Build 1977 FJ40 - USA Spec Restoration - Father & Son Project - AKA "Blue"

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Here are a few more "before" pics.

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I plan to replace every gasket and seal except the head gasket. It is a good thing because it looks like this thing was leaking from just about every place possible.

The PO said it ran fine, but I think I am going to put the starter back on it and do a compression test on all the cylinders just to double check.
 
Here are some after pic of the cleaned engine, trans, and diff. This is cleaning number 2 of 4.

1. I pressure washed it before I pulled it from the frame.
2. Scrubbed it with my son yesterday.
3. I will clean each part and scrub some more as I replace all the gaskets and seals. I will flip the trans and diff over to scrub them some more when I replace the clutch and rear main seal.
4. One more scrub and wipe down with acetone before I mask off and paint it.

All that being said, It should be pretty clean by the time I finish :rofl:

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I flipped the front spring around to the back of the shoes in the drums today.

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I kept getting confused on which way to turn the cylinders to tighten the drums once I got them on, so I came up with a trick I will share. I am sure some of you have thought of this or something better, but this worked for me.

- Passenger side you loosen cylinders to expand the pads
- Driver side you tighten the cylinders to expand the pads

Keep a ratchet close to reference which way is tightening and loosing the cylinder. This is especially helpful for when you are up side down doing the back cylinders :)

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DirtDauberGarage said:
I plan to replace every gasket and seal except the head gasket. It is a good thing because it looks like this thing was leaking from just about every place possible.

The PO said it ran fine, but I think I am going to put the starter back on it and do a compression test on all the cylinders just to double check.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, for old engine "run fine" can be "not run" on next day. It may be a good time to replace the head gasket too as well as valve stem seals (if you will remove the head).
 
SergP said:
Unfortunately, for old engine "run fine" can be "not run" on next day. It may be a good time to replace the head gasket too as well as valve stem seals (if you will remove the head).
Click to expand...

I agree. It would be good to do that and I usually tend to over do things. On this project I am trying to restrain myself from redoing everything and taking 3 years to get this back on the road. It will be disappointing and a little bit of a pain if I have to do the head gasket and valve stems seals after I get everything back together, but it will be doable.

So... all that being said, I think I am going to hold off on those. Things like main seals and clutch will be a major pain later (and I know they need to be replaced now) so I am going to go ahead and do it.

I really do appreciate the advice, and like I said, I agree with you :)
 
DirtDauberGarage said:
I agree. It would be good to do that and I usually tend to over do things. On this project I am trying to restrain myself from redoing everything and taking 3 years to get this back on the road. It will be disappointing and a little bit of a pain if I have to do the head gasket and valve stems seals after I get everything back together, but it will be doable.

So... all that being said, I think I am going to hold off on those. Things like main seals and clutch will be a major pain later (and I know they need to be replaced now) so I am going to go ahead and do it.

I really do appreciate the advice, and like I said, I agree with you :)
Click to expand...
Be honest, I will do same thing as you, if my engine was at running shape. :)
 
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Great progress man! Like that you are focused on getting it running. Some things you can do later. 2f cylinder head removal is easy when in rig. Have done it on my driveway a couple of times. Compression check is a wise move. Do a leakdown test also because it shares some more information than compression. Does not take long.
 
ceylonfj40nut said:
Great progress man! Like that you are focused on getting it running. Some things you can do later. 2f cylinder head removal is easy when in rig. Have done it on my driveway a couple of times. Compression check is a wise move. Do a leakdown test also because it shares some more information than compression. Does not take long.
Click to expand...
Awesome!

Thank you for the advice!

What is a good compression range for the cylinders?
 
120-150. Look for consistency.
 
The carriage bolts in the motor mounts (both passenger side pics) are not correct and not very strong either.
 
Dynosoar said:
The carriage bolts in the motor mounts (both passenger side pics) are not correct and not very strong either.
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Thank you... you are correct.

I know. All the bolts and motor mounts are incorrect. It is just sitting on the frame for now. There aren't even nuts on the bottom of those bolts.

After I replace all the gaskets and paint it, I will replace all the motor mounts and hardware with all new parts :)

Matthew
 
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OK... finally got around to doing the compression test today. The numbers were not great, but I think it is going to be OK for now. As I have stated before, my goal is to get this thing on the road and enjoy it. A rebuild is in the future, but hopefully not sooner than later :).

Here are the numbers with the engine cold and the cylinders dry...

123, 119 123, 120, 122, 122

I did each cylinder three times and consistently got the same numbers. From all my research and past experience, I think these numbers will be a little higher with the valves adjusted and the motor hot.

All that being said, I am going to move forward with just replacing the gaskets, clutch, etc. Keeping my fingers crossed that this thing will run good once I get everything back together.

MM
 
It is on the low range but consistent. Agree it might improve with the valve adjustment. I would run it and take it from there.
 
I been pretty busy but was able to get out with the kids and get a little work done on the LC. I decided to start working on the body while the weather is still nice. When it gets cold this winter, I will finish reconditioning the motor, run the break lines, etc.

We used a heat guy and some putty knifes to get the under coating off. Spent a couple hours and got a good bit cleaned off.

Here are a few pics

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It is a lot thicker in the wheel wells, so that is going to take some extra time. The other stuff came off pretty easy.

Here is how far we got...

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For the floor board tar on DS. Get some dry ice break it up cover the floor board area where tar is. Douse with some rubbing alcohol. Wait 20 minutes. Start chipping. It comes off super nicely. Very easy. We jus my did this on my wife’s 40.

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