Recent content by ingomar

Nice '78 FJ40

"78 hardtop rear "ambulance doors". Have some rust-thru at the very bottom of the doors, surface rust showing thru the red paint, but otherwise OK. Latches need work, glass is good, hinges are missing, but they are not beat up. Just old and it shows; these are worth saving if you need doors...

On my '78, there are two brake switches under the master cylinder that are wired parallel with each other. One of them is leaking thru the switch. I think the actual stoplight switch is under the dash, so what are these switches for, and what size and type of thread do they use. BSPT or NPT...

If the original motor runs well I'd say a swap isn't worth it. The swap is a fair amount of work, and always seems to cost more than you think. Mine has a V-8 only because the original motor failed. That said, the swap was the best thing we ever did to the rig; it works really well.

I don't have a picture to show you, but when putting a SBC in a '78 I ended up moving the trans forward about 2". This did require some gearshift lever work along with some heater trimming for it to clear. This gets the heads away from the firewall, and some say aids in motor cooling. To get...

I'm surprised your regulator won't let you go below 7#; the ones I've used all will. I work in an industrial enviornment, and we check gauges routinely. You might be surprised at the errors we find. So try another gauge, or find someone with a test gauge to check yours against. Like Brandon...

If fuel is coming up out of the carb, the float isn't holding. You need to disassemble it again and install a carb kit, and be sure to get a new needle, seat, and float. Keep Chemtool away from any rubber or non-metal parts. As you suspect, serious flooding like that might hydraulically "lock"...

If it'll bolt in, and maybe all you need is a flexplate and a different intake manifold, like Terrx says the Vortec head motor is the way to go. Because it has superior heads compared to most Gen1's, it will make more power with a milder camshaft (and it's a roller, which is even better yet). It...

No, it isn't overkill. I change it about once a year, don't put too many more miles on it than you do, and grease about every 1-2K as well. In really dusty conditions, it's a good thing to do. When we look at all the other costs incurred as we enjoy our FJ's, oil changes aren't a big deal.

I didn't even think about trying to fix the sender I have; I may just try it!

On my '78 the gas gauge died today. With some search, I was able to track down a couple of basic checks. The ohm reading from the sender lead to ground is in meg-ohms (basically an open circuit). With the engine running, if I put a 12V test light between the hot lead going to the sender and...

Call this guy: www.sunchasertools.com/ He has an abrasive disc that just works great to remove old paint and prep metal for new finish. I'd vote to do the tub with this disc and farm out all the rest to the soda blaster.

I'm unsure of what you mean by "sector shaft". If that's the steering arm coming out of the box, I do feel pretty confident that "play" in an otherwise healthy steer box can usually be improved or eliminated by the adjustment I mentioned. If there are any other mechanical issues with the...

My rig was similar; just not nearly as much. The adjustment is on the steering box. On the motor side of the box, there is a plate with 3 bolts attaching it. In the center is a nut with a screw. Loosen this locknut and slowly turn the screw "in" until the slop disappears. Don't over-do this...

Most will agree that any sustained, high-rpm should be avoided for 500 miles or so (like a long hiway trip). So unless you really need to, I'd avoid long trips before then. Shorter trips, including occasional full throttle for short bursts thru the gears, are better for it.