1976 fj40 - finally in my hands (1 Viewer)

[CT40]

1st time owner, have very little experience working on cars ... this will be fun. Picked up what I think is a pretty decent deal after shopping for a long time - originally from Columbia, imported to North Carolina and reworked in 2020, shipped to me in CT couple of weeks ago). It runs pretty well, and I'm already putting together my laundry list of items that need fixing. Easy (I hope) wins to start - battery replacement, odometer that only ticks the tenths, speedometer that just jumps all over the place, horn that doesn't work, some other goofy wiring and what I hope are simple electrical / light things ...

2 bigger items that I'm not sure how to tackle yet and no idea where to start.

1. Shifting from 3rd to 4th has a hard metallic clunk as I drop into 4th. It doesn't sound like it's slipping at all, isn't a gear grinding noise for a bad shift, but does make that clunk sound. Doesn't slip out of gear once in 4th - got up to around 45 (I'm guessing with the flappy speedo) with no issue. Doesn't have an issue dropping back down from 4th to 3rd. Not sure where to even start on this ...

2. There's a pretty good amount of dripping onto the center of the front axle. Pretty sure it's oil based on placement (attaching picture - not sure if you can tell by color on the cardboard I put under the truck). I know it's a 46yr old truck, and its going to leak some, but I'm guessing there are a few specific spots I should check for weak seals.

As you can tell from how I'm wording my questions - still on step 1 of learning. I've bought the FSM's from SOR and will be studying these, and youtube is definitely going to be my best friend, but any pointers / places to start both above questions or just learning in general would be great. Thanks!!

 

[MDH33]

Congrats on your purchase. My advice is to get it running well and enjoy driving it some before tearing into it too deeply. Those SA rigs are known to have a lot of issues and strange "repairs", so hopefully yours is somewhat sorted since it's been in the states awhile.


How about some pics of the 40!

 

[Skreddy]

Does it make the clunk even when not driving? Say just idling and shift into 4th or parked and engine off? Could be the shifter hitting the tunnel cover if it happens regardless. Other things to check (if it only does it under load) would be u joints and engine mounts to start.
And the leaking oil; that just tells you it’s not empty! Jk.

 

[Paul_A]

Good to see another Cruiser in CT! I'm not too far from you if I can be of service. I've had a 1970 and a 1974 and currently have a 1975 FST. Every one I bought leaked something from somewhere and rattled and banged until I sorted it all out. You'll just have to debug it. Degrease the underside and engine compartment, top off all your fluids, let it sit and look for any sources of seepage, then drive it and look for blown fluids, get someone to help you listen to locate clunks and bangs, etc. That's the fun of a good challenge This forum will be a huge help. It wasn't around when I did my first two Cruisers and based on all my hard luck experience I don't see much bad advice coming from this crowd. Good luck and have fun.

 

[brian]

Congrats on joining the team, but i have to warn you. You're going to have your hands full with a columbian truck.

 

[bhsdriller]

No clue where it's coming from you'll need to clean it really well and then drive it and monitor.

Good luck hopefully there's not too many surprises

Oh and post some pics of it

 

[Chungas Revenge]

Greetings and congratulations..
This will be a blinding flash of the obvious but, start with the usual suspects.
Cork gaskets get old and brittle. oil pan, timing cover, push rod cover etc. If you have an oil cooler check all of your metal piping, rubber hose and clamps. Timing covers are notorious weepers of oil. The cork gasket or the rubber seal can be contrary.

 

[CT40]

Been a few weeks since I've been able to respond...appreciate all the info from you all!

@Skreddy - the noise doesn't happen when off or idling - just when in motion and shifting from 3rd to 4th. Listening to it more, it might a very quick gear grinding noise but very brief. I haven't been out beyond my neighborhood to get it into 4th in a couple of weeks (lots of winding 25mph areas around me) but I'll see if I can get a recording of it. Also could be shifting 'further' into 4th and hitting up against a stop of some kind.

Oil leaking only seems to happen after I drive it. Short drive - very little leak. Longer drive time = more leaking. Sitting idle for a week or so - no additional leaking. Probably a loose seal or clamp somewhere, but it's not terrible so I'll just suck it up until I can get it with someone who actually knows engines (clearly not me ).

Apparently I can't upload pics ... heic files aren't accepted, converted them to jpg but still can't. But you can check the BAT auction here: 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40-82/

 

[liko]

Buy a star, then you can post pics. Welcome to the madness. Enjoy your cruiser before doing anything drastic.

 

[CT40]

Not sure why I'd need to buy a star - I posted a pic at the top of this thread. Maybe I can only post 1 per thread? I'll look around.

I'm definitely having fun with it -- lots of driving around the neighborhood with the kids and friends. Built an electric hoist yesterday (mud link to youtube is the best) - next step is to set up the cradle for the top to rest on and then pray that I don't ruin the paint taking the fiberglass top off. No roll bar, but driving <40 mph on roads I think will be just fine. Going to try to get that done over the winter months.

 

[82FJ40EVV]

Welcome to the party!

To get the conversation started, it looks like your truck is a conglomeration of parts from different model years so you will definitely need to buy the silver star so you can start posting pics. Hopefully those smarter than me will chime in.

Here are my general observations:

• You have a late model tub (gas tank located under the body)
• The drive train appears to be pieced together. It looks like your flywheel and clutch are completely exposed with some form of adapter and no bell housing (or at least the bottom half is missing, hard to tell from the pics)
• Other drive train adapters and components look a little off too, you will need to post pictures for members to truly identify what you have going on

There are a lot of other items that are missing but it's a fun toy so just enjoy it for what it is and fix it as you go. First make sure it is safe, then worry about the rest. If it were me, since you are already having tranny issues and you are missing a portion of the bell housing, I think I would be looking for a US spec. donor parts rig. There are tons of things you could transfer over and dollar wise you will be way ahead by doing so.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

 

[Skreddy]

Been a few weeks since I've been able to respond...appreciate all the info from you all!

@Skreddy - the noise doesn't happen when off or idling - just when in motion and shifting from 3rd to 4th. Listening to it more, it might a very quick gear grinding noise but very brief. I haven't been out beyond my neighborhood to get it into 4th in a couple of weeks (lots of winding 25mph areas around me) but I'll see if I can get a recording of it. Also could be shifting 'further' into 4th and hitting up against a stop of some kind.

Oil leaking only seems to happen after I drive it. Short drive - very little leak. Longer drive time = more leaking. Sitting idle for a week or so - no additional leaking. Probably a loose seal or clamp somewhere, but it's not terrible so I'll just suck it up until I can get it with someone who actually knows engines (clearly not me ).

Apparently I can't upload pics ... heic files aren't accepted, converted them to jpg but still can't. But you can check the BAT auction here: 1976 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ40 - https://bringatrailer.com/listing/1976-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40-82/

For the bouncing speedo, you can disconnect the transfer case end, pull the inner cable all the way out and grease it. Just have a little glob of wheel bearing grease in your hand and slide the cable through that as you put it back in the sheath.

For the grinding going into 4th, it could be a synchro but an easy check is the try and bleed the clutch hydraulics, then also check to make sure the clutch slave pushrod is adjusted far enough out for full disengagement.

 

[pb4ugo]

Welcome to the site. You don't have to buy a star. You'll have some limitations in what you can do, and you'll continue getting pop up ads. You can scroll down to the announcements section and read the user guide. Your pics might be in the wrong format, which seems odd. I usually post from my phone, desktop and laptop. You may have limitations until you have a certain # of posts and not being a paying member. It does seem odd that your willing to buy a Columbian 40 for 20k, but reluctant to buy a $20 yearly star, especially when you mention you don't know how to work on it, and your on the most informative website pertaining to Land Cruisers and related Toyota off road vehicles.

 

[CT40]

Welcome to the party!

To get the conversation started, it looks like your truck is a conglomeration of parts from different model years so you will definitely need to buy the silver star so you can start posting pics. Hopefully those smarter than me will chime in.

Here are my general observations:

• You have a late model tub (gas tank located under the body)
• The drive train appears to be pieced together. It looks like your flywheel and clutch are completely exposed with some form of adapter and no bell housing (or at least the bottom half is missing, hard to tell from the pics)
• Other drive train adapters and components look a little off too, you will need to post pictures for members to truly identify what you have going on

There are a lot of other items that are missing but it's a fun toy so just enjoy it for what it is and fix it as you go. First make sure it is safe, then worry about the rest. If it were me, since you are already having tranny issues and you are missing a portion of the bell housing, I think I would be looking for a US spec. donor parts rig. There are tons of things you could transfer over and dollar wise you will be way ahead by doing so.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

Thanks for the info! I knew about the tub being a replacement ... the drive train comments are a bit concerning, mostly because I brought it to a local mechanic first (they primarily restore Land Rovers, but still) and they didn't mention anything about it. Makes me a lot less confident about their safety assessment. It's been in the US for ~4 yrs, and the person who imported it dropped ~12-14k on it post-import with a mechanic in NC. Doesn't mean it was done well - just that it was done here. I'm ok with getting a running truck for what I paid - even if it is a bit of a frankenstein. Not looking for a show queen - had to start somewhere to learn these and paying $30k+ for one also needing work wasn't really something I wanted to do.

Have no issue with buying into the forums - just learned today what that actually means and how the site is supported. I had assumed it was primarily supported via the store and sponsored links - didn't know it was paid member supported too. Glad to see there are a lot of helpful people too.

 

[Skreddy]

It i

Welcome to the party!

To get the conversation started, it looks like your truck is a conglomeration of parts from different model years so you will definitely need to buy the silver star so you can start posting pics. Hopefully those smarter than me will chime in.

Here are my general observations:

• You have a late model tub (gas tank located under the body)
• The drive train appears to be pieced together. It looks like your flywheel and clutch are completely exposed with some form of adapter and no bell housing (or at least the bottom half is missing, hard to tell from the pics)
• Other drive train adapters and components look a little off too, you will need to post pictures for members to truly identify what you have going on

There are a lot of other items that are missing but it's a fun toy so just enjoy it for what it is and fix it as you go. First make sure it is safe, then worry about the rest. If it were me, since you are already having tranny issues and you are missing a portion of the bell housing, I think I would be looking for a US spec. donor parts rig. There are tons of things you could transfer over and dollar wise you will be way ahead by doing so.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress!

s a later tub or they somehow squeezed a later gas tank under a pre-78/79 tub (I can’t remember exact change at the moment).
But, I don’t think there’s any piecing together of the drivetrain. Maybe it’s the angle but it looks like a standard 2F and 4 speed, just missing the flywheel dust/inspection cover. It’s an aftermarket top but I’ve seen people like them with the additional venting in the front above windshield.
Just drive, enjoy and work on what you find it needs for you. Took me over a year to figure out how to buy a star so don’t feel bad.

 

[82FJ40EVV]

Sorry if I scared you, not my intent. Just post some pictures when you can and the forum will help you sort it out if there is anything that seems a little off. In the meantime, just enjoy your new toy!

 

[JKIII FJ40]

Good to see another Cruiser in CT! I'm not too far from you if I can be of service. I've had a 1970 and a 1974 and currently have a 1975 FST. Every one I bought leaked something from somewhere and rattled and banged until I sorted it all out. You'll just have to debug it. Degrease the underside and engine compartment, top off all your fluids, let it sit and look for any sources of seepage, then drive it and look for blown fluids, get someone to help you listen to locate clunks and bangs, etc. That's the fun of a good challenge This forum will be a huge help. It wasn't around when I did my first two Cruisers and based on all my hard luck experience I don't see much bad advice coming from this crowd. Good luck and have fun.

Paul_A, I am just north of Albany and have a 74. Great to see some more rigs in upstate. There are two more in the Saratoga area too.

 

[Paul_A]

You are probably less than an hour from me. I'm in Cherry Valley, NY. Let me know if I can be of assistance.