So... I love my Fj40 but why I trying so hard (1 Viewer)

[loosechange]

so I have a lot invested in this ride to where 90% of the items are aftermarket or new... only thing really stock is the frame, clip, and body. They all have the same vin so I am assuming it’s all natural 1972 (June) seats and visits are crap but not original but I do have original seats

Well the windshield frame is from a 68. God only know what the heck’s up with the bib and if the original which I doubt

Hers where dilemma is. Everything I can do isn’t going to be beneficial to what I want to do. Ok , so I have the 3 speed which is big no go for any crawling ratio. I have 350 conversion from a 77 corvette L—82.. with 882 heads. Wet dyno’d at only 235hp What! Yes nothing was timed or tuned right back then so it didn’t get many pulls for the test

I have typical 4.11 gearing so again not looking at major gearing for anything. Kinda sad really.

My crappy 4 cyl Nissan d21 hardbody at least had 36:1... whats my Fj40? I’d say about 16:1?

Ok I love the truck compliments I get all over and lots of time wrenching on it but

I need a better drive train. Mv4500 or something I don’t know the nomenclature of the unit but it’s 5-speed with overdrive. Then the transfer to work with it. The whole h-55 and split transfer seems so hard to acquire. I need something cause my truck still has more power to give and I’m already in third gear wanting to shift again but no fourth and again so sad

These are not really a neccisity however what I want to accomplish

Pinion protection front and rear

Rick Sliders and maintain steps

Skids underneath at current I only have the external tank with a skid

Fender protection like the tube cage

Roll cage which I have but don’t known how much damage will occur to the top when trying to remove

Bash plate for front pig and maybe as mention I’d like pinion protection front and back but probably not needed

Ford shock towers

Swing away but then will have to get
76 rear bumper needed swing away
And I kinda like keeping the 72 bumper

76 front axle housing For Longerfeilds
But then I have to to have the pig re-plumbed for my arb line. I would have to replace the front brakes again with my wilwoods

So see, no matter what I seem to do I don’t rhink it will ever be ready or done

That’s why I ask why am I trying so hard

Please offer feedback. I don’t want a typical Fj40 but I also don’t plan on major boulder climbing but I would like to get over basketball sized rocks or a little larger

So please if you do have feedback be kind but be assertive as to your feedback with the whys and how’s for your feedback. Not just the topsoil but a little more depth. Thanks guys and gals

Ask questions and I will answer
Concerning current setup of suspension brakes driveline etc

 

[landcrusher909]

This might take a while to soak in. Interesting thread

 

[loosechange]

Good god I hope so

I’m at a point where I’ve lost direction

I have a brand new carb 1406 edlebrock I’ve used for about three month before truck went up on blocks and now I’m already saving for a fitech go 600 efi

I’ve lost what I really want from this vehicle. The more I think the more money it costs and I still don’t know if it will be what I want it to be . It’s too far gone to be stock and yet too far away to be anything but what it is. A conversation piece. although I had an offer for it as is for about 11,000.00 and I said no thank you and wanted to shoot myself but This is like my family and an extension of me it is an amazing vehicle just sitting on blocks for the last 8 years or so

Thank you for the reply

 

[pjohnson]

You need a defined goal for your 40 and a plan.

Start with defining precisely how you want to use the vehicle.

 

[bwalker16527]

You sir, are the definition of a cruiser addict. You are among friends.

 

[Martyt]

You sir, are the definition of a cruiser addict. You are among friends.

So true BWalker. As PJohnson said, what is the goal? If stock, then sell the Frankenstein and start with a basic template---- stock (or mainly so) and go from there. Sometimes you need to start with a clean slate--a tabula rosa-- avoiding the square peg round hole syndrome.

 

[thebigredrocker]

I think you know what to do. Get it running. Slowly make improvements over the next 10 years or so. Put together something you can enjoy this summer or fall. Doesn’t have to be perfect.

 

[FJ404345]

Look for a modified 40 on the Internet that you absolutely like, then build yours like that 40 and be happy with it.

