1978 FJ40 - Ugly but not too rusty - Refresh Thread

[draker3838]

I have never cleaned the vehicle since I purchased it. It was pretty nasty and needed a good vacuum.

Not sure what this cut wire goes to. Ill have to follow it at some point.

 

[120mm]

I am using AkzoNobel aircraft epoxy primer. The body shop I purchased it from said it is leftover from Boeing. I didnt realize it was Kawasaki green before I opened the can. Ill likely use something different for a seal coat.

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Yeah, aircraft primer is in various shades of Zinc Chromate green or yellow.

 

[draker3838]

As I started working on the rig, I wanted to keep it a rolling resto as long as possible. I have seen quite a few project piles on Craigslist because people start the project and lose interest. I figure if I can keep driving the rig, it will be much easier to keep interested.

My plan of attack from here is to paint the ambulance doors and top when the weather warms up then reinstall windows, door handles, etc.. In the meantime, I am working on whatever I can that will allow me to keep driving the rig.

I pulled the front bib to patch some sheet metal. It would probably be best to order the lower patch panel and replace but there are only a couple spots that need replaced. I figure this spot will be hidden by the winch and if it needs to be cut out in the next 10 years, I can do so with ease.

And Marvin was busy chasing birds while I was working in the shop. Too bad North Idaho doesn't have much access for hunting pheasant. They are everywhere in our neighborhood.

 

[draker3838]

Finished the bib and reassembled. I’ll have this sandblasted soon so I didn’t use any filler.

Couldn’t have done it without my faithful assistants.

 

[Catching Neutral]

Can see if in his eyes….assistant number 2 is a good soul. And assistant 1 is fascinated with assistant 2

 

[draker3838]

Dropped some parts off at the sand blaster a few weeks ago. The air cleaner looked terrible so I thought I would take it apart. Apparently it's supposed to have a gasket under the filter. Mine did not. Looks like some water sat in the bottom of the assembly for a while.

 

[draker3838]

In the spirit of keeping this a rolling restoration I pulled the heaters and heater hoses. The rear heater core had definitely been leaking so I took both cores to a radiator shop for cleaning and repair. I finished rebuilding the front heater. Wish I hadnt painted the plastic and kept it original. Waiting for the rear heater pieces to come back from sandblasting.

 

[draker3838]

Since owning the truck, I really haven't done anything mechanical to it so thought I would bite off the next project which is the cooling system. I could smell coolant every time I drove the truck and when I would open the hood, coolant was all over the radiator and it appeared some of the hoses were leaking. I bought everything to replace the radiator, hoses, water pump, thermostat last year but never got around to doing it. I tore into it last night.

Since I've been waiting on the sandblaster, i figured I would drop the radiator frame and shroud off for blasting as well.

 

[draker3838]

I might drop off this guy at sandblasting as well. It's got surface rust and it's well used but guy was selling it for $100

 

[Vandal FJ]

I might drop off this guy at sandblasting as well. It's got surface rust and it's well used but guy was selling it for $100
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That is a SCORE!!!

 

[SteveH]

Not sure what this cut wire goes to. Ill have to follow it at some point.

I believe that wire is for the seat belt buzzer. The wire connects to the buckle 'holster' end that is bolted to the seat.

Nice looking '78 project - I see that, like most FJ40s, it only needs......'everything'.

 

[draker3838]

Does anybody have any input on using 70 series turn signals? At some point my fenders were replaced by PO and the turn signals relocated to the apron. The signals I have right now are generic but I dont hate the look. I thought using 70 series indicators would improve the look.

Also, it sounds like I would have to move the hood latches back to mount the turn indicators. I believe the piece on the apron is spot welded but pretty small and I wonder how easily it will be relocated.

Current look:

70 Series (poached from the internet):

Also, PO cut the wires to connect the turn indicators. Where would I source a replacement connector? Would the connector be the same for the FJ40 as a 70 series?

 

[draker3838]

These all in one headlights look pretty sweet too. I think I like the look of a separate turn indicator more than all in one.

Speedway 7 Inch Fluted Replacement Headlights w/ Amber Turn Signal

www.speedwaymotors.com

 

[draker3838]

Yesterday I buttoned up the cooling system with a new thermostat, water pump, hoses and radiator. I had the radiator support and fan shroud sandblasted and then I repainted it.

When separating the old thermostat housing, I broke off both bolts. One of the broken bolts broke off again in the lower housing after I let it sit in PB blaster for a week. The other stud I successfully removed after heating the broken bolt and letting it cool with application of PB blaster while hot. I did this 4-5 times and it came right out. Unfortunately, I cracked the tab after drilling out the bolt and using a bolt extractor so ended up purchasing a new lower housing and used all new bolts with plenty of anti seize.

 

[draker3838]

Before:

After:

Sand blasted and repainted air cleaner assembly. Kind of like putting lipstick on a pig right now but eventually it will look nice.

 

[draker3838]

Let it run at warm for 20 min then took it for a spin. Nice to get out for a drive again!

 

[draker3838]

I also got my doors and other misc parts back from sand blasting. Looks like there will be minimal welding required on the doors. PO did some patching but should be good enough for my purpose.

 

[Drake2]

I purchased some door patch panels from from Real Steel Cruiser Parts. The parts looked pretty good but I had to stretch the outside panel. Not a big deal...View attachment 2947192
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Make sure to let Todd know about the length issue so he can update his program. The panels I purchased from him fit very well, and very likely the result of prior feedback from others.

 

[Drake2]

We did a fair amount of bird hunting this fall and traveled quite a bit.

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Idaho is beautiful but I sure miss the wide open spaces of Wyoming. Here we did a week long trip to Wyoming. Over 1000 miles in the regular cab with a 75lb dog. The old Dodge does pretty well with 285k on the clock.

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My wife and I drove the Pan American Highway in this Dodge with the Alaskan for a year and a half.

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We wrote a blog if anybody is interested: Ducknotes.org

And that's where I left off in the late fall. On Christmas day our first child was born. Its a boy! I sure hope I'm not in the build stage when he shows interest in working on cars. We will look for something for him to tinker with when he gets to be that age.
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After a few month hiatus, I'm back on the 40.

Congrats on the family addition! Those days were decades ago for me but I remember them well, good times.

 

[draker3838]

Well I decided I was going for a knuckle rebuild and ended up pulling the front axle. The springs were replaced at some point in time with a 2.5 inch lift or so. I’m debating on painting the leaf springs. Does anybody have any input as to how it will hold up? I’m painting John Deere blitz black on the axles and frame.

*edit - or would it be better to buy a suspension kit? All of the bushings need replaced. Already bought bilstein shocks from City Racer. I hate to put a ton of effort into these springs if they’ll look crappy in a couple years.