? is it worth it ?

Here's the question, 78 fj40 stock 6,4spd,soft top, all glass body. Front has minor damage, hit in center of bumper(junk), left frame rail slightly tweaked. In WI glass body is a good thing, lots of salt. Just need to know what its worth, they're asking $3900.

Not new to wheeling but relatively new to Jeeps
It.s a Jeep thing, now I understand

In Utah I would imagine it might go for around $3000-$3500, mainly because of the bent frame. Not sure how much in your area.

bustedup, I should have been more specific on the frame rail, it is bent in only the first foot at the front. I'd be interested to know how available fj's are in your neck of the woods because around here they are rare and to find one with a glass body is just a bonus. Only curious to see how the availability dictates the price.

Not new to wheeling but relatively new to Jeeps
It.s a Jeep thing, now I understand

One of my framerails was tweaked a bit(a lot) in front of the front crossmember when I bought it. I spend an hour or two with a torch, hammer, and a hi-lift tryin' to straighten it out. Worked ok(I have a different frame now). At any given time around here you can find 5 or 6 FJ40's just in the Auto Trader ranging on average from $3500-$8000. If they are fairly hard to come by, I would say that's probably a fair price, if not a good deal. The glass bodies are way spendy, and that would account for a lot of it.

just bought my truck - glass tub, fenders, bib, apron, windshield frame, amulance doors. steel doors, hood, and top. all the glass retails for about $4000 if that's any indication. if the glass is all straight (i.e. no cracking anywhere), it sounds like a really good deal...for colorado.

ian flesher
ian@flesher.net

NEVER CALL A TOYOTA A jeep EVER AGAIN! THAT IS A DISCRASE TO ALL TOYOTA LOVERS LIKE MYSELF. THANX

[AJMBLAZER]

Just to let you know, in a lot of the world, any 4x4 that looks like a Jeep, as in low, short, removeable top and looking like the classic WW2 Jeep, is refered to as a "Jeep". Suzukis, Jeeps, Toyotas, and any vehicle that looks like them falls into this category.

1992 Blazer Sport, 350 TBI, 3" Flowmaster 40 DF, 4L60, K&N, Rancho 2.5" lift, 285/75R16's on 16x8 Bajas [img]/wwwthreads_images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]

No, the real discrace is putting Birfield joints in a front axle. You guys sure can get sensitive about the jeep thing. Get over it! Hell, I might even pull you out for free.

William
1980 CJ7 258 Holley EFI / Mallory Unilite/ Dana 44F ARB / AMC20 1-piece Detroit / T-98A tranny / D300 / Ramsey RE10,000lb / ARB Snorkel

[minipigg]

Most 4x4's are decent. Im not into jeeps only because I like wagons and the cherokee cant handle the mods I want. I have owned a few FJ55's and an FJ45 wagon. I trust my life with the Land Cruiser. I can't give that same trust to the cherokee. I have also been all over the world and to Africa 3 times. I didnt see any jeeps over there. Lots of Toyota Land Cruisers...same in Iceland and in Australia none of my friends would trust their lives or the lives of their families in a jeep in the out back. They dont think to lightly of rovers either. As for the birfields....that is the only weak link I know of and that is only if you run anything over 35's and sometimes with the 35's. I wheeled my rig pretty hard and never broke a birfield. I know of two jeeps that went over to land cruiser frames. The bolted their jeep body on a land cruiser frame. and both have chevy motors. One even kept the cruiser axles but swapped out the motor and tranny. Another fellow that uses his jeep to haul a huge auger drill around also converted the frame over to land cruiser because the jeep frame would not handle abuse of the drilling equipment. In my FJ55 I was rear ended 3 times and no damage to my rig. The last was an older lady in a newer ford car. Cant remember the model. Was good size...anyway smashed her radiator in and took out a good part of the hood too. Then again a heavy frame with 3/8" channel iron as a bumper works wonders on tailgaters. )
Would I ever own a jeep? maybe ....who knows...but I grow tired of listening to jeep folks bash land cruisers when the large majority of them are 100% ignorant of the history or even the capabilities of these rigs. My last FJ55 had over 360,000 US miles on the original motor bearings. It ran good when I finally pulled it for a newer late 1980's 2F long block. Most cruiser 2F's last well over 250,000 miles (not KM) with out a rebuild. And I know that they would go even further but people like new so they just have to rebuild a motor that would last well over 300K. I have been wheeling since 1980 so I have owned several different types of 4x4's and other kinds of offroad vehicles.

jeep didnt invent the 4x4..sorry...infact jeep didnt even invent jeep..and it has been made by more then one motor company....all in the needs of the US GOV....that is where the Toyota Land Cruiser stems from...

Oh and btw.... Just because someone owns something other then a jeep doesnt mean that are going to get stuck. I would hope if I got stuck on a trail no matter what I was driving you would help me out...just like when you get stuck I would help you out no matter what you drove. My next project is going to be a 416 Unimog Crewcab.

[minipigg]

geepers,

It is hard to let you know what the cruisers worth is. Depends on your location, any upgrades or modifications, demand for cruisers in your area and how many are in your area. ) It also depends on who made the fiberglass tub. Anyway it would be a good thing to locate local cruiser clubs in your area and/or state and ask them questions for a good price. you can always try www.tlca.org and find someone in your state to help you out. I think that would be the best thing to do and they can always go with you and look at the rig. Most cruiser folks in TLCA are good people and willing to help others out. Let us know what you do.