 

[4x4veteran]

As landcrusher said, "This might take a while to soak in. Interesting thread".
Thought provoking indeed.
In my younger years I never had the money to do all the things I would have liked to do with my Cruiser.
Now that I am much older and could afford to do some of those things I haven't the desire.

" I don’t want a typical Fj40 but I also don’t plan on major boulder climbing but I would like to get over basketball sized rocks or a little larger".

An Fj40 is not a typical vehicle in it's self. They are a rare sight.
I have gotten over some pretty big stuff in a stock FJ40 that some other bigger and more impressive looking fourby's couldn't.

Maybe you are trying to do too much all at once.
Sit back and look at the whole situation and make a list of what you want to do, arrange it in the order you think it should be done then try to stick to the list and just do one thing at a time.
Make a couple of copies if the list because if you are any thing like me you will lose the list.

 

[loosechange]

Yes to that 4x4Veteran. I am trying to do too much at once. I am getting the itch again to start on it and have the money but now its like where to invest it, why to invest it. for me? I just wanted to get it started last September and I put 2500.00 into parts for it last September and its not started yet. Man i suck.

I wish there was a way to express my desire to "Complete" this but thats the point.. there is no completion it just gets better or broker. but unfortunately I'm too far gone to start over. no where to keep Two L.C's in my complex and I'm lucky enough the my landlady let me keep this on up on jacks stands and wrench on it.

I want to go to the local "scottsdale Pavilions car show" like i use to and remember what a great ride but then Im not sure, although it is/was the only one there it wasn't as good as the other trucks with "bank" invested in them and awesome aftermarket rear ends and metlfab work.

I will sit back and do one thing at a time and see where it leads me.

#1 get it started thats most important
#2 do i try to invest in a different drivetrain or just keep my three speed. that is the biggest concern. i want to shift and utilize the power range of the 350 but can't, theres no more gears to shift too LOL and 16:1 is kinda lame trying to get up the berms at lake Saguaro her in Phoenix

I will try to keep you informed of my decisions of what and why, but as for starting over i just can't, too much money into the pit and really good parts were installed with some metalfab work as well.

i guess i need to keep surfing the images on the next

thank and keep the ideas rolling cause i really DONT know what i want out of this . maybe just a lake getaway vehicle?

 

[White Stripe]

Yes to that 4x4Veteran. I am trying to do too much at once. I am getting the itch again to start on it and have the money but now its like where to invest it, why to invest it. for me? I just wanted to get it started last September and I put 2500.00 into parts for it last September and its not started yet. Man i suck.

I wish there was a way to express my desire to "Complete" this but thats the point.. there is no completion it just gets better or broker. but unfortunately I'm too far gone to start over. no where to keep Two L.C's in my complex and I'm lucky enough the my landlady let me keep this on up on jacks stands and wrench on it.

I want to go to the local "scottsdale Pavilions car show" like i use to and remember what a great ride but then Im not sure, although it is/was the only one there it wasn't as good as the other trucks with "bank" invested in them and awesome aftermarket rear ends and metlfab work.

I will sit back and do one thing at a time and see where it leads me.

#1 get it started thats most important
#2 do i try to invest in a different drivetrain or just keep my three speed. that is the biggest concern. i want to shift and utilize the power range of the 350 but can't, theres no more gears to shift too LOL and 16:1 is kinda lame trying to get up the berms at lake Saguaro her in Phoenix

I will try to keep you informed of my decisions of what and why, but as for starting over i just can't, too much money into the pit and really good parts were installed with some metalfab work as well.

i guess i need to keep surfing the images on the next

thank and keep the ideas rolling cause i really DONT know what i want out of this . maybe just a lake getaway vehicle?

Do you want a offroader or just a decent lift and a rig you can cruise around in and do a mild trail here n there? Sounds like you want the latter. What is your target tire size? 31s, 33s, 35s?

