Builds 1972 FJ40 Restoration Project (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 8, 2006
Threads
38
Messages
314
Location
Lafayette, Colorado
Hello MUD. Back in September of last year I purchased a 1972 FJ40 as a long-term project from someone who lived west of Denver around Ken-Carl canyon for $900. The previous owner said he had been using the vehicle to plow snow from his driveway for the past four or five years and killed it in the process in the spring of 2005 -- the engine actually has holes in the side of the block and oil pan with connecting rods poking through in multiple locations. As history he said he had purchased the vehicle from a friend who had bought it new at Stevinson Toyota. The engine was rebuilt around 1981 with about 160k on it. The PO told me a couple of brothers who had a small shop took it home and did the rebuild. They also did all the maintenance work on it and now have a larger shop out on Colfax east of I-225. [Anyone know which shop it could be? Doesn’t really matter but might be a source for more history.] As part of the package, I got an extra F block and two cylinder heads - just bits and pieces really. At this point, my plan is to just get the old cruiser running again and have some fun driving it while I slowly bring it back to its original condition. Not wanting to do a complete rebuild of an F block, I just purchased a supposedly running ’75 2F for $500.

Now the fun begins along with questions for the board! So far, all I’ve done is clean up the 2F and ordered some port plugs to block off the air injection manifold. I’m open to any and all suggestions on how to best approach this project. Again, the goal is to simply get the Cruiser back on the road and restore it over time.

Thanks in advance for your help.
:)

Here are a few photos of the project:
The previous owner blew up the F motor plowing the drive of his mountain home. Here's what the old FJ40 looked like when I picked it up.
319802_large.jpg

After a little clean-up and wax
23126_large.jpg

23127_large.jpg

23125_large.jpg
 
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Welcome to Mud, can't wait to see those pics. Good luck with the restore, I won't be much help with any 2f questions, but i'm sure you'll get a lot of help from everyone else on the forum.

Kevin
 
2F into a '72 FJ40

So, my plan is to pull the blown '72 F motor out of the Cruiser and install the '75 2F using most of the external parts from the F. While the motor is out, I'll clean things up, paint the block and throw on some new gaskets. Are most of the parts interchangeable like the intake and exhaust manifolds, carburetor, air cleaner, distributor, alternator, pumps and pulleys, etc. or am I going to need some additional parts from a 2F?

Picked up the air rail plugs today from Toyota - those are expensive little suckers.

Thanks.
:banana:
GO Bananas!
 
Welcome... Welcome!

F and 2F interchangable parts... There are a bunch o' parts that you can mix and match to get it running. Ton of info here on the board.

One thing I've learned while here on mud is that the search function (and the FAQ's) works wonders. Most importantly, be specific as possible when posting a tech question to the board. All the parts you've mentioned so far are interchangable but there are some rules you need to follow...

Get her running and then tackle safety stuff next like brakes!

Again... :flipoff2: welcome!
 
paint actually doesn't look bad behind the front clip, I would: get some white and green rattle cans, rattle can the bezel white, clean up the rust, rattle green, swap engine, swap in some bucket seats and call it a day. Oh and make sure the brakes and steering are top notch so you can stop and steer well for safety! :)

Noah
 
I just last week put in some bucket seats (from a wrecked Honda) in my
green 1972 FJ40, along with a roll bar and three-point (shoulder) seat belts.
So if you decide to do the same, feel free to email me for details. Or stop by - I'm up in Boulder.

Good luck getting that 2F in.
 
2F Motor

Thanks for the comments and suggestions on my project. My first priority is to get the old Cruiser running and then I'll focus on brakes and steering. I don't mind the rust for now, I think it gives it character. As for the seats, I like the old bench seat. I'm looking forward to having my wife sitting closer to me as we cruise down the road. What I liked about this vehicle when I purchased it was that it is all original and that all the original pieces are still there. My daughter and I even found a couple little cans of original Toyota green touch-up paint in the storage box under the driver's seat along with the original mini shop light.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of the 2F motor. From the block #, I estimate it was manufactured in March of 1975.

29636_large.jpg

29637_large.jpg

29638_large.jpg


:banana:
 
Engine Paint

I'll be painting the block and bell housing soon on the transplant 2F so I did a search on engine paint and I'm surprised the subject hasn't been discussed. Does anyone have any recommendations for a high temp black paint? Any suggestions for making the intake manifold look new again? Thanks.
 
I'll be painting the block and bell housing soon on the transplant 2F so I did a search on engine paint and I'm surprised the subject hasn't been discussed. Does anyone have any recommendations for a high temp black paint? Any suggestions for making the intake manifold look new again? Thanks.

Just about any rattle can high temp paint will get the job done. VHT makes high temp paint.

The intake manifold can be sand or bead blasted to look like new. Then you can powder coat, paint it or just seal it. Here is a pic of my manifold after sand blasting. I will be powder coating it tonight with high temp silver. :grinpimp:
BlastedIntake.jpg
 
2F to 3 Speed Tranny

With my 2F engine swap, my plan is to use the existing 3 speed transmission for now -- do I simply bolt the the old '72 bell housing, clutch, etc to the '75 2F block?
 
Yes simple bolt up. Check the clutch, fly wheel, throwout bearing, and pilot bearing while your in there. Also look at the rear main engine seal, easy to replace at this point though it's best to drop the oil pan to replace it so get an oil pan gasket too! That then gives you a chance to look at the inside of the engine for possible problems. Oh and check the freeze plug on the rear of head. :D
 
Engine Removal

I'm almost ready to pull the old F motor. I have everything disconnected but have a question about whether or not I need to pull the transmission and transfer case. Is it okay if I just disconnect the bell housing from the tranny or do I need to pull the bell housing, tranny and transfer case as a unit? Thanks.
 
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Advice

I'm almost ready to pull the old F motor. I have everything disconnected but have a question about whether or not I need to pull the transmission and transfer case. Is it okay if I just disconnect the bell housing from the tranny or do I need to pull the bell housing, tranny and transfer case as a unit? Thanks.

Just looking for some advice from the experts.

:banana:
 
sounds like a plan-good luck. ifound it easier to do all the work by pulling the whole shootin' match (engine,trans,t/c) all at once. not oo tough. jim
 
Update with photos

Just thought I would post an update on my '72 FJ40 project. I've pulled the blown F motor and will now start cleaning up the '75 2F.

Here are a few photos:
166854_original.jpg

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166856_original.jpg

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