That is a nice old bridgeport. its got a 3rd axis on it correct? is the whole controls system Mitutoyo?
Builds 1973 Build - Putting the puzzle together (1 Viewer)
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- Thread starter
- #42
It's a complete 3 axis servo driven cnc, it was originally converted with a Mitutoyo Millstar III setup. I bought it without the controller since it crapped out. I converted all 3 motors to use rotary encoders, designed and hand built a new control setup using components from CNC4pc.com and run it with Mach4 control software on a desktop. That desktop also has Solidworks and Autodesk Fusion360, so I can design/program/cut all right at the machine. It was one of my more fulfilling projects since it opens up so many doors.
Downey
SILVER Star
Sorry for getting back to you a bit tardy. Your steering gear box can have one of three different splines: 3/4" by 30 spline, 3/4" by 36 spline, and 13/16" by 36 spline. When counting splines keep in mind the spline count is for a full 360 degrees of splines, so if your shaft has a flat spot (splines removed) you have to count as if splines were in the flat spot (i.e. a 30 spline shaft with a flat spot may only have 26 splines for instance). I believe I could presently provide any of those spline choices.
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First time read. Now sub’d.
IMO, your engine choice and placement scream for a 60series/Scout power steering conversion, as the conventional Saginaw setup will require a two piece center shaft and support bearing, which is substandard.
Here’s a pic of an egregious one that came into my shop a year and a half ago
IMO, your engine choice and placement scream for a 60series/Scout power steering conversion, as the conventional Saginaw setup will require a two piece center shaft and support bearing, which is substandard.
Here’s a pic of an egregious one that came into my shop a year and a half ago
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- #45
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Don’t cut anything until you have a FULL game plan. Like welding in a new steering box mount before knowing where your engine was gonna be wasn’t such a good idea.
So, theoretically, how would steering shaft alignment look if it was going from the firewall over the TOP of the framerail to a Scout/60 box?
So, theoretically, how would steering shaft alignment look if it was going from the firewall over the TOP of the framerail to a Scout/60 box?
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- #47
I think I can make the saginaw setup work fine (especially if I relocate the PS pump to make room). But i cant be sure until i mockup the column, but i need to remove it from the parts truck...I'm simply asking what's the best way to get it apart from the factory box and out of the parts truck.
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- #48
Update time once again...So last night while I was waiting to see if anyone responds to the post before this asking how you take a pre '72 steering column off the box I decided to attack the fuel tank!
So, first things first, I opened up the hole a bit more just to be sure i've cut back to the most solid material available.
Next I cut out a piece of angle steel to fit the hole as tight as possible.
And burned it in for good.
I also did some work on the pin hole area that was leaking when I water tested it. After I finished I rigged up the hoses with a plug/press. gauge/ needle valve setup and pressurized the tank and left it overnight...no leaks! Today I filled it with water again just for good measure and confirmed...no leakage. It's got a couple other small pitted areas that Ill fix after I sandblast it and can see the whole deal.
Anyway, this afternoon I decided to cut the '70 steering column off the factory box because I really didn't want to wait any longer to mock-up the steering shaft. I'm glad I did, I don't see how you can take the old style box/column apart otherwise. Anyway, I mocked up the '70 column in the truck and used the Spud shaft/U-joint and steering shaft that came with the '72.
So that'll work with no issues! I'll likely buy a 3/4 DD collapsible assembly to replace most of the shaft in the pictures (so I have the collapsible area for frame flex) then buy a 3/4 DD u-joint and mill flats on the factory 3/4 shaft/column.
So now that I know this will all work I decided to finish one of the bottom steering box mounts...
So I notched out the frame
Cut a section of pipe and bolted it in through the notch, tighted it up, tack welded it, removed the bolt, welded the pipe in completely. (not pictured)
And ground it all off flat.
I've still got to finish the bottom front mount...that's gonna be the worst one.
Next thing is gonna be removing the tub, blasting the whole chassis, POR15 on the chassis, clean and paint the engine/trans/tcase and start putting it back together.
So, first things first, I opened up the hole a bit more just to be sure i've cut back to the most solid material available.
Next I cut out a piece of angle steel to fit the hole as tight as possible.
And burned it in for good.
I also did some work on the pin hole area that was leaking when I water tested it. After I finished I rigged up the hoses with a plug/press. gauge/ needle valve setup and pressurized the tank and left it overnight...no leaks! Today I filled it with water again just for good measure and confirmed...no leakage. It's got a couple other small pitted areas that Ill fix after I sandblast it and can see the whole deal.