 

[pjohnson]

1) what is required to make it run? Write a list...
2) Execute the tasks on the list from #1.
3) Make a decision on what kind of wheeling you want to do.
4) Write a list of the changes necessary to achieve result from #3
5) Prioritize list from #4 - if you share the list here, I'm sure folks will help you prioritize it.
6) Execute tasks from prioritized list.

It's not rocket science (thankfully, or I'd be screwed)

 

[4x4veteran]

Don't try to compete with what others have. Get your priorities straight and build accordingly.
The three speed....When the six in my FJ40 gave up at almost 200k I needed a to get my rig back on the road asap.
I couldn't find another six in my price range so went with a 350 and adapter kit that was more in my budget.
I wanted a four-speed but once again the budget or lack of it got in the way.
In the years since I have pulled trailers across the U.S. and off road'ed with the stock three speed and it has served well.
There have been times when some dude pulled his jacked up giant tired 4X4 whatever up next to my meek looking little Toy only to find that my land cruiser could go places where those big gravediggers would just spin or the driver was afraid he would knock some chrome loose.

 

[4x4veteran]

1)It's not rocket science (thankfully, or I'd be screwed)

dito

 

[stevebradford]

Buy a stock one keep yours and turn it into what you want. Two is better than one that’s why I have 4...

 

[pb4ugo]

Loose, I'm pretty sure your crawl ratio isn't 16:1. A LC 3 speed has a 1st at 2.75:1X t/case low range 2.3 X and rear a 4.11=25.99:1. If it was a LC 4 speed at 3.6x 1.99 x 4.11=get you to about 29:1. From your posts I take it you have a SBC already installed. This opens up other possibilities, like SM465s & SM420's with plate adapters and a stk Tcase. 465's and 420 can be founds cheap, be sure to get the bellhousing too, especially if you get a 420. Plate adapters come up for sale on this site periodically and are affordable. Now all these options will affect your crawl ratio, but not high gear. SBC's have no problem running 2700-3000 rpms down the highway. typically 3 and 4 speeds have the same high gear ratio, 1:1. I know it's annoying, but so what. A larger tire will help some. 5 speeds are nice but are going to cost more and can open up more options, depending on if you want to keep the rear end offset or centered. 5 speeds to consider is nv4500, AX15 and a 5 speed toyota trans with a stk case. Horsepower isn't that big of a deal, especially in low range. Mine in my sig is a 260hp stk crate motor. As for discs, I'd look for a stk 40 frt or adapt toyota knuckles and birfs. You will probably only need longfields if you lock the frt. I'd stay away from wilwood brakes and coarse spline birfs.

I posted the following in a past post.


If you're happy with you're hi range gears on the street now , then I'd probably look at either a different tcase with a lower low range ratio or maybe a trans with a lower 1st gear or a combination of both. There are many options.

I have made major driveline swaps in the past. Anymore I start with what tranny and tcase options that available and the various tcase low range gears swaps. Then look at the various individual tranny gear ratios of each tranny(1st,2nd,3rd,etc) you are considering and compare them to you're ratios you are now running. I do it this way because you know where youre current setup is good and is lacking. Find a good rpm calculator on the net to factor in you're tire size and then figure in the lower range ratios and compare those too. Now you might also check how different diff ratios effect rpms too. I usually make a chart for how each driveline computes out. Don't forget there are 5 speeds as an option too. Then look at the cost and and the amount of work is involved. Remember most GM tranny will not shift as nice as a stk L/C 4 speed.

Going from 4.11's to say 4.88's is not much of a change imo. This was my 1st gearing change after running 4.ll's and 33's for 10yrs or so. Because of the long seat time with 4.11's the upgrade was very helpfull, but I quickly wanted a lower gear. My 1st fj40 is set up for more trail use but is able to run60 or 65 on the highway and crawl with a 85:1 ratio. It does have a sbc though, so the higher rpms are OK. It runs 35" boggers. My 2nd 40 is set up more for street sbc,nv4500,stk tcase, and 3.70 diffs and 33s. I figure it will be approx 1900 rpms at 60mph and have a decent low range. I'm currently doing some upgrades on it so i havent driven it with the 3.70's yet.

