1978 FJ40 - Lovely “Linda”

[nabbasi]

Hey folks, I’ve been around for the past year and a half or so after buying a 1967 FJ40 sight unseen and getting it roadworthy/ fun again.

My first 4WD vehicle was a 100 series Land Cruiser I purchased in 2016, which subsequently became my daily driver. For older “project” or classic vehicles, I’ve got a 1968 Mustang and had a 1966 Chevy C10. Those have given/ gave me what I thought was a pretty well rounded knowledge with welding/ sheet metal, carburetors & rebuilds, brakes upgrades, suspension work, steering work, etc until I acquired the ‘67 FJ40. This community has been immeasurably helpful, and has reignited my love for working on and enjoying these old rigs.

…so much so that on a parts hunt I found this gal. A well loved horse farm truck whose PO started a “restoration” before passing away. I’m the 3rd owner. They’d owned it since 1985. It had been sitting under the lean to I (and a few good friends/ bad influences) pulled it out from under for who knows how long. The tires might be a clue - they turned 25 this year.

Even though my 1967 FJ40 has a 2F and 4 speed, the 1978 seems very, very different. While I originally wanted parts off of it, it’s so complete that it deserves to be revived and live on. So that’s the plan.

I’m going to use this thread to document her its return to the road. She’s been lovingly named “Linda” - (I’ve never named a vehicle before, but with several similar/ same makes and models amongst my friends at the shop we’ve had to resort to naming specific vehicles).

This is what I discovered in my first 8 hours of ownership:

• The PO: not a body man, but seemingly drained the tank, topped off all fluids and bought many missing/ needed parts before he passed.
• Despite sitting for 10+ years, the 2F runs. Well.
• The 4 speed feels tight.
• It needs: brakes (found parts showing evidence of service, and also, the rear hard line is there twice..seems the PO disconnected the front to rear hard line, but didn’t remove it), turn signals, general wiring attention, wheels, tires, clutch. With the exception of wheels and tires, the PO bought the parts.
• As a farm truck in East TN, the rust is bad. Rockers, bottom of the doors, fenders, quarters, and any flat surfaces are all a bit rotten.
• It is COMPLETE. The only missing parts seem to be the rear running lights and license plate lights. And the wingnut I lost.

 

[knuckle47]

My brother is a real Mustang “enthusiast”….he calls them Rustangs… when a Land Cruiser starts to rust away, some of them can be really lost but one of the nice things are patch panels…like the Mustang, there is a big selection of pieces to work with. Some very nice FJ40’s have come back from the decay of time and neglect.

Good luck

 

[nabbasi]

Within minutes of rolling it off the trailer, the toolkit I put together (and was ribbed by my friends for ..”is this what Toyota guys use for a toolbox? This looks like something an 8 year old would put together when you tell them to fill their toolbox) was used to get the motor turned over and idling. For the record, I was trying to prove a point with my toolbox which consisted only of a handful of sockets and wrenches between 10mm and 21mm, 2 screwdrivers, a hammer, a 12V battery, a 12V air compressor and motor oil).

Linda got a bath with the Hotsy, and all of the PO’s items were removed (including a half pack of Salems, a country greatest hits compiled by Marlboro, a box of nails scattered across the dash, among other goodies), and I took lots of cleaner and steam to the interior. It was…disgusting to say the least.

Later that evening, I went through the pouch under the seat. Years of registrations, some Toyota booklets. A Warn warranty paper and installation manual. Maintenance logs! A sales invoice for owner number 2. And finally, folded in an envelop, the original window sticker.

Linda was originally sold 10 minutes from where I grew up.

(Also, this has all been over the last few weeks, so sorry if you’ve already seen some of this in the what did you do this week thread..just playing catchup on the info in one spot!).

Nadeem

 

[nabbasi]

My brother is a real Mustang “enthusiast”….he calls them Rustangs… when a Land Cruiser starts to rust away, some of them can be really lost but one of the nice things are patch panels…like the Mustang, there is a big selection of pieces to work with. Some very nice FJ40’s have come back from the decay of time and neglect.