Anyway, this afternoon I decided to cut the '70 steering column off the factory box because I really didn't want to wait any longer to mock-up the steering shaft. I'm glad I did, I don't see how you can take the old style box/column apart otherwise. Anyway, I mocked up the '70 column in the truck and used the Spud shaft/U-joint and steering shaft that came with the '72.
So that'll work with no issues! I'll likely buy a 3/4 DD collapsible assembly to replace most of the shaft in the pictures (so I have the collapsible area for frame flex) then buy a 3/4 DD u-joint and mill flats on the factory 3/4 shaft/column.
So now that I know this will all work I decided to finish one of the bottom steering box mounts...
So I notched out the frame
Cut a section of pipe and bolted it in through the notch, tighted it up, tack welded it, removed the bolt, welded the pipe in completely. (not pictured)
And ground it all off flat.
I've still got to finish the bottom front mount...that's gonna be the worst one.
Next thing is gonna be removing the tub, blasting the whole chassis, POR15 on the chassis, clean and paint the engine/trans/tcase and start putting it back together.
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I collect those chopped of steering box housings and harvest them for parts.
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- #50
Well, I'm sure eventually I'll scrap the '70 frame so if you want it ill cut it off and send it your way.
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Sounds good. Thanks.
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- #52
Last weekend I yanked the motor and trans back out, welded in the motor mounts for good, reinforced the radiator cross member from the cuts for the saginaw box, and finally drilled through the frame for the last PS box mount. The last mount bolt was a MAJOR pain in the ass (which I knew it would be) because I mounted the box such that the front bottom bolt was right through the path of the bottom of the frame rail and through both sides of the SR mount...thank god I have carbide endmills laying around because a drill bit was not about to do that job.
I also finished welding in that SR bracket on both sides (since the PO never did) and welded the bottom of the PS box plate on the inside of the rail (no pictures).
So I got up early the next day and stripped the entire frame to bare metal.
Cleaned, degreased, prepped, and POR15'd the whole frame.
I also cleaned and degreased the engine and trans while they were out. I'm going to paint a couple parts and throw the engine and trans back in, and put the body back on. I'll likely leave it like that for a while since I've got to get my shop cleaned up and ready for winter projects. This winter I want to do some work on my M38 and then i'll be working on this for the rest of the winter. Hoping for at least something yard-driveable by the spring. I figure i'll probably have to mock it up with all the body/interior parts to make sure the glass tub is setup right then I'll take it all back apart and do some glass work on the tub, paint it, and then final assembly.
btw, the project has officially been named: Jordy the forty.
Edit: I haven't updated the cost in a while, It's really just been consumables since I bought the engine, looks like I'm right around $950 all in right now.
I also finished welding in that SR bracket on both sides (since the PO never did) and welded the bottom of the PS box plate on the inside of the rail (no pictures).
So I got up early the next day and stripped the entire frame to bare metal.
Cleaned, degreased, prepped, and POR15'd the whole frame.
I also cleaned and degreased the engine and trans while they were out. I'm going to paint a couple parts and throw the engine and trans back in, and put the body back on. I'll likely leave it like that for a while since I've got to get my shop cleaned up and ready for winter projects. This winter I want to do some work on my M38 and then i'll be working on this for the rest of the winter. Hoping for at least something yard-driveable by the spring. I figure i'll probably have to mock it up with all the body/interior parts to make sure the glass tub is setup right then I'll take it all back apart and do some glass work on the tub, paint it, and then final assembly.
btw, the project has officially been named: Jordy the forty.
Edit: I haven't updated the cost in a while, It's really just been consumables since I bought the engine, looks like I'm right around $950 all in right now.
Last edited:
jim land
SILVER Star
I saw in page #1 of your thread (74 fj40 ) but your frame look like a 79-80 frame, did you check with you vin number on the right front side of the frame, the registration of a 40 is base on this vin #
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- #54
Yeah the frame VIN doesn't match the VIN on the glass tub. I can't see the whole thing because the SR bracket is covering up part of it, I didn't weld that side of the passenger SR brackets so I can cut a notch out later to read the VIN. The glass tub truck was listed as a '74 so thats what I called it when I started the thread, the body tag is from a 72' and the frame is clearly from a later truck. Its got a disk front axle too so the later frame might explain that as well. I'm a little concerned about it because if I register it to my full time home in CT they'll do a VIN check to compare body to frame, the other option is to reg it to my house in VT and I don't think they'll check it there.
jim land
SILVER Star
My 77 fj40 is on a 79 frame and they never check this here in quebec , so I call it good
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- #56
I think I'm a bit overdue for an update at this point. I haven't gotten too much done since the last update, i've been working on my M38 which I know I mentioned was the plan. It's gotten a fancy billet adapter for a different carb, new waterpump, new alt, new radiator...now I've just gotta do some brake work and it'll be back out of the shop so the 40 can come in.
