Worth it??

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Dmac3317 said:
Found one nearby. Here's what the seller has given me.

" Everything works. It was bought at auction in Arizona 12 years ago. Shipped it here. Was disassembled repainted and re-assembled. Hasn't hardly been driven since then. 4 wheel drive works as does the heater and gauges. Engine was rebuilt before it was purchased as well.

Any obvious things that stand out? Thanks.

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Hard pass. Rust already bubbling up tells the story.
 
This one is probably far from you, but this is the type of FJ40 that holds value and would be a great driver. With some minor TLC, she'd be a beauty:

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Dmac3317,

Looking at the last few suggested candidates reminded me of something that may be worth considering. How tall are you? The reason I ask is Toyota made a change to the windshield wiper system. Earlier FJ40s have the wiper motor mounted at the top of the windshield and the wipers are mounted at the top, as well.

Later FJ40's have the wiper motor at the bottom of the windshield and the wipers are mounted low, too. The lower mounted wipers park at the bottom of the windshield and are not obtrusive, whereas the top mounted wipers never seem to park out of the way..

I'm tall and I find the top mounted setup to be very annoying in comparison to the later style low mount wipers.

It's really personal preference, but it's a preference you might consider while searching.
 
cbmontgo said:
This one is probably far from you, but this is the type of FJ40 that holds value and would be a great driver. With some minor TLC, she'd be a beauty:

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I saw this one, love it. Little concerned over the rust on the rear but otherwise very nice. Agreed its far but I think thats gonna be the case regardless. I've been looking for a while and the market in the NE is sparse.
 
Wasatch Jay said:
Dmac3317,

Looking at the last few suggested candidates reminded me of something that may be worth considering. How tall are you? The reason I ask is Toyota made a change to the windshield wiper system. Earlier FJ40s have the wiper motor mounted at the top of the windshield and the wipers are mounted at the top, as well.

Later FJ40's have the wiper motor at the bottom of the windshield and the wipers are mounted low, too. The lower mounted wipers park at the bottom of the windshield and are not obtrusive, whereas the top mounted wipers never seem to park out of the way..

I'm tall and I find the top mounted setup to be very annoying in comparison to the later style low mount wipers.

It's really personal preference, but it's a preference you might consider while searching.
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Good advice. I'm 6'2" and hadn't even considered that. Thanks.
 
So your after a ‘75 and up. My ‘74 had the upper windshield frame mounted wipers, my ‘75 doesn’t
 
EWheeler said:
Have you seen this one? Its close to you and your budget. Does not appear to be a complete pile of rust like 99% of vehicles in NY (lived there).

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For Sale - Albany, NY 1967 Fj40 One of a Kind

1967 Fj40 Barn find. In dry storage on concrete floor dairy barn for 40 years Purchased from original owner 5 years ago Has undergone extensive mechanical restoration while still keeping original patina All work professionally performed by Land Cruiser specialist in Vermont Disc brakes front and...
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Reached out to the owner. Sent some additional pics and a video. Looks nice, especially if you like patina. I think it looks great but not sure about price.

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4 wheel disc brakes and power steering are a great upgrades. It's certainly something to look at, and the owner has been making it better during his ownership. If you click on his user name, you'll find he's a been on this forum for many years.
 
Sounds good. Shows your full name when I clicked if you care.

The whistle/woosh is from the Webber carb. Very distinctive. You may find yourself chasing down an original carb setup before too long, may.

The patina is amazing.

Over looked the price.
 
If you've never physically seen or driven a 40, you have to. You may not like it. Older 40's aren't as refined and more basic as the later ones. There's nothing wrong with that. The 3 speed will take some getting use to. It's just a learning curve.
 
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ideally i'd like to get something '75 or newer but its close and seems to a solid rig. I'm considering it
 
I'd at least consider making a road trip. Even if it's not 100% what you want. Consider it an educational trip. When I bought my latest/street 40, I wasn't looking to buy one at the time. It had some driveline mods i was considering doing to my 40 at the time and wanted to check it out and drive it. To my surprise, I had to buy it.
 
I was going to mention something about the year based on my preferences… since we’re talking about it…

I’m a later model guy myself. The 2F, disk fronts, 4 on the floor, bucket seats etc… of my early 1980 are just right for me. I had a ‘75 when I didn’t know any better and I absolutely loved that truck and drove it everywhere for a few years since it was my only vehicle.

A lot of people say that a ‘77 is the sweet spot.
The sweet spot is what you’ve got in my mind.
My current truck found me so I was fortunate there.

You definitely need to drive one.
You are welcome to fly down here and drive mine.
 
I guess one question I would have is concerning the frt disc brakes. I would want confirm that the frt brakes are Toyota frt brakes with late model birfields and not a cheesy aftermarket disc kit. It appears it has an fj60 tre's at the box so I would guess it may have been done correctly. It's not a deal killer but would be a negotiating issue.
 
I purchased a '78 40 in March, bought it sight unseen (due to the amount of pics and the reputation of the broker). Have a few things I would have done differently, and your mileage may vary:
  • Make sure the title is in-hand, make sure the VIN matches the truck. currently going through this mess, on the tail end, but its been a headache
  • Check your local emissions requirements. Depending on the state / year of the truck, may be a non-issue but go into it informed so you don't have expensive work to do.
  • See the truck in person, make sure everything works, drive it. For 25k I would expect all the basics to work / everything to be there.
  • Check the classifieds here, look at auction sites, see what's going for that price-range
 
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