Build 1965 FJ40, What Have I Gotten Myself Into?

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Great progress thus far! Very nice work. Just reading from beginning to end it seems you have grown leaps and bounds in every aspect. My boys 14 and 16 are going through this very thing with their own projects. Best thing they have done to grow. I spent 19 years in Nairobi. I too learned to appreciate these great rigs while there. There is no other vehicle I would trust to get us home after a day chasing after lions, hyenas, elephants, cheetahs, and more. Never have I been stranded. Not a good thing if you do. Many have lost their lives. It’s a life teacher in many ways. I look forward to reading what you are doing. Carry on.
 
@ceylonfj40nut Thanks for the reply. At the start of this project, I had very limited mechanical knowledge. It is amazing what a few books and the support of this mud community can accomplish. It has been a humbling, frustrating, but rewarding journey so far. I am glad to hear that your boys have their own projects. You learn a lot and it teaches some valuable life lessons.

Very cool about your time in Kenya. I would hope to go back at some point. It was an awesome journey and I had some amazing experiences. Thanks for sharing.
 
What gear pullers do you have to disassemble your transmission and transfer case?
 
Progress has been slow. COVID-19 has not had a large impact on my work life. I still go into work each week then have a number of house projects on the weekends.

Anyways. I managed to get some work done. The previous brake lines were barbaric to say the least. I managed to put together something temporary that sort of worked with a few leaks so I could drive it around a little. The lines were not safe nor did they look very good. I decided then that my brakes were my top priority.

I knew that I wanted to convert from a single to a dual master cylinder which meant that this was a completely custom build. I contacted @Rainman for some help. I mainly needed help with the firewall lines since those were what people saw when looking in the engine bay. I also Didn't have any reference of what I needed the lines to look like.

So I contacted Rainman and told him that I had a project. I gave vague statements of what I wanted, what booster and master cylinder I was running, along with swapping from the single to dual master cylinder. A few weeks later, a nice large box arrived with beautiful brake lines. These were then set on a shelf and forgotten about until this past weekend.

I went with a non-ABS FJ80 master cylinder from cruiser outfitters and the disk brake booster from City Racer with a wilwood proportioning valve to limit the rear pressure.

For anyone wondering, I have a '76 FJ40 front axle with disc brakes. Along with the original '65 rear axle with a chevy disc brake conversion. Because I didn't want to have M9 and M10 brake fittings, I chose to replace the axle breather Tee. This can be found on amazon.

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If I was to do anything differently, I would have received the axle brake lines from Rainman as well. I figured I could bend them myself and I did.... They were just not as pretty as Rainman's would have been. But everything worked except for one small leak when I started to bleed the brakes. After I tightened the fitting, It was smooth sailing.
 
Since I was on the upgrade kick. I figured I would invest in a gear reduction starter. A couple notes. It is significantly lighter than the old starter and has adequate clearance for the bolts. Very easy to install and bolted right up. Next up is to get the electrical work back together to test the starter out.

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Since the starter is all nice and shiny, I figured it was only right to invest in some nice battery cables:

Thanks to @Fourrunner for the awesome cables. Great quality. Can't wait to hook everything up now.

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While waiting for some electrical components to come in the mail, I decided to re-test fit the fenders,aprons,hood, and front clip. Man was I glad I did. They were all sorts of wonky and tweaked. Must have happened during the move... But with some light persuasion and modification and the help of a friend, we got them installed correctly.

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I also started on the swing out tire carrier bumper. I will be documenting that as I go.

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Krondor said:
While waiting for some electrical components to come in the mail, I decided to re-test fit the fenders,aprons,hood, and front clip. Man was I glad I did. They were all sorts of wonky and tweaked. Must have happened during the move... But with some light persuasion and modification and the help of a friend, we got them installed correctly.

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I am having the same issue on my '81 FJ40. The Drivers Side Fender droops a little which looks aweful. Really noticeable when I put Front Indicator lights on.

How did you adjust?
 
To start off, I bolted on the front clip along with both fenders loosely to the frame.
I wedged a wooden block under both sides of the clip to ensure that it was straight and even.

Carefully, with the help of a friend, we used a pry bar to move the fenders into place where the would bolt up with the clip. I did notice that the aftermarket OEM fenders that I purchased interfered with the clip at the corners. I used an angle grinder to cut a small slot that allowed me to open the gap see red line in the picture.
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The inside tabs of the clip also had to be bent slightly upward since they were interfering with the fender bend.

With those adjustments, and some light careful prying at the base of the fender, everything came into alignment.

You definitely need two people to push and pull on things while lining up the fenders. Once the fenders were in their respected place, I removed the wooden blocks and attached the aprons. Since all the adjustment was done with the fenders, the aprons did not need any fitment adjustment.
 
After getting the panels fit. I decided that it was time to start sanding and preparing for high build primer and paint. There is a hell of a lot of surface area on a FJ40 that needed to be sanded. Every nook and cranny. So I pulled a Tom Sawyer and convinced a couple friends that sanding is fun! So we sanded and sanded. Epoxy primer is tough stuff and needed to be brought down smooth and roughed up with 320 grit so the primer would stick well.


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After the inside and outside was scratched up well enough. It was time to remove the body sand the underside. This was a hard decision because it means going backwards. I removed the front fenders, clip, aprons, brake booster/master, clutch, pedals, and a few other odds and ends. Then unbolted the body from the frame.

With the help of some great friends, we pulled the body off and flipped it in one swell motion. Then carried it into the garage. Ready for sanding, primer, then paint.

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The garage was just long enough to roll the chassis back in for storage.

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Well, I believe I am committed now... What are your thoughts? It is a little lighter than I was imagining but the color is growing on me. I am using Nason Ful-thane paint and am pretty happy with the results so far and how the paint flows. FYI, a gallon of single stage Nason Ful-thane paint runs around $400 a gallon for this color. It is not original but I am building this for me.

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Krondor said:
Well, I believe I am committed now... What are your thoughts? It is a little lighter than I was imagining but the color is growing on me. I am using Nason Ful-thane paint and am pretty happy with the results so far and how the paint flows. FYI, a gallon of single stage Nason Ful-thane paint runs around $400 a gallon for this color. It is not original but I am building this for me.

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Looks great. It’s amazing what quality paint materials cost.
 
It was awesome seeing this thing in person. The pictures don't do it justice. That color choice is perfect and you've done an awesome job with it so far. I've enjoyed the thread and can't wait to see the finished product!
 
After the initial two coats, I still missed a few spots. I went and sanded the underside completely with 600 grit then put on another three coats of paint. Probably overkill for the bottom but I would rather it be stronger and thicker. Five coats total plus time for it to fully cure and it's time for the body to go back on the chassis. I had the friends available and I figured it would be easier to paint the outside at a higher level. Anyways, here is a couple pictures of the body going back on the frame and the mounts being tightened.

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Next up.... Sanding, more sanding, and more sanding, then a little paint, sanding, and buffing.
 
A little more progress. Started painting the inside.

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Still needs another couple coats on the inside but I am pretty happy. Ran out of paint... So off to buy gallon number two. I am painting roughly 4 coats which is overkill but I figured I don't want to do this twice and its easier to buff out a scratch then to repaint it again.
 
Like your ventilation system! :p
 
Good thing you have a fence on the other side 🤣. Hope you neighbors did not get hosed.
 
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