I recently purchased a '78 FJ40 from a fellow ONSC and MUD member, Adam Leidy. The cruiser is known affectionately by our club members as "The Crockpot." With Adam's nickname being "Meatball", it only made sense that his 40 would be named "Crockpot." After all, most times you see a meatball it is in a crockpot, right?
Here's a pic of Adam in the CP:
Anyway, the Crockpot is a truck that Adam's dad had out in California...purchased in the mid-'90's from Nevada and driven all over the West. As the story goes, the engine was tired and it was in need of a rebuild. Adam's dad chose to do a SB conversion and took it to a shop in Cali to do the work. For whatever reason the work never got done. The truck was partially disassembled and after months (maybe years) of waiting, Adam's dad had to go pick it up and drag it home. It sat for a long time (years) disassembled until Adam decided to make the trip from North Carolina out to California to save it. Adam trailered it back here to NC and with the help of club members, installed a running 2F and got it back on the road. Adam's emphasis was on getting the rig to the point where he could drive it around and have some fun on the trails with it. While the CP is a running and drivng rig, there is still a lot of unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. There is some rust (isn't there always?). There are some mechanical issues and the heater and all of it's components are in a box on the garage floor. There are some wiring issues that need to be sorted out. Most of all, there are lots of little bits and pieces that have been lost or broken over the years that need to be found, fixed or replaced. This thread will document my attempt to improve on the work done by Adam and other ONSC members to transform the Crockpot into a rig that is as at home in the church parking lot on Sunday as it is on the trails in our area. This will be a budget build. I will do things on the cheap as much as possible so that means that some of the work may not sit well with the purists among us and that's okay with me. I'd love to have a totally original low miles cruiser but unfortunately this rig is way past that and I don't have any illusions of trying to make it new again. I'm okay with just making it better than it is.
Here's the stats on the Crockpot as it sits today:
· 1978 FJ40 Originally Dune Beige, now White
· Running 2F, 4sp with stock front end that was completely rebuilt 2 years ago.
· Rear is a Currie Enterprise custom 9” Ford rear end, limited slip. Chromoly shafts.
· Custom power steering designed by Johnny Casale (ONSC member). FJ60 gear box with the Saginaw Power Steering pump. Steering shaft was made from all factory Toyota parts, and includes slip shaft.
· Wiring is all new. Used a GM wiring harness. Fuse box located in glove box.
· Heater not installed but have most parts.
· New Radiator, H2O pump, thermostat.
· Rust on rear sill, cowl and drivers side qtr panel. Frame excellent shape.
· Suspension is 4” Man A Fre springs with old school confer shackles.
· 2 Bilstein shocks in rear, none in front.
· 35” BFG Mud Terrains great tread, few slices.
· Whole interior of tub is Raptor lined.
· Newish seats that recline and move front and back.
· Water Proof Ipod Radio
· Warn 8274 winch (Prob Needs rebuild)
· Have hardtop, doors and barn doors.
· Have tons of extra new parts, bolts, weather stripping, bib, bumpers etc.
Here's a pic of Adam in the CP:
Anyway, the Crockpot is a truck that Adam's dad had out in California...purchased in the mid-'90's from Nevada and driven all over the West. As the story goes, the engine was tired and it was in need of a rebuild. Adam's dad chose to do a SB conversion and took it to a shop in Cali to do the work. For whatever reason the work never got done. The truck was partially disassembled and after months (maybe years) of waiting, Adam's dad had to go pick it up and drag it home. It sat for a long time (years) disassembled until Adam decided to make the trip from North Carolina out to California to save it. Adam trailered it back here to NC and with the help of club members, installed a running 2F and got it back on the road. Adam's emphasis was on getting the rig to the point where he could drive it around and have some fun on the trails with it. While the CP is a running and drivng rig, there is still a lot of unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. There is some rust (isn't there always?). There are some mechanical issues and the heater and all of it's components are in a box on the garage floor. There are some wiring issues that need to be sorted out. Most of all, there are lots of little bits and pieces that have been lost or broken over the years that need to be found, fixed or replaced. This thread will document my attempt to improve on the work done by Adam and other ONSC members to transform the Crockpot into a rig that is as at home in the church parking lot on Sunday as it is on the trails in our area. This will be a budget build. I will do things on the cheap as much as possible so that means that some of the work may not sit well with the purists among us and that's okay with me. I'd love to have a totally original low miles cruiser but unfortunately this rig is way past that and I don't have any illusions of trying to make it new again. I'm okay with just making it better than it is.
Here's the stats on the Crockpot as it sits today:
· 1978 FJ40 Originally Dune Beige, now White
· Running 2F, 4sp with stock front end that was completely rebuilt 2 years ago.
· Rear is a Currie Enterprise custom 9” Ford rear end, limited slip. Chromoly shafts.
· Custom power steering designed by Johnny Casale (ONSC member). FJ60 gear box with the Saginaw Power Steering pump. Steering shaft was made from all factory Toyota parts, and includes slip shaft.
· Wiring is all new. Used a GM wiring harness. Fuse box located in glove box.
· Heater not installed but have most parts.
· New Radiator, H2O pump, thermostat.
· Rust on rear sill, cowl and drivers side qtr panel. Frame excellent shape.
· Suspension is 4” Man A Fre springs with old school confer shackles.
· 2 Bilstein shocks in rear, none in front.
· 35” BFG Mud Terrains great tread, few slices.
· Whole interior of tub is Raptor lined.
· Newish seats that recline and move front and back.
· Water Proof Ipod Radio
· Warn 8274 winch (Prob Needs rebuild)
· Have hardtop, doors and barn doors.
· Have tons of extra new parts, bolts, weather stripping, bib, bumpers etc.
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