socal cruiser peeps needs our help!

[orangefj45]

hey guys.

i know a lot of you have seen this already but i thought that starting a new thread would help out a lot.

our fellow cruiserhead gene aka "land cruiser junky" got in a pretty bad accident less than a week ago. he made it thru with a few bumps and bruises, but his FJ35LV met it's demise; saving gene's life in the process.
gene's situation has been challenging to say the least. his wife has been ill for two years or more and has not been able to work. he has three boys and does what he can to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. this has been difficult, even though gene is a hard worker and a stand-up dude. i know so from first hand experience. so there's no way he will be able to replace the LV anytime soon or in the forseeable future.
so i thought it'd be a good idea for all of us to chip in and make sure he get's back into a wagon. if you don't know gene or his rig, then take a look at this thread:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-...ject-fj35.html

here's a link to the accident thread as well; the pics speak for themselves:

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-...ned-60mph.html

in order to get gene driving his beloved LV again, we're trying to find parts and donations to resurect his wagon by using it as a donor vehicle and transplanting all the useable parts into another wagon. looks like we have located a rolling body and the powertrain from the donor rig is good. but we'll need lots of odds and ends so pease help out if you can!

there are three ways in which you can help this great cause:

1) make a donation to the "recovery fund". you can do so via paypal at
fj35lv4gene@yahoo.com
if you're not comfortable with using paypal, then you're welcome to send money orders or checks to me. please pm me and i'll get yu all the pertenant info.
2) donate some of your cruiser parts. we will poost up a list of things needed. you can pm me about parts as well.
3) if do not have any extra spending cash or parts that would work for the project, then how about putting some of your old not-needed cruiser parts up for sale in the "for sale section" on the online forums or even on ebay. have the buyer pay for the parts via paypal into the recovery fund. won't cost you anything, you'll help make this happen and it'll help un-clutter your garage some!

thanks in advance, gene knows about this and has been very touched by the donations and well wishes so please keep them coming. i know we can make this happen!

the "resurection" will take place in just over a month, probably in early june. we plan on gathering parts and money until then. once everything is lined up, we'll be doing a work weekend in socal at mark A's shop. so we also need volunteers to come make this happen. so far, we have about a dozen guys willing to show up and work. we're hoping to do the entire job in one weekend. sounds like a col challenge to me........

thanks again, we appreciate your help!!!!!!!

[fj40forlife]

Ya a parts list would be great if you could get use one
I may have messed it but where does this guy live at?


Eric

[orangefj45]

thanks for the reply eric.
gene lives in the L.A. area. i will be going there for the "resurection" since i have to transport a pair of axles that i will be rebuilding for the rig down there. so if anybody in norcal has something to contribute, i'll be happy to take the parts with me.

[slickrock]

post a list as soon as possible Georg. Many Cruiser Club monthly meetings will be happening this week since the first is tomorrow. If we have a list, maybe we could track down a few parts and send them your way.

[fj40forlife]

Originally Posted by orangefj45

thanks for the reply eric.
gene lives in the L.A. area. i will be going there for the "resurection" since i have to transport a pair of axles that i will be rebuilding for the rig down there. so if anybody in norcal has something to contribute, i'll be happy to take the parts with me.

Oh okay. I havent read if they say a date on when they going to get together. but im willing to go down and help you guys if you need help. just let me know. Im not to far from LA country

Originally Posted by slickrock

post a list as soon as possible Georg. Many Cruiser Club monthly meetings will be happening this week since the first is tomorrow. If we have a list, maybe we could track down a few parts and send them your way.

true. ill post this in ours its this sunday.

[coolcruiserfj40]

whens the build date ill drive the buggy over and bring hookers for support

[Rockzar]

super big bummer. Glad youre okay. Sorry for your loss.
I dont have time or parts to donate, but will chip in (for beer money??) once the link for that is up.
sorry dude!

-Dustin

[orangefj45]

Originally Posted by Rockzar

super big bummer. Glad youre okay. Sorry for your loss.
I dont have time or parts to donate, but will chip in (for beer money??) once the link for that is up.
sorry dude!