However, I did make some progress in the parts department. I located a guy on craigslist in Maine that had a bunch of parts (hes a member here) so I drove 260 miles each way on black friday to grab parts. I ended up getting a gauge cluster, newer style roll bar with pads, hardtop sides, aftermarket jump seats, support bar that goes between the hardtop sides, and newer style doors!
If anyone knows the origin of those jump seats I'd be interested in learning, they're clearly not OEM but were already modified to fit a 40 and seem to work well.
So, another $600 in parts (great deal!) brings my grand total to something like $1600 all in.
I've also been turning over every stone I know of and bothering every old contact I had when I used to be into landcruisers and ended up tracking down another parts truck the next town over from me from a guy I almost bought a couple project trucks from 3 or 4 years ago. It's got a lot of good parts and the price is right but I'm not 100% sure I want to drag it out from its grave....we'll see, here's a pic.
More updates coming soon when I can get the truck in my shop for the winter.
However, I did make some progress in the parts department. I located a guy on craigslist in Maine that had a bunch of parts (hes a member here) so I drove 260 miles each way on black friday to grab parts. I ended up getting a gauge cluster, newer style roll bar with pads, hardtop sides, aftermarket jump seats, support bar that goes between the hardtop sides, and newer style doors!
If anyone knows the origin of those jump seats I'd be interested in learning, they're clearly not OEM but were already modified to fit a 40 and seem to work well.
So, another $600 in parts (great deal!) brings my grand total to something like $1600 all in.
I've also been turning over every stone I know of and bothering every old contact I had when I used to be into landcruisers and ended up tracking down another parts truck the next town over from me from a guy I almost bought a couple project trucks from 3 or 4 years ago. It's got a lot of good parts and the price is right but I'm not 100% sure I want to drag it out from its grave....we'll see, here's a pic.
More updates coming soon when I can get the truck in my shop for the winter.
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- #57
So I was cleaning up behind my garage the other day and came across a familiar aluminum storage box that came out of the back of my first fj40 (tan '80). I opened it up and was delighted to find these little gems:
I already cleaned up the original tool kit bag which came out almost perfect, all the original tools are bathing in ATF right now until I get a chance to clean them up. Everything is in pretty good shape though, so that's nice score I forgot I had.
I've also been continuing the hunt for parts for this thing, someone contacted me from a wanted ad I put on CL and said he had a ton of parts so I went to check it out last week on my day off. He had this truck hanging around he was willing to part with along with a bunch of other stuff...
The price was right on the truck, so I made a deal to buy it. When I first saw it my thought was it was a great parts truck to get the later model hardtop and windshield frame from, but honestly, I'm very confident I could save it. I think the plan is going to be to bring it up to my place in VT and just leave it for now while I wrap up other projects and revisit it later. In the mean time its got a sbc/toyota 4-speed and it runs and drives so I can rip it around a bit in VT.
I also made a deal for a newer style steering column/wheel, another set of good front fenders, and an OEM gas tank that I might run instead of the con-ferr tank for the time being.
Unfortunately I'm in the middle of closing on a house so I need to put off picking the truck and parts up until after that's done. More pics of that stuff to come soon.
In other news I'm almost done with my M38 so I'll have the 40 on the garage either tomorrow or the next day. I have the 4.8L engine harness setup in my basement so I'm going to start converting it to a standalone setup this weekend as well.
I already cleaned up the original tool kit bag which came out almost perfect, all the original tools are bathing in ATF right now until I get a chance to clean them up. Everything is in pretty good shape though, so that's nice score I forgot I had.
I've also been continuing the hunt for parts for this thing, someone contacted me from a wanted ad I put on CL and said he had a ton of parts so I went to check it out last week on my day off. He had this truck hanging around he was willing to part with along with a bunch of other stuff...
The price was right on the truck, so I made a deal to buy it. When I first saw it my thought was it was a great parts truck to get the later model hardtop and windshield frame from, but honestly, I'm very confident I could save it. I think the plan is going to be to bring it up to my place in VT and just leave it for now while I wrap up other projects and revisit it later. In the mean time its got a sbc/toyota 4-speed and it runs and drives so I can rip it around a bit in VT.
I also made a deal for a newer style steering column/wheel, another set of good front fenders, and an OEM gas tank that I might run instead of the con-ferr tank for the time being.
