1976 FJ40 Build - First Toyota.

[sokoloka]

Getting ready to go pick this mustard gem from by Brother in Law in the next few weeks:



Have built a few LS3 swapped monsters over the years. Looking forward to keeping this one a simple and enjoyable beach cruiser!

New to Toyotas, but from what I can tell the truck is mostly stock and still all Toyota. No serious rust that I remember from when I last saw it in person. The current tires are 31's, but worn down measured out at 29". Any idea approximately how much lift it has? Plan on a 2.5" OME suspension this summer when I have more time.

Already have Cruiser Corps repro steelies and 33/10.50 KO2's waiting patiently in the garage for her arrival. Excited to get to work!

 

[snaggletto]

Nice rig! Spring height looks stock, but with extra long shackles, definitely in the rear. Stock shackles are about 2.75". You should be able to squeeze the 33's, just be careful flexing the suspension. OME 2.5" lift will work good with 33's. The side rear vent window looks like an aftermarket addition. Enjoy!

 

[sokoloka]

Nice rig! Spring height looks stock, but with extra long shackles, definitely in the rear. Stock shackles are about 2.75". You should be able to squeeze the 33's, just be careful flexing the suspension. OME 2.5" lift will work good with 33's. The side rear vent window looks like an aftermarket addition. Enjoy!

Thanks! Appreciate the info. I'm in the habit of changing the fluids whenever I bring home a new vehicle - what's the recommended oil weight and capacity for the 2F? Any particular filters that are recommended as best?

Before I order the OME lift - would it make sense to swap stock shackles back on? No real flexing planned prior to lifting the rig later this summer.

 

[sokoloka]

In the off chance anyone's interested, these are my other two recent builds:





The Corvette is LS3/TKO500 swapped, and the F100 is an LS3/4L60 combo. More smiles per gallon than I can describe!

 

[brian]

That's not a '76.

 

[sokoloka]

That's not a '76.

Titled as one. Care to share why it's not or what I should look for more specifically?

 

[snaggletto]

Oil is 8.5 qts., filters can be bought online or Toyota dealer. Many use a 15w40 heavy duty diesel oil because of zinc content in flat tappet engine. The OME lift will come with shackles.

Love both of your other toys.

 

[3_puppies]

Titled as one. Care to share why it's not or what I should look for more specifically?

guessing it is the vent window in the hardtop??

that is a wide range of rigs you work on. all nice.

 

[TheHardWay]

Welcome to our own little corner of the automotive world - not for the faint of heart . First thing I'd do is confirm this 40's DOB, located on the driver's door pillar - I bet you it's a '77.

 

[brian]

vent windows on the hardtop, and mirror location on the doors, bet it doesn't have the cowl vent.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Sure looks like she's ridin' higher than what shackles alone can accomplish. Springs don't seem super arched. Must have a body lift, eh.

Show us under her bonnet

You will win the crowd if you keep her stock.

 

[pjohnson]

Complete unmolested survivors are getting rare. That one looks nice. Try something different and restore it to stock perfection

 

[sokoloka]

Appreciate all the feedback thus far! The 40 is in Oregon until I drag it back down here in SD. The plan so far is to keep it stock and simple!

I'll have my BIL grab some pictures of the driver's door pillar, as well as under the hood and anything else you guys recommend?

I've only seen it in person once, back in March, but 99.95% confident that it doesn't have a body lift.

 

[tls3601]

Nice looking rig but several things indicate it is not a '76, or PO but more recent hardtop on her. Not a huge deal if you are not super concerned about originality. I can tell you that if it is a '76 with original roll bar inside it will be damn near impossible to open those vent windows with a '76 roll bar. The bend is different on the later rear aspect of the roll bar.

 

[airon23]

Agree with the guys here on the hard top based on the one pic we have to go on. That space between the tires and body looks to be a lot more than 2.5". Shackles look like they might be longer maybe. 33s should fit just fine in that lift, but would be pretty close to rubbing with original height.
Great starting point and by the looks of it, it looks like you'll only make it much nicer. These things can get expensive and parts sometimes hard to find so depending on your intentions, flipping it vs. keeping it, I would drive it around and enjoy it and then start a little bit at a time. Look forward to seeing a build thread soon enough.

 

[rrv333]

Congratulations on a good looking 40

 

[Strait Cruisin]

Yeah, there are a number of variations from my '76.

 

[Disasterman]

Great that you are staying Toyota, that looks like a great truck.

I am partial to an LS swap though.

 

[sokoloka]

Nice looking rig but several things indicate it is not a '76, or PO but more recent hardtop on her. Not a huge deal if you are not super concerned about originality. I can tell you that if it is a '76 with original roll bar inside it will be damn near impossible to open those vent windows with a '76 roll bar. The bend is different on the later rear aspect of the roll bar.

I'll have to see if I can get my BIL to throw me some additional pictures over the weekend.

Agree with the guys here on the hard top based on the one pic we have to go on. That space between the tires and body looks to be a lot more than 2.5". Shackles look like they might be longer maybe. 33s should fit just fine in that lift, but would be pretty close to rubbing with original height.
Great starting point and by the looks of it, it looks like you'll only make it much nicer. These things can get expensive and parts sometimes hard to find so depending on your intentions, flipping it vs. keeping it, I would drive it around and enjoy it and then start a little bit at a time. Look forward to seeing a build thread soon enough.

This one is definitely a keeper and a driver. Going to see if I can get some pics of the current suspension setup and maybe some shackle measurements to get an idea of what's going on under there. My plans include no more than a 2.5" lift when all is said and done - be interesting to see where we're at.

Great that you are staying Toyota, that looks like a great truck.

I am partial to an LS swap though.

Thanks! I would be lying if the thought of ordering another LS3 hadn't crossed my mind but defo want to keep this different (and manual!)

 

[sokoloka]

Still chasing down some more specific pictures of the rig but my brother in law sent me this which I found pretty interesting ...



Seeing as I'm still new to Toyotas - anything we can glean from the above numbers?