-Dustin

thanks dustin!
paypal at fj35lv4gene@yahoo.com

[orangefj45]

quick update. we managed to score another LV and enough parts and $s to get gene rolling again. this past weekend we put the rig together in socal at mark's shop. lots of guys helped out; turned out great!

thanks again for all the support; this could'nt have happened otherwise!

[orangefj45]

we had a total of 6 fj45s at the event. here's the LV group shot. dave berry's on the left, gene's new rig in the middle and the totalled 45 on the right. that's gene walking in front of dave's 45.

good times!

[fj40forlife]

was a fun busy weekend. nice to met you G

[orangefj45]

you too eric! thanks again for coming over and helping out!

[bkfj55]

amazing! definitely some cruiser karma to go around...


bk

[one 55 guy]

you guys are ausome THATS GOING TO BE A NICE WAGON !! GREAT JOB GUYS !!

[orangefj45]

with any luck he'll be at the 45 run this year.

[fj40charles]

Nice work George and everyone else that helped. People like you is what makes the Cruiser community very special.

[landcrusher909]

It was amazing

[fj40forlife]

so purty

this just remebers me. i havent gone to marks to pick up my tables
eric

[DHONDAGOD]

Copy and paste from this thread on 'MUD

http://forum.ih8mud.com/fj45-owners-...-new-lv-9.html

This is quoted from Gene and really speaks volumes for the heart of this guy. Never met him before this last weekend but it was my honor to be there for him. He and his wife have done a good job raising their boys. Sat when they were leaving they made it a point to go to each one of us and "thank us for helping their dad".

Made the trip for me...



Hey guys,
Just got home from bringing the LV from Mark's place. As I'm sure you guys have read, unfortunately the gas tank I had repaired has a leak directly above the exhaust so I couldn't drive it home.

Sorry it's taken so long to respond to this amazing weekend, but I sat down in front of the computer last night to post and found myself asleep in the chair about 20 minutes later.

Thanks to all of you who could come out, and everyone else that has joined us in many other ways. The work done this weekend was amazing both in quantity and quality. I must admit though guys, the real prize for me was to be able to work with all of you on a Land Cruiser for two days straight. As I told Mark today, there was just as much in this for me to now be able to put a face and personality with the handles and avitars I've been looking at for so long. You guys were all awesome and it was a real honor to have you guys working on my rig.

First off I want to thank Georg. Although he won't take any credit for it, he is where this all started. He sent me a PM asking if I would even be up for another project after losing my LV, and then put it all in motion. You all know what he's done as far as Cruiser parts during this project, but he's also been a great encouragement throughout this whole thing right up to a late call at home last night. Georg is one stand up guy and I've respected him since the day I met him.

And then how do you properly say "thank you" to a guy who doesn't know you from Adam, but gives you a vehicle. . . and not just any vehicle, but the very rare LV. Eric, what you have done will affect my entire family for the rest of our lives. Your generousity is seldom seen. Thank you for your gifts this weekend as well. They say a lot about the man you are. It's gonna take some time, but I promise you, I will put the same kind of care and quality into finishing this LV as these guys put into it mechanically this weekend. You'll be proud of it when it's finished.

And of course Mark, who came to my house the day he heard of the accident, offered up his shop for this build (which kept things running due to needed parts being just a few seconds away), put hours and hours of his own time into both dismantling my old LV and building up my new one before the work party, is a font of Land Cruiser knowledge and has always shared that with me though the years I've known him, and orchestrated the work that went on this weekend.

To all of you who were able to come to the build let me say, I'd wheel, wrench, and put down a beer with any of you any time. YOU GUYS WERE ALL GREAT!!! Quality guys who put out quality work. To all of you that couldn't make it, these guys and their work were top notch.

