SteveH

Great story and pix. Compared to before, I'll bet it feels like a rocket ship with valves that seal and a new head gasket.

My wife had a branding shoot in the mountains, so we figured, why not make a road trip out of it? We drove roughly 380 miles over the weekend without missing a beat. My only complaint is that the bench seat starts to get a little uncomfortable...

I have a set of early 90s pickup seats with (custom, welded) FJ40 brackets in my garage. Designed to fit a '78ish FJ40. Wish I could beam them to you... ;-). They have headrests... ;-)

My initial priority is becoming a competent, licensed mechanic. This isn't meant to sound harsh, but if you didn't start life fixing lawn mowers, snowblowers, dirt bikes, etc. at age 12, you can't train your way into being a mechanic (at least...

Most folks I know work on their rigs: because they can, because most shops have no clue how to work on stuff that doesn't have a computer to tell them what is wrong. The buy and fix up dead ones have a good margin without the I want it done now...

I chiseled out the old dash today. What a pain - all the spot welds for the dash flange went deep, so I sliced the top flange of the dash with a slicing disk and removed it, then used a flat pry bar and pounded it down the length of the dash to...

@SteveH I have some triangular plates if you get Kmehr's bumper... hit me up if you want. - I got new ones at the dealer... thanks for thinking of me!

Started to cut the dash out of the '72. I expected to see spot welds holding the dash bracket to the truck, but found globby non-factory MIG welds holding the dash pad bracket on. I used a die-grinder to burn through them, and thankfully the...

I used a Japan-based seller (JDMplanet) on eBay years ago, but you'll have to be very careful that you're getting genuine (not counterfeit) parts. My order was pre-tariff, so that's an issue you'll have to study, as well, unless you find a...

I hate recirc, so I'd consider this a blessing. It *is* supposed to go to recirc on the coldest 'Lo' setting, so I always set mine to 66, and then 'fresh'. Are your dash switches janky, like mine, and require multiple pushes? At warmer...

@Maxgrapene - I lived in Mass. for 2 years. Lowell (and similar working class places) had some, back in the '90s. Likely gone now. You might put a 'wanted' posting in Mud classifieds for the antenna piece. I will check my stash, too - My antenna...

I think those antennas have an overriding clutch mechanism and you're hearing normal operation. Mine is noisy and clatters upon retraction, and I don't care. I presume you mean the chrome crown/cap that sits atop the fender as part of the...

Many people just reupholster, as there are many good aftermarket leather options. Good seat covers are expensive, and unless tailored for this truck, won't really fit. Try searching this forum and perhaps the 80 series forum, to find...

I am thinking that I should throw an ebay motor into it as a next step or are there better options? The last thing I would buy on eBay is a used engine. I would find a good local yard who will back the motor with a least a 30 day warranty. Call...

thats pretty good for $10k. I did timing bolt / wp myself but I think my landcruiser shop quoted 11hrs labor. Spark plugs aren't hard to do yourself, good to know how to do and keep a couple spares around. I had one go down and was able to get...

On the trip down to Arizona we drove through some heavy rain. When I unpacked I noticed the tailgate carpet was wet. My first thought after doing some research on MUD was the third brake light. I pulled it off this morning, cleaned it up and used...

Offer $1500 and go from there. Personally wouldn't go more than $2k. If the frame/floors are solid no reason why you just couldn't drive around a rusty 40.

Once you get the material flat, it's stays pretty flat while you work it into place. It's the initial unrolling that is a pain. A heat gun would affect a localized area. I kinda want it to 'fight to stay in place' @MDH33 - 36 year old build and...

Rad cap looks to be in good condition. Start with a new radiator cap (the cheapest route) and inspect carefully the hose and clamps between the radiator neck and the overflow bottle, including the dip tube. There must be a tight seal for the...

I have knobby tires, live in a gravel road, and recently got my truck painted. I now have a nice dent and cracked paint in the lower front fender, due to a flying rock - so be it - no garage queen here. I have threatened to make FJ40 fender...

I washed the undercarriage with a power washer and a chassis washer gizmo that I found on line. Flushed out all dirt (not much) from the frame. Looked like the car has never been in real mud or sand. Drove it to get the moisture out and then let...

Did front and rear brakes - one rear pad was 90% gone (top pad in pix), the others still had 40% left. This is why you don't just look at one rear wheel and decide the pads on the other side are likely the same. I lubed the caliper pins and will...

Just replaced my plugs at 355K, after 110K miles of plug use. Hard to believe any plug can look this good after that many miles. One spark plug was clearly loose (but not leaking), one was a bit loose, and the rest were ok. I torqued the new...

When assembling I was concerned the amount I took off the case would effect the gears and press them a bit tighter …. However it seemed to spin freely enough Bench tested and works great … and sounds so much better then it did before… it had a...

I fitted a small washer into the extra dash hole, welded up the middle and perimeter, and ground it down. I will apply filler when painting the dash and make the hole and repair go away. There are no other unneeded holes in this dash, so this...