Builds Climate Change: Project Global Warming '76 fj-40 (1 Viewer)

[Strait Cruisin]

Ok, I’m finally going to do this. I’ve meaning to start a build thread for mine but being the expert level procrastinator that I am, I was always waiting for tomorrow.

Anyway, in previous posts , I’ve described my progress on my truck as being glacial, so I am naming this thread:

Climate Change: Project Global Warming

This way I have to avoid the embarrassment of having to explain why nothing is getting done giving me motivation to get the thing done. The work is mainly clean and paint, the pitfall is the more that is taken apart, the more is found to do or fix or replace resulting taking more apart resulting finding more stuff to do or fix or replace.

Then there is the fact I hate cutting corners, at least now I do. I also don’t have the benefit of a previous stupid hay seed owner that did idiotic things to the truck because that person was my earlier self. So you see anything butchered or fubared-up, uhh-yup, I did that.

For me, it’s a matter of time. I got most of the parts and lately, I’ve also had some that time. So, progress. There is a local July 4th parade. I hope to be in it.

Currently almost nothing is bolted together and it’s missing so much paint, it looks like a burn victim.

This is my 40 not long after I bought it. It’ll never better than it was then but my aim is to make it nice.

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Weird, there was supposed to be 3 pictures.

 

[tls3601]

Nice rig, cant wait to see her back in her glory!!!

 

[tls3601]

Nice rig, cant wait to see her back in her glory!!!

Ok, I’m finally going to do this. I’ve meaning to start a build thread for mine but being the expert level procrastinator that I am, I was always waiting for tomorrow.

Anyway, in previous posts , I’ve described my progress on my truck as being glacial, so I am naming this thread:

Climate Change: Project Global Warming

This way I have to avoid the embarrassment of having to explain why nothing is getting done giving me motivation to get the thing done. The work is mainly clean and paint, the pitfall is the more that is taken apart, the more is found to do or fix or replace resulting taking more apart resulting finding more stuff to do or fix or replace.

Then there is the fact I hate cutting corners, at least now I do. I also don’t have the benefit of a previous stupid hay seed owner that did idiotic things to the truck because that person was my earlier self. So you see anything butchered or fubared-up, uhh-yup, I did that.

For me, it’s a matter of time. I got most of the parts and lately, I’ve also had some that time. So, progress. There is a local July 4th parade. I hope to be in it.

Currently almost nothing is bolted together and it’s missing so much paint, it looks like a burn victim.

This is my 40 not long after I bought it. It’ll never better than it was then but my aim is to make it nice.

I always found something else to fix/address so that is "normal". I finally started a thread on mine after years of posts to get info, never too late to start!! I purposely entered a car show with mine on May 20th to force my butt to get moving-motivators help!!

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Nice rig, cant wait to see her back in her glory!!!

You have no idea. Sitting on an apple crate in the tub on a stand off the frame, with a disconnected steering wheel in my hands, making motor noises. It's embarrassing but its all I have.

I work when I get the time and I've tried to do work in a project type basis but is does come out chaotic and random. Both the axles are done, all painted up with new knuckle bearings in front and wheel bearings in the back, new springs and brake pads and shoes. The top is done as well, painted with the headliner installed. And there is a few parted painted 854 blue.

Currently I am working on the tcase, trans and motor. The tcase and trans were just a matter of cleaning and painting. I got a master gasket set for the small block since everything including the rear main would probably leak oil like a sieve. I wasn't planning on using the head gaskets since the motor is fairly low mileage since overhaul but I noticed corrosion around the front coolant crossover in the intake gasket. Ok, ok, do the head gaskets. Turned out the head gaskets were fine but I found 2 chipped push rods so it wasn't a wasted effort.

I've decided anything with a seal it in gets replaced so I have a new water pump, fuel pump, the vacuum advance leaks so one of the fancy new distributors, I kitted the quadrajet recently and last time I ran it, it worked fine. I bent one of the old crusty valve covers lifting the motor out, the front cover had the timing mark bent (making timing it an educated guess) and the oil pan drain plug is stripped. My tracking number says replacements for all 3 are out for delivery today. Soon as it gets the new skin, I'll primer, paint it and bolt the big pieces back together.

The trans and tcase in primer a couple of days ago. Its now coated with high temp GM corporate blue.

