7/81 FJ40 rebuild

[Dedtruk]

Dedicated to Sarge's owner, who is in active military service to our country: Thank you!

"This here's the story of a truck named Red;
Poor old thing was abused and left for dead;
Then one day sittin' on it's dry rotted shoes,
along came a delirious, FJ-lovin' fool ..."

Before: The only solid panels are the headlight bezel and windshield frame.

 

[fj40taz]

cool bout time you started a thread here for your build.......

 

[Dedtruk]

couple more

Decent interior, stock other than the leather Volvo seats and the minitach. Motor has 95K original (allegedly), head was replaced due to a crack. I have the receipts. So I'm still in my happy state of delirium ...

 

[Dedtruk]

couple more 2

Reality bites. Rear frame gussets and spring hangers are wasted. OK, that's common and fixable, NBD. How 'bout them custom floors, huh? You're lookin' at the hood of a Honda used as a patch panel, complete with the emissions sticker. That's how I figured out what it was .... Gotta love those sheetmetal screws to nowhere and the PVC drain pipe. Leaking rear main seal too.

 

[Dedtruk]

Taz, yeah, 'bout time ... but hey, patience is a virtue!

I was asked what the basic plan is. This is no resto, I want something I can enjoy without fear of rock rash and other trail character. It's a rebuild to make it an all-arounder/Swiss Army kind of rig with a slight emphasis on the rocks. I'm keeping the 2F and adding a carb heater plate (MAF) to compensate for the headers, factory P/S (which I already have). The H42 will give way to an H41 (thanks Woytovich) and the 3.70 diffs will be swapped for 4.11s (thanks Stainless 45), the rear with an Aussie Locker. It'll have 33 inch Swampers with no suspension lift, full Metaltech cage, fabbed winch bumper, and other goodies I'm still figuring out.

 

[cjgoode]

I love the PVC drain pipe, that is a first. I bet those sheet metal screws use to go into metal that is no longer there. Give us a shot of the top of the floor and PVC.

 

[Dedtruk]

screwed!

I love the PVC drain pipe, that is a first. I bet those sheet metal screws use to go into metal that is no longer there. Give us a shot of the top of the floor and PVC.

Actually, the screws were holding several metal patch panels and a couple layers of fiberglass together. Gotta love those Previous Owners!

 

[cruiser enthuiser]

Ouch. It pains me to see that kind of rust. What are your plans to address it? New tub? Patch in some panels? There are some good options out there depending on what you can spend.

Keep us posted and good luck!

-Ed

 

[Dedtruk]

Ouch. It pains me to see that kind of rust. What are your plans to address it? New tub? Patch in some panels? There are some good options out there depending on what you can spend.

Keep us posted and good luck!

-Ed

Thanks Cruiser! That's only the beginning of the rust ... Driver's side before ripping out PO's hack "repairs" and after ...

 

[mophisto]

Thar's yer problem, son. Yer floor board is out of oil.

That's going to be 1200 to fix it, if you want it done soon.

 

[Dedtruk]

And the good news just keeps comin' ... Sawzall time ...

 

[Dedtruk]

Land Cruiser! LAND! Not Sea Cruiser! I found this little dude inside the passenger's side frame rail, next to the transfer case.

 

[Assassin]

something is FISHY here...........

 

[handcannon]

You've got a big project there. Too bad your so far away, I could use a set of 3.70 diffs.

Don

 

[Dedtruk]

something is FISHY here...........

Fishy indeed, Assassin, as in someone used my 40 like a pier and fished off of it. Here's the resulting damage to the original frame. This is getting depressing already! Replacement frame, and picking up from the powder coating company. If you're in NJ, I suggest you find another company. The agreement with the powder coater (in the background) was to sandblast the entire frame, including inside the side channels, and powdercoat inside and out. Neither condition was met, but I did not discover it until it was too late. But at least my rebuild is on the on the upswing!

 

[Michael Hanson]

Good luck,you will deff. stimulate the economy with this rebuild. Have Fun Mike

 

[Dedtruk]

You ain't just distillin' whiskey there Mike!

 

[Leaping Deer]

Good luck. Can't wait to see the rebuild. Is it going to make it to the Fall Gathering next year????

 

[KY Longhunter]

That '81 rust looks familiar. Ask me how I know...

What kind of tub do you plan on using?

 

[grant5127]

This is getting depressing already!

I was despondent by just seeing the pic on post #1............