1978 Restoration (the best I can...)

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:25 PM

Well, I've been wanting to do this since I bought my 78 almost 2 years ago, so I've finally decided it was time. I really hope you guys help me out a lot; I'm going to need it. I know vertually nothing about cars and trucks, so I think this is going to be a GREAT learning experience for me. So here goes nothing!

This is definately intimidating.
Before pics:

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:42 PM

Now, to take it apart. Don't worry, I'm documenting where everything went with pictures (tons) and i'm also writing down notes.
Here are a couple pics so far:

mikedickbek · 03-11-07, 09:48 PM

A couple more:
I found that the PO used nickles, dimes and pennies to cover up small holes in the tub before he layed down the bed liner. ha ha ha. By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money!
In the picture of the fresh metal, do you think that could be the stock metal? I just peeled up the bed liner stuff by hand (I guess I'm pretty lucky to be able to do that) and found it looking pretty new.

freightdog · 03-11-07, 09:51 PM

I am enjoying the pic's

Great job!

rockcod · 03-11-07, 11:13 PM

"By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money!"

HAHAHA, Right, cuisers are money sponges!!!!!

I like the gas tank you have, how many gallons and who makes it? I am in the process of doing the same thing, looking good keep after it.

90 Weight · 03-12-07, 01:26 PM

sweet man. im looking forward to watching your project progress..... Looks like you have a nice clean cruiser to start off with!

So whats the plan? Trailer rig? DD?

CruiserFetish.com · 03-12-07, 03:49 PM

Mike, must have gotten moved alright and HI looks a might bit warmer than the last pic. I look forward to seeing your progress, I too am working on a 78 so I will be following your thread!

ProvoCruiser · 03-12-07, 04:36 PM

mike, great looking cruiser. been working on my 78 for a few months now. lots of money, time, frustration and yes lots of fun. but i dont regret it. good luck!

apeterson · 03-12-07, 06:51 PM

keep it up... keep the pics coming... wish I had a 78....

mikedickbek · 03-13-07, 12:50 AM

Thanks guys.
Eli, my plans are to make it basically a daily driver that do some wheeling when I've got the time. I'm a half hour walk from work, so since I don't NEED a car I'll have the time (probably not the money) to do it decently well. The wife uses the Tacoma for work, so I'll need a good pair of flip flops for my commuting.
Another reason I'm doing this is to be able to pass the safety inspections here. They're brutal. When I got the truck here, I took it to a local place to get the inspection done, and upon seing the truck and the half assed body lift the po did, I got laughed off the lot. So with that and some strange noises the front axle's making, I decided that now's the time to tackle this. I know it's going to take a long time though... no speed records like you did with yours. You definately inspired me to do this though. I'll make sure to tell my wife that so she can tear your ass. ha ha ha ha ha.
Cruiserfetish, thanks again for the shirts. Still wear them all the time.
Well, back to the garage...

TLCHopII · 03-13-07, 02:02 AM

Hello Mike,

My shop is at your disposal! Migs, tigs and stick welders; metal formin equip up to 16ga.; torches; some structural steel shapes (no DOM at this time); sources for all; lots of low end hardware (light on the grade 8 stuff - bought for jobs only) Lots of flat concrete and layout tables. Have a couple really savy freinds who would likely jump in if allowed!

Let me know what you need. I'll be makin some rock sliders for MikeHI H2 soon . If box tube, angle & shaped steel are what you need maybe we could get some of yours outa the way at the same time!

Dave

rabid · 03-13-07, 06:23 AM

to the above shop owner.

I love this board for that very reason.

Good luck with the build, she looks to be in great shape.

Suarez0523 · 03-13-07, 09:06 AM

Cool pics man, looking foward to more.

BTW, if you ever want to get rid of your Bull Bar I am first in line. I have been looking for one of those suckers for a while and no luck.

mikedickbek · 03-14-07, 03:30 PM

Rockcod I'll check on those tank specs for you when I get home tonight.
HopII, thanks so much for the offer. I've never welded before, but would love to learn.
As for the project, I've been keeping myself busy taking it apart. My wife is hating that thing more and more every day. It seems like it's been taking forever... each bolt I try to remove presents a whole new set of challanges. It'll be nice to put it back together and at least be consistant with things unlike the po.
Thanks for the comments and help guys,
Mike

90 Weight · 03-14-07, 05:17 PM

Its good your taking your time while taking it apart.... I remeber (or lack of memory) the night we tore it down....we all got pretty hammered and then just took everything apart....with no order to it whatsoever! that was probably the biggest mistake of my whole build! Also another thing....im sure alot of people have told you this....but dont throw away anything until you have the replacement part in hand...I threw a bunch of "simple" stuff away thinking it would be easy to replace...apparently I missed the "Landcruiser" emblem on the side of the cruiser!

