What have you done to your Land Cruiser this week? (39 Viewers)

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I’ve been inspired by so many posts from so many of you and as I keep the pages turning, I discover some new things and some old ones I’d forgotten. Most recently @firefighterjed. He has a gorgeous FJ40 and I just love the details he has provided. So…paint stick here I come

of course you know..the white paint stick came in a 6”x9” box ….4” tall and 3 air pillows for that single white crayon….. broken
the red paint stick was sent in lipstick sized box and tossed into a plastic shipping bag… mint perfect 1 solid perfect piece
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Also finished the epoxy floor for the new pole barn…. I have my FJ40 parked on the fresh new clean concrete… no stains, no drips…wow! She’s gonna love in there
 
Flushed the rad, new thermostat, finally mounted non rusty oem oil cooler pipe. Please disregard non factory hose clamps.
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Drove it to the beach (Cayucos, CA) to check out a repair shop (Nelson's Garage) that always has an interesting mix of cruisers there, but closed on weekends when I usually drive by. Talked with Mike, a fellow cruiserhead and great guy about some future work for my 40.
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Driving home up Hwy 1 I spotted a clean 62 parked at the beach and had to stop to meet the owners, a really nice couple.
The beach was overcast, but still a good day driving my rig and talking with cruiser people.
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Drove it to the beach (Cayucos, CA) to check out a repair shop (Nelson's Garage) that always has an interesting mix of cruisers there, but closed on weekends when I usually drive by. Talked with Mike, a fellow cruiserhead and great guy about some future work for my 40.


Driving home up Hwy 1 I spotted a clean 62 parked at the beach and had to stop to meet the owners, a really nice couple.
The beach was overcast, but still a good day driving my rig and talking with cruiser people.
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Wow. The last one look like taken in the studio .....
 
I may
Ditching the 4 inch skyjackers and shackle reversal po did (the po is my dad who's had his fair share of building mid life crisis "bro-dozer" lifted 40 to 80 series. Definitely not my cup of tea).

Still thankful to have nos oem leafsprings that was bought my grandfather some 28 odd years ago.

This embarks my "unpo-ing" the 1974 FJ40LV. Goal is to return it to as close as a stock standard FJ40 when it rolled of the dealership when my grandfather (1st owner) bought it in November of 1974.

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reverse the reverse shackle that the PO did on my ‘78. Thanks for this!
 
I made some weight savings and then took all of it back with the new crossmember. :rofl:

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I also got a true first start out of the new twin turbo monstrosity I'm cramming in there.


 
Domino Theory: On our 1970 40, I removed both vent windows simply to sand and paint them. In the process, I noticed that the little wire retaining clip that holds in the key cylinder on the driver's side door had fallen out. I found it in the bottom of the inner door. It is a wonder that the lock hadn't fallen out on the road somewhere. I spent hours trying to re-insert that little retaining clip without removing the door and disassembling it. Maybe someone has a better way: It seems like you have to be some sort of contortionist to fenagle things within the little access hole. But I think that I was finally able to get the clip into the slots on the cylinder. Next issue, the drive's side door always required slamming it to get it to latch properly. (I think that's why the retainer clip eventually fell out) Long story short, I fiddled with the portion of the latch assembly that is attached to the door. (This is the piece that rides inside the latch that is attached to the door jamb. If they don't line up properly, the door won't close very well.) After removing some of the hard rubber-like material top and bottom, the door finally shuts without a hard slam. Victory!
 
Finished my 1976 non USA drum brake knuckle rebuild. The job took 3 times as long as planned due to ordering the wrong rebuild kit. For South American trucks, with front drum brakes, be sure to order the 9/75+ kits as the wheel bearing oil seal is larger. Also, the amount of degreasing/cleaning/painting was significant.

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Borrowed the centering tool from @miller.

Added shims to get pre load at 5.0 lbs within FSM range of 3.9 - 5.0lbs.



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All studs were in bad shape so retapped and used new oem studs.
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New pads, turned drums, adjusted wheel cylinders (what a blast!) installed new Aisin master and bled system.
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Finished my 1976 non USA drum brake knuckle rebuild. The job took 3 times as long as planned due to ordering the wrong rebuild kit. For South American trucks, with front drum brakes, be sure to order the 9/75+ kits as the wheel bearing oil seal is larger. Also, the amount of degreasing/cleaning/painting was significant.

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Borrowed the centering tool from @miller.

Added shims to get pre load at 5.0 lbs within FSM range of 3.9 - 5.0lbs.



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All studs were in bad shape so retapped and used new oem studs.
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New pads, turned drums, adjusted wheel bearings (what a blast!) installed new Aisin master and bled system.
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So much more advanced than when I did my disc brake conversion in '94. When I did mine I reused the shims from the disc axle and the nicer set of knuckle bearings, and then threw it all together. Once all together, it had some resistance and moved smoothish... not like with the notched bearings that came out. No FSM, no internet, no one to ask how to do it, and Haynes didn't explain how to convert a drum axle to disc brakes. It was a big Mechano set and I was mixing and matching parts to see what would work together. :cheers:

28 years later and the knuckles are going strong... but past due for a rebuild.
 

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