Good luck

Rustangs is a fair name for them. Our stuff rusts in TN, but it’s not usually full rot from bad winters and salt. Mustangs rust in the cowls, that Ford left unpainted on the inside, where leaves and debris would land in them and sit, hold moisture and rust through, resulting in standing water on the floors where you find more rust.

 

[Frodo]

I’ve been a long time lurker but never posted. I looked at this 40 the Wednesday before you did that Sunday, and had you not purchased when you did I would have just because the story was so great. I kept telling myself don’t do it. You have no experience with welding. And the rust on it was pretty extensive. The frame in the rear looked suspect as well and I got nervous.

The front pipes on the bumper were the original owners doings, they were for a hang gliding rig or something she said. When she told me it sold I was nervous it was gonna be parted out. Glad to know your going to bring it back to life!

One day I’ll find my 40!

 

[nabbasi]

@Frodo that’s great! Sorry about that! I was really worried it was going to be parted out as well. Not going to happen! You might be able to attest to how disgusting this thing was. The rodent urine smell was…pungent.

The rust is better in some ateas than I thought, and worst in some areas than I thought.

The bars were used for loading up various things, but most frequently to hold water tanks to take to the horse trough. They blend in and I racked my ribs on them on day 1, so they had to go. One was zapped off with a plasma cutter and the other a cut off wheel and chisel.

 

[knuckle47]

That Hotsy washer has been around for some time…the last demo I had seen in the early 1990’s was the difference between using the hot water alone versus cold water and chemical cleaners…Hotsy won every time

 

[nabbasi]

That Hotsy washer has been around for some time…the last demo I had seen in the early 1990’s was the difference between using the hot water alone versus cold water and chemical cleaners…Hotsy won every time

This one is probably that old. It’s a buddy’s - on loan to another buddy.

The thing is loud, chugs diesel, but is so glorious. As I found out sometimes even hot water + chemical cleaners aren’t even enough.

 

[knuckle47]

They were expensive then…. Never bought one but always wish I had. Been using my Honda powered pressure washer for years and every time I start it up, that Hotsy story pops back in my head

 

[Frodo]

Yea they left the front bars on while on there horse farm and she told me they used them for hauling a water tank lol, but original owner put them on for hang gliding she said. Sad story her husband died in 2017 I think she said when he started to restore it.

The urine smell was pretty rough. And the hood had 3” of pigeon crap on it I think!

The motor turned freely. And everything seemed to be there. Most things inside were in surprisingly good shape. But the rust in the rear seemed more than I could tackle myself.

I’m from Seymour but live in Maryville now

 

[nabbasi]

Yes, that’s what she had told me. We talked for about an hour after I found the paperwork and called her about some of the contents. I think that it might have been the 2nd owner that added them then. The first owner only owned it for 2 years. The 2nd owner owned it for 4 years.

The entire front end was a pigeon toilet. The bondo with cardboard backing on the rockers was rough. But with the motor turning I was pretty confident it might run.

 

[letterman52]

You all always find these hidden gems. I never see any of this for sale.

 

[Frodo]

She had told me they were the 2nd owners but daughter said she thought it was 3rd. I will be following along for sure and look forward to your build! Congrats and good luck!

 

[nabbasi]

Having been through a bit of this with the ‘67, I set out to buy a bunch of parts to get Linda on the road safely. Neither the clutch nor the brake pedal had any resistance.

There was a slave cylinder inside, so I swapped it out, bled it, adjusted it - and that’s all it took for a working clutch. With that we could move Linda to the lift while waiting for brake parts.

After a few days, a booster, master cylinder, all new hoses, a few tubes, calipers, rotors and pads arrived. When the first tube snapped, I decided to run new lines for everything after the brake tees. Nickel copper makes bending easy. I also don’t know why I bother bending them, when I’m going to bend the hell out of them trying to install them.

CityRacer booster went on nicely. Just followed his instructions. Got the lines installed, hoses, rotors, calipers, and pads, but still didn’t have the parts for the drums. I’ll be back in here at some point for a knuckle rebuild and to clean up, but everything feels great.