73fj · 03-14-07, 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedickbek

My wife is hating that thing more and more every day.
Mike

Welcome to my world dude!

TLCHopII · 03-15-07, 01:46 AM

Did I mention my previou s three cruisers?

18 years ago

New wife + new baby = bye bye land cruisers!
Regret it to this day! But we all make consesions. Still got the baby (18+ yrs old) and the wife just paid for my latest LandCruiser!

As for welding I'll U2U you on the next fab day/night.

TLCHopII · 03-15-07, 01:48 AM

FYI: Cruiserboy joined up on 4x4Boyz: he is great source for a plethera of used parts; he has three 40's of varying customization/condition. Did I mention he has allot of spare parts?

mikedickbek · 03-16-07, 01:58 AM

Small update. Tonight I've been removing the wiring harness. Not too hard considering I just installed it a couple months ago. Got the ventilation out and that allowed me to ge the tranny hump out... and to see how badly the hump was butchered to install.
In the picture of the tube type bar, you'll see one of the main reasons for this restoration: this was the body lift. On some of those tubes, the body was actually starting to lean forward off the frame. wtf.
in the other picture (with my hand) what's that little mount for? It's attached to the aft end of the battery tray where it attaches to the frame. Nothing was mounted on it.

mikedickbek · 03-16-07, 02:04 AM

OH yeah! Rockcod, I'm not sure of the size of my tank, but it looks just like this one http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.p...ank+long+range and it has LRA welded to the side of it. Don't know anything else about it. Hope that helps?

Trollhole · 03-16-07, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikedickbek

in the other picture (with my hand) what's that little mount for? It's attached to the aft end of the battery tray where it attaches to the frame. Nothing was mounted on it.

Fuel filter mount.

TLCHopII · 03-17-07, 01:43 AM

Mike

FYI:
recieved my cruiser today! It arrived a week early!
Do you need any help?

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:30 PM

Got the tub off the other day. It's starting to get crowded in that tiny ass garage. Here are a couple pics. Can you guys spot anything that's not normal with 40s? I was wondering about the rear shock location.
This is where the "(the best I can...)" part of my title comes into play. I've got it stripped down pretty good, and I know this is going to piss a lot of you off, but I'm not going to pull the engine. I don't have the facilities here to do that, so I'm going to just strip down the frame and engine, degrease it all, sand it and repaint everything. My budget for this build is really small, so I'm trying to do everything myself. I can't afford to take it to get sandblasted and such, so i'm going to have to buy a hefty resperator for sanding dust. ha ha.
I'm going to remove the axles and suspension and hopefully be able to get a 4" lift. I'll dig into the axles to find out what's wrong with the front passenger side also.
Well, here are some pics of where I sit now, so let me know if you see anything that's way out of place.
Thanks a lot.

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:31 PM

more

mikedickbek · 03-23-07, 07:32 PM

last two

03-11-07, 09:25 PM	#1
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	1978 Build-up (the best I can...) Well, I've been wanting to do this since I bought my 78 almost 2 years ago, so I've finally decided it was time. I really hope you guys help me out a lot; I'm going to need it. I know vertually nothing about cars and trucks, so I think this is going to be a GREAT learning experience for me. So here goes nothing! This is definately intimidating. Before pics: Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread Last edited by mikedickbek; 03-29-07 at 10:12 AM.

03-11-07, 09:42 PM	#2
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	Now, to take it apart. Don't worry, I'm documenting where everything went with pictures (tons) and i'm also writing down notes. Here are a couple pics so far: Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-11-07, 09:48 PM	#3
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	A couple more: I found that the PO used nickles, dimes and pennies to cover up small holes in the tub before he layed down the bed liner. ha ha ha. By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money! In the picture of the fresh metal, do you think that could be the stock metal? I just peeled up the bed liner stuff by hand (I guess I'm pretty lucky to be able to do that) and found it looking pretty new. Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-11-07, 09:51 PM	#4
freightdog IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Navajo Rez - AZ Posts: 710	I am enjoying the pic's Great job! __________________ "What ever fuckface, you cant deal with the real world or a real world job, keep hiding out on the rez living off your girl........." = priceless! as said by Calstyl2 http://www.myspace.com/cruiserhead

03-11-07, 11:13 PM	#5
rockcod IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Behind the Orange Curtain, CA TLCA# 3236 Posts: 654	"By the time i'm done with this project maybe I'll MAKE money!" HAHAHA, Right, cuisers are money sponges!!!!! I like the gas tank you have, how many gallons and who makes it? I am in the process of doing the same thing, looking good keep after it. __________________ Tony "Snotz" 63 FJ40 "Stubby" 67 FJ45LWB "Sully" 72 FJ40

