Storage Fees

to continue the thread jack here is a picture of the landcruiser for those who may not have seen one

I am partners in a 67 FJ40 with a friend of mine it is for the most part his project acquired before he even owned a single tool so it has been a learning process for him I basically consult on plans, provide tools and get called in when he screws something up or is worried he is going to.. I wouldnt exactly call it restored, I mean I am the guy with two CC's with engines that turn the "incorrect" direction.

It is not a chevy inline six but it is a very close copy of one. At the time japanese engineering was not quite what it is today, so they basically took a chevy engine and converted it to metric and they always rounded up making it a tank. This one was rebuilt about 5 years ago along with the trans, transfer case, and axles... so it is a pretty strong runner, its got a two barrel holley roundy round carb and has a junkyard HEI ingnition system both helped with reliablity. It is such a close copy that some parts like the thermostat housing can be interchanged with chevy junkyard parts, however things like cams, the solid lifters, valves, headers etc are not interchangeable and very expensive compared to building small block fords or chevys.

It came to us mopar lime green and full of hacked in diamond plate and bondo from the firewall back but with 33x12.5 tires (no lift). About 6 years ago we paid a local body shop to reinforce the frame at the spring mounts along with sandblasting and painting the frame. Then came the two year rebuilding of the drive train.

Two years ago we lifted it up by the frame instead of the usual axle and the front rear axle and springs pretty much broke off the frame at the front spring mounts. Upon further inspection the "body shop" applied a fair amount of body filler where metal should have been on the frame.

Now the frame is repaired and boxed in from the fire wall back (my friend did pretty nice welding work but I would have ground down the welds if it was me) , there is a shiny new aluminum tub from the fire wall back, new front seats, we found some orignal center facing benches to restore for the back, and since it was apart it got all new springs shocks, etc. (2.5 inch lift). This winter it needs a power steering conversion and a new roll bar built and installed. There is also talk of doing something about the front end being lime green and the back aluminum. We did get a 4 speed transmission to replace the 3 speed thats on there but thats low priority until it breaks. We have the hard top and doors and they are restorable but as of yet it we have never run it with a top, probably never will.

Anyway its a fun truck off road you don't run into too many of them around town and it has been a good learning experience for my now slightly more mechanically inclined friend but what a money pit. Around the same amount of time I bought and rebuilt a 1970 jeep universal parts for that thing were everywhere and dirt cheap, and while it was no where near the capabilities of the landcruiser the average person doesn't know the difference. The jeep I had fun with and made money on the sale, couldn't get half of what we have in the landcruiser if we sold it.

I always liked the look of the land rovers but they have been out of my budget both to acquire and keep up, I always hoped to pick up a defender 90 someday but the way gas prices are going that looks a little less attractive every year.

bkhallpass wrote: Joe, for $300 a month I'd rent a facility like that in a heart beat. Not going to happen in California. BKH

Even here in Rural NY I jumped on it in half a heartbeat. There are lots of old barns around but ones with concrete floors are more rare, and this one is under a mile from the house and about a mile and half from work.

More in the vain of this thread before this shop I was renting a self storage unit 10x32 ft for 179 a month, held the s10 and all the random stuff I have aquired that didnt fit anywhere else.

I store my boat in the garage, the cost being that my 2006 truck, which has far more value, has never spent a night under cover. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense other than I like having the boat where I can get to it for winter projects & measurements, and I don't like having constrictive time restraints for pick up and drop off of the boat such as "There are about 20 boats in front of yours so you can't get to it until May". The boat is such a crazy expense that it's also nice to eyeball it over the winter to remind yourself of how great it is.

jbear wrote: think I will stick with mine...'96 with carbs and cables... john

That's what I say about new ski boats.

Lake: Those guys must really like you...a person could get beat-up in the past for wearing a Harley shirt while riding brandx. Glad you are wearing it tho...hope you think of the jbear when you pull it on.

Mojo: gotta agree...drive by wire...c'mon.

john

Storage: my garage
Price: my truck in the drive--I can't talk my wife into leaving her car out. On second thought, I haven't even asked her to consider it.

Jbear: I've been wearing that Harley shirt while driving my . . . other named bike, even ride with some HD guys from time to time.

Chuck

Mike: Sorry I missed this for a few days.

Sounds like you had a great first year. Now time to catch up on everything else. Plus relax a bit.

Seen the new Harleys at Ridge Harley in Lake Wales. Kinda hard to believe where they are goin'.......think I will stick with mine...'96 with carbs and cables...rides the way you wanna...gotta feel the road.

john

My wifes family has a industrial sales company, heated warehouse: free!

harleys are still air cooled?? no radiator?

$1 per foot per month. If you pay up front you get one month free! Farmer advertized in the local paper.

I have the 23' cuddy and a 20' Hydrodyne flat top stored there for $215 total for 6 months. He even covers all the boats and motor homes with plastic. It's full.

   Thanks Eric. I know what i'll be doing all winter....catching up on all the stuff I put off this summer because of work .

    On a side note,I took in my first 2008 Harley at the shop today.Only 35 miles on it,owners looking to have a bunch of stuff done.Took a real good look at it.....Isolated drive system,throttle by wire(no throttle cables on a motorcycle??),anti lock brakes....What's next?antifreeze? Looks like the beginning of the end for the Motor Company

   Sorry guys, Didn't mean to get back off the storage subject

     Mike


   

JBear,

Great.Thanks for asking.We put over 350 bikes through the shop since Feb.,That's alotta work for one guy.It's slowing down now,everyone's packing it in for the year.....gettin cold up here!


      Mike

   I paid $235 last year at the local fairground.Inside,dry ,concrete floor,no heat.
   I checked into a place 3 miles from my house this year that was $50 a foot,but it was heated to 65 degrees,with alarm system and sprinkler system.
    I'm clearing land now to build a new garage at my house to permenantly solve that issue for next year
   
   Mike

I'm paying &235.00 from Oct. to March in a closed building with a cement floor at the county fairgrounds here in Indy.