Builds 1972 Camo FJ40 build (2 Viewers)

[WaterfowlZone]

We have been chasing electrical gremlins over the past couple of days, more than anything removing a ton of wiring the PO installed that was no longer being used.

There is one part that we are not sure if it's original or what it goes to. It was mounted to the top of the firewall on the engine bay side. It was no longer plugged to anything. Pic attached. Any ideas on what it is?

 

[Tokamak]

Nice build. That color is an excellent choice.

 

[ginmtb]

Hard to believe it is the same cruiser! Great job. Great progress!

 

[ginmtb]

Still waiting too on your grandfather's sill to hit the market...

 

[WaterfowlZone]

We continue to make good progress with the electrical, door assembly and roll bar....Seats (front and jumps) are being reupholstered and should have those next week. We hope to be on the road in another week or two.

 

[Michael B]

Looks good Jason! Any hope that you will make the meeting this Saturday?

 

[WaterfowlZone]

We got our sets back from the local upholstery shop and love how they turned out. We buttoned up a few other things this week and finished the electrical issues (we think). So, after a ton of work over the past 18 months we took the FJ40 for a few miles and several trips around the neighborhood. We have a couple of things to work out, but overall we are very pleased with everything. We have not started work on the top. We'll do that in the fall when we have some cooler temps and less humidity. haha

 

[Michael B]

Jason that looks outstanding! I look forward to seeing it in person soon.

 

[neanderpaul67]

What a great makeover!

 

[WaterfowlZone]

We had previously changed all of the lights to LED except the headlights. So, we tackled that conversion over the weekend.

Old original bulb on the right new LED on the left

both new LEDs installed and turned on

Also added stone guards after the LEDs were installed.

Next up installing a new Brake Booster from @Racer65

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

I really dig that color, I know just the rig that may get a variation of that! Maybe the Charcoal Gray.

 

[Michael B]

Looking good Jason. I missed you at the meeting Saturday. BTW where did you get the stone guards?

 

[WaterfowlZone]

I really dig that color, I know just the rig that may get a variation of that! Maybe the Charcoal Gray.

Thank you, I really struggled with the color choice but love how it turned out...this color is called low luster matte Wool Grey metallic.

Looking good Jason. I missed you at the meeting Saturday. BTW where did you get the stone guards?

Hey @76 FJ40 , hopefully will make the next one for sure...I found the stone guards here at Mossmotors.com from a suggeston I read from a MUD member a year or two ago about them fitting and matching the 7" headlights. Here is the direct link:
MossMotors.com - Restoration Parts And Accessories For British Cars

 

[Michael B]

Thanks Jason.

 

[WaterfowlZone]

Just a brief update.

Since my last post we added one of @Racer65 brake boosters, which has done wonders for the brake setup. We also replaced the electric fuel pump with OEM mechanical and replaced the Weber carb with one that is close to stock as you can get. It has never run better. Next up, we will be replacing the last few brake wheel cylinders with new ones.

We have been working on the hard top which was in really poor shape. In particular, the fiberglass was extremely rough. I decided it was beyond repair to get a slick look so I went with the remaining tintable raptor liner on the top for the white fiberglass portion. It worked so well on the tub. I know the purists may not agree, but I really like how it turned out.

So, we got everything like we wanted it from a prep perspective and then we sprayed everything this week. I think it turned out great, I'm so pleased with the results. See pics below.

We hope to attach the top to the tub tomorrow. I do need advice on what size bolts attach the front cap on the top to the windshield as they were missing when we removed the top. Are they the same 10mm bolts that attach the top to tub?

 

[WaterfowlZone]

We set the hard top this weekend and I wanted to share a few pics.

Next up replace 4 brake wheel cylinders and then a new clutch.

 

[Michael B]

Looks great Jason!

 

[WaterfowlZone]

We replaced the remaining 4 wheel cylinders so the entire brake system is new, shoes, wheel cylinders, master and booster.

We decided to replace the old home made shackles the PO was running with some heavy duty CNCd shackles purchased from @65swb45. They worked out really well, we went with the 2.5" longer than stock in the rear and 1.5" longer than stock for the front. We also replaced the original bushings all the way around with all new bushings. So, no more metal to metal clanks when riding over a crack in the asphalt.

Next up we are installing a new clutch. Curious if anyone can give me the weight of the 3-speed transmission and transfer case? I can't seem to find those specs anywhere online or on MUD.

 

[WaterfowlZone]

Over the past year or 2 we have not worked much on our FJ40, we have not had the time and/or other projects were in our way.

So, I called in some reinforcements and we've had several items addressed by a new cruiser shop here in town (Huntsville, AL) called Rocket City Cruisers. Rory aka @roryhamaker did a FANTASTIC job for me. We will be using him for future work as well. Over the past couple of weeks they installed our new clutch, rear seal, knuckle rebuild, new ebrake setup including new drum, new shoes and new cable, new U Joints in rear of the rig, diagnosed an issue we were having with the gas tank, did a carb tuneup and reset the timing.

Everything is running so well. If you are in need of any work done on your cruisers I could not be more pleased with the work by Rory and Rocket City Cruisers here in North Alabama. Thanks again @roryhamaker for a great job!

 

[skidplate]

Very handsome truck, sir.