Taking a chance on an old truck
- Thread starter SOAZ
- Start date
unkamonkey
Explorer
My neighbors son got a FJ40 from another couple as a wedding gift. Daniel worked on It a few months and the previous owners say that it looks better now than it ever did while they owned it and they bought it new. They are good sound vehicles that do well on the trails. Our groups rescue vehicle is my 1961 CJ3B. I can get it into where I need to get to and It has the best winch on it
Don't be afeared of that old iron. They can get the job done. It might be just a touch more primitive.
Enjoy your new/old toy.
Don't be afeared of that old iron. They can get the job done. It might be just a touch more primitive.
Enjoy your new/old toy.
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
I guess the 80 is starting to get a bit old. Still, it's hard to think of any truck with power seats as vintage, but I think you're right.
That MR2 is awesome. Incidentally, the FJ40 has seats from a mid 80's MR2. Pretty comfy!Ya, if I can find one that isn't a complete rust bucket or costs a small mint. Till then my little MR2 will fill the void.
On the prices, I know what you mean. I gave up on 40's for that very reason until this deal popped up.
Thanks!
I'm with you, this isn't my oldest vehicle even. In fact older, as long as it's been maintained, is better in so many respects. You just can't drive it for 100k miles without some love. :bigok:
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
Kelsey- I got to hop in and drive him for the first time (now that we had made it safely home). The steering takes some muscle but it shifts like a dream! I was amazed at how notchy the gears were.
The following day we decided it was time for his first bath in over 10 years. We took him to the mud bay at the local car wash and Tim began spraying as I soaped and monitored inserting quarters as needed. $9 later we were satisfied and we both held our breath as Tim turned the key and like always it started right up (crazy!). Now it was home to do a more detailed clean.
Tim worked on putting the missing bezel on the front and waxing the long forgotten paint. I spent my time cleaning out the inside (hosing out a vehicle just feels wrong) but it was about the only way to handle the mess that was the interior. The layers of gunk on the windows alone took about 1 roll of paper towels and half a bottle of window cleaner before they looked even decent. Scrubbing and still cringing a lot, it was MUCH better than before.We finally decided to take a break and crawled in to enjoy our hard work.
We went to run some errands and grab lunch. Approximately 4 hours later, and a good bit of driving, we arrived back to the house and to my surprise momma mouse decided to make an appearance next to my seat (HANTAVIRUS!) She slowly crawled under the seat leaving her tail still exposed (I think the hot drive had slowed her down a bit) Tim was able to grab her with pliers and remove her (Tim is a rampant mouse killer now). So 4 mice down….hopefully 0 to go! (Don’t google how many babies mice usually have in a litter)
(Tim- Rockford got some new and safer shoes today.)
(Tim -I put in some new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Well, I should say just plugs and wires. The cap/rotor didn't fit which after some research turned out to be because Rockford has a foreign market distributor from an earlier FJ40 1F. I'm just surprised this is the first non-stock item I've found)
Plugs were dark, but not bad considering how much it's sat.)
So we are working to bring our new buddy, and older brother to Goose, back to life. He has heart that is for sure. We will keep you updated on his progress as well as his name….What a great adventure he has been so far!
The following day we decided it was time for his first bath in over 10 years. We took him to the mud bay at the local car wash and Tim began spraying as I soaped and monitored inserting quarters as needed. $9 later we were satisfied and we both held our breath as Tim turned the key and like always it started right up (crazy!). Now it was home to do a more detailed clean.
Tim worked on putting the missing bezel on the front and waxing the long forgotten paint. I spent my time cleaning out the inside (hosing out a vehicle just feels wrong) but it was about the only way to handle the mess that was the interior. The layers of gunk on the windows alone took about 1 roll of paper towels and half a bottle of window cleaner before they looked even decent. Scrubbing and still cringing a lot, it was MUCH better than before.We finally decided to take a break and crawled in to enjoy our hard work.
We went to run some errands and grab lunch. Approximately 4 hours later, and a good bit of driving, we arrived back to the house and to my surprise momma mouse decided to make an appearance next to my seat (HANTAVIRUS!) She slowly crawled under the seat leaving her tail still exposed (I think the hot drive had slowed her down a bit) Tim was able to grab her with pliers and remove her (Tim is a rampant mouse killer now). So 4 mice down….hopefully 0 to go! (Don’t google how many babies mice usually have in a litter)
(Tim- Rockford got some new and safer shoes today.)
(Tim -I put in some new plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Well, I should say just plugs and wires. The cap/rotor didn't fit which after some research turned out to be because Rockford has a foreign market distributor from an earlier FJ40 1F. I'm just surprised this is the first non-stock item I've found)
Plugs were dark, but not bad considering how much it's sat.)
So we are working to bring our new buddy, and older brother to Goose, back to life. He has heart that is for sure. We will keep you updated on his progress as well as his name….What a great adventure he has been so far!
doug720
Expedition Leader
Great find and story of a really good 40.
One warning though - The shoulder belts should not be used as they are mounted. This type of shoulder belts are designed to be mounted to a cross bar/support at about shoulder height. The way they are mounted to the floor will cause back compression when a body moves forward in a crash.
Enjoy
One warning though - The shoulder belts should not be used as they are mounted. This type of shoulder belts are designed to be mounted to a cross bar/support at about shoulder height. The way they are mounted to the floor will cause back compression when a body moves forward in a crash.
Enjoy
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
See ya in Bagdad on the 17th? :sombrero:
Thanks Todd, it blows my mind a bit. Never thought I'd check these dream "car" boxes. They all need a lot of love, but so far I don't mind spending a lot of my time keeping them all going.
Thanks!
Agreed Doug! I used them as "installed" for our first drive and now we've relegated them as lap belts. As soon as I read what you said I knew you were right and that's what was bugging me about that setup. Thanks!
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
A run of sorts. Key-Lock and I need to go and scout our hunt area which is just north of Bagdad. That gets me thinking though, we need to do an old iron run! Maybe make it a no fuel injection run or pre 1980. :smiley_drive:
toddz69
Explorer
As long as it's either/or
. Mine hails from '69 but it has fuel injection. Lots of good, remote country north of Bagdad.Todd Z.
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
SOAZ
Tim and Kelsey get lost..
That works, I'll see about getting something going and I'll post up on here. Agreed, that place is sort of the forgotten area of AZ as are much of the Hualapais nearby IMHO. There aren't a ton of deer as we've found out over the last several years, but hunting is mostly about exploring new terrain and sitting around the campfire with buds. :camping:As long as it's either/or
Todd Z.
Yah, thanks for the jinx the night before we go out to get the truck.:ar15::xxrotflma
1 friggin mile in the tire implodes.... Don't worry though, I got new tires and I went with this company you love. I think it's called Bif's Goodwench or something. You should try them.
goodtimes
Expedition Poseur
Probably hantavirus.
You should have taken the opportunity to upgrade to tires more reliable than your average KTM.
:sombrero: