Scott68FJ40
SILVER Star
I have been reading some great project threads here on Mud over the last 24 hours or so, and it has inspired me to start my own.
My cruiser is a 1968 factory softtop. I have owned her about 10 years now and I have all the registration paperwork since she was purchased new. I bought her after she had sat in a Phoenix garage for 10 years.
She was pretty much stock when I bought her with the exception of a Weber carb, an after market distributor and a header. I did a few mods to her along the way, I switched both the transfer case and transmission to floor shift and I changed to more comfortable bucket seats.
Due to my work, she got parked sometime in early 2007 and lived in a garage until we moved to the Phoenix area from Tucson. I spent a few days getting her back on the road, and we took a really nice day trip in her to Roosevelt Lake a few weeks ago. I had been having trouble with the crank pulley when I parked her in 2007 and it got a lot worse on that trip to Roosevelt. It actually split the pulley at the keyway.
This all brings me to now, and the realization that it is time to start the project to get her where I have always wanted her to be. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have moved though the following.
1. Engine swap. I am going with a 350 conversion. No need to try and get me to change my mind and stick with a Toyota engine, my mind is made up. Not so made up when it comes to transmission/transfer case. My initial plans had been to go with a 4 speed, which I have one of in my garage and a 3 speed TC. I am now considering 2 other options. One is to go with a 4 speed and a split case and the other is going the H55f/split case route. I am not sure what I will do here.
2. 4 wheel disk brakes. I will do the bracket mod to the rear and I have a disk axle from a 78 FJ40 in my garage. I do plan on rebuilding the axle before going in.
3. Shackle reversal and 4 inch lift.
4. Saginaw power steering.
I will be making a few more posts over the next day or two to show where I am already at, but thought I would start all of this off with the background/plans and a shot from her last trip.
My cruiser is a 1968 factory softtop. I have owned her about 10 years now and I have all the registration paperwork since she was purchased new. I bought her after she had sat in a Phoenix garage for 10 years.
She was pretty much stock when I bought her with the exception of a Weber carb, an after market distributor and a header. I did a few mods to her along the way, I switched both the transfer case and transmission to floor shift and I changed to more comfortable bucket seats.
Due to my work, she got parked sometime in early 2007 and lived in a garage until we moved to the Phoenix area from Tucson. I spent a few days getting her back on the road, and we took a really nice day trip in her to Roosevelt Lake a few weeks ago. I had been having trouble with the crank pulley when I parked her in 2007 and it got a lot worse on that trip to Roosevelt. It actually split the pulley at the keyway.
This all brings me to now, and the realization that it is time to start the project to get her where I have always wanted her to be. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have moved though the following.
1. Engine swap. I am going with a 350 conversion. No need to try and get me to change my mind and stick with a Toyota engine, my mind is made up. Not so made up when it comes to transmission/transfer case. My initial plans had been to go with a 4 speed, which I have one of in my garage and a 3 speed TC. I am now considering 2 other options. One is to go with a 4 speed and a split case and the other is going the H55f/split case route. I am not sure what I will do here.
2. 4 wheel disk brakes. I will do the bracket mod to the rear and I have a disk axle from a 78 FJ40 in my garage. I do plan on rebuilding the axle before going in.
3. Shackle reversal and 4 inch lift.
4. Saginaw power steering.
I will be making a few more posts over the next day or two to show where I am already at, but thought I would start all of this off with the background/plans and a shot from her last trip.