Look for the best option for the money and the amount of work. Remember 4th gear is usually 1:1 among all 4 speeds.

My street 40 is being setup for mpg's, with a decent crawl ratio.

 

[fjdiesel]

I second what @pb4ugo said, start with a gear ratio calculator and figure out where you want to go. I use this one http://www.grimmjeeper.com/gears.html It will let you compare two setups side by side. Good luck.

 

[RAYJON]

My vote is junk yard ls motor, sm420 or sm465 with a orion transfer case with stock 4.10's.. . The small 4.8 ls motor can be had cheep and spinning it up on the highway wont effect your mileage that much, if it's too high rpm wise/noise wise change to 3.70 gears.. that would give yiu a grat crawl ratio and good driveability.

Either way welcome to the addiction...

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

As a fellow V8 conversion owner, I feel your pain - and I've had crises of faith from time to time as well. It seems like some of the concern is the money you've spent, (and will spend) in the future. Keep in mind, with a V8 and "almost nothing stock," you will NEVER get back out of it what you put into it. Ironically, the more money you dump into it taking it farther and farther from stock, the less it will be worth. My truck is my hobby, I have no intention to sell it (ever) nor do I plan to make money on it if the day ever comes that I have to. It's a "labor of love," and good fun that keeps me out of trouble. Money well spent.

I'm NOT trying to build a hardcore rock crawler (there's really no terrain like that around me), and it sounds like you might be planning to go the crawler route. From most folks I've seen, these rigs don't get built overnight unless the builder is living off a rocking retirement and has a lot of time on their hands. The "rest of us" do exactly what you've been doing - putting our trucks together piece-by-piece as time and money allows.

RULE #1 That I have followed from day 1, that is echoed in some other posts above:

- ALWAYS make a list of projects, and prioritize them - focus on safety and reliability first. Get it on the road. DO NOT try to tackle EVERY project at once. Just being able to drive it will keep you motivated. NEVER, EVER look at the "big picture" of how much you have left to do unless you're a couple beers deep. Pick small, immediately digestible projects, focus on the immediate tasks at hand. I try to shoot for projects that will take me less than 6 months from start to finish, working at my leisurely pace. The exception being my engine swap (2 years and counting).

It's a 46 year old vehicle and you plan to abuse it off-road. If you think you will ever be "done," you are in for a rude awakening. Something will always need to be tweaked, repaired, replaced, or modified.

Another thing I've found:

-NEVER buy a boatload of parts in advance and "stockpile." You just end up tripping over them, and your plans will change another 12 times before those parts you bought go on the truck. By then, half the parts won't work with what you end up with. I can't tell you how much I spent on short water pump, 283-compatible parts before I tore down the 283 and learned the bearings were fried, and I was moving to a 350. At that point, it made infinitely more sense to go to a long water pump and an all new pulley configuration. As a result I ended up buying almost all of my accessories twice.

Something to keep in mind regarding your driveline:

- PLENTY of people wheel these trucks on the stock F motor, which was a whopping 125 horsepower AT THE CRANK. You can argue torque and RPM ranges, but your 235HP vette motor has plenty of guts, and if it runs, I'd run it. 200-250HP seems to be the "sweet spot" for an FJ40 - it's not so much horsepower you're breaking components left and right, but leaves you with enough guts to get most places.

- 4.11 gears will take you a LOT of places. There really isn't anything "sad" about them - they're good, streetable differential with enough guts for off-road.

- Yes, your 3 speed is probably the "weak link" here, but again, if the truck is on blocks, and the 3 speed isn't busted - I'd run it and focus on what's broken.

 

[loosechange]

WOW! this was a lot of amazing information to take in. Again wow!
Ok so yes back to my flash drive I haven’t opened in aboutn4 years with all. My lists and time to prioritize.

I’ve done a lot in the 8 years it’s been on blocks and rarely ever took “in process” pictures but will start again.

I will be back online later with stuff that did work and that I’ve done.

Great info everyone absolutely great info... be back tonight to update what’s up