1969 FJ40 Refresh

[kevos37]

I've had this Land cruiser for a couple years now and haven't done the thing to it. I'm waiting on my body guy , he is working on my fj45. So in the meantime I thought I'd freshen this thing up with some new springs, shocks steering, seats, electrical. Getting the top painted this week. It deserves some attention.

 

[kevos37]

Doing a dry fit of the top before painting. When I originally got the cruiser the previous owner had dropped some trees on it a couple of times so I had to source a new top. It has a had a couple of tweaks. Had to reweld the cracked drip rail, had to be careful not to heat up the fiberglass and the drip rail had already been sealed with self-leveling filler. The door hinge had been stressed and bent out of shape, It did a number on the frame trim too. Nothing a little tap tap tap can't fix.

 

[kevos37]

Got the top and the bezel painted.

 

[kevos37]

Time for a little striptease. I'm planning on replacing all of the body mounts so I'm going to go forward and just remove the body from the frame. I am going to upgrade the axles to disc brake from a 78. Fj40 and I located some OME springs. Figure it'd be easiest IF I just send it over to the shop and have the frame sandblasted and powder coated.

 

[kevos37]

There is a lot to be said about having the right tool for the job. Especially when trying to loosen the bolts that hold the windshield in place. I have tried handheld and battery impact tools. But I found that a little bit of kroil pretreatment overnight , then seating a JIS screwdriver in the slot and tapped on it a few times. Does the trick of course, but having the grip on the screwdriver shank doesn't hurt. That way you can put a crescent wrench on it and loosen it up.

 

[jesus888]

Got the top and the bezel painted.

View attachment 3921948View attachment 3921949

What color did you use? Looks great... think I'm leaning towards keeping patina everywhere but the small bits (like the bezel) getting fresh paint...

 

[kevos37]

What color did you use? Looks great... think I'm leaning towards keeping patina everywhere but the small bits (like the bezel) getting fresh paint...

I did a little bit of research for the correct paint for the top and bezel. Had all the codes and everything to go to the paint shop. Unfortunately I have a limited selection in our area. I just had them match the color by computer. It may not be the most correct in the world, but I'm happy.

 

[kevos37]

Getting ready to take the tub off. Figured, well since I'm replacing the body mounts might as well take the tub off. Going to make a dolly for it tomorrow. Planning on leaving the original paint on the exterior. Lizard skin is planned for the interior floor/ firewall and underneath to include the firewall. Paint to match.

Always nice to clean this stuff up and start from scratch.

 

[kevos37]

Dolly time. About $60 in materials minus the wheels. There were some old scruffy ones I had. But it's so nice to move around.

 

[MadMace]

Love the cover/gantry setup outside your garage—looks great and very functional. I don’t remember seeing that when we stopped by your place a couple of years ago.

 

[kevos37]

Love the cover/gantry setup outside your garage—looks great and very functional. I don’t remember seeing that when we stopped by your place a couple of years ago.

I added that in after I had a guy put in a carport. It works out nice. It blends right in with it. I have a pneumatic hoist. Never owned one before. Always had electric. They work really slick, you can just creep along with the thing when you're lifting.

Now it's time to start the real work.

 

[kevos37]

It's nice to work outside and not in the sun.

 

[kevos37]

Getting ready for sandblasting and off to the powder coater. Got to clean some excess oil off and remove some hardware and she'll be good to go.

 

[65swb45]

Posted pics of your manifold in the classifieds.

 

[kevos37]

Posted pics of your manifold in the classifieds.

Thank you, Mark!

 

[kevos37]

Starting work on the motor. First thing I always do is loosen up that rear coolant drain plug, and of course that is plugged up! I had noticed a couple times on a little bit of a warm day. It would run hot. I've been putting CLR in there . Just picking away at it. I think I will end up pulling the head and get better access to those ports. Plus that will allow me to check the valves and ring wear at the same time.

 

[kevos37]

I motored by Valley hybrid in Stockton and picked up some parts and then went over to Georg's new store. Picked up some terrain tamer springs, looking forward to testing them out!

Accumulating a few parts to put on the old girl.

 

[kevos37]

Tomorrow I'm going to be starting on disassembly of a later model FJ40 disc brake axles. Planning on going thru them before installation.Going with disc on the rear also. Degreased and ready to disassemble.

 

[kevos37]

Couldn't wait..lol. Hoisted the axle up on my bench. Using a Eastwood axle dolly. I just removed the casters and clamped it to the bench. Easy to work at height, at least for me.