[greavesyzook]

Going to look at an lj50 today never owned one only Sierra's. What do I look for??

[Eddy]

It's forty years old, so really everything's gunna be a bit tired, unless it's been hidden in a shed unused for thirty years.
It will come down to what you are prepared / able to do in the way of fixups.
If you're ok on body work, a little bit of rust is ok, if you're a wizard on body work you can accept a couple big holes in the floor.
They mostly rust out in the sill panels, and around the body mounts.
If the motor runs it's good, if not, it needs to turn freely by hand. You should be able to grab the HB pulley and turn the motor over.
Main PITA are the front brake drums. They do double duty as the wheel hub, so if they're loose on the spline they'll need replacing, unless you know a good machinist who could run you up a set of spline inserts.

As for the "how much to pay?" question .... A bit less than what they're asking and more than you hoped. It's pretty much a seller's market.

[greavesyzook]

Yeah I know how much it's worth and this one has been hidden in a shed for 23 years actually and it's in mint condition to look at lol I was wondering what are the hidden things thanks for ya advice

[Gwagensteve]

If it really is mint, check for the factory oil tank (roughly where the battery is a Sierra) and 2 stroke oil system. This is often missing and difficult to source if you want to keep the car in factory condition.

[MrRocky]

As opposed to 4 strokes smoke is what you want to see with a 50. Not a stupid amount but remember thats what lubricates the motor instead of a sump full of oil.
Dont expect anything in the braking department, even with all new componetry they are best described as inadequate.
Your not looking a a new car and the longer its sat you can expect every seal in the car to need replacing.
Buy one because you want one dont nitpick when it comes to small stuff. If its complete minimal/no rust and straight then for 5k or under consider it a bargain.
Consider that only two or three mint examples come up for sale australia wide every year. As mentioned, its not a buyers market when it comes to lj's

[greavesyzook]

It sold for 8000

[greyghost]

sorry that is gone at that price it was probably quite good, but ill add my tech for others.


one hidden thing is a bent chassis, look at the panel gap at the back edge of the bonnet and where the front guard meets the fire-wall.
this gap should be even top to bottom.

if its sat for a long time the engine seals could be shot, listen for piston "slap" (sounds a bit like pinking) big $$$ to fix, cause you have to find someone to seperate the crank, so you can replace all the bearings. usually cheaper to find a new motor.
expect the shocks and every bush in the suspension to be garbage as well, and remember that they have a different size spring bush to sierra's

the big one is steering, the J arm bush is always flogged out, you'll have to get one made. I found another J arm with a good bush, but it only lasted a few months and I only around drive my place, so no real use to speak of. and now I need to get a bush made as these are NLA.
all the ball joints will also be toast, and the only ones you'll have trouble sourcing is the arm from the steering box to the J arm, as it too NLA.

and finally rust, if its a rag-top it will be mega rusty, if its a tin top the floors will have rust, so will the join in the side panel where the top half meets the bottom under the side windows. the roof above the rear door will have some as will the bottom of the A pillar, especially around the cab mount.

[ZUZUKI]

This has to be the same car that I had a call from a guy wanting to know if doors & a roof (fabric) was available, so I guess it was/is a soft top.
I'll ring him on Monday to see if he was the $8k buyer. He has recently started to get into Suzukis', but up to this point was mainly 1.0litre, including a couple of LWB cab / chassis traybacks.
Rgs, Michael