I'm looking for thoughts on bastardizing my 78 US-spec 40. I love the 2F, 4 speed, electronic ignition, disk brakes, radio cut-out etc... but some parts seem downgraded from earlier years, especially from 72' and below. It seems cheaper, and arguably less permanent, to make these mods than to upgrade a 72 and under 40 to a 2F, 4 speed, etc...
Things I want to do.
1. Swap the newer, carded doors for old school split wing and roll-up window- All steel construction, looks cool, and feels more "land cruiser" than the vinal cards and plastic handles. There is something immensely satisfying about the older door lock/handle mechanism too.
2. Swap in the older, aluminum?, turn signal assembly on the column- this may mess up the horn, though.
3. Put in a bench seat up front. I adore bench seats. I grew up with my dad driving a 85' pickup with a bench. From what I've read people feel like they're going to bounce out of them at any moment. Any positive reviews of the benches? I have non-OEM buckets that need replacing. The most off-roading I do is forest service roads, so I don't need to be strapped to my seat Hannibal Lecter style.
4. Add a handle above the glove box- why this went away is beyond me. With a lift, getting into the passenger seat is a feat of unmatched athletic prowess.
5. Dash-padding delete, including removing the sheet metal support- if I crash I will probably die anyway, might as well look cool doing it.
6. Burn those god-for-saken windshield knobs and replace them with the eminently beautiful 60s-era latches. I know this would require some more permanent patching of holes and drilling a few new ones, but a windshield is cheaper to replace than an engine.
7. Do something about the front turn signal/running lights on the fenders
Many of these "mods," seem to have stayed standard for many non-US spec 40s through the late 70s at least (e.g. Australia and UAE/Saudi). I imagine the idea w/ the US market was to make the rigs more luxurious/DD friendly? What do you guys think? Is this a dumb idea, or a reasonable mission?
Things I want to do.
1. Swap the newer, carded doors for old school split wing and roll-up window- All steel construction, looks cool, and feels more "land cruiser" than the vinal cards and plastic handles. There is something immensely satisfying about the older door lock/handle mechanism too.
2. Swap in the older, aluminum?, turn signal assembly on the column- this may mess up the horn, though.
3. Put in a bench seat up front. I adore bench seats. I grew up with my dad driving a 85' pickup with a bench. From what I've read people feel like they're going to bounce out of them at any moment. Any positive reviews of the benches? I have non-OEM buckets that need replacing. The most off-roading I do is forest service roads, so I don't need to be strapped to my seat Hannibal Lecter style.
4. Add a handle above the glove box- why this went away is beyond me. With a lift, getting into the passenger seat is a feat of unmatched athletic prowess.
5. Dash-padding delete, including removing the sheet metal support- if I crash I will probably die anyway, might as well look cool doing it.
6. Burn those god-for-saken windshield knobs and replace them with the eminently beautiful 60s-era latches. I know this would require some more permanent patching of holes and drilling a few new ones, but a windshield is cheaper to replace than an engine.
7. Do something about the front turn signal/running lights on the fenders
Many of these "mods," seem to have stayed standard for many non-US spec 40s through the late 70s at least (e.g. Australia and UAE/Saudi). I imagine the idea w/ the US market was to make the rigs more luxurious/DD friendly? What do you guys think? Is this a dumb idea, or a reasonable mission?