Newbie with 71 FJ40 rollover project (2 Viewers)

[Rollover40]

Total NEWB here,
So I appologize up front for sounding like a newb. I recently traded a ton of paintball stuff and an AR15 for a 71 fj40 that rolled over and was "totaled" 12 years ago and has sat since then. Let me start off by saying this is NOT a RESTORATION. It will be used for heavy off road, hunting, fishing and camping.

The good :
Fairly straight for a roll over
Has a 69 chevy 307 V8 with the standard 3 spd and t-case
Cleaned out the engine and lubed everything, got everything moving and it fired up. (fuel line in a bucket of gas, Not the crusty gas tank)

Bad news:
T-case is literaly cracked in half
Front axle is bent (previous owner is swapping me a good one)
Front leaf is broke
Rear leaf is bent
No top or doors

So the goal of this project is to get it usable with spending the least amount of money as possible. It does help that one of my good buddies is a great mechanic and amazing custom fabricator, and his wife didnt kill us both when the FJ showed up in her driveway.

Any HELP or Suggestions are always welcome.

 

[pb4ugo]

Looks good for a rollover. Your upside down chrome bezel may will help w/funds for your project.

 

[cjgoode]

Looks good, watch ebay, CL and the classified here. If that is the stock 3 speed transfer case they sell cheap and come up quite often. Stock springs also come up cheap, I even got some 4 inch brand new Rough Country springs of ebay with bushings for $100. Buy it now popped up and I snagged them. Point is show around, you should be able to pickup old good parts for cheap if you keep your eyes open, even free sometimes. You should be able to get that back to road worthy for little money, even front drum brake axles are cheap when you find them.

 

[UZJ40]

Looks like a good project! I like your username.... lol

 

[Rollover40]

Looks like a good project! I like your username.... lol

Thanks, it sounded like a good fit.

 

[UZJ40]

How far is Shady Cove from Boise?

 

[Rollover40]

We didnt think it had been rolled, but once we started really looking at it and poking around, we can see some tweaks, and bends, nothing too major for our purposes. Took the roll cage out, so we could straighten what we can and then rebuild the cage and weld it back together in the FJ.

Neighbor has a (im going to botch this) chevy 205 ? tranny with transfer case he is willing to sell but then Im looking at having the drive lines adjusted ($$$). So I am going to try and find the stock replacement transfer case to keep it cheap and easy. Unless you guys think its a huge advantage to go with the 205? setup?? This FJ will see a decent amount of highway driving so maybe the 4spd is worth it?

 

[Rollover40]

How far is Shady Cove from Boise?

roughly 500 miles, why do you ask?

 

[UZJ40]

roughly 500 miles, why do you ask?

I have never heard of it... I'm from Boise. Just curious

 

[Rollover40]

its southern oregon inbetween medford and crater lake.

 

[Fast Eddy]

So I am going to try and find the stock replacement transfer case to keep it cheap and easy. This FJ will see a decent amount of highway driving so maybe the 4spd is worth it?

I've got a case you could swap those gears into. $100+shipping? Send a PM. Get a t-case saver from a forum member such as Poser for some added strength. The same case will bolt up to a 4-speed if you want. They turn up for a good price pretty often. I've got one, but it's missing the top cover and shifter.

 

[Living in the Past]

We didnt think it had been rolled, but once we started really looking at it and poking around, we can see some tweaks, and bends, nothing too major for our purposes. Took the roll cage out, so we could straighten what we can and then rebuild the cage and weld it back together in the FJ.

Neighbor has a (im going to botch this) chevy 205 ? tranny with transfer case he is willing to sell but then Im looking at having the drive lines adjusted ($$$). So I am going to try and find the stock replacement transfer case to keep it cheap and easy. Unless you guys think its a huge advantage to go with the 205? setup?? This FJ will see a decent amount of highway driving so maybe the 4spd is worth it?

Chances are if it's a chevy drive train the rear output will be out the center. Then your looking at more then just drive shaft changes. Springs should be easy to find if your looking for stock. It's just finding someone close enough who has them. You cut front bumper appears to be off a FJ55. Might be someone looking to repair the one on their FJ55 so don't throw the pieces out. If you were closer I would be interested in the driver side to see if would work to fix a FJ25 bumper I have which is something like the FJ55 but impossible to find. In any case keep your eyes open and your should be able to get it on the road for pretty cheap.

 

[Rollover40]

I've got a case you could swap those gears into. $100+shipping? Send a PM. Get a t-case saver from a forum member such as Poser for some added strength. The same case will bolt up to a 4-speed if you want. They turn up for a good price pretty often. I've got one, but it's missing the top cover and shifter.

Thanks for the offer on the case but since mine is seriously broken in two pieces I am going to try and find a complete unit. When I do, I will get one of those case savers. thanks for the info..

