Need info on body removal. (1 Viewer)

[Dustin Tomlinson]

I own a 1973 fj40 and am in need of advice. I want to take the body off. I want to make sure i am going to be properly combating the frame rust and the undercarriage rust by doing so. Though i have moderate knowledge when it comes to mechanics i am unfamiliar with taking off the body of a 40 . So i am worried and also unenlightened on how to easily take off the body. Any advice would be appreciated. I am making this truck my project so i will frequently be asking questions and hope for solid advice. I will be posting pictures soon as well. I am a new member to IH8MUD and am excited to see some helpful responses. Thank you

 

[Ambrew]

Welcome to Mud'! Spend some time looking at build threads and you will get a good idea of what is involved. Many people have done this before and you can learn a lot from their mistakes.While most of taking it apart is pretty simple, some small details like bracing your tub prior to removal can avoid a lot of headaches. Search is your friend!

Post up some pics when you have a chance!

 

[78fj40mg]

Welcome!

Start here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/search/1942494/?q=tub+removal&o=relevance&c[node]=8

 

[bikersmurf]

Tub: 12 bolts, wires @ 3 or 4 points, two brake lines, steering, shifters, fuel lines. Easy to do in an afternoon. Worth doing.

I pulled the front fenders, hood etc, and lifted the tub off using the biggest engine hoist I had access to.

 

[thebigredrocker]

I'm assuming you've found lots of tips on rusty bolt removal, that might be where you spend most of your time in the removal process. I would make sure you put your bolts in zip-loc bags as you remove them, write on the bag with a sharpie or better yet a piece of paper folded in the bag to prevent fading. I'll post a link to my unsafe method of tub removal below. The Home Depot had some Strap Pullers that I found quite handy. They allowed my to slowly lift the tub and slowly lower it onto sawhorses. I did have to use a couple conventional ratchet straps(I only had two "strap pullers" at the time). I used compression straps along side the ratchet straps for the lowering. 4 strap pullers would have been waaay better. I had to tie a loop in the flat yellow strap to shorten it and used shackles through the loop and then into my ceiling eye bolts. Obviously, you need to make sure you get your eye bolts into your trusses securely. I just pre-drilled and screwed my eye bolts in. Probably using threaded style eye bolts with thick washers/nuts would have been safer. My trusses are just 2x4's. Keeping the tub balanced as you raise/lower is probably key in distributing the weight. Keep in mind I'm just a knucklehead who has a guardian angel. I'm no structural engineer/mechanic, so my tub removal "without incident" is probably just pure luck. If you can round up 4 ornery bastards, that would be the quickest/easiest route. A minimum of 6 half committed/inebriated regular guys would also be an option. Here's a link(hopefully) and a picture of the strap puller I used.

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/how-to-flip-a-tub-by-yourself.784702/#post-8921606

 

[Dustin Tomlinson]

Thanks for all the info and the links. Unfortunately i don't have access to a garage at the moment and am working on the truck in sub zero temperatures ( Life long Alaskan). So sadly i will have to take my time with working on the truck. I would like to pressure wash it before i started working on it more but if i tried that in -20F it would freeze almost instantly. So instead i wanted to learn what i will need ( a complete list of parts) to convert my three speed to the newer 40's four speed. Thank again for the info and links.

 

[bikersmurf]

You can use your current clutch, etc.

You'll need a 4speed belhousings, trans, driveshafts front & rear (4 speed lengths).

 

[thebigredrocker]

Dang, that's cold. I only read the part about "I want to take the body off" Thaw that camera out, Guys are gonna be asking to see pics in the morning. There will not doubt be some experts chime in on transmission swaps(edit: Bikersmurph is on it and posted while I was pecking away at my keyboard). I also got the impression from your initial post you want to do something with the frame and you are thinking about undercoating the tub. If I could have a do over, I would have my frame and tub sandblasted. I would Galvanize my frame. It gets dipped and every nook and cranny gets covered. It was a bugger to completely coat the inside of the frame rails for this rookie. If you don't have painting experience and decide to spray POR-15 or Chassis saver I would recommend having someone who knows how to properly thin it and how to dial in a spray gun help you or just bite the bullet and pay a pro to do it right the first time. I found that after attempting to spray POR-15 myself I felt like I had just pissed in the wind. If you are wanting a quick and effective rust preventative I've read that Waxoyl is a simple solution. I scraped & sanded my tub by hand which was very time consuming. Never again will I attempt that and I have a decent garage to work in. I can't imagine doing all the frame and underside prep work in your harsh environment. I say all that with the upmost respect that you are a rugged Alaskan and if you decide to do the prep work yourself I'll be rooting for you. I am sure am happy I had a pro Line-X my underside. That cost me $500 including the firewall. Make sure you run bolts in all your tubs bolt holes before undercoating if you ever decide to go with Line-X. It's tough stuff and quite time consuming to run a tap through every nut welded to the frame. Luckily I took my time and didn't mess up any threads. I wish you the best.

 

[toyotaspeed90]

To spray thicker paints (like zero rust or por15) you need a siphon feed gun.... you barely have to thin it. Most gravity fed (usually called HVLP) don't have nozzles wide enough for thicker sprays. I had no problems with my cheapo gun. Getting inside the rails is interesting.

 

[Dustin Tomlinson]

Thanks for the tips everyone! Along with the bell housing and 4speed trans and drive shaft i hear i also need a flywheel, pressure plate and clutch assembly, Clutch fork and pivot transfer case. Do i need any of those really? i plan on using the original three speed transfer case and everything original as i can but i need specifics. I am a great bolt turner and a imaginative tinkerer but not a full blow mechanic in any regard so unfortunately i don't know the process. I will be trying to get a hold a Toyota group up here in Alaska called green tree fabrication and hopefully they may be of some help in find all the parts i need. Though for some reference here are some pic of the environment i am working in right now. Also, sorry about not taking more in depth pictures as you can see I didn't want to stay outside for too long.

 

[musthave]

@Dustin Tomlinson Just read this, curious how the removal went.