1971 FJ40 Resto-Mod (Father/Son Project)

[Stubby]

Greetings everyone,

Wanted to introduce myself, and share the start of a journey I'm getting ready to take.....sorry about this being a long post.

I grew up building 60's & 70's muscle cars with my dad, and now that I've got two sons of my own (9 & 11), I wanted to find a good project that I could use to teach them how to work on cars. While I was perfectly happy drag racing a 400+ HP big-block Chevy, I don't think I'll be letting my boys loose with that kind of power! LOL

I've been a Toyota loyalist since I started driving, and the FJ's always tripped my trigger more than any Jeep ever did. I started looking for one a couple years ago, but couldn't find anything that was a reasonable price.....that wasn't also a basket-case.

About a year ago, I came across a guy in Wichita selling a '76 that looked decent, but it was already mostly done. I called him anyway, and we started talking about what I was looking for....he agreed that the '76 wasn't really a good fit, but he had a '71 that he had gotten from a seller in NM that would be perfect. It was going to be a father/son project for him, but due to some unfortunate marital issues, that was no longer going to be possible.

Well, after some pictures, a visit out to see it while I was in the area for work, and his VERY gracious offer to store it in a corner of his shop for about a year, it was finally time to bring it home. We rolled it into my garage not that long ago, and I'm itching to start doing some work.....

It's a New Mexico vehicle, original paint, virgin sheet metal with no bodywork ever done, one reasonably small area of structural rust (rear sill), and already stripped down. The NM owner had intended to do a diesel conversion, but decided to sell it instead, so the guy I bought it from in Kansas had a 2F & 4spd/T-case from another 76 that he put in it. Basically, a perfect blank canvas for me to start a resto-mod....

This is going to be a project that I can do with my boys over the next 4-5 years. Short term plan is to just get it running and moving under its own power again, then use it as an "around town vehicle", in case I need to run to the parts store when working on mine, or my wife's vehicles. In a couple of years, when my oldest son turns 13, and can better turn wrenches himself, I'll start on the full resto-mod.

My long-term ambition is to have an expedition-style vehicle, that I can drive long distances in comfortably (reasonably), drive on the beach, take on some mild to moderate trails, and just generally have fun with the family.

Here's what I'm thinking for equipment....keep in mind that I've recently jumped head-first into the FJ pool, so I'm not as versed with which equipment choices to make, compared to if I was building a 71 Monte Carlo.

Engine:
Rebuild / modify the 2F (higher compression ratio, RV cam, throttle body EFI, etc....)
or
Cummins R2.8 diesel conversion.

Drivetrain:
5spd (H55, or other).....I'd like to be able to drive down the highway at 70 mph, and I really don't want to do automatic.
T-Case - TBD (thinking split case, with the H55, but I'd like to hear suggestions).

Axles / Suspension:
Swap out FR & RR axles to newer ('79 & up) to get disc brakes, and fine spline axles.
Front shackle reversal + 2.5 lift (should work out to about 4" with shackle reversal)
ARB lockers
Saginaw Power Steering conversion

Body / Interior:
Mostly stock appearance (because the FJ40 is a sexy beast with no help!), custom roll bar, upgraded front buckets, custom rear bench (for my boys), LED lights all around, A/C (haven't decided which kit to go with yet), aftermarket instrument cluster, lizard-skin sound deadening & heat block coating on floor and underside of tub.
Paint- white top, with either Inferno Orange or Barcelona Red from the 2017 Tacoma line.
Aftermarket or custom-fab bumpers, with better spare tire carrier.
Warn winch

Wheels / Tires:
33's (maybe 35's, if they work with the mild lift). I don't want to go too extreme.
I would like to do find a wheel that looks somewhat period correct, but also has a more modern twist....I'll have to chew on that one for a while.


I think, when it's all done, I'll have a rig that I can enjoy with my family, have a ton of fun with, and my boys will learn everything that I can teach them!

I'll update this thread as the project progresses, and I welcome any advice or feedback from the folks who want to help. I'm in Raleigh, so if there are any NC folks that want to send me their contact info, I'd love meet up with some fellow FJ addicts!

Here's a link to my album with pictures of what I'll be starting with...
1971 FJ40 Project Rig

 

[69LC]

Great project and way to get your kids involved while they still think you're cool!

