Hi there, long time member (since 1999 but had to recently reactivate...) I've had this 1974 FJ40 since 1998, originally buying it off Ebay from the previous owner in Colorado. I lived in Connecticut at the time and then moved first to Sydney Australia and then to King City, Ontario. Its been registered and on adventures on three continents and never let me down. I actually learned to drive and my first car was a 1985 FJ60 in the same Strong Blue (ie Blueberry). I sold that when I was 24 and started racing, building and collecting aircooled 911s but never forgot what a gem this FJ40 is. We use it around the property to drag felled trees and boulders, and a neighbor just cut new paths in the tree farm behind us so that's motivation to get her in tip top shape!
I stopped running her last summer when a fuel leak sprang out the front of the carb. You know the story, leaking carb turns into frame-off restoration...anyway I had uneven compression across the cylinders and to my knowledge the bottom end had never been apart.
Its a January 1974 FJ40, with the "F" bottom end but to my knowledge 2F heads. When I first purchased the car I installed an EZ locker in the rear and that has worked well. I did some wiring fixes but as you can see in the images below the wiring was all hacked up. I am surprised it hadnt had a fire with the state of that wiring.
My plan is to bring everything back to stock OEM where practical except where safety, reliability and subtle performance upgrades are practical. It should look stock with minor and un-doable minor mods.
The list starts with...
- Rebuild the F motor with Delta RV cam
- Rebuilt heads and OEM Aisin carb
- Blasted and coated stock manifolds, ceramic coated exhaust
- New wiring harness with proper color-coated wiring to match OEM wiring diagrams but ATO fuses. Proper relays fpr headlights, winch
- Roll bar is nice and in perfect condition, I am going to keep it. I left it in place to keep the tub from twisting while it goes for blasting and i fix up the rust spots.
- It had powersteering when I bought it was advertised as "Saginaw" however I am not sure. I havent inspected the pump, but the steering column reads "Toyoda." Yes, with a d. It functioned perfectly so that will be a rebuild and paint.
- Old Man Umu shocks and steering stabilizer are at least 25 years old and painted red. Replace.
- Keeping SUA, flipping ubolts. OME or HFS springs 2"ish lift.
- Fox shocks unless I can find something else that appeals.
- Springs are fine but ugly with new, 2" lift. Shackes are new HFS.
- PO had put a chev pancake air filter on. I have secured a good condition original from SOR. Blast and powder or paint.
- Keeping original knuckles, axles and drum brakes but with all new cylinders, master cylinders, hard and soft lines, drums and pads.
- Inspect transfer case and transmission. Was functioning perfectly but dirty.
- R&R driveshafts
- Rebuid and reupholseter the Supra seats.
- New oil pump, fuel pump, alternator, senders, water pump, thermostat
- R&R original raditor and fan
- New hoses and lines on everything
- REbuild and replate all the hardware in zinc/cad
- Warn winch
- New bumper and fairlead
I have a decent shop at the house, with a Bendpak lift, blast cabinet, powdercoating oven, paint cabinet, zinc and copy-cad plating tubs, hydraulic presses, sheet metal bender, and I am dangerous with the MIG. THis will be the 5th thing I rebuild in this garage, in order I built that entire 1982 supercharged 911 race car in the background in those pics, back-to-factory 1971 911 Targa S, 1976 911 autocross car, and last winter a minibike ATV with my 6 year old son. He learned how to rebuild an aisin carb and lay fiberglass...
I stopped running her last summer when a fuel leak sprang out the front of the carb. You know the story, leaking carb turns into frame-off restoration...anyway I had uneven compression across the cylinders and to my knowledge the bottom end had never been apart.
Its a January 1974 FJ40, with the "F" bottom end but to my knowledge 2F heads. When I first purchased the car I installed an EZ locker in the rear and that has worked well. I did some wiring fixes but as you can see in the images below the wiring was all hacked up. I am surprised it hadnt had a fire with the state of that wiring.
My plan is to bring everything back to stock OEM where practical except where safety, reliability and subtle performance upgrades are practical. It should look stock with minor and un-doable minor mods.
The list starts with...
- Rebuild the F motor with Delta RV cam
- Rebuilt heads and OEM Aisin carb
- Blasted and coated stock manifolds, ceramic coated exhaust
- New wiring harness with proper color-coated wiring to match OEM wiring diagrams but ATO fuses. Proper relays fpr headlights, winch
- Roll bar is nice and in perfect condition, I am going to keep it. I left it in place to keep the tub from twisting while it goes for blasting and i fix up the rust spots.
- It had powersteering when I bought it was advertised as "Saginaw" however I am not sure. I havent inspected the pump, but the steering column reads "Toyoda." Yes, with a d. It functioned perfectly so that will be a rebuild and paint.
- Old Man Umu shocks and steering stabilizer are at least 25 years old and painted red. Replace.
- Keeping SUA, flipping ubolts. OME or HFS springs 2"ish lift.
- Fox shocks unless I can find something else that appeals.
- Springs are fine but ugly with new, 2" lift. Shackes are new HFS.
- PO had put a chev pancake air filter on. I have secured a good condition original from SOR. Blast and powder or paint.
- Keeping original knuckles, axles and drum brakes but with all new cylinders, master cylinders, hard and soft lines, drums and pads.
- Inspect transfer case and transmission. Was functioning perfectly but dirty.
- R&R driveshafts
- Rebuid and reupholseter the Supra seats.
- New oil pump, fuel pump, alternator, senders, water pump, thermostat
- R&R original raditor and fan
- New hoses and lines on everything
- REbuild and replate all the hardware in zinc/cad
- Warn winch
- New bumper and fairlead
I have a decent shop at the house, with a Bendpak lift, blast cabinet, powdercoating oven, paint cabinet, zinc and copy-cad plating tubs, hydraulic presses, sheet metal bender, and I am dangerous with the MIG. THis will be the 5th thing I rebuild in this garage, in order I built that entire 1982 supercharged 911 race car in the background in those pics, back-to-factory 1971 911 Targa S, 1976 911 autocross car, and last winter a minibike ATV with my 6 year old son. He learned how to rebuild an aisin carb and lay fiberglass...
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