 

[nspctr1]

If your looking to up grade the front axle, try and find one from a mini truck or FJ60 from 1979-85 and swap it in. I think the front springs from the 60 will swap also but you may have to do a shackle reversal, not sure tho. I found my mini axle for a 100 bux. GL

 

[Rollover40]

If your looking to up grade the front axle, try and find one from a mini truck or FJ60 from 1979-85 and swap it in. I think the front springs from the 60 will swap also but you may have to do a shackle reversal, not sure tho. I found my mini axle for a 100 bux. GL

The guy I got the FJ from included a replacement stock axle from a shell he has sitting next to where I found this one. He threw it in on the deal I made for this. He just wants the bent one back so the other will still be a rolling shell. I have thought about upgrades but they will have to come later. My goal is to spend as little as I can to just get it drivable.

 

[Bigslug]

In a lot of ways, you have a perfect assault vehicle. Any collectible "originalness" is toast, the body is battered, but the chassis is sound. I think your path is fairly straightforward:

Tranny is priority one - it's gotta be able to roll on its own before anything else matters.

Springs and axle are priority two. OME seems to be the popular aftermarket setup, and they'll have something compatible with your current amount of lift. Not outrageous, but not cheap. Then again, doing it right once is cheaper than fudging once and redoing. I'd probably try to hunt down a complete OEM axle, thus adhering to the KISS principle. Probably worth considering front discs at this point.

You're gonna be hunting in the Pacific Northwest so I'd say that some kind of top, doors with windows, and a functioning heater and wipers are necessities.

Pick the winch that you want and buy the bumper for it. You don't need to buy the winch now, just plan for it.

Since it sounds like you are going to be pulling a fair amount of stuff OFF this vehicle, take advantage of the opportunity to rust proof in the areas that get exposed during your repairs. There's not much point in doing a body-off on a rig like that, but a little wire-wheeling and rattle-canning can go a long way in the war on rust.

 

[srgould41]

I see parts on Craigslist quite often. Put in a want ad for the t-case and springs, you might get lucky. Springs should be nearly free (old and crusty). You may want to buy a new set of bushings and swap those in while you are at it. T-cases for a '71 are not that expensive either. I've seen them go from free to about $150. Might need a rebuild, though.

Since you need to take the t-case out I'd recommend pulling the engine and tranny too, so you can go over them on a stand/bench. No sense doing a lot of work then find out the clutch is bad, etc.

Any hard tops you find locally are probably more rust than steel. Might consider a soft top. Mine stays warm enough with just the front heater. If it gets real cold out I can run the rear also and be plenty warm. That said, you might come across a hard top if you are lucky, but expect to pay $$$.

You will need to get the windshield glass cut for you. Prices vary, but I paid about $150 in Seattle. I used the old glass to make a template. How's the seal? Mine was toast so I had to buy a new one, along with the spline. PITA to install.

Check your wheel cylinders. The drum brake wheel cylinders can rust solid. Ask me how I know . They are a pain to keep adjusted, but the brakes work well when set up properly.

Good luck with it!

Steve

 

[fatty chris]

I have a complete set of leaf springs with new bushings i would let go for $50.00. I work in medford.

 

[My71FJ40]

I have a complete set of leaf springs with new bushings i would let go for $50.00. I work in medford.

That sounds like a heck of a deal!

 

[Rollover40]

I see parts on Craigslist quite often. Put in a want ad for the t-case and springs, you might get lucky. Springs should be nearly free (old and crusty). You may want to buy a new set of bushings and swap those in while you are at it. T-cases for a '71 are not that expensive either. I've seen them go from free to about $150. Might need a rebuild, though.

Since you need to take the t-case out I'd recommend pulling the engine and tranny too, so you can go over them on a stand/bench. No sense doing a lot of work then find out the clutch is bad, etc.

Any hard tops you find locally are probably more rust than steel. Might consider a soft top. Mine stays warm enough with just the front heater. If it gets real cold out I can run the rear also and be plenty warm. That said, you might come across a hard top if you are lucky, but expect to pay $$$.

You will need to get the windshield glass cut for you. Prices vary, but I paid about $150 in Seattle. I used the old glass to make a template. How's the seal? Mine was toast so I had to buy a new one, along with the spline. PITA to install.

Check your wheel cylinders. The drum brake wheel cylinders can rust solid. Ask me how I know . They are a pain to keep adjusted, but the brakes work well when set up properly.

Good luck with it!

Steve

Thanks Steve,

I talked with the previous owner and he is deciding this week if he is going to use the 4spd and transfer case he has or go with a turbo 350 in his LC. If he goes 350 then I can get the 4spd and tcase from him. He also has a disc brake setup for me. I will probably have to go soft top based solely on cost for now, although my buddy is a phenomenal fabricator and we have tossed around the idea of fabing a hard top.
I dont have a rear heater in mine yet. We did decide to just pull the engine, tranny, and tcase together and check everything. We are also probably going to pull the body panels off and straighten as much as we can as well as sand and primer everything as we go.

I just wanted to get it running but my buddy wants to "do it right". So plans for now are:
1. Pull engine tranny, tcase.
2. Swap out front axle.
3. Replace springs
4. Replace Tcase maybe tranny
5. Straighten and paint what we can.
6. Rebuild Roll cage
7. Fix or replace radiator
8. Rebuild carb, replace plugs, wires, cap, rotor etc
9. Get new Battery
10. Get new windshield
11. Reassemble and drive.