Eager to get the thing on the road, I used a little heat and penetrating oil to the bleeder on the rear wheel cylinders and bled the system. She’s got brakes!

Which led to roll down the block to dinner!

 

[nabbasi]

You all always find these hidden gems. I never see any of this for sale.

This is a new one for me. I’m not usually this lucky. I’m usually finding out one bad thing after another about stuff I buy. This one is special, and has some good luck to her.

 

[nabbasi]

She had told me they were the 2nd owners but daughter said she thought it was 3rd. I will be following along for sure and look forward to your build! Congrats and good luck!

She told me the same thing - the daughter must have remembered better. I’ve got all 3 owners names - this thing has been in the Knoxville area since it was was on Clinton highway.

Please do. This thing will be in Alcoa quite a bit. I have a goal to drive it to blackhorse.

 

[Frodo]

I’d gladly meet you there and have a beer!!

 

[nabbasi]

I agonized over which wheel/ tire combo to go with on my 1967. Tall & skinny or 33x10.5’s. Not knowing if the stock steelies would clear my disc brakes and unknown lift, I opted for the 16” city racer wheels and 235/85R16 KO2’s. I know they aren’t as loved as they used to be, but I’ve put a lot of miles on KOs, KO2s (among a handful of others) and they’re still my favorite for my needs.

I got a great deal on a set of brand new KO2s in 33x10.5 last week…so I bought the Toyota steelies, a few cans of rustoleum dark machine grey, spent some time scuffing and cleaning them, then hit them with 4 coats of paint.

I let them dry for a few days, and when the tires came in, took them down to a local tire shop (Fisher Tire), and gave them $100 to mount and balance them. I figured they could go on my ‘67, and it could donate its wheels and tires to Linda.

This is my ‘67 with the city racer 16” in grey up front, and the painted 15” Toyota wheel on the 33” tire in the rear. Not a great picture, but this might help others deciding between the two options.

And here’s Linda with her new shoes.

 

[knuckle47]

Watching it work out is satisfying whether it’s’ mine or not… enjoying your progress

 

[nabbasi]

With about a mile of driving, this thing is QUIET. And smooth.

This is probably obvious, but my 1967 FJ40 is very much a thing of the ‘60s and Toyota learned and implemented a lot of changes in that decade!

The driving position is much more natural for me. With some new padding and upholstery I think it would be much more comfortable on longer drives than my nicely padded seats in the ‘67.

The drivetrain noise in my 1967 is DEAFENING. My phone warns me about the noise level. If Linda whines, I couldn’t hear it thanks to the floor mats.

Next up is lights. The headlights work (high and low beam), but there were no taillights, rear side marker lights, license plate lights, or front left turn signal/ marker light. Also, no interior/ dash lights.

Luckily, the PO had purchased some aftermarket taillights from SOR and the front turn signal housing was there as well (and properly unplugged, not cut!). Looking in the back underneath, all wiring was there, just unplugged. There were some old wire taps for a harness connector, but it didn’t look too hacked.

Having fully rewired my ‘67 (huge thanks to this place, and coolerman for all of his help - go buy your wiring needs from him), I’ve gotten way further into wiring and electronics than I ever had with a better understanding than I ever thought I’d have. Being a nerd (by profession, and just in general), I’ve studied the heck out of most of the wiring diagrams for the early rigs up until about 1972, and have a pretty good idea of the colors for the lighting circuits.

Because I’d the trailer harness wiring, I decided to find a good spot to cut the harness close to that connection.

That’s when I noticed that the wiring is a different color combination than I had ever seen. As I unwrapped more…it seems to be original. It says “Yazaki 1978.”

Blue - Reverse
White - Brake
Red - Turn
Green - Tail
Black - Ground

I was expecting green, green/ white, green/ yellow, green/ black, white black. What’s interesting is that the subharnesses for the side markers are the correct colors.

If this isn’t original, then I’m pretty confused. If it is original, I’m also confused.

I’m waiting on some heat shrink and I’m going to get the rear harness put back together.