The top is visible in background of the pic above. Its supposed to be Cygnus white. Or its as close to the secret recipe that I could get to.

I painted the bezel the same as the top.

Axles were one of the first things I tackled on a project basis.

Painting little parts is an endless task. Or it seem so. Or I'm wayyyy too anal about this stuff.

 

[airon23]

Are you spray painting these pieces or sending them off for paint? or are you painter?

 

[Strait Cruisin]

I am learning to paint. I used to be an ASE master technician but I never did much body work. Till now.

So, bare metal is getting a treatment of phosphoric acid, then painted with enamel primer, urethane primer and finally a single stage urethane color paint.

 

[little_joe]

@Strait Cruisin thanks for starting this thread, and I'll be following along! It's nice to know there are others who work randomly/chaotically/sporadically - I thought about doing a thread too, but it'd be weeks w/ nothing then a flurry of activity and probably 100 st00pid n00b questions from me...

 

[Strait Cruisin]

@little_joe Awesome! Soon as I get my Procrastinator's Daily newsletter going, I'll start sending you a copy.

My 40 may sit there in pieces and wait for me for years, but I'll never sell it down the river.

 

[tls3601]

Nice work! Yes I Can totally relate to painting all of those little parts-it does become tedious

 

[spotcruiser]

Nice work, Paul.

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Progress pictures.

Headgaskets done and valve train back together.

The new sheet metal looks awesome. New duds, pants, shirt and a tie. Puppy for scale.

I'm painting bolts. I know I need help but I can't stop.

I got a coat of primer and blue on the motor last night just before dark so no pictures of that yet. And I noticed the pile'o parts that I painted didn't include the water pump. So I have to mix a bit of paint just for it. I do it twice, I do it nice!

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Making progress on lots of things.

Here are before and after pics of the motor.

I had painted and stashed a number of parts already. Finding all the brackets, bolts, nuts, washers for the seat frames and pedal assembly and doing a test fit. It'd be fun just to toss the tub on and go for a drive

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Slow day at the shop. So I was digging thru some old magazines and catalogs. Really old it seems. These are from the early 1980's. Man-a-fre, Downey, Advanced Adapters. Oh and a price list from the era too.

-40's were still in production. I like the visual guide to model identification.

Leaping Landcruisers! They actually fly!

There is some awesome parts diagrams in them. Almost better than the repair manual.

And one to make you cry. Prices from 1982-ish. I made it a bit bigger so its readable.

And some left over parts from the SBC conversion, a Downey fuel pump block off plate I never used. If anyone wants it, let me know.

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Time for one last clean before paint.

 

[Strait Cruisin]

I'm'a gonna melt that glacier yet.

Enamel primer to start.

Single stage urethane black after. In the sun, its easy to see the matte finish of the primer vs the glossy paint.

The shoes back on.

Its fun to play dress up now, I get to put open boxes and put on new parts, like tail lights and bumper-ettes. I need to figure out an exhaust system, hopefully before the tub goes on. I did have outside the rails mufflers, I want to keep it inside this time.

Speaking of the tub, it's next. Right now, its about 90 percent done, I still have some cleaning to do. I have an 'autobody intern' now that can run a wire wheel and DA quite well so I'm hoping that a weekend could knock it out.

I've had my intern prep the hood and some work on the hard top. He does awesome work and the hood is ready for primer now.

I'm shooting for getting it on the road by my birthday. That's coming soon, less than a month.

 

[cbmontgo]

I always love old, original FJ40 pictures from their heyday. What year (roughly) are those from?

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Guessing, first one, summer of 1981 near Sparta, Oregon. Second, winter 81 or 2, elk hunting near Granite, Oregon. Third, near Sparta again but at least a year or 2 after the first one because you can see the overspray I never rubbed off not the tub.

Repainting the tub back the probably saved me the pain of rusted thru panels. It was also undercoated at the dealer.

EDIT: spelling is hard.

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Cleaning up the fuel tank. It's a little rusty on the bottom but nothing some phosphoric acid won't pretty up.

At least the sender still works.

Major work on the tub starts tomorrow!

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Yeah, that went well. Pinhole in the tank. Braze is the answer. Last time me and me pops did a gasoline tank , we almost broke the windows out of the shop. I may or may not post a video afterwards. Now if someone wants to hold my diet coke while I ...