Started to bring my 74 FJ40 back to life. (1 Viewer)

[mwalls54]

I have started working close enought to home to start working on the 40 that has been neglected and in storage for the last 5 years or so. I have a growing list of things that I am going to be installing and working on. The old 1.5F smokes like a diesel, tranny is noisy and the tcase is in dire need of a rebuild along with the drum brakes on all 4 corners. I plan on putting a good running 2f with H55 with split case. Disc brakes on all 4 corners. New 35s or 36s havent decided yet. Going to start out with the stock course 4.10s with aussie lockers with 30 longfields and poly rears then probably go to 4.56's with arb's after i save up some. I am hoping to have it done by GATOR this year. Lots to get done in 2 months.

I started yesterday tearing down the 2F I am going to use. This motor was pulled from a running cruiser that had a new clutch put in. I removed the pressure plate and clutch and couldn't believe what the pressure plate and flywheel looked like. Some one just put a new clutch plate in and called it good. oh and it gets better. There was NO pilot bearing at all just a rusty crank. Since that fly wheel was burnt up i dug out my other 2f that came out of a 87 60 that also had a recent clutch job done but the motor had 287k miles on it but still ran. Same thing. Clutch plate was new looking but flywheel was burnt and cracked. So i am going to try and have a machine shop resurface the flywheel that came out of my 60 since its the better of the 3. Next weekend I am going to pull the drivetrain out of the 40 and cleaning up the frame and tub some.

Here is what it looked like cleaned up right before it went into hiding.

 

[dx379]

Sounds like you have a lot of work to do. Best of luck with the build... 2 months will be here in no time.

Jonny

 

[selk78]

I'm in the same boat as you kinda, gunna get my 74 fj40 back on the road after
sitting for i think 4 years, I don't need the motor but need to replace a lot of stuff that's been neglected , good luck with the build...

 

[mwalls54]

well those two months came and went very fast. oh wait its been a year and 2 months. I finally finished it. well until i decide i want to change something.
I went with a 2F and a H42,toybox and early solid case with lower gears. I have quite a few pics i am going to post but I need to resize them. Here are a few for now

This is the 2F I used, rear monte carlo disc brakes with poser brakets, and 60 front knuckles. I rebuit both axles with new bearings and put polyperformance axles in the back and longfield 30 splines in the front.

 

[mwalls54]

I used a jorgan reman fj60 steering box thats spaced 3/4" off the frame and built a steering shaft and colum out of the stock 40 and a 60 colum. I put a trailgear high steer kit with the 80 series tie rod ends on it. I also used a 94 non abs master for the disc brakes with out proportion valve and they work fine. I also used a 60 series cluch master too.

 

[mwalls54]

Since I went with a 60 steering box I am using a saginaw pump with the 4plus brakcet. Since the toybox added almost 6" to the length of the drivetrain I had to cut the floor up some and the tranny hump so I had to fab up one for the best clearance.

 

[mwalls54]

Again since the toybox makes everyting longer I had to cut the tubing cross member and the fact I wanted to use a 60 series slave there wasn't any room on the 40 bell housing for it so I used a 60 housing that didn't have the motor mounts on it so I built a cross member to use with the toybox mount. I also had to cut the stock seat frame and notch it for the toybox shifter.

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Pitman arm setup pictures?

 

[FJ40Jim]

Why is the SBX spaced off the frame 3/4"?

 

[mwalls54]

Why is the SBX spaced off the frame 3/4"?

That's about what it needs to be spaced away to keep from moving the radiator.

 

[mwalls54]

Pitman arm setup pictures?

Anything certain you want? I have to take a bunch more today

 

[tornadoalleycruiser]

Just wanting more ideas before I tackle for the 45 shorty. I've got 2 60series boxes sitting in the garage awaiting installation. read that pitman arm setups differ and can cause problems.

 

[FJ40Jim]

That's about what it needs to be spaced away to keep from moving the radiator.

Now I understand!

 

[mwalls54]

Now I understand!

yeah I mounted it directly on the frame before I realized the radiator support frame wouldn't fit. I did some measuring and then found a thread on here and i came up with 3/4". I did have to notch the front bib for it to fit also.

 

[mwalls54]

here is one of the pitman arm for Mr C. Also a shot of the front bib cut for the steering box. and the rear diff cover

 

[mwalls54]

here is a pic of my front square receiver tube drive shaft and my last min skid plate.

 

[YotaJosh]

That steering box really needs to be mounted in front of the stock shock tower location. The angle your drag link is set at will probably annoy you when driving it at highway speeds (if that's your intentions). The tie rod and drag link need to be as parallel as possible, both on the vertical and horizontal plane.

 

[cruiser88]

I think its a trailer queen?

That steering box really needs to be mounted in front of the stock shock tower location. The angle your drag link is set at will probably annoy you when driving it at highway speeds (if that's your intentions). The tie rod and drag link need to be as parallel as possible, both on the vertical and horizontal plane.

 

[FJ40Jim]

Yes, the box is pretty far forward. It looks like if the box is moved back there may be clearance issues w/ the hi-steer when the LF corner is compressed.

That's why I didn't remember having radiator interference previously, 'cause I mount the box where the shok tower currently resides.

Is that a 70-series pitman arm?

 

[mwalls54]

Yes, the box is pretty far forward. It looks like if the box is moved back there may be clearance issues w/ the hi-steer when the LF corner is compressed.

That's why I didn't remember having radiator interference previously, 'cause I mount the box where the shok tower currently resides.

Is that a 70-series pitman arm?

Being sua kinda makes it hard to place the box in any other place. And with the springs I am running I am very close to hitting the frame and box when it is compressed. But that will be fixed when I go with 4" springs. The high steer is trailgear with 80 TRE's and the pitman arm is for a mini truck but they are compatible with 60 boxes


I wheeled it friday and saturday and it was great. I had to drive it about 10 miles on the street to get gas and the steering is a world difference from the old manual box. At 55 it wasn't squirly at all. Even my home made drive shaft didn't vibrate.

Over all I am pleased