Builds Won a '74 40 on a coin toss... (6 Viewers)

[nitroid13]

But the feeling I get when I get in and turn the key, I can't describe. I have a perma grin on my face You'll find your self looking around at other drivers and they look and stare and some even yell "hey nice truck/jeep" this makes all the bloody knuckles, sweat, tears, and money well worth all of it

 

[ginmtb]

Iv had the cruiser bug since I was 12 when I got my 74. And now I have 3 running ones and 2 parts trucks. There is something very special about these trucks that few cars can claim. It fuels our obsession and causes us to spend obscene amounts of money in these rust prone things Lol

Scary thing is that I'm pretty OCD... Or if you want to say it more positively, "tenacious"... Good thing that will temper my ready, fire, aim approach is that I know how to change oil and spark plugs in a car and that's about it. So this will be good for me to get outside my comfort zone.

 

[ginmtb]

But the feeling I get when I get in and turn the key, I can't describe. I have a perma grin on my face You'll find your self looking around at other drivers and they look and stare and some even yell "hey nice truck/jeep" this makes all the bloody knuckles, sweat, tears, and money well worth all of it

Yup driving it makes me smile! Just such a fun car - as you said, some people just don't get it (like my wife). And that's cool, just don't rain on my parade.

 

[nitroid13]

Scary thing is that I'm pretty OCD... Or if you want to say it more positively, "tenacious"... Good thing that will temper my ready, fire, aim approach is that I know how to change oil and spark plugs in a car and that's about it. So this will be good for me to get outside my comfort zone.

Not a better truck to learn on other than maybe a beetle
And on the note of the wife the first time you have the top off and take her outunder the stars she'll get it lol

 

[bikersmurf]

Nice looking truck... Mine's July 74. I'd love to have started with a 40 that nice.

 

[ginmtb]

Not a better truck to learn on other than maybe a beetle
And on the note of the wife the first time you have the top off and take her outunder the stars she'll get it lol

My 14 year old daughter on the other hand totally gets it and she wants this for her car to drive to high school in a couple of years. We may have a fight on our hands... . I gave her and her friend a ride in it over the weekend and they were singing in the back having a great time! They even helped me name it - "The Turtle". Perfect! My wife of course wanted to name it, "The Jalopy". WTH?

 

[ginmtb]

Nice looking truck... Mine's July 74. I'd love to have started with a 40 that nice.

Thank you! And I believe I paid WAY under market value for this (based on how crazy the market is right now for these things). Could easily flip it on eBay for a nice profit. But getting this thing the way I did it just seems meant to be...

 

[bikersmurf]

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid?

 

[ginmtb]

I have tracked down 4 steel original wheels - no clips or hub caps. $100 total, need to be blasted and painted. Seem like it's worth it? I know you can buy brand new without the hub caps for under $100 each. Do the clips come with the new wheels? Or hub caps?

 

[ginmtb]

Do you mind if I ask how much you paid?

Sure - $5K and that included the two extra tops, a bunch of tools in the ammo box including the original bottle jack, wrenches, mag light flashlight, hoses, belts, etc., and some other parts he never installed - new small triangular window rubber, new window felts, some brake pads, assorted gaskets, etc. He threw in some diamond plate rear panels as well thankfully he did not install those. It seems like I've seen others on eBay in worse condition than mine go for much more than that.

 

[bikersmurf]

You did get a very good deal... Depending on mileage etc, could be worth double that.

 

[ginmtb]

You did get a very good deal... Depending on mileage etc, could be worth double that.

Odometer says 35,750 - obviously it is not that. Not sure if 135,750 or 235,750. But the PO had it for 16 years and only put on about 5K miles he said. He didn't even want the extra $500 both of us said we'd pay to get it. Guy was just so nice, said he was very happy with the price and thought it was fair. He had 8 or 9 other cars including a fully restored '65 GTO and a '54 Chevy (they type of Chevy escapes me). Big time car guy, he was happy to see it go to though to someone who would get a chance to use it more.

 

[nitroid13]

Well you got a winner with your daughter. My 2y/o loves to go for rides in mine. Sometimes it's hard to tell which one of us has the bigger grin. I'm building mine for safety for him. That y did my roll bar the way I did and I'm putting in a center caravan seat so I'll have the latch points for his car seat and eventually seat belts in the rear. Fyi btb products has some really nice stuff for our trucks

I'm just playing with the tires. It looks kinda cool but you can't run it in 4x4 like this

 

[bikersmurf]

I'd guess 135,000. Funny thing, mine also had 35,000 miles on the odometer when I bought it back in 1991... Fairly sure it was 135,000, it's now got over 200,000 miles on it.

 

[JohnnyC]

I know you can buy brand new without the hub caps for under $100 each. Do the clips come with the new wheels? Or hub caps?

the new rims will have clips... no hubcaps... they can be bought new as well

good deal... i wonder if the other guy will show up here on mud one day.... that would be interesting to see what he finally gets then you two can compair who got the better deal LOL

 

[ginmtb]

Okay thanks for the info on the wheels. I do have some room in my budget so I may go the new route. I can wait some for those as I need to get the leak figured out and then work on some safety items.

And the other buyer mentioned MUD - hopefully he finds one too as he was cool.


...via IH8MUD app

 

[myquestoyota]

So has anyone used these before to repair their cut fenders?

http://www.mcssl.com/store/real-ste...atch-1964-84/wheel-well-opening-patch-1965-84

Seems like a lot less work than replacing the entire quarter. My rust spots in the back are somewhat smallish (at least I think) and seems like could be cut out and new metal welded in its place.

I have a pair of the real steel patches but have not welded them in yet. They look like they'll work fine.

 

[ginmtb]

Here are some underside shots including the spot on the floor with the leak. I plan on trying to do some degreasing this weekend of the underside and getting the engine compartment cleaned up. Would be nice to be able to better see what's going on. Should help with pinpointing the leak. Eventually I want to put the rust inhibitor stuff on as much of the underside I can get to.

Any advice on getting things cleaned up? Favorite degreasers? Any special techniques that make the job easier?

 

[ginmtb]

I have a pair of the real steel patches but have not welded them in yet. They look like they'll work fine.

Thanks - I'm trying to keep the body work to a minimum. Those seemed like a nice solution.

 

[smithfly]

Nice one. I just picked up my first 40 as well — Aug of '74 only a few numbers away from yours. But mine is mostly gone from the dash back. Much bigger project. Still trying to figure out what to do with her. You've got a nice base to start with for sure and got a pretty sweet deal.