03-12-07, 01:26 PM	#6
90 Weight IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Durango Colorado TLCA# 17115 Posts: 847	sweet man. im looking forward to watching your project progress..... Looks like you have a nice clean cruiser to start off with! So whats the plan? Trailer rig? DD? __________________ FOR SALE 1978 FJ40 ...Aqualu Alum tub, 35" MTR, TBI SBC 350, TH350, Painless, MT protection Buildup Thread: http://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series-tech/110920-my-first-landcruiser-78-frame-off-resofication.html "Id take a FJ40, IH Scout, or an Early Bronco over a jeep any day"- some guy on a jeep forum!

03-12-07, 03:49 PM	#7
CruiserFetish.com IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Grand Coulee, WA TLCA# 17244 Posts: 200	Mike, must have gotten moved alright and HI looks a might bit warmer than the last pic. I look forward to seeing your progress, I too am working on a 78 so I will be following your thread! __________________ Have a Cruiser Fetish? CruiserFetish.com. This site was created by one of the afflicted and dedicated to all who have the illness. "If you haven't owned one, you wouldn't get it!" RB

03-12-07, 04:36 PM	#8
ProvoCruiser IH8MUD Junior Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Utah TLCA# 17307 Posts: 90	mike, great looking cruiser. been working on my 78 for a few months now. lots of money, time, frustration and yes lots of fun. but i dont regret it. good luck! __________________ Red '78 FJ40

03-12-07, 06:51 PM	#9
apeterson IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Brainerd, Minnesota TLCA# 16605 Posts: 1,410	keep it up... keep the pics coming... wish I had a 78.... __________________ My weekend friends love Top Gun... (Gay yes I know) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHklGtW3rwU build thread http://forum.ih8mud.com/40-55-series...r-builder.html

03-13-07, 12:50 AM	#10
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	Thanks guys. Eli, my plans are to make it basically a daily driver that do some wheeling when I've got the time. I'm a half hour walk from work, so since I don't NEED a car I'll have the time (probably not the money) to do it decently well. The wife uses the Tacoma for work, so I'll need a good pair of flip flops for my commuting. Another reason I'm doing this is to be able to pass the safety inspections here. They're brutal. When I got the truck here, I took it to a local place to get the inspection done, and upon seing the truck and the half assed body lift the po did, I got laughed off the lot. So with that and some strange noises the front axle's making, I decided that now's the time to tackle this. I know it's going to take a long time though... no speed records like you did with yours. You definately inspired me to do this though. I'll make sure to tell my wife that so she can tear your ass. ha ha ha ha ha. Cruiserfetish, thanks again for the shirts. Still wear them all the time. Well, back to the garage... __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-13-07, 02:02 AM	#11
TLCHopII IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Honolulu TLCA# 17200 Posts: 379	Hello Mike, My shop is at your disposal! Migs, tigs and stick welders; metal formin equip up to 16ga.; torches; some structural steel shapes (no DOM at this time); sources for all; lots of low end hardware (light on the grade 8 stuff - bought for jobs only) Lots of flat concrete and layout tables. Have a couple really savy freinds who would likely jump in if allowed! Let me know what you need. I'll be makin some rock sliders for MikeHI H2 soon . If box tube, angle & shaped steel are what you need maybe we could get some of yours outa the way at the same time! Dave Last edited by TLCHopII; 03-13-07 at 02:04 AM. Reason: the word scrap is coming out as asteriscs?

03-13-07, 06:23 AM	#12
rabid IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bristol, VT Posts: 878	to the above shop owner. I love this board for that very reason. Good luck with the build, she looks to be in great shape.

03-13-07, 09:06 AM	#13
Suarez0523 IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Hockey Bay, USA!!!!!!!!!!! TLCA# 16729 Posts: 205	Cool pics man, looking foward to more. BTW, if you ever want to get rid of your Bull Bar I am first in line. I have been looking for one of those suckers for a while and no luck. __________________ 1974 40 Series Landcruiser. 4in lift, 35.5 tires, warn xd9000i, GM 400 V8 6.1l, Disc in the Rear... Damn Brodeur!