Unfortunately I'm in the middle of closing on a house so I need to put off picking the truck and parts up until after that's done. More pics of that stuff to come soon.
In other news I'm almost done with my M38 so I'll have the 40 on the garage either tomorrow or the next day. I have the 4.8L engine harness setup in my basement so I'm going to start converting it to a standalone setup this weekend as well.
- Thread starter
- #58
I wrapped up my willys the other day and got it out of the garage, cleaned up a bit and brought the 40 in.
The first thing I really wanted to do was mock-up the factory body parts on the glass tub and make sure everything lines up how i'd like (I've read enough about these mallotte tubs to know it'll need work). I wanted to start with the newer style doors I got recently. I ripped the drivers door off my parts truck and stole the hinges. When I went to bolt it up though I came across my first problem, the plywood that they've got glassed in behind the hinge pillar was just falling apart. For the time being I chiseled it all out and replaced it with a 5/8 piece of pine just for mockup.
You can see in that picture that the pillar is about .5" thick right at the hinge and much thinner above and below...all in all its a crappy design. I'm stuck between two options to fix this correctly:
1) cut the factory hinge pillar out of the parts truck and modify/glass it in behind the existing pillar. This option would provide threaded holes for all the hinge bolts and strengthen the entire area quite a bit.
2) Mill billet aluminum backing plates for the top and bottom hinges that are longer than the plywood chunks originally installed. This would also provide threaded holes for the hinges and would strengthen the area a lot, but not as much as option 1. Also, it would never rust, which is a big thing for me and part of the reason why I'm using a fiberglass tub.
Anyway, the newer style door fits perfect, the lines on the tub are actually quite good. I just need to modify a newer style striker so they'll actually latch, but that's no big deal at all.
I tried to get the windshield frame off the parts truck next, but the bolts in the cowl were a no-go and it started to get cold so I gave up for now. I did however rip the bezel/bib off the parts truck and hang it on...It's now officially a landcruiser!
All in all I'm pretty happy with how this thing is coming together. I'll get more of the sheet metal on it next, then get the engine harness wrapped up probably. I'm essentially gonna mock-up the whole truck then tear it all apart and do all the rust repair/paint on the sheetmetal stuff and a bunch of fiberglass work/paint on the tub, then final assembly and wiring.
Stay tuned, I should start moving quicker now that its in the shop.
The first thing I really wanted to do was mock-up the factory body parts on the glass tub and make sure everything lines up how i'd like (I've read enough about these mallotte tubs to know it'll need work). I wanted to start with the newer style doors I got recently. I ripped the drivers door off my parts truck and stole the hinges. When I went to bolt it up though I came across my first problem, the plywood that they've got glassed in behind the hinge pillar was just falling apart. For the time being I chiseled it all out and replaced it with a 5/8 piece of pine just for mockup.
You can see in that picture that the pillar is about .5" thick right at the hinge and much thinner above and below...all in all its a crappy design. I'm stuck between two options to fix this correctly:
1) cut the factory hinge pillar out of the parts truck and modify/glass it in behind the existing pillar. This option would provide threaded holes for all the hinge bolts and strengthen the entire area quite a bit.
2) Mill billet aluminum backing plates for the top and bottom hinges that are longer than the plywood chunks originally installed. This would also provide threaded holes for the hinges and would strengthen the area a lot, but not as much as option 1. Also, it would never rust, which is a big thing for me and part of the reason why I'm using a fiberglass tub.
Anyway, the newer style door fits perfect, the lines on the tub are actually quite good. I just need to modify a newer style striker so they'll actually latch, but that's no big deal at all.
I tried to get the windshield frame off the parts truck next, but the bolts in the cowl were a no-go and it started to get cold so I gave up for now. I did however rip the bezel/bib off the parts truck and hang it on...It's now officially a landcruiser!
All in all I'm pretty happy with how this thing is coming together. I'll get more of the sheet metal on it next, then get the engine harness wrapped up probably. I'm essentially gonna mock-up the whole truck then tear it all apart and do all the rust repair/paint on the sheetmetal stuff and a bunch of fiberglass work/paint on the tub, then final assembly and wiring.
Stay tuned, I should start moving quicker now that its in the shop.
jim land
SILVER Star
consider using the side pannel with the A pillar , the side louvers and kick vent is a big part of a 40 factory look
- Thread starter
- #60
I couldn't agree more. I had planned initially on cutting the whole kick vent area out of the parts truck and glassing it all in....I had not considered taking everything from the hinge pillar forward, I'll mull that over for a while and see if I can come up with a reasonable way to do it.