 

[Stubby]

Great project and way to get your kids involved while they still think you're cool!

Oh, I think I already lost that with my oldest.....he rolls his eyes at me regularly! LOL

 

[69LC]

Oh man! When we bought our daughter a 72 with the hopes of dad/daughter time she was already too far into her own thing.

The truck has sat in our barn now for a few years after I almost revived it and swapped fj62 knuckles and brakes, and a Chinese Dizzy. Ive rolled it back and forth a few times for access to looking at my waiting 40.

 

[rrv333]

Great project and good looking canvas

 

[69LC]

That's a great stock color too.

 

[B y r o n]

Double check the vin plate on the driver's door frame, they didn't have locking filler lids on the gas tanks until '73. Another clue would be what type of front seats came with it? '71 should be split bench.

 

[little_joe]

Sounds like an awesome project, Mike! Pop into the Olde North State Cruisers clubhouse here on 'Mud, there's a ton of local Cruiserheads in a really tight-knit community, always willing to help one another...

NC- Olde North State Cruisers

 

[Stubby]

Double check the vin plate on the driver's door frame, they didn't have locking filler lids on the gas tanks until '73. Another clue would be what type of front seats came with it? '71 should be split bench.

Vin plate on door shows August of 1971.

I’m sure there’s a mix of various years on it......another reason I got it for a resto-mod. Don’t have to worry about ruining a matching numbers rig.

 

[Stubby]

Double check the vin plate on the driver's door frame, they didn't have locking filler lids on the gas tanks until '73. Another clue would be what type of front seats came with it? '71 should be split bench.

Looking further, I'm sure there are likely a few different years on it. I have a feeling that the frame may have been '71, but the tub is later. There's a faded 1974 emissions sticker on the underside of the hood. The title says 1971, so that's what I'm going with when I register it with DMV.....no hassles with emissions.

Might have been that the original 1971 tub was replaced with a '74. If so, it must have been done a long time ago, because the paint around the door frame VIN tag is cracking and there is some minor surface rust. The VIN tag in the engine bay is gone.

That leads me to one of my questions for the folks here.....does anyone make replacements that look factory? I don't necessarily NEED it, since the other one is still on, but it would be nice to get a new one made.

 

[brian]

can't tell what it is by looking at the pictures.

 

[Stubby]

can't tell what it is by looking at the pictures.

I'm not all that worried about what year it actually is.....I'm going to be replacing / restoring / modifying every part of it, so it'll get to be whatever I can dream up in my head.

 

[pjohnson]

Welcome to Mud. Go flip your bezel

 

[B y r o n]

The problem may come when time to register and vin on frame doesn't match the door plate.

 

[Stubby]

The problem may come when time to register and vin on frame doesn't match the door plate.

Frame VIN matches the number on the door frame tag, so if the tub is off of a later model, the VIN tag from the original must have been transferred over as well.

 

[B y r o n]

Frame VIN matches the number on the door frame tag, so if the tub is off of a later model, the VIN tag from the original must have been transferred over as well.

Hence the problem, VIN plates are not allowed to be transferred from one vehicle to another. Does the existing registration paperwork show the same VIN or was your purchase done on a bill of sale without a title?

 

[little_joe]

There's a 3rd VIN tag NC DMV checks in the theft inspection, under the battery iirc on older models. If all 3 tags match, you'll be fine titling and registering it, so long as the VIN doesn't show up as stolen. I did this with mine back in April, was pretty painless. They don't care what year the body is (nor do they know), just as long as the tags match.

 

[Stubby]

Hence the problem, VIN plates are not allowed to be transferred from one vehicle to another. Does the existing registration paperwork show the same VIN or was your purchase done on a bill of sale without a title?

Vehicle has a title, and the VIN that is listed matches what’s on the frame rail and door tag.

 

[Stubby]

There's a 3rd VIN tag NC DMV checks in the theft inspection, under the battery iirc on older models. If all 3 tags match, you'll be fine titling and registering it, so long as the VIN doesn't show up as stolen. I did this with mine back in April, was pretty painless. They don't care what year the body is (nor do they know), just as long as the tags match.

The tag under the battery is gone, but the door frame tag is there.

 

[mdsims]

It has the rare 73 rear backup light.