03-14-07, 03:30 PM	#14
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	Rockcod I'll check on those tank specs for you when I get home tonight. HopII, thanks so much for the offer. I've never welded before, but would love to learn. As for the project, I've been keeping myself busy taking it apart. My wife is hating that thing more and more every day. It seems like it's been taking forever... each bolt I try to remove presents a whole new set of challanges. It'll be nice to put it back together and at least be consistant with things unlike the po. Thanks for the comments and help guys, Mike __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-14-07, 05:17 PM	#15
90 Weight IH8MUD Addict Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Durango Colorado TLCA# 17115 Posts: 847	Its good your taking your time while taking it apart.... I remeber (or lack of memory) the night we tore it down....we all got pretty hammered and then just took everything apart....with no order to it whatsoever! that was probably the biggest mistake of my whole build! Also another thing....im sure alot of people have told you this....but dont throw away anything until you have the replacement part in hand...I threw a bunch of "simple" stuff away thinking it would be easy to replace...apparently I missed the "Landcruiser" emblem on the side of the cruiser! __________________ FOR SALE 1978 FJ40 ...Aqualu Alum tub, 35" MTR, TBI SBC 350, TH350, Painless, MT protection Buildup Thread: http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=110920 "Id take a FJ40, IH Scout, or an Early Bronco over a jeep any day"- some guy on a jeep forum!

03-15-07, 01:46 AM	#17
TLCHopII IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Honolulu TLCA# 17200 Posts: 379	Did I mention my previou s three cruisers? 18 years ago New wife + new baby = bye bye land cruisers! Regret it to this day! But we all make consesions. Still got the baby (18+ yrs old) and the wife just paid for my latest LandCruiser! As for welding I'll U2U you on the next fab day/night. __________________ 73' FJ40 www.4x4Boyz.com AlohaFJCruiser www.oahujeepers,com (good guys even if their taste in name doesn't necessarily reflect it! LoL) www.hawaii4x4association.org (promoting legal, responsible 4wheeling across the Hawaiian Islands)

03-15-07, 01:48 AM	#18
TLCHopII IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Honolulu TLCA# 17200 Posts: 379	FYI: Cruiserboy joined up on 4x4Boyz: he is great source for a plethera of used parts; he has three 40's of varying customization/condition. Did I mention he has allot of spare parts? __________________ 73' FJ40 www.4x4Boyz.com AlohaFJCruiser www.oahujeepers,com (good guys even if their taste in name doesn't necessarily reflect it! LoL) www.hawaii4x4association.org (promoting legal, responsible 4wheeling across the Hawaiian Islands)

03-16-07, 01:58 AM	#19
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	Small update. Tonight I've been removing the wiring harness. Not too hard considering I just installed it a couple months ago. Got the ventilation out and that allowed me to ge the tranny hump out... and to see how badly the hump was butchered to install. In the picture of the tube type bar, you'll see one of the main reasons for this restoration: this was the body lift. On some of those tubes, the body was actually starting to lean forward off the frame. wtf. in the other picture (with my hand) what's that little mount for? It's attached to the aft end of the battery tray where it attaches to the frame. Nothing was mounted on it. Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-16-07, 02:04 AM	#20
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	OH yeah! Rockcod, I'm not sure of the size of my tank, but it looks just like this one http://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.p...ank+long+range and it has LRA welded to the side of it. Don't know anything else about it. Hope that helps? __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-17-07, 01:43 AM	#22
TLCHopII IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Honolulu TLCA# 17200 Posts: 379	Mike FYI: recieved my cruiser today! It arrived a week early! Do you need any help? __________________ 73' FJ40 www.4x4Boyz.com AlohaFJCruiser www.oahujeepers,com (good guys even if their taste in name doesn't necessarily reflect it! LoL) www.hawaii4x4association.org (promoting legal, responsible 4wheeling across the Hawaiian Islands)

03-23-07, 07:30 PM	#23
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	Got the tub off the other day. It's starting to get crowded in that tiny ass garage. Here are a couple pics. Can you guys spot anything that's not normal with 40s? I was wondering about the rear shock location. This is where the "(the best I can...)" part of my title comes into play. I've got it stripped down pretty good, and I know this is going to piss a lot of you off, but I'm not going to pull the engine. I don't have the facilities here to do that, so I'm going to just strip down the frame and engine, degrease it all, sand it and repaint everything. My budget for this build is really small, so I'm trying to do everything myself. I can't afford to take it to get sandblasted and such, so i'm going to have to buy a hefty resperator for sanding dust. ha ha. I'm going to remove the axles and suspension and hopefully be able to get a 4" lift. I'll dig into the axles to find out what's wrong with the front passenger side also. Well, here are some pics of where I sit now, so let me know if you see anything that's way out of place. Thanks a lot. Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-23-07, 07:31 PM	#24
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	more Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread

03-23-07, 07:32 PM	#25
mikedickbek The Real Gunslinger Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Honolulu, HI Posts: 348	last two Attached Images __________________ ~Mike 1978 FJ40 2008 Highlander My Build-Up Thread