Chris, it was a real pleasure meeting you and working with you. Thanks for your hard work and advice. I was confident with your guidence and all your experience at welding. Georg, Simon, Art, David, Conor, and Dan (D'Animal), thanks for all the work with the axles, brake lines and suspension, along with all of the other stuff you jumped into. Conor, thanks for being willing to get into some of the dirtiest work on the project. Dan, you're a bull. Thanks for all you did. John (Colangut), thanks for all the work and advice also, and for your offer to teach me to weld. I'll be calling you for some classes. Maybe we can meet over at Art's place. Art (Wasabi) and Dan (Dan HJ-45) thank you for the care and custom job you did on the wiring harness especially, but also for all the other stuff you did. I have always been a little concerned about the old wiring, but now I'll drive and not worry about packing the marshmellows. You guys did a beautiful job! Dan, thanks for driving all the way out from New Mexico, and for the pics you posted of me and my new favorite car ("The Golden Turd"). Eric (FJ40forlife) thanks for all of your hard work and for hanging out to the very end. You were all over the place and I really appreciate all you did for this project. Mike (FJ45Dude), the same to you. Thanks for your hard work and for staying late even though you had to drive back to Arizona. John (Calico) thanks for not only wrenching all weekend, but also for the use of your generator which we couldn't have finished the project without. Once the LV is ready for it, I want to hit Calico with you. Thanks again for the calico bag too. Dave (66LV), The first to get there and the last to leave. You were everywhere and we all benefitted from your hard work and knowledge. I look forward to seeing you on the trail. Rob (Landcrusher909), the man who delivered this LV to my house, what a pleasure seeing you again and thanks for your hard work and willingness to work all day Saturday, even though you had to work all night Saturday night. Steve (Owensexport), what can I say? Thanks again for making three tow trips out to make this happen . . . oh, and sorry about crashing your old LV. John (Livinginthepast), good to meet you and thank you for the vintage wiper switch for my LV. I'll fix it up and get it installed soon. Tim, it was good seeing you again. Thanks for coming out and helping us get it done. Did I forget anyone? I sure hope not. If I did, Please forgive me. I'm going of the top of my head after three weeks of almost no sleep to get the LV ready for this build.

I would also like to thank Eric Goebler and his family. He wanted to be here for the build, but the distance was too far. Instead, he and his family sent a new Smittybuilt XRC10 electric winch with a pull line of 10,000 pounds to my house. I will proudly wear that on the front of the LV. Thanks also to John Pardi for the oil pan sent for the build. I kept the note you sent in the pan John, Thanks.

Now, I would like to thank all of you for something else. Nothing means more to me than my family. Nothing. You probably haven't thought of this, but you, this Land Cruiser Community, have had such an impact on my family, especially on my boys. They know how much I love the Toyota Land Cruiser. They have seen pictures of me in my teens (now I'm almost 50) driving one. At the age of 5 they could tell the difference between a Cruiser and a Jeep. My wife explained to my boys that I didn't know most of you before this weekend, and that you all came from a far distance to build their dad another Cruiser. When they showed up to deliver dinner on Saturday, you all were like a swarm of bees building this and fixing that and they got to see it first hand. I have told them myself how all of you have stepped up selflessly to help someone you didn't even know, but when they saw you working on Saturday night, they really got it. What a great example you guys are. This is probably the greatest example of giving outside of our family that they have ever seen. Thank you all so much.

I look forward to the years ahead getting to know all of you. Thanks for putting me back in a LV again guys. I wouldn't want to be driving any other vehicle.

Gene



Gene, my offer stands on the floors and exhaust...

Chris

[DHONDAGOD]

Pics from my camera before it died...

[DHONDAGOD]

mmm

[DHONDAGOD]

.

[DHONDAGOD]

Gene received a gift that was FedEx'd overnight to Marks Offroad.

It contained a letter which Gene read to everyone explaining the contents and their meanings. First was two heart-shaped plaques with Genes family's names on them. One made of glass (for home?) and another made of steel with angles wings attatched. Hopefully Gene can find a place on the cruiser for it.

Next (which I dont have a pic of due to the camera dieing) is of a mulit-tool built in 1943(?) for pilots. Pretty cool piece of history that was given as a gift for Gene to keep in his cruiser.

Forgive me for not mentioning the person who sent it but I dont remember exactly and I dont want to guess. Hopefully someone will chime in soon with the correct name to give credit where credit is due.

It was a pleasure meeting everyone there and being able to participate in this project.


Chris

[orangefj45]

the overnight package came from eric C. the same eric C who donated the "new" LV!!!!!!!!!

[71fj40]

wow, you guys are awesome!! Way to come together for someone when they are down, I am impressed.