Found a '74 LC for sale - got questions...

[Schattenjager]

There is a fellow up the street from me that has had no luck in selling his 74 FJ-40 - see add below.

It is not in BAD shape - some rust of course and the carb needs to be rebuilt, but it fires right up, holds an idle, although a bit rough, and the paint is in need of a re-spray.

The GOOD is the interior is all there, the rust is limited - not a lot of it but some places are all-the-way-through holes. Colorado's dry climate has helped I'm sure. It appears to be 100% original - No leaks I can find and he says the 4 wheel drive is solid.

Not being able to easily resist the urge to give her good home, I need to be very careful with my $ these days (who doesn't?) What is a good price to offer (in general, of course) that is fare for both of us? Are parts for these older rigs hard to come by? I imagine I would put a 3" OME lift under her and some agreeable meats. What about gears etc? Is that stuff around from the after market?

Any input is helpful of course - and I appreciate it!

 

[spoof]

http://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/

Mud is a great community for these trucks.

 

[BiG BoB]

You can get just about everything for these things (thats important) either new from toyota, or aftermarket equivalents/upgrades.

Perhaps consider fibreglass pannels, never need to worry about rust again

Sean

 

[Hltoppr]

Parts are really not a problem...but can get expensive. I'm used to Toyota OEM and BMW motorcycle parts, so they really don't phase me anymore...granted, when I was in college I couldn't afford 'em....

As for price, I'd say $2,500 to $4,500. Some folks get too excited about these rigs, and pay big bucks for 'em, but those figures would likely reflect a price on IH8MUD, which is somewhat lower than usual "market" price for these I've noticed.

You'll have 4.11s in the front and rear of that year; drum brakes all around. An OME lift will run you about $1,800.00 shipped.

HTH

-H-

 

[Schattenjager]

Thanks for the guidance! I am going to take some detail photo's this evening and do a little research on parts pricing.

Are the fiberglass bodies a viable alternative to repairing metal that may rust again down the road? Is there one company better than the others for this type of "upgrade?"

It is kinda fun to think about having one of these around to slowly work on and drive while I'm doing it!

 

[BiG BoB]

To be honest, I've never had the pannels myself, but there's more than a few landcruisers that have been saved from the scrap heap using them.

Sean

 

[Schattenjager]

Some Pics:

I just ran by the Cruiser's house and snapped some photos. I couldn't get any pics to come out of the under-neath but it looked pretty good - the body has some rot, but over all it seems all together.

What say you?

 

[Christophe Noel]

I had a '73 for a couple years. Mine was in really great shape at the time of purchase and the bills really added up quickly with the restoration. I eventually sold it for fear of going completely broke.

 

[Schattenjager]

LOL

Yeah - I was a-feared of that...

Thanks for the guidance.
:wavey: