I'm a dad of 4 kids. Since my first son was born, I planned on someday, when the time was right, to rebuild a car chosen by that child. For me, that time has come.
My oldest son is 13, and he has looked forward to the day that we could start working on his car together. Although maybe a year or so premature, he decided that he wanted a 70's FJ 40 for his project, and it so happened that a family friend who has owned his for 30 years was willing to send it to a good home.
So this past weekend, we hauled this '76 FJ from Colorado to it's new home in Heber City Utah.
Here's the thing, although I certainly have some limited experience in mechanics (I rebuild a '69 Mustang as a kid), as I read through all the Mudder projects over the past few months, I'm quickly realizing that I don't have an fraction of the knowledge about how to tackle this project compared to others! To say I feel overwhelmed is an understatement
So I'm hoping that you guys can get me started on the right foot. Before I remove, grind, or replace anything, I am taking the next couple of months with my son to ensure that he understand how the truck works, what the different parts of the engine are, etc. So that gives me a couple months to really outline a rebuild strategy (hopefully with your help)
Here are some things I know for sure.
1) I want to replace the tub with an Aluminum one.
2) I want to install a power steering pump.
3) I want to keep the original 2F engine.
Outside of that, anything is up for discussion.
So knowing that on a scale of 10, I'm probably a 4 on the mechanically inclined scale, and knowing that my primary purpose is to spend some quality time with my son, what would be your rebuild strategy. What would you do, what would you have someone else do? What are the "musts" in a rebuild, and what are the "would be nice, but not necessary" items? Although cost is always a factor, I'd love to hear recommendations not taking price into consideration (of course I'm not looking to build an ICON, or anything like that.) Basically if there are items that you would say are a "must do", but require a mechanic level 7, then I'd love to know that and plan on having a mechanic do that for me.
Thanks Mud community!
My oldest son is 13, and he has looked forward to the day that we could start working on his car together. Although maybe a year or so premature, he decided that he wanted a 70's FJ 40 for his project, and it so happened that a family friend who has owned his for 30 years was willing to send it to a good home.
So this past weekend, we hauled this '76 FJ from Colorado to it's new home in Heber City Utah.
Here's the thing, although I certainly have some limited experience in mechanics (I rebuild a '69 Mustang as a kid), as I read through all the Mudder projects over the past few months, I'm quickly realizing that I don't have an fraction of the knowledge about how to tackle this project compared to others! To say I feel overwhelmed is an understatement
So I'm hoping that you guys can get me started on the right foot. Before I remove, grind, or replace anything, I am taking the next couple of months with my son to ensure that he understand how the truck works, what the different parts of the engine are, etc. So that gives me a couple months to really outline a rebuild strategy (hopefully with your help)
Here are some things I know for sure.
1) I want to replace the tub with an Aluminum one.
2) I want to install a power steering pump.
3) I want to keep the original 2F engine.
Outside of that, anything is up for discussion.
So knowing that on a scale of 10, I'm probably a 4 on the mechanically inclined scale, and knowing that my primary purpose is to spend some quality time with my son, what would be your rebuild strategy. What would you do, what would you have someone else do? What are the "musts" in a rebuild, and what are the "would be nice, but not necessary" items? Although cost is always a factor, I'd love to hear recommendations not taking price into consideration (of course I'm not looking to build an ICON, or anything like that.) Basically if there are items that you would say are a "must do", but require a mechanic level 7, then I'd love to know that and plan on having a mechanic do that for me.
Thanks Mud community!
Last edited: