1977 FJ40 resto thread

[cc93cruiser]

http://i995.photobucket.com/albums/af73/Trunkmonkey4/83A04846-B7F4-4464-A580-2485FF541625-304-0000001D40A21249.jpg[/IMG]



Henry, give me a call... I have been in the shop all week, but I am going to blue ridge tomorrow morning.

Your gonna need that heated steering wheel to warm your hands when your "Landy" leaves you stranded on a cold day.. NIce work on the 40!

 

[Advrider639]

I am finishing up finals right now and will be returning home this weekend to start the rest of the rebuild.

I should have some big boxes waiting on me from CCOT, Cruiser corps, and some ebay people. I can't wait to get back in the shop and get this thing on the road.

 

[Advrider639]

Edit: Trying to get pictures working.

 

[78fj40mg]

Very nice work on your cruiser!
I like your Land Rover regardless of what they say.

 

[Advrider639]

Moved the cruiser to a different shop, that way it can get more direct attention for the rebuild. Hopefully I will be driving it home.

Once it was out I cleaned my shop up and got it ready for what ever comes next....

Going to start the full rebuild after Christmas, hopefully have this thing all finished up and on the road in about a month.

 

[Advrider639]

Got my P/s installed today

Also rebuild and installed the center arm... the spring is a bitch.

Not related to the cruiser, but I bought a 1978 911sc a month ago. Done a few track days with it so far, it is a ton of fun.

Also was at the Concourse de Elegance of Amelia this past weekend... Was the year of the 911. Tons of history but one of my favorites was this Rothmans rally car.

I would love to build one from a 912.

 

[Advrider639]

Ok so I have searched a good bit, and found plenty on the subject.

I am in the process of putting brakes, clutch and throttle on my cruiser and I have a bit of a issue. I am using a 2f motor on its original 77 frame. Yet my tub and more importantly the firewall is a 70.. or might be a 71 Ill have to check the vin plate. I bet yall know where this is going....

I want to put power brakes on it, but the mounting hole for the rod is to far inline and it will hit the carb when I use my 77 booster (which I was expecting). I have already removed the support rib from the firewall so a spacer will not be needed. I have been reading up on adding a mini truck booster to the early style 40's yet I still do not know which one would work best so my question is, what EXACT (year/model) booster should I try and find?

 

[Advrider639]

Alright. So a lot has happened in the last six months for me. I have been working on this project all through college so there are a lot of gaps where nothing was done, I am finishing up my last couple semesters now and I plan to do a cross country road trip when I am graduated. With that being said, Ive really jumped on the project and have been trying my hardest between all my school work to get things done.

Here is how my '40 stands as of two weeks ago, and even more has been done sense.








Roughly I still need; to get a passenger seat mounted (Im doing all custom seat mounts), roll bar mounted, finish buttoning up under the hood, jump seats, soft top bows and top (Still need to source them so if any one has some leads, please contact me), and a tail gate. Ive learned a lot with this project and I have spent more money on some areas than I really should have, yet Ive also gotten to meet a lot of quality people (and some not so quality people) that have helped me get to this point. Biggest lesson learned is buy the nicest car you can, then restore it -- When I bough this thing 5 years ago I did not expect to ever take it this far, yet as with most things, one thing leads to another. Since the values of these things have skyrocketed I do not feel bad putting more money into it-- yet it is NOT for sale and I do not see my self ever selling this.

Thank you for your time.

 

[Advrider639]

Can some one help me with this, I need the ring spacer for the carb to aircleaner.

Like so :

img_0647-jpg.998712

Taken from architects thread. Looks like a machined piece of PVC.

 

[FJ40|RUNNER]

Nice work on the cruiser...not a chance in hell I would have made that much progress on one through school! I have an 88 3.2, totally awesome cars...I think an air cooled 911 and an FJ40 makes for a well rounded garage.

Sorry don't have a great answer for you on the carb to air cleaner...seems the same was being sought after here maybe:

Air Filter Ring Gasket Fitting?

 

[Advrider639]

Unfortunately I had to sell the pcar a while back to help with tuition bills. They are bad ass cars, and if you haven't driven one you don't know what its like to drive. That being said since that market exploded I ended up selling it and paying for 8 track days (and tires/brakes) and made a little extra cash as well. Fun experience, I got to drive the s*** out of that car for free basically. Sold it to Magnus Walker too, so I now have him in my rolodex.

I now have a extremely low milage BMW E30 -- Not as fun but it makes for a cool daily driver. Ive since lowered it and put on some factory BBS sport wheels.



I am thinking the spacer will be something I fab up my self, unless some one else has some ideas.

 

[Advrider639]

Question, I just bought a new distributor since I've been having some ignition issues.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B013X0JK2W/ref=ya_aw_od_pi?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Do I need to put the different side plate on my motor to fit the larger distributor or will it fit normal? I have read some so-so reviews on it, I'm hoping it'll solve my problem and last but if it ever fails I'll spend the proper money on it.

Returned that POS and bought a troll hole. Truck is running great!

 

[Advrider639]

UPDATE:

Project is back on! I just bought a set of soft top bows, and ordering a troll hole top next week. I am searching for a parking brake rebuild kit.

To Do:
-Get a top on the truck
-Find some one to repair my doors (rust on bottoms)
-Figure out all my little electrical problems
-Rebuild parking brake
-Locking center console

EDIT: I also would like to go back and fix all my pictures and organize this build thread.

 

[Advrider639]

Need some "live time" help here...

I have pulled my sender unit out to test and out came the ring that the five screws bolt into. How is this attached to the tank? I see no way to thread it on or bolt. Glue or weld?

 

[Robs76fj40]

I have never seen that happen... odd. Perhaps a 3M panel bond or similar 2 part Epoxy? To weld that, safely, would be a ton of work. I don't know how that was attached OE. Hopefully others with more direct knowledge can chime in. Good luck!

 

[Advrider639]

Washed it the other day. Also test fitting my new top in my garage.... Ive got about 1 inch of clearance.

Front doors are being fixed up currently, and I am still deciding on back door. Ive got a swing out carrier ready to go on as well as soon as I decide on a tailgate or doors.

 

[Advrider639]

I suck at updating this.

Last couple months:

-Gas tank was full of gunk after a couple years of sitting outside. I got it stripped and recoated. Also replaced fuel pump, filter, carburetor and all hard lines. Got that ring welded back on as it should as well!

-I properly fixed my timing cover seal. It was the back plate so I pulled the cam out to replace. Properly adjusted valves.

-Coolant flush and refill with proper RED coolant. Oil change as well. ZDDP additive.

-Rebuild parking brake. Refilled Transfer case, and transmission 'while I was there'.

-Pressure washed and touched up POR15 on frame.

Currently in the works:

-I decided on a Aqualu tailgate, it is with my doors and bows getting painted.

-Electrical system took a crap, so I have sourced a new harness. Going through all my other electrical bits, this has been expensive but no doubt the weakest link on my truck will be taken care of. Cleaning all of my dash knobs. Will replace a couple that do not work.

MISC:
-Worked out a good 'deal' on my insurance. (26 year old with a classic car is not easy)
-Fixed up my new garage into a nice work space for the time being.


Ill have abuncha photos this week, and a better narrative of whats been goin' down. With yall's help, Ill be sure to keep this thread updated from here on out!

 

[Advrider639]

Also... I am kicking the idea around installing a snorkel. People who have had one, What do you say? I already have extended my axle breathers, so I should be ready for one.

The $150 on eBay seems to be legit.