It’s finally warming up in the mountains of Colorado and we are excited to get out and enjoy the outdoors! Our favorite event, Cruise Moab is right around the corner and we are heading there with 2 newly completed restorations that will look great on the rocks in Moab, Utah.
The first is a custom FJ40 build destined for the Florida Keys. It features a 10” stretched Aqualu tub with PRLC custom hard top to match. The suspension is a PRLC shackle reversal and OME 2.5” lift up front, with an in-house built 4 link suspension in the rear. Power comes from a Cummins R2.8 mated to a Toyota H55F 5 speed manual transmission. This rig also features: ARB locking differentials front and rear, a dual ARB compressor, a PRLC / Tuffy center console with wireless charging, full leather seating, Dakota Digital instrumentation, and Vintage Gen IV AC. A pair of Proffitt’s custom bumpers cap off the ends and an EZ Awn K9 roof rack sits on top. This awesome stage 3 restoration is rolling on the new Nomad Convoy wheels and 33” BFG all terrains. Watch for an episode of Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers TV featuring this beautiful build next month!
Another rig to roll out of the shop just before Cruise Moab is this awesome FJ60 stage 3 restoration built on an FJ80 chassis. There is no denying that this combination offers the best of both worlds. The superior FZJ80 steering and suspension makes the more classic looking FJ60 much more enjoyable to drive on and off road. This hybrid of two models also features a Cummins R2.8, but with an 8 speed automatic transmission. Other features of this FJ60 include ARB locking differentials, chromoly axles, a premium stereo system, and a PRLC / Tuffy center console. The interior is all new with leather seating, and the addition of a custom 6 point roll cage. The bumpers are both custom Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruiser’s (by Alex) creations just for this build. Watch for another episode of Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers TV featuring this build, and of course both of these Land Cruisers will receive full photo shoots and hit the web site soon! (I’m sorry about the one headrest up and one down thing…did you notice? very much not my style not to notice it and fix it before I snapped a photo, but I was in a hurry!)
JP’s Corner
My personal ramblings about this and that.
When to keep my mouth shut.
I got myself into trouble a few weeks ago by calling out some of the details of a bad paint job on a vehicle that was for sale on Bring A Trailer. I was asked to look at the FJ40 by a client, and when I saw the hackery that had been done to the poor cruiser, I just couldn’t keep my mouth shut. I pointed out lots of problems, referencing some of the pictures in the auction, and was very candid in my evaluation. My comments were mostly negative, but I did end with some of the positive aspects of the rig. There were a couple of mildly supportive comments about my post, and the auction proceeded. When it ended, the then angry seller accused me of robbing him of a fair auction. He even took the time to call me and confront me about it, stating that my comments had lowered the auction results and that I had cost him thousands of dollars. He asked me why had I decided to call out publicly things that were wrong with only the car he was selling, and not others?
He was right, I had singled his car out. Why? I guess because I was already there and had looked it over. Nobody was mentioning the obvious issues with the vehicle and I guess I thought I needed to. Should I have? I’ve thought about it a lot actually and I still don’t have an answer. I even called a trusted friend in the industry to get his feelings about what I had done. He told me that he never made comments on a public forum like BaT that would “take money out of somebody’s pocket”. That’s good advice, but what about the buyer’s pockets? Isn’t paying too much for something also bad? It’s important for me because I’m so passionate about these vehicles. I definitely understand an individual’s drive to fix up his or her own car, but I hate to see poor workmanship. This is especially the case when the bad work actually takes the cruiser backwards in it’s journey to be nice (as was the case with the before mentioned FJ40). When these cars hit the market, it seems like somebody should be there pointing out this kind of work.
But it’s probably not going to be me…I’ve decided that even though I’d like to, I shouldn’t make any more public comments on BaT about cruisers that are for sale there. I don’t have the time to evaluate them all, and singling out one or two here and there will only produce undesirable results and hurt feelings. Another friend disagrees, and told me that without people like me who presumably know that they are talking about to carry the torch, people will continue to get ripped off. For now, I’m done trying in public. BaT and a few (dozen) misleading sellers will be happy. I am, as always, happy to provide private feedback about any Toyota Land Cruiser that’s for sale anywhere for a prospective buyer free of charge…just ask!
As always, feel free to comment on this and express your opinion. We turn off the commenting after a few days because that’s when the spammers find the carcass and start feeding!
Jeremiah Proffitt
In this world of lovers and haters, you’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. I am an employer in Washington state, and after reading your post, I feel the same way when somebody asks for a referral for either a past employee or somebody who can do some contracting work. If you say they’re good and they don’t turn out, you’re a bad guy. If you say they’re bad and they don’t get the job then you’re again a bad guy. It’s really a no-win situation, and the world has gotten to sensitive about all of this. I am a car guy and I’ve had a number of FJ 40, and I really do appreciate somebody like yourself who is willing to step up and tell it like it is. There are too many crooks out there willing to take a vantage of a poor unassuming Newbie, trying to get in a vintage or collectible car.
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