may have a worthwhile vehicle. Pricing in your location should be much lower than if it was already sitting here in the States.

You need to carefully check with the authorities there on the difficulty of exporting the truck and what paperwork requirements are needed. Most US states will accept it, but California will reject it since it is a gasser. A few states also have stringent smog regulations and your truck doesn't have the needed pieces to satisfy them.

Good luck, and if you have questions, there are many fine folks on Mud who will be happy to offer suggestions.

Thought CA had issues with diesels? Now they don't except petrol models?

That is not a 1976. Looks more like a 1982. Yes you could install a vintage air kit but the hoses the kit comes with need to be crimped. So you would have to figure out a place that could crimp them. Other than that the Vintage Air kit is time consuming but not hard. You would also need to install a different drive belt. I spent some time at the parts store going through their belts until one fit. You will also need to drill some holes here n their.

The flange a the way down the rockers on the A pillar would make it a 1/79+. Crawl underneath and see if it has rear motor mounts off the bellhousing or a separate crossmember. 8/80+ if separate crossmember. 10/82 the floor section of the hump changed and could tell if it's 83+ model. Newer the better. But for import I see a red flag if the title year doesn't match the actual year of the vehicle. @beno can probably date it by the VIN. SOR's chart ends 68 for the 45.

 

[Bear]

Interesting.

The California comment: California is a different world. We had a "rolling" exemption from smog regulations for a long time--then it got stopped at 1975. 1976 model years and newer need to pass all kinds of tests. Then they started tightening down on Diesels. And more is surely to come.

It's an embarrassment to live here. Governor Moonbeam was bad enough, now this new idiot. Used to be we were a split state: the "San Francisco" crowd vs the rest of us. We used to laugh at those fools up there, but they have rapidly expanded, and force their ideas on the rest of us here and on the entire country, from food warnings, chemical bans, special gasolines, firearms bans, defiant "sanctuary" cities, textbook revisions, and more. Sorry.

The "VIN" plate in the above photo indicates pre January 1980; no photos of the frame stamping. Yes, Specter's frame chart for the 45s ends with the 1967s. There are no known published production figures from the factory specific to the 45s from that point until January 1980. An obscure Russian website that is no longer in use published figures dating back to August 1978. That information shows this VIN to be January 1979; 1979 started the year with Frame number FJ45-217082. As the 1979 model year was a major milestone with many changes, occasionally some pre-1979 parts were left over and found themselves onto the later new model. However, more importantly, the Arabian/Middle Eastern/ North African part of the world is well-known to attach different bodies to different frames, among many fixes to keep things running and/or delude unknowledgeable customers. Yes, the frame number needs to match the current registration/title or there will be problems entering the USA and other first-world countries.

Since the firewall VIN plates are easily removed and replaced, a clear photo of the serial number stamped on the frame with its distinctive script would be most instructive in determining just what we are looking at here. Possibly everything is in order, yet it is sad that what on the surface appears to be a very nice truck, should need to thoroughly be inspected to verify that what you see is factually correct.

 

[Margahm]

Thank you all for the great info so far. It is a bit frustrating not knowing the year yet but I'll get some more info and some more pics next time I make it out there. We are still a ways apart on price but I am pretty sure we'll be able to find agreement eventually; there is no one but me bidding on this thing around here so I'll wear them down eventually.

you need an honest and knowledgeable mechanic

I fear I'm on my own here. I have some fleet vehicles we try to get worked on all the time and I have to import mechanics from other countries if I have anything complicated, as there is virtually no such thing as a real mechanic around here. Which brings me to:

look UNDER the truck for any signs of butchered repairs

I had just come from work so was wearing a suit and unwilling to lay down in the dirt, but from what I've seen squatting beside it the underside looks as good as the rest, with no damage or repairs evident. I'm just in shock at the condition it's in...the only thing I've seen that doesn't look stock (to my non-expert eyes) is the starter, which looks brand new. Before any purchase I'll be going out again and crawling all over the thing in more detail.

Does the local have a title or would this be a bill of sale only transaction?

They claim to have a title. I've emphasized that I very much need clean papers that match the numbers. If they don't have papers already the current owner, being very politically connected, should have no problem getting new ones issued toute suite. But Chadians are not known for their attention to detail or honesty in sales so you are correct that I'll have to be very careful that everything matches up and looks right. As a fun example, they are insisting that "it has AC and it was blowing ice cold when we were driving it just yesterday!" despite the fact that there was no fuel in the tank and it obviously had not been run recently. No shame whatsoever. Oh, then they said they will install it so I can pay them more and I had to yell that if they try to install something, which would be a guaranteed hack job, I promise I'll walk away. Always an adventure.

I've already started shopping for the rubber parts (can take months to get stuff in here) and thanks for the tip on dust in the controls. I'll plan on taking everything apart for cleaning right after purchase. Dropped in a few other photos in case they are of use in identification, but this is all I have for pics at the moment.

 

[White Stripe]

Has OEM heater. Brake pedal pad has been replaced. Has cheap door weatherstripping all over the door. I can't tell if it's been repainted. Door check stop bolts aren't usually painted afaik along with the steering column clamp. But they assembled fj45s in south Africa for a bit if I recall so that may be a characteristic of the African factory. The wing window doors make me think it's a 82. Their should be a vin # stamped on the right front frame horn. Looks like a nice fj45 overall.

 

[a.greenspan]

You live there and know the cars & trucks in these regions are never maintained regulary.
The use of these trucks in Africa is extensive .. no garage Queens ... but you know it.
All they do in this part of the globe is get them run.
"To find an expert " ... haha.
Don`t know what price they want. Good luck , Sir.
Add the shipping costs to the USA if you buy the 45.

"If they don't have papers already the current owner, being very politically connected,..... " haha.

 

[FJ43 1980]

If the valve cover is original, which is likely, it is a 1979 or 1980 with the stamped “2F” on the front of the valve cover.

My 1980 FJ43, from Colombia, has the wing window doors (typical for General Market trucks).

 

[FJ43 1980]

Check out TOYODIY.com for parts using VIN. Availability is another issue.

ToyoDIY.com

 

[Living in the Past]

If the valve cover is original, which is likely, it is a 1979 or 1980 with the stamped “2F” on the front of the valve cover.

My 1980 FJ43, from Colombia, has the wing window doors (typical for General Market trucks).

The brake handle on the floor, A pillar flange down thru the running board, round pad in the steering wheel all support 1/79-7/80. The number of digits in the odometer would help. 8/80 added a extra digit. Just looking underneath should be easy to see either bellhousing motor mounts or crossmember under the transmission another 8/80 change on petrol models.

 

[FJ40Jim]

The valve cover is 79-80. The carburetor is a much later replacement. The body is 79-newer. Frame is 70-80, because small leaf spring eyes. Nothing on there really indicates 1976 era.

 

[Margahm]

A friend of a friend at Toyota is saying it's a July 1980. Y'all are pretty good at this game!

 

[FJ43 1980]

I hope that the friend of a friend at Toyota doesn’t try to grab it first! It seems to be a very nice find.

 

[Living in the Past]

I hope that the friend of a friend at Toyota doesn’t try to grab it first! It seems to be a very nice find.

X2

But would check export laws first. Should be easy to import in most other countries if you can get it out the country there.